Best Desserts
TWO LITTLE RED HENS 1652 Second Ave.
212-452-0476
This trendy and extremely popular bake shop features the best cakes and cupcakes this side of Paris. Their specialty is the Brooklyn Blackout, four layers of chocolate cake, three layers of chocolate pudding and a creamy fudge frosting. They specialize in cupcakes and the most popular offerings include yellow, chocolate and red velvet, but you can also score seasonal carrot, banana and pumpkin ones. They even have cream-filled Brooklyn blackout cupcakes.
LEVAIN 167 West 74th St.
212-874-6080
How can you beat a place that arguably makes the best walnut chocolate chip cookie on the planet? They are famous for their long lines — they even have a line cam you can check out — but it’s well worth the wait. Ranked in the top two or three of the nearly 500 dessert places in New York City, Levain also offers peanut butter chip cookies, mini pizzas, fruit tarts, lemon cake and terrific sticky buns. A little over-commercialized — they sell a variety of T-shirts and other items — but hey, when you’re the best, why not?
SWEET CORNER BAKE SHOP 535 Hudson St.
212-206-8500
Check out this snug, cozy downtown eatery to enjoy cookies, coffee, pastry, wraps, pop tarts, mouth-watering tiramisu, passion fruit mousse and Snickerdoodles. Everything is freshly baked from scratch each morning. Their signature offering is a Nutella bomb cookie, and they also sell Nutella hearts for you sweetie — and your sweet tooth. The place is cashless, so leave your greenbacks at home and bring your credit cards.