Coffee & Treats in Hot Springs

Armed with just a single, generations-old cookie recipe, Great American Cookies opened its first store in 1977, and the rest is history. Today, the franchise boasts locations in malls across the country and nabbed a coveted spot on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2012 Top 500 Franchises in the baked-goods category. As the shop’s reputation grew, so did its menu as chefs churned out a mouthwatering roster of gourmet-cookie recipes, each created and carefully tested in Atlanta. The tempting options now include snickerdoodle, peanut butter with M&Ms, and chewy pecan supreme, as well as freshly baked fudge and cheesecake brownies, and cookie sandwiches stuffed with frosting. The real show-stoppers, however, are the giant chocolate-chip cookie cakes, which can be customized with sweet, celebratory messages or shopping lists penned in colorful icing.

With a reputation that includes titles such as the "Pie Guy" and "The Man Who Made 100 Different Pies in One Night," it's no great surprise that Chris Monroe—a dedicated pie lover and enthusiast—runs Hunka Pie. Open since 2007, the restaurant is dedicated to small-batch and handcrafted pies that boast flaky, hand-rolled crusts and are made without the preservatives found in big-batch bakeries. Equipped with the childhood pie memories and experience of growing up with three generations of pie makers, Chris claims the "largest selection of handcrafted pie in Arkansas." And judging from his list, he may be right. Interesting flavors such as chocolate hazelnut baklava and peach with rum glaze pop out alongside classic combinations such as southern pecan and key lime.

But though Chris and Hunka Pie specialize in pie, they also bring their A-game to breakfast, lunch, and dinner food, as well. They tout classic and creative burgers made with a third-pound of ground beef, some seasoned with secret spices, and others with more exotic flavors. The bombay burger adds garam masala to the mix, and the turkey burger's patty is seasoned with herbs. And though the restaurant was once relegated to a small drive-in counter, the restaurant's new digs invite patrons to sit and relax in the classic chrome and red of a former diner.

Now an international brand of premium ice cream, Häagen-Dazs began as a humble, family-owned business in the Bronx. In the 1920's, Reuben Mattus sold his mother's fruit ices and ice-cream pops out of a horse-drawn wagon. For decades, the family business thrived, and around 1960, Reuben officially founded Häagen-Dazs. He chose the name to evoke Old World traditions and quality craftsmanship, the bedrocks of the brand. Originally, the ice cream came in just three flavors—vanilla, chocolate, and coffee—made from fine ingredients gathered from around the world, such as Belgian dark chocolate, hand-picked vanilla beans from Madagascar, and ice shaved from lunar glaciers. The resulting confections so delighted sweet teeth that the brand grew exponentially, leading to the creation of dozens of flavors and forays into sorbets and frozen yogurts.

Though Häagen-Dazs ice cream was immensely popular in grocery shops, their first parlor didn't open until 1976. Not far from the Mattus family's original ice-cream beat, the Brooklyn store sold ice cream as well as treats such as sundaes, shakes, and cakes. Shops eventually dotted the country and globe, wherein friendly ice-cream scoopers fill waffle cones, blend frosty coffee and ice-cream drinks, and wrap ice-cream cakes in bright ribbons.

Floor-to-ceiling pop-art prints hang on the cranberry walls of Loganberry Frozen Yogurt, adding a cheery, modern brightness as guests create custom frozen treats. Wall-mounted dispensers fill cups with a daily selection of 12 rotating frozen-yogurt flavors, which can be adorned with a choice of more than 45 fruity, chocolaty, and candy toppings. Patrons can enjoy their custom concoctions while sitting in the shop’s brightly decorated chairs or grab treats to go to negate the summer heat.

San Francisco Bread Co. supplies customers with two things: a menu of comforting café fare, and a place to study, work, or write emails with wireless Internet access. Visitors may find themselves breathing deeply to relish the scent of brewing gourmet coffees intermingling with the aroma of freshly baked breads stacked in deli sandwiches and paninis. Every morning, fresh pastries, such as apple turnovers, danishes, or muffin tops, complement breakfast sandwiches borne on bagels or croissants. Slices of dessert from The Cheesecake Factory satisfy dairy cravings.

Owner Tracy McCauslin draws on her training from nationally recognized Food Network decorators to bake ornamental cakes that won a Bride's Choice award in 2011 from WeddingWire.com. Cakes and cupcakes spring from Tracy's oven daily in flavors such as red velvet, strawberry, lemon, and carrot, with sumptuous fillings and a variety of buttercream toppings. Tracy can also bake cookies and brownies by the dozen, model a 3-D custom cake according to your design, and carve a 5-D cake into the befuddled likeness of Albert Einstein.