by Cinottis Bakery | Aug 27, 2025 | Bakery, Jacksonville
Lady Locks: The Italian Pastry That Steals the Show
When it comes to Italian pastries, few treats hold the same charm and elegance as our lady locks pastry. Known for their delicate, flaky shells and irresistibly sweet buttercream filling, lady locks are a staple at weddings, holidays, and family gatherings. Whether you’ve grown up with them or you’re discovering them for the first time, one thing is certain: these pastries don’t just sit quietly on a dessert tray — they steal the show.
A Pastry Rooted in Tradition
The history of lady locks goes back generations in Italian and European baking. Their signature style: light, flaky dough wrapped into hollow shells and filled with buttercream has long been associated with celebrations. For many families, lady locks became a must-have on special occasions, symbolizing the care, patience, and love that go into both baking and family life.
Here in Jacksonville, Cinotti’s Bakery has carried that tradition forward for decades. From our earliest days, our family has taken pride in perfecting recipes that connect us to our Italian heritage while becoming a beloved part of our local community. Lady locks quickly became one of those treasured recipes. They’re more than a dessert, they’re a taste of nostalgia, joy, and family tradition.
Why Lady Locks Are So Special
What sets lady locks apart from other Italian cookies and pastries is their texture and presentation. The dough is carefully rolled and baked into delicate, golden shells that shatter into layers with each bite. Once cooled, they’re piped full of our homemade buttercream, creating a pastry that is flaky, creamy, unforgettable.
They’re elegant enough to star on a wedding dessert table, yet just as perfect as a sweet treat with your morning coffee. Many of our longtime customers tell us that biting into one of our lady locks brings back memories of family celebrations, special gatherings, or even their first visit to Cinotti’s.
A Jacksonville Favorite
At Cinotti’s Bakery, our roots are in family, and our recipes are meant to be shared with yours. Over the years, our lady locks have become one of Jacksonville’s most-requested treats, loved for their balance of flavor and their handcrafted quality. Whether you’re local and picking up a box fresh from our shop, or you’re ordering online to share a taste of Jacksonville with loved ones far away, these pastries connect people through tradition and taste.
Bring Lady Locks to Your Table
Every batch of our lady locks is made by hand, ensuring that each pastry delivers the perfect balance of crisp, flaky shell and creamy filling. They’re ideal for weddings, holidays, and everyday indulgence.
If you’re ready to experience a pastry that has stood the test of time and made its mark right here in Jacksonville — our lady locks are waiting for you.
Order your lady locks online through our skytab menu for local pickup or on Etsy for shipping.
by Cinottis Bakery | Jun 10, 2025 | Bakery, Jacksonville
Father’s Day 2025
Looking for a sweet way to show Dad you care?
What better way than with cookies from Cinotti’s? Whether you’re in the LaVilla building in downtown Jacksonville, at Subaru Jax in Arlington, or at our flagship store on Penman Road in Jacksonville Beach, Cinotti’s Bakery has just what you need to make this the sweetest Father’s Day yet!
Fancy Cookies
Snack size bites of dad’s favorite cookies are the perfect addition to a Father’s Day gift. Our fancy cookie selection is vast and includes bachelor buttons, Italian wedding cookies, fruit foldovers, and many other flavors. Bachelor buttons are also called “thumbprints” because we use our actual thumbs to create the center divot. That center is filled with icing that coordinates with the cookie’s flavor. We offer colored, chocolate, double chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry, lemon, and a seasonal flavor. Our vanilla bachelor buttons are among the most popular because we can fill them with colored icing to match events. But most dads love our chocolate bachelor buttons.
Not sure what flavor he likes most?
No problem.
Get a handful of each and you may just become Dad’s favorite!
Everyday Cookies
Who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies?
In our experience, not many.
So come in and check out our selection of everyday cookies including our Father’s Day favorite, chocolate chip. At our Penman Road location in Jacksonville Beach, we offer our full cookie menu which includes chocolate chip, double chocolate, oatmeal raisin, M&M, sprinkle, peanut butter, white chocolate macadamia, and more! Our LaVilla and Subaru Jax locations have a modified menu of these flavors.
