Cookies & Cupcakes

There's a relatively new Coffee Shop/Art Gallery on Atlantic Avenue called Clover's Fine Art Gallery & Cafe (338 Atlantic Ave., between Smith & Hoyt, 718-625-2121). It's a huge gallery space in the back and seating in the front by the large window. I stopped in recently for a little pick-me-up and walked out with a Madeleine. It was dense yet light, and I could note the delicate flavors of citrus & vanilla. Their coffee was decent too - full-bodied, rich and mellow.



Further on down the road you'll find Downtown Atlantic (364 Atlantic Ave., between Hoyt & Bond, 718-852-9945). This is the restaurant that's also a bakery and has all the amazing looking cupcakes in the window. These babies are HUGE, and come in various flavors of cake and frosting (standard vanilla & chocoate, plus coconut, mocha, strawberry and more!), plus they've got cakes and pastries as well. Stop by for a box or call to place a special order for a special celebration.



They're really impressive and will delight young and old.

Sandwiches at Brooklyn Standard

I read about the Brooklyn Standard Deli back in March on Brooklyn Based and have been itching to check it out ever since. The still-new shop bills itself as the new bodega, offering the neighborhood everything it needs - convenience, food (both made to order and packaged), snacks, drinks, even condoms and smokes, but with the majority of their products being natural, organic and as local as possible. They use organic milk in their Stumptown coffee, and boast a whole line of vegan dishes to choose from, in addition to meaty breakfast and lunch deals and various pastries and desserts. I also saw a huge selection of sodas made with real sugar, not nasty high fructose corn syrup.

We got The Greenpoint (seemed fitting) which is Ham, Broccoli Rabe, Pepper Jack Cheese, Fresh Arugula and Arugula Oil on Grilled Foccacia. It was sooooo good! Melty, spicy cheese, salty ham, delicious bitter greens and a nice, soft bread, grilled to greasy perfection.



I also made sure to get a Cloud Cookie - a chocolate, chocolate chip cookie that so soft in the middle it's almost melting. It was so rich, it lasted me two days!



We also had a Stumptown latte that was pretty good, and cheaper than most of the other places serving Stumptown. I loved Brooklyn Standard and would go there many times a week if I lived in Greenpoint.

Dessert at Sweet Melissa

To celebrate an event my boyfriend has been preparing months for, I picked up a few things at Sweet Melissa (276 Court St., Brooklyn, NY 11231, (718) 855-3410 - they also have a Park Slope location on 7th Avenue near 1st Street). There's a lot to choose from here, from pies and cakes to small chocolates and tarts. I started with a big Chocolate Cherry Cookie, which was not too sweet, was deeply chocolatey with a touch of tart cherry. Chocolate chips and dried cherries dotted the cookie.



I also got three Truffles - one Pistachio that was rolled in chopped nuts and tasted nicely nutty, one Dark Chocolate, that was on the bitter side, thick and strong tasting (which I liked) and a Creamy Milk Chocolate one that was light and airy and less flavorful. Such decadent, creamy treats!



I also got a slice of their Pumpkin Bread Pudding with a caramel currant sauce. I love their Classic Bread Pudding and their Chocolate version as well, but this was a little disappointing. The pumpkin flavor was very subtle, and it was very bready, less moist than the other kinds I prefer. It came with a thick caramel sauce with currants in it that also tasted a little like cinnamon too.



Sweet Melissa is also a nice place to go as well. It's like a comfy living room, with bench seating with pillows and a really nice backyard that is twice the size as it once was since they expanded this past year. They serve soup and salads and really great fruit & cheese plates as well. Lovely.

Cookies from Little Buddy Biscuit Co.

Sorry for the late post today! I was away this weekend and didn't plan well. Hope these cookies make up for it! And thanks to my 50th follower!



Based on the packaging alone, I love the cookies from Little Buddy Biscuit Co. (635 Fifth Avenue at 18th Street, (718) 369-6355)! I was recently emailed by Josie Diels, the media contact for this new bakery in the South Slope, and subsequently sent a beautiful pink and blue package with three different Little Buddy cookies (lovingly cushioned with the packaging peanuts that melt in water).



There's a great little story about the creation of Little Buddy that's on their website which is appealing in and of itself...but the cookies! They're SO tasty and perfect. Some are creative and unusual in their combinations which sound a little crazy: orange, cardamom, coconut, currant & macadamia nut, but worked really well together. I also tried the ginger spice (with real chunks of dried ginger) and their version of double chocolate chip. The cookies are big, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and just the right amount of sweet. I'm heading over soon to try their Chocolate Chip, which, as some of you know, is my absolute favorite and the cookie against which all other cookies are measured.



They also serve brownies, cakes, muffins, scones and of course biscuits, PLUS a variety of savory & vegan goods. Let me know if you go!

More Cookies!

I seriously love cookies. I think they are my favorite sweet snack, if I can go so far as to name something my favorite. But really, a good cookie is the best way to have a bit of dessert without committing to a major situation. Chocolate Chip Cookies are the absolute best, if and when they are made well, and I'm always on the lookout for good cookie.

I recently tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie from Jacques Torres in DUMBO (66 Water St., between Main St. & Old Dock St., 718-875-9772). It was incredible, almost as big as my head and loaded with huge, dark chocolate chunks. It was a bit underdone and overly sweet for me, almost uncooked in the middle. It was still a fine cookie though, and I didn't have a problem finishing it.



Then, one day recently walking in Greenpoint, I stumbled upon Cookie Road, (94 Franklin St., at Oak St., 718-383-8094), a new coffee/sweets/sandwich shop run by it's very friendly owners. They have colorfully painted the outside of their corner shop in bright orange hues which already has got opinions flying. I liked it and liked the seats outside under the awning, perfect for all the rainy days we've been having. I tried two of their cookies, but there are many other options. One was Peanut Butter and really tasted like Peanut Butter, not some imitation, or flavoring, but real peanut butter. It was flaky and dense, and really good.



