By Shanna Evans | Denver Foothills Property | Evergreen, Colorado

December 4th is National Cookie Day, and the Denver foothills has some excellent local bakeries to help you celebrate. Whether you’re craving fresh pastries in Evergreen or looking for artisan breads in Golden, here’s your guide to the best bakery stops in our mountain communities—plus essential tips for baking cookies at altitude.

Your Denver Foothills Bakery Guide

Evergreen

Alpine Pastries has been serving the community since 1995 with European pastries and traditional baked goods baked fresh daily. Their warm glazed donuts and authentic German pastries have made them a local favorite, and their creekside patio is a bonus on nice days.

Evergreen Bread & Cocktail Lounge offers artisan bread-making with a full café experience. Their open-view bakery lets you watch bakers at work using steam-injected ovens and professional equipment. They’re known for rotating soups served in homemade bread bowls.

Mama and The Fig is a micro-bakery specializing in hearty, rustic sourdoughs and granolas. Everything is small-batch and made-to-order.

Mountainside Bakery opened their new location in Evergreen earlier this year. Owner Laura specializes in high-altitude recipes perfected at 8,600 feet and shares both high-altitude and sea-level versions of her recipes, making her a great resource for mountain bakers.

Conifer

Wicked Whisk Bakery serves fresh pastries, breads, and sweet treats Wednesday through Sunday. They’ve built a strong local following at their Conifer Road location.

Suz Cookie Jar Rescue Bakery & Bites offers freshly baked cookies, macarons, and specialty lattes in a cozy atmosphere that’s become popular with families.

Golden

Et Voila French Bakery is a family-owned spot serving authentic French pastries, breads, tarts, and coffee. Their pain au chocolat takes three days to prepare and has earned them a strong reputation.

Gold Mine Cupcakes started in a home kitchen and has grown into a Golden staple for creative cupcake flavors and custom designs.

Grateful Bread Company focuses on artisan breads and fresh-baked goods using quality ingredients and traditional methods.

Bailey

Rollin Dough is a home-based bakery specializing in macarons, cupcakes, and cookies, with dessert tables available for special occasions.

Baking Cookies at Altitude: What You Need to Know

Living above 5,000 feet means standard cookie recipes need adjustments. Here’s what works at our elevation:

Key Adjustments:

1. Add Extra Flour: Start with 2-3 tablespoons more flour to strengthen cookie structure.
2. Reduce Leavening: Decrease baking powder or baking soda by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Leavening agents work faster at altitude.
3. Increase Oven Temperature: Raise temperature by 15-25°F so cookies set before spreading too much.
4. Decrease Baking Time: Reduce baking time by 20-25% and watch them closely.
5. Keep Butter Softened, Not Melted: Melted butter causes excessive spreading and burning.
6. Chill Your Dough: Refrigerate dough for a few hours before baking to slow spreading.
7. Add Moisture: An extra egg yolk or tablespoon of liquid helps combat dry Colorado air.

Why This Matters:

Lower air pressure at altitude causes faster leavening, quicker moisture evaporation, and cookies that can spread too thin or turn out dry and crumbly. These adjustments help compensate for those changes.

Living the Denver Foothills Lifestyle

Local bakeries like these are part of what makes mountain living special—knowing the owners by name, becoming a regular at your Saturday morning pastry stop, and being part of a community that supports local businesses. Whether you’re already calling Evergreen, Conifer, Bailey, or Golden home, or you’re considering making the move to the foothills, these are the places that become part of your routine and your story here.

The Denver Foothills Property team lives and works in these communities. We know these bakeries, these neighborhoods, and what makes each mountain town unique. If you’re thinking about mountain living, we’d love to help you find not just a house, but your place in the community.