Maple bars are hard to find outside of the Inland Northwest; but Spokane residents are quite particular about their favorite donut

Soon after I arrived in Spokane 40 years ago, someone suggested getting a “maple bar,” and was shocked that I had not a clue. I quickly remedied this knowledge gap, along with any potential caloric deficit. In my defense, and to my Spokane friends’ surprise, the term “maple bar” was then, and is generally still, confined to the West, and mostly used in the Northwest (and British Columbia). In other parts of the country, the term “long john” donut is commonly used for the bar shape. But that term, along with “Creamstick” and “Bismark,” encompasses a variety of styles and flavors.

A similar surprise arises when Spokane natives move away. Kevin Lee Jacobs, a lifestyle writer and producer who moved to New York years ago, noted that his “biggest culture shock was not the traffic or the noise. It was the absence of maple bars!” He says that maple bars are still largely unknown there, despite his sharing a wonderful homemade maple bar recipe (see sidebar and his full channel at youtube.com/channel/UC26HUUlff2Xk-HbCVtZpitA).

Evidence of the maple bar’s unique place in the region is scattered across internet food sites and forums. In the book “500 Things to Eat Before It’s Too Late,” Jane and Michael Stern note this donut as a standout at the best places, observing “why the maple bar is such a favorite out West, we don’t know.” More importantly: Why they aren’t as popular everywhere? Who doesn’t love a big puffy slab of fried dough slathered in maple icing?

As Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts expands eastward to cities like Chicago, Austin and Orlando, it takes with it its maple bars and bacon maple bars. (They introduced the latter in 2003; no one knows who was first, but it did kick off a bit of a craze.) Keith Bucholtz, owner of Bucholtz Brownies in Houston, recently demonstrated enthusiasm for a maple bar from a Krispy Kreme shop there in a Reddit post. Despite these inroads, the maple bar isn’t really catching on or well-known in these outposts, according to correspondents there.

Maple bars continue to hold a special place in the Northwest donut hierarchy. On the “Washington State Maple Bar Aficionados” Facebook group and elsewhere online, one finds rankings and arguments about the best maple bars, most prevalent on this side of the Cascades. So … who makes the best ones?

Sampling all the maple bars in Spokane is daunting, not to mention dangerous. To narrow the range, I checked the Spokane Food Finders Facebook group, did multiple online searches, and reached out to friends. The Spokane-area sources that popped up included familiar spots: Donut Parade, Mike’s Old Fashioned Donuts, Fluffy’s Donuts-to-Go, Casual Fridays, Retro Donuts and ScrumDiddilyUmptious, along with the grocery stalwarts: Rosauers/Super One, Yoke’s and Safeway. The surprising responses were those from native Spokanites who said they don’t like maple bars. (I protect their identities, so they won’t lose their Spokane membership cards.)

Beyond the favorites were the memories. Some recalled a regular school lunch menu item: chili and maple bars! Others had stories. (At some point, cinnamon rolls replaced the maple bars in this item, featured in a Smithsonian Magazine article in 2022 with a focus on Spokane. It’s still on the Spokane Public Schools high school menu.)

Dave Stenersen recalled the original school lunch item, as well as a cherished maple bar he could purchase for 7 cents as a 10-year-old, from a bakery on Riverside Avenue before boarding the North Division bus back home (for another 10 cents). Molly Schemmel’s Texas relatives visited Spokane each summer, making their first stop at Donut Parade for maple bars. Donut Parade holds many maple bar memories for folks. Mark Schemmel and friends would sneak away from physics class at Gonzaga Prep for a fresh one when the chance arose. Rick Matthews first tried them while overseeing construction of nearby Cooper Elementary; soon thereafter, he took his now-wife Sue on a “date” to Donut Parade, where an old-timer observed “buddy, you must really love her to bring her here for their maple bars.” Longtime Spokesman-Review columnist Doug Clark wrote about Donut Parade several times, noting that at their peak, they made 75 dozen a day. While ownership has changed a few times, Donut Parade still has its admirers. Other folks championed their favorite versions from just about every shop, grocery store and a few gas stations.

Maple bar memories are still made daily. Malinda Uhlenkott, who swears by Rosauers version, simply notes “life is better after I eat one.”

Maple bars are a leading item at most donut shops.

Jenn Coyle, manager at Casual Friday’s, had never heard of maple bars when she arrived from Texas. Maple bars are their top seller, she says. “Oh yeah, everybody gets one.”

To help, friend Patti Krafft served a sampling of five shops’ maple bars in a blind tasting at a recent dinner group gathering. Tasters noted the variety of dough, ranging from “fluffy” to “dense and chewy” to “cakey.” Frosting varied from light (in texture and color) to creamy, crispy, caramelly. This group’s notes, like online comments, reveal that each of us may seek a different version of maple bar perfection.

Curtis Smith, chief instructor and department chair of the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College, noted that most bakeries use a commercial yeast donut mix, but that these vary in quality (and cost). INCA uses a high-quality mix in preparing its students for industry jobs, but Smith says “the secret to great donuts is making them fresh daily. As with all baking, it’s not the recipe, it’s the experience, skill and care” that make the difference.

Some groceries, as Facebook posters noted, use prebaked, frozen donuts (not the case, at the very least, for Rosauers/Super One and Yoke’s, which, among others, make theirs fresh daily).

The last tasting for my research was homemade by neighbor Todd Koyama (based on the “Fifteen Minute Maple Bars” recipe, see sidebar). This version uses pre-made canned biscuit dough from the refrigerator section, keeping things simple. Delivered fresh and warm, they were irresistible, even if I am biased toward yeast dough. So, where does all this leave us in our search for the best maple bar?

The answer may be the same as the one Thoreau gave when asked what his favorite food dish was: “the nearest.” Every maple bar sampled has something going for it and each has its champion. See for yourself by visiting your favorite local bakery … and then another! If pressed, I would say my favorite was the one made by the students at SCC’s culinary program – impressive, given that it may have been the baker’s inaugural attempt. The bakery’s limited hours (see scc.spokane.edu) make all its treats that much more special. The extra good news is that, with every class, the future supply of maple bar makers is secure, as is Spokane’s unique spot on the world’s maple bar map.