I liked the Rocky Road cookie more though, I think because I prefer chocolate. This was a double chocolate cookie with pecans & chocolate chips and sprinkled with mini marshamallows on top. This was a good cookie! Chocolately and moist, it went excellently with a glass of cold milk.



I didn't try their coffee, which has had mixed reviews, but am definitely happy to go back to support them and my cookie habit!

Cookies and Brownies

I feel so fortunate to live within mere blocks of four great Italian bakeries, each with it's own specialty. Today I'm highlighting the cookies from the sort-of recently renovated F. Monteleone & Cammareri Bros. Bakery (355 Court St., between Union & President Streets, 718-852-5600) in Carroll Gardens. When I'm coming home from work and am in need of a little sweet pick-me-up, I pop in here and get a little assortment of treats.

Looking at the photo below, starting in the middle with the big white cookie is the Almond Paste cookie. This is a soft cookie, made mostly with almond paste and covered with the finest powdered sugar, and is one of my favorites. It tastes fresh, with no bitter or fake aftertaste which taints too many of these kinds of cookies. Going clockwise we have the raspberry sandwich cookies with sprinkles. The cookie is slightly almond flavored vanilla cookie; smooth, crumbly and buttery but not overly sweet, with a layer of raspberry jelly and half-dunked in chocolate and then coated in multi-colored sprinkles. Not my favorite, but basic, tasty and fun.



At the top are the Seven Layer Cookies, again made with almond paste, with thin layers of apricot jelly between the cake and then coated in dark chocolate. These are more subtle than the straight-up Almond Paste cookie, they are moist little morsels of yumminess. The last cookie is the Apricot Butter cookie, a simple butter cookie with a dollop of sticky apricot jam in the center. These are some of my favorite kinds of cookies. They aren't overly buttery, and have a lovely little design around the outside. Perfect with coffee or tea at the end of a meal.

Then there are times when I want a more substantial desserty snack, something really chocolatey and satisfying. At those moments I head over to Naidre's (502 Henry St., at Sackett St., 718-5963400) (NOT an Italian Bakery but in the space formerly occupied by Cammareri Bros. Bakery, which was in the movie "Moonstruck") to pick up one of their massive Brownie's, which last me two days, so make sure you get it in a glassine envelope so it will keep. It's so chocolatey, with loads of chocolate chips throughout it's moist, cakey goodness. It's dense too, and a little on the sweet side (hence the time-out half-way through).



I like the corner piece, but they'll give you whatever piece you ask for!

Sweet Treats from One Girl Cookies

I treated myself to some cookies from One Girl Cookies the other day (68 Dean St., between Smith St. & Boerum Pl., 212-675-4996) because, well, sometimes a little sweet is needed. I hadn't been to One Girl in a while because I was a bit disappointed with the goods after they first opened. I'm happy to report that things have changed. I loved every one these little beauties, each with it's own girl's name.

First there was the Chocolate Chip Cookie (I didn't write down all the cookie names at the shop, so my information isn't complete!). This had a classic flavor, was a little chewy and cake-y and had a hint of vanilla. I liked it a lot more than the first Chocolate Chip I had here, which didn't have a good flavor at all.



To the left of that is the Cecelia - two Chocolate Cookies with Mocha Creme filling. This was great with a hint of coffee and a crispy, crumbly cookie - really yummy!

Then there was the Penelope - a butter cookie with apricot preserves. This was delicious - buttery and flaky with a burst of sweet apricot flavor.

My favorite out of the bunch was the Peanut Butter cookie with Coconut Flakes (again, no name!). YUM! Coconut, butter, peanut butter - how can you go wrong? This was absolutely fabulous, with so much flavor packed into such a tiny cookie.

I also got a Lemon bar since those are the BFs favorite. He said: "It's thick, subtle and gummy. The lemon isn't overpowering, which is nice, and the top is a little crusty which is a good balance to the sugar". He then declared it better than most. I thought the lemon was a good, true lemon flavor, but I prefer a nice buttery, chocolatey cookie.

Cookies & Cupcakes

I'm a big baked-items fan. Cookies, croissants, cake, cupcakes, scones. I'm always on the search for the best of the best. Cookies are my favorite though, and I'm always looking for a place where I can get a reliable, satisfying cookie.

This first cookie was purchased at the Carroll Gardens branch of Naidre's (502 Henry St. at Sackett St., 718-596-3400, www.naidres.com). They get their baked goods from a number of spots around town, some of which are great, some, not so great. This cookie, the Oatmeal, Dried Cherry & Pecan, was great. It was chewy, packed with plump, tart dried cherries and nutty pieces of pecan. Sweet, but not too, and the oatmeal made me feel like I was also eating healthy.




This second cookie was purchased at the newest incarnation of the space at 264 Clinton St. at Verandah Pl. It's called Ted & Honey (718-852-2212) and is located where the big, red Delicatessen used to be. I actually worked there for a brief time in the early months of 1998 and loved it so I'm happy to see it up and running again as an eatery. This Macadamia Chocolate Chip cookie was so crisp and full of melty chocolate chips and pieces of Macadamia. YUM, so good. I took it home and ate it with a big glass of cold milk.



Then there's this cupcake I tried from S'Nice (315 5th Ave. at 3rd St., 718-788-2121). Woah, what a cupcake. It's the Carrot Cake Cupcake and was SO dense and the frosting SO rich, I had to eat it in two sittings. S'Nice is a vegan & vegetarian restaurant, with really surprisingly good food. It's great, despite that lame-o name.