The best brownies in NYC

The witchy name is fitting—the buttery chocolate brownies served at this Chelsea Market outlet are sure to leave you spellbound. Brownie lovers who want to expand from classic cocoa, however, have plenty of options: The fudgy squares come studded with everything from walnuts to dried cherries to nubs of gooey caramel.

Umber Ahmad’s online wholesale bakery gets a West Village brick-and-mortar location, which has enough room to host baking classes and events. Savory goods have their place on the menu alongside longtime favorites like Ahmad's dark-chocolate brownies. The rich squares double down on chocolate (both bittersweet and Valrhona cocoa), are richened with fresh creamery butter and are flavored with pure Madagascar vanilla extract and fleur de sel.

Even the simplest pleasures aren’t what they appear at Dominique Ansel Kitchen—a croissant imbued with rosemary olive oil moonlights as garlic bread, and tiramisu layers are heady with black tea. Even a humble brownie is leavened with hidden complexities: The deeply chocolaty square, fudgy and cakey at equal turns, is topped with sage leaves, swaddled in cedar paper, tied with twine and torched, arriving warm and filled with campfire smoke and sweet earth. We usually don’t like the idea of screwing with simple perfection, but for this sumptuous update, we’ll easily make an exception.

At this snug bakery and café in Red Hook, guests can load up on homestyle American sweets like fruit pies, red velvet cake and brownies. The latter are baked until they’re the sweet midpoint between cakey and fudgy, and are available in seasonal flavors like peanut butter and peppermint. 

The brownies from this beloved bakery chain hit every texture you’d want from the decadent treat: moist, rich, fudgy, and crunchy, from a fistful of walnuts and chocolate chips thrown into the batter. Nut allergists, don’t fret—there’s a walnut-free version that’s just as delicious as the original.

The old-fashioned bakery has been an Upper East Side staple since 1902 and with brownies this good, it’s easy to see why. The dense, gooey sweets—made with copious scoops of Merckens chocolate chips—are available in double-chocolate-chunk and chocolate-pecan varieties.

The from-scratch brownies at this pint-size East Harlem bakery-cafe don’t need the bells and whistles of frosted tops or nut-fitted centers. The heady cocoa and gooey center held together by a delicately crisp exterior are more than enough.

Vegan, gluten-free and kosher-keeping sweet tooths aren’t left out of the brownie fun. At this Chelsea bakery, you can get a decadent nut-free, double-chocolate brownie made with organic cocoa powder and a mess of vegan chocolate chips.