These Ohio Bakeries Are Taking Buckeye Candy To A Whole New Level
In Ohio, they take their buckeye candy seriously, and for good reason.
The chocolate-peanut butter treat has become more than just a state symbol.
It has become a full-blown obsession that bakeries across the Buckeye State have turned into an art form.
I’ve spent countless weekends chasing down the best versions, from tiny cupcakes topped with miniature buckeyes to over-the-top cheesecakes that barely fit in their boxes.
These thirteen bakeries have taken the classic candy and transformed it into donuts, brownies, cakes, and creations so inventive you’ll wonder why you ever settled for the plain version.
1. Miss Amy’s Bakery – Wooster
In a low-key strip just outside Wooster, Miss Amy’s feels like the kind of place where game-day dessert boxes are practically a love language.
The menu calls out Buckeye Cupcakes by the dozen, plus an over-the-top Extreme Buckeye Cheesecake that starts with a chocolate cookie crust, then layers peanut butter cheesecake, fudge, crumbs, and chunks of buckeye brownies into one ridiculous slice.
I stopped in last fall during a road trip and watched someone walk out with three boxes stacked so high they had to peek around them to see the door.
The staff boxes everything with care, and you can tell they know exactly how precious those treats are to customers heading to tailgates.
Located at 1494 E Smithville Western Rd, Suite C, Wooster, OH 44691..
2. Buckeye Donuts – Columbus
The neon sign reading “Always Open, Closed Never” is more than a slogan here – it’s a lifestyle for generations of Ohio State students.
Alongside all the classic rings and long johns, there’s the famous Buckeye Donut, a chocolate-glazed, peanut-butter-filled ring that tastes like someone turned a buckeye candy into breakfast.
Food writers and fans alike call it the hometown favorite, and it hits especially well at 2 a.m. after a night game.
The shop sits right on High Street near campus, so you’ll often see students stumbling in at odd hours, clutching cash and craving that perfect peanut-chocolate combo.
Find it at 1998 N High St, Columbus, OH 43201.
3. The Cheesecake Girl – Hilliard & Columbus
What started as a small cheesecake side hustle has turned into a Columbus mini-empire, and the cases are usually lined with rows of mini cheesecakes like tiny jewels.
The star for buckeye fans is the Buckeye Mini Cheesecake – a chocolate shortbread crust, peanut-butter chocolate-chip cheesecake, chocolate drizzle, and a mini buckeye perched on top.
Hilliard’s Center Street Market stall and other locations stay busy year-round, but during football season, the buckeye minis tend to vanish first.
I grabbed a box once for a party and ended up eating two in the car before I even got there.
Locations include Center Street Market in Hilliard, Italian Village, and the Wexner Medical Center areas.
4. Chocolate Cafe – Grandview & German Village
Chocolate Cafe feels like a dessert living room for Columbus: coffee, cozy seating, and an entire counter of sweets, plus a tiny German Village satellite that functions like a chocolate grab-and-go window.
The shop sells a Buckeye Gift Set packed with hand-rolled buckeyes, and their social feeds tease limited-run twists like Nutella buckeyes alongside cakes, pies, and hot chocolate flights.
On winter nights, locals duck in for a latte and a box of buckeyes to take home.
The atmosphere is warm, the staff knows regulars by name, and the chocolate selection is serious enough to make any sweet tooth happy.
Visit locations in Grandview and German Village, Columbus.
5. Pure Imagination Chocolatier – Columbus
At Pure Imagination, buckeyes get the craft-chocolate treatment.
This Columbus chocolatier, with a boutique at Polaris, is known for small-batch truffles and bars, and their handmade buckeyes show up alongside bonbons in carefully boxed assortments.
It’s the kind of spot where you can grab a sleek gift box that hides a very Ohio surprise inside: rows of shiny buckeye domes.
The presentation is polished enough for corporate gifts, but the flavors are homey enough to remind you why buckeyes matter in the first place.
I once brought a box to a meeting and watched three colleagues fight over the last piece.
The chocolate is smooth, the peanut butter is balanced, and the whole experience feels fancy without being fussy.
6. Sweet Tooth Cottage – Powell
This cheerful, family-owned bakery in Powell stays busy with decorated sugar cookies and custom cakes, but the Ohio heart shows up in its chocolate counter.
The shop’s “Bars & More” lineup includes tidy packs of buckeyes made by hand in the same kitchen as the cakes.
It’s the kind of place where you can pick up a birthday cake and a box of buckeyes for the host in one swoop.
The staff is friendly, the space is bright, and the baked goods look almost too pretty to eat.
I stopped in once to grab a dozen cookies and left with cookies, buckeyes, and a brownie I definitely didn’t plan on. Find them at 10221 Sawmill Pkwy, Powell, OH 43065.
