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The 2023 winner of Best Bakery in the Rockford area is a fourth generation family-owned business and a Machesney Park staple since 1994.

Here are the three best bakeries in the Rockford area as selected by Rockford Register Star readers for the 2023 What Rocks Community's Choice Awards.

Winner: By the Dozen Bakery

Don't let the name full you. By the Dozen Bakery is more than a doughnut and cookie shop. The bakery serves cupcakes, brownies, scones, muffins, fruit cakes, buns, a variety of loaf breads, and specializes in custom cakes for all occasions including weddings, graduations, birthdays, and any other special occasion.

Location: 8324 N. Second St., Machesney Park

Phone:Ìý815-636-0668

For more:

More:RBK Bakery in Belvidere is a family-owned business

Finalist: Crust & Crumbles

Location: 116 N. Madison St., Suite 118, Rockford

Phone: 815-315-0950

For More:

Finalist: Nothing Bundt Cakes

Location: 881 S. Perryville Road No. 200, Rockford

Phone:Ìý815-580-8170

For more:

The What Rocks Community's Choice Awards celebrates the best businesses and organizations in the Rockford area each year.

Rockford Register Star readers vote at rrstar.com in more than 140 categories for their favorites from bakeries and barbecue joints to banks and barbershops.

Nominations open each year in June, and voting takes place in August. Winners are revealed at an awards gala and shared with readers online at rrstar.com and in a special section recognizing winners and finalists in print.

Chris Green is a Rockford Register Star general assignment reporter. He can be reached at 815-987-1241, via email at cgreen@rrstar.com, and X