Iced Cutouts
If you’re looking for a cookie that shouts “#1 Dad”, we’ve got you covered…in icing. Our Father’s Day iced cutout cookies are always a hit. Some of our favorites this year include the beer cozies and the classic #1Dad trophies.
Our iced cutouts are cookies made with a light and buttery dough formula that has been in our family for decades. They are hand cut by our cookie man and then decorated by our team of highly talented decorators using a sweet, vanilla icing. The icing dries firm which allows the cookies to be individually bagged to make the best Father’s Day gifts.
Father’s Day 2025
Can’t Decide Which Father’s Day Cookies to get?
No problem. We’ve got plenty of options for almost anyone
Can’t make it out to the beach?
No problem.
We have three locations in Jacksonville to make it easy for you to be dad’s favorite this week. Find us at:
Cinotti’s in Jacksonville Beach
1523 Penman Road Jacksonville Beach FL
Cinotti’s in Arlington
Subaru of Jacksonville
1717 St Johns Bluff Rd S, Jacksonville, FL 32246
Cinotti’s at LaVilla
Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center at LaVilla
100 LaVilla Center Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32204
No matter which Cinotti’s Bakery location you find yourself this Father’s Day week, you can be sure a cookie any dad will love!
by Cinottis Bakery | Jan 3, 2025 | Bakery, Holiday Events
Fat Tueday is March 4, 2025 and we will be ready with a host of goodies including the famous Polish Paczki!
Paczki (pronounced poonch-key) is a traditional Polish donut eaten on Fat Tuesday. Like many Fat Tuesday food traditions, paczki are eaten in an attempt to fill up on sweets before the fasting of Lent begins. So before you head into Ash Wednesday, come check out one reason we love Fat Tuesday with one of our favorite donuts!
Filling Options
Our version of this donut is a simple formula of a sweet donut dough with plenty of filling options. We will have our regular filled donuts including buttercream, custard, jelly, and lemon. Paczki day options will include strawberry, strawberry cream cheese, lemon cream cheese, apricot, blueberry, cherry, cream cheese, and more! Some donuts will be dipped in complimenting icing flavors and others will be glazed or rolled in sugar. We are sure to have a bevy of flavor options to suit your sweet tooth.
Ordering
We will be taking orders for these delicious donuts via phone or in person at our Jacksonville Beach location. Now that we have three stores across the city, you can arrange to pick up your order at our Subaru of Jax, JTA LaVilla, or our Beach location. Enjoying this delicious donut has never been easier!
Paczki are $2.65 each or $29.00 per dozen for the 2025 season.
Happy Paczki Day!
Our bakers and donut decorators will be in super early on Fat Tuesday just to make these special donuts and king cakes! We highly encourage everyone to order paczki and king cakes to ensure we have the flavor wanted. We will make extra donuts for the store but we cannot garantee the flavor options you may want will be available when you arrive.
As always, we are thankful for your continued support of our small family bakery.
We look forward to serving you this Paczki Day!
Our version of this donut is a simple formula of a sweet donut dough with plenty of filling options. We will have our regular filled donuts including buttercream, custard, jelly, and lemon. Paczki day options will include strawberry, strawberry cream cheese, lemon cream cheese, apricot, blueberry, cherry, cream cheese, and more! Some donuts will be dipped in complimenting icing flavors and others will be glazed or rolled in sugar. We are sure to have a bevy of flavor options to suit your sweet tooth.
Ordering
We will be taking orders for these delicious donuts via phone or in person at our Jacksonville Beach location. Now that we have three stores across the city, you can arrange to pick up your order at our Subaru of Jax, JTA LaVilla, or our Beach location. Enjoying this delicious donut has never been easier!
Paczki are $2.65 each or $29.00 per dozen for the 2025 season.
Happy Paczki Day!
Our bakers and donut decorators will be in super early on Fat Tuesday just to make these special donuts and king cakes! We highly encourage everyone to order paczki and king cakes to ensure we have the flavor wanted. We will make extra donuts for the store but we cannot garantee the flavor options you may want will be available when you arrive.
As always, we are thankful for your continued support of our small family bakery.
We look forward to serving you this Paczki Day!
We will be taking orders for these delicious donuts via phone or in person at our Jacksonville Beach location. Now that we have three stores across the city, you can arrange to pick up your order at our Subaru of Jax, JTA LaVilla, or our Beach location. Enjoying this delicious donut has never been easier!
