After all of the Super Bowl festivities that took place yesterday, many Americans might never want to hear the word “snack” again. This morning, however, we found ourselves munching on triple ginger cookies, spicy and smoky mixed nuts and baked cheese stamps. The…
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The team behind Dave’s Sweet Tooth keep their sugary treats simple. Before indulging in a chunk of their decadent brittle, turn the packaging around for a reassuringly uncomplicated list of ingredients—almonds, butter, sugar and milk chocolate….
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Started in a New York kitchen during the fall of 2012, Little Boo Boo Bakery whips up delightful, hand-cut gourmet marshmallows. All six fat-free flavors contain no preservatives, and are made in small batches using high…
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Beef Brisket, Peanut Butter Bacon and Gouda Burger probably aren’t the flavors that come to mind when you think of ice cream. But then again, you probably don’t have four legs and identify with a certain type of breed. Leo Emerson—a Brussels Griffon who is subbing in as office…
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The sweet shop warms up with Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Churning out a flavorful variety of portable ice cream, yogurt and sorbet snacks from their NYC shop, popbar has us hooked on a warmer sweet.
The newest addition to the brand’s all-natural, kosher-certified lineup (including vegan sorbet varieties) is Hot Chocolate on a Stick, a treat as simple and sweet as the name implies. To whip up an instant mug, dip a chunk of dark, milk or vanilla-white chocolate into hot milk, stir for a minute and sip. Popbar’s chocolate-bar consistency seems to blend more easily than typical powder cocoas and, most importantly, does so quickly. Add more milk to temper the sweetness, or split one between two cups for just a hint of flavor.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick is available at popbar’s West Village shop and, for those outside New York, on Amazon for $3 a piece or in gift sets of six for $18 and 12 for $36.
Deliciously crumbly, all-natural treats
Buttery and crumbly, Alice’s Stick Cookies are a rich treat that will have you licking your fingers. (We won’t say which CH editor poured milk into a bowl of leftover crumbs and ate them like cereal.) The delightful texture and flavor makes the treat great for decadently crumbling over ice cream, but they’re perfect served simply, say alongside an afternoon coffee, too.
Despite sharing a shape with another common coffee companion, these cookies are taste quite different than biscotti. The secret to their flavor lies in the brand’s founder Alice, who (in business since age 70) uses top quality ingredients including cane sugar syrup imported from the U.K. and malted barley flour to get the toffee-like appeal.
The treats, available in vanilla, lemon, orange-chocolate chip and cinnamon-ginger varieties, are free of eggs, nuts, artificial flavors and preservatives, making them safe for those with allergies. Packaged in simple black and white boxes, they sell at Amazon, for around $9 a box.
Hand-harvested natural nectar and other treats straight from Kauai
Apiarist Oliver Shagnasty treats his bees like people. Originally caught in the wild, his “employees” produce an all-natural honey on his small farm on the Hawaiian island of Kauai (thankfully free of the varroa mite that plagues the bee population).
Shagnasty, though harvesting honey there since 1975 and one of the two most successful beekeepers on the island (it’s a popular hobby there), keeps his operation small with a hands-on farming approach. Extracting honey using the “brush method” yields a clean and consistent product each and every time. The upshot is a selection of raw honeys and nut honey spreads packing a seriously sweet punch, made especially unique as the only honey that we know of that’s made by bees who feed on coffee plants.
Of Shagnasty’s four honeys and spreads we tried the raw honey and the macadamia nut honey spread. The rich raw honey tastes as delicious drizzled on granola as it does sweetening up morning coffee. A glam take on peanut butter, the macadamia nut blend is a sweet-and-salty spread, deliciously at home layered thick across a crip piece of toast.
Shagnasty Honey sells throughout the island of Kauai and is available for mail order via phone or email for those not fortunate enough to call Hawaii home.
Traditionally-inspired sweets and flavored macaroons with Brazilian flair
The Brazilian aesthetic might be most easily defined by touches of nature and color. This is also the case with regional food, like iFolie‘s inventive, artisanal macaroons and chocolates, which come packaged in keepsake giftboxes that add even more color.
A partnership between Carolina Carnicelli and Renata Fernandes, Folie recently opened the doors of their production facility in a renovated house on a quiet street in São Paolo’s Pinheiros neighborhood. Now they offer eight flavors of macaroons and four types of chocolate candy each week, with flavors changing depending on seasonal ingredients and the owners’ whims.
Carnicelli and Fernandes are always experimenting with new flavors. The shop’s most recent floral-based macaroon collection has eight flavors including jasmine and orange blossom. Also taking advantage of fresh Brazilian tropical fruits, the duo creates tasty treats like passion-fruit macaroons. Chocolate macaroons made with Ecuadorean and Carribbean cocoa are standouts with all their subtle floral and nut flavors. Brazilians love the renditions of favorite childhood desserts such as brigadeiro (chocolate and condensed milk) and the fresh-coconut-milk-based beijinho. For more adult tastes, there are also macaroons inspired by drinks—from gin and tonic to the Brazilian caju amigo (cashew juice with vodka).
