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A Sweet Spot in Texas

© Joy Butler

It was a rainy day in 1840, and newly arriving at their blackland farm in north Texas, Mary Horton trudged up the hill through the oozing mud, remarking that it was just like walking in pudding. When her husband, James, laughed and answered, "Welcome to Puddin' Hill," he could not have known that his phrase would stick for at least 165 years.

Nestled in a grove of pecan trees about 45 minutes east of Dallas, a quaint little country store now sits under the name of Mary of Puddin Hill. In 1949, Mary Lauderdale, great-great-granddaughter of James and Mary Horton, with her husband, Sam, opened the business there. Employees of the little chocolate factory still greet sweet toothed customers with James Horton's phrase and provide them with some of the most delectable desserts in the world, including Mary Horton's original praline pecan pie recipe, which has been featured on national television.

Travelers will find the little country store in Greenville, just off I-30 at exit 95. Entering from the weathered wood porch, visitors are met with the warm, rich aroma of handmade candies, cakes, and pies and beautiful displays of candy samples, baskets, and boxed desserts that line the walls.

A tour of the chocolate factory leads to the next room where you will find attractive gift baskets, dips, salsas, crafts, cookbooks and other specialty items. When you finish browsing there, you can proceed to the baking kitchen to see where all these goodies are created. All desserts are made by hand and you can watch as workers use long wooden paddles to swirl buckets of nuts into huge vats of chocolate.

The next room holds, perhaps, the highlight of the tour. You will marvel at the artistic creations on display there, including an intricately detailed white chocolate replica of the Hunt county courthouse, a 200-pound solid chocolate dollhouse complete with furniture, and a rotating carousel of chocolate glazed hobby horses.

By the time you finish your tour, the tantalizing aromas will surely have your appetite raging. This may be just the time to visit the dining area to savor any of their specialty sandwiches, soups, and tortillas, along with a dessert, whipped cream-topped cappuccino or their signature herbal blend of iced Tranquilitea from the deli counter.

Mary's Praline Pecan Pie, made with fresh Texas pecans and an exclusive praline filling of honey and caramel poured into a hand baked buttery pie crust, is deservingly popular. It has become a favorite of Dr. Phil, who first sampled it in the Greenville store. He chose to feature the irresistable pie on The Dr. Phil Show by offering his mom a slice on national television.

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