Holidays are often used as permission to indulge. But anyone with a sweet tooth can attest that the craving for decorated cookies doesn't end on Dec. 26. Fun-size candy bars are perfect little pick-me-ups well beyond Halloween. And when Valentine's Day has come and gone, sugar-spun sweetness can (and should!) live on.
In the spirit of the holiday, we sought the most extravagant meal-enders in the Twin Cities. There's a time and a place for modesty in desserts — thumbprint cookies, cake pops and two-bite brownies come to mind. This is not that. These are the desserts that make our eyes turn into cartoon hearts and make our stomachs do back flips. More than one involves a blowtorch.
Whether you're celebrating all things sweet with your sweetie or seeking a sugar rush at any time of the year, here are 10 of the Twin Cities area's most decadent, over-the-top treats.
Mud pie at Baldamar
You know you're at a steakhouse when a giant knife comes with dessert. This shareable Baldamar staple rotates flavors, but the elements are always a massive frozen block of Sebastian Joe's ice cream adorned with warm chocolate fudge, baked goods and whipped cream. The current iteration is called Half-Baked Joe, and features cookies-and-cream ice cream, house-baked brownies and chocolate chip cookies, a gravy boat of fudge, cookie crumbles, whipped cream — and a server to carve it for you tableside.
$19; 1642 W. County Road B2, Roseville, 651-796-0040, baldamar.com
Pie shake at Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit
The pie alone is about as decadent as it gets at this St. Paul shrine to flaky butter pastries. But the place goes next level by throwing a whole slice — along with house-made vanilla ice cream — into a blender and flipping the switch. Go for any flavor on the rotating pie menu; the chocolate mousse, in a chocolate cookie crust with salted caramel and candied pretzel crumbs, would be divine. But the delicate pastel of the cranberry apple pie matched the predominantly pink shop, and tasted of slightly spiced holiday warmth with a side of berries and cream.
$8.95; 272 S. Snelling Av., St. Paul, 651-300-1503, hothandspie.com
Baked Alaska at P.S. Steak
It's an old-school dessert for an old-school venue, the glamorous 510 Groveland co-op and its resident restaurant, P.S. Steak. While the name might conjure back-in-the-day banquets, this baked Alaska ratchets the gourmet scale up to an 11. Coffee sponge cake and salted caramel ice cream are encased in spiky meringue, then flambéed at the table with green chartreuse until the whole thing looks like a flaming hedgehog. A steak knife is necessary to dig in. (Tip: Get the perfectly matched dessert wine pairing.)
$18; 510 Groveland Av., Mpls., 612-886-1620, psmpls.com
Double chocolate sourdough brownie from Dancing Bear Chocolate
When the former pastry chefs from D'Amico and Lucia's get together, you know there's going to be sweet magic. At this charming north Minneapolis bakery, it's hard to choose where to start. The handcrafted chocolates filled with house-made crunchy peanut butter? A gargantuan chocolate chip and hazelnut cookie? A slice of their wildly popular carrot cake? Start here: a brownie so dense you only need a sliver at a time, so rich it's practically pure fudge, and so unexpectedly tangy from sourdough starter that it leaves you puckering for more.
$6.50; 4367 Thomas Av. N., Mpls., 612-963-1912, dancing-bear-chocolate.business.site
Raspberry pie at Murray's
Fruit isn't everyone's idea of a decadent dessert. But this one makes the list by sheer moxie, that a throwback steakhouse known for its 28-ounce strip sirloin — the Silver Butter Knife Steak — takes a hard left turn at dessert and serves up a simple homage to the bright little raspberry. A whole pint of them, in fact, are wedged into every slice, each berry meticulously selected and placed by hand. This pie is an ode to perfection.
$10; 26 S. 6th St., Mpls., 612-339-0909, murraysrestaurant.com
Salted caramel flan brûlée at Bebe Zito
Most Bebe Zito ice cream flavors go for the extreme — heck, even the vanilla has MSG in it. So, how do they amp up the mandatory scoop shop flavor of salted caramel? Set it on fire, of course. Here, the sweet cream and caramel base is topped with a scoop of flan custard that's then torched into crackly, caramelized heaven. Bonus points for the mega blowtorch behind the counter.
$5.95; Uptown location only, 704 W. 22nd St., Mpls., bebezitomn.com
Candy bar éclair from Marc Heu Patisserie Paris
Marc Heu's flawless French tarts and cakes are guaranteed to deliver on decadence, and you'll likely never get to try them all, which only adds to the allure. (Most items move off the menu after three weeks, and some items — like the knock-your-socks-off Cronut — are available on weekends only.) On the current menu, we were enamored of this éclair inspired by a Snickers bar. Ribbons of chocolate mousse filling hide a hazelnut praline crunch that's tucked into the depths of a pastry shell, while a slick of the darkest chocolate coats the top.
$8; 383 W. University Av., St. Paul, 763-401-7930, marcheuparis.com
Chocolate cherry layer cake at the St. Paul Grill
This February special at the classic St. Paul restaurant is the epitome of cake done right. The house-made dark cocoa layers are moist and rich. The chocolate and cherry buttercream filling brings a hit of sweet. And the coating of rich chocolate ganache sends it over the top. But that's not all that's decadent about this dessert; it's the experience. On a blustery winter day, where else can you valet-park and then be whisked into an ornate lobby by a doorman in a top hat?
$12.95; 350 N. Market St., St Paul, 651-224-7455, stpaulgrill.com
Chocolate Decadence at Mara
The name says it all. Pastry chef Eddy Dhenin utilizes Mara's climate-controlled chocolate room to sculpt sails of tempered chocolate for a multipart dessert that resembles a Viking ship. The shards of chocolate balance on a flourless chocolate cake, held in place by dollops of coffee cremeaux, with a fudgy sorbet on the side. And it wouldn't be the Four Seasons without a heavy sprinkling of gold leaf.
$15; 245 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-895-5709, mararestaurantandbar.com
Coconut brown sugar crème pie at Edwards Dessert Kitchen
When the menu is primarily dessert, sweet decadence is all but guaranteed. Cravings can take you in almost any direction here, from ice cream and fruit tarts to jarred trifles and exquisite plated desserts that change seasonally. Speaking of the latter, this knockout of a "crème pie" is actually a delicate Paris-Brest — a light-as-air puff pastry, crunchy with a coconut crackle, that sandwiches voluptuous coconut-brown sugar mousse. Orange-spiced crème anglaise is poured over tableside, just enough to soak and soften the pastry to make it fork-ready. Crème fraîche sorbet, white and smooth as a poached egg, rests on salted coconut praline crumbles. Don't be deceived by this plate's elegance; every element works in harmony to become one luxurious dish.
$16; 200 Washington Av. N., Mpls., 612-800-0335, edwardsdessertkitchen.com
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