Dessert Offerings of 2015

In addition to the annual list of readers you know it’s also time for the annual list of desserts I had, the good, the bad, the ugly. And it seems fitting to post it on my birthday! Yay sweets! As you know I like to keep it honest. Life is too short for bad books and bad desserts.

Sweet Buttons Desserts – This place has been around for about 3 years in the Lower East Side. It’s in walking distances from Sugar Sweet Sunshine and they specialize in small treats. Passionfruit is one of my fave items on dessert and when done well in a tart it can be refreshing and perfect. Sweet Button’s had a great gelatin filling and thick buttery crust with meringue on top that was delectable and worth a winter splurge. I loved it big time. In fact I owe that place a visit.

Joyce Bakeshop – I partook in the strawberry croissant which was disappointing because it’s simply a croissant with strawberry preserves inside. However, the croissant itself was fantastic! Reminds you of what a good, homemade one tastes like versus the packaged ones you buy at the store. I can never go back to those. In addition I got a banana, nutella handpie which was meh. This may have been tastier warm and the pie crust was flaky yet had no distinctive flavor or sweetness. Too much nutella and not enough banana. Usually this combo is a great mix in a crepe. Upside the handpie was a solid size for the price.

Balthazar – They regularly deliver pastries there to one of my favorite tea houses in NYC, Serengeti Tea. The croissants are addictive and what a good French croissant should be. Buttery as heck, a slight sweetness, flaky like a friend of yours who always cancels last minute, and simply good. I stuff my mouth with it and a good Ethiopian chai as a treat to myself in winter. It’s one of the best things about winter. The canelle is a French mini bundt cake that is extra baked outside. With the alcohol inside (rum I believe) it gives it an almost chocolatey taste but is super soft inside.

Make My Cake – The oatmeal raisin cookie was what I got though I took out many raisins because raisins are not my thing. Of the cookies I purchased the oatmeal raisin was the best cookie of the bunch. Their coconut pecan one was hard and nondistinct, neither was another cookie I had. It may have been white chocolate macadamia nut. See? Not memorable. MMC is supposedly known for the cake so get that rather than the cookies. Though the cookies are cheap at 75 cents each if you’re on Frederick Douglass and tight on cash.

Levain Bakery – Their cookies are expensive but worth the price and walk to Levain over Make My Cake. I had the raspberry bomboloncini (Italian for ‘small donut’) twice. This is an Italian doughnut filled with raspberry preserves and covered in powdered sugar so it's a sugary mess. The first time I had it it was a treat, the second time it was a dry, hard mess that I threw out. It’s cheaper than other doughnuts at a $2.25 pricetag. So on a good day try it but on a bad one skip. Additionally I tried Levain’s cinnamon sugar brioche. Okay, not sweet as I was told and okay next day but something I wouldn't buy again. Their breads (banana, pumpkin) and cookies are the real draw. Though their signature walnut chocolate chip cookie seemed way undercooked when I had it again.

Londel’s – Noticing a trend in terms of Harlem eats? This is a restaurant where I had the peach cobbler during the AALBC party during BEA week. Fantastic crust. Fresh peaches (not canned) in a ramekin and I wanted more of this cinnamony syrupy goodness. To me, peach cobbler is only worth eating with fresh peaches, which is why I usually eat them, when offered, in spring/summer.

Little Cupcake Bake Shop – A worthwhile carrot cake cupcake! Thing is their buttercream icing is very buttery so overly sweet and stiff. Also had the vegan mango cupcake which was fantastic and had a passionfruit filling. This vegan dessert could compete with everything else I’ve had in it being super solid. Do not let the word ‘vegan’ scare you! As with the carrot cake the mango icing was very sweet but the cake was so good and moist that all this along with the passion fruit filling hit the spot. Loved! Great summery cupcake.

Nunu Chocolates - Handmade chocolates in Brooklyn. They were fine, however I wasn’t a huge fan of the ganache assortments. You can't choose what you'll get in a variety pack so you may be disappointed. A bit too sweet for some of the ganaches paired with the dark chocolate candy exterior.

