Looking for the perfect tasty treat to end your meal? Look no further than these awesome Arkansas specialties. Some of them have funny names maybe, but we query you this: Would a pie by any other name taste as sweet, light, and refreshing as possum pie? OK, maybe it would taste the same. But would you be able to freak out out-of-staters with the name?
1. Chocolate Rolls
What is a chocolate roll? It’s exactly what it sounds like. Searcy County is the Chocolate Roll Capital of the World, and it’s no wonder that they’re proud of their totally delicious gooey, chocolaty rolls. They even have a chocolate roll festival in the spring.
If you want a good chocolate roll any time, try Ruby’s Diner at 607 Highway 65 North in Marshall.
2. Possum Pie
Calm down, out-of-staters, it’s not made out of opossums. It’s made of delicious puddings, pecans, Cool Whip, and heaven. Yeah, it’s made out of creamy, mouthwatering heaven.
You can find the exact heaven pictured above at Stoby’s in Russellville, 405 West Parkway Drive.
3. Chess pie
What is chess pie? It’s a moon-like golden orb of utter deliciousness.
To find a nice slice of chess pie any old day, go to Alley Oop's. It’s located at 11900 Kanis in Little Rock.
4. Banana pudding, from scratch.
From scratch, I say! With real bananas and vanilla wafers and meringue.
To find a homemade version outside of your own kitchen, try Smokin' In Style BBQ at 2278 Albert Pike in Hot Springs.
5. Yarnell’s Ice Cream
Yarnell’s has been based in Searcy since 1932. On top of all the delicious, creamy favorites, they’ve also got Razorback-themed ice cream. Grab a spoon and go hog wild.
6. Fried Pies
Arkansas has good news for the rest of the nation: If you can bake it into a pie, you can also wrap it in pie crust and deep fry it.
If you’re on the hunt for a great fried pie, try Atkinson's Blue Diamond Cafe and Ice Cream Parlor in Morrilton. You can find it at 1800 East Harding Street.
7. Raisin Pie
Maybe it sounds weird, but man-oh-man, that’s good stuff.
If you want to try some raisin pie, drop in on local favorite Marlar's Cafeteria, located at 2116 Vine Avenue in Magnolia.
8. Blackberry Cobbler
If it’s a fruit or berry, it can be baked into a cobbler. And hey, if you’ve got plump sun-ripened blackberries growing at your fence line, why let a few seeds keep you from all this deliciousness?
Looking for some blackberry cobbler? Try the Monte Ne Inn. It’s recently been voted Arkansas’s best fried chicken, too. You can find it in Rogers, at 13843 East Highway 94.
9. Red Velvet Cupcake
It might not be exactly unique, but we’d be remiss not to list red velvet cake. It’s an Arkansas favorite, maybe because it's Razorback red. And red velvet cupcakes? They’re the palm sized version of that favorite.
Driving through the river valley and looking to buy just one or a whole dozen? Try Sweet Boutique, located at 46 Cloverleaf Plaza in Van Buren.
10. Honorable Mention: chocolate gravy.
Sure, it’s generally served over biscuits for breakfast, but I say it’s a good all-around, post-any-meal dessert item as well. It just depends on the order in which you eat the other food.
You can find all the chocolate gravy you need on the breakfast menu at Calico County, located at 2401 South 56th Street in Fort Smith.
We know y’all have some Arkansas dessert favorites, too. If you're not making them yourself, where do you go to eat them?
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