Great stops for sweet treats

Baked goods on Martha's Vineyard.

Martha’s Vineyard is known for its natural beauty, the rich and famous, who flock to the Island in the summer, and, of course, “Jaws.” But we are also rich in establishments selling a mouth-watering variety of baked goods and other sweets, enticing visitors and residents to nosh.

Within a stone’s throw of the Vineyard Haven ferry is the Black Dog Water Street Bakery at 11 Water Street. The smell of freshly baked ginger snaps, rich brownies, pumpkin-cream cheese and cranberry walnut muffins, prevail along with decadent desserts, flaky pastries, and scones — just a few of the sweet treats.

Given its name, it might not be surprising that they have biscuits, especially designed for your pup.

Just around the corner and up the block is Sweet Bites at 32 Beach Street in Vineyard Haven. With its homemade goods, this specialty bakery and café has a distinct Brazilian flair. One favorite is chicken coxinha, a savory dough filled with creamy chicken filling.

Then there are the delectable brigadeiros, one of Brazil’s most loved and devoured desserts. These small balls of delicious goodness are like the fudgy cousin of a chocolate truffle, just without the hard shell. Sweet Bites also sells individual mini pão de queijo, or Brazilian cheese bread, made with tapioca flour. In addition to being mouth-wateringly delicious, these small breads are gluten-free.

Other options include pecan bars, key lime tarts, and Nutella mousse — which you can wash down with Jim’s Organic Coffee or an iced caramel frappe.

You can also special-order celebratory cakes, including red velvet or carrot cake options with intriguing fillings like strawberry Nutella, raspberry mascarpone, and Oreo cream cheese.

Further into Vineyard Haven, is Delicious MV at 22 Main Street. Here you will discover enticing desserts such as cannoli, French pastries, cookies shaped like the Vineyard, gluten-free cheesecake, white chocolate mousse, tarts, and apple and berry crumbles. Owned by Elio Silva, Delicious MV makes a much-beloved Brazilian version of an açaí bowl with berries from his home country mixed with condensed and powdered milk.

Pie Chicks, at 395 State Road in Vineyard Haven, sells hand-crafted artisanal pies. In addition to familiar flavors, there are apple blackberry, blueberry rhubarb, chocolate bourbon, and gluten-free options with sweet and crunchy oat crumble topping. Pie Chicks also sells bags of 6 large mouth-watering cookies, including cherry chocolate oat, white chocolate macadamia, oatmeal cranberry, and salted toffee pecan.

Isabella Maxwell White, who hailed from Pebbleshire, Scotland, started the Scottish Bakehouse at 977 State Road in 1961. It has changed hands since then, but you can still find traditional Scottish shortbread and shortbread pies. An extra-long display case of daily options includes scrumptious gluten-free and/or vegan cookies, fruit crisps, flourless chocolate cake and brownies, and assorted Paleo cookies and bars.

You will find Morning Glory Farm at 120 Meshacket Road in Edgartown started by the Athearn family in 1975. It began serving tasty baked goods with its original recipe for zucchini bread in the 1980s when there was an excess of zucchini in the field. The sweet and savory pastries are a newer addition to the rotation. They typically include a farm-grown vegetable or fruit picked that very day, such as the divine tomato mozzarella tarts featuring Morning Glory Farm tomatoes and basil.

Sourdoughs are a fan favorite made with a 10-year-old starter named Gladys. You will also find whole wheat, multigrain, and New England Anadama loaves made of flour, cornmeal, yeast, and molasses, which are great for sandwiches and soup.

Some of the more unusual cookie flavors you will discover include Starry Night, buckwheat chocolate chip, and Snicker Doodle.

So, whether you want a break from hiking…or shopping, the Vineyard has your tastebuds covered, serving up your sweet tooth with a plethora of mouth-watering options.