After cuddling up on the couch with a cozy blanket and putting on your favorite fall film, the only thing missing from this personal cloud nine is a tasty treat. Whether it’s a cup of your favorite hot latte or cider, or a perfectly baked pumpkin pastry, seasonal sweet treats are simply the reason for the season that encapsulate the comfort and coziness of it all. From pumpkin spice lattes to apple crumb pie, these are our favorite fall treats in NYC.
See also: The 6 Best Apple Cider Donuts In Or Near NYC
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Milk and cookies may be Santa’s favorite treat, but this limited edition fall chocolate chunk is the cookie of the season. Holding a high title of producing some of New York’s most iconic cookies, Levain Bakery is bringing smiles and chocolatey fingers to neighborhoods around the nation. Borrowing the French word for “leavened bread,” accomplished bakers and friends Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald started Levain Bakery over twenty-five years ago and have not stopped baking ever since. Besides the superstar chocolate chip walnut cookie, the seasonal sweetie has “deep flavors of ginger, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon and molasses,” making it the perfect combination of sugar, spice and everything nice.
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Notoriously known for the best-selling three-tiered rainbow-flecked vanilla birthday cake, this bake shop is flooded with some of the best pumpkin treats this autumn. Since 2008, Milk Bar has been transforming sweet, and sometimes savory, familiar treats upside down and on their heads to create one-of-a-kind desserts that perfectly accompany any celebration or self-care night. The pumpkin coffee-cake cake is an annual sell-out item made with vanilla cake, cinnamon goo, crunchy cinnamon streusel, pumpkin cheesecake filling and pumpkin frosting. If that was not enough fall for you, the cake is then topped with heaps of coffee cake and can even be shipped to your doorstep. Pair that with some of their cider donut truffles and savor some goodies from one of the most exciting bakeries in the country.
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I scream, you scream, we “f”all scream for Caffe Panna’s seasonal ice cream flavors. This Italian-inspired ice cream and coffee shop offers changing flavors daily and every combination is produced in-house, spun fresh in the kitchens onsite. Their menu highlights some of the best local producers, local ingredients and even some specialty ingredients imported from Italy, including pistachios, olive oil or “Panna”, the Italian word for cream. At the shop, they offer to-go pints of the seven classic flavors, such as cookies n’ panna and chocolate sorbet and seasonal flavors that rotate weekly, such as pumpkin puff, praline crunch and cinnamon toast swirl. With a constantly changing menu, each treat is a sweet surprise, so be sure to try one of the seasonal flavors perfect for a warmer fall evening.
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Although “Little” may be in this bakeshop’s name, their fall flavors are packing a big punch, especially the pristine pumpkin spice cake. Whipping up traditional and wholesome American desserts, this Brooklyn bakeshop uses the freshest ingredients by sourcing from local farms and baking in small batches on-site every day. Although their Brooklyn blackout cake has been commended as the best chocolate cake in America, their pumpkin spice cake is only offered in the fall and features buttery spice cake cushioned with maple cream cheese frosting. Other autumnal eats include the limited pumpkin spice pie or cheesecake or the all-year-round fall favorite selections of apple crumb pie or pecan bars.
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From morning to noon to night, Daily Provisions is the one-stop shop that covers your entire day of fall feasts. The neighborhood kitchen is truly living up to its name and providing quality eats daily in a casual but lively atmosphere. For the upcoming season, the molasses spice cookie is the chewy spiced cookie of your dreams that goes perfectly with its creamy chai latte. Besides the notable maple and cinnamon crueler, other delightful desserts include the caramel chocolate chunk cookie, the blueberry lemon muffin and the savory everything croissant filled with cream cheese.
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If you can’t decide between whether to bring pumpkin or pecan pie, put them together and throw in some cheesecake to get the best of both worlds that soothes every fall fein. At Posh Pop Bakeshop, this gluten-free bakery specializes in decadent and showstopping desserts that are available for nationwide shipping. With selections including cakes, cheesecakes, cake pops, cookies and plenty more sweet treats, the seasonal specialty pumpkin pecan pie cheesecake highlighting delicious pumpkin cheesecake baked on top of homemade honey graham cracker crust decorated with gooey pecan pie is only available for in-store pick-up at one of their locations. Luckily, their nationwide shipping selections are not to be overlooked, such as their banana pudding cheesecake, the pumpkin donut box, or the fluffiest cinnamon roll box that will bring those fall feels to your feet.
