I'm not generally a supporter of culinary identity-theft. You can have your banana cream pie flavored yogurts and your oatmeal cookie energy bars. But I can't deny a certain pleasure when you try a dish without any particular expectations and you get to cry out, "Oh my god! It's pecan pie!" More

I've been wary of modernist desserts, which can suffer from overthinking and more attention paid to conceptualization and presentation than to taste. For that reason, the intricate creations coming from Juan Contreras's pastry kitchen gave me pause. But then I took a bite. More

I especially love cinnamon in the morning—think: morning buns and cinnamon rolls— but it really pairs well with anything sweet or buttery. In fact every bakery in the Bay seems to have at least one cinnamon sweet on their menu, so which to choose? We've sifted through the offerings, and from cinnamon toast ice cream to iced cinnamon apple fritters, here are 7 cinnamon sweets that we love in San Francisco. More

Finding good coconut sweets can mean sifting through a pile of artificially flavored and overly sweet confections. Luckily the Bay Area puts an emphasis on fresh, quality ingredients—even in the most whimsical desserts. These 7 coconut sweets will satisfy your sweet tooth without making you wonder who poured Malibu rum into your macaron. More

Given how much coffee I drink in a day, it seems silly that I would seek out coffee in my desserts. But coffee is like alcohol or a touch of salt; it's a flavor enhancer. It's a secret ingredient that I sneak into everything from brownies to bread. And don't get me started on chocolate and coffee: it should almost be illegal to serve one without the other. More

Since I was a child (when I would conduct a yearly Christmastime massacre of gingerbread men on a frankly horrifying scale) my favorite use for ginger has been in sweets. There is something irresistible about how the spicy, earthy taste of ginger is amped up by a little bit of sugar. If the recent proliferation of ginger sweets is anything to go by, then a lot of people share my enthusiasm. Here are 6 sweet spots in San Francisco to get your ginger fix, from giant scones to dainty chocolates. More

Japanese desserts can be delicate and beautiful to look at, or gorge-worthy and fantastically elaborate. They offer a mix of traditional flavors and techniques with imported ones, leading to delicious hybrids that are some of the best treats in town. From mochi to mitarashi to delicate filled cakes, there are enough options to keep you on a sugar buzz for days. Here are 7 Japanese sweets we love in San Francisco—which are your favorites? More

In recent weeks I traversed the cupcake grounds of San Francisco (despite my doubts) and soon discovered that cupcakes in the Golden Gate city are as diverse, as multi-dimensional, as deeply delicious as any un-cute desserts this world has to offer. From the intensely chocolaty to the cream cheese frosting-topped, there are cupcakes for every taste and every craving. More

Glorious, versatile pie: is there another dessert with so much variety? With all number of flavors and fillings, with crusts varying from pure butter to salty pretzel. There is a pie for every taste: fruity, chocolatey, root vegetable-y. With this vast diversity in mind, we set out to track down the best pies San Francisco had to offer. More

You know those mornings. Those mornings when coffee just isn't enough. When you need a jolt of something extra—a sugar rush. Fortunately, the Bay Area is amply stocked with sweet breakfast treats: from French-style pastries to (almost) classic blueberry muffins. We searched far and wide for the best of the best, and narrowed the field to our 11 favorite breakfast pastries all over San Francisco and beyond. More