While it’s true that Portland, Oregon may be best known for being the home of Washington Park, a shipping port, and a big part of the craft beer scene, it’s also home to some awesome bakeries that churn out some of the most amazing cookies and desserts! So buckle up and get ready to take a ride through the City of Roses with us as we introduce you to the top 5 places to get a cookie.
PDX Cookie Co.
This little bakery located on South East Stark Street has a wide variety of unique, signature cookies that they are best known for, and they’re always looking for inspiration to add to their sweetly eclectic menu. They feature their own Coffee Series of cookies that incorporates lots of flavors and textures, as well as such creations as the Childhood Blizzard, Peanut Butter Pie, and even Butterbeer cookies! PDX even offers the ability to get all of your favorite cookies in a number of Variety Packs that you can build yourself, or their own G.O.A.T Pack that has six of their most popular cookies made extra large for optimal enjoyment.
PDX also has another unique offering that sets them apart from most bakeries, and that is their Unbaked Collection of edible cookie doughs! So far they have two flavors called Better Than Sex and Marshmallow Cream Dream Supreme that you can eat straight from the container and not have to worry about salmonella.
Word on The Street
Those who have been lucky enough to visit PDX talk about the wide variety of cookies and how unique they are from other bake shops. They also rave about how large the cookies are and their out-of-this-world taste. Funfetti Birthday Cake cookies seem to be a fan favorite.
Helen Bernhard Bakery
The Helen Bernhard Bakery is a staple in Portland that hits you with an old-school vibe as soon as you walk up to the brick storefront with its picturesque café windows and traditional ruffled navy blue awnings over them. With a variety of cookies, cakes, pastries, and breads, you are sure to find something at this bake shop to tickle your taste buds. Speaking of their cookies, they offer a selection of the traditional favorites as well as custom frosted sugar cookies that can be made for any occasion.
The Helen Bernhard Bakery was established in 1924 and came from the humble beginnings of making cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats for friends and family. When the business was started, the Bernhard home was right next to the bakery; Helen came up with the cake business as a hobby as well as supplemental income for the family while her husband was a minister at Grace Lutheran Church. The bakery took off and became a neighborhood hit, which meant they had to expand and would go beyond making cakes. Although the bakery changed hands quite a few times since then, each owner has kept the traditions alive and aspire to continue to be the place that so many have grown up with and now bring their own children and grandchildren to enjoy their cookies and other treats.
Word on The Street
Faithful patrons have loved this little bakery for years, and when it comes to getting their sweet fix, Helen Bernhard’s does it like no other. When it comes to their cookies, they’re said to be the perfect consistency – a slight crispiness on the outside, but when you get to the middle they’re perfectly soft.
Ken’s Artisan Bakery
Ken’s Artisan Bakery is another long-standing establishment that offers not only delicious cookies, but also other fresh baked goods and French bistro fare in their busy, traditional counter-service setup. Their delectable selection of cookies includes the Valrhona Chocolate Chip, a Rotating Selection of Biscotti, and their Hazelnut Butter Cookies.
Ken’s Artisan Bakery and its sister companies Ken’s Artisan Pizza and Checkerboard Pizza are owned by Ken Forkish and have been in a variety of online and paper print magazines and newspapers; they’ve even been featured on the Cooking Channel’s show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
Word on The Street
Locals and other visitors love the charming, warm, and welcoming vibe they get from Ken’s, as well as the optional seating to enjoy their treats. As for their cookies, the fan favorite hands-down seems to be their Valrhona Chocolate Chip!
Sugah’s Cookies and Cakes
We’re going to take a slightly different direction with this bakery that’s gone to the dogs! Yes, Sugah’s Cookies and Cakes is a bakery made for the canine companion in your life, because who deserves cookies more than your pooch? The bakery is named after the owner’s dog, Sugah, and makes not only gourmet cookies that are safe for dogs such as the Chicken and Three Cheese flavor but also cakes. All sweets are made with only all-natural human-grade ingredients and contain no corn, wheat, rice, soy, or white flour.
Owner Gretchen takes pride in using only the best quality ingredients and says that all of the treats and recipes made here are oat based. So if you’re looking for an unconventional treat or even a beautifully decorated, pet-friendly cake for your Fido’s next birthday, Sugah’s is the place to go!
Word on The Street
Customer’s love that they have a local option to get their dogs a sweet treat of their very own, and the love and care that Gretchen puts into her creations. Great prices and the fact that the doggies thoroughly seem to enjoy each and every bite certainly doesn’t hurt either!
Bakeshop
Bakeshop is a hip, stylish bakery that makes cookies, scones, cakes, and pies from scratch with whole-grain flours. Named by Food & Wine as one of the 100 Best Bakeries in America, this bake shop goes to great lengths to use only the best ingredients when it comes to their sweet and savory treats, and the quality shows in their finished products. With a large selection of cookies on their menu from Funfetti Shortbread to Ginger Molasses, it won’t be hard for you to find a new favorite!
Kim Boyce opened Bakeshop in 2011 with a dream to create only the most delicious cookies, cakes, breads, tarts, and other options with only whole-grain recipes and succeeded. She’s since published a cookbook, Good to The Grain, was a James Beard Outstanding Baker Award semifinalist in 2016 and 2019, and has made contributions to the Los Angeles Times, Whole Living, Bon Appetit O, NPR, and Portland Monthly.
Word on The Street
Patrons love the quality of Kim’s sweet and savory treats from her cookies to her pastries as well as the staff and their brand of customer service. Fan favorite cookies include the traditional Chocolate Chip and their unique Sweet and Salty.