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    Playing with Dough

    4.9 (96 reviews)
    ModerateDesserts, Bakeries
    Open 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Playing with Dough Photos

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    Reviews With Photos

    Beautiful cookies

    Gayle did a beautiful job on the cookies she made for my mother's 90th birthday, not only did they look beautiful they tasted delicious Thank you again

    Amiee M.

    I ordered the Rice Krispie pops for a trade show at the convention center- as a hand out for the attendees. Gayle was wonderful to work with- I coordinated with her from NY. She did custom colors to match our company colors and delivered them to me at the convention center. They were perfect and delicious- very fresh and soft. A big hit at the trade show. if I'm in San Jose again for work, I'll be sure to give her a call.

    Cookies

    I ordered cookies about 3 months in advance and they turned out great! Very cute and tasty. Gayle asked many questions to iron out the details and to be clear on what I wanted. Directions for pick up were given and the cookies came out just how I had hoped.

    Ter L.

    I reached out to 2 local bakers whom I found on Yelp in need of custom cookies for my baby shower event. Out of the two businesses, Playing With Dough was the only one who seemed interested in what my needs/wants were. I reached out to PWD via email and got a reply from the business owner, Gayle, pretty quickly. I let her know of all the details regarding the date of my event and provided her with the bear cookie image I wanted replicated. She was able to give me a quote for by the dozen and also offered me a design that she had previously worked on. As an added perk, Playing With Dough has an Instagram account loaded with all of Gayle's personal work. You are more than welcome to get ideas from there or customize things to your liking. HER WORK IS PHENOMENAL!! Once ordering is established, a deposit is due or you can pay in full. Payment can be made via Venmo which adds to the ease and convenience of working with this business. I reached out to Gayle about 5 days before my actual event and asked about how we would go about picking up the order. She was very detailed and flexible when it came to finding a time that worked for the both of us. Gayle was also kind enough to send me a finished photo of the cookies made one day prior to pickup ito keep me updated. 5/5 stars, I won't hesitate to do business with them again. The cookies may have been more expensive than the other business I contacted but the quality and customer service provided is spectacular. Shoutout to the other business for brushing me off during my initial inquiry and making it such an easy decision to go with Gayle :D

    Cookies
    Amy B.

    Most beautiful cookies Gayle made for my girlfriends baby shower. The cookies were so stunning and tasted even better than they looked. Thank you Gayle for such a stellar experience and we will definitely be using Gayle for all our future parties and events!

    University graduation
    E L.

    I am thrilled with the cookies I purchased from Playing with Dough! The ordering process was so easy. Gayle had some pictures from previous graduations that I could choose from. I also wanted a Banana Slug ( that is the mascot of my daughter's university) and Gayle found an adorable slug. On one of the "grad" designs she offered 2 choices, one cuter than the next. On my delivery day I was so eager to pick them up and they were more beautiful than I imagined! Before bringing them to my daughter I had to do a taste test and the cookies are delicious!! I am so happy I ordered with Gayle, the cookies exceeded my expectations!

    Handcrafted "Berry First Birthday" cookies.
    Kendra G.

    Easily the most delicious and beautiful cookies I've ever ordered! Gayle from Playing With Dough made ordering cookies for my daughters first birthday so easy and effortless! They are priced well, taste delicious, and look AMAZING! Not to mention the professionalism and easy pick up option! I would order cookies here time and time again!

    Linda L.

    Gayle was SO wonderful! She listened and made recommendations, and provided an accurate price list every time. She takes venmo and you can pick up from her lovely home! My guests were in love with the cookies, the details, and the perfection. Though originally two of my cookies, the background color got swapped, it worked out in the end. Gayle made sure to communicate with me before finishing the final product. Highly recommended!!!

    Tiffany T.

    Gayle exceeded my expectations and was very easy to communicate with. I wanted Peter Rabbit cookies for my sister's baby shower and I had sent her a photo of how I wanted the cookies to look like. Lo and behold, she was able to recreate the cookies! They were adorable and way too cute to eat! Her prices are reasonable considering how much work she has to put into the details of the cookies. Anyway, if you're looking for custom personalized cookies, I highly recommend her! Thank you so much, Gayle!

    We've had cookies, cake pops, and krispies made for multiple events and have been nothing but please with how beautiful AND delicious the sweets have been. Gayle does an amazing job and is so easy to communicate with. She accepts Venmo and offers delivery!

    Cute and tasty

    Gayle was accommodating to my last-minute order and quick to communicate. I was very happy with the result: the cookies were delicious and beautifully decorated.

