Häagen-Dazs Free Cone Day

Häagen-Dazs also has a Free Cone Day. On Tuesday, May 10th from 4 pm - 8 pm, you can visit a Häagen-Dazs store for a free scoop. To find shops, use their Store Locator.

Doughnut Plant Strawberry Cake Doughnut

I know what you're thinking; that I eat way too many doughnuts. But listen, you only live once! And since the new Doughnut Plant location at the Chelsea Hotel is incredibly close to my apartment, I'm free to munch on as many as I want.

I'm partial to cake doughnuts and the seasonal Strawberry Glazed cake doughnut has a really pretty color. It's not strongly strawberry, but it's sweet and fruity. I'll be back for more.

I also sampled the Oatmeal Doughnut. It had a really intriguing appearance with all those oats coating the glaze. I can't say that it was one of my favorites, but it is touted as the "healthy" doughnut. More than half the doughnut is supposed to be made from oatmeal, which probably makes it more appealing to some. But it's my guess that if you're going for a doughnut break, you probably already threw health concerns out the window. 

Doughnut Plant. 379 Grand St, New York, NY 10002 & 222 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011.

(212) 505-3700

http://www.doughnutplant.com/

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie

Speaking of chocolate chip cookies, Jacques Torres makes my favorite! It's simply scrumptious. And extraordinarily full of chocolate, which I love. The chocolate almost seems to be methodically and liberally layered into every cookie's chewy and satisfying dough. And I'm not surprised that the chocolate is given a starring role. That is to be expected from Mr. Chocolate himself.

Tip: Oftentimes, they will serve the cookies to you hot and be sure that they do. This only makes them more incredible. And you can't go wrong with one of his rich hot chocolates, either. Hot chocolate aside this cookie: a match made in chocoholics heaven.

Jacques Torres. Various locations.

http://www.mrchocolate.com/

Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's

It's that time of the year again; Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day! On April 12th, find a Ben & Jerry's scoop shop location and get a free scoop! Hint: there's one at Rockefeller Center and one at Macy's Herald Square.

Some of the new flavors that will be offered this year are:

• Late Night Snack: Inspired by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – Fair Trade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Salty Caramel Swirl & Fudge Covered Potato Chip Clusters (the fudge uses Fair Trade cocoa, too!)
• Bonnaroo Buzz: – Light Coffee & Malt ice creams with Whiskey Caramel swirls & English Toffee pieces. This flavor, inspired by the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, is back by popular demand in Scoop Shops and now available in pints!
• Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream: Vanilla ice cream with fudge covered waffle cone pieces & a caramel swirl. A long time pint favorite, so popular we made it a scoop shop flavor for the first time this year!
• Clusterfluff: Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Cluster Pieces, Peanut Butter & Marshmallow Swirls

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops/feature/free-cone-day/

Roasting Plant Chocolate Chip Cookie

A chocolate chip cookie is something exceedingly simple, yet incredible enough to inspire cravings and favoritism. I can never deny a really good chocolate chip cookie, and the Roasting Plant makes a great one. The Chocolate Chip Cookie there may be one that you've already discovered. In which case, I'll assume you already love it. But for those of you who have yet to indulge, get to the closest location and nibble a cookie with a latte immediately.

These cookies are really fresh because they are baked on premise. The dough evidently comes from Tom Cat Bakery, and I personally don't care that Roasting Plant doesn't make their own because I'm just glad that I can get my hands on these morsels. The edge is pleasingly crisp but every bite is chewy and inclusive of some lovely chocolate chunks.

Roasting Plant. 75 Greenwich Avenue, New York, NY 10011 or 81 Orchard Street, New York, NY 10002.

http://www.roastingplant.com/

Sweetery Red Velvet Whoopie Pie

Did whoopie pies have a moment between cupcakes and macarons? I can't remember.

But there's still something comforting about a whoopie pie; it's indulgent in a guilty pleasure kind of way. I decided to roll with the food truck craze and stopped by dessert truck Sweetery while it was parked in the West Village. The gorgeous deep red color of the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies grabbed my eye. The cake was moist enough and not overly-sweet. It went nicely with the slightly tangy cream cheese filling in the middle. The best part was that I used Tenka and got the sweet treat for free.

