2012 Year in Review of NYC's Baked Good Offerings

Y'alls knew it was coming! The annual review of baked good offerings in NYC (and sometimes elsewhere). I traveled, I ate, I ate, and I had (for the most part) no regrets. But of course there are hits and misses, more hits than anything else though.

First Prize Pies: I had the pleasure of interviewing Allison earlier this year and have visited First Prize Pies at Smorgasburg and later on at Grub Street Food Fest. Gotta love Alison's pies! At my pie-themed birthday party we tried her hot chocolate pie. Seriously spicy! Cayenne everywhere with a dark chocolate ganache. If you're like me and have a low tolerance for spicy stuff than have it in small doses. Of course I had my fave pie, s'mores' at Super Duper Market. And then my friend Ric and I tried the people's choice candy apple pie at Grub Street and enjoyed it. This pie reminded me of a good old fashion apple pie with a candied topping that was a mild red hot.

Allison has had a big year. She's currently writing a cookbook and will have a new storefront called Butter & Scotch that will be a cocktail and dessert bar in Brooklyn opening in 2013. Congrats Allison!

Two Little Red Hens: My first venture here since I wanted to get a variety of pies for my birthday pie party. I purchased the pecan pie w/ chocolate chunks. The filling was good but probably a bit cold and better warmer/room temperature. The crust was flaky yet didn't have too much of a buttery or lard taste, so the flavor was all in the filling.

Little Pie Company: Since I love the sour cream apple crumb pie I decided to vary it up and get their pear apple crumb pie. It is very cinnamony, which tended to overpower the subtly of the pear apple filling, but the crumb topping and crust were as excellent as the one on the sour cream pie.

Momofuku Milk Bar: The crack pie is ridiculously sweet, even for me! I'm unsure what's in it besides brown sugar and a heap of butter. Overall it's a hard taste to pin down but the brown sugar comes through in all points and the filling has the consistency of blondie dough (or really the point where brown sugar and butter are melted together. The crust is very thin as is the filling which is a good thing, so it's not too thick.

I also had their candy bar pie and it was also too sugary for me. It has a chocolate cookie crust. The caramel was all over it, there was a peanut butter nougat as the filling, and the dense chocolate coating made it hard to enjoy the balance. There was a lone pretzel in the hardened chocolate top which I would've liked more of to have a sweet and salty mix alas, no. I say less chocolate and caramel and more pretzel. It's too, too sweet. Nicely done but both pies were a bit much. I'll stick with their cookies.

Puddin' NYC: In February (bitterly cold) the Ramen & Friends group went to the newly opened, and teeny tiny Puddin location in the East Village. I enjoyed the banana parfait which was more like banana pudding with crushed cookies (wafers?) atop banana pudding and cream. Their lemon tart was quite good with a marshmellow bruleed topping but was a bit more watery and not as solid nor as lemony as some may have liked. Their pudding is pricey ($7 and up) but I was satisfied.

Financier Patisserie:  I have become a big fan of almond flour since doing gluten free baking last year. I had heard a lot about Financier from friends and finally had the financier -- a small buttery almond cake (made with almond flour) that is reminiscent of a Madeliene  Very tasty, soft, great buttery flavor and the almond flour makes a great contrast in a slightly denser texture. The chocolate financier is really tasty, not overly chocolatey with nuts in and around it. These are great, small treats that are not too sweet with tea, cider. However, their Madeleine is fine. You get the cakey texture based on unbleached flour and theirs has a smidge of lemon in the middle along with vanilla taste. But if I had a choice I'd have the financier and/or chocolate financier.

Konditori: They have a location in Williamsburg and another one in downtown Manhattan. I have to say that the pumpkin ginger cake I had at Konditori is the first vegan baked good I have been very fond of! Although it was a bit pricey for just a corner piece of cake ($2.25) of which I received a small portion that I was given (didn't get to choose). Great texture and taste and while I was worried the ginger may be too overpowering it isn't yet clings in the after taste. There's also a brown sugar topping.

The Rescue Baker: TRB is a site developed to aid people who have baking emergencies and figure out a way to fix them. I tried TRB's goods at IACPNYC this past spring. Her campfire cookie were a take on s'mores with chocolate chips and marshmallow  cookie was a bit hard and too crunchy for my taste. However, the lemon bundt cake was delicious and the perfect cake moisture and lemon flavors. Flourless chocolate cake had too much dark chocolate for me which made it hard to finish. But I look forward to delving into more of The Rescue Baker's recipe ideas and informational posts.

