The Best Baked Treats in Toronto

Narrowing down Toronto's best baked treats is hard. I mean, really hard. I doubt there's a neighbourhood in this city that doesn't have something delicious to offer. Buttery croissants, crumbly scones, chewy brownies, gooey danishes - there's no shortage of sweet treats out there.

Salivating already? The list below is just a starting point to discover Toronto's best cakes, cookies and pies - oh my!

The Queen of Tarts reigns supreme on this list, and with good reason. Walking into their little Roncesvalles shop, you're instantly met with a display case of tarts so delicious looking that you'll want to just gather them all into your arms and run away (their Mexican Chocolate tart is their most popular, but I'm a personal fan of the Peppermint Patty). They're also known for their pop-culture inspired gingerbread cookies (if you thought Jon Stewart was yummy before, wait till you see him in cookie form).

Below is the rest of Toronto's top places for baked treats. As you can see, these spots are (relatively) spread out - so regardless of where you live, I'd suggest that any of these are worth the trip.

Is your favourite spot missing? Perhaps you can find it in our list of the Best Bread in Toronto

Clafouti

The best in buttery croissants -- but get there early, especially on Saturdays, or you may be out of luck. More »

Athens Pastries

Sweet and savoury Greek pastries -- and even the option to buy fresh phyllo, if you're feeling ambitious and want to bake your own. More »

Pain Perdu

The Toronto Star has three times named them Best Croissant, but don't miss out on their other breads and pastries, and of course, their actual pain perdu (french toast.) More »

Patisserie La Cigogne

This may be the closest you'll ever come to that fantasy of eating croissants on a terrace in Paris. French pastry chef Thierry Schmitt's makes treats that will truly take you away. More »

Kensington Natural Bakery

An absolute haven for those who can't (or choose not to) eat dairy, wheat, gluten, peanuts, etc. Try their surprisingly good no-sugar no-dairy cookies. More »

Altitude Baking

This tiny Queen East shop is small in space but big on taste, as they say. Lots of classic treats, plus a few with their own spin (like a passion fruit meringue pie. Yum.) More »

Patachou

A bit expensive, but worth it. For a rare French treat, try the gateau basque -- a loaf of shortbread filled with anise-flavoured custard. More »

Frangipane

You can't go wrong with Frangipane; they specialize in both pastries and chocolates. Throw in a nice selection of petit fours, and you've got yourself a pretty perfect store. More »

Jules Cafe Patisserie

This Mt Pleasant shop makes a fantastic pain au chocolait (chocolate croissant, for the rest of us.) More »

Venezia Bakery

It's lucky Venezia has two locations along Ossington (one at Dundas, and one at Dupont) - that way if you accidentally eat all your amazing Portuguese custard tarts on the way home, you can pick up more. More »

Brazil Bakery

Another great spot for Portuguese custard tarts, plus malasadas dois (big, lemony Portuguese donuts). More »

Mary MacLeod's Shortbread

You know what they say -- do one thing and do it well. You won't find anything but shortbread here, but the flavours (like vanilla walnut and chocolate crunch) keep it interesting. Limited hours outside the holiday season. More »