At the start, #nosaddesserts provided an outlet for creative exploration: painting, writing, and video development. Over the years, #nosaddesserts has become more than a personal development project; it has become a digital destination that champions local businesses and reminds people to satisfy their sweet tooth. I love it when people message me about where to find desserts. I've embraced this purpose of sharing my love of desserts while supporting small businesses, especially in my city of St. Louis. There's so much good food here, and I love sharing the news.

I was recently asked where one can find gluten-free desserts and quickly realized I needed to write a blog for gluten-free treats. There are great shops that make it their mission to serve options with special diet considerations, and I want to sound the alarm! In this blog, I will highlight some small bakeries in your neighborhoods that make excellent gluten-free desserts.

Gluten (simply put) is a family of proteins found in grains. Gluten is an essential element in many baked goods. Gluten helps to trap air and provides a delicious texture that makes up the structure of many popular pastries and cakes.

However, some shop owners create menus that include delectable gluten-free diet considerations. I'm thrilled to write and share this blog so more people can learn about the great spots around St. Louis City and County.

Made. By Lia

If you're in North County, Made. By Lia should be on your list of places to visit. The staff at the bakery are friendly, and you will get some delicious gluten-free options. They have several gluten-free and vegan items available daily on their menu. My husband, Justin, loves their Chocolate Espresso Donuts, and I've tried them since I started writing this blog. THEY ARE DELICIOUS, and you will love them too!

Bonus! Allergy-friendly cakes can be specially ordered from this store.

Sucrose (North West)

Next, let's go to St. Charles! Sucrose Bakery located a few blocks from I-70 on 5th Street, is a great spot to grab treats to satisfy your sweet tooth. Last year, I spent some time working remotely in their cafe. While there, I checked out their dessert cases. I was surprised and frankly impressed by the number of gluten-free options. Last year, I picked up a gluten-free chocolate bundt cake for my good friend. Amy and her son both loved it! Below is an interview with Amy about her love of desserts and needing to maintain a gluten-free diet.

Missouri Baking Company (Central)

This little shop is tucked away in The Hill. I visited this shop frequently, but I have yet to try their GF options. My neighbor recommends the Armeretto Cookies from the Missouri Baking Company. I've had many of their other non-GF treats, but I look forward to trying these cookies.

Many dessert shops have at least one gluten-free option. Here is a list of a few places likely to have a GF option in their dessert case:

Britt Bakehouse (South West)

Now this is my absolute favorite place to get little bundt cakes! They are fantastic, I love them! Located in downtown Kirkwood; Britt's Bakehouse’s motto is, "Just because you're gluten-free doesn't mean you don't deserve good cake." Britt is the owner and head baker for this store. She's worked to create and share her tasty desserts with all of us. If you or someone you know deserves excellent gluten-free dessert options, make plans to visit Kirkwood. The menu of options is sure to pique your interest!

I reached out to my very good friend, who is a lover of sweets. I always think of Amy when I spot gluten-free dessert options around town. She and I met years ago, and over time, I've seen her have to reconsider options with her diet as her gluten intolerance developed. She is one of my favorite people in the world; check out my interview with her below.

**Q: If possible, can you sum up your love of desserts in a few sentences?**

***Amy:*** I love sugar!!! The instant deliciousness that hits your tongue is pure joy. I love trying new tastes and combos. I also love baking myself. It's so relaxing and you get something great at the end. I feel like there's no better way to show someone you care than making them food.
Instagram Photo of Me, Amy, and our friend B. | 2016

Q. Where is your favorite bakery for gluten-free options? Or what are your favorite GF treats in St. Louis?
Amy: Everything GF at Sucrose is delish! For cake, I like Prioritized Pastries. Britt's Bakery has amazing bread pudding and I like their mini bundt cakes.

Q. Does requiring gluten-free meals suck, or is it not that big of a deal?
Amy: It sucks!!!! I hate being high maintenance. I love to go with the flow but being GF makes that difficult. We live in a very food focused society. Most of our social interactions center around food. I hate to always have to ask if the person hosting made something GF or ask a restaurant how something is made before ordering. And there are some restaurants that straight up don't have any GF options so I walk away not satisfied.

The thing I miss most is pizza. I miss an airy, chewy pizza crust so bad. I miss donuts. I haven't found a good textured donut yet in St. Louis but I'm still hopeful. I'd like to do a GF donut tour and see what's all out there.

Treats from Sucrose Bakery — **Q. How do you feel about the trendy GF wave?**

***Amy:*** Because it's such a trend it has pushed restaurants and companies to offer and develop more gluten free options so it has worked in my favor.

Q. You're currently perfecting your GF cake recipe. How's that going?
Amy: It's all about getting the texture right. I want the light and fluffy cake. GF cakes tend to be dense and heavy. The most recent one I made was the lightest so far. It had vinegar in it so maybe there is something to that. I'm still experimenting and I'll let you know when I get it right.

Q. What is a popular misconception of a GF diet?
Amy: People have no idea what gluten is or maybe they just forget all the things flour is in. It's pasta, bread, cookies, cakes, crackers, pastries. And then there is the unsuspecting things it's in like salad dressing and soy sauce. Flour is used a lot as a thickener so many soups and sauces are out.

Q. We've known each other for almost a decade. What is more offensive? The fact that I eat ice cream in the winter or that I sometimes can only eat half of my desserts? 😂
Amy: I just don't understand how you can do either 😆. The most perplexing has always been the ice cream in winter.* I just don't understand how you can do it. Doesn't it make you cold? And outside is cold so what is the appeal? Isn't ice cream only good when it's sweltering outside and it's a nice treat to cool you down? I have the biggest sweet tooth but if someone takes me to an ice cream shop in January, I'm not even tempted to get some. Maybe I'm the weird one?

This blog focuses on a community requiring gluten-free dietary options. Desserts aren't the most sustaining source of nutrition, but they are hands down the most fun part of any diet. I hope more small businesses commit to creating scummy treats suitable for specialty dietary needs. Cheers to all of the businesses that I mentioned above, and thank you to Amy for supporting the blog.

Gluten-Free Desserts in St. Louis

Made. By Lia

Sucrose (North West)

Missouri Baking Company (Central)

Britt Bakehouse (South West)

Top 10 desserts from 2023