Sugartime Confections is downtown sweet spot

JUDD WEIL
Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Aunt P’s Sugartime Confections seeks to be downtown Hutchinson’s sweet-treats that cannot be beat.  

“I started in July of 2017,” Malynda Jarrett, owner of Aunt P’s Sugartime Confections, said. “I just had this storefront here, where I just did baked items, decorated cookies, cakes, baked cookies, cupcakes, any custom order.”  

Entering Sugartime Confections invokes the spirit of the retro sweets and cookie parlors of yesteryear. 

It all stems from a beloved childhood memory of Jarrett’s. 

“Back when I was sixteen, my dad and I went to Branson together on a trip, with Al’s Honda, and it was a motorcycle trip, and we went down, and after our show, we went to Cakes and Creams,” Jarrett said. “Cakes and Creams has the same feel of a 1950s diner, it has the jukebox, it has the same color scheme and so forth. I grew up taking my kids there and now I’ve taken my grandkids there.” 

Jarrett recalled her time at Cakes and Creams as memorable, fondly reminiscing about the various desserts over the years and the retro diner atmosphere.  

“They just recently expanded in the last couple of years as well, so it’s nice to see that,” Jarrett said. “That it’s still there and it’s the nostalgic feeling of my childhood.” 

Sugartime Confections expansion last year reinforces the 50s and 60s vibe. Especially with the “groovy” van, sitting in the shop.  

“This is a custom 1969 Volkswagen van that we cut in half and made it into a custom counter where we cook off of the back, I do our crepes off of the back,” Jarrett said. 

The “far out” expansion also added a second kitchen just for lunch menu items, such as panini sandwiches, sweet and savory crepes, and toasted subs.  

Jarrett said she always intended to make her crepes in the second kitchen, but the addition of sandwiches came when a local deli downtown closed.  

Jarrett usually comes in on Tuesdays to prepare the shop for the week.  

In addition to sweets and sandwiches, Sugartime Confections also serves boba tea.  

Jarrett attributed selling boba tea as the reason Sugartime Confections was able to stay open during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  

However, Sugartime Confections' real business, and the primary reason many set foot into the shop, is their cookies and sweets. 

“I took a leave of absence from a professional position, and I was asked what I love to do, and I said, ‘I love to decorate cookies,’” Jarrett explained. “They said, ‘well, then do that.’ I said, ‘well, I can’t replace my income on a cookie,’ and they said the magical words to me: ‘why not?’ This is why I’m here, ‘why not?’”  

For the first two years, Jarrett did business from the converted garage of her family home. 

Sugartime Confections' number one seller, according to Jarrett, is their “Cloud Nine” cookie.  

“It has a special story with it,” Jarrett said. “Jan was a business owner here on this other side for thirty years, she owned and operated a beauty shop, and she was diagnosed with terminal cancer the same time as my dad.”  

Jarrett continued, “We became very close, and one day she got out of the hospital and said she wanted to give me her recipe. The icing for the Cloud Nine cookie is her mother’s recipe. To me, it’s a legacy of her family, and a legacy of her mother’s love for decorating cookies as well.” 

The monster cookie is Sugartime Confections' other big seller.  

“The monster cookie is a four-ounce cookie, that is naturally gluten free, aside that I do not use certified oats in it, but it is naturally gluten free,” Jarrett said. “It’s made with oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and M&Ms, and a lot of sugary goodness. It is as large as a small toddler’s face.”  

A variety of winter-perfect hot cocoa bombs, shaved ice for the summer, and other sweet and crumbly confectionaries all year round, are Jarrett's specialties, no matter the season.

Malynda Jarrett considers Sugartime Confections her role in the Hutchinson community.  

“I personally believe, I offer a place to create sweet memories,” Jarret said. “That’s been my mission. It gives a place for people to come and create some of the same nostalgia, I had in my childhood.”  

Sugartime Confections' welcoming, fun, and inviting atmosphere is reminiscent of reading an Archie comic book.  

A simpler time, where getting a sweet treat was more than just reaching into a cookie jar.  

Visit Sugartime Confections’ website to peek at their menu.  

For questions or call-in orders, Sugartime Confections can be reached at (620) 694-9053, or through their contact form on their website. People can also visit their Facebook page.  

Aunt P’s Sugartime Confections is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and is located at 29 S. Main St. in Hutchinson, Kan. 

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