0Maha’S SWEET ScENE haS a

LITTLE SuGaR F0R EVERY0NE

IT WAS A SWEET JOB, BUT SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT. OMAHA MAGAZINE EXHAUSTED EVERY CORNER OF THE METRO IN SEARCH OF THE CITY’S MOST TANTALIZING DESSERTS AND DECADENT TREATS. WHETHER CHURNING ICE CREAM, BAKING BROWNIES, OR RISING TO THE LEVEL OF A PÂTISSIER OR CHOCOLATIER, THOSE WORKING IN THE LOCAL SWEET TREAT TRADE KNOW HOW TO CRAFT DESSERTS THAT DELIGHT EYES AND PALATES ALIKE. ITALIAN ACTOR MICHELE RENZULLO ONCE SAID, “NOTHING DESCRIBES US BETTER THAN THE SWEETS WE EAT.” IN THAT CASE, OMAHANS ARE AMONG THE SWEETEST PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY—SO SAMPLE, SAVOR, AND INDULGE!

Old Market

TED & WALLY’S

1120 Jackson St ./Old Market Benson location: 60 2 3 Maple St. Sunday Thursday, 11am to 10pm; Friday & Saturday, 11am to 11pm teda ndwallys.com

An Old Market staple since 1984, this humble ice cream parlor lives up to its promise of dishing out “homemade ice cream made from scratch with hyper-local ingredients,” such as cream and milk produced by dairy farms within 100 miles of Omaha. Their old-school process, which involves churning butterfat and eggs in century-old White Mountain freezers with rock salt and ice, results in ultra-premium ice cream with a butterfat content of 20% or the highest butterfat ice cream that can be found anywhere in the nation. (Ultra-premium usually tops off at 16%.) Rich and creamy, dense and decadent, a cone or dish from Ted & Wally’s is perfect after dinner downtown or as a standalone when visiting the Old Market.

On average, 15 to 20 selections are offered daily, with flavors like Dutch chocolate, toffee coffee, caramel praline, or blueberry crisp prominent customer favorites. The more adventurous may opt for picks like pink peppercorn, sour apple, or lemon Oreo. For those with dietary considerations, vegan and keto ice creams are al so options.

Brownie Bar Bakery

1217 Leavenworth St ./Old Market

Rockbrook location: 2821 S . 108th St. Wednesday Saturday, 12pm to 8pm; Sunday, 1 2pm to 5pm brownieb arbakery.com

Next to chocolate chip cookies, brownies are the ultimate comfort food, and the Brownie Bar kicks that comfort to the next level with a “build-your-own” approach. Choose from three types of brownie traditional, blonde, or dark chocolate which are whipped up from scratch with fresh ingredients that include butter, eggs, and real vanilla and chocolate. Toppings come next and run the gamut from peanut butter frosting and fudge sauce to compote and crushed nuts for sweet-meets-savory c ombinations.

Indecisive? Indulge in a “brownie flight,” which features all three flavors of brownie and up to eight toppings so you can mix, match, taste, and compare. Keeping with the “bar” theme, the bakery also offers six-packs and cases of 24 or 36

Downtown

PETTIT’S PASTRY

502 N. 16th St.

Monday Friday, 5am to 6pm; Saturday & Sunday, 5am to 12pm West Omaha location: 311 N. 114th St.

Tuesday & Wednesday, 6am to 1pm; Thursday & Frida y, 6am to4pm

Saturday & Sunday , 6am to 1pm pettitspas tryomaha.com

Baking for Omahans since 1954, Pettit’s Pastry maintains a simple menu: doughnuts, rolls, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and cookies. But that’s where the simplicity ends. Masters of old-school piping and frosting, the bakers here create fanciful cakes, cupcakes, and other confections in just about any style desired. Do you want a cake fashioned to resemble an armadillo? This bakery has you covered.

If you’d like a pastry to accompany your morning coffee, try the apple fritters or turnovers. If you’d prefer something even more traditional, opt for one of their signature doughnuts. There’s a reason generations of families have been stopping by this bakery for close t o 70 years.

