Pastry Walking Tour

When I was in culinary school, one of my amazing chef instructors took my class on a pastry walking tour to explore some of the wonderful desserts that NYC has to offer. Yesterday, I took my mom and aunt for a pastry walking tour for Mother's Day for the third year in a row. Living in NYC means that every year the tours can be something new and different since we're always discovering a new shop or chef! Here's a look at some of the things we ate:

We stopped by Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar and sampled a PBJ chocolate (peanut butter and jelly encased in a chocolate shell) as well as a small gianduja (chocolate and hazelnut) and orange chocolate.

Next stop was Il Cantuccio (91 Christopher Street) where we had a Pancioc - a sweet roll studded with chocolate chips. This place is definitely worth a visit to Greenwich Village! Super delicious rolls and basins filled to the brim with assorted homemade biscotti.




I also took them to Doughnut Plant because they had never been. Everyone I know must go to Doughnut Plant. We got a Valrhona chocolate, a blackout and a square jelly.

This is a goody bag I made for my mom and aunt that included a Diet Coke, gum, train tickets and a Starbucks gift card so we would be set for the walk!

Tuesday Top 5 - Favorite Dessert Spots in Manhattan

Nothing makes me happier than finding a new dessert or a delicious bakery. Living in NYC there’s no shortage of delicious pastries just waiting to be sampled! Here are my Top 5 favorite desserts in Manhattan:

5. Jacques Torres – a chocolate connoisseur’s heaven. Try the hot chocolate or any piece of chocolate you can get your hands on.

4. Rickshaw Dumpling Bar – this dumpling haven makes the most unbelievable chocolate dumplings. Hot liquid chocolate comes pouring out of delicious dough covered in poppy seeds.

3. Levain Bakery– a tiny bakery with the biggest, perfectly baked chocolate chip cookies.

2. Doughnut Plant – a doughnut shop on the Lower East Side with imaginative flavors that uses high end ingredients

1. Momofuku Milk Bar & Bakery – compost cookie, blueberry cream cookie, candy bar pie, cereal milk. Pastry Chef Christina Tosi is an endless fountain of creative and addictive sweets!

The candy bar pie at Momofuku Milk Bar.