Brownies & Cream: This was a nice little storefront that opened up this year and unfortunately closed in Forest Hills. Ah well, it was nice having a new bakery in Queens. Whenever I visited my friend in Forest Hills we always stopped by (support local businesses!) I had their tiny cupcake. The salted caramel icing was oily and the cake was super dry. On the flip side, their blondie was very good. Nicely dense and fudgy in texture but sugary and sweet like a blondie should be with a good balance of buttery flavor. I also had their red velvet French macaron, very good, a bit crispy on the outside meaning it may have been overbaked a tad but it was still chewy and the flavor for the macaron was definitely red velvet with a good cream cheese filling. Hopefully the owners may be able to open another place in the near future.

Bubby's: I love the food at Bubby's and they are known for their pies. But the last time I visited, too stuffed from their delicious entree, I had their peanut butter jelly cookie. Peanut butter can do no wrong in my mind so the cookie had jelly on top like a thumbprint cookie. Not a fan of the jelly used (it may have been raspberry), but overall a very good cookie.

Robicelli's: I tried various goods from Robicelli's at the Great American Bake Sale this year and then went to Dekalb market (three times) and tried some more stuff. Three words: Apricot pecan scone! Amazing. Wonderful scone, not too crispy inside and out but wonderfully moist and not too sweet. Pecans within and apricot glaze on top. I'm a convert!

At Dekalb market I tasted the Rue McClanahan cupcake which was a peach cake with cream cheese icing and peach topping. Good and moist, lots of great sweet flavors. But I didn't taste much peach in the cake. Had a bit of the lemon blueberry cupcake. Good but it seems the main differentiation is in the topping and not so much the cake unless they do very 'light' touches within the cupcake batter.

Allison Robicelli has done a lot for Sandy Relief in the past few months and helped create Bay Ridge Cares Kitchen (BRiCK) that I had the pleasure of working at a couple times and wished I could have gone more. Great group of people that did great work for those in need during a crisis.

Sweet & Simple: The Great American Bake Sale strikes again in introducing me to great bakers. Michelle Jaffee donated a bunch of her fudgy brownies to the bake sale. She's located in CT and I was so happy that she agreed to an interview! I purchased her deluxe brownie box  thinking I could eat much of it myself, I could not. But I shared! And everyone I shared it with LOVED the brownies. From her traditional brownie to her peanut butter to her raspberry to her walnut brownie every one is made with love, just like her tagline says, and lots of chocolate! High quality chocolate at that! My favorite is the walnut brownie and you must have these with milk. Just don't even argue with me. Order online, wait for a lovely wrapped package, and enjoy chocolate heaven.

Coolhaus: One of the few food trucks that comes uptown to where I now I work I get Coolhaus whenever I can! They have huge portions when it comes to their ice cream sandwich and it is good stuff. Mainly I try their cookies. The potato chip & skor cookie. A solid cookie. I didn't really taste the salt from the potato chips but they did add a good crunch factor to that with the candy bar in the cookie. I've had their ice cream and try not to go too wild though their flavors run the gamut but are always good. Next time you see a Coolhaus truck, just go for it.

The Good Batch: The Good Batch is known for stroopwafels and other dutch items. While they had a presence at Smorgasburg I was introduced to their goods via Robicelli's at Dekalb Market. I purchased the Honey Bears which is a sandwich cookie but the texture makes me think of a small whoopie pie. The Honey Bears are vegan (no dairy or eggs) and has peanut butter and oats cookie (cake like texture) and a honey, sea salt, peanut butter filling. It is peanut butter to the MAX!!! Need milk with it for sure because it's so thick. Cookie is moist but not delicate and has a harder texture, but maintains a great sweetness and peanut butter flavor, especially from the filling. This will make you thirsty with the salty and sweetness. Particularly from the peanut butter and sea salt sprinkled atop the cookies. Didn't get too much honey and think they should change the name so it better captures how intense the peanut butter is in this cookie sandwich/whoopie pie.

Runner & Stone: Another introduction via the Bake Sale! Those at the sale raved about the almond croissant and having tried it at Smorgasburg I can tell you the hype was very much earned. What makes the Runner & Stone croissant stand out from a typical almond croissant is the fact that it is made with almond flour and not necessarily filled with an almond paste. It's not so much flaky as it may be more reminiscent of a scone/cake. Either way it's light and fantastic for those of you who do not like that almond paste/extract taste. I just wish they would open a storefront in Queens so I don't have to travel to Brooklyn to always get the goods.

Dough: During the Bake Sale I had seen many people carrying some huge doughnuts at Brooklyn Flea. It was then I was introduced to the new staple. I would try them when visiting Smorgasburg for the first time this summer with Angela (Mind Over Batter). Angela's son had 2 cinnamon sugar donuts and loved them. I enjoyed the hibiscus with a glaze and a leaf on it. Delicious! Thanks to Angela for snagging it for me. :-) Later on when passing the main location I tried the lemon poppyseed doughnut, unfortunately it was pretty lackluster. The glaze was too lemony (read: tart) even for me! Overpowered the whole thing and the doughnut wasn't as chewy as it should've been but a tad on the dry side. Not good for a huge yeasty doughnut.

