Discover the Sweetness of the Sandhills

Top Bakeries & Sweet Treats

Around Pinehurst, Southern Pines and Aberdeen in February, love is definitely in the air. With Valentine's Day here, why not pick out something sweet for your sweetheart?

Surprising them with some of the Sandhills’ many, delicious sweet surprises will help you steal your sweetheart’s heart around Valentine's Day — and every other day. Here are just a few of our favorites:

C Cups

125 NE Broad Street, Southern Pines

105 Cherokee Rd., Suite 1E, Pinehurst

With locations in Southern Pines and Pinehurst, C Cups cupcakes are created from the finest all-natural ingredients, such as real vanilla beans, sweet cream butter, fresh fruit and rich chocolate, then topped with C Cups’ signature homemade icing and colorful candy sprinkles, Reese’s cups, fresh coconut, chocolate covered espresso beans, chocolate chips and more. More than 50 scrumptious taste sensations to sample throughout the year.

Cup Cakes Please

Christian Book Store & More

156 NW Broad St, Southern Pines

There are many memorable items at this treasure in downtown Southern Pines, including a Creation Museum and Taxidermy Hall of Fame. They also sell Christian Books, gifts, hundreds of puzzles and lots of other goodies. But at this time of the year, what we most enjoy is the delicious, fresh fudge — including free samples — for which they are well known.

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Dunrovin Country Store

5456 US Hwy 1, Vass

A truly one-of-a-kind roadside attraction that features an eclectic selection of novelty items. This little store has so many things for gift shoppers or souvenir hunters, from soaps to candies to preserves and jellies, baked goods — and scrumptious ice cream, too!

One of a kind treasure & Exotic Zoo

Granny's Old-Fashioned Donuts

201 Johnson St, Aberdeen

As Our State magazine once wrote: “Granny’s Old-Fashioned Donuts feels like someone’s back porch.” This family business produces fresh, homemade donuts large, yeast-raised, sugar-glazed donut. From a mobile unit, their donuts are made from scratch, cut and stretched by hand, then fried and glazed. They are then placed on a spinner rack to dry, and then served to customers. Our mouths are watering just thinking about these culinary delights — but arrive early because once they sell out for the day, Granny’s closes.

Pine Crest Inn

50 Dogwood Rd., Pinehurst

Once owned by Donald Ross, the father of modern-day golf course architecture, Pine Crest Inn is known for its fabulous food, neighborhood bar, comfortable accommodations and friendly staff. Centrally located in the Village of Pinehurst, the Inn serves breakfast and dinner daily and a fabulous breakfast buffet on Sundays. There may be other places around the Sandhills that dish up mouth-watering banana pancakes — but we know they can’t top those at the Pine Crest.

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Caption: Pine Crest Inn

Southern Angel Donut Co.

211 Central Park Ave., Pinehurst

This relatively new addition to the Olmstead Village Shopping Center in Pinehurst offers a trio of cake donuts — chocolate, vanilla and blueberry — but the real culinary calling is the “Traditional Raised Donut.” Made with a sweetened dough that’s leavened with baking powder and extruded into oil to cook, they have a cake-like consistency with a slightly crunchy exterior. Raised donuts are almost always glazed, frosted or filled. Plus, Southern Angel caters and delivers for orders of two dozen or more.

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Sweet Carolina Ice Cream

108 W. Main St., Aberdeen

This 1950’s style family owned ice cream shop, established in 2018, offers more than 20 different ice cream flavors, soft serve, sorbet, sherbet, malts, egg cream’s, floats and more. Waffle cones/bowls made fresh daily. Good prices and variety of treats and sizes.

I Scream for Ice Cream

Southern Supreme Fruitcake & More

1699 Hoyt Scott Rd., Bear Creek

Southern Supreme has flipped the narrative about fruitcake and have turned heads across the globe in the process. Their fruitcakes are ordered by people everywhere. Treat your sweetheart to a variety of their favorite gourmet treats, including the special, Scott-family recipe “famous nutty fruitcake,” cookies, jams, jellies, mustard, pralines, truffles, coffee, hot apple cider mix and cocoa made from fresh-shaved chocolate.

Nuttiness Deliciousness