Little has been sweet about the 2016 presidential election.

The cantankerous contest between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump is a hot topic on people's minds and, confectioners hope, on their palates.

At least two Western Pennsylvania merchants have joined others around the country in trying to capitalize with election-themed foods — making cookies, candy coins and chocolate bars bearing the faces of the major-party candidates.

“I don't tell any of my customers who I'm voting for,” said Marc Serrao, owner of Oakmont Bakery. “This is really all in fun.”

The bakery created iced sugar cookies topped with an edible, printed image of each candidate. Trump cookies feature a background of red and white stripes while Clinton cookies have a blue and white star backdrop.

The Allegheny County business joins a Chicago bakery that is selling a $50 cookie basket with 15 hand-iced cookies featuring the candidates, donkeys, elephants and three that say “vote.” And a health-food website based in New York is offering a $35 “election edibles” bundle that includes salty snacks, nut butter and muffins for munching while watching the debates.

As the election nears, Oakmont Bakery plans to make as many as 2,000 candidate-themed cookies each day.

On Friday, Trump cookies had outsold Clinton cookies 668 to 423, Serrao said.

People have been friendly about it, for the most part, he said. But some offer commentary.

“Some people come in and say, ‘I want to bite Donald Trump's head off,' ” Serrao said.

Penny Cullen of Hampton picked up two Trump cookies to give to her parents along other items during a weekly bakery stop.

The cookie is all in fun, she said. But, as a Trump supporter, she hopes it persuades people to vote for the GOP candidate.

“You can't persuade easier than that,” she said of giving an Oakmont cookie.

Gina Valentine, a pharmaceutical sales rep from Franklin Park, said she was buying several mixed dozen — equal numbers for each candidate — to give out to clients.

“I have a feeling I should have gotten more Trump,” she joked.

Valentine said she was also buying a single cookie of each Trump and Clinton to rile up her in-laws, who support opposing candidates.

Sellers said they felt that if voters can agree on one thing this year, perhaps it's sweets. Then again, maybe not.

“People are so into this election, customers will argue” at the counter, said Bill Sarris, owner of Sarris Candies, based in Canonsburg, Washington County.

Sarris is selling 1.5-ounce chocolate bars molded with each candidate's face and a map of the United States as well as chocolate elephants and donkeys, symbolic of Republicans and Democrats.

Sarris said he's sold nearly 100,000 of his two-sided, foil-wrapped chocolate coins with Trump on one side and Clinton on the other.

Customers at the Canonsburg store have a chance to flip a chocolate coin to “vote” in a store poll and then keep the coin.

“If people don't get who they want, they get really upset ... One person threw the coin at our clerk and said, ‘I don't want this,' ” Sarris said. “It's supposed to be fun, but people are so serious about this election — even when they're in a candy store where they're supposed to be happy — they get upset. It's silly.”

As for whether people's treat-buying habits are predictive of the election, the jury is still out. Serrao and Sarris say Trump items are outselling Clinton, but the Nov. 8 election is weeks away.

Four years ago, when President Obama ran for reelection against Republican Mitt Romney, he lost the “sweet vote” at Oakmont Bakery, said Serrao.

Romney finished with 3,754 cookies sold to Obama's 2,859.

Kari Andren is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-850-2856 or kandren@tribweb.com.

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