Paczki are $2.65 each or $29.00 per dozen for the 2025 season.
Happy Paczki Day!
Our bakers and donut decorators will be in super early on Fat Tuesday just to make these special donuts and king cakes! We highly encourage everyone to order paczki and king cakes to ensure we have the flavor wanted. We will make extra donuts for the store but we cannot garantee the flavor options you may want will be available when you arrive.
As always, we are thankful for your continued support of our small family bakery.
We look forward to serving you this Paczki Day!
Our bakers and donut decorators will be in super early on Fat Tuesday just to make these special donuts and king cakes! We highly encourage everyone to order paczki and king cakes to ensure we have the flavor wanted. We will make extra donuts for the store but we cannot garantee the flavor options you may want will be available when you arrive.
As always, we are thankful for your continued support of our small family bakery.
We look forward to serving you this Paczki Day!
by Cinottis Bakery | Jan 3, 2025 | Bakery, Holiday Events
Celebrating Mardi Gras with A Traditional King Cake
Fat Tuesday falls on March 4 this year! Are you ready for Mardi Gras? Our king cakes are available for order throughout the year, but are most popular during the Mardi Gras season. Our delicious version of these popular cakes are made with a brioche dough and covered with the iconic purple, green, and yellow sugar.
Now that we have three locations, enjoying this favored Carnival treat has never been easier! Give us a call at our Jacksonville Beach location and arrange for pick up at our Subaru of Jax, JTA LaVilla, or Beach location!
A traditional king cake is a staple in many homes throughout the world. The ‘cake’ is often the focal point of many office gatherings and family events for many reasons. Some love the dense flavor combination of the filling and buttery dough while others use it as a centerpiece because of the beautiful array of purple, green, and gold topping. Many love getting a king cake because whoever finds the baby hidden inside will receive great fortune in the coming year.
No matter what your favorite part of the cake is, we are ready to make this the best year yet.
The origin of the king cake can be traced to 12th century France. Epiphany Day (or King’s Day) is celebrated on January 6th each year and the period between Epiphany Day and Ash Wednesday is referred to as Carnival. Years ago, during Carnival, devout Roman Catholics would purge their homes of rich, fatty foods in preparation for the 40 days of fasting during Lent.
The rich foods such as eggs, milk, lard, and meats were used to make a bevy of foods and desserts. Residents would binge on the heavy foods until the end of Carnival which took place on Fat Tuesday. Early Europeans developed a new creation during this period that used the rich ingredients as well as honored the meaning of Epiphany Day.
The king cake was created to celebrate the coming of the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus. The cakes were circular to represent the route taken by the kings to confuse King Herod. The royal colors topping the king cake signify different elements. Purple represents justice; Green represents faith; and Gold represents power. Creamy puddings were made with leftover eggs and milk and used as fillings.
Our king cake is made with a rich, brioche-like dough. The twisted braid of each cake represents a king’s crown. It is approximately 12 inches in diameter and serves 10 to 12 people. We insert a plastic baby in each cake that is hidden beneath the icing. This year, our cakes will have the traditional green, purple, and yellow sugar topping. While our base flavor is cinnamon, you can order a king cake with your choice of filling.We offer a variety of fillings including:
- Strawberry
- Strawberry/Cheese
- Lemon
- Lemon/Cheese
- Cherry
- Cream Cheese
- Pineapple
- Custard
- Blueberry
What’s the Deal with the Baby?
In early days, trinkets representing royalty or the Christ Child were baked into the king cake to offer a token of good fortune for the finder. The practice became so popular; it still remains today. The only difference in today’s king cake over those of yesteryear is the material of the trinket. Most bakeries now insert a plastic baby into the cooled cake prior to icing.
We strive to create a variety of flavors on a daily basis on the days leading up to Mardi Gras. However, if you want to guarantee your king cake flavor is available, we strongly suggest ordering ahead. If you are serving the king cake to children or prefer to not have the plastic baby in the cake, you will need to order the king cake in advance. We take orders via phone or in our Jacksonville Beach location prior to Fat Tuesday.
We hope this Mardi Gras brings good fortune to you and your family. As always, we are ever thankful for your continued support of our family dream.
