The Ultimate Boston Dessert Guide

Maps

Where to find excellent renditions of specific dishes around town:

• A Baker's Dozen Boston-Area Doughnuts That Expand Waistlines, Not Debt: Cheap, classic morning treats.
• Boston's Best Baked Goods and Pastries, According to Local Pastry Chefs: When you're on the go but need something sweet, check out these essential quick-service treats, including eclairs at Cafe Madeleine, sticky buns at Flour, and green tea mousse cake at Lady M. These are the best around, according to local pastry chefs.
• Boston's Best Desserts, According to Local Pastry Chefs: From baked Alaska at Oleana to Uni's version of a Klondike bar, these are the best plated desserts at full-service restaurants in the Boston area, according to local pastry chefs.
• The Boston Boozy Milkshake Guide: Or frappes, if you prefer. In any case, drink your alcohol with ice cream.
• The Coolest New Boston Ice Cream Shops: Highlighting ice cream shops that have opened over the last couple of years, including Forge Ice Cream Bar, Honeycomb Creamery, and more.
• Eat These 10 Boston Pies Right Now: Mamaleh's, Myers + Chang, Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, and other Boston-area restaurants are ready to serve you so much pie.
• Shack Food: Casual Summer Dining in New England: Classic ice cream shacks and more.
• Where to Find the Best Pastries, Cakes, and Other Sweet Treats in Boston: 20 of the tastiest bakeries in the Boston area.

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Maple bacon doughnut at Union Square Donuts/Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater

Features

Photo series, interviews, and other stories on some of Boston's most interesting dessert options.

• A Doughnut-Filled Saturday Morning at Linda's Donuts: A classic spot for inexpensive doughnuts on the border of Belmont and Watertown.
• How Omni Parker House's Boston Cream Pie Became a Slice of Local History: A decades-old tradition.
• A North End Cannoli Crawl: Save up some stomach space and eat all the cannoli with this trip to four pastry destinations in Boston's North End.
• Spoil Yourself With Gâté Comme Des Filles Chocolate: Classic French ganaches and pralinés, made in Somerville and available in an increasing number of spots around town.
• Welcome to Sweet-N-Nasty, the Naughtiest Bakery in Boston: Where to shop for bachelorette parties and a variety of other occasions. (Note: Some may find the photographs in this story to be inappropriate for workplace viewing.)

Mini Boston cream pie at the Omni Parker House/Rachel Leah Blumenthal for Eater

Industry Q&A

• Boston Pastry Chefs' Top Tips for Home Bakers: Get a proper kitchen scale.
• The Most Overrated Dessert Ingredients, According to Boston Pastry Chefs: Enough with the bacon already.
• The Most Underrated Dessert Ingredients, According to Boston Pastry Chefs: Salt is important.

Chocolate/MaraZe via Shutterstock

More

Locally pertinent stories from Eater Boston's sister sites around the country.

• The Best Candies at Sugarfina, Ranked (Eater LA): The self-described "luxury candy boutique" has several stores in the Boston area, including one at the Prudential Center in Boston's Back Bay.
• The Black-and-White Cookie's Curious History (Eater NY): Look to the cookie.
• A Brief History of Necco: America's Original Candy Company (Eater): The Revere-based New England Candy Company produces Necco Wafers, Sky Bars, and more.
• Free Dessert Is the Best Dessert, Especially on Your Birthday (Eater): Vital information.
• Take the Cannoli: One Pastry's Rise From Sicilian Treat to Iconic Dessert (Eater): Are cannoli symbolic of a certain part of the male anatomy?
• The Ultimate Ice Cream Glossary, A to Z (Eater): Frappes, jimmies, and other terms to know from New England and beyond.

Cannoli from Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry/Chris Coe for Eater (above image and the story's main image)