I’m not big on desserts and I’m not typically into super rich food (though I’ll usually make exceptions for chocolate) and I do not like most icing, so when a sweet treat is good, it is good. Below are some of my favorites in the area (none based on ice cream or donuts, which have or will have Favorite Five lists of their own):
Abby Girl Sweets Triple Chocolate Cupcake Downtown, Blue Ash
You know where I said I only like some icings and make exceptions for rich chocolate? This. The cake is so, so good and moist, and the icing is awesome. I also really like their Cookies-N-Cream cupcakes, and am not sure I’ve had a bad cupcake from Abby Girl.
BonBonerie Opera Cream Cake O’Bryonville
This is one of those rich desserts that I am happy to eat wherever and whenever. It is served at places like Suzie Wong’s and Skyline in Walnut Hills, and has even lent its hand (err, chocolate) to one of the best beers I’ve ever had, Blank Slate’s Opera Cream stout.
Donna’s Gourmet Cookies chocolate chip cookie Montgomery
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite cookies and I am really picky about them. They need to be the perfect consistency, and Donna’s cookies are some of the best I’ve had. They’re oversized and delicious and I don’t eat them often enough. (Pictured in featured image, photo credit: Donna’s Gourmet Cookies)
NCH Bakery everything North College Hill
Seriously, everything I’ve had here has been good — from the cake and cookies to donuts, you won’t be disappointed. My next trip will be to try their take on Bienenstich, the German Bee Hive Cake.
O Pie O Honey Vinegar Pie East Walnut Hills
I’ve liked everything I’ve had from O Pie O, but I’m admittedly not big into most fruit pies. That said, their Honey Vinegar Pie is one of the best takes of this pastry goodness I’ve had — the perfect combination of sweet and savory. When we’re in charge of bringing pie to family get-togethers, this is always a huge hit.
Honorable Mention: Bernhard’s Bakery bienenstich (Newport), Cocoa Bites cake pops (Loveland), El Camino flan (Mt. Lookout), Frisch’s Fudge Cake (multiple), Raffel’s Catering chocolate chip cookies (Blue Ash).