Boulder is known for its beautiful mountains, but this city also has some epic desserts you need to try after your outdoor adventure. The great thing about Boulder desserts are their large selection of gluten-free, vegan, and all-natural ingredient desserts, meaning there’s something here for everyone. Here are the 25 most epic desserts in Boulder you need to try.
1. Smooch: Mochi Ice Cream
If you’re looking for a small but satisfying dessert, Smooch is the perfect dessert for you. Not only are these the CUTEST little desserts ever, but they have 21 flavors of these tiny mochi sweets, which are gluten-free, kosher, AND all natural. Plus, you can order online so you don’t even have to get out of bed. You have no excuse to not try these desserts this instant!
2. Tee and Cakes: Cake Pops
Cake pops are adorable, sweet, fun, and you can eat so many in one sitting. Tee and Cakes have a variety of cake pop flavors and designs that you can get customized for any event. From classic flavors like chocolate and vanilla to more decadent flavors like chocolate maple bacon, chocolate peanut butter pretzel stout, and even lemon lavender! If you’re ever by Pearl Street, be sure to check out Tee and Cakes’ cake pops.
3. Kilwins: Ice Cream
Kilwins has been making ice cream since 1985, which means they’ve perfected their craft and you know you’re in for a treat here! They have over 40 incredible flavors you’ll find year-round like their Double Peanut Butter Pie, Marsh-Mallow S’more, or Chocolate Caramel Cashew.
You can also find their limited-edition flavors like Peppermint, The Perfect Apple Pie, and Pumpkin Pie, which you know you need to try before the season ends. I know you’re drooling for some of their ice cream with hand-made fudge and caramel, all in their freshly-made waffle cones…what are you waiting for?!
4. Piece Love and Chocolate: Truffle
Just close your eyes an imagine walking into a store with over 50 flavors of chocolate truffles. That can be a reality if you walk into Piece Love and Chocolate on Pearl Street. They have any truffle flavor you could possibly imagine, from dark chocolate with liquid caramel inside to mango chili to honey lavender to birthday cake. Their unique flavor combinations make this tiny sweet a great treat!
5. Sweet Cow: Sundae
Sundaes are hands down one of the cutest, most picture-perfect, delicious desserts ever, but they’re also my favorite day of the week (“Sundae,” get it?). Once you combine delicious Boulder ice cream with cookies, whipped cream, chocolate, and caramel sauce, and really any toppings you want on it, you get an epic dessert to fulfill any craving. Come into Sweet Cow to make any flavored sundae of your choice!
6. Lollicup: Boba drink
Two words: boba drink. YES. If you are looking for a sweet beverage with a little surprise for you at the bottom, head over to Lollicup for a boba-filled drink. What is boba, you may ask? They’re small, chewy balls of tapioca. Don’t knock it ’til you try it! You can get over 40 flavors of tea, flavored milk, slushie, or juice. Those boba pearls are calling your name…head over there right now.
7. Daydream Dessert Co.: Bars
These desserts are fitting for even the most Boulder of the Boulderites. Daydream Dessert Co. makes a variety of desserts that are free from grains, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, white sugars, and just really any junk. If you get a chance to order some treats from this healthy and delicious shop, be sure to check out their bars. They have their Caramel Spice Cheesecake bars, Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake bars, Raw Walnut Fudge Brownie bar…and I could go on and on, but I know your stomach is already growling for some of these.
8. Boulder Baked: Cookies
Cookies, cookies, and more cookies…have you ever come across a bad cookie? You certainly won’t at Boulder Baked, which is open until midnight to satisfy your late-night cravings. They have over 20 different flavors, including vegan and gluten-free options ready for delivery, pick-up, and dine-in. If you go to the actual store, you get the freshest of the fresh cookies straight out of the oven. Get ready for some cookies that are going to melt in your mouth!
9. Shamane’s Bake Shoppe: Tarts and Galette
A galette is a flat, round cake or pastry with fruit and cream fillings in the middle. Head on over to Shamane’s Bake Shoppe and order a seasonal fresh fruit tart or galettes. Can’t decide what to order? Don’t worry, every flavor is good.
10. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory: Caramel Apple
Caramel apples are known for being fall treats, but the caramel apples you can get at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory can be enjoyed all year long. They have 10 flavors of caramel apples, from the plain (but delicious) caramel to more decadent flavors such as their Rocky Road Caramel Apple (a Granny Smith apple dipped in gooey caramel, rolled in chopped walnuts, and marshmallows, then drizzled with warm milk chocolate and white chocolate).
11. Glacier Homemade Ice Cream & Gelato: Ice Cream Sandwich
Ice cream + 2 cookies = an epic dessert you need in your life. Glacier’s homemade ice cream and gelato shop combines their famous ice cream with their delicious cookies for a treat you need ASAP. One bite into this crunchy and soft treat will get you hooked and wanting more.
12. Foolish Craig’s Cafe: Crepes
Foolish Craig’s Butter Run Caramel Crepe Cake has been featured and loved by Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. This cake is 21 layers of crepe covered in cream cheese frosting, caramel drizzle, and powdered sugar with strawberries on the side. If Guy Fieri loved it, I’m guessing you will too. Along with this cake, you can also get other crepes such as their Hot Strawberry and Nutella Crepe. YUM.
