Cinnamon buns are a staple at my Thanksgiving Dessert Breakfast. They were at the very first and I have a hunch they will continue to follow this tradition as it changes through the years.
I’ve made cinnamon buns with mashed potato. Buns from brioche dough. Sticky buns. Nutty buns. Cream cheese frosted buns. Ooey gooey buns.
My obsession with the cinnamon bun dates back to my college days where every other week or so I enjoyed a shrink wrapped Cinnabon pretzel sold with a small container of frosting at the on-campus convenience store. It was purchased for me by the boyfriend who I knew would become my husband when he didn’t judge me for eating the entire 3,000-calorie treat* in one sitting.
*I wish I could say this is an exaggeration.
There is something magical about the cinnamon bun. The sweet dough. The cinnamon sugar. The globs and globs of icing.
But it can be done wrong.
Dried out dough. Not enough icing. It makes purchasing a cinnamon bun at a bakery a gamble.
I found Novel Buns a few months ago and I figured a place centered around the cinnamon bun had to know how to do them right.
Novel Buns is one of over ten vendors offering specialty treats in New Hope’s Ferry Market. A book lover must have started the business, because the products of ‘Novel’ Buns, cinnamon buns and flavored sodas, are all named for various novels and their characters.
But better than this adorable theme are the buns themselves. The dough is sweet and moist. The fillings are generous and exactly as described. And there is plenty of frosting.
The two times I visited, there weren’t any savory buns available, but every single sweet bun flavor we tried was absolute perfection.
So much so, it is hard to pick a favorite.
I’m inclined to choose the ‘As You Lemony Like It’ Bun, because I’m a sucker for lemon and blueberry, but on my second visit we tried the ‘Heart of Darkness Chocolate’ Bun made with chocolate, vanilla buttercream, and crushed Oreo, and it was divine.
I didn’t know how a chocolate-based bread (used in Heart of Darkness) would taste. I thought the chocolate would get lost. Not to mention that chocolate + cinnamon buns isn’t exactly traditional.
But then again, neither is lemon and blueberries.
For the real adventure seekers, they offer a Deep-Dish Cinnamon Bun which is a completely unique experience.
I had to try it once, but from now on I’m going to stick to the buns, which first called me there.
When you buy three buns, the fourth, which fills out their adorable Novel Buns box, is free. This makes it almost impossible to go there and not buy four. For me at least*.
*It’s mostly about leaving no bun behind. I need to try them all.
Of course, I will continue seeking the perfect cinnamon roll recipe in my own kitchen, but Novel Buns is now the place I know to go when I’m craving a cinnamon roll on the go.
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