“Top Chef” has developed a serious sweet tooth. The Bravo program, which recently won an Emmy for top reality competition show, has spun off (like cotton candy) a new series called “Top Chef Just Desserts,” which begins tonight.

Where “Top Chef” followed the kitchen drama of savory chefs, “Top Chef Just Desserts” focuses on pastry chefs and their exploits with meringues, custards and coulis.

But if you think because they work with sugar and spice that pastry chefs are everything nice, you’ve got another thing coming. Host Gail Simmons, known from her work as a judge on “Top Chef,” said the 12 pastry chef contestants can be just as competitive and emotional, if not more so, than executive chefs.

Because baking and dessert-making is a science, failures are often more spectacular than traditional “Top Chef” challenges. Desserts, apparently, are something that cannot be fudged.

Joining Simmons on this sweet excursion will be head judge Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef at Restaurant Jean Georges; “Top Chef” guest judge and “Top Chef Masters” finalist Hubert Keller; and Dannielle Kyrillos, entertaining expert and DailyCandy editor at large.

We talked to Simmons before the frosting starts flying.

Q: What is it that has American foodies so interested in desserts? All these cake battles, cupcake shows — do we have a passion for cake and frosting?

A: I think it’s a bit of everything. Everyone loves sweets. Visually, they are perhaps the easiest to appreciate for a viewer in terms of beauty and art. When you see a dessert, it is artistry really at its greatest, at its highest level. It’s also a much different set of skills than “Top Chef” contestants. It’s chemistry. It’s precision. It’s also magical.

Q: How will this elevate the role of pastry chef? Are pastry chefs the unsung stars of the restaurant business?

A: I absolutely think so. The pastry chef is usually not the one with the name on the menu or on the door. They’re usually tucked away in a corner. But what they do is so unusual and so special. So many (“Top Chef”) chefs failed on the show or have been kicked off or seriously berated because they didn’t do desserts well.

Q: What is it about desserts that seem so uplifting?

A: They’re integral to the meal. Desserts make people happy. It was hard to come to work and not be happy. Everything glittered and shone, it had height and color. There’s a reason why people are elated by desserts. You know the saying about kids in a candy store: Sugar makes people smile.

Q: What will viewers see? Is it more about how desserts are conceived and executed?

A: Yes, although I will say that we thought that about “Top Chef,” but “Top Chef” educated people in America about the language of the kitchen. This show will educate people about the language of pastry, the language of desserts. It’s a whole new world.

Q: If dessert chefs work with sugar, will we see they aren’t all sweet creatures? Will there be blood?

A: More than blood! It’s over the top. They are super meticulous, Type-A personalities. You get them all in the same room and there’s fireworks. The show will show a side of the characters you never see on “Top Chef.”

Q: What surprised you about working on this show? The discipline of the profession? The dedication? The artistry?

A: The people on “Top Chef” are certainly artists. But there is a precision in desserts. It has to be to the milligram. There’s no room for mistakes. The pressure is incredible. When it’s done you can’t tweak it and fix it if it’s not perfect. It’s a whole different type of stress.

Q: Is dessert in America today more than a good cookie?

A: It certainly is. Dessert means so many different things all over the world. It’s not just about apple pie. Today’s desserts are complex and complicated. There are so many layers. Dessert is also how we as a culture celebrate accomplishment. What’s a birthday or a wedding without cake? It has a lot of sentimental value and brings up a lot of emotion. It certainly was emotional for me.

‘Top Chef Just Desserts’

When: 11 tonight

Where: Bravo

‘Top Chef Just Desserts’

When: 11 tonight

Where: Bravo