Thank you and may God bless.
by Cinottis Bakery | Dec 12, 2023 | Bakery, Holiday Events
Christmas cookies play an important role in many family traditions this time of year. No matter if they play the main character on a Christmas party dessert table, or they sit on a kitchen counter while family come to visit, cookies are always a great item to have on hand. And since we offer a wide selection of cookies, you’re sure to find the perfect treat for any holiday event this season.
Iced Cutout Christmas Cookies
Our iced cutouts are our most popular cookie any time of year. Cookies are hand cut from our buttery sugar cookie dough and which we bake until golden. Then our amazingly skilled decorators turn these cookies into works of art. Using a fondant-type icing, we hand decorate each cookie. While this process allows us to add details and create the wonderful pieces you see in our store, it also means each cookie is never exactly the same. Some more popular shapes include polar bears, gingy boys, reindeer faces, frosty faces, and Santa faces. We also offer weekly themed cookies that are inspired by beloved characters. The firm icing on these Christmas cookies allows for them to be individually bagged (provided we have enough notice and the cookies are dry). Custom cookies and specialty shapes are available with ample notice.
Decorated Christmas Cookies
Our decorated cookies are made from our same, buttery sugar cookie dough and hand cut, but instead of the fondant-type icing used on our iced cutouts, decorated cookies are iced and decorated with our homemade buttercream icing. Sometimes people call them “puffy icing” cookies and are favored by anyone who loves our buttercream icing. Typical designs of our decorated Christmas cookies include: Santa face, Christmas tree, snowman, Rudolph, and Santa hats.
Sugar Cutout Christmas Cookies
Our sugar cutout cookies are made from our buttery sugar cookie dough. They are all hand-cut and then generously covered in various colored sugars. These cookies are great for classroom parties, quick office gifts, and stocking stuffers. Cutout cookie shapes include Christmas lights, trees, snowman, stockings, stars, and bells.
Fancy Christmas Cookies
Fancy cookies are available throughout the year; however, the fancy cookie case is BOOMING during the holiday season. These cookies are typically bite-size and are offered in an array of colors and flavors. These cookies are sold by the pound and make wonderful cookie trays and holiday gift boxes. Bachelor Buttons are among the most popular fancy cookies.
Gingerbread Man
What is Christmas without a gingerbread man? Our gingerbread men are made with our family honey boy gingerbread dough. Our gingerbread is a long process but our Gingerbread Men or Honey Boys, are available throughout the year. Gingerbread is hand cut from our scratch made dough and we place raisins as eyes and buttons.
Merry Christmas!
No matter what Christmas cookie you decide to bring home this year, we are thankful for your continued support of our family bakery. From our house to yours, we wish you all a merry Christmas.
by Cinottis Bakery | Dec 5, 2023 | Bakery, Holiday Events, Jacksonville
Making Yule Logs
What’s so special about our yule logs? 
Our traditional yule logs are made with our homemade sponge cake formula that has been in our family for generations. After it’s baked, we generously spread red and green buttercream icing on the layer before carefully rolling the cake into a log.
After it sets, our bakers turn the log over to our decorators.
Decorating the Yule Logs
Our decorators hand cut each log before covering them with a rich, creamy chocolate icing. When the main log is iced, a small, side log is added and iced in the same chocolate icing. Each log end is then covered in our homemade chocolate buttercream icing. Gum paste poinsettias and powdered “snow” are added for decoration.
Storing the Yule Log
We recommend storing your yule log in a refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. You can leave it in the box you bring it home in or if you have another storage container, that can work as well. When choosing the best time to pull out your cake for your party, keep the weather in mind. Weather plays a big role in many baked goods and since we do live in Florida, humidity often creates issues for chocolate desserts. The yule logs can sit out on a table in an air-conditioned room for a bit, but we leave that to your discretion.
Serving your Yule Log
These logs are just like most jelly-roll esq desserts. You can slice them as thin or as thick as you desire. While the flowers are made of gum paste, they are not edible. Everything else on the log can be enjoyed.
Any leftovers you may have can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days.
We wish you the happiest of holiday seasons and hope to continue to serve you and your family for years to come.
Merry Christmas from Cinottis!
