Assorted Macarons at Tout de Sweet Pastry Shop
At Bethesda’s chic Tout de Sweet bakery, pastry chef and co-owner Jerome Colin offers some of the finest macarons—those elegant, chewy-yet-crispy meringue cookie sandwiches—in the Washington, D.C., area. He rotates flavors often, but there is always a colorful assortment. (Classics, like chocolate filled with chocolate ganache, are always available.) Examples of spring flavors are lime basil filled with white chocolate ganache; coconut with coconut buttercream; strawberry with raspberry ganache (colorful sprinkles on the shell make them look like little birthday cakes); and pistachio with white chocolate ganache and pistachio paste. ($2.05 each)
Tout de Sweet Pastry Shop, 7831 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301-951-0474, toutdesweetshop.com
Cake Waffles at Potomac Sweets
“In Belgium, we are the country of waffles,” says Gerard Partoens, the Belgian baker and owner of Potomac Sweets in Kensington. “In the cookie jars of typical Belgian households, you find vanilla waffles. In an airtight container, they have a long shelf life. They’re an everyday snack with coffee or chocolate milk.” Partoens uses a vanilla pound cake-like batter and a waffle maker to turn out his deeply grooved cake waffles, which he sells plain or completely enrobed in chocolate. ($8 for a five-pack of plain or a four-pack of chocolate waffles)
Potomac Sweets, 10419 Armory Ave., Kensington, 240-669-7625, potomacsweets.com
Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie at Levain Bakery
The pickiest chocoholic would gush over the dark chocolate chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery, the New York City-based chain with a location in Bethesda. They mound 6 ounces of dough made with extra-dark French cocoa powder and tons of semisweet chips to make each cookie, which, thanks to its thickness, has the soft texture of a gooey brownie. It’s heaven on its own, but topping one (two?) at home with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce is next-level choco-mania. ($4.50)
Levain Bakery, 4844 Bethesda Ave., Bethesda, 240-258-6222, levainbakery.com
Lava Cheese Tart or Spam Danish at Teamania
Neil Li and master baker Danny Song opened Rockville’s Teamania, an Asian-European bakery and charming sit-down cafe, in 2019. The place is vast and the choices are difficult, but don’t miss the bright yellow lava cheese tart with its ultrabuttery, crispy cookie crust and rich filling of custard made with cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs and sugar. Tip for people who love sweet and savory combinations: The tasty Spam Danish with sweet ketchup drizzle will satisfy that urge. (Lava tart: $2.35; Spam Danish: $2.95)
Teamania, 130 Rollins Ave., Suite B, Rockville, 240-669-9198, weteamania.com
Maple Apple Walnut Coffee Cake at Woodmoor Pastry Shop
Woodmoor Pastry Shop, the beloved Silver Spring bakery opened by Lee and Shirley Mower in 1954, has remained in the family for three generations. Grandson Jamie Gray now runs the shop, which sells a mighty fine maple apple walnut coffee cake. Danish dough from a secret family recipe is fit into a cake pan, then filled with apples, walnut halves and maple syrup mixed with confectioners’ sugar. “Proofing is the most important part,” Gray says. “Overproof, it deflates. Underproof, it’s chewy.” The cinnamon and allspice-laced cake is so filled with baked apples that it would make a terrific Thanksgiving dessert. ($8.79 for an 8-inch cake)
Woodmoor Pastry Shop, 10127 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, 301-593-7667, woodmoorpastry.com