The Sweet Spots
Check out our interactive location map to find the most creative ways across the country to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Sugar Porn 19 Photos
Flip through pics of some of the most decadent, mouthwatering desserts money can buy.
Meet the Contributors 16 Photos
These hilarious sugar fiends take the cake (literally –– and then review it).
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Digital-Original Series: Sweetnr
When desserts start using dating apps, crazy mash-ups are born.
The Country's Top 5 Best Desserts 4 Videos
We've rounded-up the best pies, doughnuts, cupcakes and breakfast treats around.
Instagram Dessert Pics Actually Worth Looking At 26 Photos
Episodes
See Episode GuideSugar High
It's time for the ultimate sugar high. In Miami, Brain Freeze Nitrogen Ice Cream Lab is concocting delicious creations, and offering a mad scientist challenge to eat 30 scoops of ice cream in 30 minutes. At Spot Dessert Bar in New York City, imaginations run wild with their Asian-inspired plated desserts, including a riff on the classic chocolate lava cake featuring an explosion of creamy green tea. And in Southern California, Afters Ice Cream delivers two desserts in one with their donut ice cream sandwiches!
Shocking Sweets
We're searching high and low for New York City's most shocking sweets! In Astoria, Queens, an underground doughnut spot called Donut Diva is frying up outrageous cake doughnut creations that will make your jaw drop. At Eggloo in Manhattan's Chinatown, ice cream is generously piled in soft, puffy cones and customers get as many colorful toppings as they want. And Do, Cookie Dough Confections in Murray Hill is breaking all the rules by dishing out ready-to-eat raw cookie dough in a cup.
Surf, Sun and Sweets
Hawaii is more than just pristine beaches: it's also home to some incredible sweet treats. Lee Anne Wong serves sweet brunch specialties at Koko Head Cafe, while Via Gelato blends Hawaiian flavors with Italian techniques to make innovative frozen sweets. And renowned Vietnamese restaurant The Pig and the Lady serves out-of-the-box creations at their dessert bar.
Updated Classics
Trigger your fondest food memories with flavors you never remembered in our favorite picks for revisited retro and nostalgic desserts. Indulge in caramel corn in San Francisco, a Meyer Lemon Shaker Pie, the creamiest of cheesecakes to have all to yourself, or a slice of birthday cake unlike any mother ever made.
Coffee Break
We found the most unique sweets to suit your morning cup o' Joe. Abraco's morning pastries are packed with bold flavors like black sesame cardamom spiced cake and saffron sugar babka. Crespella adds a taste of Italy to your coffee with their crepes flavored and topped with tiramisu and cannoli. Bang Bang Pie in Chicago bakes decadent pies, from blueberry to a frozen sage lemon summer pie. Angel Food Bakery in Minneapolis serves donut bread pudding and tres leche cupcakes.
Sweet & Savory
Forget bacon and chocolate: we found the spots for sweet-and-savory desserts that are new to the menu. Between sweetened tofu, donuts that raid the savory spice cabinet, roasted red pepper gelato and a cupcake that's fit for dinner, you'll never look at dessert the same way again.
Doughnuts
Glazed, sprinkled, filled or even plain, there's nothing so delectable as a freshly fried doughnut. So when you add some unique twists on this all American treat, they are quite simply, irresistible.
SoCal Sweets
We're coasting through Southern California to cool down with the hottest frozen treats. At Snow Monster in Long Beach, they offer sophisticated ice cream creations, like macaron ice cream sandwiches and drinks topped with clouds of cotton candy. In Santa Ana, Cauldron Ice Cream specializes in small batches made with liquid nitrogen served in one-of-a-kind waffle cones. And Front Porch Pops in Santa Ana has 63 rotating hand-crafted ice pop flavors that can be dipped and decked out with toppings.
Cravings
We discover unique versions of the most sought after sweets. Chocolates that have no chocolate, brownies and cookies baked in together in perfect harmony, ice cream that's literally farm to cone and mini pancakes like you've never seen before. It's what you crave, only better.