Melt Bakery: While I had tried the deep fried pumpkin pie from Melt Bakery a couple of years ago at Grub Street I had yet to try their staple, ice cream sandwiches! Julian (co-owner) was at CookOut NYC on Governor's Island and thankfully his ice cream sandwich helped me during a spicy emergency with some ridiculously hot sauce.

I was bummed to hear that Melt won't be doing deep fried pies anymore but they will be focusing heavily on their sandwiches and I have to say those are perfect. My favorite is the the lovelet (red velvet cookie with cream cheese ice cream). For the most part Melt's cookies have more of a cake like texture so that you can actually get a good balance when biting into it. They have a range of flavors yet some cookies may be hard/chewy like you may be used to (example: Jack = pumpkin ice cream with a molasses cookie). But for the most part they are a nice balance of hard/soft on a hot day.

Culture NY: Congrats to Jenny and Gino Ammirati on the arrival of their new baby this year! And big thanks to Jenny for the interview soon after she had the baby, so kind of her. Culture's staple is the original yogurt with key lime topping (key lime syrup and a type of pudding and graham cracker dusting) delicious! Not too tart and not overly sweet but a great melding of flavors that really make you feel like you're having the perfect frozen yogurt. You will not be able to have anything quite like it and so you better take yourself to Brooklyn to get some Culture.

Macaron Parlour: By now you know I'm going to say I tried their macarons at the Bake Sale this spring. But Macaron Parlour also opened up a storefront this year also. Yay! Macaron Parlour has a never ending array of macarons, some of which include bacon. But my faves are the red velvet and earl grey macarons. The trick to a tea flavored macaron is to capture that essence without overdoing it and the earl grey does just that. The red velvet is one of the best red velvet macarons I have had and trust me I venture out for those. Another new fave of theirs is the salted caramel which also has a nice caramel cream inside. Delicious and light and perfect. Love, love, love.

Ovenly: Super Duper Market this summer was a fun place to go in and get out. I was introduced to Ovenly and got to try their chocolate chip cookie, which was huge and thick and moist and really good. Salt being the thing in baked goods nowadays Ovenly's cookie also had a dash and the chocolate chips were well spread out in the large cookie but tasted bittersweet/dark. I also had some candied maple thyme pecans, a savory sweet mix but the maple comes through mostly and then the herbs. Ovenly just opened a shop in Greenpoint earlier this year.

Miette: Another find at Super Duper Market that is unfortunately not available in NYC, but is a San Francisco based bakery. I went a little overboard and purchased the lemon shortbread cookies (has lemon zest in it that is very light but definitely can taste it in the shortbread). The shortbread is crispy yet not overly dry and has a good moistness to it that makes it chewy as well.

Also snagged the chocolate sable shortbread cookies, very chocolatey. You get more than a dozen tiny cookies (like 16 or so) in a nice sealed clear baggie. The owner has a new cookbook out with Chronicle Books and said she's trying to find an NYC storefront. Hope it works out as I think it'd be a nice addition to NYC.

Jemez Food Shack: While on my conference tour on the west coast my friend Iris stopped by a Native American food shack in Pueblo Jemez. I had an amazingly tasty and freshly made cherry fruit pie. Wonderfully flaky cinnamony crust with a great filling. A big rectangular slice that was so tasty and cheap! I wish there was a way for me to order this online or lead you to it, alas you must go to New Mexico to see for yourself.

PierNYC: This Ramen & Friends outing lead us to PierNYC on Roosevelt Island. What I had read about when searching the menu was the huge red velvet whoopie pie and I was eager to try it. It was a popular item that sold out with our big group. Turns out the whoopie pie is made by Ally Cakes makes the dessert for PierNYC. May I reiterate that the whoopie pie was large. Perhaps this added to the fact that the cake (aka pie) was overcooked and dry. The filling was not cream, it was icing with a stiffer texture than what should be accompanied by a whoopie pie. Pretty disappointing, but I was very happy with the service at PierNYC and the fact that we weren't charged for a lackluster dessert. (See Melt Bakery for red velvet.)

City Baking (gourmet bakery) Corporation: I don't normally review storebought goods so much but this was pretty disappointing. I purchased the blondie from Interchurch cafeteria because it looked moist. It's pretty much cake disguised as a blondie. The taste just didn't meld much with blondie and the brown sugar wasn't there. The website touts it as a chocolate chip cookie but a bar and it's not, brown sugar should be more evident and the texture was too much like a Duncan Hines cake for me to think blondie. The chocolate and nuts within overwhelmed the taste of the cake which is quite forgettable and light.

