2020 In Review: Best Desserts
We've always loved desserts, but prior to 2020, we didn't eat much dessert at home. We would seek it out while traveling, but it wasn't something we ate with every meal. Some time over the course of the pandemic that changed. For at least the past 6 months, we've been eating dessert every day. We've had fairly good portion control though, so our desserts usually last us for a while.
Through this new found dessert eating habit, we've discovered some amazing new places in the last year. We're not increasing our dessert consumption from the grocery store, we're just finding new local places we love. Similar to our best restaurants post, we weren't able to narrow our list down to a top 10, so we've come up with our top 15 desserts of 2020 instead.
This list is a combined ranking by both Anthony and I.
1. Honeybear Bake Shop
Charlotte, North Carolina
Hannah started her own business in the middle of the pandemic. I started following her on Instagram after our friends from Party of Two Photography posted about her cookies. She did a giveaway for some of her test cookies before she opened and I was lucky enough to win. Since August I've probably ordered her weekly cookie boxes or gone to one of her pop-ups 10-15 times.
I never knew cookies could be this good. Cookies were never my go to dessert because I always felt like my family's cookies were better. Hannah changed that for me. Her unique creations always make me come running back for more. Some of my favorite cookie flavors include Brown Sugar Cinnamon Poptart, Strawberry Poptart, Apple Crumb Pie (stuffed with apple pie filling), Peanut Butter & Jelly, and Jelly Donut. She also has a Confetti Cookie Roll that she sells at some of her popups that is to die for.
2. Sugar Rush
Waxhaw, North Carolina
Shannon is another local baker that started her business in the middle of a pandemic. I also discovered her crumb cakes thanks to Instagram and we've been eating them steadily over the course of the pandemic. I honestly don't know if I've ever had a crumb cake before this one. Cake is one of my least favorite desserts, but this is not an average cake. She puts so much crumb on top that this is now one of my favorite desserts. I've never met someone who has tried one of her crumb cakes that doesn't love it. My favorite flavor is Cinnamon, but there's really no bad choice. I can't wait to try her cookie butter crumb cake soon!
3. Ice & Vice
New York City, New York
I just now discovered that Ice & Vice was another casualty of the pandemic. I'm so incredibly sad at the loss of such an amazing ice cream shop. I have a slight obsession with Somebody Feed Phil, so when Phil Rosenthal recommends a place, I'm there. Our love for unique ice cream flavors made this place an instant hit. Opium Den, Milk and Honey, and American Beauty were all favorites of ours. We hope that one day when the pandemic is over, they'll be able to open again. Until then, we'll be dreaming of their delicious ice cream.
4. Original Big Island Shave Ice
Waikoloa Village (and beyond), Big Island, Hawaii
Prior to my most recent trip to Hawaii, I always thought shave ice (notice it is not shaved ice) was the same as a snow cone in the mainland US. Since I don't like snow cones, I assumed I would not like shave ice. Boy was I wrong. Not all shave ice is the same and during our two weeks in Hawaii, I learned how to find the signs of a great shave ice. The ice should be shaved very finely. The purees should be homemade. This food truck ultimately ended up having our favorite shave ice because of its unique flavors. We loved both the Ube Den and the Halo Halo.
5. Park Avenue Coffee
Saint Louis, Missouri
We've always loved the gooey butter cake ice cream flavor from Jeni's, but we had never had the actual cake before. When we were driving through Saint Louis on our RV trip and I saw that it's known for gooey butter cake, we had to stop to get some. Gooey butter cake is not a traditional cake. It's more of the consistency of a lemon bar but with a buttery flavor that melted in our mouths. This coffee shop rotates through 73 flavors of it. The traditional was our favorite. We're now on the hunt for where we can find this dessert in Charlotte.
6. Whit's Frozen Custard
Fort Mill, South Carolina
We absolutely love custard and we discovered Whit's from our friends at Scallion Pancake. Since the beginning of quarantine, I have frequented Whit's so often that the owner knows my car (they are incredibly friendly and will always do curbside pickup). We currently have no space in our freezer because half of it is full of Whit's (this is not an exaggeration). When they post a new unique flavor that I haven't tried, I have lost all self control and end up driving to go pick up a pint. Some of our favorite flavors we've tried so far include Fluffernutter, Crème Brûlée, Sugar Cookie, and Whitehouse.
