Cookies, Cakes, Tarts, Pies...Oh My! Baked goods are such a wonderful comfort food. The perfect bite of whipped icing & cake in an old fashion cupcake, the aroma of a warm apple pie on a crisp autumn day, and the pure satisfaction of a chocolate chip cookie. One thing is for certain, we have searched for the bakers that use only the finest ingredients!  You will not have to worry about filling your body with transfats.  Go ahead, indulge yourself or surprise a friend with pure satisfaction ....

• La Graziosa - the graceful cookie – This bakery's homemade, all natural  cookies and biscotti in many varieties now available online. We sampled their peanut butter zebra, meyer lemon & ginger snap (our top pick). These cookies are large, chewy and really delicious. Real comfort food. The biscotti’s come in small (great portion control) & large sizes, the flavors are all wonderful. So many biscotti's we taste are just hard & flavorless. These are the opposite – crisp & chock full of flavor.
• Chocolate Gourmet - "Damn Good Cookies" - If you're a cookie lover, these are a must. We actually made groaning noises when we were tasting these cookies!!. Rugalach like you have never tasted , a small sugar cookie with homemade raspberry preserve - ooh soo good. Their "ugly truffles" are unique flavors, yummy. Smart packaging makes these a special gift.
• Kayak Cookies - The original Salty Oats, and it's sister Chocolate Salty Oats are the brainstorm of Terri Horn on an extended kayaking trip! Sweet, yet salty - using mostly organic top notch ingredients, these cookies are very unique. The texture of the whole oats makes it very difficult to stop eating them, one cookie makes a perfect meal!
• Lisa's Cookie Shop - Their mission is to make the cookies that their customers grew up on, by hand & all natural. Our verdict - mission accomplished! Their pecan bars are better than grandma's, so rich. Their chocolate chip is that great combo of crisp yet loaded with chips. We also enjoyed the raspberry bar, it tastes like old fashion raspberry cobbler in a bar. Cookies and bars come in a cute brown windowed bag with a ribbon.
• Sweet Marcellines - Lucky us, we tasted the gems from this family owned business. Not only delicious, with true homebaked flavor but the presentation & gift packaging is just beautiful! Handmade traditional toffee, toffee Chip Cookies, & pfeffernuesse "Pepper Nuts" with premium organic ingredients.
• Jennie and Vera's Cookies -  Very adult, sophisticated cookies. These would make a terrific business gift. Unique creations all their own, cleanly packaged. We really enjoyed Vera's Walnuts - they actually look like a real walnut. So clever & delicious..
• The Famous 4th Street Cookie Co. - Every foodie knows the historic farmers market in Center City Philadelphia (Reading Terminal) is a must stop. For those of us not in Philly, David Auspitz will ship his famous cookies anywhere! Thick, chewy and full of top quality ingredients. Our choice is the chocolate chip.
• Lola Cookies -  A cookie bakery in VA, we tasted a few of their cookies, our pick by far is the Ginger Chip - deep ginger chewiness & luscious chocolate chips...soo good.
• Sweet Caroline - Home Baked cookies, brownies & Evil bars (Carolines own spin on the 7 layer bar). Her cookies are the thick, soft type chock full of delicious ingredients. Our cookies are very fresh but several were broken, if ordering for a gift we suggest her cookie tin option to avoid this.
• Homemade Pizzelles - The real thing! Pizzelles (Italian thin "waffle" cookie in many flavors & homemade biscotti. We sampled both and declared that Noni would be proud (Italian grandma)!
• Tate's Bake Shop -In the Hamptons, many years ago a little girl named Kathleen began baking cookies to sell at her family’s farm. Today she still uses the same fresh ingredients . The cookies & bars that we sampled were wonderful, buttery homeade goodness. If you like you chocolate chip cookies very thin & crisp you will be in heaven with Tate's. The raspberry bar is shortbread on the bottom & fresh raspberry crisp on the top. Close your eyes and you will swear you are in this quaint bake shop!
• Salem Baking Company -  "Vintage" cookies. We had never had "Moravian" cookies. The recipe originates from what is now the Czech Republic. When the rich flavor of molasses was discovered, using it to make a traditional cookie yielded a cookie too hard to bite, so a paper thin version was created. The intense spice flavor and the paper thin crisp texture is a real treat. All natural ingredients, many flavors. They also offer delicious shortbread cookies & classic southern cheese straws. All using vintage recipes.
