5 Best Bakeries

These five bakeries in 417-land set the bar high for tasty indulgences.

With colder weather and the holidays just around the corner, a fresh look at what local bakeries have to offer may steer you away from the same old coffee and donut to something worth bragging about. Check out these items from the five best bakeries in the area.

Lola’s Pastries & Eatery

110 N. Fort St., Nixa, 417-725-9225

This Nixa hotspot is always bustling with locals at mealtimes, which is a good indication of the quality of cuisine. Although Lola’s Pastries & Eatery serves a full menu, it also has a few interesting baked items. The cinnamon roll ($2.09) recipe is an original from owner Robin Paulson’s grandmother, for whom the restaurant is named. Lola’s recipe includes sweet dough with cinnamon and sugar filling and cream cheese frosting. The warm and soft rolls, made fresh daily, are so good customers often choose to replace a piece of cake with it after a meal. If you’re a really big fan, you can also order the rolls in a tray to take home. For something a little less on the sweet side, try a fresh strawberry scone ($1.99). The sweetness comes from freshly chopped strawberries that are placed on top. Lola’s also serves freshly baked bread sticks with salad every day, and fresh rolls and French bread to accompany certain menu items.

Julie’s Chewies

1325 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, 417-887-2777

At this South Glenstone Avenue gift shop and bakery, the items are baked fresh daily, and a substantial selection of unique cookie jars also draw kitschy gift-givers. Julie’s Chewies has been in business for more than 20 years and also has a catering branch. Although the baked goodies are restricted to satisfying a sweet tooth, there’s still plenty of variety. Julie’s offers unique cakes, homemade fudge, dessert bars, pies, cobblers and crisps. However, the cookies are the signature item. All the cookies are huge, but the Triple Chocolate ($1.25 each) stands out the most. Huge chocolate kisses, chocolate chunks and some chocolate in the batter (but not so much that it loses the traditional chocolate-chip-cookie-dough color) make this cookie just delicious with a glass of cold milk.

Beth’s Bake Shoppe & Tea Room

1645-D W. Republic Rd., Springfield, 417-866-5533

For most patrons, Beth’s Bake Shoppe & Tea Room is a place to sit down for a quaint lunch or shop for a cake for a special event, but the everyday baked goods are more than worth noting. From cheesecakes to pies, tortes and cookies, Beth’s fare is typical of bakeries but with more unique flavors and options. The gooey butter bar ($2.25) is one of the best I have tasted. The trademark sugar cookies ($1.75) come with a delicious white icing and are also a classic favorite.

Supreme Bakery

3314 S. National Ave., Springfield, 417-881-5226

Tiesha Miller, lifestyle editor, says Supreme Bakery has the best cupcakes she’s ever had in her entire life. The cake and the frosting are perfectly light and fluffy, yet dense at the same time. It defies the rules of nature, but they are kind on the stomach and the taste buds. (She says she might have eaten seven at her friend’s bridal shower.)

Chuck’s Bake Shop

12 Downing St., Hollister, 417-239-2822

Fayetteville, Arkansas, residents may recognize this bakery because it made its home there for 34 years under the designation Chuck’s Cake Shop. In Hollister since March, Chuck’s Bake Shop is the new place in town. According to Chuck Baum, who owns the shop with his wife, Linda, they specialize in cakes, but their signature is the New Orleans dobasche. The dobasche is a torte with six thin layers and is made with yellow cake and chocolate fudge icing. What makes this cake so delicious? Baum assures that it is all made the old-fashioned way, from scratch.
Another unique treat you can find in the town just south of Branson are their petit fours. This French treat that literally translates to “small ovens” is usually a small, square piece of cake that’s covered in fondant with some décor on top. You’ll find petit fours in eight flavors (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, piña colada, coconut, banana, lemon, orange and spice), and they are $0.67 each or $7.98 for a dozen. They also make a variety of cakes including red velvet, Italian cream and German chocolate. You can customize cakes by adding your own flavored filling that’s available in pineapple, lemon, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, coconut and cream cheese. According to Baum, they do a lot of custom cakes for birthdays and baby showers. He says they used to do weddings. “People have gotten so wild,” he says of modern wedding hullabaloo. The Baums will still do wedding cakes, but only for more low-key clientele.