The Brownie Boy: After having treats from The Brownie Boy repeatedly at Smorgasburg I was glad to do an interview with him. This is a new bakery one man show. Now Mario knows his blondies and brownies. First up is the dulce de leche, great texture a mixture of dense half-baked inside that worked. The sea salt on top was a nice add to the brownie and the dulce de leche wasn't too heavy yet the chocolate is subtle. It all worked really well at a good size and price.

His brownies and blondies are all reminiscent of what you'd want, dense, sweet, with high class flavors. Looking forward to more of what he has to offer.

Schmackary's: Heard about this place thanks to Yoshie (R&F) since it's in midtown West. The hype is worth it. Had the sch'mores cookie and caramel apple crisp. Both chewy/moist and full o' flavor! The s'mores cookie was pretty intense and messy with toasted marshmallow being on top. It had graham cracker base with chocolate and had toasted marshmallow (not in pieces but like a frosting) that was delicious. Another milk warning(!) The apple crisp was like a pie in cookie form with an oat cookie that has white chocolate and chunks of cinnamon apple and caramel on top. Absolutely filling and delicious. These cookies served as my dinner and I have no regrets.

Dominique Ansel Bakery: Stopped by the newly opened bakery and just went crazy. The mini passonfruit chocolate eclair was tasty but nothing too memorable with a passionfruit cream filling and chocolate flakes on top that were a good mix. Admittedly I'm not a huge fan of eclairs because of the rough exterior of the dough.

However, the Madeleine's were amazing! They are made upon ordering and in teeny tiny size you can get ten for $4.50. Warm, light and fluffy not dense like some can be and lemon zest is in there somewhere because you can taste it as soon as you take a bite. The powdered sugar just makes it all come together and they really are best eaten quickly!  Get your own batch because you will not want to share.

Cake Bites: It being the season I had the pumpkin spice gluten free and vegan cake bite which is basically a cake pop without the stick. The texture reminded me of a nice moist, carrot cake with the perfect melding of pumpkin spices to melt in my mouth. The coating was white chocolate with a ginger sprinkling but the true powerhouse is the cake inside. Delicious. Also tried samples of their mocha, which was good but a bit too coffee like for me. I liked the peanut butter yet it was too gel-like.

Fat Witch Bakery: Known as NY's Legendary Brownie they are worth the hype! Pumpkin season brings forth the limited, and popular, pumpkin brownie. a thin chocolate brownie layer than a thick pumpkin layer then a thin graham cracker like layer that is delicious and made fresh every morning! Fat Witch was so nice to hold two for me free of charge after I was unable to get there in time to purchase these delicious confections. I had had their brownies and blondies at my brownie/blondie party in 2010 when Joy purchased them and was already a fan but now I'm a SUPER fan not just for their generosity but for the taste of that amazingly fresh and perfect brownie and pumpkin mix. More please.

Ivy Bakery: A well run, one woman show Ivy Bakery was hit hard after Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. I had tried Daniellan's trademark Buttermilk Pie and it is creamy goodness with a crust! Try her ooey gooey bar and it'll remind you of the pie in bar form. And the pumpkin cupcake! Another must-try since I love pumpkin anything. Daniellan is going to be offering classes for pie crusts and starting January 8th for truffles! So check out Ivy Bakery on Facebook to learn some baking tips and/or just lounge around and have some sweet goods or savory ones.

Hill Country BBQ: One of the best cupcakes I have had hands down! The cupcake has a whipped peanut butter frosting with Reese's pieces and salted peanuts atop a golden cake (perfectly moist) and inside jelly! Peanut butter will overwhelm no matter what but if you love it and it's light in texture everything balances out. It was delicious and I can see why Godiva Sweetest gave it the award in 2012 as a challenge winner for Best Cupcake at the NYC Food & Wine Festival. Deservedly so, I say.

Brooklyn Treat Shoppe: I got to work with ToniAnn at Bay Ridge Cares Kitchen (BRiCK) a couple times post Sandy. ToniAnn was a regular fixture baking desserts in large quantities for the meals that went out for BRiCK. She also donated some items one of which was a dulce de leche cake. I don't use acronyms often but OMG people that was the BEST yellow cake I have had in a very, very long time. It reminded me of the boxed cakes in texture in that it had a great balance of moisture you can get when adding pudding into the mix but it was NOT boxed cake it was an original. The dulce de leche frosting was perfectly smooth and we were eating that thing with our hands. Yes(!), we went carnal on that cake it was so good. I cannot wait to taste more of ToniAnn's confections in the New Year.

Francois Payard Bakery: And in the last few days of 2012 I had a couple French macarons from FPB. The vanilla bean is a goodie. Vanilla bean cookie and frosting. Passion fruit was good but I couldn't discern what the filling was exactly. After having had many macarons and especially those from Macaron Parlour I have to say FPBs are good but not on the same level. The cookie itself felt a bit tougher than it should as I am used to having the nice crunch/crackle of a French macaron exterior with a delicate softness that makes it easy to break apart and chew. This may have been due to temperature. I'd definitely try the vanilla bean again.