• Desserts On Us - We tried their Laceys - delicious!! Milk or Dark chocolate with nuts with a light lace cookie. They also bake baklava which sound delicious.
• Solomon Cookies - Unique variety of cookies, brownies, and bars. recipes for these cookies were handed down by their grandmother - they offer a cookie of the month club.
• ClaireSquares - From a traditional Irish recipe - buttery shortbread base with carmel & Belgian chocolate. Claire also makes Flapjacks - which we really enjoyed. Delicious homemade oat bars dipped in dark chocolate.
• LuLu's Mondel Bread - Mondel bread looks like biscotti, but the texture is all crumbly cookie. Using all fresh, natural ingredients Lauren Harris creates this special treat using her grandma's recipe. Great-Grandma Frankel brought her mondel bread recipe with her when she fled from Russia to Chicago in 1918. We tasted the chocolate chip and discovered that grandma knows best!
• Dunkluv - Handmade biscotti in wonderful flavors. All natural, loaded with top notch ingredients. Very pretty packaging makes them ideal for gifts. We enjoyed each and every flavor but the lemon was a standout. dunk.luv.repeat.
• One Girl Cookies - Variety of cookies & biscotti handmade with fresh ingredients
• Jennifer's Homemade - Biscottis, breadsticks & flatbread made from scratch. We sampled the chocolate biscotti, rosemary breadsticks/flatbread and cinnamon - all very crispy & crunchy. Jen uses fresh rosemary, pure vanilla & top notch chocolate.
• Suzanne's Sweets - Real, homemade rugelach, light & flaky - hand-rolled, each are stuff with wonderful ingredients. These are rustic and full of flavor. We enjoyed each and every flavor - the are all moist and really down home good.
• Chewys - Rugelach & Hamentashen. Certified Kosher Dairy
• Steve's Mom  - Rugelach, hamentashen, Vienna Palines, Ricotta cheesecake, Fudgeroons, scotchroons
• Williow River Farms - Crispy, crunchy, spicy, gingersnaps, cheesesnaps, chocolate nuggets & fruitcake. Baked by volunteers to
  benefit the 700 children & adults served by The Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation.
• Eleni's - Conversation Cookies make wonderful gifts; hand iced whimsical designs i.e designer handbags, shoe fetish, famous shopping bags, best actors, many more themes. Just beautiful!
• Custom Fortune Cookie Company - Custom homemade fortune cookies.
• Blackhound NY - Dedicated to the art & craft of baking / chocolate making . Source for Cookies, Confections, Cakes, Truffles, Savories, Chocolate Candies, Mousse, Jarred Fruits, Gift Baskets, Favors.Everything is made from scratch.
• Dere Street - David & Robin have created a bakery using European traditions. They use only all natural top quality ingredients and you will be able to taste it! Their scones (savory & sweet), shortbreads & almond cookies are truly excellent. Moist & full of natural flavors. We highly reccomend them!
• Shoe Box Oven - "a very tiny merry bakery", describes Krishna Brown's adventurous baking. We sampled a few of her fanciful desserts. Our pick - "a Girl in Bombay" - a spice cookie rooled in sesame & dotted with a current & Oh s'Mores- delicious!
• Sullivan Street Bakery - Community based NYC bakery famous for their biscotti & breads,& seasonal Italian sweet breads. Seasonal breads & biscotti are available online.
• WM Greenberg Desserts - A NY favorite, dairy kosher buttery cookies, Black & White cookies, rich browines & all the holiday /seasonal favorites.
• Venieros Italian Bakery - Authentic NYC Italian pastries, cakes, cookies
• Miette Organic Patisserie - Being located in Northern California provides them with the freshest ingredients & everything they use is from local, family-owned farms & mills, & whenever possible, organic & sustainably produced. Pound cakes, french macaroons & cookies.
• Vermont Shortbreads - From the Vermont cozy kitchen of Ann Zuccardy's only fresh natural ingredients are used to create her signature shortbread-she slightly altered the traditional Scottish shortbread recipe to produce a slightly moister shortbread.
• Mari's - The perfect gift brownies - 2 bite rich & fudgy brownies beautifully packaged (6) in a red jewelry type box. Delicious flavors, wonderful idea to have a small bite indulgence!
