You know that feeling when you see some new dessert posted online and all you can think is, how did I not know about this sooner? Dessert Goals gives you that feeling every time you take another step in the room.
Back for its second run, this “why-didn’t-I-think-of-it-first” festival brings together NYC’s most innovative dessert curators under one roof for two days of the best sweet treats money can buy.
Not only do they make sure your sweet tooth is more than covered, they even make sure you’re able to make the most of your Insta photos by offering a full garden with Instagram backgrounds and set-ups for the ultimate picture game.
This year’s garden was sponsored by Juicy Couture’s new fragrance, Viva La Juicy Sucré, so safe to say it was super fancy and very pink.
Dylan’s Candy Bar sponsored a small candy station where you could take home a container of your own. And Bodum and Intellegentsia Coffee provided some excellent French press coffee, because what goes better with dessert than a fresh brew?
The sweets were rounded by a salty snack station with popcorn, chips, and pretzels. And they even had a sitting area with gummy bear chairs in case you needed to take a breather.
In case you missed it, here’s the lowdown on all the booths at the festival, so you can find these sweets out and about NYC for yourself:
Baba Cool
For those looking for one of the healthier options, there’s a killer Dragonfruit bowl here with your name on it.
Van Leeuwen
If vegan ice cream (or just ice cream made with ingredients that are incredibly pure and free of chemicals) is your thing, Van Leeuwen’s got you.
They’re known as NYC’s best vegan ice cream for a reason. Their bonbons were limited to Dessert Goals for now, but their regular ice cream and vegan treats are yours for the tasting on the daily.
Taiyaki NYC
If you haven’t heard of Taiyaki, you must be living under a rock. The iconic store selling waffle cones in the shape of fish, filled with matcha soft serve and smothered in toppings like Mochi and wafers, is the stuff of dreams. They even have seasonal options throughout the year, so be sure to follow them.
Coolhaus
This was one of my favorite stops of the day. Coolhaus makes next level ice cream sandwiches that you can customize using their homemade cookie and ice cream flavors. They have wacky cookies like s’mores and ice cream flavors like chicken and waffle.
Ring Ding Bar
This was for sure the booth I was most looking forward to. It was the ultimate nostalgia trip being able to eat my favorite after school snack from childhood in flavors I’ve never tasted before. Ring Dings upgraded with Dulche de Leche or Strawberry Shortcake as flavors? Yes, please!
Mochidoki
Mochidoki is a veteran of Dessert Goals and for good reason. They’re making mochi like never before, stuffed with ice cream.
Jae NYC Eats
Another Dessert Goals vet, Jae is known for her next-level Twinkies. This year, she also came armed with seriously stacked Halo Halo doughnuts and newly flavored mini Pop-Tarts like fried banana with jack fruit.
#Baonanas
Banana pudding that basically tastes like ice cream? It’s made with banana, so it’s basically a fruit. Eat all the flavors.
Boqueria
Say it with me: CHURRO S’MORES. Need I say more? It was love at first sight and infatuation at first bite. Soooo delicious.
The Brick Boutique
I have to say, this one was new to me. It was possibly the most original dessert I’d seen there, if only because I had never heard of it before. These little Taiwanese shortbread “bricks” are filled with pineapple and create a deliciously buttery-sweet bite. And don’t worry, they’re way softer to bite into than real bricks.
Little Treats
If you’ve never heard of brigadeiros, I was right there with you. But once you taste one of these Brazilian treats that are kind of like richer versions of typical truffles, you’ll never want a regular truffle again.
Stache of Goods
Have you seen those Beauty and the Beast macaron videos lately? Stache of Goods is probably the inspiration, and makes its own amazing character look-alike macarons that look almost too cute to eat… almost.
Underwest Donuts
This iconic donut joint that started in a gas station was all over the news. Now they’re out from under and are sharing their creative donuts with all of their fans. They even had a Dessert Goals exclusive flavor with cotton candy on top.
Silk Cakes
This cool Japanese cake shop makes incredible treats using traditional Japanese inspiration like roses made with strawberry mousse and chocolate petals, and cupcakes with condensed milk.
Johan
This may be the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever had, not even kidding you. The mousse was so fresh, made with natural ingredients and was rich without being too indulgent.
Little Red Kitchen
If you’re a fan of cookie cakes, these cookie pies will be your next obsession. I’m not a pie person, but I could eat a whole Kitchen Sink pie if given the chance
Rare Bird Sweets
These artsy treats had so much flavor packed in one bite. Some of them may look like typical cupcakes, but one taste and you’ll realize they are anything but.
Call Me Caramel
Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love caramel. Hearing they were mixed with cheese gave me mixed feelings, but these little babies will surprise you if you’re open to a first bite. They’re seriously addictive.
Sweet Dames
Macarons be damned, I’m in love with the old-fashioned macaroons. Those macaroons are a staple in my family’s kitchen every year for the Jewish holidays.
Sweet Dames makes some adorable bite-sized macaroons, and even offers a cocoroon—a combo of macaroons and chocolate-covered marshmallow. It’s basically two of my favorite childhood sweets rolled into one.
Jessie’s Nutty Cups
These are pretty much Reese’s peanut butter cups on steroids. ‘Nuf said.
Rebecca’s Cake Pops
These cake pops are easy to mistake for sugar sculptures. You know, like those little candy shapes on top of cakes? Well, they’re actually cake pops that just look like tacos, ice cream cones, and other shapes you would never expect.