In my experience, if you ask most Arkansans what food the state is known for, nine times out of 10 you’ll hear “cheese dip.” And while yes, cheese dip has its place in Arkansas food culture, there is an unsung hero that flies under the radar. Perhaps I am just surrounded by particularly fanatical cinnamon roll lovers, but in all the places I’ve lived, I never met as many people who take their cinnamon rolls as seriously as the people I’ve met here in Arkansas. When I mentioned to a friend that I was going to write a piece on cinnamon rolls in Central Arkansas, she whipped out her phone and excitedly exclaimed that she had a running list of the best places. And that, dear readers, is a top-notch quality you should look for in a friend.
To be fair, it’s not hard to love cinnamon rolls. Warm, sweet, fluffy, a bit doughy (apparently, I am a cinnamon roll), what’s not to like? I’ve tried cinnamon rolls all over the country, but I haven’t quite found a city that has as strong a cinnamon roll game as Little Rock. One week, I traversed the city and picked up cinnamon rolls from seven local bakeries, plus one special delivery from Searcy, and my cinnamon roll connoisseur friend and I got to tasting. This list is not comprehensive, but there are only so many cinnamon rolls a human can eat in one sitting. So, clear eyes, full stomachs, elevated blood sugar — here is a rundown of Little Rock’s cinnamon roll scene.
FLAKY LIKE A CROISSANT: Boulevard’s cream cheese frosting (left) by the tub, please.
Boulevard Bread Co. churns out top-notch pastries and baked goods, so it’s no surprise their cinnamon rolls are also top notch. My go-to sweet from Boulevard is usually their pan bread. I realize now that was a mistake, and I have been missing out. Boulevard’s cinnamon rolls are different than the classic doughy rolls. Instead, their rolls are incredibly flaky, more resembling a croissant than a classic yeasted roll. The cream cheese frosting is good enough to eat off a spoon. I have pondered requesting a tub of their frosting to eat on its own, but a girl has to practice at least some self-control.
If you aren’t a huge fan of frosting, Community Bakery’s cinnamon rolls are right up your alley. Their rolls are only lightly glazed with frosting. The focus is more on the nut filling. They are reminiscent of Little Debbie’s Pecan Spinwheels, but a next-level, homemade version. You can get these rolls at either of the two Community Bakery locations, but you should also keep an eye out for them next time you are at Guillermo’s Coffee.
Old Mill Bread doesn’t get quite as much attention as other local bakeries, and I think that is a shame. The bakery mills its own flour on site and excels at baking up classics, including cinnamon rolls. Out of all the rolls we tried, these were most reminiscent of classic, homemade cinnamon rolls. They had a perfect ratio of frosting to dough, and the filling was gooey, sweet, and had a strong cinnamon kick. While these rolls are not as big and fluffy as some others, they hit the spot without going overboard.
If you want a fluffy cinnamon roll that is as big as your face, you go to Cinnamon Creme, full stop. Cinnamon Creme’s rolls are essentially cream cheese frosted, cinnamon swirled pillows, and I mean that in the best way possible. One cinnamon roll is large enough to feed multiple people, if you’re in a sharing mood. Not only are these cinnamon rolls large and fluffy, but the filling strikes the right balance between sugar and cinnamon. A complaint I often have with other cinnamon rolls is that, typically, there isn’t enough of a cinnamon kick in the filling, but Cinnamon Creme gets it right. I recommend getting to the bakery as early as you can, since their rolls do tend to sell out later in the day.
As with many other items you can find at Fidel & Co., the cinnamon rolls are elevated and more complex than your standard cinnamon roll. I had to make a special trip to Fidel & Co on a Saturday to snag one of these incredible pastries, since they only sell them on the weekends. But it was definitely worth the extra trip. A bit taller and less fluffy than your classic American cinnamon roll, these cinnamon rolls remind me more of morning buns. The best part, however, is the cream cheese frosting that tops the rolls. Look, I realize I keep talking about cream cheese frosting like I have a problem, but I can’t help it. The frosting on these rolls is one of the best things I’ve tasted in a while. I would like a constant supply of it in my fridge, please.
The Croissanterie doesn’t just turn out amazing croissants! Their cinnamon rolls are also fantastic, but only available on the weekends. The Croissanterie’s cinnamon rolls are also of the “pillow” variety, which is a plus in my book. These rolls had a particularly strong cinnamon flavor, which may not appeal to everyone, but I viewed it as a positive. Their rolls are large enough to share and keep well for a few days if you can’t make it through the entire thing on your own.
For our friends with certain food intolerances, fret not! I have you covered. I stopped by Dempsey Bakery, where they bake their cinnamon rolls fresh on Fridays or Saturdays and if you are lucky, you can snag one to reheat from their coolers. Dempsey’s cinnamon rolls are free of gluten, dairy, egg, nuts and soy, which makes them suitable for a wide range of folks who might not normally be able to indulge in a cinnamon roll due to food allergies or intolerances. While they aren’t exactly like a typical gluten-filled cinnamon roll, they are a good stand-in. In addition to the freshly baked rolls, you can purchase a frozen four-pack of rolls to take home and bake on your own.
While I intended to make this a story about Little Rock-specific cinnamon rolls, I received a special delivery from Wild Sweet Williams in Searcy, and I would be remiss if I didn’t write about their cinnamon rolls. Large, fluffy, full of cinnamon-y goodness, and glazed to perfection, these rolls are worth the drive to Searcy. We also tried a salted cinnamon roll, which wasn’t quite as salty as expected, but was still unique. I recommend both varieties.
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