NYC Tastes

I love Sunday mornings at Patisserie Chanson.  This beautiful French bakery makes my favorite baked goods in the city, from their flaky Raspberry Croissants and Black Sesame Kougins to the creamy Eclairs and Chocolate Mille Feuilles. My current obsession is their seasonal Yuzu Bomboloni.  It's impossibly fluffy and light on the outside, rolled in sugar, then stuffed with a bright, citrusy yuzu cream that's so refreshing, I actually feel transported to a beautiful yuzu tree filled island.   Of course I'm actually just sitting across from Eataly, two blocks from my tiny apartment, but it's good to have island daydreams once in a while.  Patisserie Chanson 20 West 23rd Street New York, NY 10010

I have a new favorite cookie spot in NYC and it tastes every single bit as good as it looks- the Triple Chocolate Cookie from Korean bakery Besfren. This enormous cookie doesn't just look incredible, it tastes amazing as well.  It's thick and soft in the middle, like it had just come out of the oven with crunchy brown edges around the rim and TONS of chocolate chips- the classic bittersweet chip, dark chocolate and milk chocolate squares.  The dough has a wonderful buttery brown sugar flavor that just pulls it all together.  I am absolutely in love with this cookie.  I honestly just wish it was a tad smaller because I have no will power and devour the entire thing.   Besfren 315 5th Avenue at 33rd Street New York, NY 10016

I was in serious need of an afternoon pick me up last week and stumbled across this cute little spot in the West Village Mah Ze Dahr Bakery.  There were a lot of delicious looking treats in the display case; a thick, slice of Devils Food Cake, a fluffy Brioche Doughnut sprinkled with sugar and round Vanilla Choux balls, but it was the simple Chocolate Chip Cookie that called my name. Small and round with a golden brown top this cookie had just the perfect amount of chew with a buttery brown sugar dough and thin discs of chocolate layered throughout ensuring a piece in each delicious bite. Paired with a frothy Macchiato this was homey, chocolate comfort perfection.  Mah Ze Dahr Bakery 28 Greenwich Avenue New York, NY 10011

I was wandering around the Upper East Side and stumbled across this incredibly cute new bakery called Padoca right on the corner of 68th Street.  They had a great mix of both sweet and savory items like fluffy Egg & Cheese Brioche, thick Brazilian French and cheese filled Empanada's.  Of course I went straight for something sweet their signature Rocky Road Cookie. The dough was super soft with slivers of milk chocolate and walnuts studding the inside and big fluffy orange marshmallows on top just for Halloween.  Cookie perfection! Padoca Bakery 359 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065