FROM AUTUMN HARVEST TO SWEET DESSERTS Bakery uses fall fruits and veggies for Thanksgiving treats

from autumn harvest To Sweet Desser t

Rita’s Bake Shop uses fall fruits and veggies to make Thanksgiving treats

Story and photos by Cindy O. Herman

One really good way to celebrate the abundance of a fall harvest is with an apple walnut cake. Any cake taking advantage of fall’s bounty — carrot cake, zucchini cake, pumpkin roll — top them with cream cheese icing and a drizzle of caramel, and you’ve got a dessert worthy of the Thanksgiving table. Even people who don’t typically spend time poring over dessert recipes enjoy firing up the oven, cracking some eggs and creaming butter and sugar. Those actions bring back nostalgic memories, said Rita Timco, owner of Rita’s Bakeshop, in Shamokin.

“Maybe their grandmother made a special dessert or cookie at the holidays,” she said, standing in her Arch Street bakery. “They want to make this recipe that their grandmother made for the holidays.”

Thanksgiving and Christmas customers tend to have their own favorites when it comes to dessert requests. Pies top the list for Thanksgiving, especially pumpkin and apple.

ABOVE: CRANBERRY ORANGE WALNUT BREAD AND PUMPKIN COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS, BY RITA’S BAKESHOP, IN SHAMOKIN. LEFT: RITA TIMCO DRIZZLES CARAMEL ON AN APPLE WALNUT CAKE IN HER BAKERY IN SHAMOKIN.

“We make a delicious, fresh custard pumpkin pie,” Timco said. “Apple crumb and apple caramel pies are also popular. So are pumpkin rolls.”

Favorite fall flavors include cranberries, apples and pumpkins, she said.

Cookies top the list at Christmas. And, although decorated cut-out cookies are time-consuming to make, they’re always a big hit. “But they’re beautiful,” Timco said. “You eat with your eyes when you see them, and then they taste good, too.” During Christmas, she’ll often spruce up the look of regular cookies by drizzling them with chocolate or adding cherries to make them a little more “Christmasy.” Even using red and green M&Ms can add a holiday touch to simple chocolate chip cookies. Located in the anthracite coal region, Rita’s Bakeshop receives holiday requests for items like Italian cookies or Italian rum cakes.

“We make ricotta cookies and cannoli,” she said.

As busy as she is during the holidays, she does think about her customers and the baked goods they bought to take into their homes.

“I hope everyone is enjoying their goodies they got from us,” she said. “That’s important.”

She understands the sentimental connection people make with the hours they spent as a child baking with beloved adults. Like many of her customers, she has her own happy memories of measuring flour and sugar in a treasured recipe.

“My one aunt used to make these terrific orange cookies,” she said. “And my mom made a lot of things from scratch, and I always wanted to help her.” Too often in today’s world, people have a hard time finding extra hours for baking sprees. “People don’t have a lot of time these days to do stuff like this,” Timco said, adding with a smile, “That’s why I’m here. Having baked goods in the house makes everyone feel warm and cozy.” Rita’s Bakeshop is located at 850 W. Arch St., in Shamokin. For more information, visit “Rita’s Bakeshop” on Facebook or www.ritasbakeshop.com or call 570-6489925. PA