Jam Jar (Pie or Cake) – I really wanted to like this. The packaging and design were so spot on as is the idea of dessert in a jar. It’s a big “thing” now. This is a small vendor who was at Smorgasburg over the summer. I chose the Flea Nut "pie." While her packaging is fantastic, colorful, vibrant, easy to read from afar, the Flea Nut was not. The brownie was too fudgy (read undercooked) for me and the chocolate was subpar, way too sweet, sweeter than anything I've ever had really, which makes me think it wasn’t fine chocolate but some cheap variety that’s more sugar than cocoa. The texture of the cake was the same as the peanut butter on top making it super heavy to eat. So basically this was a fudgy brownie with peanut butter (which was good) on top and chocolate chips. Just too too rich and not a good balance. Perhaps her other pie/cake flavors work better but this one was not made with great ingredients and perhaps much of the money went into the packaging rather than the execution.

4&20 Blackbird – Tasted their caramel apple pie which was very, very good. Been awhile since I had a pie without a crumb topping that I enjoyed as much. I really need to get more of 4&20’s stuff, their menu is often filled with things I’d love. Why are they not in Queens?

Dessert Club ChiKaLicious – I tried their vanilla bean mille crepe cake which was fine. It’s half the price of Lady M's but a bit rich in the homemade vanilla bean cream which is delicious though a mille crepe cake shouldn't have the cream oozing out of it so much. The vanilla bean comes out well in the delicate whipped deliciousness of the cream. This cream is also used in the Dough'ssant which is supposedly a take on the Cronut. I didn't find that the croissant was too doughnut-like beyond the shape. I had the salted caramel and I think the salted caramel topping (which was a lot) overwhelmed the core taste of the croissant. It is filled (in the bottom) with the same vanilla bean cream and tastes delicious but again the salted caramel was overflowing on this one. I'd like to try the others on site and see how they compare as the croissant's texture was a fantastic flaky one.

Amy's Bread – I bought the lime cornmeal cookie. It was fine. And by fine I add a slight attitude to that. “How are you doing, Jenn?” “Fine.” My money could’ve gone to their coconut bar which is awesome. The cookie has lime zest that somewhat comes through and that’s one of the few shining things about that cookie that I can remember.

Butter & Scotch – As much as I love everything that comes out of this place the orange bun is okay. It’s a bit too orangey for my taste and not enough caramel evenly distributed, plus the pastry was a tad dry. Conversely, the key lime pie is the friggin' BEST! As always the pies come through big time in this place and even when sharing the key lime with friends they attested it was one of the best things they ever tasted.

La Gran Via Bakery – During the Sunset Taco crawl I bought their black & white cake. This was a mistake as it’s nothing special and reminded me of box cake (not to hate on box cake which can be quite tasty). This was a chocolate and yellow layer cake with "mousse" in between that didn't taste too mousse like but that may have been because it was out in the heat. Nothing special to write home about. If you want a cake fix this is affordable and a good portion but I'd save the calories for something more delicious.

Georgetown Cupcakes - Key lime cupcake. (I do like my citrus.) Solid cupcake and I see why people like it. Not the best of the best but this seems to be one of those touristy spots just like Magnolia. I’d visit Georgetown again (except for the annoying clientele of tourists, hipsters, teens, cash-laden types who push and shove to get through). Also the overall vibe is that of a cast of the CW rather than an NYC bakery. Anywho, cupcake was soft and had the necessary hint of lime in the cupcake, not hidden but there and not overly subtle. The cream was soft and not a mountain of it on the cupcake so a good balance and yes the lime was there too! A good size and $3 isn't a bad price tag.

Baked – They have a new Tribeca location! If I still worked there this’d be very dangerous. First up, the peanut butter milk chocolate chip cookie which wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Not bad but not sweet enough and I think they may have used some all natural/organic PB that took away from the peanut butter taste and was more like a peanut cookie with a lot of dark choco chips in it. Good chewy texture but not a fan. And its way too big considering. Also got zucchini nut bread which was solid! Next was the pumpkin muffin because pumpkin. Also good stuff! Super moist inside. Would buy that ten times over with their zucchini bread or any of their breads! Had a key lime bar that was perfection. Light and creamy and very citrusy in taste. Some of their other items are actually gaining steam over their brownies!