Various locations in NYC.

http://sweeterynyc.com/

Pie Pop-up Shop!

This Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27, Martha Stewart is popping up a pie-themed shop at Little Owl the venue at 93 Greenwich Avenue to promote her new book "Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts". Store hours are 10 am - 6 p.m. 

In addition to the book, you will be able to buy baked goods like pies, tartlets and savory galettes as well as beverages. There will also be raffles held. If nothing else, it should at least smell good inside.

93 Greenwich Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts website

Hot Chocolate at Grom

The Cioccolata Calda "Fondente" at Grom is their dark hot chocolate blended with Venezuelen "Ocumare" plantation chocolate. Grom says they make it the traditional Italian way, using chocolate of fine quality from single source chocolate producers. Only a small amount of fresh milk and cane sugar are added, nothing artificial. It is extremely dense and full of flavor. The texture is completely smooth but quite rich and as thick as any good hot chocolate you'll find in the city. Do not skip the scoop of freshly whipped cream that comes with it and melts slowly as you savor every sip.

Grom. 233 Bleecker Street, New York, NY.

(212) 206-1738

http://www.grom.it/ita/

Doughnut Plant's New Location: The Chelsea Hotel on Monday

Doughnut Plant is set to open a new location at the Chelsea Hotel on Monday, February 14th, 2011. Sweetness just in time for Valentine's Day! I'm especially excited because I am a fan of pretty much everything that has ever graced Doughnut Plant's menu and a Chelsea location is considerably closer to my apartment than the original location. 

Doughnut Plant. 279 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002

& the Chelsea Hotel: 220 West 23rd Street. (212) 675-9100. 

http://www.doughnutplant.com/

The City Bakery - Hot Chocolate Festival

If you crave hot choco the same way that I do, make your way to The City Bakery this month.

City Bakery's 19th Annual Hot Chocolate Festival calendar: The City Bakery Hot Chocolate Festival

City Bakery. 3 West 18th Street. New York, NY 10011.

(212) 366-1414

http://www.thecitybakery.com/

Lobster Tail at Ferrara Bakery & Cafe

The Lobster Tail at Ferrara Bakery & Cafe in Little Italy has been a classic for years. And it's pretty to look at, with a liberal dusting of sugar and perpetual flaky layers of pastry. Oh, and it's jam packed with Bavarian Cream.

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe. 195 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013.

(212) 226-6150

http://www.ferraracafe.com/nyc/

Sant Ambroeus Signature Chocolate Cake

After brunching at Morandi and enjoying a semi-dessert of Ricotta Fritters (bottom photo) with pine nuts, rolled in sugar and dried fruit, I found myself wandering the West Village in search of yet another sweet fix. I ended up following my heart into the cozy little espresso bar/restaurant that is Sant Ambroeus. A bunch of scattered tables in the dining room - I hear they serve real food in addition to sweets but I wouldn't know anything about that - and a bright case full of cakes and cookies beckoned like some holy light from the side of the counter. I ordered a cappuccino out of habit; any espresso bar transports me back to the time I spent in Italy a few years ago and I order coffee on auto-pilot even if I am already over my daily caffeine limit. Then I sat back sipping my cappuccino to await my Sant Ambroeus cake (top photo).

When it arrived, I was struck by the attention to detail that went into the decoration. Inside, I was elated to find a rich chocolate mousse atop a thin layer of sponge cake with a creamy chocolate center and the occasional cocoa nib strewn throughout. There was a tiny drop of fudgey chocolate sauce on top. And with that, my sugar craving was finally sated. 

Sant Ambroeus. 259 West 4th St, New York, NY.

(212) 604-9254

http://www.santambroeus.com/new/frameset.php

Chocolate Cake at The Chocolate Room

Please excuse my photo quality. Photo quality isn't relevant to the delicious morsel I'm going to blog about here, anyway. It is so exceptional that I would leave my Manhattan home, following my severe chocoholism, to venture into the largely unfamiliar territory that is Brooklyn. The Chocolate Cake at The Chocolate Room in Park Slope is three layers of moist, dark chocolate cake that is smooth in texture and consistently satisfying. It is not overly dense, nor is it too light. It's that tender happy medium that is sometimes hard to find in a cake this rich. The frosting is creamy and ganache-esque, which takes the dessert over the top. The best part about the frosting is that it is layered into the cake as well. The more the merrier.

