11 Insta-Worthy Desserts to Eat This Spring and Summer
Read original story on Zagat.com
Warmer weather is finally upon us (with summer around the corner), which means one thing...colorful hand-held desserts will be all over your Instagram feed. To help you get ahead of the game, we put together a list of some of the tastiest and most photo-friendly treats in town. Check them out below.
Halo-halo at Ube Kitchen
Plant-powered pop-up Ube Kitchen is serving what is perhaps the most beautiful dessert at Smorgasburg. Its modern interpretation of halo-halo, a popular Filipino dessert which translates to “mix mix” in English, features ube ice cream (vegan option available), blackberries, red mung beans, organic granola, tapioca pearls, mangoes, dragon fruit, jackfruit, toasted coconut flakes and a coconut milk sauce to be poured over top. For an extra dollar you can have it served in a dragon fruit bowl for maximum photo appeal.
Smorgasburg, Saturdays at 90 Kent Ave., Brooklyn and Sundays at Prospect Park (Breeze Hill)
Churro s’mores at Boqueria
Known for its Barcelona-style tapas, this NYC eatery with multiple locations offers a churro-centered dessert menu which includes churro s’mores, a dessert hybrid that replaces graham crackers with churro cookies and is finished with melted chocolate, cinnamon sugar and toasted marshmallows. Things will get messy while eating this treat, but it’s well worth it.
Multiple locations, 53 West 19th Street; 212-255-4160
Soft serve at Soft Swerve
Swirling NYC’s “yammiest ice cream,” this premium soft serve specialist offers unique flavors including ube purple yam, macapuno coconut, matcha green tea and black sesame. Swirl options combine ube and macapuno, and matcha and black sesame. Choose from classic combinations like Woodside (ube ice cream, toasted coconut, mochi) and Brooklyn Bridge (black sesame ice cream, Skor toffee, mochi, caramel drizzle), or create your own by choosing from a variety of toppings and drizzles.
85B Allen Street; 646-476-6311
Raw cookie dough at DŌ
The crowds have yet to die down since Kristen Tomlan (one of Zagat’s national 30 Under 30 semifinalists) opened a brick-and-mortar shop earlier this year for her delectable raw cookie dough and cookie-themed treats, and it’s not difficult to see why. From classic flavors like signature chocolate chip to combinations like Salty & Sweet (sugar cookie, salted caramel, dark chocolate chips and sea salt) and seasonal creations like snickerdoodle, there’s a cookie dough flavor for everyone.
550 LaGuardia Place; 646-892-3600
Purple raindrop cake at Raindrop Cake
Raindrop Cake®, which debuted its delicate, refreshing Japanese water cakes at Smorgasburg last year, is back for the 2017 season with a new addition to its menu: purple raindrop cake. This vegan treat made with ube is served with coconut jelly and coconut milk. Simple flavors combined with a truly unique texture make this buzzy dessert a must-try.
Smorgasburg, Saturdays at 90 Kent Ave., Brooklyn and Sundays at Prospect Park (Breeze Hill)
Fish-shaped waffle ice cream cone at Taiyaki
Heading into its first summer season since its September 2016 debut, Taiyaki’s signature is its fish-shaped waffle cones that are filled with red bean or custard. The warm, freshly made waffles molded with a double-sided press are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside — the perfect complement to a cold, small-batch soft serve. Be sure to snap your pic and begin eating immediately before the ice cream starts melting.
119 Baxter Street; 212-966-2882
Dragon fruit bowl at Baba Cool
As seen at Dessert Goals and BrunchCon, these gorgeous, guilt-free bowls return to Baba Cool in May and its booth at LIC Flea & Food beginning May 13. It’s made with dragon fruit puréed with almond milk and peaches, then topped with cacao nibs, bee pollen, pepita, chia and banana.
64-B Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn; 347-689-2344
LIC Flea, 5-25 46th Ave., Long Island City
Berry Gibbs dip at Mister Dips
From chef Andrew Carmellini, this Airstream trailer kitchen in Williamsburg offers a roadside shack–inspired menu of burgers, waffle fries and creative dairy dips like Jacker-Crax (made with buttered caramel popcorn and salted peanuts). Its new seasonal dip, the Berry Gibbs, features strawberry soft serve in strawberry dip. It’s served in a cone filled with crushed Nilla wafers and boozy strawberries.
111 North 12th Street, Brooklyn
Blueberry and parsnip donut at The Doughnut Project
From the mad donut scientists that brought you The Everything Doughnut (sweet cream cheese glaze topped with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pepita, garlic and sea salt) and Those Beetz Are Dope (beet glaze with ricotta whip filling), the newest flavor, blueberry and parsnip, is topped with a blueberry glaze and parsnip swirl. This limited time donut is available until the end of June.
10 Morton Street; 212-691-5000
Ring dings at Ring Ding Bar
These are not the Drake’s Ring Dings from your childhood. Chef Madeline Lanciani describes her creations as “the perfect pastry… like eating a piece of cake without a fork!” In addition to the Classic (chocolate with vanilla cream filling), there’s pastel-pink glazed strawberry shortcake, sprinkle-topped funfetti, French toast and more.
Duane Park Patisserie, 179 Duane Street; 212-274-8447
Smorgasburg in Williamsburg, Saturdays at 90 Kent Ave., Brooklyn
Rice Krispie Treat ice cream sandwich at Emmy Squared
Detroit-style square pie specialist Emmy Squared offers a Rice Krispie Treat ice cream sandwich featuring vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two homemade Rice Krispies Treats and topped with rainbow sprinkles. You’ll want to snap, crackle, pop this onto your Insta feed ASAP.
364 Grand Street, Brooklyn; 718-360-4535