So that was my year in baked goods. Who knows how much weight I have gained from all this experimentation and tasting and whatnot, but for delicious desserts there are never any regrets...ever! Every year it seems new places pop up so I'm eager to try more in 2013 and beyond. Happy eating!

#CookieTakedown 2012

Gray Sunday. Rain. Wind. Cookies. Bourbon. Brooklyn. Mid-December and the 2012 Cookie Takedown at The Bell House was officially on! In my corner, I had maple deliciousness. Shaking off the droplets my cousin Melissa and I walked into a literal smorgasbord of cookies and some serious competition. For some, or many, this wasn’t just for fun. This. Was. It.

Admittedly, I felt pretty confident about my original creation. I’d done a test batch and got thumbs up from discerning eaters in the form of my co-workers and got raves from members of my writing group. But, like anything when it comes to NYC, in smaller communities you feel like a master, but when facing the larger realm you realize how steep the competition is.

With my tin pans full of cookies I was beside women with nice tablecloths, neon colored gloves, cute zebra printed plates and a light-up sign! Luckily fellow foodie, food blogger, fashionista, and kickass mom Angela (Mind Over Batter, by the way she's also currently doing a cookbook giveaway!) had done one of the of the Takedowns before (she placed at the Ice Cream Takedown earlier this year) and brought a lovely tablecloth. She also brought some delicious Banana Bread Re-snicker-cycle-doodles. If you like banana bread you’ll love her cookie it has the great balance of bread and cookie and a perfect banana taste.

Matt Timms knows how to treat his takedowners. There were nice giveaways for all including Bulleit Bourbon, Bulleit Bourbon glasses, and a handy Anolon wooden spoon. There was free eggnog (strong stuff!) and the first round was on Matt. Winners got either a Cuisinart stand mixer and other goodies (audience choice prizes) or an electronic handmixer (judge’s choice) or baking pans (honorable mentions). Oh yeah, there were cookies galore!

Unfortunately I didn’t get to partake in as many cookies as I would have liked since I was so busy serving the masses. One of the nicest compliments was seeing people nod after taking a bite of my cookie knowing that it hit a soft spot. One attendee, who was friends with the ladies giving out Pistachio Chip Chip cookies said my cookie was the best of all! One of the ladies manning their table came over to me and said “My friend said your cookie was the best one here. And he’s my friend!” I was aghast and flattered and psyched up!

The Cookie Takedown is a major cookie bonanza. There was an abundance of salty sweets from the salted peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (one of my faves for the perfection of something simple), salted chocolate chocolate chip cookies, one of the winners of the audience prize was a sea salted chocolate chip cookie. There was a Frankencookie (peanut butter cookie atop a brownie atop a chocolate chip cookie). There were bacon cookies, Drunken Chocolate Pig (chocolate, maple, sea salt, bacon) and a cookie with maple drizzle. A Miso Awesome cookie, yes miso in cookie along with chocolate. There was the Fluffer Nutjob (which also placed) and a cookie that was smothered in fluff (homemade mallomars) hiding the bit of cookie underneath. There was chewy gingerbread and thyme toppings and potato chips with chocolate chips (pistachio chip chip) and pistachio cookies with pomegranate buttercream and...so. many. cookies!

What was my cookie you ask? I made a maple almond praline cookie. As a fan of Vermont, and especially Vermont maple, I saw that Trader Joe’s had maple sugar! I purchased some and when I found out I was no longer on the waiting list for the Cookie Takedown but an official entrant I went to Trader Joe’s and bought a crapload more in addition to maple syrup and stocked up on maple extract.

This is a chewy cookie and the maple is there but not too intense. Being that maple itself is a subtle flavor I don’t think you can overdo it, however, you definitely need a balance of maple and non-maple ingredients. I rolled the almond in grade A dark amber maple syrup and then in light brown sugar to make a sort of praline and put that in the middle of the cookie so it’d crust up while baking. Along with the chew you get a nice crunch. I got many compliments from those outside of the competition as well since I had leftovers.

Something to also note...you have to make a few hundred of these. I made close to 300 over the course of two nights. And (thanks for the tip, Angela!) made dough for five straight days and refrigerated it so I could bake over two nights rather than try and balance making dough and baking. Luckily the dough I made handled well being refrigerated for several days making baking go smoothly. I made 150+ on Friday night and 120+ on Saturday night. With maple in baked goods the flavor has to settle. You will not taste maple right out of the oven, but after everything’s been sealed for a few hours and you open that sealed container anew BAM you are hit with it. And it is wonderful.

