b.patisserie Review & Brownie Cookies

Hi friends.  Sorry I have been quiet lately.  I have been pretty busy eating pastries and packing on the pounds.  That sentence is hilarious (not hilarious)  because it's 100% true. Yes, I have been baking a lot the last few weeks but I have been eating a lot more baked goods than normal.  A lot. People keep BRINGING me things and I can't say no.  And I really, really, really couldn't say no when my company's president walked through the door with a box of pastries from b. patisserie for me.  Yes, a box for me.  To myself.

b. patisserie is a new bakery that opened in San Francisco a few weeks ago.  The pastry chef is Belinda Leong.  She bakes MAGIC.  There's no way to describe it but magic.  I first had her  infamous kouign amann last fall at an underground food market.  There was frozen custard in the middle of it so it was delicious for sure but the pastry was the star.  I had to find out what it was, who made it and of course how to pronounce this "kouign amann" thing.  Because it really was amazing - life changing and I have honestly stalked her since.  You can read the many good reviews here, here, here... the list goes on.

When I found out she was opening up her own bakery and I would be able to get those bad boys with so much more ease, I was ecstatic.  I told everyone, including my co-workers.  I also whined a little (a lot) about how far and inconvenient it is from work.  (I may work in the city but I only know how to get to the ballpark to see my Giants on MUNI, nowhere else. )  Which is why despite my excitement, I dragged my feet at actually visiting the shop.  I still have to!  I must.  There are too many friends with sweet tooths that I plan to bring here.  The shop has a macaron tree.  A MACARON TREE.  How can I not go?

In any case, I was brought back the delicious kouign amann - think of a croissant but sweeter.  The sugar actually pools inside the middle of the pastry.  It's divine.

And a raspberry grand macaron.  Yes, it tastes as good as it looks.  It's about 3x the size of your average macaron. That's why it's a grand  macaron.

Best macaron I have ever had.  The fresh raspberries totally make the treat.  I wish I had one right now.  So did my little kitchen mascot, Andy. I didnt give him any though.  (Meet Cupcake Andy.  He likes sweets.   He's as big as a grand macaron.)

What does this have to do with cookies you may ask?  Well, while amiss my stalking the poor  pastry chef online I stumbled upon a link to a recipe of hers featured in Food & Wine.  Brownie Cookies!  They're cookies but they taste JUST like brownies.  I printed out the recipe immediately and made no adjustments to the recipe.  I have some tips, of course I have tips, but no adjustments.

THESE ARE SUPER CHOCOLATEY.  You have been warned.  If you don't like chocolate, I can see how they could turn you off.  But if you love chocolate like me, then YUM.  A tall glass of milk next to you is recommended though.  :)

Brownie Cookies

From b. patisserie pastry chef Belinda Leong, as found in Food & Wine
Makes 3 dozen, bake at 350% for 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
One 12-ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.In a large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate with the butter, stirring until smooth.
2. In another large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar at medium speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.
3. Beat in the vanilla and salt.
4. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the melted chocolate.
5. Fold in the flour and baking powder.
6.Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Scrape batter into a shallow baking dish, cover and freeze until well chilled and firm, about 1 hour.
8. Working in batches, scoop 2-tablespoon-size mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
9 .Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cookies are dry around the edges and cracked on top. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely before serving.

See below for what the cracks looks like.  This is okay.  It means the delicious is trying to break through!

My tips to you is to melt the chocolate very carefully, make sure that the water does not boil or hit the bottom of the bowl to prevent your chocolate from seizing.  Also, when it says to work in batches that means that the dough is very very melty. There is hardly any flour in these, so keep it in the freezer in between your batches.  Also, bake them exactly as directed.  Lots of cookies will taste okay or even better slightly under cooked but not these.  Make sure the tops are cracking to prevent having raw cookies.

I brought them into work and they were gone by 11:00AM.  They called me a cookie monster.

Do you see the compact chocolaty goodness in there? Yeah, I do too.

So in summary, because Yes I am aware that I ramble, make these cookies if you love chocolate and have a tall glass of milk.  And go to b. patisserie right now.   Just make sure "right now" is before 11:00 AM because they run out of pastries fast.  The first time my co-worker went, it was 1:00 PM and all she could bring me back was their business card.  Don't make the same mistake. Unfortunately, it is not edible so it cannot satisfy your sweet tooth.

xoxo,
Anna


Update July 2013:

I went!!! And it was Amazing.  The Macaron tree had changed over to Summer already.

The details are actually pretty amazing on this tree.  I was impressed.

I pined after the pretty yellow chairs.

Stared open mouthed at the stack of FRUIT filled Kouigns.

And then enjoyed a pastry... or two WITH a cup of coffee.   All is well with the world!!!

High on Sugar, Short on Bliss: Sinful Bliss Cupcakes Review

I did not bake this weekend.