• Sugabetten's Baking - Know for their "magic cookie bars", these two sisters have a recipe for success. They also offer brownies which are excellent but it is their " Sugabetten Bars" that make them stand out. Over 1" inch thick, these bars are loaded with coconut, chocolate chips & nuts.
• The Exceptional Brownie -  Very chewy, fudge type brownies. We sample several of their flavors. The flavor additions do not overpower the taste of the brownie which gets points with us. After all it is the brownie that is the star.All pure ingredients and kosher.
• Sana Souci - They call them Marquis bars - a cross between a flourless chocolate cake & a truffle. Very dense, very chocolatey brownie!
• Greyston Bakery - The only brownies that Ben & Jerry's use, profits from Greyston Bakery support Greyston Foundation community development initiatives, including low-income housing, childcare, health services, and technology education. These brownies do a world of good!!
• Simply Divine Brownies - Gourmet brownies.Flavors include chocolate peanut butter, sweet potato, caramel, smores, cherry, and whoopie pie brownies
• Fat Witch The Brownie - Dense, rich brownies -a NYC favorite
• Crazy Baker - Their X-treme Brownie, the company's most popular variety is a 1/4-pound! They also offer Browine Edges! Panforte is the company's version of the traditional Italian confection.
• New York Brownies - A great deal of chocolate in each browine, a dozen weighs over 4lbs! Cakey & fudgy.
• Foxey's Bake Shop - Laura & Kathleen created this brownie by accident and the "Accidental Brownie" was born. They now offer 4 flavors - all high quality, natural ingredients. We sampled all 4 flavors - our favorite - the original ( dark chocolate). Rich & delicious. We wish our accidents tasted like this!
• Miles of Chocolate - A cross between a dense brownie & a dark chocolate truffle
• Marla's Magic - Cookies., custom birthday cakes & fun cupcakes, cakes, pies, and tarts, muffins, sweet breads, breakfast breads, cream cheese poundcake,hand-dipped & decorated pretzel
• Dancing Deer Baking Co - All natural, fresh baked from scratch cake, cookies & cake type brownies (dense & sweet)
• We Take The Cake - Delicious, moist, made from scratch bundt cakes - many varieties. Check out our blog post for details on our sampling of these winners. Update: We tasted their chocolate layer cake that they have now made available for shipping nationwide. Excellent! It arrived in a beautiful box, looked perfect & tasted like a chocolate lover's dream. Layers of moist chocolate with very high quality chocolate icing - not that sugar icing taste - the richness & warmth of the chocolate shines through.
• Hannah Banana Bread Co.- This homemade recipe for banana bread has turned into a business that supplies many coffee bars & restaurants with their many varieties of banana bread, as well as several new products. They are now offering all online. We sampled 2 types & preferred the Chocolate Chip to the White Chocolate Chip Caramel Walnut - we all agreed that the bright banana flavor needs no additional flavors! Moist & delicious.
• David Bouley's Lemon Tea Cakes - At Bouley NY restaurant, diners depart with the cake as a small token of appreciation. Each Tea Cake is prepared by hand with pure lemons.
• Nonnie Waller's Traditional Southern - Pound cake
• The New Salem Tea-Bread Co. - Loaf style cakes
• Bake Me A Wish - Have a cake delivered to a special person with your custom wishes. Made fresh in their NYC bakery .
• Billy's Bakery - Cakes/cupcakes
• Confetti Cake - Hand sculpted delicious works of art. Each one-of-a-kind design is an amazing life-like composition, a multi-dimensional work made entirely of moist cake, rich buttercream and sweet sugar dough.
• Plaza Sweets - Gourmet desserts sold to restaurants & now direct to you. Individual lemon mousse, tarts, galettes, cakes
• Lady M Confections - Cakes, tarts, crepes, mousse; Their signature cake is the Lady M Mille Crepes, 20 or more paper thin homemade crepes layered with light & creamy custard.
