Let’s not sugarcoat it: if you dream of sweets and find yourself craving some Willy Wonka level dessert concoctions, Dessert Goals is the place to find them. Looking for a ‘glucose guardian’? (Looking at you, sugar babies). Well, we may not be able to help with the ‘guardian’ part aka we’re not hunting down a sugar daddy for you, but here are some spots where you can definitely find some of that good ‘glucose.’ The popular dessert-focused festival features over 20 different vendors, many of which create custom items exclusively for the two day event. Here are ten of our favorites, from bouquets of animal-themed cake pops to vanilla lavender candy floss, along with our recommendations and tips on where you can find them in NYC if you don’t manage to make it out to Long Island this weekend.
1. Cake Pop Bouquet, Rebecca’s Cake Pops
Indulge your inner party animal with this ‘bouquet’ of cake pops! Since many of the desserts at the festival tended to be quite large (and therefore challenging to stomach for those who are less inclined to sweet things), these bite-size creations are perfect for satisfying a craving without the accompanying toothache. We particularly liked the Birthday-Cake flavored/Duck-themed individual cake pop.
Spoon Tip: Rebecca’s Cake Pops is now serving ‘CakePups,’ or cake pops for dogs!
2. 24K Gold Cone, Matcha N’ More
As Bruno Mars once eloquently put it, ’24 karat magic [is] in the air’! All of Matcha N’ More’s products are made from ceremonial grade matcha from Uji, Japan. If you missed the cone this weekend, you can still grab it at their storefront in Chinatown; we also recommend the matcha latte.
3. Cremellas, STAX Ice Cream
‘Cremellas’ are STAX’s hot-pressed, homemade ice-cream donut sandwiches; the one above is a glazed donut stuffed with Ube ice cream and topped with sprinkles. Other filling flavors include cornflake bourbon, snickerdoodle, and s’mores. The cremellas are definitely a heavier dessert, so one order is more than enough to split with a friend at their Grand Street outpost.
Another popular item at Dessert Goals was their Mini Ice Cream Unicorn Cake, which comes in a variety of flavors including ube/Fruity Pebbles, s’mores/Madagascar vanilla, and jasmine milk tea/matcha green tea.
4. Macarons, Stache of Goods
Pig out with these animal-themed macarons! Founded, baked, and run by Amy Li, Stache of Goods serves up themed meringue-based confections in a variety of unique flavors, including lychee, sesame, and rosewater. You can order your own custom macarons directly from the baker throughout the year.
5. Brazilian Cake Rolls, Kouklet
These Brazilian-inspired cake rolls are buttery and light; this one above is chocolate and peanut butter. The rolls are available for order on their website, or at two farmers’ markets from April to November.
We recommend the ‘Passion Fruit Kouklet Roll,’ which has thin layers of vanilla sponge cake and a passion fruit ganache filling.
6. Vietnamese Sweets, Kochin
Kochin’s desserts aim to combine the flavors and textures of fruits, beans, and herbs from the Vietnamese climate with more traditional French desserts and puddings. This weekend at Dessert Goals, the Coffee Bomb and Tropical Paradise (both items exclusive to Dessert Goals) were the two products of this fusion. The Coffee Bomb (pictured above) features shaved ice, homemade flan, banana brûlée, coffee jelly, coffee ice cream, a lace cookie, and a dropper full of Vietnamese espresso that you drizzle on yourself.
The Tropical Paradise (pictured above) consists of shaved ice, homemade avocado pudding, coconut ice cream, coconut jelly, and a Rebecca’s Cake Pops parrot cake pop. Check out their Instagram for the next pop-up they’ll be visiting.
7. Crepes, Eight Turn Crepe
What’s unique about this crêpe? It’s a Japanese-style rice crêpe, making it one of the lighter options at Dessert Goals. If you’re looking for something sweet, we like the Lychee Valentine (lychee, raspberries, whipped yogurt, rose custard cream, edible rose petals, almonds). For something savory, try the Truffled Scrambled Egg (two organic scrambled eggs, truffled mushrooms, truffle oil, baby spinach, tofu sauce, and cheddar cheese). You can pick up a crêpe during the year at the Dekalb Market Hall.
8. Cheesecake Bars and Sprinkle Cake, Baked
These party-animal cheesecake bars on a stick are exclusive to the Dessert Goals festival, but you can pick up their other desserts year-round at their location in Tribeca.
9. Boba, Tea and Milk
If you were looking for something to wash all the sweets down with, and coffee or water just won’t cut it, Tea and Milk’s boba tea was just the trick. At the festival, the shop offered a strawberry Earl Grey lemonade with aloe vera, and a brown sugar roasted Oolong milk tea with traditional tapioca pearls.
10. Cotton Candy, Brooklyn Floss
Probably the most nostalgic option at the festival, this ‘candy floss’ came in classic bubblegum, lavender vanilla, and grapefruit flavors. During the year, Brooklyn Floss offers up their gluten-free, artisanal cotton candy in 20+ flavors, including pumpkin spice, piña colada, and strawberry rose.
If you’re also a person for whom “I’m so stuffed” never means “I’m too full for dessert” (seriously though, dessert occupies what feels like a separate section of the stomach), then one of these confections is sure to hit the spot.
Dessert Goals Spring 2019 only runs from March 23rd to March 24th. Missed it? Don’t worry! If you’re looking for a variety of treats to taste, the festival returns bi-annually, but if you’re already sure which of these items you’d like to try, you can pick them up at their various locations in New York City!