Macaron Parlour – Noticing a trend with this being an annual staple? I had the carrot cake macaron with cream cheese filling and holy crap it's just like a carrot cake. They did it again! Also had the candied bacon one with maple cream icing which was okay. The bacon overwhelmed the flavor of the macaron which I believe was caramel.

Craftsman & Wolves - During my San Francisco visit and Jackie suggested it. This place has a lot of fancy fare happening but I played it safe (and to be honest by the time I got their most of their stuff was sold out) and got a brownie with caramel and salted almonds that was a good size. Brownie was split in half and caramel & almonds a thin layer. Very good and not too chocolatey. I’m eager to see if I can try more from them my next time in San Francisco this year.

Dandelion Chocolate – Also in San Francisco. When I saw it I knew I had to try it and so I did it: the brownie bite flight. This was a solid life choice. My fave of the three was the Guatemalan one with notes of chocolate cookies. Since Dandelion is artisan made on the spot chocolate from various regions' cacao the chocolate was intense, not too much but definitely unique to each brownie in the flight and made you take notice. Second favorite was the middle one from Papau New Guinea and least (but good after tasting it more) was the last from Madagascar with dried cherry notes that hit you fast and settled down the more you let the chocolate linger. Super good. Their cinnamon chocolate roll with cocoa nibs not as much a life changer. There was no taste to the pastry, all I could taste was the cocoa nibs and even the cinnamon sugar gets lost. The pastry was a fine texture but again nothing stood out about the taste of it so I could barely remember this one. They also make their marshmallows on site and that was good stuff. Pure vanilla taste and I know this would go great in their homemade hot chocolate.

Psycho Donuts – Since I was in a doughnut mood and in San Jose I found the closest shop. The options were vast but I went with the Marla and also the Drunkin' Punkin'. Like a friend said if a place has that much on top of the donuts they may be overcompensating for something. The Marla was a fine yeast donut with no filling that had butterfinger crumble on top and a peanut butter drizzle. Not at all dry and combined some of my fave things. But the donut itself would have no discernable taste without the toppings. The Drunkin' Punkin' was a sad case. A cake donut that had NO pumpkin but pumpkin spices and really it tasted mainly of cinnamon not the pumpkin spice combo, sadly. It was dry-ish and the cream cheese icing on top hardened with a bourbon drizzle and pecans. Again if it weren't for the topping nothing would stand out and as a donut it's not at all enticing for pumpkin lovers. Super nice staff but they do not make their donuts onsite, they get shipped from elsewhere. Not the best donut game at all.

Spot Dessert Bar - Had the Kabocha Brulee cake. A warm caramelized pumpkin cake with cookie crumble and condensed milk ice cream. I ate this during BinderCon and by the time I got to it the ice cream was soup but tasty soup! I drizzled it over the pumpkin cake and it was delish so a necessary addition to the overall dessert. A flat and blech sugar cookie came with as decoration which you can forgo but the pumpkin cake has all the flavors of ACTUAL pumpkin (not just pumpkin spice) so that you can enjoy this dessert being filling but not overwhelming and having a firm custard delicacy to it. So far I have very much enjoyed Dessert Bar's desserts and those with Asian flair as well. I need to go there more often!

2011 Year in Review of NYC’s baked good offerings.

Another year has come and gone and I have done a boatload of dessert eating, my friends! And with that brings another annual review of baked goods I tried, mainly in NYC, sometimes a rogue item gets in from another state (see Red Hen Baking Company's fantabulous maple bun!) I tried new faves and old haunts and wasn't disappointed, well most of the time anyways.

These are listed in no particular order but I definitely suggest trying them at least once. It's nice to get around the city every once in awhile.

Cream Cakes from Flushing mall (Delmanco) - I was first introduced to these when I first went to the Flushing Mall in Queens. As someone who went to high school in Flushing I was saddened I was just finding it. Especially after hearing last year that the mall would close in 2012 due to a bunch of unnecessary government intervention. Of course, that's going off topic.

