Fat Cat Creamery

Yes, its ice cream is hand-made in small batches using primarily local ingredients, even down to the eggs and butter, but that’s not the only reason to visit this Heights shrine to frozen treats. Fat Cat also has a bevy of thoughtful accoutrements, which means you can get flavors like Mexican vanilla or chai tea–coconut scooped into a brown-butter, brown-sugar waffle cone or transformed into a sundae topped with Texas pecans. In a hurry? Pick up house-made push-pops and pints of ice cream on the way home.

The Grove Donutz

As far out in Sugar Land as it is far out on flavor, this shop has blended Vietnamese, Mexican, Cajun, and plenty of other influences on the way to creating the metro area’s most inventive donuts. Expect glazed pandan waffles alongside boudin kolaches at the Grove, along with its signature pastry topped with everything from Nutella and bananas to jalapeños, bacon, and cheese.

Red Dessert Dive

When the peach cobbler is made from fresh Fredericksburg peaches hand-delivered by the owner’s mother, you know something special is baking. You’ll love the bacon, cream cheese, and chive kolaches at breakfast or the beer-cheese bread baked with local craft beer, bacon, and smoked gouda at happy hour. You heard right. A dessert shop with a happy hour.