7. Doughnut Plant
New York City, New York
Donuts may just be my favorite dessert, so naturally I wanted to find donuts to try in NYC. Yeast donuts are the only donuts in my mind, so I ignored the cake donuts this place sells and only got yeast ones. They have very unique flavors and not a single one was bad. My favorite flavors were Passion Fruit, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Peanut Butter Banana Cream, and Crème Brûlée.
8. Hot Malasadas
Waimea (and beyond), Big Island, Hawaii
Malasadas are Portuguese in origin, but are commonly found in Hawaii. They're basically a donut, so naturally, I loved them. We found this truck parked on the side of the highway near Beach 69 almost every day. They were so good that we stopped two days in a row. They have many different fillings and my favorites were Lilikoi (Passion Fruit), Mango, and Caramel.
9. Red's Scratch Made
Mooresville, North Carolina
This cookie shop is at least a 45 minute drive away from where we live and we've still visited it 4 times in the last 6 months. Their cookie flavors rotate weekly and I'm frequently wanting to try a new flavor. These cookies are massive. I think I could eat one as an entire meal. The are so gooey on the inside which is exactly how I like my cookies. The best flavors we've had so far are Gingerbread Oreo, Pecan Apple Pie, Fruity Pebbles, and Brown Butter Peach. They also have a rotating soft serve flavor and the cookie butter soft serve was to die for.
10. Bona Bona
Brooklyn, New York
We found this ice cream shop at the Smogasborg food hall. It was our first time having Graham Cracker ice cream and we loved it. As good as the ice cream was, the star of the show was the toasted meringue on top. I wish more ice cream places had this as an option because it was fantastic.
11. Orange Blossom Bakery
Buxton, North Carolina
We discovered the Apple Ugly at this bakery thanks to Off the Eaten Path's Outer Banks Guide. Their Apple Ugly is a cross between a donut and an apple fritter. This had quite a bit of apple filling throughout the pastry and we absolutely loved it. It's a huge pastry. We split one which was probably the smart decision considering how big it was, but it was so good we wish we would have gotten another.
12. Levain Bakery
New York City, New York
On our second trip to NYC, we decided to see what the hype around these cookies was about. I was prepared for a line, but luckily it was short for us. They have mastered the art of a crispy outside and gooey inside of the cookie. The only reason they fall this low on the list is because I love unique flavors and they have pretty normal flavors. They have four flavors and the only non-chocolate one is oatmeal raisin (I am weird and hate chocolate). That being said, this was one delicious oatmeal raisin cookie.
13. Screamery Creamery
Concord (and beyond), North Carolina
I continue to believe this is the most underrated ice cream in the Charlotte area. After seeing someone post about them on Instagram, I decided to check them out while I was in the area one day. The Cake Batter ice cream may just be the best ice cream I've ever had. Its gooey consistency actually tastes and feels like I'm eating cake batter. Some of the other flavors I love are Golden Cookies 'N Cream and Biscoff.
14. Voodoo Doughnut
Denver, Colorado
I first heard about this place from my parents after they visited Portland, but since then, they've come recommended by so many people I know. I always thought they were only in Portland, so when I discovered that they had locations in Denver, we made sure to stop on our RV Trip. We tried three of their filled donuts and loved them all. I would have to give my favorite to Mango Tango followed closely by Key Lime Crush.
15. Knaus Berry Farm
Homestead, Florida
When I read that people wait in line for hours to get these cinnamon rolls, I knew they had to be good. I still wasn't quite sure I wanted to wait that long though. It's located very close to the main entrance of Everglades National Park, so we decided to stop and see how bad the line was. Even though the line wrapped around the street corner, we only waited about 25 minutes and it was completely worth it. These glazed cinnamon rolls were gooey with a caramel flavor. They were so good that we didn't even miss the frosting. We got half a dozen and were left wanting more.
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