13. Fior de Latte: Gelato
I scream, you scream, we all scream for GELATO! Fior de Latte on Pearl Street has the most decadent gelato flavors that are sure to fulfill your dessert cravings. Pannacotta & Raspberry, Mascarpone & Fig, Chocolate Lavender, or their Sweet Corn & Blackberry are just some of their unique flavors. For those who want to try all of these flavors at once, Fior de Latte has the option of getting six flavors in one tray that you can share with your friends.
14. Heifer and the Hen: Choco-Taco
Chocolate ice cream taco…need I say more? Heifer and the Hen has 22 unique flavors like Wood Roasted Peaches + Buttermilk Biscuit Crumble, Maple and Smoked Sea Salt, Mint-Basil Bittersweet Dark Chocolate, and their unique list of flavors just goes on and on. They also make ice cream sandwiches, ice cream floats, and even affogato, which is made with their Nitro Cold Brewed Coffee.
15. Edible Arrangements: Chocolate Strawberries
I know that Edible Arrangements is usually given to other people as gifts, but who says you can’t give one to yourself? Edible Arrangements uses the highest quality chocolate and strawberries (a combination that was meant for each other) to create a chocolate-covered strawberry bouquet. I think I might walk down the aisle with this bouquet instead of a flower when when I get married.
16. Sweet Cow: Milkshake
Sweet Cow was featured earlier on this list, but their milkshakes are SO incredibly delicious that it needed to be mentioned as another epic dessert in Boulder you need to try. You can make any flavor of their ice cream into a creamy, sweet, delicious milkshake you won’t ever want to stop drinking.
17. Kim and Jake’s: Gluten-Free Cakes
Kim and Jake’s can make a cake for almost any allergy you can possibly think of. Many times, cakes that are gluten-free get a bad rap, but not Kim and Jake’s cakes. Their cakes are moist, delicious, and something you want at any party or event.
18. Ripple: Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is the perfect dessert, because you have the option to choose from such a large variety of flavors and toppings to make your very own froyo dessert. Ripple has over 16 different flavors on tap every day that change according to the season. Ripple let’s you pick your favorite toppings, whether that be chocolates, gummies, fruits, or different sauces that you can get wild with.
19. Lucky’s Bakehouse and Creamery: Pastries
Because it’s located in a market, many people are unaware of this hidden gem that makes donuts, tarts, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, macarons, caramel apples, and really any dessert you could be craving on any given day. Lucky’s Bakehouse and Creamery makes a wide variety of pastries that can also be made gluten-free. Look around this bakery, and I guarantee you’ll be there for a while trying to decide what to eat out of all of their pastries and desserts.
20. Spruce Confections: Cakes and Cupcakes
Spruce Confections has been making their delicious cakes entirely from scratch since 1992, and they’ve only gotten better with time. They offer a wide variety of flavors of cakes, such as Golden Almond Cake, Light Chocolate Cake, Dense Chocolate Cake, Carrot Cake, and so on. All of the flavors listed can also be made as ridiculously amazing cupcakes.
#SpoonTip: Order the baker’s choice assortment of cupcakes if you’re looking for a delicious surprise.
21. Heifer and the Hen: Mexican Hot Chocolate
You know what’s better than hot chocolate? Mexican hot chocolate! Heifer and the Hen’s rich Mexican Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream is a crowd favorite that you can drink even if it’s not cold outside. This epic dessert is a bit spicier than normal hot chocolate, heating you up from the inside out. I can’t wait to cuddle up with a book while sipping on their hot chocolate.
22. Erhard’s European Cafe and Bakery: Pastries
Erhard’s bakery is a European-style cafe that makes the most scrumptious pastries. Just look at this glistening croissant! They have an award winning apple strudel as well as an award winning chocolate mousse. If you’re looking for something a little more unique, they also makes traditional hamantaschen, a triangular cookie with filling in the middle usually associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim and Haman.
23. Nothing Bundt Cakes: Bundt Cakes
Not only are these the cutest desserts ever, but they’re also super moist and just so good! They have bundt cakes of all sizes and flavors for any occasion. Try their tiered bundt cakes (big bundt cake stacked on top of another big bundt cake), or their little bundtinis (tiny bundt cakes with the cutest name ever). They have nine traditional flavors that will make you wanting to get at least a dozen little bundtinis in every flavor.
24. Insomnia: Cookies
Craving an ooey gooey cookie? The answer for me is yes, always. Insomnia is open from 9 to 3 am, which means that you can get a cookie at every waking moment of your day. They make nine traditional flavors like chocolate chunk, peanut butter chip, or double chocolate mint, and they also have their deluxe flavors like TRIPLE chocolate chunk or S’mores. If you want an even more epic dessert, you can also get a cookie or brownie a la mode.
25. Le Pops: Popsicles
When you think of a popsicle, those red, white, and blue Bomb Pops may come to your mind. Popsicles have always been a popular dessert for kids, but the ones from Le Pops are for people of all ages with ingredients that are locally grown. Not only are these cold treats pleasing to the eye, but they also taste as good as they look.
Le Pops makes both cream pops and ice pops daily with rotating flavors. Some of their cream pop flavors include salted caramel, banana pudding, tiramisu, and lemon pie. Popular ice pops flavors are pumpkin, blackberry mango, and blueberry lemonade. Grab this sweet dessert to cool down on a hot day!
All of these Boulder desserts are sure to give you a sugar rush, and I hope you’re drooling for these desserts as much as I am.