There are moments in life when we must put aside the diets, stifle our super egos, embrace our ids and grab spoons.

The kids inside us want something sweet.

Fortunately, some of the greatest culinary geniuses in our region have dedicated themselves to the art of confection. You want a treat or two. You’ll find plenty worth the caloric splurge.

The key to doing this without guilt is to be selective. Forgo the day-old doughnuts your co-worker put out on the conference table. Instead, go for the best.

To help you out, the GO! Tasting Team put their taste buds and stomachs on the line, sampling delights both snooty and common to bring you the dessert tray of your dreams. Here are a few of the highlights:

Key Lime Parfait

The Broadmoor, 1 Lake Ave.

Price: $9

Served in a high-ball glass, filled with a layer of key lime and a tangerine sorbet and black pepper graham cracker and topped with a chocolate fan, this fluffy, beautiful dessert by Rèmy Fünfrock, The Broadmoor’s executive restaurant pastry chef, combines so many things we look for in a dessert. (It’s pictured on the front of the section.) It’s creamy, not too heavy, and the tang from the tangerine explodes in your mouth. Fünfrock oversees the desserts for all The Broadmoor’s restaurants, and his talents hardly end with the parfait. The vanilla bean crème brûlée at Charles Court may be the best in the region, and his many wonderful ways with chocolate are on display in his Chocolate Symphony dessert at the Penrose Room.

Pot De Creme

Nosh, 121 S. Tejon St.

Price: $4

It comes in a little dish with Nosh written in white chocolate on top, center above. This dish takes the chocolate pudding from our childhood and kicks it up several notches. It was created by Alicia Prescott, a rising star on the local culinary scene. She does sweets for Nosh, Blue Star and La’au’s Taco Shop, and you may find her taking more chances than most pastry chefs. For instance, she does a Bacon Fluff Sandwich, a dish that mixes bacon and chocolate in very weird ways. Those not so adventurous should stick to her pot de creme, cheesecakes and killer cobbler.

Ultimate Apple

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, four area locations

Price: $5.99

You can just pick it up on the stick and start eating, like at the fair. But you might ask them to slice it up for you. Then you can savor every crunchy bite without getting caramel all over your face. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has plenty of great caramel apples, which all pair tart Granny Smiths with yummy toppings, but we recommend the Ultimate Apple, loaded with caramel, chocolate, nuts … and maybe a few calories here and there.

Lemon Bars

Otho’s Cookies and Brownies, Chapel Hills Mall, 1710 Briargate Blvd.

Price: $2.75

Otho Spencer bakes like nobody’s business. His lemon bars took top dessert awards at this year’s Chef’s Gala, and if you’ve tried them you’ll understand. The dynamic lemon flavor bursts through every creamy bite.

Carrot Cake

Marigold Cafe & Bakery, 4605 Centennial Blvd.

Price: $3.95 a slice

Marigold does fine dining so well, you sometimes forget how magnificent the bakery end can be. Several of the cakes here are divine, but the moist and nutty carrot cake, topped by a ridiculously generous layer of cream cheese frosting, is our fave.

Blackberry Sour Cream Pie

Smiley’s Bakery & Cafe, 323 N. Tejon St.

Price: $4.25 a slice

Best known for her breakfast, Amy Graham also bakes pies like your grandma used to make. We put one of her cherry pies on the newsroom snack table last week, and in 10 minutes, it looked like a crime scene. Our favorite variety is her Blackberry Sour Cream, but you can’t go wrong with the apple, either. Her crusts are perfect: flaky, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth good.

Rocky Mountain Road Ice Cream

Josh & John’s, 111 E. Pikes Peak Ave., 5152 N. Academy Blvd.

Price: $4.51 for one scoop in a waffle cone

The Ben and Jerry’s of local ice creamers, Josh & John’s is facing some hot competition in the frozen treat biz. The Colorado Custard Company in Manitou Springs, for instance, serves a delicious eggy confection that’s even richer than ice cream. Italian gelato, which packs in more flavor and less fat, also provides a tasty alternative at Dogtooth Coffee Co., Nocon’s Gelatoria and Monument’s newly opened Pikes Peak Ice Cream and Gelato. But sometimes, you just want plain old ice cream — perfectly creamy and thick, with funky flavors and all the mix-ins. And nobody does it better in the Pikes Peak region than Josh & John’s.

Black Forest Torte

Edelweiss German Restaurant, 34 E. Romona Ave.

Price: $4.50 a slice

The strudels might yodel to you, and they’re terrific. But we suggest you hold out for the Black Forest Torte, a moist, delicious chocolate-topped spin on the traditional Black Forest Cake.