The Sweetest Dessert Shop In Every State

From apple pie to ice cream to chocolate chip cookies, Americans sure do love dessert. While some people enjoy whipping up their favorite desserts at home, sometimes it's nice to treat yourself to an expertly crafted pastry, slice of cake, brownie sundae or other decadent sweet treat at a charming dessert shop. If you're looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, these local favorites are the best places in each state to get dessert.

Chez Lulu was opened to showcase the traditional European breads and pastries from Continental Bakery next door. This classic French cafe atmosphere in the middle of Birmingham is the perfect place to enjoy after-dinner drinks or coffee paired with freshly made croissants, crepes, macarons, creme brulee, pot de creme, cheesecake and other indulgent delicacies. On Fridays and Saturdays, this chic cafe is open until 10:30 p.m.

If you have an appreciation for keen attention to detail and elegant design, HeeMee's cakes and confections are not to be missed. The Instagram-worthy creations are baked fresh and from scratch and are the brainchild of HeeMee, who honed her skills in the kitchen as a home baker before bringing her art to downtown Tucson. The cake and pastry options change daily, but the shop also offers bingsoo, a Korean dessert made of shaved ice and milk.

Los Angeles is king when it comes to trendy desserts, but B Sweet Dessert Bar looks back to look forward. The shop is known for its wild interpretations of classic bread pudding with flavors like ube (purple yam), green tea and churro. In addition to bread pudding, B Sweet serves up Halos — hot pressed glazed donut ice cream sandwiches — along with other more traditional bakery fare like pocket pies, cheesecake and brownies. The brainchild of owner and founder Barb Batiste, B Sweet Dessert Bar boasts a long list of celebrity clients and high-profile events, meaning this is a place where you are definitely eating like a celebrity. And if you can't make it all the way out to LA, the shop has some selections you might be able to find in your grocery store freezer aisle. The shop itself is open late, until 11 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

NoRA Cupcake Company, which has locations in Middletown and New London, specializes in cupcakes but also bakes plenty of other treats such as cake bites, whoopie pies and chocolate-covered chocolate chip cookies. Vegan and gluten-free treats are also available. It's hard to pass up the cupcakes, however, which come in dozens of whimsical flavors and themes.

Key lime pie is the signature dessert of the state of Florida, and one of the best slices of this iconic pie in the Sunshine State can be found at Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe. This Key West institution also offers breakfast, lunch and other delectable Key lime confections such as key lime saltwater taffy, key lime pie bars and key lime pie on a stick, which is a slice of the shop's famous pie dipped in Belgian chocolate.

JoJo's Shave Ice makes all of its cream syrups from scratch, which makes it a little different from that snowcone you would get at your little brother's baseball game. Offerings include dry plum and cold brew coffee as well the tropical flavors of your surroundings like the fruity special, which is made from pineapple, papaya and passion orange as well as macadamia nut ice cream. The plain and simple is available for the traditionalist, boasting grape, cherry and lime flavors.

When stepping into Mindy's Hot Chocolate, it might appear you're at a local bar, but the menu is going to look a little different than the drinking establishments down the road. That's because at Mindy's, the hot chocolate is taken as seriously as the cocktails. You can get it medium (milk chocolate with a touch of dark chocolate and a hint of caramel), Mexican, dark, or butterscotch (half caramelized white chocolate, a fourth butterscotch, a fourth milk chocolate, nutmeg, vanilla bean and orange peel) and all topped with a house-made marshmallow. And while that might be the namesake dessert, Mindy's also offers a full restaurant and bar and another dessert menu featuring pies, ice creams, milkshakes and sorbets.

Don't let its name mislead you: Creme Cupcake in Des Moines, Iowa, celebrates every kind of dessert, not just cupcakes. This elegant dessert lounge pairs pastries and sweets with signature cocktails and drinks. Its menu is organized so that each dessert is next to a suggested tea, coffee, wine, beer or cocktail to complement its flavor. Creme Cupcake is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays but it also encourages guests to eat dessert first during happy hour every Tuesday to Saturday from 4-7 p.m.

Sweet Surrender Dessert Cafe takes the cake when it comes to dessert in Kentucky thanks to its Southern spins on classic confections. In honor of the Kentucky Derby, its mint julep cake is moist, fluffy chocolate cake layered with  bourbon and creme de menthe buttercream. Other tempting creations include a flourless chocolate torte, peanut butter mousse pie and red velvet cake.

Labadie's Bakery has been around for almost 100 years and claims to be the originator of the iconic Maine whoopie pie. Besides the classic chocolate cake and vanilla cream combo, Labadie's offers other whoopie pie flavors such as chocolate and peanut butter or raspberry with coconut as well as cream rolls.

There are a handful of Boston bakeries with fierce, loyal followings, but Mike's Pastry is a must-visit for locals and tourists alike for its famous, beloved cannolis. In business for more than 70 years, Mike's offers 19 flavors of the Italian treat, including plain, mint chocolate chip, Nutella, Oreo, limoncello and more. Other menu items include ricotta pie, biscotti, macaroons and cookies.

Located in Minneapolis's Warehouse District, Edward's Dessert Kitchen is a bright, airy and Instagrammable spot to enjoy dessert in Minnesota. Snag a cozy booth or a spot at the semi-circle cocktail bar before indulging in a freshly made dessert with unexpected ingredient combinations such as caramel and Chinese five-spice snickerdoodle cookies or mango coconut creme pie puffs.

