Here are our 12 favorite bakeries, shops and cafes to visit for decadent, delicious desserts for Valentine's Day or any other day of the year.
Tracy Dempsey Originals
1323 W. University Drive, TempeThis eponymous bakery and boutique wine shop has been helmed by pastry chef Tracy Dempsey since 2015. Tracy Dempsey Originals recently moved to a smaller space next door to its former Tempe location, but shoppers will still find Dempsey’s regularly rotating sweet and savory confections available Thursday to Saturday. Among them are cookies, brownies, bars, pastries, truffles, galettes and more. On a recent visit, a standout bite came from a sweet and savory hatch chile and pecan bar that opened with light spice, followed by warm, roasty sweetness. When you can’t decide – or simply want to buy everything – opt for one of Dempsey’s teat boxes, which have several two-bite versions of the latest bakes. Those planning a special celebration can commission Dempsey for custom cakes, too.
The Dinersaur's dessert selection includes slices of key lime pie with a well-balanced, sweet-tart custard, creamy mascarpone whip and a sandy graham cracker crust.
Sara Crocker
The Dinersaur
1339 W. Thomas Road This Encanto-area bakery is crafting big flavors from a small space. Many know The Dinersaur's breakfast pastries and breads from their place on the roving First Place Coffee truck. At the bakery's brick-and-mortar store, there are more nostalgic sweets, such as tender iced oatmeal cookies, raspberry jam linzers and slices of cake and pie, along with savory lunch items. Our favorite bite? A sweet and tart key lime pie with a sandy graham cracker crust and creamy mascarpone whip. The best way to get a beat on The Dinersaur’s offerings, served Wednesday through Sunday, is to follow the bakery’s social media. Shoppers can also pre-order treats online, including special holiday desserts.
Andreoli Italian Grocer
8880 E. Via Linda, ScottsdaleAndreoli Italian Grocer has long been one of our favorite restaurants in the Valley. The market and counter-service restaurant helmed by Italy-born chef Giovanni Scorzo has delighted diners for decades with sandwiches, pastas and daily specials that celebrate the best of scratch-made Italian cooking. You could easily stuff yourself with an antipasto board of charcuterie and housemade bread, rigatoni and whole branzino, and you should. But, the desserts being made at Andreoli are equally exceptional – and daring you to be ordered, staring back from the case at the counter. Sure, there’s crisp cannoli and creamy tiramisu but don’t miss the layered sfogliatelle – a flaky pastry filled with custard and ricotta – or the nougat confection, torrone.
Ollie Vaughn's
1526 E. McDowell RoadOllie Vaughn’s is an ideal place to pop in for a coffee and pastry or a casual lunch. The airy Coronado-area cafe offers comforting brunch staples, sandwiches and salads, in addition to coffees and cocktails. But the first thing guests are greeted with when they step inside is Ollie Vaungh’s alluring pastry case. There are plenty of treats that blur the line between breakfast and dessert. We’d gladly save a churro-esque sugar-dusted cinnamon roll for an evening craving. For the dessert purists, Ollie Vaughn’s also crafts whoopie pie-style cookie pies, cupcakes, pies, layered cakes and more. We’re partial to the tender crumb and delicate orange flavor in the cafe’s citrus cake. If you’re looking for more than a single serving, whole cakes and treats by the dozen are available to order in advance.
Urban Cookies
2325 N. Seventh St.8776 E. Shea Blvd., #108, Scottsdale When it comes to cookies, one company in town has the category on lock. Urban Cookies, which has shops in central Phoenix and Scottsdale, has won half a dozen Best of Phoenix awards. The cookies are large, crispy on the edges and chewy in the center. They come in classic flavors like snickerdoodle and chocolate chip as well as unique creations including pineapple coconut. And for those looking for something different, Urban Cookies also knows a thing or two about making cupcakes – they did win Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" in 2011 after all. The bakeries sell a large selection of gorgeously decorated options in flavors ranging from lemon olive oil cake topped with honey mascarpone frosting to decadent chocolate-on-chocolate cupcakes.
Owner and baker Aaron Curiel crafts gorgeous desserts and special-order cakes at The Velvet Buttercream.
Aaron Curiel
The Velvet Buttercream
702 W. Camelback Road, #5 The name of this Camelback Road bakeshop gives a hint at its specialties. At The Velvet Buttercream, you can't go wrong with the red velvet cake or any of the desserts topped with the signature smooth, creamy frosting. The case is filled with cupcakes, whole cakes ready to take home, colorful macarons, cookies, tarts and decadent creations like chocolate peanut butter bombs. Make sure to take a peek beyond the counter at the open kitchen where skilled bakers swirl frosting onto their freshest bakes. We're partial to the Scarlett O'Hara, which comes in cake or cupcake form, and amps up classic red velvet with bourbon caramel, toasted pecans and a chocolate drizzle. 
