Coffee & Treats in Madison

Gleaning her baking skills from her mother and grandmother, Gigi's Cupcakes' eponymous owner opened her first cupcake hub in 2008, drawing upon her entrepreneurial spirit and gift for crafting beautifully topped cupcakes. The franchised cupcakery now has 50 locations, each of which churns out 12 daily-rotating flavors that are made fresh every morning. The shop's selection of more than 40 flavors includes Canadian Maple, Southern Comfort, and Champagne—a bubbly-flavored base topped with an edible pearl. Patrons can pick out sweet treats from the daily selection or preorder them at least one day in advance online, by phone, or via singing telegram.

Zen Beri's nonfat, low-fat, and no-sugar-added frozen yogurt—in flavors such as cheesecake, dark chocolate, and blueberry tart—brims with certified live active cultures. Its self-serve machines bestow gobs of these sweet treats, as well as dairy-free sorbets, on bowls. Guests can then heap on more than 50 toppings, such as candies, fruits, and nuts, to customize their dessert creations. Staff members also skillfully craft tempting sundaes, smoothies, and coffee drinks from Zen Beri's signature frozen-treats menu. They can also tightly pack quarts of take-home treats so that guests can indulge their sweet tooths during Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory marathons.

Tracy Rice has a lot of words for her gourmet cupcakes: whimsical, elegant, rustic, high-end. She isn't wrong, but these one-of-a-kind treats fall under the umbrella of Cowgirl's most defining aspect: its creativity. It hasn't gone unnoticed, either.

Cowgirl's creations have wowed audiences of CMT and Food Network, and are regularly consumed by celebrities such as Miranda Lambert and Bret Michaels. Small batches emerge from ovens every day, with 27 unique flavors donning top hats of frosting made of rich vanilla-bean buttercream, vanilla-bourbon custard, and chocolate-espresso ganache.

Some treats crown themselves in signature garnishes, such as golden Buddhas on cupcakes, colorful flags that billow above moon pies, and cloaks of chocolate that cover Oreos. Cowgirl's confectionary artists can also create custom sugar work to celebrate occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and a baby's first thumbs-up.