BROOKLYN — It's the sweetest thing.
Dessert fans voted in DNAinfo New York's Brooklyn Brackets contest last week, sending eight bakeries and dessert spots in the borough to the next round of our version of March Madness.
Some local favorites sailed to their wins. Red Hook's Baked easily won over Williamsburg's Italian pastry cafe Fortunato Brothers, with nearly twice the number of votes.
And Gowanus pie shop Four & Twenty Blackbirds received more than three times the votes of its competitor, Prospect Heights newcomer Spirited.
But some of the lower-seeded spots finished on top, too.
The Czech pastries from Bed-Stuy's Brooklyn Kolache bested Williamsburg pie shop The Blue Stove with nearly twice as many votes.
Fans of Caribbean-inspired treats from Allan's Bakery in Crown Heights outvoted the flourless chocolate cakes of The Chocolate Room in Park Slope.
The next round will be tough. Who will make it to the final four in the best dessert in the borough? Vote below in the Elite Eight round.
BAKED — 359 Van Brunt St. Red Hook's Baked is one of the neighborhood's go-to dessert shops, with brownies, whoopie pies and decadent layered and bundt cakes. The bakery has since expanded to TriBeCa, and owners Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito have launched their own cookbooks, granola and baking mixes. The Van Brunt Street space is also a great place to kick back with a cup of coffee and something sweet.
BIEN CUIT — 120 Smith St. The quaint Smith Street bakery brings a little piece of France to Cobble Hill, with its sizable selection of freshly baked breads, including baguettes and croissants, pastries and desserts. Bien Cuit has only been open since 2011 but it has repeatedly been hailed as one of the best bakeries in the city.
ALLAN'S BAKERY — 1109 Nostrand Ave. Since 1961, Allan's Bakery on Nostrand Avenue has served Crown Heights customers who line up to get their currant rolls and coconut sticky buns — Caribbean-influenced treats the shop is famous for — right as they come out of the oven.
ONE GIRL COOKIES — 68 Dean St. and 33 Main St. One Girl Cookies, with locations in Cobble Hill and DUMBO, is known for its whoopie pies, shortbread cookies and cupcakes. The bakery focuses on aesthetic as much as flavor with delicately decorated treats that sometimes look too pretty to eat. In the short time One Girl Cookies has been around, it has become a go-to destination for locals and tourists.
BROOKLYN KOLACHE — 520 Dekalb Ave. Get your fix of Texas-style Czech pastries at Brooklyn Kolache Co., which serves treats with house-made sweet fillings like strawberry, sweet cheese, apricot, and peanut butter and jelly. The Bed-Stuy bakery and coffee shop also offers savory kolaches, cinnamon rolls and vegan and gluten-free energy cookies.
OVENLY — 31 Greenpoint Ave. Ever since Ovenly came on the scene in 2010, it's been a game changer in salty-sweet baked goods. Ovenly's cookies, scones and muffins — including vegan and gluten-free options — can be spotted in coffee shops throughout the city, but its main shop in Greenpoint has helped make the waterfront a destination.
LE PARIS DAKAR — 518 Nostrand Ave. If the tubs of Nutella on display aren’t enough to draw you in to Le Paris Dakar, the endless selection of crepes might convince you. Sweet selections include apple, Brie and honey, and strawberry and banana, as well as a variety of savory items to choose from. The Bed-Stuy bakery also serves up an array of pastries, macarons, and tiramisu.
FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS — 439 Third Ave. Brooklyn dessert lovers will agree that Four & Twenty Blackbirds is one of the most popular pie shops in the borough. The Gowanus shop at the corner of Third Avenue and Eighth Street can often have a long line of customers, waiting to pick up a whole pie or a slice to eat at the café. The shop’s menu changes with the season but its current winter selection includes lemon chess, salted caramel apple and bittersweet chocolate pecan.
VOTE FOR THE BEST DESSERT SPOT BELOW
Reporting by Serena Dai, Janet Upadhye, Camille Bautista, Nikhita Venugopal, Rachel Holliday Smith, Leslie Albrecht. Graphic by Nigel Chiwaya.
