And just as quickly as October arrived, it's already over. Let's take a quick "roll call" on which sugary candidates made a Pop 5 appearance this month: cupcakes, cookies, pumpkin pie, and macarons. Lest we forget, today's feel-good roundup: the best hot cocoa spots in NYC, just in time to warm us up as Winter's chill takes over. Oh, there's nothing like starting November on a (sugar) high note.

  1. Arguably the most renowned and tastiest of the bunch, The City Bakery (3 W. 18th St., 212-366-1414) delivers a ridiculously rich yet classic hot chocolate. And no City Bakery cocoa concoction is complete without its homemade marshmallow "cherry on top," which really seals the deal on this no-brainer hot chocolate best. Don't forget — every February, the bakery hosts its annual hot chocolate festival, with 28 days of oddball and traditional chocolate flavors on deck to taste test.

  2. Jacques Torres (350 Hudson St., 212-414-2462; various locations): By now, Mr. Chocolate, aka Jacques Torres, is a household name for New York chocoholics. So it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the choco-genius offers up his own awesome version of hot cocoa. Torres's hot chocolate is incredibly thick, rich, and pure — and if you really want to try his very best, opt for a "wicked" hot cocoa; it's got quite a kick.

  3. Cafe Grumpy (224 W. 20th St., 212-255-5511; 13 Essex St.; 383 Seventh Ave., 718-499-4404; 193 Meserole Ave., 718-349-7623) may be a java haven, but don't underestimate the quality of its simple and delicious hot chocolate. All four citywide cafes use an exclusive blend of stone-ground Taza Chocolate to create a frothy and very pretty-looking cup of cocoa.

  4. La Maison du Chocolat (30 Rockefeller Plaza, 212-265-9404; 1018 Madison Ave., 212-744-7117; 63 Wall St., 212-952-1123): This Parisian-based chain offers up an amazing cup of bittersweet Caracas cocoa. If you're of the not-so-sweet hot chocolate persuasion, there's simply no other option than this one. Cocoa to stay? Warm up with a rich dose of the stuff, served in beautiful porcelain china. Leave it to the French to keep their hot chocolate ultra classy.

  5. Don't be scared off by Max Brenner's (841 Broadway, 212-388-0030) seemingly children's amusement park ethos. Inside the Bald Man's chocolate wonderland, there's some serious chocolate street cred to be acknowledged. You'll find yourself sipping on a dark, thick, Italian-inspired hot chocolate rendition from a conveniently shaped hug mug; or if you're not into the darker stuff, choose from countless Brenner cocoa options like crunchy chocolate wafer balls and caramel toffee.

Source: Flickr User jnussbaum, Flickr User gsz, Flickr User CloudsInMyBourbon, and Flickr User kathyylchan