Despite the variety of macaroons, locals favor the lascas—delicately thin sheets of chocolate loaded with caramelized balsamic vinegar, dried strawberries or caramel-covered cornflakes awash in milk chocolate.
The crocs, mounds of chocolate with a combination of crunchy and chewy ingredients like dried cranberry, pistachio and caramel, are also popular. Adding another distinctly Brazilian flair, custom boxes are designed to hold other objects after consuming the product inside.
Maintaining a strict emphasis on quality, the duo use the best, freshest and local (when possible) ingredients. Their macaroons require three days to make, and they skip preservatives so their confections are best eaten swiftly (which fortunately isn’t often a problem).
Visitors to the atelier are personally attended to by either Carnicelli or Fernandes, making the experience wholly personal and intimate, just like their sweets. Contact Folie for mail orders, delivery and additional information.
Portland’s micro-chocolatiers with a knack for DIY innovation
A few years ago in the DIY paradise of Portland, Oregon, Jessica and Charley Wheelock began cultivating an idea. If home brewers and coffee roasters were dotting the national food scene with successful independent businesses, why were there so few independent artisanal chocolate makers? The two cobbled together repurposed coffee and grain equipment together with information culled from the Internet, starting Woodblock Chocolate a little over a year ago.
“Even Theo and Scharffen Berger are massive compared to what we’re doing,” said Charley on a recent sunny afternoon in his kitchen in south Portland. In the background, their melangeur—originally a grain grinder from India—whirs gently as it conches a fresh batch. A coffee roaster ticking on a sideboard releases the warm smell of home-roasted cacao beans. “There are maybe 20 artisanal chocolate shops in the country at our level,” added Jessica.
Woodblock Chocolate currently operates out of the Wheelocks’ home. Although they work around the clock to produce chocolate at a rate of two kilos every 72 hours, demand has proven so strong that they’re currently in negotiations to expand their operations only a year after opening. “Our children beg us not to talk about chocolate,” laughed Jessica. “But they’re pretty psyched about our work.”
The couple’s success relies on three things: Charley’s handiness with machinery (he’s currently working on a homemade winnower prototype in the garage, designed to quickly husk the roasted beans), their shared background in design and, of course, their chocolate. The bars are denoted by percentage of cocoa and where the beans were grown. The salted 70% La Red D.R., from the Dominican Republic is smokier and tangier than the Mantuano, but both are just barely sweet, with a hint of fleur de sel.
Charley brought in a tray of just-roasted beans and broke one open. The dark nibs taste so richly and strongly of chocolate that it’s hard to imagine they can need any further embellishment. “Sugar and these nibs, that’s all that’s in there,” Jessica said. If direct-sourcing coffee beans hasn’t yet changed the world, perhaps it’s chocolate’s turn to give it a try.
Woodblock Chocolate can be found in-store at Olympic Provisions, Cacao, and online at The Meadow.
Also on Cool Hunting: The Mast Brothers
From crave-worthy cookies to carrot-based brownies, four new ways to skip the gluten without sacrificing taste
Finding gluten-free products is easier than ever, but finding tasty treats with good texture remains a constant challenge. Here are five new treats that we think hit the mark.
A forever favorite, Tate’s chocolate chip cookies are now available without the gluten. These thin crunchy cookies achieve a rare level of tastiness and texture not often found in gluten-free products, and taste nearly identical to their wheat cousins. They’re made with rice flour and the same all-natural ingredients as their usual gourmet-baked goods—and taste just as good. Head to Tate’s webstore to order a batch, $38 will get you six bags of 12 cookies each. And for your gluten-eating friends, try the new Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, which add an earthiness that takes the original to a whole new level.
This mother-and-daughter team takes an unusual approach to traditional ready-to-use mixes by using carrot hulls as well as grains, lending moisture and fluffiness. Plus, there’s plenty of room or improvisation during preparation of the natural mixes, allowing for last-minute confectionary additions. “Stella’s chocolate indulgence” brownie mix sells for $9 a box. Also check out Tokies‘ gluten-free pancake and chocolate cake mix.
Few sweet treats complement a temperate afternoon quite like a homemade lemon bar. Look no further than Marion’s lemon bar mix for an easy route to satisfying that summer sweet-tooth while skipping the gluten. Certified Kosher, made with less salt and over one-third less sugar than the leading lemon bar mix, Marion’s brings a refreshingly delicate balance of tart and sweetness. Available for $7 a box from their online shop. While you’re there we recommend giving the cookie and muffin mix a try too.
Devoted to bringing the finest gluten-free products to the lovely folks of Massachusetts and beyond, Glutenus Minimus bakery (not pictured) offers a wonderful selection of products baked daily—from take-and-bake mixes to 15 muffin flavors and wedding cakes. With 14 Massachusets locations and an online market, you’ll never be too far from a delectable gluten-free guilty-pleasure.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
