From Wilmington to Rehoboth, sweet treats beckon from brimming display cases: Gooey apple-cider doughnuts. Banana cream pies with a vanilla cookie crust. Croissants and crepes, with a latte on the side.
Embrace joy, and indulge - this list is just the beginning of sweet endings in Delaware.
PASTRIES
Wandering down the side street of Penny Lane Mall in Rehoboth Beach, and a treasure appears: Café Papillon, where French beauty endures in an almond croissant, a Grand Marnier crepe, or even a creme brulee accompaniment to your espresso. Just up the coast in Dover, prepare to be wowed by La Baguette and their irresistible pear tart Alsacienne with almond custard. And in Wilmington, snuggle up to your coffee and enjoy a flaky almond croissant at De La Coeur Café et Pâtisserie.
BAKED GOODS
Lovers of authentic German sweets come from around the region to indulge sweet desires at the Bavarian Bakery and Deli in Dover, where you’ll enjoy a slice of Black Forest Cake, or maybe some of that Banana Cake with Buttercream Frosting. In Newark, townsfolk rave about the decadent Raspberry Chocolate Cake at Bing’s Bakery, and down at the beach in Lewes, many a morning has been brightened by a cup of Notting Hill Coffee and a warm-and-gooey sticky bun from the Lewes Bake Shoppe.
ICE CREAM
Insiders know there may be no better ice cream in the state than at Woodside Farm Creamery in Hockessin (try the Cappuccino Crunch), or the University of Delaware’s student-run UDairy Creamery (the “1923” is made with French vanilla ice cream, bittersweet chocolate chunks and salted caramel swirls). For a lighter take on cold-and-creamy satisfaction, try to pick your favorite from the tempting array of flavors at Caffe Gelato in Newark known for the Bacio (Chocolate Hazelnut). And many a beach memory has been made sitting outside of King's Homemade Ice Cream in Lewes, savoring spoonfuls of S'mores ice cream.
SWEET SIPS
When in Dover, be sure to head to the House of Coffi, grab an iced coffee and settle in on the courtyard for La Baguette’s signature “cruffin” —otherwise known as “a little bit of heaven.” Savor delicious coffees and fresh baked goods at Dolce in quaint downtown Milford. Beachgoers in and around Rehoboth know that mornings start best when fortified by a house-roasted coffee (or smoothie) at The Point Coffee House and Bake Shoppe, or maybe a Macadamia Nut Creme coffee at The Coffee Mill. Upstate sippers gravitate toward Brew HaHa!, a local chain that has one of its hippest outposts in Wilmington’s Trolley Square.
DESSERTS
Beachgoers are drawn to savvy, sophisticated a(MUSE.), in part for over-the-top treats like the Brown Butter Cake (brown butter semifreddo with dolce de leche), and find themselves equally smitten by simpler moments, like the banana cream pie doughnut at Fractured Prune. Head north to My Sister’s Fault where specialty cakes – in every shape, size and imaginable flavor – are on the menu. For a treat locals crave, don’t miss the fall-fresh apple cider doughnuts at Fifer Orchards in Camden-Wyoming, near Dover.