After days of researching, our list has become extensive. We even plan on spending a day walking through Brooklyn, because unbeknownst to us, Brooklyn is where all the amazing foodie shops are. I thought the best way to showcase the desserts we try is to let everyone in on our Sweets Crawl and hopefully it inspires you to take a trip to the city!
Week 1 brought us to the doorstep of two delicious bakeries specializing in two of the dessert-world's newest fads: macarons and cupcakes.
The first stop for me was the Macaron Cafe conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan at 161 West 36th Street, only a few blocks away from my internship! This was the first time I had ever experienced a macaron and let me tell you, I am a be-lieber. If you've never had one either, it's hard to explain the flavor. The cookies are very soft and have a sweet cream filling or fresh fruit puree. Personally, I preferred the cream filling, of course, but the puree was just as tasty.
The Macaron Cafe sells gift boxes of 6, 12, and 24 macarons that you can choose yourself. They have over 30 flavors that you can choose from, making it impossible for you not to find a macaron you love. I do have to warn anyone who has never had one before. They are made with almond flour, so if you're allergic to tree nuts, please do not eat these!
Although these gift boxes are not cheap (a box of six will set you back $14), they were absolutely worth it! I tried dark chocolate, espresso, nutella, raspberry, vanilla, and caramel. Each and every one was absolutely delicious. I am thoroughly excited to try more macaron shops.
The second stop on the Sweets Crawl was Crumbs Bakery at 655 6th Avenue in the Flatiron District. This one was a bit more of a trek from my work in Midtown, but it was a wonderful treat! Let me just tell you that these cupcakes are GINORMOUS: the largest cupcakes I have ever seen. You can even order cupcakes that serve 6-8 people. They can't even be considered cupcakes at that point. But if you'd rather a 6 oz cupcake that is twice the size of any normal cupcake, you need to take a trip to Crumbs.
They also have an extensive selection of decadent cupcake flavors. Meg and I decided to split four cupcakes between us to try as many as we could. These are also much cheaper. They were about half the price of what I paid for the macarons. I tried the cookie dough and peanut butter cup, while meg had the black out and red velvet.
These were probably the four best decisions we have ever made in our entire lives. To choose a favorite wouldn't be fair because they were all tasty in their own way.
So take this journey with us as we eat our way through the fantastic bakeries that line New York City. Hopefully, it will spark your own Sweets Crawl!
