Ahoy NY Food Tours Blog

There are some sweet treats and desserts that are synonymous with the holidays. Things like warm gingerbread cookies, massive yule log cakes and giant struffoli towers can really get you in the festive spirit and they also make great gifts! So here are the seven best holiday and Christmas treats in New York City. If you are planning on bringing any of these treats to your Christmas party, make sure you order ahead of time since all of these places will be very busy.

Yule Log from Maison Kayser

P.C.: Maison Kayser

A yule log as known as bûche de Noël is a sponge cake decorated to look like a yule log and it is a yummy traditional Christmas dessert. You can find an excellent yule log cake from Maison Kayser (355 Greenwich St & Other Locations), one of our favorite French bakeries.

Struffoli from Ferrara’s

P.C.: Ferrara’s

Struffoli is bit of puff pastry mixed with honey and other sweet toppings like cinnamon. It is an Italian Christmas classic and the go to place for struffoli in New York City is Ferrara Bakery (195 Grand St) in Little Italy.

Cookies from Veniero’s

P.C.: tripadvisor, paxa

You can’t have a fun Christmas get together without some cookies! Veniero’s (342 E 11th St) in the East Village has a bunch of tempting treats like cannoli and cheesecakes but we really, really love their cookies especially as a gift. Their cookie tray is sure to be the center of attention.

A Gingerbread Cookie from Schmackary’s

P.C.: yelp, Edward C.

Schmackary’s (362 W 45th St) has a delicious twist on a traditional gingerbread cookie called the Ginger Rogers. Like so much of their cookies, it is super addictive. Schmackary’s also has an eggnog cookie which we have to try!

Hot Chocolate from Max Brenner

A must for us this holiday season is a nice cup of top notch hot chocolate. The Max Brenner booth at Bryant Park’s Holiday Village is the perfect place for it. Their hot chocolate just warms you up as you take in all the sights like the shops, the huge Christmas tree and the ice skating rink.

Fruitcake from Amy’s Bread

P.C.: Amy’s Bread

Fruitcake is another classic Christmas treat but it sometimes has a bad reputation as something you regift. Trust us, fruitcake cake can be very delicious and you can get a really good fruit cake at Amy’s Bread (672 Ninth Ave & Other Locations). You can find other yummy holiday treats like panettone, pecan pie and apple crumb pie here too.

Cheesecake from Eileen’s Cheesecake

Finally an annual Christmas tradition for us is ending our Christmas feast with some cheesecake from Eileen’s Cheesecake (17 Cleveland Pl). Their cheesecake is just out of this world and every bite is full of flavor. We all definitely save room for dessert when we know Eileen’s cheesecake is sitting on the kitchen counter!