7. The Original Goodie Shop – Upper Arlington
Upper Arlington’s Tremont Goodie Shop has been a full-line, family-owned bakery for around 70 years, the kind of neighborhood place where people still talk about cream horns and cinnamon sticks with real affection.
It’s also become part of local buckeye lore – featured in talks about the history of Ohio buckeye candy, with the bakery providing sample buckeyes for attendees.
On a chilly afternoon, you can walk out with a bag of donuts and a little box of buckeyes tucked under your arm.
The shop has that lived-in feel that only decades of loyal customers can create.
Located at 2116 Tremont Center, Upper Arlington, Columbus, OH 43221.
8. Purely Sweet Bakery – Beavercreek
Purely Sweet is the rare bakery where gluten-free, celiac-safe, and allergy-friendly treats still feel indulgent.
Reviewers rave specifically about its buckeye cupcakes and buckeye-flavored cakes, praising the rich peanut-butter frosting and balanced chocolate.
On fall Saturdays, you’ll see boxes of those cupcakes heading out to tailgates around the Dayton area.
The bakery has built a devoted following among people who thought they’d have to give up buckeyes and other Ohio classics because of dietary restrictions.
I have a friend with celiac disease who nearly cried when she tried the buckeye cupcake – it tasted exactly like the ones she remembered from childhood.
Located at 3375 Dayton-Xenia Rd, Beavercreek, OH 45432.
9. Bellbrook Chocolate Shoppe – Centerville
Just up the road, Bellbrook Chocolate Shoppe leans fully into handcrafted chocolate, with cases full of truffles and chocolate-covered everything.
Among the staples is a classic box of buckeyes, available in different counts for gifting and game-day grazing.
People swing through the strip center, grab a coffee nearby, and walk out with buckeye boxes that rarely make it home unopened.
The shop has a loyal local following, and the chocolates are made fresh in small batches.
I’ve bought buckeyes here as gifts more times than I can count, and they’ve never failed to impress.
The chocolate coating is smooth, the peanut butter is creamy, and the ratio is just right.
Located at 101 E Alex-Bell Rd, Suite 144, Centerville, OH 45459.
10. Sara’s Sweets – Lima
Sara’s Sweets looks like a classic cupcake shop from the outside, but inside it functions like Lima’s dessert nerve center.
For buckeye lovers, the big draws are the GAME DAY: Buckeye Cupcakes – moist chocolate cupcakes with a buckeye baked inside and peanut-butter buttercream on top – and rotating trays of buckeye brownies and bars.
On football weekends, you’ll see boxes heading out with scarlet-and-gray ribbons.
The cupcakes are a hit at tailgates, watch parties, and any gathering where Ohio State pride runs high.
I ordered a dozen once and was shocked to find an actual buckeye candy hidden inside each cupcake. It’s a genius move.
Located at 435 S Eastown Rd, Lima, OH 45804.
11. Dietsch Brothers Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream – Findlay
Dietsch Brothers is one of those third-generation places that locals talk about in the same breath as childhood memories.
From their two Findlay shops, they turn out over 60 ice-cream flavors and 90 kinds of chocolates, including buckeye candies and even Buckeye ice cream that folds chocolate and peanut-butter flavors together.
On hot days, you’ll see people leaving with a cone in one hand and a box of buckeyes in the other.
The shop has that timeless feel – old-fashioned service, quality ingredients, and flavors that remind you why simple classics still win.
Visit them at 400 W Main Cross St or 1217 Tiffin Ave, Findlay, OH 45840.
12. Winans Chocolates + Coffees – Piqua
Winans has quietly become an Ohio institution, roasting coffee and making chocolates out of its Piqua factory and sending them to shops across the state.
Factory tours often highlight trays of their famous buckeyes, and there’s even a video campaign showing dark-chocolate-dipped buckeyes as a newer twist on the classic milk-chocolate version.
Stopping at the hometown store means you can watch the operation in action and grab a latte while you’re at it.
The combination of fresh coffee and fresh chocolate is hard to beat.
I’ve taken the factory tour twice, and both times I left with way more buckeyes than I intended to buy.
Located at 310 Spring St, Piqua, OH 45356.
13. CoCo Beans Candy & Cupcakes – Fremont
CoCo Beans feels like a little candy wonderland for Sandusky County, with handmade chocolates, cupcakes, ice cream, and milkshakes all under one roof.
It’s featured on the Ohio Buckeye Candy Trail as a stop where you can pick up buckeyes along with other sweets, and a recent chamber write-up celebrated the shop’s return to town in a new location – proof that local demand for those chocolates and cupcakes never really went away.
The shop is bright, cheerful, and packed with treats that make it hard to choose just one thing.
Buckeyes here are made fresh, and they pair perfectly with a scoop of ice cream if you’re feeling extra indulgent.
Find them at 611 W State St, Fremont, OH 43420.