Prior to entering the food court on the first floor you will see a Delmanco booth where they make these tasty sponge cakes with custard filling. You can get them hot off the presses which is a real treat. They are small in size but have a great buttery, vanilla flavor that is pure but also really addictive. I could eat a box full (24 count) and have. The light sponge cake is a delicacy in a lot of Asian desserts you may have. Fay Da Bakery and other places in Chinatown tend to have cakes in a similar consistency.

Baked - Soon after 2011 had begun, well like a week into January 2011 I went to brunch with Yoshie of Ramen & Friends, her husband, and her baby CK soon after the new year began. Since we had a car at the time it was cool wandering around a week after the blizzard in Brooklyn. And a place to hit up at the top of my list was Baked! Since I didn't know when I'd be in Red Hook again I bought a bunch of items. First up was the brookie (brownie/cookie), which was wonderful! An even mix of a brownie and a cookie in one with a cookie crust and brownie filling. As advertised on The Best Thing I Ever Ate with Claire Robinson noting that the salty and sweet brownie was the best thing she's ever had. For me it was good, not the best thing ever. The consistency was there with the more fudgy texture to the brownie but because it was more dark chocolate it lacked an additional sweetness that I enjoy in brownies. I also tried the pumpkin chocolate chip loaf, which stayed moist after a week when well sealed. The loaf had an even amount of pumpkin and chocolate, though there were a bunch of chocolate chips.

Dessert Truck - The Dessert Truck was MIA for much of 2010 due to licensing issues with parking and such or whatever food trucks have to get to to own their turf. With the return of the dessert truck I introduced my friend Ric to it. He had the creme brulee which was extremely tasty, perfect custard texture and not too thick of a sugar charred topping. I had the chocolate bread pudding, perfection with the creme anglais and some choco wafers atop. The donut squares with nutella didn't taste too great. I held them for the next day and toasted in the oven. Perhaps something about that took away from the taste as the texture was fluffy like a yeast donut and the nutella was good, but there was a somewhat metallic taste to the donut after I toasted it in the oven. And I had placed it on parchment paper so that was a bit odd. An additional bonus is that the Dessert Truck has opened two locations called DT Works in the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn.

Fat Witch Bakery - At my blondie/brownie themed birthday party last year a friend of mine introduced me to Fat Witch. She brought brownies (walnut & regular) and blondies. It was a good thing that I read that molasses was in the blondie because I didn't taste it and may have hesitated beforehand since I loathe the stuff. The blondie was brown sugar goodness! Fat Witch has nice bite-sized goodies that were like homemade in singularly packaged bits. Both the brownies and blondies are moist with a chewy consistency not too cakey and stayed moist in tightly sealed wrapping. My favorite was the walnut.

Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie - As per the name their specialty is key lime pie/tart. I got the mini version. The filling was nicely tart and very creamy in texture (since I carried the stuff home from Red Hook, Brooklyn to Jamaica, Queens). So it held up pretty well! The graham cracker crust is mighty thick for containing the filling and can withstand storms! The crust may be a bit much for some but it can be a good balance, especially when you need your key lime fix.

Butterlane - I was disappointed in Butterlane in years' past because of the fact that I got a stale cupcake and the icing was pretty mediocre, even by pumpkin standards. I tasted the cupcake with chocolate icing and toasted peanuts. This time around the cake was much better and moist. The way it should be. So I may give them another try.

Cake and Shake New York - Their stand is set up right outside of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They had a big crowd so I decided to give it a try. Cake & Shake offers savory and sweet cupcakes and also cupcakes for dogs. Go figure. I tried the moon cake (yellow cake that the menu said there was vanilla cream inside, but is probably baked into the dough). It was pretty big and moist enough, but they kind of over did it with the mountain of icing on top. However the butter cream frosting was darn tasty. My friend Jen can attest to this. This was not the best cupcake I've had and for the price I may be hesitant to try another.

Big Gay Ice Cream Truck - After stalking them or really it's called following for a reason when it comes to food trucks. I stood online for what seemed an obscenely long time (It was 4th of July weekend) and had the "Bea Arthur" (vanilla ice cream cone with crushed Nila wafers and dulce de leche). The guys running the truck are uber-friendly and sweet, which probably added to the line wait. They put dulce de leche inside the ice cream as well as on top and inside the cone! It's not an overly outrageous choice but a good solid one that I did not regret. Time goes faster when you have company.

