Life is short. Eat dessert first.

It is a guarantee that when my mom is in town, bakery visits are at the top of our list of things to do. Without fail, we find ourselves planning our days around breakfasts at Amy's Bread, afternoon cupcake stops, pastries at Bouchon, and macaron tastings at cafes throughout the city. New York City definitely does not have a shortage of amazing bakeries.

We enjoyed so many delicious treats last weekend...

Cherry creme scones and sticky buns at Amy's Bread in Chelsea Market...

Vanilla, milk chocolate caramel, and gingerbread macarons at La Maison du Macaron in Chelsea (thanks Danielle for the recommendation!)...

A pistachio macaron and raspberry almond croissant at Bouchon Bakery in Rockefeller Center...

And more macarons (apricot, salted caramel, and vanilla) at Macaron Cafe on Madison Avenue...

Our dessert marathon concluded with a trip to Empire Cake in Chelsea, which specializes in making gourmet versions of our favorite snack cakes. We thoroughly enjoyed three Empire Cake Twinkies (vanilla cake with vanilla filling and chocolate icing, vanilla cake with passion fruit filling and coconut topping, and red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and white chocolate icing) while watching The Bachelor Monday night.

Like they say, Life is short. Eat dessert first.