10 Retro Desserts From NYC That You Can Re-Create at Home

The Colicchio & Sons team created beautiful (and tasty) chaos with its chocolate pops, studded with sesame brittle, edible pearls, dried rose petals, bits of green tea cake, and meringue squares. While any toppings can be used, the secret's in the chocolate. Our favorite is the Valrhona Blond, a caramelized white chocolate.

If I could have a Liddabit Sweets PB&J every day for breakfast . . . I so would. Fluffy angel food cake subs in for the white bread (yet tastes remarkably similar in flavor and texture). The "crunchy" peanut butter contains sweet, toffee-like feuilletine flakes instead of peanut pieces. And one cannot overlook the house-made Concord grape jam, which amps up the nostalgia.

Cake pops can look refined and adult-friendly, take it from Dominique Ansel, who created cake pop roses. The rose stem served as the "stick." The cake ball? A raspberry-filled vanilla cake, coated in marshmallow. He then applied fresh rose petals onto the cake ball and dipped the bud into a canister of liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the exterior and turn it white.

Red velvet whoopie pies may have been all the rage years ago, but One Girl Cookies is keeping up with the times by serving pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese frosting.

Sometimes a small bite is all you need to get an ice cream fix. North End Grill pressed melon-ball-size scoops of its popcorn ice cream onto mini ice cream cones.

We know from experience, making homemade petit fours is tough, especially that whole labor-intensive coating business. However, Empellón solves the problem by spooning the icing over the top and letting it ooze down the sides. Though these desserts were intended for an Alice in Wonderland-themed party, this technique removes the pressure for perfection without taking away from the presentation.

Custard pie receives an update with Four & Twenty Blackbirds's Salty Honey Pie. The flake sea salt finish enhances the buttery, eggy pie like no other.

Ample Hills Creamery uses 32 pounds of marshmallows to create its Snap Mallow Pop ice cream, a "deconstructed Rice Krispies Treat" with marshmallow ice cream and butter Rice Krispies clusters.

Jell-O shots can be classy. Layer Champagne Jell-O with some cookie crumbs, meringue, and raspberry coulis inside push pop containers as inspired by Restaurant Daniel.

Take it from Catch and splash some bourbon in the banana bread pudding. The restaurant jazzed up its version with toasted marshmallow, blond chocolate, and a bruléed banana. One thing that's news to us: bourbon pairs exceptionally well with Guinness ice cream.