Babycakes - I tried Babycake last year and had a half/half like/dislike with their cupcakes. During a Ramen & Friends outing to Far Rockaway beach there was a stand. I have to say I was very disappointed in the frozen cookie sandwich (no ice cream, vegan icing and refrigerated). I was pretty irritated with the cashier that she gave me an overcooked cookie. Someone else in our party had a better one, but in the end the dessert itself was not that tasty. The missing element being the dairy for me unfortunately on top of a rock hard cookie.

Motor Boat and the Big Banana - The Far Rockaway outing also proved to have a favorite place many people went to. The day was really hot and so a frozen banana seemed an ideal treat. I purchased the frozen chocolate covered banana with peanuts and sea salt. It was good but the tastes kind of fought each other in my palate. I probably would have enjoyed the chocolate and peanuts and sea salt and then the chilled banana separately. But, it did cool me off on a hot day.

Blue Smoke Bake Shop - Went to Blue Smoke during NY Restaurant Week in the summer. When you enter you pass by their Bake Shop right across from the hostess stand. As soon as you walk in you get sugary eye candy! The Bake Shop is across from the hostess stand. I bought a few things. My favorite was the mini pecan pie. My first taste of pecan pie believe it or not. It was sweet but not overly so as I imagine it could've been. It had a nice flaky crust that was not overly buttery but worked for the pie itself. The mini tollhouse cookie pie was a bit much in pie-form. The choco chunks and cookie were overwhelming and I could barely taste the pie crust. I've had truffle pies which are brownies in a pie and think that may have worked better. Upon next visit I wouldn't mind trying their cookies on their own.

Sweet Chef Southern Styles Bakery  - I tried their offerings when I was uptown near Grant's Tomb for Harlem Week. Now that I work very close to Harlem (literally a few blocks) I was excited to try some places in the area. I bought a handful of goods. One of which was their chocolate chip cookie. It was chewy, but didn't taste like your run-of-the-mill cookie. The sugary butter taste just wasn't there. Depending on your palate that may be a good thing. One of my faves was their mini sweet potato pie, perfection. They got it right with a buttery crust (which may have been made with lard to get the crisp texture) and the sweet potato filling reminded me of Grandma's. Maybe not my own, but someone's. Also a hot pick was the apple crumb pie! (I seem to have a preference for crumble pies these days. Particularly Mrs. Smith's Dutch Apple.) The crumbs were a good standard to which all should be held since it's mainly butter, sugar, perhaps some flour and lemon zest. The apples inside had a working harmony of sweetness and cinnamon flavor that wasn't too overwhelming. Again, perfect crust! The pecan pie (my second after having Blue Smoke's)  was gooey, sugary goodness.

Clinton Street Baking Company - Just wanted to reiterate how much I LOVE the scones and blueberry pancakes here. By the by, Pancake Month is being held in February. Go! That is all.

Bread Alone Bakery - My mom purchased a pie from here at the farmer's market that regularly visits areas in Manhattan, particularly during the spring/summer. She got the apple crumb pie. As mentioned I'm more partial to a dutch type of apple pie than the regular these days so a crumbly/praline crust is right up my alley. The crust is the best part of a pie, for me, and the fact that Bread Alone's was sweet and crumbly was the ultimate test for me.  I should also note that Bread Alone uses local ingredients from upstate New York. Good stuff and they use local ingredients.

Coolhaus Truck - The arrival of the Coolhaus truck was a nice surprise once I started my new job uptown this summer. They primarily sell homemade cookies and ice cream. So there may be a lull in service during the winter months, maybe not. They serve these items separately or as ice cream sandwiches and are pretty heavy handed with the ice cream when they make it. I was interested in trying the red velvet cookie (red dyed chocolate cookie with cream cheese icing) with red velvet ice cream (vanilla ice cream w/ red velvet cake chunks). But figuring that may be a bit much I ordered the maple white chocolate cookie with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream was creamy and reminded me of Breyer's with the vanilla bean specks. The maple white choco cookie was amazing! Super chewy, lovely crunchy white chocolate bits, and the maple flavor was spot on! Not too subtle and not too overwhelming. Perfect cookie. I ordered the cake "pancake" cookie which was similar in taste to the maple white chocolate cookie. Red velvet cookie was chewy and chocolate-rich. Streaks of hardened cream cheese icing are okay but don't really add much to the cookie and flake off easily. Their snickerdoodle is good, pretty basic sugar cookie with a bit more crunch than the other cookies. Cinnamon sugar on top is not too heavy, which is good for a snickerdoodle.

