10 Next-Level Desserts You Have to Try at Least Once

Dessert doesn’t have to be subtle. Some sweets are designed to make an impression before anyone takes the first bite, with towering milkshakes, overloaded cookies, and waffles buried beneath sherbet, sauces, and colorful toppings.

These creations may be too rich for an ordinary night out, but that’s part of their appeal. They’re made to be shared, photographed, and tried at least once, even if finishing one is another matter. Restaurants and pastry chefs continue finding new ways to transform familiar treats into desserts that look almost too outrageous to be real.

To identify some of the most indulgent desserts worth seeking out, 24/7 Tempo reviewed restaurant menus, culinary coverage, and creations from prominent dessert makers, including Insomnia Cookies and Dominique Ansel, the pastry chef who created the Cronut.

• Cost: $15
• Where to find it: Black Tap restaurant
• Location: New York City, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and more

Their crazy milkshakes have taken social media by storm over the last couple of years, and it's no surprise as to why. There's a flavor for everyone, from The Cookie Shake, loaded with cookies, chocolate chips, and vanilla frosting, to the Strawberry Shortcake, which has strawberry ice cream and other goodies, including crumbled cake, a full strawberry shortcake ice cream bar, and more.

• Cost: $25
• Where to find it: Clinton Hall
• Location: New York

Created by Clinton Hall in New York, which is an up-and-coming eatery that has recently won several awards, these sweets are called WTF waffles, and they're extremely delicious. Different locations will have unique options but their current claim to fame is the Birthday Cake WTF waffle, which is a Belgian waffle that's loaded with ice cream, raspberry sherbet, a sugar cone, lollipops, and rainbow sprinkles. They also have Carnival waffles that have hot fudge, caramel corn, cotton candy, and sprinkles.

• Cost: $20-$48 depending on location
• Where to find it: Multiple bakeries in the state
• Location: Maryland

If you find yourself in Maryland, don't forget to try the state's official dessert, the Smith Island Cake, which gets its name from the island of the same name. Depending on where you go, you'll either find this cake made up of eight, nine, or ten layers.This over-the-top dessert is typically made of yellow cake that's smothered with chocolate icing. But there are many other ways to make this treat with your preferred flavor profile. You can make the cake and cover it in coconut frosting and flakes, go for cookies and cream, and try red velvet, among many others.

• Cost: $30
• Where to find it: Insomnia Cookies
• Location: New York; New Jersey

This limited edition cookie was created for the movie, "Five Nights at Freddy's" and is a great dessert to share with friends. It has a cookie crust, cookie topping, icing, drizzle, and a candy topping. The cookie crust can be chosen from many variations. There's an M&M cookie crust, double chocolate cookie, carrot cake, confetti crust, and more. They also sell double- and triple-layer cakes, many types of chocolate chip cookies, and several varieties of vegan and gluten-free treats. (This particular offering may no longer be available as it was limited edition.)

• Cost: $34
• Where to find it: Lavo
• Location: Las Vegas

When you spend time in Las Vegas, you're bound to see at least one wild sight during your visit. On top of everything else, the desserts at many of the casinos and restaurants are a sight to behold. However, nothing compares to the 20-layer peanut butter chocolate cake you can get when you visit Lavo, which serves brunch and dinner and is located in the Palazzo Tower in The Venetian. The cake is made with Devil's Food cake and peanut butter mascarpone (it's not an entire cake, but just a slice).

• Cost: $7.50
• Where to find it :Dominique Ansel Bakery
• Location: New York City

The cronut became a national phenomenon back in 2013, made famous by Dominque Ansel, who even registered the name "cronut". This dessert is a combination of a donut and a croissant. Every month, they make a new one with a different flavor, and never repeat flavors. While you're at his bakery, you should also check out some of the other tasty desserts, including their blossoming hot chocolate and their "What-a-Melon Soft Serve," which is watermelon ice cream inside of a slice of ripe and juicy watermelon (if you opt to visit, get there early – the cronuts sell out fast).

• Cost: $99.95
• Where to find it: PieCaken Bake Shop
• Location: New York City (they ship globally)

This might just be a take on the infamous "Turducken," that mashup of turkey, duck, and chicken served at Thanksgiving meals in the U.S. This is the dessert form and one example might be an apple upside-down cake that sits on top of a pumpkin pie that sits on top of a pecan pie, and the whole thing is smothered in cinnamon buttercream. There are many variations of this crazy dessert, one of which is the Christmas PieCaken. It consists of three layers: cherry swirl cheesecake, chocolate pecan pie, and red velvet cake, and then covered in cream cheese buttercream.

• Cost: $4.99/$5.99
• Where to find it: Portillo's
• Location: Illinois, California, Florida, or Nevada

If you love ice cream shakes and chocolate cake equally, then you must stop by Portillo's. It's there that you'll get a chance to check out the world-famous chocolate cake shake. It sounds exactly like what it is – a mix of their very delicious chocolate shake with a full piece of chocolate cake blended in. The result is a smooth and tasty treat (if chocolate isn't your thing, you can try their strawberry shortcake and chocolate eclair cake).

• Cost:$1,000
• Where to find it: Serendipity 3
• Location: New York City

The Golden Opulence Sundae is the most expensive of the crazy desserts on this list, and it even holds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most expensive dessert. served in a Baccarat crystal souvenir goblet, which is also what they drink out of at the Vatican, this treat has it all. Made with a base of Madagascar vanilla ice cream, you also get passion fruit caviar, 23-carat gold leaf, and fancy candies from exotic places. It's such a big deal that you need to order it in advance.

• Cost: $6
• Where to find it: Westside Drive-In restaurants
• Location: Idaho

This "potato" is vanilla ice cream covered with cocoa powder and topped with whipped cream that looks like sour cream. There are also nuts and chocolate syrup that's meant to look like gravy. This restaurant has been featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and you can be part of the hype. It may be a bit too much for one person.