Eat dessert first, because those peas and carrots aren’t going anywhere. No matter what mom said, we’re all about enjoying the sweeter things in life and worrying about the rest tomorrow.
When the call went out for some of your favorite desserts, we couldn’t help but add a few of our own guilty pleasures from around Sonoma County. Read with caution, because this list is jam-packed with chocolate, sugar, whipped cream and cookies.
National Dessert Day is Oct. 14, so now would be as good a time as any to get acquainted with the best desserts in the county.
Story by Sofia Englund, Jennifer Graue, Heather Irwin and Maci Martell. Readers contributed their dessert picks on the Sonoma Magazine Facebook.
Heather’s Picks
St. Honoré Tart, Bijou
It’s exceedingly rare to see restaurant desserts created with the same finesse and artistry as the preceding meal. Bijou’s executive pastry chef, Sylvain Parsy, creates stunning masterpieces of sugar, butter and cream that make you forget about the calories and just embrace the magic. The St. Honoré Tart is made with gold-leaf-adorned almond and caramel chou and a pastry tart filled with cream. You really can’t go wrong with any of Parsy’s often-changing desserts, so don’t panic if the tart isn’t available. 190 Kentucky St., Petaluma, 707-753-9155, restaurantbijou.com
Soft Serve, Valley Ford Creamery
What started as an afterthought during a recent visit to this Valley Ford cheese factory and cafe has haunted my dreams — a swirling cone of creamy soft serve from local Jersey cows. The smooth, gelato-like texture is worth the trip. 14390 Valley Ford Road, Valley Ford, 707- 875-0703, valleyfordcheese.com
Semisweet Chocolate Chip Cookie, Sebastopol Cookie Company
It’s all about the cookies at this hole-in-the-wall bakery. Fresh chocolate chip cookies are outstanding on their own, but in the summer, they add an ice cream middle. Just like milk and cookies, but better. 168 N. Main St., Sebastopol. 707-824-4040, sebastopolcookiecompany.com
Choux au Craquelin, Poppy
We all have that extra dessert pocket in our stomachs, right? No matter how much delicious bread, butter and cream you’ve already eaten, make way for this baseball-sized puff filled nearly to bursting with velvety espresso mousse. 13690 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-938-2130, poppyglenellen.com
Tiramisu, Portico
Feel free to dive into a hefty slice of this espresso-soaked dessert made with mascarpone rather than whipped cream. The sweetness is toned down, making it a calorie-worthy dessert without the sugar shock. 100 N. Main St., Sebastopol, 707-888-9136, porticosocialfood.com
Baked Gelaska, Stella
This one’s a true show-stopper. Stella’s “Baked Gelaska” is a riff on baked Alaska, with sponge cake, raspberry sorbet and vanilla gelato topped with a swirl of torched marshmallow fluff. 9049 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-801-8043, stellakenwood.com
Strudel, Tisza Bistro
This seemingly simple dessert is made in-house by stretching the dough into thin, buttery layers filled with seasonal fruit, including apples, cherries and poppy seeds. 165 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-291-5193, tiszabistro.com
Friday Pie Day, Hazel
Editor’s note: Hazel is temporarily closed while searching for a new location.
Every Friday is pie day at this Occidental restaurant. Co-owner Michele Wimborough’s pies are legendary, ranging from peanut butter and blackberry to Dutch apple and lemon meringue. You never know what she’ll be making, which is half the fun of your pie adventure. 3782 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, 707-874-6003, restauranthazel.com
Sofia’s Picks
Glacée and Petit Beurre Cookies, Goguette Bread
This popular boulangerie extended its hours to 9 p.m. last summer, a brilliant move as warm Sonoma County nights made for a perfect excuse to indulge in their housemade glacée — a decadent French custard-style ice cream — to the tune of chansons on their Parisian patio. Picking a couple of flavors (new ones are made each week) is near impossible when you have choices like pistachio, rose, violet and choco-orange. Whatever flavor you pick, pair your treat with Le Petit Beurre, Goguette’s take on the shortbread from Nantes, in the Brittany region of France. Order in advance to bring your desserts home during fall and winter — ice cream and cookies are not just for summer. 59 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, goguettebread.com
Gluten-free Carrot Cake, Zoftig Eatery
Carrot cake, done right, can be absolutely sublime. Zoftig Eatery has perfected the art of the carrot cake with a gluten-free version that has the Goldilocks ratio of just the right amount of carrot, spice, sweetness and moistness. It is rich, but not overpowering, and the cream cheese frosting is really the icing on the cake, not detracting from the flavors by being overly sweet or artificial-tasting. The secret, according to co-owner Sonjia Spector, is high-quality spices and lasting friendships: the restaurant buys the gluten-free flour for the cake from Spector’s childhood friend Dawn Zaft of Criminal Baking Co. We have attempted to split this generous slice of carrot cake in two and save the second half for the following day, but never succeeded. 57 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-521-9554, zoftigeatery.com
Vegan Elderflower/Berry Mini Cake, Criminal Baking Company
