‘Tis the season to indulge in sweets. To nibble at gingernuts and splurge on rich panettone and dream of steaming mugs of hot chocolate. From sugarplums to chocolate babkas, these are the locally-made treats that you crave when the weather turns colder.
Panettone from Girl With Flour
Girl With Flour (Erika Lam Radtke) has thrown herself into the labor of love that is panettone, an airy Italian sweetbread similar to brioche. She makes an extraordinary panettone that promises to be “naturally leavened, light, fragrant, a hint of sweet orange and whiffs of heady vanilla.” Inside, are nested currants and candied citrus peel. The crackled top is an elegant cocoa-almond glaze with sugar pearls. You can’t go wrong.
Sign up here. The openings left are for Dallas delivery. Sign-ups slated to close Thursday at noon.
La Casita Bakeshop: Gingerbread house and cookie winter wonderland
Look for gingerbread houses and miniature tarts with dazzling, sugared cranberries and white chocolate panna cotta filling—and cookie boxes (in three sizes) that include striped, Italian seven-layer cookies; gorgeous, striated peppermint macarons, powdered sugar-coated raspberry Linzer stars; cocoa crinkle cookies; iced gingerbread people; and horns of apricot rugelach. Not to mention, of course, the babkas (cinnamon-pecan or chocolate), cranberry almond spiced loaf, and cherry spiced Christmas bars. In addition to kouign amann and hazelnut financier Nutcrackers with rum orange glaze. Also, cannoli croissants and Abuelita chocolate and eggnog cruffins. And café de olla, horchata cold brew, and, mostly likely, a partridge in a pear tree.
Order here. Holiday pickup on Saturdays and 12/23 from 12-4pm.
Haute Sweets Patisserie: Bombs away
Tida Pichakron “caved,” she said, and fashioned Haute Chocolate Bombs in three flavors: Mexican chocolate, milk chocolate, and peppermint. See, a rogue car drove into her storefront earlier this year, which obviously impaired Pichakron’s ability to make her own products. She decided instead to feature local chocolatier CocoAndre’s lovely hot chocolate bombs in milk chocolate and white chocolate Lucky Charms.
But then she bustled into action after all and made her own in time for the holidays. (You can still get CocoAndre’s treats from the original source, in-shop only). Miraculously, Haute Sweets will also have for sale gift baskets with assorted holiday candy and cookies; a stunning gluten-free poached pear-almond tart; cinnamon rolls; white chocolate cranberry bread pudding; gingerbread cheesecake; a Yule log of chocolate sponge layered with chocolate buttercream; and holiday macarons. Consider it a small holiday miracle.
They will have limited quantities, so get your pre-orders in soon.
Emporium Pies: An ode to pies
As you might expect, Emporium has holiday flavors: There’s the Hot Cake, a buttermilk chess pie drizzled with salted maple caramel; the Snowball, a coconut custard topped with a shaggy mound of crisp toasted coconut and whipped cream; the double-crusted Merry Berry: “the lovechild between a sugar cookie and a cranberry muffin.” Father Christmas, a dome of white-chocolate peppermint cream snuggled in a dark chocolate cookie crust, is also here for you. Order through December 24, and yes, you can have them shipped to grandma in Florida or Aunt Milly in California to add pizzazz to their palm trees.
Bisous Bisous: Stocking stuffers
This year, the macaron emporium is letting us fill stockings with peppermint bark, peanut brittle, and macarons sets (peppermint, gingerbread, eggnog, and others). Individually sliced bûche de Noël (choose caramel-toffee or chocolate-hazelnut) are available every day in the shop, as are green and red macaron towers, but we don’t recommend stuffing them into large socks. Nor the way-too-cute gumdrop cake, melting snowman cake, or cake decorated like a Christmas sweater. Do not stuff the stocking with those.
Order here.
Kuluntu Bakery: A taste of South Africa
Stephanie Chalklen-Leichtle is making South African holiday treats that reflect a culture dear to her heart (her husband is South African). Try a malva pudding, a “caramelized and gooey sponge cake” that hints of apricot and bears rooibos-poached pears. To serve à la mode. Or spring for a South African holiday treat box stuffed with treats from cookies—Romany Cream chocolate-coconut sandwich cookies—to fudge, cocoa-nib and muesli rusks (like biscotti), and herbal rooibos tea for sipping. Only a few are left in stock.
Order here. Preorders close on December 16 at 10 pm. Pickup on Wednesday, Dec. 23 from 4-7 pm.
Empire Baking Co: Bread haven
Empire has all your carb needs covered, with a pecan ring (a danish dough filled with cinnamon sugar and pecans, drizzled with icing) to serve warm on a holiday morning; spiced cinnamon apple walnut bread loaf cake; the delicate whorls of Nutella babka; loaf shaped gingerbread (I love this, and it’s hard to find); and apple and pecan pies.
Order here or by phone.
Village Baking Co.: French connection
Those wanting a French flair can find their bliss with a bevvy of tarts: pear and apple, mixed fruit, chocolate, dark-chocolate hazelnut, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache. The French boulangerie also has vanilla-bean éclairs and house crème brulee. And quiches for the savory sort.
And if it’s cookies and chocolate you’re looking for:
Dude Sweet Chocolate with their “chocolate for everyone” gift boxes (two sizes)
Celebrity Cakes with yards and yards of every kind of decorated sugar cookie, plus champagne flutes for the new year.
Our city has all the sweetness you crave.
