Folks will go nuts for doughnuts at the Oklahoma State Fair this year

The Oklahoma State Fair never starts without questions about food and weather. Thanks to modern meteorology and the Great Taste of the Fair competition, clarity is available.

On Wednesday, a group of judges gathered in the Capital City Cafe to sample foods from 14 contestants in the 11th annual competition that crowns winners in three categories: Sweetest of the Sweet, Slice of Savory, and New to the Scene.

Winners of the categories are then pitted against one another for Fairest of Them All honors.

Taking the Sweetest of the Sweet contest was once again the Watermelon Pie from Cutie Pie’s, second place went to the Mexican Funnel Cake from Gringo’s, and the Deep-Fried Cookie Dough from The Original Minneapple Pie took third.

Featuring a slice of fresh watermelon on top, the cream pie from Cutie Pie's has won this category three competitions in a row, plus overall honors in 2018. The Mexican Funnel Cake is a clever twisting of classic churros topped with whipped cream and chocolate and caramel syrups. The Original Minneapple Pie features a flaky homemade crust on all of its pastries, including the deep-fried cookie dough.

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In the Slice of Savory contest, the Honey Pepper Bacon Dog from The Urb Express  won for the third straight year. The Indian Taco from Capital City Cafe finished second, and third Place went to the Chicken Bacon Ranch Cheese Curd Taco from O’Neil Amusements.

The winning dog once again was a Nathan’s hot dog covered in melted jack cheese, honey mustard and honey pepper bacon crumbles. The Indian Taco was classic fry bread topped with ground beef, pinto beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese and salsa, and  not to be confused with Dan's. This came from the kitchen staff that operates the only permanent cafe at the state fairgrounds. Had the cafe's covered indoor seating during the fair been taken into account, it might've put their Indian Taco over the top.

O'Neil Amusements has won many ribbons for its classic cheese curds over the years, but this year's deep-fried flour tortilla stuffed with cheese curds, chicken and bacon was a new high for the Poncho Dog specialists from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Among the new kids on the block, the Caramel Apple Delight Donut from Amish Annie was the winner. The Loaded Gilty Mac from Gilty Pleasure took second; third place was handed to the Candied Apple Pie from Cutie Pie’s.

This category was the least difficult to call, according to this judge. The enormous (potentially ginormous) glazed doughnut, the result of a recipe shared by an Amish family from southern Iowa, is the kind folks drive across town, or to the state fairgrounds, to get. The toppings of apple pie crumble, whipped cream, green apple chunks  and ribbons of caramel sauce made great Instagram fodder, but on top of this fluffy glazed doughnut they were strictly along for the ride.

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Social media influencer Emily Phillips agreed when she picked the Caramel Apple Delight Donut as winner of the Fairest of Them All trophy.

Amish Annie's takes two trophies and $300 back to Andover, Minnesota, on top of whatever revenue award-winning doughnuts make them over the next two weekends. Second place was worth $150 and a trophy. Third place got $50 and a trophy.

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The contest drew 14 of the fair's more than 60 food vendors, which will be offering famous cinnamon rolls, desserts that look like entrees, entrees that look like desserts, pork sandwiches, cotton candy, and practically anything that can be served on a stick,  whether grilled or deep-fried.

Find a map to food vendors around the fair along with ticket information online at www.okstatefair.com. 

What will the weather look like?

As for the weather, the outlook is downright sunny. The National Weather Service in Norman shows rain chances currently top out at 20% on Tuesday during the run of the fair.

Temperatures should top out in the low 90s over the weekend with highs in the 80s next week. Could this mild forecast be grace for a year stolen by COVID-19?

Your move, Oklahoma weather.

Gates open at 10 a.m. daily. The fair runs through Sept. 26.