Crazy Delicious Doughnuts
Across the country, doughnut shops are coming up with innovative new ways to reinvent this crowd favorite. In Portland, Ore., there's a place that specializes in grown up versions that feature bold glazes and boozy fillings. In New York, old-school mini doughnuts made fresh to order are all the rage with the 15 different kinds of flavored sugars that let you customize your own for a bite. And in San Francisco, a charming little doughnut shop has developed a loyal following thanks to their light, supple doughnut and seasonal, silky cream fillings.
Sweetlandia
We're traveling to Portland, Ore., to discover some of the city's most scrumptious and satisfying treats. We start at Bushel and Peck Bakeshop, where the sweet and tart Marionberry Mint Muffin is a perfect way to start your day and the Double Chocolate Squash Scone with Espresso Maple Glaze is a great afternoon pick-me-up. Plus, if you're in the mood for a seriously sinful treat, try the Pretzel Almond Caramel Bar. Next, follow us to The Cakery for some of the prettiest -- and tallest -- cakes we've seen. The Pink Cake looks sweet and angelic, but one bite of this cake reveals a deliciously naughty chocolate center. And explore your love of lemon one layer at a time with the Lovely Lemon Cake. And at Palmetto Cafe, the Coconut Bundt Cake takes carrot cake to the tropics for a fantastically flavorful luau, featuring special guests coconut, pineapple and, the star of the show, purple heirloom carrots.
Coffee Break
We found the most unique sweets to suit your morning cup o' Joe. Abraco's morning pastries are packed with bold flavors like black sesame cardamom spiced cake and saffron sugar babka. Crespella adds a taste of Italy to your coffee with their crepes flavored and topped with tiramisu and cannoli. Bang Bang Pie in Chicago bakes decadent pies, from blueberry to a frozen sage lemon summer pie. Angel Food Bakery in Minneapolis serves donut bread pudding and tres leche cupcakes.
Boston Sweets
Boston is a city with a lot of history ... and a lot of great sweets! First we visit Union Square Donuts. Their fluffy, puffy, glorious yeast donuts come in wicked awesome flavors like peanut butter marshmallow cream and brown butter hazelnut crunch. And don't forget their classic cake donuts! Next we're off to Flour Bakery, a Boston staple offering a bevy of brioche options, like twice baked brioche, sugar bun brioche and cinnamon cream brioche. They knock it out of the park with their pies and tarts, too! Our last stop is Area Four, a Cambridge coffee shop with some of the best-baked goods around. Their whole wheat cookie based J-bar, chocolate espresso B cookie and brown sugar studded craquelin all score high marks with MIT and Harvard students and professors in the area.
Breakfast Sweets
Of bakeries and brunches from the Pacific Northwest to New York City, we've found the best reasons to roll out of bed in the morning. Think outside the toaster and try a warm slice of brioche sweetened with almond paste and homemade almond syrup, a hand-forged donut, a towering stack of peanut-butter filled chocolate waffles, or a coffee cake made just for you (with a single-drip artisan coffee brew to match).
Morning Munchies
We're going on an ocean-hopping journey from Hawaii to the mainland for some magnificent morning munchies. We start with sweet unique ways to add fruits and veggies to your morning meal with a tropical Breakfast Bruschetta, Blue Corn Zucchini Bread, and a Strawberry Mint Hand Pie that will have you practically jumping out of bed. Next, a dizzying array of donuts from Glazed, Chocolate Malasadas, Apple Fritters, and a Donut Cake! If you're wanting something a little lighter, cozy up to some Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crisps or a multigrain Muesli Toast with nuts, berries, honey and green-tea custard.
Breakfast Pastries
Nothing beats waking up in the morning to the scent of hot buttery sweet pastries. And these breakfast pastries from Oregon, California, New York and Connecticut are unlike anything you've had before. Once that morning coffee kicks in, you'll need to dig in.
Sweets All Day Long
Check out three unique places that satisfy any sweet tooth from sunrise to sundown. At the Wandering Goose in Seattle, they push the sweet boundaries with Southern goodies like chocolate chip cookies with toffee and crispy chicken skin. In Fort Worth, Texas, a neighborhood shop called Stir Crazy Baked Goods offers up the most delicious cookies, pies, scones and even quiches. At Bibble and Sip in New York City, you'll find sugary sweet treats with French and Asian influences, like croissant muffins and green tea fudge.