So after two hours of serving cookies, tasting cookies, drinking some strong eggnog, and chatting with attendees and contestants the judges deliberated and Matt counted ballots from audience votes. We all gathered on stage and introduced ourselves (and our confections) and waited to hear the results.

Admittedly, I felt a bit confident. I knew the cookie was good, but being up against 29 other cookies, well, you wonder how good.

Unfortunately again, friends, I did not win. The big winner was Susan of The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen who won both the judges top prize and the audience prize for her French macarons. Yes, maple got beat out by the French. But they were well done and I don’t know if I’d have the patience to make those bad boys, especially several hundred in my own little kitchen.

Do I wish I’d have won? Sure. But mostly I wish I’d gotten to taste more cookies! Seeing everyone set up and hearing them say them onstage I was disappointed I didn’t get to try more. Lucky audience members and judges. People worked hard on their cookies and the other takedowners were super nice and complimentary. It was good vibes all around on a rainy day and warm fuzzies. My cousin had a bunch of fun and again, Matt knows how to host an event and treat his people so he made it extra awesome.

I may do the Cookie Takedown again next year, may not. I didn’t feel too stressed about it do to good prep but who knows. Maybe next year I’ll just sit back, relax, and with eggnog in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other take in all the goods.

Sidenote: Because I was so busy distributing cookies to the public I didn’t get as many pics as I’d like but here are some great ones from Brooklyn Exposed (you can see Angela and I in one!). And SeriousEats has a nice slideshow of the event.

#CookieSwapNYC 2012 (Supporting WhyHunger's Campaign)

Walking into Hill Country BBQ in Chelsea one is welcomed by the woody aroma of meat being smoked. Pass by the friendly hostess and the bar, don't get sidetracked by the dessert station, and head downstairs to be greeted by representatives of WhyHunger and Bloggers without Borders. Beyond was an array of goodies and food bloggers I've connected with at local functions and via the Twitterverse. For me being part of the food blogger/foodie community is home and the best way to spend a weekend, especially a chilly and windy Sunday. Baking for them and enjoying food with them is a highlight, but to also do so for charity gets the warm fuzzy feelings going.

Cookie Swap NYC was organized by bloggers around the country with Bloggers without Borders. Bloggers without Borders has partnered with WhyHunger to promote an end to poverty and hunger throughout the nation by connecting people to affordable and nutritious foods. Fellow food blogger Lillian Huang kept many of us updated on the upcoming event. In the end forty food bloggers and food enthusiasts from the tri-state area came out to bake, talk, and share in WhyHunger and Bloggers without Borders mission.

The purpose of the Cookie Swap is, yes to swap cookies, but mainly to join people with common interest for a larger purpose. Tickets cost $40, half of which went to WhyHunger. Beyond purchase of a ticket all you had to do was bake cookies. Any kind you like! And what you get is the generosity of Hill Country BBQ's executive chef Elizabeth Karmel in providing you a tasty barbecue along with samples of their breakfast pastries and award winning cupcake! And again...the warm fuzzies!

Since I figured (and saw via many tweets) that chocolate was a popular theme I went with a recipe I'd made before. Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing. A pillowy cookie that's not too sweet but add on the brown butter icing and you  are in sugar country!

It's always great to catch up with the food blogger community and participate in not just eating but helping a greater cause. Jackie did gluten free pinenut cookies, Elizabeth (Brooklyn Supper) made a gorgeous satsuma cranberry shortbread, Angela (Mind Over Batter) made chocolate peanut butter cookies and gingerbread, Hazel (Tasty Pursuits) made Gianduja cookies, Betty Ann (Mango Queen) made purple yam ube shortbread, Abby Dodge did a deliciously ooey gooey bar, and there was more, more, and more.

It was great meeting Gail (THE Tough Cookie), Sweet & Simple's Michelle Jaffee, and Kelly (KellyBakes) in person and everyone just chatting it up and relaxing.

Hill Country BBQ, and Elizabeth, were super generous in providing the venue two years in a row, this great food spread of their succulent meats and sides, as well as a nice breakfast spread of savory and sweet items and honey butter (HONEY BUTTER!). Attendees were also provided the Hill Country NYC Food & Wine Festival (Godiva) award winning PB&J cupcake! Are there words to describe how much I loved this cupcake? Moist cake, perfect balance of jelly in said cake, a whipped peanut butter icing that did not overwhelm, and salted peanuts on top! Goodness...

Let me be honest. After all that dining and chatting and picture taking I didn't want to go home because (1) it was hard to move and (2) I wanted to take advantage of everyone's generosity and report back accordingly to the world! I only took a handful of cookies after having splurged on Hill Country (been there before and enjoyed it and certainly will be back again) so I tasted gluten free Milanos from Our Gluten Free Family (chewy and, dare I say, even better than the original), Angela's chocolate PB cookie (as always a knock out), Abby's ooey gooey bar (Abby does no wrong as far as I'm concerned), and Betty Ann's chocolate sandwich cookie (sinfully wonderful). Then there's regret at not being able to try more but my Zumba class barely worked off what I had eaten.