BUBBLY TART

3020 Leavenworth St./Downtown

Tuesday Thursday, 11am to 8pm; Friday & Saturday, 11am to 9pm; Sunday, 10am to 2pm thebu bblytart.com

Specializing in what it calls “boutique desserts,” the Bubbly Tart, one of the most recent additions to Omaha’s sweet scene, offers an impressive array of in-house developed baked goods and custom pastries. The business offers creative ways to package its treats. “Grazing boxes” come brimming with macarons, cakesicles, oatmeal creme pies, tarts, olive oil chocolate chip cookies, brownies, bars, cupcakes, and homemade caramel popcorn. “Bento boxes” contain six cupcakes and a small buttercream frosted cake in tempting flavors like marble, almond, lemon, red velvet, and coffee, with filling options including lemon curd, champagne custard, and choco late mousse.

Of course, there is also the selection of cupcakes, cookies, macarons, miniature cakes and more, all gorgeously decorated in a pleasing palette of pastel rainbow hues. The influence is decidedly French pastry meets an American approach, with a result that is almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Gluten-free and vegan are always m enu options.

CTRL COFFEE & CEREAL BAR

1016 S. 10th St.

Tuesday Thursday, 7am to 10pm; Friday Sunday, 7am to 3pm ct rlcoffee.com

“Life’s too short for boring” is this cafe’s tagline, so it’s unsurprising that they make patrons feel like kids again with their cereal bar, a nostalgic take on a childhood staple. Choose from 33 types of cereal, ranging from Coco Puffs to Cheerios, and mix and match them in a bowl for unique fl avor combos.

Cereals also come with your choice of two toppings. Did your parents ever tell you not to have too much sugar for breakfast? You no longer have to listen as you ladle marshmallows into your bowl. And it’s not the sugar rush that’s playing with your vision. The colorful interior really is that hippy-trippy. Sip, slurp, crunch to your hear t’s content.

MIDTOWN i AKSARBEN CONEFLOWER CREAMERY

3921 Farnam St./Blackst one District

1241 Millwork Ave./Mill work Commons

Tuesday Saturday, 12 pm to 10 pm; Sunday, 11am to 8pm coneflower creamery.com

Drive through the Blackstone District and you’ll inevitably see people queuing for Coneflower ice cream. For good reason. The “farm to cone” approach means ingredients are local and fresh with each purchase supporting community farmers. While standards like dark chocolate, salted caramel, and vanilla bean are always on offer, don’t miss speciality flavors like coffee, made with local partner, Archetype Coffee, and in-season sweet corn, truly a loving nod to the Cornhusker state. That latter is one of Coneflower’s signature menu items and a flavor even the most devoted ice cream aficionados don’t typically associate with the f rozen treat.

Toppings are both the usual suspects hot fudge, sprinkles, and the like as well as unexpected ones, like whipped coconut cream and Amarena cherries. Ice pops, floats, and artisan bottled sodas are also offered for those with dietary considerations. Also note: they opened their second location in Millwork Commo ns in April.

Sofra Cr Perie

1911 S. 67th St.

Aksarben Village Inner Ra il Food Hall

S ofra Kitchen

220 S. 31st Ave./Midt own Crossing

Sunday Thursday, 11am to 8pm; Friday & Saturday, 11am to 9pm so fraomaha.com

Anyone who’s spent time in France knows the utter delight of walking up to a sidewalk crêperie and ordering an almost paper-thin crêpe piping hot off the griddle and filled with various sweet fillings. You don’t have to travel far to have the same experience. Pan-fried and eggier than a pancake, crêpes may be delicate, but still offer the ideal foundation for a wide variety of fillings. Omaha’s own Sofra offers savory and sweet crêpes alike, but it’s the latter option that always has us craving a return visit. Specialty crêpes include Nutella and graham cracker, chocolate peanut butter, s’mores, strawberry cheesecake, white chocolate, and, in an American spin on this very French speciality, peanut butter and jelly. Fresh bananas and strawberries often round out the flavors.

Whether you’re dining in or grabbing a crêpe on the go, you’ll understand why these easy-to-eat desserts are a favorite on the street s of Paris.