Holiday Treats at San Francisco Bakeries

A Little Yumminess - San Francisco Bay Area
December 14, 2011

It's the time of the year when everyone is thinking about cookies, pies and cakes. We are fortunate in San Francisco that if we do not want to do our own baking, we don't have to. There are some stellar bakeries in almost every neighborhood offering holiday classics and some unique spins on holiday favorites. Children love visiting bakeries, so visit one of your favorites or a bakery below and pick out your holiday treats together.

Susie Cakes

Susie Cakes is a transplant from Southern California, with a growing presence in the Bay Area.  There are currently two Northern California stores, one in the Marina in San Francisco and the other in Greenbrae in Marin.  Susie Cakes is an all-American bakery offering home-style family dessert favorites baked entirely from scratch.  Even though they are fast becoming a chain of bakeries, the quality of their products is consistently good.

Their red velvet cake and cupcakes are divine, but aside from the usual sweet delicacies, Susie Cakes is offering up some delectable treats for the holidays.  Think old-fashioned gingerbread men cookies, a "California" Christmas gingerbread house, and even a chocolate candy cane cake.  For your New Year's Eve party you can get their signature red velvet cake with "2012" inscribed on it, along with frosted sugar cookies in the shape of a champagne bottles and flutes.  What a fun way to ring in the New Year!

If you are headed there with your kids, pick of some Santa's Mitten, Christmas Tree and Snowman shaped sugar cookies for the little ones and get into the holiday mood.

Susie Cakes is located 2109 Chestnut Street in San Francisco and 310 Bon Air Center in Greenbrae.

Noe Valley Bakery

Noe Valley Bakery which has been around since 1995, is a classic San Francisco neighborhood bakery. Neighborhoods kids have fond memories of grabbing an after school treat from this bakery and enjoying it outside on a bench with a some milk or hot chocokate.

This bakery takes their holidays very seriously and celebrates everything from Valentine's Day to St Patrick's and Hanukkah to Christmas with specially made baked goodies on top of their regular menu. Their window displays always capture the season and holiday. Right now they have a winter wonderland set up complete with a train. They have both Christmas and Hanukkah covered with everything from Christmas stollens to Star of David cookies.

Plus, their holiday cupcakes are adorable—they look like Santa, Christmas trees, snowflakes and even snowmen! The take-home make-your-own gingerbread house kit is a big hit and building your own at home will put even the grouchiest of kids and grown-ups in a festive mood.

Noe Valley Bakery is located on 4073 24th Street

Three Bakes Bakeshop

The Three Babes Bakeshop is the quintessential San Francisco bakeshop.  They started as a pop-up pie shop at the Stable Café in the Mission and continue to do that, but now also share a space with the Bacon Bacon food truck operators on 205 Frederick Street.  It's  fun to visit their standing room only space with kids and watch them bake some of your favorite pies.  Children and adults, both will be enthralled by their portable pies in a jar.

For the holidays they are offering up some classics and some unique, but delicious-sounding pies. Salty honey walnut, toffee apple cranberry, mince pie and a gluten-free California lime pie. Pies can be ordered online (though visiting their storefront in Cole Valley is far more fun!) or can be picked up at Stable Café. Stable Café is a fun place to visit with kids for a meal or snack.  They have a wonderful outdoor space for the little ones to enjoy and run around in while the parents enjoy of cup of coffee.

Stacie Dong and Simran Singh are San Francisco Bay Area moms and the creators of A Little Yumminess, a family food blog where they share spiced-up recipes and kid-friendly food adventures. You can also find them on Facebook.