Duffeyroll Cafe Cinnamon Roll Review
If you’ve been following along with the blog, you know that I’m on the hunt for the Best Local Cinnamon Rolls. You can see my previous posts here:
I suppose for any comparison to be fair, there need to be guidelines. So here are my top priorities when sampling cinnamon rolls:
- Is it warm?
- Is there a good cinnamon to bread ratio?
- Is the bottom burnt?
- Is the outside overcooked?
- Is the center still gooey?
- Is the icing cream cheese based?
Location: 3 locations throughout Denver
Known for: Duffeyrolls. They serve sandwiches and other breakfast items, too, but I’ve never heard them talked about for their granola.
Ok, here is where it gets a little tricky. Duffeyrolls are not cinnamon rolls. And they don’t claim to be. Here is their description:
“The Duffeyroll is a treat that’s become a tradition in Colorado. Hand-rolled and tastefully prepared from an eggless batter made with 100% butter, brown sugar, and imported Korintje cinnamon, Duffeyrolls are a light, flaky, buttery, confection that’s more like a French pastry than a roll”
I was curious about these though, because in 2013, 303 Magazine declared them the best cinnamon roll in Denver. Huh? They gave an award for best cinnamon roll to a roll that doesn’t even claim to be a cinnamon roll? Who was on their panel? Obviously someone who prefers pastries to cinnamon rolls. Doesn’t quite seem right…
Anyway–I gave them a try.
They come in 6 varieties: The Original • Zesty Orange • Irish Cream • Mountain Maple • English Toffee • Pecanilla Crunch. Over the course of two days I managed to try the Irish Cream, the Original, and the English Toffee. They were warm, and the flavors were good, particularly on the English Toffee Roll. The middle was the best part as I found the rest of the roll just a tad dry. I was expecting more croissant-like dough, which still retains some moisture but the Duffeyroll was both a little tough (eating it with a fork was a challenge) and flaky (aka, it made a mess when I bit into it).
But…can I even grade something that isn’t really a cinnamon roll?
Cinnamon Roll Grade: C-?
Thanks for sharing. The English Toffee roll sounds delicious.
I couldn’t agree more! I like the maple because the center is all maple and cinnamon amazingness but in general the outside layer is too tough. Keep up the good detective work!
I always wondered what a dufferyroll was. Thanks for sharing!