First Prize Pies - I had the pleasure of meeting Alison at Pie Party Live in October. Her contribution was a s'mores pie at pie party live. Ridiculously delicious. So of course, I had to try her other offerings. I bought three mini pies to enjoy on my lonesome. And I guess share. Of the three I purchased my new favorite is Jay's cream apple pie. The crust is perfect buttery Graham cracker mix with apples and a cream topping that balances out the tastes with some cinnamon on top. Her samoa pie encompasses many of the pieces of the girl scout cookie and is also good. Especially for those that love their Girl Scout Cookies. As a fan of the peanut butter chocolate combo I liked this pie also but found with the dark chocolate it was a bit more bitter for my tastes. The peanut butter filling was light in fluffy texture but tasty.

Little Pie Company - Mom bought Sour Cream Apple Walnut Pie! I had tried this for the first time last year during Just Desserts Day. I had it several times over the Christmas holiday so I'm a bit stuffed. Mmm, praline topping. Mom also bought the Mississippi Mud Pie, which is uber chocolatey. It tastes like a concentrated brownie and is very good warm/room temperature with vanilla ice cream to offset how intense the chocolate is. Crust, filling, topping the chocolate is everywhere!

Chipsy - Via a MunchOnMe coupon I got to try the newest deep fried shop's hot item: deep fried oreos with nutella. These are far superior to Chip Shops as the batter was more cake like and reminded me a of a donut which was a nice compliment to the oreo which got chewy inside. The nutella had a nice sugary addition and all the flavors meld well together so you can taste everything. Chip Shop had one bland batter that they seem to use for everything from the savory items to the desserts and it adds no taste to the overall dish. I'd go back to try Chipsy's deep fried candy bar as well. And they have a range of fries. Good stuff.

Spot Dessert Bar - I have passed this place many, many times and always said to myself "I'm going to go in there one day." Well, with a coupon for a free macaron that day came! I really enjoy the East Village and think this is a great addition. I had a red velvet macaron which truly captured the light cocoa flavor of red velvet cake with a sweet cream cheese filling. Not too sugary, but crispy and chewy. Perfect macaron. And since I was there I purchased the apple crumble cupcake. It was a moist yellow cake with cream cheese icing (light and fluffy) which was reminiscent of cheesecake and sweet apple bits on top. It was good and I'll definitely frequent this place again, but I would've liked apples inside the cupcake as well.

Apple Cafe Bakery - Again with the MunchOnMe coupons! After frequenting a bunch of places and getting free items I couldn't help but also purchase something else to get a sense of what their offerings were. Apple Cafe Bakery is brand spanking new, opening last fall. I had a peanut butter cookie, perfectly peanut buttery, nutty, and chewy! It was also pretty oily, so much so that it started to seep through the paper bag. A treat for those that enjoy peanut butter. I also got a sugar cookie which was fine, sort of lackluster in terms of taste, very basic but sugary. Lastly I got a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie which was tasty and very chewy (more so than the sugar cookie) and had a good balance in taste. Had more macadamia nuts than white chocolate which was fine. Tasted this thanks to MunchOnMe coupon. They also have pumpkin & red velvet cheesecake and pumpkin whoopie pies which I may be inclined to go back and try.

Soul Snacks NYC - This is a small operation and gets distributed through many locations in Harlem. At Manna's I saw the sweet potato cookie. In texture and taste it reminded me of  one of my favorite cookies: pumpkin chocolate chip sans chocolate chips. It's more cakey than crispy and a nice size and bits of sweet potato in it. It's on par with pumpkin but the after taste is definitely sweet potato. It's a great balance of sweetness for this type of cookie. I'm very interested in trying more from Soul Snacks.