It may seem strange for a nutritionist and herbalist to write an article about my favorite, high quality desserts~But when you have desserts less often, you want them to be the best in taste and decadence! They have to satisfy your taste buds, not be a poor dessert imitation. It’s like the difference between having cheap versus expensive chocolate. So I’ve listed the best local pie shops, artisan chocolate, ice cream, gelato, cookies, and bakeries. Check out my Best Dessert Places in Fort Collins, northern Colorado with this local city guide from yours truly. (This link will open in Apple Maps)
I created a helpful downloadable list that helps dairy-free eaters find food names where dairy hides. For instance, bisque and ganache have cream in them, but it’s not clear. I created a simple downloadable PDF that dairy-free diners can keep on their phones. Find my list of dairy in foods here on my Etsy shop.
Here is my text guide, My Favorite Dessert Places, in case you don’t use Apple Maps:
- Ginger and Baker: Seated inside an old, remodeled feed store, gather round the three-sided coffee bar and enjoy cocoa, coffee, custom pies, cakes, and a few other pastries. They also have cold drinks, teas. Peruse the gift shop inside the same room and the entrance, or take a custom cooking class in the classroom. There is lunch and dinner next door, and upstairs hosts a fancier dinner venue, with outside rooftop patio.
- Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard: This small place has really good Italian ice desserts, gelato, and custards in many flavors. There is a small shaded patio attached that is reminiscent of an Italian villa patio. It’s located 300’ to the East of the Southeast corner of Harmony and College.
- Old Town Nuance Chocolate: This small shop features to-die-for artisanal chocolates. They have different-tasting chocolate from different grown locations, similar to the terroir of wine or coffee. They feature single-origin chocolate bars, or (my favorite) truffles: Ganache (cocoa with milk (or coconut milk for dairy-free, two flavors at least daily)) with small toppings. Gifts are packed in cute tiny boxes with red raffia. They also have chocolate tasting “flights” – tiny samples of many origins, or bitter, unsweetened drinking chocolate. They also have sweeented. To find it, stand on the North side of Starbucks, and look North toward the Brazilian Rodizzio Grille. It’s across the street and north of Starbucks about 150’, next to the 2nd cheese shop.
- Little Bird Bakery: They just moved into an old house built in 1910 or so, along College Ave. two blocks South of Mulberry Street. It’s the old house/restaurant of Canino’s Restaurant. They have a delightful selection of high end cookies like shortbread, pecan cookies, chocolate, a carrot-cake like muffin, scones, financier’s (almond flour cakes), pie, homemade seedy rye, crackers, and a full coffee bar and lunch counter (sandwiches, soups). Only open in the mornings until 3pm (my dreaded daily deadline! ~ I can stop any time I want!)
- Walrus Ice Cream: Ice cream made on site, a local favorite for many years. On Mountain Avenue, just West of College Ave. Delightful colorful seats out front.
- La Creperie: (link is gallery page) Real French food – a full lunch and breakfast menu, French bread, real macarons made from almond flour (some gluten free). They also have many of those French works of art that leave you wondering if you should eat it or admire it for a while.
- Me Oh My Coffee and Pie (in Laporte, Colorado, just North of Fort Collins) This charming place has a huge menu and many pies from which to choose.
