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Best Sweet Rolls In The Twin Cities

Whether you like yours with cinnamon, sugar and thick cream cheese frosting, with pecans swimming in ooey, gooey caramel or with chocolate swirling through the sweet doughy rounds these rolls are sure to make your morning bright. For this guide, I decided to include all sweet rolls because if you are like me, sometimes you feel like a straight up cinnamon roll and other times you feel like a caramel roll. This list is meant to be a starting point for great rolls and is by no means an all encompassing list of all the tasty rolls in the Twin Cities because let's face it, there are a lot of delicious rolls out there.

Oak City
(credit: Isles Bun)


Hours: Mon–Sat 6:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; Sun 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m
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You simply cannot go wrong at Isles Bun. The large cinnamon rolls, the sticky, gooey caramel rolls with or without pecans and the puppy dog tails, smaller twists of dough laced with cinnamon, sugar and butter are all exceptionally good. Do expect to wait in line, but it moves along pretty fast; don't expect to get a table, but there is plenty of space along the sidewalk just outside the bakery; do make sure to get an ample amount of frosting to heap on top of your bun; and don't leave without trying the fresh-squeezed juice. A stop at Isles Bun really is the best way to start a morning.

Oak City
(credit: La Patisserie)


Hours: Mon - Fri, 6:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Sat 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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These rolls are traditional cinnamon rolls with just the right amount of tenderness and chewiness. The glaze is what really makes it stand out to me. It has the sweet, bright cherry taste of almond extract and it blends beautifully with the slightly sweet, cinnamon roll. The cinnamon rolls go fast, but don't despair if you arrive too late for a cinnamon roll; the other pastries in the case are also quite tasty and lovingly made. The ladies I encountered behind the counter at La Patisserie were kind and friendly, treating me like a customer they see on a regular basis; and with rolls this good, they just might start seeing me on a regular basis.

Oak City
(credit: Salty Tart)


Hours: Mon – Sat 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Sun 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

They may have a tiny space in which to create their masterpieces, but clearly they have enough room to work their magic. Housed in the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, there are a number of reasons to stop by here, and one of them is the Salty Tart caramel roll. Ah, pure heaven; the roll practically melts in your mouth. The caramel is not too sweet on this toothsome roll, and the roll itself is not too imposing in size either. This roll was especially good eaten warm. The good news is that you can also find these doughy gems at the new Wise Acre Eatery, along with other Salty Tart confections.

Oak City
(credit: Yoyo Donuts)


Hours: Mon - Sat 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Sun 7:00 a.m. to Noon

YoYo (one of our Best Bets for donuts in the Twin Cities) is an unassuming, bright, polished bakery in a nondescript strip mall on the border between Minnetonka and Edina. While the name of this shop clearly spells out what the specialty of the business is, you'll be surprised to find big, fat, round cinnamon rolls and caramel rolls. Both are heavy-laden with sweet toppings, but the sweetness is nicely countered with the yeastiness of the dough. Everything at YoYo is lovingly and patiently made from scratch.

Oak City
(credit: Swede Hollow)


Hours: Mon - Fri, 6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Sat 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
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This quaint, honest-to-goodness, made-from-scratch cafe offers up huge cinnamon rolls and caramel rolls that are perfect for sharing. The yummy, cinnamon and caramel goodness is made even better when consumed in the beautiful, comfortable patio overlooking the gardens of flowers, vegetables and herbs. It's also perfect for families with restless children who need to roam while eating their rolls. Please go for many scrumptious reasons, but don't go on Sunday. If you do, you'll be very disappointed; they're closed on Sundays.

Oak City
(credit: Hell


Hours: Mon - Wed, 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Thurs - Fri, 6:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.; Sat 7:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.; Sun 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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One of the tastiest, most buttery, flakiest caramel pecan rolls resides at Hell's Kitchen. We have found the large roll is best consumed as a morning appetizer cut into equal pieces for each member of the table. That way, the hungry diners can quickly get a taste of what kind of wonderful gastronomical ride they're in for early on in the meal, and you can always tack on another sweet roll at the end of the meal for a dessert if the small pre-meal taste was not enough. Interestingly, the caramel pecan roll, heaped with salty, sweet goodness and sticky pecans smothered in caramel is served with side of butter. I have always wondered who finds the need to smear this already perfect roll with butter.

Oak City
(credit: Breadsmith)


Hours: Mon - Fri 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.; Sat 6:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Sun 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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While you can get a giant traditional cinnamon roll or caramel pecan roll at Breadsmith, and both are quite delicious, the more unusual and also delicious bakery item is the chocolate babka. This pastry, available as either a roll or a loaf, is made with cocoa, almond extract and cinnamon swirled through the dough and topped with powdered sugar. Any chocolate lover will be delighted with this roll. The chocolate babka, especially in loaf form, makes a great snack, brunch addition or dessert, as well as a breakfast pastry.

Oak City
(credit: Great Harvest)


Hours: Mon - Fri 6:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.; Sat 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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Made with whole grains, Great Harvest's cinnamon rolls are the heartiest on the list. These large, sturdy rolls are perfect for taking home for a weekend breakfast. The blueberry cinnamon rolls with sweet blueberries swirling through the rounds of sweet dough, is a great change to the traditional cinnamon rolls. Great Harvest also has a Breakfast Savories roll that is quite satisfying, and it might even make you feel good about your roll consumption.

Anna Berend is an attorney and the author of Motherly Law Blog. On Motherly Law, Anna writes about legal issues that affect families and offers tips and resources that pertain to those legal topics. On occasion, inspiration strikes and Anna writes about something totally unrelated to the law.You can find Anna at motherlylaw.com, on Facebook at Motherly Law and on Twitter @MotherlyLaw.

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