During events like these you realize how lucky you are to be able to indulge in great food and make it for others. So to come together for a cause to aid others less fortunate to become more educated about food and have it at their disposal is a great thing to do and promote, year-round not just during the holidays.

Bloggers without Borders has done some great fundraisers including the NYC Blogger Bake Sale that Lillian and Ken spearheaded earlier this year to also provide relief to hungry children.

To stay updated with WhyHunger's mission check out their website and connect. If you're a blogger check out and sign up for Bloggers without Borders and perhaps I'll see you at a function in the very near future.

Thanks again to all who participated and donated and organized and again huge thanks to Hill Country BBQ for the great spread and generosity.

Warm fuzzies people...

Interview with The Brownie Boy (A home grown business taking you back to your favorite memories.)

On my first of three, yes three, trips to Smorgasburg this year I was introduced to The Brownie Boy. What stuck out was the lovely sea-foam colored banner and of course the reasonable pricing. And, as you know, I am always on the lookout for the newest in baked goods in NYC. I owe it to you to spread the word after all.

The Brownie Boy is Mario Grosso, a new entrepreneur in the food field and the man knows his brownies! Each time I went to Smorgasburg I urged those with me to try his delightful delicacies. My fave is his walnut brownie, but the dulce de leche was the first to catch my eye. Mario noted that he takes great pride in making his bars the right consistency. I replied that I highly appreciated that.

My friends, food bloggers and foodies alike, who've tried his brownies and blondies agree, he's one of the new bakeries that we have to watch out for as The Brownie Boy business grows.

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The ‘Story’ section of your website nicely details the memory of sneaking that first bite of a really good brownie. Do brownies (and blondies) hold a particular memory for you? Was this the dessert that made you passionate about baking overall?

I have always loved brownies more than any other dessert, and I think that a lot of people can relate to the scene in my story. Brownies are very popular with kids, and very nostalgic with adults; they are true crowd pleasers. Brownies were one of the few treats that my mom would bake in the oven. So, brownies definitely hold a special place in my heart. What made me passionate about developing my own recipes was discovering the overwhelming amount of disappointing brownies on the market, and the tendency of people to not only rely on boxed mixes, but consider the results authentic. The inspiration behind The Brownie Boy is the 1950s, before the advent of brownie mixes, artificial flavors, and preservatives; an era centered upon baking from scratch. At the same time, the mission of The Brownie Boy is to take the “one bowl” dessert from simple to gourmet, by using the finest ingredients to create a scrumptious assortment of unique flavors. There has been no greater feeling than being able to share my interpretation of the perfect brownie!

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The Brownie Boy was officially introduced to the larger public at Smorgasburg this year. How has that experience been for you as a new vendor? Do you plan on going to other fairs during the year or next summer like Hester Street Fair or Brooklyn Flea or branching out in other ways around the city?

Being at Smorgasburg has been an absolutely amazing experience, and a great platform for launching my business. For sure, there is a chance that I might expand to other markets and fairs next year, or even delve into wholesale, but the top priority for me is to open an online shop. Smorgasburg has been great for building a customer fan base and putting my name and product out there, for which I am extremely grateful.

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Despite the name will The Brownie Boy extend beyond bars? Are cupcakes or cookies in the future as delicious and easily transportable baked goods?

There is a possibility of expanding the menu beyond brownies. I actually sold cookies at Smorgasburg on two separate occasions. Once, I offered a milk and dark chocolate chunk cookie with fleur de sel; on another, I offered a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie with fleur de sel. Both of these flavors sold out and received great feedback. It was good to let customers know that I have other recipes in my repertoire (and that I’m capable of baking other goods besides brownies), and even better to know that they really enjoyed them. However, I definitely want to establish myself as a brownie company before officially adding different products to the menu.

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The Red Velvet Brownie! This is being rolled out at Smorgaburg this coming weekend. Yet, there had been a previous variation. I was particularly excited to see this was on the menu but you’ve perfected it. Red velvet can be quite controversial in the baking world as to what makes it ‘good’ or ‘real red velvet.’ What, for you, makes good red velvet?

That’s right! And they sold out pretty quickly. Since its introduction, Red Velvet has become my second most popular flavor, following Dulce de Leche. I had to play with it because my original recipe and design was not package-friendly. I’m very happy with the new results.