    Hair inside one of the broken cookies

    A total miss and mess. First off no customer service what so ever. Second I personally picked the cookies up prior to her email mentioning to be very careful as cookies are fragile and break. I seen three cracked cookies in the box even before picking the box up from where they were left on porch. To top it off One of the broken cookies has a piece of hair as you can see in the picture. Colors were sent and the results not close. That is a lame excuse for not doing a good job for a cookie that can be replaced. I don't like to complain but this is Bad.

    Custom Christmas cookies for my husband's business :)
    Wendy B.

    I reached out to Gayle because I wanted to surprise my husband with some custom sugar cookies for my his business. I wanted to create something he could take to his customers at Christmas time that would be memorable and fun! I had followed Playing with Dough on Insta for a while and thought that Christmas is a great time for sugar cookies, so I sent her a message. Gayle was so easy to work with, and handled everything quickly and through email. We didn't even meet until I went to pick up the cookies. The cookies were a hit! My husband was surprised and LOVED the design (and eating them). He loved showing them off to his customers and even our family wanted their own! If you've been considering getting custom sugar cookies, then I definitely recommend Playing with Dough! Excellent work! I'll be back :)

    Zinnia bouquet

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    1 year ago

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    Gayle M.

    So glad you loved them!

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    Gayle M.

    Thank you! They were fun to make!!

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    9 years ago

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    Gayle M.

    Thanks so much!!! I’m thrilled you are pleased with them!!

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    Gayle M.

    Thank you, Bianca! I loved doing your cookies!

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    5 years ago

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    Gayle M.

    Thanks so much, Lori! Hope the day was perfect!

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    Gayle M.

    So glad you enjoyed them!!

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    Gayle M.

    Kellie thank you so much for the kind words!!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Playing with Dough

    Hi, Wanted to see if I can still order for next Saturday or it's too late?

    I’m sorry I’m fully booked into June.

    What do you charge per cookie? Also are they individually bagged?

    Hi! Prices vary greatly based upon design. You can see more detail on my FAQ page. Not all… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Playing with Dough

    If you want absolutely gorgeous cookies and/or really yummy cookies, Gayle's PlayingwithDough is your company.

    Mentioned in 78 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Peters' Bakery

    Peters' Bakery

    4.4
    (2.6k reviews)
    14.4 km
    $$

    I don't know why it's taken me so long to review this place, but three words: BURNT ALMOND CAKE…read more This family-owned bakery has been around for a long time and is considered the oldest family-run bakery in Silicon Valley. They're best known for their famous Burnt Almond Cake, though they also offer a variety of other pastries. Personally, I come here just for the cake. They sell it by the slice or cupcakes, and they also have whole cakes ready to go. If you're looking for a custom cake, though, be sure to place your order in advance. Whenever I'm in the area, I always stop by to pick up a few cakes to bring home for my family, but I can probably eat a whole cake to myself lol. Their prices are still surprisingly reasonable, which makes it even more worth the trip.

    My friend wanted to try Peter's Bakery famous burnt almond cake and made a 25 min drive across San…read moreJose. We ended up getting three burnt almond cake slices (2 vanilla 1 chocolate) and some brownies. The brownies were pretty good, balanced sweetness and chocolate flavor without being overwhelmingly sweet and I enjoyed the walnuts, but it was a very fudge like texture and I prefer my brownies to be slightly more cake-y and airy. If you like fudge brownies you'd like these. My issue was the burnt almond cake, both vanilla slices were on the dry side. The chocolate slice had a hint of chocolate otherwise tasted exactly the same. The almonds and cream were fine, I would've preferred stronger almond flavor. Was meh. Price is good at $5 for a hefty slice. If I'm in the area maybe I'd go back, otherwise it was about the same as a Safeway cake slice.

    Photos
    Choc Choc
    Choc Choc
    Burnt Almond Cake by Peter's Bakery
    Burnt Almond Cake by Peter's Bakery
    Our wedding cake!

