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The Best Holiday Treats and Desserts in Toronto

Rosa Kumar

almost 2 years ago

The Best Holiday Treats and Desserts in Toronto

Never again will you show up to another holiday party with a lacklustre grocery store cake if you plan ahead and order one of Toronto's most festive desserts or pastries for the festive season. Available at Toronto's many fantastic bakeries, cafes and dessert shops, impress your entire dinner party (for once).

Toronto has no shortage of high-quality pastries and desserts, and many of your favourite sweet treat hubs offer holiday-themed offerings that are only available in December. The Christmassy twists on well-known classics will delight everyone who takes a bite and will be the centrepiece of any Pinterest-worthy tablescape.

120 Dundas St W

Butter Baker

Butter Baker has marvellous holiday-themed treats you'd expect from a bakery called Butter Baker. This year they have a show-stopping Santa's House cake (pictured) which comes in three flavours (Cookies & Cream, White Chocolate & Berry and Raspberry & Pistachio), topped with a gingerbread house and cookie decorations. You can also purchase a gingerbread house independently and customize it with a gift-perfect plaque. Their in-house gingerbread houses and cookies are baked and decorated from scratch by the Butter Baker chefs.

130 Cawthra Ave #105

Sweet Flour Bakeshop

The adorable Sweet Flour Bakeshop has a variety of options for all your gift-giving needs; their most-popular item is the Sweet Sampler Box which comes with 8 of their classic cookies (including the flavour-of-the-month eggnog cookie), a bag of sweet stacks (crispy gingerbread cookies) and a seasonal decorated cookie. Their Holiday Sweet Box option has chocolate-covered pretzels, gingerbread snowflakes, buttercrunch toffee and is on sale for the rest of the season. Another impressive feature is their winter cookie cupcakes, a tall cookie baked in a muffin tin and iced like a wintry cupcake (pictured above). To really impress your guests, you can also build your own tower filled with cookies and squares, topped with a big red bow. Sweet Flour also currently has a promotion with Sick Kids; if you buy their SK branded cookies, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the foundation.

717 Queen St W

Nugateau Patisserie

Canada's first all-éclair Patisserie goes all out for the holidays; Chef Atul designs and curates all their pastries in-house, and this year they have an eye-catching 6-pack éclair set that takes the limelight. Their flavours include options like the "Snowbelle" (apricot, white chocolate and coconut), "Black Forest" (chocolate and cherry) and more. The exclusive Noël collection box is designed by Toronto's own Jason Zante, and the art is inspired by Toronto. For the holidays, they also have macarons, three different Bûche de Noël's, a chocolate snowman, tree and ornament, and even chocolate lollipops for the kids (or you, we don't judge).

1374 Queen St W

The Tempered Room

Sitting in the heart of Queen West, The Tempered Room has a holiday menu with exquisite flavours (if a little on the premium prices side). Their 2021 Bûche de Noël even has her own name, Koyla. Other options include the Chocorange cake, a chocolate mousse cake in the shape of a glossy wreath, St. Honoré cake, flan, "croissant-mas" pudding (pictured), and Paris Brest. They also have a holiday treat box so you can try a variety of their festive goods and pair it with their seasonal "Old Skull Nick" espresso.

362 King St E

Roselle Desserts

You've probably tried Roselle's famous earl grey soft serve in the summer, but their holiday menu gives it a run for its money. Their entire Bûche de Noël selection and chestnut cake is sold out for the season (look out for it early next December!), but they still offer gingerbread madeleines and people, toffee pecan shorties, candy cane bark, eggnog meringues, assorted caramels and for walk-in customers only, a holiday cookie tin with mouth-watering flavours like cardamom ginger shortbread and English mint meringue.

420 Eglinton Ave W

Phipps Bakery Cafe

With its iconic exterior, Phipps Bakery has another fabulous holiday treat menu for 2021. Their offerings include themed cakes (Let it Snow, Holiday Cheer Cheesecake, Christmas Spice Carrot Cake and New Year's Tuxedo Mousse Cake to name just a few), apple mincemeat pies and tarts, shortbread, gingerbread, ginger spice cookies, festive biscotti, snowy white meringues and more! They offer their smaller treats on pre-made platters.

161 Frederick St Unit 100

Neo Coffee Bar

This shop is a one-stop-shop to pick up Japanese-style pastries and amazing espresso for your loved ones. Their holiday items include their annual Christmas cake, which this year is a multi-layer vanilla mousse cake with raspberry gelee, pistachio cream, almond sponge and fresh strawberries. You can pre-order now, but it's only available for pick-up from December 22 to 24. This month they are also offering a glass-jar tiramisu perfect for travel!

1418 Dundas St W

Hadrien Verrier Patisserie

This classy French patisserie is actually closed for local delivery and daily pick-up while they move locations, but they are offering a limited pick-up from their Dundas location and Evergreen Brickworks, and have a whole holiday menu of treats to choose from: Bûche de Noël in 3 flavours (Nutty Santa, Christmas Fragola Cake and Le Trois Chocolats), an assortment of festive croissants (including a boozy option!), Speculoos cookies and their house hot chocolate with earl grey marshmallow.

1121 Queen St E

Bobbette & Belle

Bobbette and Belle outdo themselves every year with their creative (and stunning) holiday dessert assortment. This year you'll find their famous sticky toffee pudding with bourbon caramel sauce, Instagram-worthy and house-baked DIY gingerbread kits, Victorian gingerbread house cookies, polar bear cookies, reindeer cookies, bauble cookies, cranberry apple bread pudding, fruit crumbles and a chocolate torte. Try saying that in one breath!

665 Dundas St E

Le Beau

The French patisserie that has been wowing food lovers in Regent Park often showcases seasonal desserts only available for a limited time. For the holidays, these include their answer to the standard gingerbread man, the "choco-kid," which is a chocolate-dipped hazelnut biscuit. They also have two Bûche de Noël's (mango-passion and wildflower honey), truffle tubes, Linzer cookies ready to gift in a cookie box and a gingerbread croissant.