I’ve had a lot of mediocre and/or faux red velvet, so it was my goal to offer something worthy of the name. In my opinion, authentic red velvet needs to have buttermilk, vinegar, and only a hint of chocolate. As a chocoholic, it was pretty hard to resist using too much chocolate in the recipe, but I restrained myself! Turning red velvet into a brownie was particularly difficult, while staying true to the traditional recipe, because buttermilk tends to give baked goods a fluffy, tender, and light crumb. But, after painstaking experimentation, I figured out a way to keep my red velvet brownie dense and fudgy!

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Your brownies and blondies are fabulously moist yet not under cooked at all! My friends and I noted this when we tried both blondies and brownies at Smorgasburg a couple weeks ago. Making bars can be such a challenge with finding the right texture between dense, fudgy, and cakey, and people can be particular. Do you think that the right texture is what captures the perfect brownie or is it more about the flavor or a mixture of both?

Thank you! One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to baked goods is lack of moistness. I’ve had my fair share of dry brownies, and that’s one of the many reasons for starting this business. I am very opinionated when it comes to the taste and texture of brownies. I do not believe in cakey brownies (there’s cake for that!), so I always strive for dense with a texture balanced between fudgy and chewy. In terms of flavor, brownies should be rich and bold. I have a “go hard or go home” philosophy with flavor. So, in short, I do think that texture is what defines a brownie, but flavor is just as important (it can have the perfect texture, but it still needs to taste great if you want people to eat them!).

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One of The Brownie Boy’s trademarks is using the best ingredients, like fleur de sel on top of the dulce de leche brownie, are there other types of flavors you may be trying during the season(s), and be inspired by as fall becomes winter becomes spring? Or will The Brownie Boy focus on expanding what is offered year-round?

That’s right. I am trying to elevate the brownie to gourmet dessert status by using premium ingredients. For example, I use Valrhona and Callebaut chocolates, King Arthur Flour, and Nielsen-Massey vanillas. Every ingredient plays a critical role in the final outcome of a finished product, so it is very important that each is of the highest quality. It is extremely likely that I will introduce seasonal flavors in the future. I always have flavor ideas running through my mind, including two personal favorites – pumpkin and peppermint, both of which are considered seasonal. At this stage, it’s more important for me to build a ‘base’ menu of flavors that are available year-round. Then, I’ll start focusing on flavors with limited availability.

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Beyond Twitter, Facebook, and your website are there any other types of social media that you’re on? You've already had features on the Village Voice blog and Just Desserts NYC, so will The Brownie Boy have a blog in the future? Also, how else can people attain goods once Smorgasburg ends later this month?

Those are definitely the best sources for information, especially my official website. It’s also a good idea to “like” us on Facebook or “follow” us on Twitter to stay in the know regarding the latest recipe experiments, special deals, and all other business updates. I don’t think that The Brownie Boy will venture into the blogosphere, but you never know! Once the 2012 season of Smorgasburg closes, I am hoping to open an online store. I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries regarding shipping from out-of-state visitors and locals alike. I’m also looking into wholesale as well, so you may be able to find my brownies elsewhere in the city!

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 Thanks so much for the interview, Mario. Wishing The Brownie Boy continued success. And I'll definitely be ordering the red velvet. 

DUB Pies for #SandyRelief

In light of the recent events of Superstorm Sandy affecting many in the tri-state area, especially New York City and New Jersey, the giveaway I had intended is now to feed those in need post-Sandy.

I want to sincerely thank Gareth of DUB (Down Under Bakery) Pies for being generous in providing 16 pies to people who've been affected by Sandy and may not have had a hot meal in a week or so amidst many losses.

Gareth informed me that DUB has their own storefront in Brooklyn called The Pie Shop where visitors can not only get pie but their daily caffeine fix. I'm glad to hear this homegrown business was one that was not hit hard by Sandy last week. I'm always happy to hear about eateries that start off small whether online or mainly in markets and then grow because of steady patronship and good product. DUB Pies is one of those such success stories.

DUB Pies has been named the Meatiest Meat Pie by The Village Voice and has been noted in New York Magazine and Time Out New York. 

I will be delivering frozen or warm pies from DUB's menu. I'm reaching out to Occupy Sandy to aid in providing warm and delicious pies to those in need. If you have any further information or know of others who may be in need of items don't hesitate to let me know via email and also check Occupy Sandy, Food Bank of NYC, and Red Cross on ways to help Sandy Relief efforts.

A little about DUB Pies...

What makes DUB Pies different from other savory items you may have eaten? First off, it's pretty much all savory (except for offering the American staple apple pie). Second, these are some hearty pies stuffed to the gills with meat and/or veggies in non-traditional crust that is both buttery (made with shortening/lard) yet thick and not so much flaky to cater to the fullness you'll feel after eating it. What makes NYC a food mecca is that you can get so many variations on ethnic cuisine and DUB is no different. Gareth is a native of New Zealand and brought his native culinary skills and ingredients to NYC to broaden our pallets in terms of the meaty/savory pie realm.