bomboloni
Bomboloni. Photo courtesy of Bomboloni.

In 2013, the media was saturated with coverage about New Yorkā€™s most unique treat: The Cronut. However, just because a baked good is lesser-known doesnā€™t mean it isnā€™t innovative. In fact, there are a number of interesting pastries and desserts in NYC that many consider more ingenious — and more delicious — than the croissant-doughnut-combo.

Looking for an NYC tour guide? Please email jdfesta7 (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject “NYC Tour Guide” for information on customized tours.

Take for example Bomboloni in NYCā€™s Upper West Side, which serves an authentic Italian bomboloni — a round doughnut pastry filled with assorted jams, creams and fillings — made in-house from scratch daily before being dipped in melted chocolate and topped with anything from powdered sugar to peanut butter cups. Or for something NYC-inspired, a Big Apple from Spot Dessert Bar is a decadent raspberry puree-coated soft cheesecake with walnut and orange salad thatā€™s disguised as a big shiny red apple.

Sweet Spot Dessert
Big Apple. Photo courtesy of the Sweet Spot.

VIPs should head to The Baconery for their lavish 23k Gold Bacon, made with a thick slice of Nueskeā€™s Cherrywood Bacon and dipped in dark semi-sweet chocolate before sprinkling 23k edible gold bacon on it. Craving more sweet meat? Milk and Cookies Bakery serves a hearty Bacon Smack!, which combines maple syrup, dried cranberries, toffee, graham cracker, 72% dark chocolate chunks and candied Neuskes cherry wood smoked bacon into one single cookie.

While youā€™ve heard the buzz about Chef Dominique Anselā€™s modern take on the croissant with the Cronut, Bien Cuit serves up their own unique variety through their breakfast croissants — twice baked and dipped in brandy — in almond and chocolate almond flavors. Other interesting items on the menu include a Maple Yam Danish with crĆØme fraĆ®che, a Roobios Fig Tart, and a Milk & Honey Petit Pain made using 24-hour milk-based fermentation and enriched with honey.

Macarella Sweetery
Macarella. Photo courtesy of Sweetery.

Like the Cronut, the Macarella from Sweetery NYC is the union of two delicious treats: macaroons and nutella. A coconut macaroon is flattered out, baked and sandwiched with Nutella between for a mix of flavor, crunch and creamy all wrapped in one bite.

Looking for something a bit more hearty? Brooklynā€™s Four & Twenty Blackbirds makes sweet and savory pies using mainly local and organic ingredients as well as natural sweeteners to make flavors like Chili Chocolate; Mint Julep (mint, chocolate and bourbon); Sweet Potato Apple Crumble; and Bourbon Pear Crumble.

What NYC pastry do you think is better than the Cronut?

The following two tabs change content below.

Jessica Festa

Jessica Festa is the editor of Epicure & Culture as well as Jessie on a Journey. She enjoys getting lost in new cities and having experiences you donā€™t read about in guidebooks. Some of her favorite travel experiences have been teaching English in Thailand, trekking her way through South America, backpacking Europe solo, road tripping through Australia, agritouring through Tuscany, and volunteering in Ghana.

Jessica Festa

Jessica Festa is the editor of Epicure & Culture as well as Jessie on a Journey. She enjoys getting lost in new cities and having experiences you donā€™t read about in guidebooks. Some of her favorite travel experiences have been teaching English in Thailand, trekking her way through South America, backpacking Europe solo, road tripping through Australia, agritouring through Tuscany, and volunteering in Ghana.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.