The Chocolate Room. 86 5th Avenue, New York, NY 11217.

http://www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com/

Zen Butter Ice Cream at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

I'm one of what appears to be a rare breed of people (over the age of 12) who find themselves able to eat ice cream all year round. Through sub-freezing temperatures and snow storms, ice cream still sounds like a fine idea. The other night I stopped at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and shivered through a scoop of Zen Butter with toasted sesame seeds. The smooth buttery flavor must have kept me warm. 

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. 65 Bayard Street, New York, NY 10013.

http://www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com/

Free Cake at Jacques Torres

Mr. Chocolate is giving away free slices of cake at his Hudson Street location today in honor of their 10 year anniversary. Since it's Jacques Torres, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the flavor of cake will be chocolate. 

Jacques Torres. Hudson Street at King Street, NYC.

http://www.mrchocolate.com/hudson.php

Hot Chocolate Car Bomb at The Redhead

The Redhead has an unexpectedly interesting cocktail list and menu, and the hot cocktail options made me smile (through chattering teeth) on a freezing December night. Their Hot Chocolate Car Bomb took the edge off the cold night upon first sip, living up to its description on the menu; "the ultimate winter warmer". Guiness and Jameson were both swirled into hot chocolate and the finished product was topped with a little whipped cream and Bailey's marshmallows. I'm already looking forward to going back for more.

The Redhead. 349 E. 13th Street, New York, NY. 

http://www.theredheadnyc.com/

Bissau Cookie at Rubyzaar Baked

The Bissau Cookie by Rubyzaar Baked incorporates roasted peanut butter, sun-dried bananas and dark chocolate chunks. Rubyzaar claims that this specific cookie is a "taste of West Africa" but I can't speak to that. I can say, however, that my personal dream of peanut butter, banana and chocolate baked into a cookie materialized in front of my eyes at a Rubyzaar Baked stand. Unfortunately, none of the flavors really sang and they sort of disappeared into each other and a ton of butter, the greasy feel of which really filled my mouth in a regrettable manner. The texture was also sort of dull.

Rubyzaar seems to offer their cookies during the holiday season only, so note that your time to ingest this cookie has a limit. I got mine at the 16th Annual Union Square Holiday Market.

http://shop.rubyzaar.com/

Kissable Cupcakes at Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Mint and chocolate is a tried and true combination. But in a cupcake?

The Kissable Cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine is a chocolate peppermint cupcake with cream cheese frosting, topped with red and green sprinkles to commemorate the upcoming holiday season. It had an alluring minty, chocolately fragrance. The cake was the perfect consistency and the peppermint shone through despite a truly chocolate flavor.  Like the Spicy Pumpkin Cupcake, the frosting to cake ratio was done right. It was incredibly delicious. And the best part was that, after I had inhaled the whole dessert, the refreshing minty finish left me fully prepared to pucker up!

Sugar Sweet Sunshine. 126 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002.

http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/

Cranberry Doughnuts at Doughnut Plant

By now you can tell that I like to frequent Doughnut Plant in the LES for their artisanal doughnut creations. With the holidays coming up, they are now churning out Cranberry Doughnuts. I tried the cranberry cake doughnut and found it to be a bit heavier than the usual cake doughnuts. There were tangy bits of fresh cranberries in the dough as well as in the icing. However, this was really just a glazed cake doughnut with the incorporation of cranberry chunks into the cake and icing. But I have to give it points for the lovely rosy color. 

Doughnut Plant. 279 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002.

http://www.doughnutplant.com/

Spicy Pumpkin Cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Despite the fact that the passing of the Thanksgiving holiday marks the end of pumpkin season for me, I still love the stuff so I had to test out the Spicy Pumpkin Cupcake that caught my eye in the display case in the LES bakery Sugar Sweet Sunshine. The spiced pumpkin cake had hints of cinnamon and nutmeg and it was extremely moist and not too dense. The cream cheese frosting was not overwhelmingly heavy and the ratio of frosting to cake was acceptable, whereas many NYC cupcakes are infamously smothered in excessive amounts of frosting (more is not always better). All in all, it was a pretty good cupcake and a fine end to my pumpkin season. 

Sugar Sweet Sunshine. 126 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002.

http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/