Denver's ten best dessert spots

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Because you definitely shouldn't.

We might be able to sate our sweet tooth with a piece of fruit in the summer, but in the dead of winter, nothing but a dessert made with plenty of cream and sugar will do. And with Valentine's Day right around the corner. whether we're drowning our romantic sorrows or celebrating finding true love, you'd better believe that dessert will be on the menu.

In anticipation of the February 14 holiday as well as the upcoming Best of Denver® 2012, which hits the streets on March 29, we've revisited our list of Denver's five best dessert spots and expanded it to ten -- because you can never have too much of a good thing. Here, in no particular order, are Denver's ten best dessert spots:

Mark Manger

A sugar-spackled scone with clotted cream and jam.

Tres Jolie Tea & Champagne Lounge
This Littleton shop is half cafe, half purveyor of pretty things, which makes it an ideal stop for a girly afternoon tea, an occasion that -- let's be honest -- is basically just an excuse to cram your face full of confections. Order the tea at this spot, and you'll get a tiered platter of adorable fruit tarts, frosted cookies, scones with clotted cream and jam, squares of chewy caramel coated in chocolate, and peach bombes. Or make a beeline for the pastry case, where selections change daily. Our favorite is the Sunny, a dense, buttery cookie loaded with sunflower seeds and chocolate chips. Since the cafe closes at 4 p.m., you might need to eat dessert first at Tres Jolie -- but there's nothing wrong with that...

Linger

Linger
We're paralyzed with indecision every time we look at the dessert menu at Justin Cucci's joint at the edge of Highland, mostly because just about everything that pastry chef Samm Sherman creates sets our hearts aflutter. As with the rest of Linger's menu, nothing on this dessert list is simple -- and everything is surprising. How about a peanut butter cup with bruleed bananas and cabernet jelly coulis? Or Mississippi mud pie made with miso-butterscotch and powdered-sugar-dusted Italian doughnuts served with espresso mousse and lemon espuma?

Colt & Gray

A summer version of the chocolate ellie.

Colt & Gray
We frequently have a nightcap at Colt & Gray, where we're almost always talked into a dessert, too. Highlights of Jenna Hodges's board of after-dinner sweets include excellent classics -- like sticky toffee pudding and potted cheesecake glazed with salted caramel -- and some creative, delicious twists. Concord-grape jelly doughnuts with peanut brittle ice cream, for instance. Or lemon bread pudding drizzled with white chocolate and sided with a scoop of pink peppercorn ice cream.