When the craving for a sweet treat strikes, but you don’t want any old cookie or cupcake, switch things up with a trip to one of Westchester County’s international bakeries. We promise these shops will treat your taste buds right.
Araras Coffee & More
408 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains; 914.831.5439
Countries: Brazil and Paraguay
Must Try: Alfajores (sandwich cookies with dulce de leche filling) and brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls)
Opened in 2014, this warm and friendly bakery with limited seating at bistro-style tables inside and out has a constant stream of devotees. The beautiful, petite-sized pastries are pleasingly sweet and full of rich flavors like coconut, caramel, pistachio, vanilla, Nutella, M&M, and more. Menu standards such as the soft Brazilian truffles, alfajores, dulce de leche, guava, and the delicate Paraguayan cookies are accompanied by daily additions made by co-owners Celina Bredemann and Liz Marina Cardozo, such as the daily home cake which can come in corn, orange, lime, churro, and coconut flavors. Bredemann describes the pastries as “simple and intense, with a lot of flavor.”
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Boleria Brazilian Bakery
362 Mamaroneck Ave, Mamaroneck; 914.727.9222
Country: Brazil
Must Try: Bolo de rolo (Brazilian layered cake made with guava or dulce de leche) and brigadeiro tarts
Since July 2020, this beautiful Brazilian bakery has been busy serving hungry customers with only the very best brigadeiros, brownies, cakes, and more. Founder Carolina Figueiredo, who chose to pursue baking as a career after battling breast cancer, was born in Recife, Brazil, and strives to make every dish a unique mirror of her home — complete with bold flavors and traditional recipes. For those who want bite-sized tastes of Brazil, Boleria has several different brigadeiro flavors (milk chocolate and sprinkles, white chocolate, “Romeo & Juliet,” lemon, pistachio, and “Two Lovers,” just to name a few), all of which are available as individuals or in boxes. Those who want a little extra sweetness should check out the brigadeiro tarts, which come in three different sizes, at this international bakery in Westchester.
Most recently, this bakery also created a savory menu, which includes foods such as toast, soups, and salads, to provide more options for customers to experience all Brazilian cooking has to offer. Keep following this bakery for more delicious food to be added soon.
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CHRISTTINE
3199 Albany Post Rd #220, Buchanan; 914.293.0177
Countries: Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina
Must Try: Alfajores and dulce de leche
For Cristina Lopez Goldstein of CHRISTTINE, baking and tradition go hand in hand. Partnered with her Argentine husband and following in the footsteps of her grandfather (who owned a small pastry shop in Spain) and her father (who brought the family tradition to Uruguay), Cristina is committed to bringing tasty and traditional pastries to Westchester. Her delicious desserts blend Spanish, Uruguayan, and Argentine styles in a sweet fusion that can’t be ignored. One of her specialties is alfajores —shortbread cookies that are stuffed with dulce de leche — which come in a variety of flavors. For fans of fruitiness, CHRISTTINE also offers alfajores that eschew dulce de leche in favor of raspberry filling. For those who just can’t get enough of dulce de leche, CHRISTTINE sells jars of the delicious spread in a small-batch style.
Pro Tip: Although you could just eat it right from the jar, try using some as an ice cream topping for extra caramelly goodness.
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Gaelle’s French Pastries
Various farmers’ markets and pop-ups
Country: French
Must Try: Tarte piemontaise (filled with hazelnut cream and finished with a light chocolate ganache)
It was the craving of sweet treats from her native France that inspired pastry chef Gaelle Lopez to start baking delicious French pastries. Just six years after arriving in America, Lopez went back to school to get her French pastry chef diploma in 2019. Ready to share her baking with the world, Lopez bakes French velvety and rich pastries and cakes that she sells all over Westchester at different farmers’ markets and pop-ups. Recently, Lopez added chouquette, madeleines, and gateau breton.
Lopez often updates Instagram with where her business will be, but it routinely appears at markets in Hastings-on-Hudson on the first and third Saturday of the month, Irvington on the first and third Sunday of the month, Bronxville on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, and Pelham on the second, fourth, and fifth Sunday of the month. You can also order online through the bakery’s website. Now you can have a taste of France without having to purchase a pricey plane ticket.
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El Trigal Mexican Bakery
216 Union Ave, New Rochelle; 914.633.9516
Country: Mexico
Must Try: Churros and cinnamon sticks
Wafting into the street from El Trigal is the unmistakable smell of fresh pastries. Inside, between the register and the seating area, are rows of high shelves with tray upon tray of freshly baked pastries filled with guava, chocolate, arroz con leche, and more. Customers use tongs to pluck out their favorites. “I grew up in a bakery,” laughs owner Veronica Rojas, whose grandparents had a bakery in Mexico and taught her the trade. Rojas opened El Trigal in 1999 with her husband, Marco Balbuena. Some recipes have been passed down, like the chocolate square pound cake and the three-colored sugar cookie. “It’s what I have done my whole life,” Rojas says. “It’s what I love to do.”
In addition to the traditional menu, El Trigal also does specialty desserts such as birthday cakes and a cake for Three Kings Day on January 6, a holiday which commemorates the baptism of Jesus. In line with its Mexican heritage, El Trigal makes a specialty bread for Dia de Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, which is observed in Mexico on November 1 and 2. According to Veronica’s brother, Fernando Rojas, these are the bestsellers for the international bakery throughout the year in Westchester.
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Related: 4 Real-Deal Brazilian Steakhouses in Westchester