One of America's best dessert spots is Bailey's Chocolate Bar in St. Louis. This bar and dessert shop offers boozy chocolate confections in any form you can imagine, from ice cream martinis and chocolate cocktails to chocolate stout cake and brownie sundaes with Bailey's ice cream. Those interested in fruity, nonalcoholic and even vegan creations also have plenty of options to choose from.

The Rabbit Hole in Lincoln is a top Nebraska dessert destination. This charming "Alice in Wonderland" themed cafe offers a rotating menu of desserts and pastries baked from scratch every morning, including cream puffs, cake slices, cake pops, cheesecake and more. While enjoying a sweet treat, have a cup of tea or coffee or sip on a signature cocktail.

A New England specialty, popovers are light, airy rolls that "pop" up over the edge of the muffin tin while baking. They're best enjoyed hot, direct from the oven, which might be why visitors flock to Popovers on the Square in Portsmouth. The freshly baked popovers come with house-made maple butter. Warm popovers also serve as the base for the signature ice cream sundae, which comes with two scoops of ice cream, caramelized bananas, caramel and chocolate sauce, walnuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top.  This cafe and bakery also offers gluten-free popovers as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner with mini popovers serving as side dishes.

There are plenty of places to grab a drink in Santa Fe, but the sweetest sips in town can be found at Kakawa Chocolate House, which is famous for its drinking chocolate. Flavors range from sweet to bitter to spicy, and if you can't decide, opt for a flight to sample four. Other chocolate creations include truffles, ice cream, brownies and cookies as well as New Mexico-inspired treats like chocolate-dipped peppers and Hatch green chile caramels.

This North Carolina dessert, cocktail and coffee lounge is a relaxing place for an afternoon treat or a nightcap; Bittersweet is open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. Dessert options include a stout float or a s'mores sundae, but Bittersweet is known for its signature salty chipwich ice cream sandwich, which is rolled in bourbon caramel corn.

For a perfect spot for date night in Ohio, check out Chocolate Cafe in Columbus. You can consume your chocolate any way you like here, from dessert martinis and cherry jubillee hot chocolate to chocolate-covered strawberries to rich brownies. Of course the menu includes multiple iterations of Buckeyes, from the classic to Buckeye martinis and Buckeye cheesecake.

Oregon has plenty of sweet spots that have earned national acclaim like Voodoo Donuts and Salt and Straw ice cream. But when locals want to relax over coffee and dessert, they head to Papa Haydn, a Portland institution that actually brought one of the first espresso machine to the city. This family-owned spot has two locations that each offer two dozen desserts, including old-school delights like baked Alaska and layered meringue confection boccone dolce.

Named among the best dessert spots in the country by Fodor's and other publications, Pastiche has brought quality, craftsmanship and flair to its European-style pastries and desserts for more than 35 years. Eclairs, cannolis, tarts and tortes line the display case. Once you've made your selection, cozy up next to the fireplace or grab a spot next to the windows filled with fresh flowers.

CH Patisserie is not just the best bakery in South Dakota, but it also ranks among the best in the nation. After winning "Top Chef" and the World Pastry Championships, celebrity chef Chris Hanmer opened CH Patisserie, where he dreams up sophisticated selections that transport you to a cafe in Paris. Must-tries include the classic French macarons or the flakey chocolate croissant.

Texans love their dessert, from their iconic pecan pie to Texas sheet cake. Perhaps that's why Ooh La La Dessert Boutique has expanded to three locations in the Houston area. Locals love this shop's cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies and pastries as well as the whimsical atmosphere perfect for ending a family dinner or a romantic date.

Whether you want to start or end your day with something sweet, Mirabelles Cafe is the place to go in Vermont. Enjoy a breakfast pastry like a spiced apple danish with your morning coffee, or a light macaron or cream puff for an afternoon snack. For a show-stopping dessert, try Mirabelles' famous creme brulee cake, which is like two delicious desserts in one. Vanilla cake filled with creamy custard is topped with sugar that gets melted into a caramelized layer.

If you're looking for a pick-me-up on a rainy Washington day, head to Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery in Seattle for rich chocolate desserts. The house specialty is the Dark Decadence molten cake served with ice cream, though Hot Cakes also offers warm chocolate chip cookies, boozy milkshakes, roasted-to-order s'mores and more.

Recognized by publications like WV Living, Rock City Cake Company is known for its cake innovations. Cake rolls, cake balls, cookie cakes, cake pops and even cake push pops — they offer almost every iteration of cake you could imagine. This rock 'n' roll bakery also has every treat under the sun, including truffles, donuts, pastries and more. Rock City has a comfortable loft atmosphere and hosts live music.

Meeteetse Chocolatier rose to fame behind the humble origin story of its founder. Ranch worker and rodeo rider Tim Kellogg first began creating decadent, European-style chocolate truffles and other confections using local ingredients to sell at community fundraisers. They became such a hit that Kellogg opened a storefront in his small town of Meeteetse and then another location in Jackson, Wyoming. Although Kellogg does ship his creations, they can also be enjoyed freshly made at his shop in Meeteetse. If you're looking for more of the best places in America to get your chocolate fix, check out the best chocolate shop in every state.

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