French macarons have been getting a lot of attention lately. With a new shop opening weekly, it seems like they’re becoming the next cupcake craze, and quite frankly, I’m concerned.  As a Jew and a coconut lover, I’m starting to feel like I’m the only person spelling “macaroons” with two o’s and expecting them to be made of sweet, chewy coconut.  To my great relief, I discovered this great Food Curated video about Danny Macaroons, a one-man macaroon operation that is coconut at its core.  I found Danny himself at The Grub Street Food Fest last weekend, seated confidently behind a table of falsely diminutive mountains of coconut; what he knew and what I found out is that these macaroons pack a punch. They would crush their French competitors in a fight.  The banana, chocolate and hazelnut macaroon is knee-weakening, the comforting flavor of ripe banana surprisingly strong for a vessel so small.  The salted caramel macaroon delivers the knockout, a burnt ring of crispy-chewy caramel encircling the macaroon’s base, a ring of pleasure that would make even Trojan jealous.  Take that Frenchies.

Danny Macaroons Link See website for sales locations or order online dannymacaroons@gmail.com Phone: (260) MAC-TIME (622-8463)

The Crispery

You can’t really go wrong with a Rice Krispie treat, especially one that’s cut in half and stuffed with chocolate cookies and extra marshmallow fluff.  The Crispery’s treats stayed remarkably fresh over the course of a week, a testament to the secret recipe, containing no butter or trans fat, and the marshmallow within.  The flavor’s not as authentic as Mom’s but it’s pretty close and at $2.95 for one massive treat, how can you complain?

Chocolate Cookie & Marshmallow

Momofuku Milk Bar (website)

Imagine this: a pretzel topped chunky peanut butter Reese’s cup gives way to salty-sweet caramel studded with bits of crunchy toffee, all supported by a chocolate cookie crust.  It’s a balanced texture and flavor adventure.  Thank you David Chang, Christina Tosi & Marian Mar for making dreams a reality.  But almost $5.50 for a tiny sliver of this deliciousness? That’s a little exorbitant.

You’ve been forewarned fellow eaters, the portion size of the Candy Bar Pie does not match the price.  You owe it to yourself, however, to at least give it a try because in the end, I don’t know where you’re finding anything this decadent, delicious and unique for this price.

Alas, sometimes love isn’t enough in this unforgiving city, that’s why Jen & Charley, the great people behind PMS, offer their sugary goodies at some of the best coffee houses in New York City. Check out their awesome video, find out where you can eat their delicious desserts and then go tell your friends to do the same. Read on for Loco Coco Nutty Bars, Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches, Surprisingly Delicious Vegan Cupcakes and the best Peanut Butter Cup in the World…

Peanut Butter Blast aka The Best Peanut Butter Cup Ever

Unreal. Think a Reese’s Cup on steroids. A thick layer of milk chocolate rests atop a healthy layer of salty, creamy peanut butter, all on top of a tiny chocolate chunk cookie. The hint of salt in the peanut butter and cookie combine with sweet chocolate for a flavor trip that puts Reese’s to shame. Of the 9 delicacies I sampled, this was the only one where I ate the entire thing.

Chocolate on top, chocolate chunk cookie on the bottom, peanut butter in the middle. Heaven.

Mooney Mood Pie

Really good. It’s a chocolate chip/peanut cookie with peanut nougat filling. The cookies are firm yet chewy and you get a great textural adventure with the combo of the cookie’s crunchy peanuts and the creaminess of the filling. A truly delicious cookie.

Chocolately, Crunchy, Creamy & Peanut Buttery; this cookie has it all.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Chocolate Discs! Forget about chocolate chips, discs are the wave of the future. When you break this cookie apart, you hear the sounds of deliciousness: strands of rich, buttery cookie separating and making way for shards of fudgy, pure-tasting chocolate which appear in every delicious bite.

Looks can be deceiving, like these huge chunks of delicious chocolate hiding inside this unassuming cookie.

Vegan Cupcake

I know, I know, Vegan?! Keep an open mind. This is one really tasty cupcake. The ratio between the moist and airy Devil’s food cake and the tall coating of coffee-flavored chocolate frosting is perfect.

Nothing but chocolate and love. I’d take this over Magnolia’s corporate cupcakes any day of the week.

Loco Coco Nutty Bar

Before you go loco, let’s break this down: A graham-oat bottom, a layer of coconut and chocolate chips, a massive layer of fudge topped with pecans. What seems like an unbelievable idea was tasty but lacking in the buttery department, particularly in the graham-oat bottom. The healthy layer of coconut really saved this for me. I credit my disappointment to a bad batch, nothing with this combo of ingredients could fall short twice.

Power Brownie

The high hopes I had for this milk chocolate chunk-studded brownie melted when I realized it was more cakey than fudgey. That’s just preference. The flavor, however, was interesting: chocolate with a hint of what tasted like maple syrup. More fudge, less maple, and this is a happy Food Guy.

Oatmeal Raisin

Cinnamon! It screams out at you upon every bite. This chewy, buttery cookie is filled with tasty oats, but the best bites combine the plump, tart raisin with the sweet surrounding cookie. Balance is achieved and voila: cookie bliss.

Raisin Coconut Oat

Hopes were high for this coconut creation but in the end the cookie more closely resembled the Oatmeal Raisin, in consistency and flavor. You could see the coconut but you couldn’t really taste it.

Coconut, Coconut, wherefore art thou Coconut? I can see it but I can’t really taste it.

Chocolate Dipt Peanut Butter

A peanut butter cookie dipped in hard milk chocolate and dusted with chopped peanuts. The chocolate side is very sweet but the peanut butter cookie is perfect; light, a little creamy and not too heavy on the peanut flavor. You can taste quality ingredients. I’d be more content with a chocolate drizzle similar to the Raisin coconut oat.

So Where Can You Find These Awesome Cookies?

88 Orchard Orchard St. & Broome

Café Angelique Bleecker b/t Broadway & Lafayette

Café Angelique Bleecker & Grove

Grounded Jane Street & W4th

Joe Waverly & Gay Streets

Joe E13th b/t Broadway & University

Joe Grand Central Terminal Graybar entrance

Joe 23rd & 9th Ave

71 Irving Irving & 19th st

Irving Farms 7th ave b/t 13th & 14th

Gramstand Ave A b/t 13th & 14th

Gimme Coffee 228 Mott St b/t Prince & Spring

Juicy Lucy Avenue A b/t E5 & E6th St.

Klatch Maiden Lane & Broadway

V Bar Sullivan b/t W3rd/W4th

York Theatre Company 54th B/W Lexington & 3rd

You can also order cookies directly from PMS Kookies at their Website: PMSKookieCompany.com