Why?  Because I was eating ALL the things, of course.  Yes literally ALL the things.  I had things to do, people to see, sweets to consume, pounds to gain.  And it looks like this weekend will be a repeat. Crap.  And now that it is officially Spring in the Bay there are just so many festivals and fairs and gorgeous sunshiney Sunday mornings to take advantage of!  (Take advantage is code for having me stuff my face while you live vicariously through me.)

Later this week I hope to bring you crepes, creme brulee, ice cream sundaes and  ice cream sandwich cookies.  But today.. .a review! The review is for Sinful Bliss Cupcakes in Pleasant Hill, CA.

This place is pretty close to me.  Close enough that I pass by it when I go to the movie theater or Michaels.  Close enough that friends and acquaintances will check-in or Facebook pictures of the cupcakes. I'd even yelped them to see if they were worth investing my oh co carefully allocated calories on.  But I had yet to go despite them being around since 2012/2011ish.  But last Wednesday I took a friend there for a post-dinner treat. Or at least I had hoped it would have been a treat...

The shop is in the middle of Crescent Plaza, next door to a frozen yogurt place.  I love the little canopy on top.  So much promise!

Once inside, there is the register and display place.  Behind the register is this cute little wall decal that welcomes you and encourages you to eat cupcakes.  Like that's needed...

On the right hand wall, there are black frames with the menu and pricing.  Cupcakes are $3.25 and minis are $2 each.  They also announce specials of the day and month.

The cupcake display is pretty solid.  There is lots to choose from.  Lots.  I spent a good five minutes taking pictures and debating what I would get. Not only is there good variety but almost all, if not all, of the flavors are available in the mini size!

We ended up with four in our little box.

Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Raspberry and Coconut Macaroon. 

I didn't try the Red Velvet since it was for a friend, but the sugar crystals on top of the cream cheese frosting really deterred me from wanting to try it anyways.  The amount of sugar should have been a sign!

I had the raspberry which I did not take a picture of because I put it in my mouth too fast.  Oops.  I like food, okay?  The cake was good, it had chunks of raspberry in it which I loved, but the cake was not super moist.  It wasn't dry either though, it just... was.   The frosting part.was pure sugar.  Way way too much sugar.  I usually like to scrape off half the frosting anyways, but in this case I HAD to.  The frosting was also a little dry. 

The Coconut Macaroon was actually a pretty huge divergence in what I would normally get.  But i got it because I am trying new things.  I am not a fan of coconut, but I am giving it a try!  And actually the toasted coconut part of the cupcake was not that bad at all.  I think I will explore this coconut thing a  little more in the future.  The part that was bad... was again the sweetness. The caramel PLUS the frosting was too much.  I could barely taste the chocolate.  And if I can't taste the chocolate?  Well, then there is a serious problem!! At least it looked pretty?

My friend for the salted caramel.  He liked the salt/caramel and said the cake was fine... but he had the same reaction to the frosting; TOO SWEET.  CupKate's version of the Salted Caramel is on chocolate cake and the first time I ate one, I had to rethink all I knew about cupcakes.  That was not his reaction.  Or even close to it...

So would I recommend this place to a friend?  No, not when Kara's is one town over.  Or when you can stalk CupKates. (I also tried a new place that I have yet to blog about that is amazing and might be beating out my CupKate truck as new favorite. But more on that one later.) 

Would I come back?   Maybe. If I was next door, and really wanted a cupcake and the flavor of the month looked interesting and someone else was paying for it and they happened to be a hot guy with abs. 

What?  Could totally happen. 

xoxo,
Anna

It's the Details: Crown and Crumpet Review

It's the small details that make visiting Crown and Crumpet such an awesome experience.  I blogged about it earlier this week, and even linked you to pandippo's blog so you could check out my second visit there.  I raved about the lemon curd and the crumpets.  Oh the crumpets...

And now you get to see pictures from my first visit back in September!  An over abundance of pictures, at that.  You too will fall in love with it and want to go to San Francisco as soon as possible.  You'll want to bring your mom, sister, daughter, gay bff, mailman, husband, miniature schnauzer .  Because it is that adorable.

You'll also want to get dressed up in pretty dresses and take one million and one pictures.  Yes that many.

Crown and Crumpet Tea Salon is in the middle of Ghirardelli Square.  (Stop by Kara's for a cupcake, or get a sundae at Ghirardelli while you are there, trust.)  The minute you walk in you are hit with a wave of girly pink glee.  There are jeweled chandeliers,  floral table cloths, teapots and plates everywhere.

Their logo is a pink teapot in the shape of a teapot and it is plastered everywhere. Including the purse holder they provide for you upon request.  They sell these too and was so sad they were out of stock last time i went.

Of course, the main attraction is tea.  And tea we did have.  Three pots of it.

I recommend the Paris blend.  I had it both times, and everyone gave positive reviews.  But they have something like 5 pages full of tea options.  You seep it yourself.  And they have an adorable little teapot at the end of the chain.  See what i mean about the details???

You should definitely not forget to check underneath your tea cup, because the saucer is full of cute little sayings. And so is the back of your tea pot. 

