LYDIA — Nothing satisfies a sweet tooth better than baked cookies right from the oven or a slice of freshly baked cake with a tall glass of milk, especially if the sweets are made with the glistening sugar that comes from Louisiana sugar cane fields.

When friends and family of Jeanette Arton, 11, and her two brothers Kevin, 16, and Kody, 13, are looking to satisfy their sweet tooth, they’re sure to find just what they are looking for at the Arton’s Lydia home.

Their parents, Louis Jr. “Deany” and Jodie Arton, and grandmother, Barbara Arton, often reap the benefits of the children’s culinary talents as official taste-testers, but they are never quite certain what will be the new recipe of the week.

The three 4-H members are known for the award winning sweets that have captured the taste of judges in the past for the annual Sugar Cane Festival 4-H Sugar Cookery Contest.

“You won’t find any sugar substitutes in our desserts,” said Jeanette, a sixth-grade student at Caneveiw Elementary School.

“We are required to have at least one cup of sugar in any recipe we enter for the contest.”

One taste of a slice of the 11-year-old’s “Cherry Coca-Cola Cake” and it is easy to see how she garnered a Grand Champion Award in the annual 4-H competition and in the District Commodity Food Contest held in Crowley.

“The cake is made from scratch and the frosting is made with confectioner sugar, but has Maraschino cherry juice in it, so it really gives it a different flavor. If you don’t have time to bake a cake, this is a good recipe to use for cupcakes,” she said.

For the cupcake lover who has a craving for something with fresh fruit, Kody’s gourmet “Tropical Fantasy Muffins” with a streusel topping made with brown sugar, can be the answer to the craving.

Kody, an eighth-grade student at Iberia Middle School, adds fresh strawberries, bananas, coconut and pineapple for a tropical flair to his homemade cupcakes.

“This is one of my favorites. It received a Reserve Champion award in the 4-H Sugar Cookery Contest,” Kody said.

Kevin, a junior at New Iberia Senior High School, has a specialty of his own. His chocolate fudge made with a combination of light brown and white sugar with toasted chopped nuts has became a favorite among his classmates. The fudge recipe also took a blue ribbon in a previous 4-H Sugar Cookery Contest.

“I’ll make 2 pounds of the fudge and bring it to my classmates during the holidays and it is all gone. There are no leftovers to bring home,” he said. “It is not a healthy recipe, but awful good.”

The young baking trio is willing to share some of their award-wining recipes and few baking tips, but refuse to share the family recipe for their incredible cheesecake, nor will they say what they will be entering into this year’s 4-H Sugar Cookery competition.

“Unfortuantely, secrets are secrets. This is one secret that we won’t share. It (cheesecake recipe) stays in the family,” said Jeanette.

The 2014 4-H Sugar Cookery Contest is scheduled for Sept. 26. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Cyr-Gates Community Center in New Iberia City Park and is open to all 4-H Club members.