Old is New Again
Classic desserts get deliciously updated at three sweet shops across the country. Skull and Cakebones rocks vegan cupcakes in Austin, Texas, with flavors like basil berry, dirty chai and just beet it, you'll be singing a new tune about dairy free desserts. Valerie Confections in Los Angeles is resurrecting vintage cake recipes with mouthwatering results: Head here for a slice of coffee crunch cake or banana shortcake. And in Brooklyn, Hay Rosie uses unusual ingredients like champagne and hops to flavor super creamy scoops of ice cream.
Doughnuts
Glazed, sprinkled, filled or even plain, there's nothing so delectable as a freshly fried doughnut. So when you add some unique twists on this all American treat, they are quite simply, irresistible.
Austin Sweet Freeze
Austin can get sweltering hot but they have plenty of delicious options to keep you cool. At Cow Tipping Creamery, Corey Sorensen is making stackers, her layered version of a sundae that not only gives you plenty of ice cream but ensures that you can get your fill of her homemade toppings. At Dolce Neve you can savor their authentic Italian gelato flavors made with in-season Texas produce and at Sweet Ritual you can try a vegan ice cream that has all the creaminess and flavor you crave with none of the animal byproducts.
L.A. Sweets
It's a tour of the sweetest spots in Los Angeles. At Republique, French pastries are expertly crafted, and totally addictive. The Pistachio Raspberry Kouign Amann is like California summer wrapped in a buttery and flaky dough. And you'll love unwrapping the Cherry Pistachio Braid layer by sugary layer. At Churro Borough, their version of an ice cream sandwich pairs artisanal ice cream with two warm, flaky deep fried pastry disks. Then we check out the unique cloud cakes at Bo Nuage.
SoCal Sweets
We're coasting through Southern California to cool down with the hottest frozen treats. At Snow Monster in Long Beach, they offer sophisticated ice cream creations, like macaron ice cream sandwiches and drinks topped with clouds of cotton candy. In Santa Ana, Cauldron Ice Cream specializes in small batches made with liquid nitrogen served in one-of-a-kind waffle cones. And Front Porch Pops in Santa Ana has 63 rotating hand-crafted ice pop flavors that can be dipped and decked out with toppings.
Modern Comfort
Dominique Ansel in New York takes traditional French pastries and bakes them for the 21st century. Angel Food Bakery in Chicago satisfies the cravings for retro American sweet treats. French and Vietnamese flavors and traditions come together at Elizabeth Street Cafe in Austin. Salty Tart creates pastries with a midwestern flair in Minneapolis.
Sweet Reinvention
We're traveling the country in search of people giving classic sweets a modern and delicious makeover. In New York City, a charming little shop is putting a gourmet spin on the crispy rice treat, with flavors loved by children and adults alike. In Atlanta, the simple ice pop has been transformed into a frosty combination of real ingredients and unique textures. And in Seattle, there's a new take on the soda shop that serves amazing ice cream floats, made with the house's premium ice creams and their very own dessert beers.
Sweet Imagination
Life's too short for boring desserts, so we're sinking our teeth into some of the country's most imaginative sweets. Moojo is helping keep Austin weird and oh so delicious with customized ice cream sandwiches made with warm cookies. Hail Mary in Brooklyn is the answer to your sweet tooth's prayers thanks to American classics with colorful, modern makeovers. At Super Chunk Sweets and Treats in Scottsdale, Arizona, mouthwatering desserts are brilliantly packaged in small bites that are big on flavor.
Brooklyn
We step off the island and head deep into the heart of Brooklyn to find the best sweets this New York City borough has to offer. Inspired by her Mexican heritage, Chef Fany Gerson pushes flavor combinations with hibiscus, passion fruit and even horchata in her doughnuts at Dough. Ample Hills Creamery whips up small batch artisanal ice cream in flavors like caramel, honey and breakfast cereal. Ovenly is combining salty and sweet with a touch of spice to craft cookies and cakes. At Robicelli's, familiar desserts like cheese platters, and root beer floats are packaged into cute cupcakes.
Sugar Central