• Sprinkles Cupcakes - Cupcakes only -baked fresh every day, high quality ingredients, 20 flavors topped with sigmature designs
• Cupcake Royale - Homemade cupcakes
• Peninsula Grill - Know for their ultimate coconut cake
• Gambino's Bakery - New Orleans specialty bakery
• Divine Delights - Petits Fours, bite size cakes . They use only freshly milled almond paste & pure butter. The fillings are made from scratch, with lemons, pure vanilla, old fashion heavy cream, fine chocolates, & real fruits. Each is a miniature multi-layered almond butter cake filled with truffle creams, fruit fillings, butter creams & covered in a rainbow of specialty chocolates .
• Strawberry Hill's Povitica - traditional bread (cake)of Eastern Europe. Each Povitica is hand rolled, baked and shipped direct.
• Cabibbo's Bakery - Homemade Italian Panettone
• Patti's Plum Pudding - spicy, moist, fruity cakes, absolutely nothing like fruitcake, are served hot
• My Grandma's of New England - Decadent, dinner-worthy cakes made from the finest freshest ingredients in a variety of fresh flavors
• Monastery Fruit Cake -old fashioned recipe, using choice fruits and nut meats in a brandy-laced batter.
• Challah Connection - Kosher baked goods - Challah delivery service
• eBabka - Traditional Babkas are baked exclusively by Aunt Heddy's Bakery in Brooklyn, New York
• Baklava - Variety of baklava, burma, ballourie, etc.
• Sweet Street Desserts - Large variety of frozen baked goods, desserts
• Athena's Silverland Desserts - Gourmet brownies, cookies and dessert bars, made with only the finest ingredients. all natural, with no preservatives and no added salt, sugarfree, or lowfat available
• Frog Hollow Farm - Crostatas, fresh baked using farm fruits not jam) cakes & cookies
• Home Bonnys - Mini bite cheesecakes, the size of a truffle, make the perfect size indulgence - it is Bonny's grandma's recipe!. Her chewy ginger cookies are also delicious. All of her baked goods come with an adorable creative story tag describing the lives of HomeBonny’s ingredients.
• New Skete Monasteries - Homemade cheescakes made by the nuns of New Skete, we have heard that they are terrfic!
• Elegant Cheesecake -Pastry chef Susan Morgan designs original wedding & celebration cake. A master chocolatier, she decorates her cheesecakes with intricate hand-sculpted chocolate designs.
• Holey Moses Cheesecake -  Unique Style -award winning cheesecakes. The ingredients are whipped in a blender to create a light, creamy batter, then slow-baked in a tube-pan. This allows the batter to bake evenly from the edges to the center creating a smooth creamy cake.
• Ainsley's Cheesecakes of Brooklyn - Authentic NY Cheesecakes, handmade when ordered , frozen overnight, & shipped the following day. No chemicals or preservatives . 9" & over 3 1/2 pounds.
• Cheesecake Momma - Over 30 flavors of award-winning all-natural cheesecakes
• Eileen's Cheesecake - Award winning NY style cheesecakes - many flavors
• Desserts David Glass - Famous gourmet cheesecakes, ultimate chocolate truffle cake, ultimate espresso chocolate walnut madness, luscious Italian almond cake
• Elegant Farmer -their apple pie is delivered in a paper bag which you bake! You get all the credit as it emerges from your oven warm and simply wonderful. Great hostess gift.
• Grand Traverse - In Traverse City, MI Mike& Denise Busley started baking cherry pie from scratch - they now have over 30 pies and 15 of them can be shipped to you!
• Mom's Apple Pie Co. - Homemade pies & breads. Natural preservative-free . They grow as much of their own fruit as possible; strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, etc. They add sugar sparingly, to savor the natural splendor of the fruits.
• C. J. Olson Cherries - Bing cherrie pie
• Ou là là Sweet Passions  - "Yam Good" Pies
• Little Pie Company - Pies from scratch
• Macpie - Macadamia nut pies in many varieties
• The Pie Guy - Michael Withrow, is a baker of natural, wholesome, fresh baked pies. Fruit, nut & cream pies.
• Bonert's Slice of Pie - Variety of pies including the American Flag
• Julian Pie - Homemade old fashion apple pie
• Love Creek Orchards - Fresh apple pies
• Little Miss Muffin -homemade muffins;full fat, low fat, low carb, dipping cookies, other baked cookies. A sister & brother team
• Luvins Muffins- homemade muffins, tops,kutchen & funeral cake
• Montana Muffins - muffins, huckleberry syrup and "to die for" cinnamon rolls & huckleberry swirls