What's the deal with Cherry Thing-a-lings? We drove to Indiana to find out
What's the thing with Cherry Thing-a-lings? The Batesville, Indiana, pastry has overtaken Greater Cincinnati and beyond.
A close-knit team at Schmidt Bakery in Batesville pioneered the cherry fritter about 45 years ago as a way to honor President's Day and George Washington's cherry tree. Since then, the pastry has snowballed into a national phenomenon.
The family-owned bakery, located 45 miles west of downtown Cincinnati, brings back the pastry annually for one weekend and one weekend only ahead of President's Day. Each year, it sells thousands of Thing-a-lings to lines of people waiting for up to 3 hours to get a taste. Last month, the bakery offered online orders for boxes of a dozen Thing-a-lings for the first time ever, selling out in six days after receiving 1,800 orders from across the country.
Keith Pandolfi: I finally tried a Cherry Thing-a-ling. And yes, I get it now
The bakery sold a record 232,380 Thing-a-lings in 2023, beating its previous record of 199,584 in 2022.
So why are Cherry Thing-a-lings so popular? We made the drive over to the Southeastern Indiana bakery to find out ourselves. Take a look at the TikTok below.
Where to buy Cherry Thing-a-lings
Though online orders sold out last month, the coveted cherry pastry is available to purchase in-person at Schmidt Bakery, located at 125 Batesville Shopping Village in Batesville, Indiana.
Thing-a-lings are sold from Feb. 15-19 during the bakery's operating hours: 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ginger Puente, the bakery's manager, recommended arriving as early as you can to snag the best spot in line. They are busiest during the afternoon hours on Saturday and Sunday, she added.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Indiana's Cherry Thing-a-lings have become a sensation