"Gossip and scandal are the best sweeteners for tea" is the saucer that i ended up buying for myself as well.  But a close second  in the sweetener category would be the actual sugar.  Because they hide adorable little things in there for you as well.  Like a pretty pink crown.  

Seriously would could be better than spending an afternoon with the girls, gossiping and cheering to life with some tea?

Oh wait.  I just thought of something better.  All that PLUS food.

Did you just see that?  Three delightful little layers of small bites.  Light sandwiches in one, baked breakfast goods in the another, and sweet desserts in the last.  All three layers will be different each time you go, all are different from the table next to you. 

I saw my neighbors with cupcakes.  I was a little jealous.  I say only a little because i was too happy eating  discovering lemon curd to care THAT much.  They give you lemon curd, jam and butter. 

Just throw it on your warm out of the oven crumpet.  Eat it first.  Even before the sandwiches.  It's okay.  No one cares.  No one judges you.  It's expected.  It's encouraged.  It should be required.

Sorry to say, you will not be able to finish it all.  I know, sad.  And i mean for $26 bucks you want to finish it all.  But you will be able to hear the tea swishing about your belly as you walk anyways, so you will have bigger concerns.  (The bathroom's far and lines are crazy.  Pee before you sit down.)

But you can always just take some tea home.  Of course they sell it to you.  Why wouldn't they. HOW couldn't they?

Alas, if that's not in the cards for you perhaps you will be lucky and get a packet with your check instead?

You will save a buck.  Which means you can go to the gift shop and take pictures with a stuffed cupcake.

Or not.  That was probably just me...  I'm sure you will find something else to strike your fancy.   Like the teapots and saucers with the witty sayings.  Or mugs, or aprons... or cute little pink knick knacks you don't need at ALL... but HAVE to have.

Writing this blog post has REALLY got me craving a crumpet.  And a trip back!  I need to invent a reason to go back.  Soon.

xoxo,
Anna

I Finally Went To miette!

I was going to be totally good this week.  And i was.. mostly.  But then a friend asked me to go to miette with him on our lunch hour.

You see, I don't know if i have mentioned this before but i work in downtown San Francisco. (The FiDi  to be exact.)  Most of the time, i'm grumpy because its early and i am at work and its cold.  It's always cold.  But every now and then i step outside and breathe in the SF air and actually take a look around and i realize what an awesome city it is.

I also realize this when i step out for a ten minute break and go shoe shopping.  I do that a lot, actually. 

So today instead of spending my lunch time shopping i got talked into going down to the Embarcadero, to the ferry building.  The ferry building houses a ton of cute little shops and restaurants and markets. 

Outside they even have a farmers market and food tents set up on certain days.  Yeah - it's the dead of winter right now and they are still there.  It's 62* and sunny in the city today.  Yeah you can be a little jealous.   Anyways, inside the ferry building is miette patisserie.  they are one of the places that i have been meaning to try.  it's one of those requirements of living in the bay that i somehow failed to meet.  

I was actually a little surprised by their store front.  I thought it would be a little bigger.  (I have been to the outside of the Oakland location and that one was bigger.)  But i guess i cannot be surprised.  All the shops there are pretty tiny.

But man what it lacks in size, it sure makes up for it in pure cuteness.  love at first sight.  i want to live there, real talk.

Everything is so adorable!  The cute little pastel cake stands are to DIE for and have convinced me to buy my own pink one later this month.

I love all the perfectly written signs and all the packaged sweets.

They have all sorts of goodies here.  They have cookies.  They have chocolate.  They have cakes.  They have whipped cream in a jar!  I honestly don't even know what that whipped cream in a jar thing is except that i want to photograph it. And eat it.

They also had birdies.  And you guys know me.  I love me my birdies.  These hold napkins.  WHERE CAN I FIND THIS IN REAL LIFE.  No, really.  WHERE???

They also have cupcakes.  Yummy looking ones at that.  HOWEVER i did not get one today!  Surprising, i know.

My trip to miette was not for the cupcakes though.  It was for the macaroons.  The friend i went with is a big fan.  And so i bought the ones below.  Well, not all the jars.  Just one of each.  (Blue Bottle) Coffee and Chocolate Orange.  He got three Hazelnuts.

Then we went outside to eat them.  Where i was once again reminded how awesome SF is.  I really need to start walking around the Embarcadero on my lunch time more.  Because the sights are admittedly much prettier than the mall is.  

 So back to the macaroons that were wrapped and sealed.  I love stickers.

They were good!  I was expecting more fruity flavors to be honest, so i was a little worried about my choices but i ended up liking them all.  The orange chocolate was interesting and took a minute to get used to, but they were still all really good.

I'd be interested in checking out more flavors though.  They seem to rotate them out.  So maybe in a few weeks?  And while i am there i could eat a cupcake too.  Oh and once, my co worker brought me back some chocolate covered gummi bears that were delicious... Want to join me?

xoxo,
Anna