This hidden gem bakery, located off the beaten path in a red brick industrial building on Donahue Street, continues to serve up the best sweet treats in Sonoma County. The menu changes frequently, but you won’t be disappointed whatever you order. A recent favorite includes a vegan elderflower/berry mini cake — the kind of heavenly dessert that treats your taste buds to a sort of transcendental experience. The outdoor seating, under bright yellow umbrellas, is lovely but we like the bustling indoor space that feels like a theater set beneath tall ceilings. 808 Donahue St., Santa Rosa, 707-888-3546, criminalbakingcompany.com
Jennifer’s Picks
Gateau Parisien, Patisserie Angelica
If the words “gluten-free dessert” typically leave you cold, this ethereal treat (which won the best of show award in the 2024 Sonoma County Harvest Fair) will change your mind. Three layers of almond macaron are layered with Italian praline buttercream. It’s not overly sweet and is simply delicious. The best part? In addition to full-sized cakes, they also come in individual servings, so you don’t have to share. 6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, 707-827-7998, patisserieangelica.com
Fruit Basket Cake, Oliver’s Market
This cake perennially pops up at birthdays, retirement parties and Mother’s Day gatherings, and every single time it appears, we make a beeline for the dessert table. An eye-catching rainbow of fruit for a topping draws you in, but the layers of moist vanilla cake, pastry cream, and a hint of raspberry jam keep you coming back for just one more bite. Cakes come in 6, 8 and 10 inches, plus two sheet cake sizes for when you’re serving a crowd. Locations in Cotati, Santa Rosa and Windsor. oliversmarket.com
Peanut Butter Mousse Pie, Noble Folk
This pie is 9 inches of decadence, and it is worthy of every single, silky bite. Noble Folk’s co-owner, Christian Sullberg, fills an Oreo cookie crust with whipped peanut butter mousse and tops it all with a cloud of whipped cream. It’s a seasonal pie, usually only on the menu a couple of times a year, so keep a sharp eye out. Plus, my 2022 Thanksgiving story included a recipe for it; super bonus! 116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-395-4426; 539 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-978-3392, thenoblefolk.com
Maci’s Picks
Brownie Cupcake and Baby Fruit Galettes, Downtown Bakery & Creamery
Step into Healdsburg’s Downtown Bakery, and suddenly words like “carbs” and “calories” have no meaning. The incredibly rich and chocolaty brownie cupcake is a treat I will never pass up. And whatever fruit galette is available, get it. All of them are winners. 308 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-431-2719, downtownbakeryhealdsburg.com
Black & White Cookies, Grossman’s Noshery & Bar
A staple in New York bakeries, the black and white cookie delights with its classic chocolate and vanilla combo. Grossman’s back-and-whites are the stuff of dreams, with creamy, rich chocolate and vanilla frosting atop a soft, cake-like cookie. Not too sweet with just the right balance of flavors, it’s quite possibly the best cookie I’ve ever had. The cinnamon babka also never disappoints. 308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 707-595-7707, grossmanssr.com
Apple Pecan Crumble Pie, Petaluma Pie Company
This brown sugar-sweetened apple pie is topped with a nutty crumble and a generous drizzle of housemade salted caramel for a luscious fall dessert. Bring it to the Thanksgiving table this year to switch up your traditional pie offerings and make a lasting impression. And while nothing beats grandma’s homemade, from-the-garden strawberry rhubarb pie, this humble pie shop’s sweet-tart strawberry rhubarb comes as close as it gets. 125 Petaluma Blvd. N., Suite B, Petaluma, 707-766-6743, petalumapiecompany.com
Readers’ Picks
Carrot Cake, Cacau Bakery
Specializing in vegan baking, this local bakery crafts scrumptious Swedish and Brazilian goods, all from scratch. Reader Ann Gardner recommended the bakery’s carrot cake on the Sonoma Magazine Facebook page. “This is a small, family-run mobile operation, so it is a hidden gem, except for folks in the know about where and when to find one of their two parked vans,” Gardner said. instagram.com/cacau.sweets
Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Pudding, Stark’s
Katie Clarke Boyd recommended Stark’s chocolate chunk banana bread pudding, noting that it “was an original at the first Willi’s Wine Bar before it burned down.” 521 Adams St., Santa Rosa, 707-546-5100, starkssteakhouse.com
Plum Sorbet, Screamin’ Mimi’s Ice Cream
Another brilliant Ann Gardner pick, Screamin’ Mimi’s plum sorbet is sweet, smooth and seasonal (so keep on alert come plum season). “I don’t know if they do this on purpose, but just enough sour peel is mixed in to give it a little zip,” Gardner said. 6902 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707-823-5902, screaminmimisicecream.com
Key Lime Pie, Nom Nom Cakes
Lana McIntire, founder of Nom Nom Cakes, recommended her key lime pie on our Facebook page. And based on our own experience with her sweet treats and all the gold ribbons her baked goods garnered at the recent Harvest Fair food competition, we’re inclined to take her word for it. The pie is made with Florida key lime in a graham cracker crust, topped with fresh whipped cream. 390 Calle del Sol, Bodega Bay, 805-350-0680, nomnombaking.com