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    Our wedding cake!
    Croissante

    Croissante

    4.1
    (1.1k reviews)
    11.7 km
    $$

    You are getting to go to the left. Super easy to see which way you should go because your eyes are…read moreimmediately drawn to all the pastries. Beautiful, flaky, sweet and savory; there are so many delicious options. Gourmet pastries with gourmet coffee equals perfection. Best way to start the morning. I love that. You can actually see them fresh baking pastries while you're sitting. We didn't go overly sweet because it was the morning, but I would love to come back in the afternoon to have a nice sweet treat and a cappuccino. For my family of three we definitely got over excited in order too much, but each bite was delicious. We got a leek quiche, a banana latte, spinach, artichoke danish, mango croissant, almond croissant, and a ham and cheese croissant. I was trying to increase the protein to not spike my blood sugar. Lol. I'd have to say the mango and the almond croissant were probably my favorite. The strong second would definitely be the artichoke and spinach croissant danish thing. Sorry, I forgot what they called it. They offered to heat it up a bit and I definitely recommend this. They did the perfect temperature for the perfect timing. Just enough to make the outside flaky and the inside warm and soft. The pieces that had cheeses were so much better warmed up. They definitely know what they're doing there. Seating was great. I'd love the decor. You can also order off of a menu, but we were too enamored with the actual pastries to even glance at it. I took photos but made sure to not take photos of the staff. I let the staff know that I wouldn't include their faces without their permission. they were very friendly and very appreciative. My family loved your little shop and we will definitely be back when we're in the area.

    This place is dangerous! The food isn't cheap, but the pastries are truly some of the best things…read moreI've ever eaten. I've visited several times for brunch with friends, and my recommendation is to come early as the line can reach out the door and down the sidewalk. At the same time, I give a lot of credit to the staff who are always friendly and helpful with indecisive patrons who are always asking questions and unsure of what to get. Somehow, they keep the lines moving at a good clip. The inside has lots of seating but it fills up fast. And it gets pretty loud. There isn't really anyone cleaning up the tables as it is self busing so it can get a bit crazy and messy by midday. Somehow, I keep coming back to drop $60-80 at a time everytime I visit.

    Photos
    Indoor dining option
    Indoor dining option
    French onion soup- too salty
    French onion soup- too salty
    French Toast

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    French Toast
    Preligen’s Artisan Bakery

    Preligen’s Artisan Bakery

    4.8
    (182 reviews)
    4.1 km
    $$

    They use high-quality coffee beans, Chromatic, although I haven't tried it. I've tried a lot of…read moretheir pastries, however. They are definitely unique flavors. I have yet to try their croissants, but I plan to try them. Their hours are a little bit odd so make sure you check their website. I think they're closed Monday through Wednesday. It's a huge bummer because sometimes I have Mondays off and I wanted to get a cup of coffee and then I found out they were closed. There is not any place to sit, unfortunately otherwise I would come much more often but that's probably a good thing for my waistline ;) Parking is a little bit tight. There's more parking near the Goodwill and the back.

    Stoped by for the first time. I happened to be picking up an order next door and saw their sign…read more I was warmly greeted by the owner when I walked in. He explained that they are a small batch bakery. All the pastries, behind the glass, looked amazing and were decorated so beautifully. I decided to get one Lemon-Raspberry Meringue Tart and one Mix Berry Vanilla Creme Tart. Mr. Manaois boxed up my selections and helped me at the register. They also gave many varieties of hot beverages, sweet and savory scones and sweet and savory croissants. There are also a lot of different pastries. This would be a great place to have a small relaxing breakfast. There are several places inside to enjoy your goodies. Both desserts, that I purchased, were so delicious. My favorite was the lemon raspberry meringue tart. The tartness of the lemon-raspberry filling worked so perfectly with the delicious sweet meringue. I will definitely come here again to try other items.

    Photos
    Butter Croissant
    Butter Croissant
    Avocado, Chocolate & Coffee
    Avocado, Chocolate & Coffee
    P R E L I G E N

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    P R E L I G E N
    Clover Bakery & Cafe

    Clover Bakery & Cafe

    4.4
    (1.4k reviews)
    8.2 km
    $

    I love how homey and welcoming this place feels the moment you step inside. The café is on the…read moresmaller side, but it has never felt overcrowded whenever I've visited. Customers usually come in, grab what they need, pay, and head out, which keeps things moving smoothly. One of the best things about this bakery is the incredible variety of pastries and breads. Whether you're craving something sweet or savory, there's plenty to choose from: melon pan, loaf bread, dinner rolls, chow mein bread, spaghetti bread, sweet potato bread, crab and roe bread, tomato bread, apple pie, and so much more. Don't skip the refrigerated section either! They carry fruit sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, fried bread, donuts, somen noodles in a cup, and other delicious grab-and-go items. They also offer rice balls and drinks that can be ordered at the register. If you're in the area, definitely stop by and give them a try. Small businesses like this deserve our support!

