One of the hardest parts about going to college is leaving the homemade cooking – especially the desserts – that you have relied on for years. Thankfully, Ames is big enough that it is possible to scour the city and find wonderful, different desserts that are made in the kitchens of several restaurants. Here are only a few places that offer desserts ranging from chocolate to ice cream to cheesecake.

Café Shi

823 Wheeler St.

Café Shi is a unique restaurant that offers a variety of meals and drinks. However, the specialties do not stop there. Café Shi makes its desserts entirely in the kitchen of the restaurant. They offer a wide selection of desserts, from panna cotta to peach crumble, even a lemon pie brulee.

Chocolaterie Stam

230 Main St.

Chocolaterie Stam is a charming store in downtown Ames, and its offerings include homemade chocolate and gelato. The gelato comes in a variety of flavors, all of them fresh and creamy. The chocolates are also special, with many fillings and shapes. The Iowa Corn is a yellow-colored white chocolate, corn-shaped shell with a hazelnut praline and milk chocolate filling.

Cold Stone Creamery

1310 S. Duff Ave.

Cold Stone Creamery is an ice-cream store that offers custom creations and exotic flavors, such as Cake Batter and Cotton Candy.

There are a total of 11 million possible creations, including “The Pie Who Loved Me” and “Cheesecake Fantasy.” The store also offers cakes and pints to go.

Old Chicago

1620 S. Kellogg Ave.

Old Chicago is known for pizza and beer, but it also makes exceptional desserts in-house.

The homemade cheesecake takes two days to make and features a strawberry swirl and graham cracker crust. They also have an Applezini, which has Granny Smith apples and cinnamon stuffed into their signature pizza crust.

Perkins

325 S. Duff Ave.

Perkins, a family style restaurant, bakes desserts fresh every morning. Pies are a specialty and range from apple to French silk. However, Perkins also makes Mammoth Muffins, cookies and sundaes. You can also order ahead to pick up any one of these creations.

Temptations on Main

309 Main St.

Temptations on Main is another sweet store in the heart of downtown Ames. This stop features fresh-made fudge, handmade and imported candies and hand-dipped ice cream cones.

Like Chocolaterie, Temptations molds uniquely shaped candies into the shapes of Cy, ballerinas and teeth.

The Café

2616 Northridge Parkway

The Café is a chic place to enjoy a meal and a homemade dessert. This restaurant rotates both its menu and its desserts. The Café has carrot cake, crŠme brulee – the flavor often changes – two flavors of cheesecake, banana crŠme pie, German chocolate cake, ice cream and sorbet, which is only available during the summer.