Mr. Sweets sells a delicious selection of baklava from its home inside Jerusalem International Market.
Tirion Boan
Mr. Sweets
3502 W. Greenway Road, #12 At the small West Valley grocery store Jerusalem International Market, one wall is dedicated to Mr. Sweets, a specialty baklava bakery. Two layers of shelves run the length of the wall, displaying tray after tray of neatly cut rows of the sweet pastry. There are traditional squares and triangles plus round, flat and columnar shapes alongside wedges, envelopes and little nests all bursting with sticky syrup. If you don't know what to choose, opt for a mixed tray of the more than 30 different varieties of pistachio or walnut-filled treats. Along with the gorgeous baklava, the bakery also sells full cakes and other Middle Eastern delicacies such as varieties of knafeh and ma'amoul butter cookies.
Dark Hall Coffee
2243 N. 12th St.After taking a bite of double-layer cake with creamy frosting or strawberry peach galette, you'd never guess that these delightful delicacies are made without any butter, eggs or milk. Dark Hall Coffee is an entirely plant-based cafe and dessert shop that crafts tasty alternative milk lattes and delicious cakes, cookies, pies and brownies. They offer custom cakes for preorder, along with hearty slices in a rotation of flavors at the shop. Some delightful options include cookie dough cake, strawberry matcha cake and espresso marble cake. The talented bakers also serve cupcakes, macarons and chocolate-covered cake skulls which are all entirely vegan.
The Great Gadsby Bakery sells a selection of decadent desserts including mini banoffee pies.
The Great Gadsby Bakery
The Great Gadsby Bakery
1030 S. Gilbert Road, #101, GilbertFor any British expats in the Valley, The Great Gadsby Bakery is a little slice of home in Gilbert. For everyone else, it's a wonderful bakery serving a selection of treats from across the pond. Savory options like the flaky sausage rolls are pure comfort, but the sweets take the cake. The daily selection rotates and includes British favorites such as millionaire's shortbread, custard trifles, mini banoffee pies and Bakewell tarts, along with some French pastries including croissants, kouign-amann and Paris-Brest. A few American-style cookies, cupcakes and homemade pop tarts make an appearance as well. You really can't go wrong, so ask for a big box and load it up when you stop by this small East Valley shop.
Toasted Mallow's cookie dough bombs are one of the many takeout-friendly dessert options at the Gilbert shop.
Toasted Mallow
Toasted Mallow
1034 N. Gilbert Road #3, Gilbert For anyone who likes marshmallows, s'mores, milkshakes or ooey-gooey treats, head to Toasted Mallow in Gilbert. This shop doesn't serve any regular Jet-Puffed treats. These mallows are everything the mass-produced versions dream of being. The handmade, 1.5-inch cubes are the perfect balance between fluffy and satisfyingly dense. What's more, they're the base for many flavors built right into the marshmallow. Options include cookies and cream, churro, salted caramel, mocha, cotton candy and more. Buy a package to go, or enjoy desserts crafted on the spot, such as wild s'more sandwiches that trade traditional graham crackers for chocolate chip cookies or Fruity Pebbles crispy treats. Bursting with colorful, sugary and delicious options, this Gilbert dessert shop is every kid's dream. And it's plenty of fun for any marshmallow-loving adults, too.
Outcast Doughnuts
104 W. Main St., #103, MesaYes, doughnuts are typically breakfast foods. And yes, we have an entire list dedicated to the 10 best doughnut shops in Phoenix. But at Outcast Doughnuts in Mesa, these treats are decidedly dessert. Outcast crafts croissant-style doughnuts which are then sliced and filled to create a variety of decadent flavors. Try the Happy Camper, which comes with chocolate frosting, graham cracker sprinkles and toasted marshmallows or the Strawberry Shortcake, made with fresh sliced strawberries, cream filling and a sweetened condensed milk drizzle. These treats are messy, flaky, creamy, buttery and oh-so-satisfying. Not sold on a doughnut for dessert? Try one of Outcast's signature Dopecones, which are made with a sugar-crusted doughnut formed into a cone, filled with Nutella or peanut butter and topped with soft serve ice cream and various sauces and sprinkles. 
JL Patisserie
4700 N. Central Ave., #1217342 E. Shea Blvd., #108, ScottsdaleMany customers visit the two Valley locations of JL Patisserie for breakfast. And the cafe's morning pastries are undoubtedly delicious. But the expert bakers at this Valley staple also craft crunchy, aromatic loaves of freshly baked bread as well as exquisite French desserts. Alongside a rainbow of macarons, you'll find a dessert case filled with treats such as coffee hazelnut dome cakes with salted caramel and hazelnut mousse, perfect and petit lemon tarts topped with toasted meringue and ultra-precise entremet enrobed in shining mirror glazes of chocolate or mango. These treats would be right at home in a Parisian patisserie and lucky for us, they're available in Phoenix.