    Clover Bakery & Cafe is a small Japanese-style bakery and café that feels like the kind of…read moreneighborhood spot you randomly discover and keep coming back to. We walked into a cozy, compact space with shelves filled with freshly baked breads, pastries, and prepared foods, all arranged in a way that makes you want to browse slowly even though the shop is small. The atmosphere has that simple, welcoming feel reminiscent of the small bakeries you find throughout Japan, focusing more on quality and variety than on a large café setup. Seating is limited, so it is better suited for grabbing something to go rather than spending a long time inside. The biggest draw here is the combination of Japanese baked goods and savory items. The bakery selection offers a great mix of sweet and savory options, with classics like melon pan standing out for its crisp sugary topping and soft interior that stays light without being dry. The curry bread and croquette bread are also popular choices, both feeling comforting and freshly made rather than overly sweet or greasy. The bakery items are reasonably priced, which makes it easy to pick up multiple things without feeling like you are spending too much, and the variety means there is always something new to try. The onigiri selection is what really makes Clover stand out compared to a typical bakery. They offer a variety of rice balls with fillings like spicy tuna, tuna mayo, and unagi, making it a great option for a quick breakfast or light meal. The rice is well balanced and the fillings give each onigiri a different personality. The spicy tuna has a nice kick that comes through without overpowering the rice, while the unagi adds a sweeter, more savory flavor that works especially well with the slightly salty rice. The onigiri are a practical, satisfying choice for anyone looking for something more substantial than a pastry. Beyond the baked goods and onigiri, Clover also has drinks, sandwiches, and desserts including cakes and other pastries. The strawberry cake is a nice lighter dessert option, and the overall menu gives plenty of reasons to visit whether you are looking for breakfast, a snack, or something to bring home. The offerings feel thoughtfully selected, with enough variety to cover different cravings without making the menu feel scattered. Service is friendly and efficient, and the small size of the shop adds to the charm. Since it has become a popular local spot, some items can sell out during busy hours, so arriving earlier gives you the best selection. Parking can also be a little challenging during peak times, but the quick grab-and-go style makes the visit easy to manage. Clover Bakery & Cafe is a great stop for anyone who enjoys Japanese bakeries. The combination of fresh breads, affordable prices, and unique savory options like onigiri makes it feel different from a standard bakery. It is the type of place where it is worth picking up a few items and trying a mix of everything, leaving you with the sense that you have found a little neighborhood gem that delivers on both quality and variety.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Strawberry sandwich
    Strawberry sandwich
    Front entrance

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    Front entrance
    Izumi Cakes

    Izumi Cakes

    4.5
    (111 reviews)
    26.2 km

    Of course husband last minute says day of birthday celebration that we need a cake. Found Izumi…read moreCakes on Yelp and was bummed at first because the soonest online reservation for a cake would be two days later. Husband called them around 11am and they said they were in the middle of making their strawberry cakes so they could add our order in for a same day pickup at 4pm. Pickup went well and the cake was so cute and it tasted great! Like the Chinese bakery strawberry cream cake with a moist sponge cake; not too sweet, just right. Might sound basic but it was done very well. Would 100% recommend. I don't know prices for cakes nowadays but I didn't feel bad paying about $60 for a cute and tasty cake (6", strawberry cream cake). I wouldn't bank on same day pickups, I might've just been very lucky they were in the middle of making their cakes but it wouldn't hurt to try calling early in the day if you're in a pinch for a solid cake. I'm very thankful for their service!

    My sister stumbled across Izumi Cakes while she was looking for something to celebrate our matcha…read moreloving cousin. Izumi seemed perfect given the fact that there are a good variation of sizes that could be bought. Not everyone is a matcha lover and our family tends to gravitate away from cakes, we appreciated the smaller options. The Kyoto Matcha was purchased. The design was simply but had a slightly fancy feel to it- exactly what we were hoping for! There was strong scent of matcha coming from the top drip design and we couldn't be more excited for our matcha bae. Fast Forward: The cake is super soft, fluffy, and oh so very light. The cake in itself was not super sweet- very typical of Asian cakes. The matcha flavor was unfortunately too mellow for us. 3 stars for the cake in itself but the rating is bumped up to a 4 because the presentation is so cute! Matcha wasn't what we were looking for but we may be inclined to try other flavors in the future.

    Photos
    Izumi Cakes
    Izumi Cakes
    Chocolate light cake
    Chocolate light cake
    Christmas Cake

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    Christmas Cake

    Playing with Dough - desserts - Updated July 2026

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