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In 1996, the sweet smell of red velvet cupcakes and the fluffiest banana pudding flooded a quaint, cobblestone corner in the West Village, beckoning all customers to come and enjoy their treats. Now, Magnolia Bakery has made a magnificent impact throughout the country finding its’ way into neighborhoods near and far so all locals and tourists alike can taste some of the world’s most famous bakery’s offerings. The online shipping focuses on sampler packs so customers can have an array of eats, such as their Thanksgiving sampler pack, where families can choose between apple crumb, pecan or pumpkin pie, in addition to their iconic banana pudding, of course. Although, the apple crisp pudding is here for a limited time only as their flavor of the month, so consider this by comparing apples to bananas.
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8 West 40th St. / 212.419.9163 / Website
Born from the expression “you are what you eat,” Heritage Grand Bakery values quality, health, and tradition in the heart of New York by allowing these natural foods to nourish our minds, bodies and souls. Specializing in some of the freshest baked breads, pastries and other grab-n-go items, their menu is packed with sweet and savory treats galore, including the optimal seasonal selection of the apple tart. This classic treat is made with puff pastry, fresh apple compote and topped with sliced granny smith apples and a dash of cinnamon for good luck. In addition, the apple crumb Danish is full of fall flavors and flaky dough, and the moist pumpkin spice muffin topped with pumpkin seeds is the perfect pick-me-up.
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When you think of fall flavors, most commonly pumpkin spice, cinnamon, or even apple cider is at the forefront of the mind, but at this bakery, sweet potato is the “star”ch. Award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel has shaken up the pastry world with his innovation in the kitchen and is responsible for the creation of the croissant-donut hybrid pastry, the cronut. After spending two months and over ten different variations of recipes, the cronut process takes three days to complete and is made with laminated dough likened to a croissant, proofed, and decorated or filled with rotating flavors. The current cronut craze is sweet potato ganache and brown sugar ganache filled and can be shipped in boxes of four. With plenty of other artisanal gift boxes available on their website, one cannot go wrong with any luxurious choice of festive fall flavors.
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Whether it’s sleepy New Yorkers, local celebrities, moms-on-the-go, business partners, or simply meeting a friend for a cup of coffee, this cafe welcomes every guest into their space. Greeted at the door with the wafting smell of culinary splendor, the aroma and comfort of cuisines are inspired by family traditions and made with the highest quality ingredients. To spice up a go-to coffee order, their seasonal Maman’s signature pumpkin pie latte is ten years strong and a tried and true vault favorite. The slow-cooked pumpkin puree mixed with brown sugar and a secret blend of warm spices found in a freshly baked pumpkin pie topped with a splash of maple syrup is the sensational sip for this sweater weather. The hardest part will be choosing the autumn pastry to accompany the drink with options like almond brownie croissants, pistachio caramel brioches, or even apple chai pecan rolls.
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68 Dean St. / 212.675.4966 / Website
Whoopie, it’s a pumpkin whoopie pie! What started as a simple love story where the boy who likes to bake cookies and meets the girl who opened the cookie business, Dave and Dawn decided to take their passions for baking by bringing neighborhoods together, making them an iconic place for community and celebration. Their online menu is seasonally inspired, offering holiday specials and regular new additions, but luckily the pumpkin whoopie pie has landed a place on their in-store menu and in the neighborhood’s heart. Two pumpkin hybrid cake cookies are filled with cream cheese frosting and are the perfect treat every member of the family can enjoy. Do not skimp out on the cookies, as it is embedded in their name, and try their variety of offerings, such as the Sherry, a vegan snickerdoodle, or the Berta, a rich triple chocolate delight.
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95 E 10th St. / 212.979.9398 / Website
It may be getting colder outside, but it is never too cold for ice cream. Founded in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn back in 1991, this ice cream shop is serving up premium scoops and continues to reinvent the concept of homemade ice cream. Their commitment to providing customers with an experience of something new is reflected in their creations that have been churned with distinct ingredients. Stick with the classics like vanilla or chocolate, or dare to explore the striking sweets of wasabi, ginger, corn, tiramisu, or the seasonal praised pumpkin ice cream. Even though this fall frozen treat may not make you warm, you can get it in a sundae, or get it on a cone, the game is in the name.
Leaves are falling, autumn is calling, and these businesses are not stalling on delivering some of New York’s most decadent delicacies. With all things pumpkin spice and everything nice, these limited editions and year-round fall sweet treats perfectly embody the essence of the season.
Photography by: courtesy of Heritage Grand Bakery
