After blissful days filled with wine tasting and Michelin starred meals, it’s all too easy to take a pass on dessert. We’re here to tell you — don’t do it! From cookies and pastries, to artisanal chocolate, let your inner sweet tooth run the show and indulge. These are the best desserts and sweets in Napa Valley, you can thank us later.
Feature Photo: ME Creative
Napa
More than just chocolate, Anette’s creates sweets you didn’t think existed like Chardonnay Wine Brittle and Chocolate Cabernet Wine Sauce, not to mention chocolate truffles blended with brandy and port. Master Chocolatier, Brent Madsen, is constantly creating so be sure to ask about what’s new.Â
Salted chocolate peanut butter pie, red wine red velvet cupcakes, and funfetti cakes topped with oodles of sprinkles! Now that we have your attention, stop wasting time and get over to Monday Bakery. In addition to sweets, there’s coffee, tea, kombucha, and even wellness drinks on the menu.Â
Located at Carneros Resort and Spa, this restaurant gets its peculiar name from an early settler in the area who planted orchards and vineyards in the region around the mid-1800s. An homage to Boon Fly, here you’ll find an assortment of dishes that show off all kinds of local flavors, but the signature Boon Fly donuts have a faithful following. Get an order and you’ll understand why.
Yountville
6528 Washington Street, Yountville
Pastries, tarts, cookies and macarons every color of the rainbow are waiting at chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery. We’re partial to the OhOh, a chocolate sponge cake with Chantilly cream and a dark chocolate shell. There’s often a line well out the door, but it moves quickly.Â
6525 Washington Street, Yountville
Almost to pretty to eat. Almost. Chris Kollar spent 25 years working in kitchens across the country before launching Kollar Chocolates in Yountville. Now he creates bonbons in flavors like Sunflower Seed Praline, Fennel Pollen, and Matcha Yuzu. The Poppy Saffron Bars might not be as colorful as the bonbons, but they sure are tasty.Â
6752 Washington Street, Yountville
As the name implies, this family-owned bakery specializes in macarons. We recommend setting aside a half-hour for a Coffee and Macaron Flight that includes four beverages paired with four macarons. It’s a caffeine and sugar rush deliciously rolled into one.
St. Helena
933 Main St. (Highway 29), St. Helena
707.963.3486
Opened in 1999, this is the first Gott’s location opened by brothers Joel and Duncan Gott. The menu offers everything from burgers and salads, to chicken schnitzel sandwiches and Ahi poke crispy tacos — and they all taste better when paired with a milkshake. Handspun with organic ice cream and milk, flavors include chocolate, vanilla, and coffee, as well as mint chip, and strawberry. There’s specialty shakes too! We’re a fan of the Peanut Butter and Chocolate offering, but you can’t go wrong with Cookies & Cream, or the Black and White shakes. If you’re further south when a craving hits, there’s also a Gott’s location in Oxbow Public Market.Â
1357 Main Street, St. Helena
There’s Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Chocolate Rads. We suggest you try one of each. You can share, though you may not want to. Fun fact: the St. Helena location has been a bakery since 1908, and the original brick ovens are still working their magic. If they haven’t run out of English Muffins when you stop by, you might consider picking up a few of those as well. Oprah has a habit of raving about them.Â
1367 Main Street, St. Helena
From peanut butter cups and toffee, to barks and even S’mores, this family run chocolate shop offers gooey goodness at every turn. Who says it has to be Christmas to enjoy peppermint hot chocolate? You’ll find it here year-round. The milk chocolate caramel with Fleur de Sel makes a great gift, if you don’t eat it first.Â
Calistoga
Founded in 2013 by local couple Jen and Paul Crudo, Bella is a neighborhood bakery serving European-style pastries, classic baked goods and desserts of all types. Savory items and custom wedding cakes are also on offer, although it’s hard to pass by the packed case full of cupcakes, cookies, bars, eclairs, scones, and croissants of many varieties and not leave with a bagful of goodies.
1473 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga
707.341.3242
This scoop shop featured homemade ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt and soft serve using local, organic dairy from Straus Family Creamery. Fun flavors range from cardamom, saffron and rose to matcha to vegan chocolate chip, with classics like strawberry, dark chocolate and vanilla with Madagascar vanilla. Waffle cones are made in house, including a gluten free version.
1458 Lincoln Ave, #14, Calistoga
707.341.0410
As one of the refurbished train car Calistoga Depot vendors, Earth & Sky showcases high quality chocolate bars and bonbons in interesting flavors, often using special local ingredients. Stop in for a luxurious bite full of blackberry and thyme or olive oil and milk chocolate ganache and leave with a membership for their bonbon subscription, a box full of treasures sent right to your house every month.
