Baguio City, Philippines — Sometimes, we do not need to stay too healthy nor focus on eating what is right to keep the body fit and functioning. Our sweet tooth is a part of this wonderful machine, so we have to honor it and spoil it from time to time… to time.

If you have a sweet tooth like me, then, you might want to try these palatine-satiating, delightful sweets once you are in Baguio. They are some of the perfect matches to your hot coffee or tea while reading a book, watching a movie or just lazing around while the weather gets all cool and cozy.

1. Vizcos’ Strawberry Shortcake. An all-time favorite from among locals and tourists alike. This dessert makes use of fresh strawberries and imparts a creamy sensation that seem to melt in your mouth.

2. This avocado-flavored dirty ice cream at the Slaughter house. (well they also have strawberry and mango, but this is my ultimate favorite). If you happen to be in the area for their “bulalo and ihaw-ihaw” look for a local vendor of this ice cream who happens to be just hanging out in the area. Dirty has never been this delicious!

3. The egg tarts of Glycosweet. A small, hole-in-the-wall cafe near the Victory bus terminal (Manila-bound) bakes these small but mouth-watering sweets. So far, they are the best egg tarts I have tasted (besides the ones I have tried in Lisbon, Portugal).

4. Taro Ice Cream of Aura One Hotel. This surprisingly good ice cream topped with a taro chip, is not all smooth and creamy since a gritty feeling will be felt by your mouth. It comes from the bits of taro incorporated in this sumptuous dessert.

5. Ube Champorado of Lihim ni Maria. Another hole-in-wall cafe/resto in Baguio that offers dleiciously unusual desserts and drinks is Lihim ni Maria. I personally like their version of champorado that makes use of a local red rice from Kalinga infused with ube. You’ll end up saying “what a beautiful gastronomic experience” when you taste this.

6. Sweet Stop’s Apple Brownie & Cassava Cake. This delicious duo are my favorite at this pretty cafe along Session Road. They never fail to compliment any of the flavored hot tea I drink whenever I come by to satiate my sweet tooth cravings. And, you get to buy these sweets at a very affordable price!

7. Arcas Yard’s Kamote Pie. This signature dessert from the uberly cozy and relaxing cafe-restaurant along Ambuclao Road will never disappoint your taste. I like how soft and not so saccharine it is. It’s a perfect pair for my artichoke tea (an Arca’s Yard fave drink).

8. Mugwort Bread of Le Vain Cafe/Bakeshop. This is an interesting bread at least to me. It’s called a mugwort bread with walnuts, chestnut and red bean. i have learned wayback my Pharmacognosy days that mugwort is a natural anti-malarial but I never knew it is edible. So i did a little research and to my surprise, mugwort is indeed a famous bread from among Koreans and Japanese. Fascinating and delicious too!

9. Ube Taho. Well Baguio is famous for its strawberry taho for sure. But do you know that recently, a new flavor has been abuzz from among visitors? I have just tried the ube counterpart and I personally like it better than the much sweeter strawberry taho. I never thought ube would blend well with this soya product.

So whether you just want to cheat on your diet or maybe just wanting to give in to that outright urge to eat something saccharine, then give these lovely sweets a try. And I am pretty sure you’ll end up with a grin. 😁😁😁

Take it easy.