Trader Joe’s macaroons are shockingly good

One of the many reasons I look forward to this time of year is this: Trader Joe’s holiday products. There’s always an impressive selection of cookies, cakes and chocolates available only for the season. I’m not sure whether these macaroons will be a holiday-only dessert, but I sincerely hope not. They’re definitely in the running as a freezer staple.

When I read about these in the holiday flyer, I was initially disappointed there were only two flavors (vanilla + vanilla cream filling and chocolate + chocolate ganache filling). Now that I’ve tasted them, I’m even more bummed that there aren’t more flavors. Product development people at Trader Joe’s, this deserves a product extension.

First, they’re a pretty good value, at $4.99/dozen (these are usually at least $1 each at patisseries). Second, they’re just as good as what you’d buy at the patisserie, if not better. They defrost beautifully–you’d never know they came from the freezer. The cookie portion of the sandwich is crunchy on the outside; chewy on the inside (it’s a combination of egg whites and ground almonds, so it eats like a meringue). I was afraid the defrosting process would make it soggy, but I was wrong.

The real clincher was the filling. The vanilla cream is light and fragrant; the chocolate ganache, the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. (Try the chocolate macaroon before it’s completely defrosted if you prefer a chewy ganache center.) I was so impressed that I texted a girlfriend, a fellow macaroon fiend, to run out and buy a few boxes before other Trader Joe’s cutomers get their hands on them.

A shop that only sells macaroons: Macaron Cafe, NY

Well, they actually do salads, sandwiches and coffees too. But their main thing is macaroons. The first time I came across this place in NYC, I was pretty baffled. As in, is-this-a-sustainable-business-model baffled. Then again, there are people making millions off of selling cupcakes alone.

I love the hat-box packaging on these. Their macaroons aren’t cheap (about $2 a pop) and the specially packaged ones are probably more. But they are larger than your average macaroon. And seriously, what macaroon fan wouldn’t want to get a giant box of these for the holidays?

161 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
T/F (212) 564-3525

Trader Joe’s Sutter’s Formula Cookies (PB chocolate chip)

Y’know, I might like these even more than the oatmeal-raisin Druid Circles (see post below). They’re moist, soft, the peanut butter isn’t overwhelming, and the chocolate chips are big and chunky.

Having said that, I’ve got mixed feelings about peanut butter. What else is so uniquely American, and so often found in places it doesn’t belong (cakes, pies and the open fields of Afghanistan via misguided relief efforts)?

Personally, a PB&J sandwich has never felt like a true meal to me. For one thing, it’s super sweet. For another, there’s nothing solid in the middle, just goop. I just don’t get the national obsession, and find myself automatically dismissing anything on a dessert menu made with peanut butter.

But, I’ve had both English and French friends ask me to bring them Reeses’s peanut butter cups from America, so maybe we as a country are really onto something.

These cookies have me seriously reconsidering my stand on the peanut butter.

Trader Joe’s Druid Circles (chewy oatmeal-raisin-walnut cookies)

Walnuts tend to ruin desserts for me. I don’t even like them in baklava (I won’t say no to pistachio baklava, though). Plus of all desserts, I don’t usually crave cookies. So I’m not sure how these ended up in my cart. Wait, I do know. They were on the shelves near the cash registers, prime real estate for impulse buys.

But, no regrets here. These “druids” are soft, buttery, plump with raisins, and somehow the walnuts don’t bother me. BTW the ingredients list coconut flakes, which helps keep them moist and flavorful.

comics bakery delivers

okay, so i went to spx, and cooked up a storm, and forgot* to take pictures of anything i baked, with one exception:

but there were still some awesomely delicious desserts there, including these made by the fantastic comics bakery guys – marian vitus, thank you!

*by “forgot” i mean that i spilled butter and sugar in the oven, ran out of dessert transport mechanisms, and spent too much time choosing an ironic tee shirt to actually take photos of anything.

baltimore’s greatest contribution to cuisine

berger cookie

Originally uploaded by ann gav

a lot of people think it’s crab cakes, but they would be wrong.
it’s the berger cookie – the “anytime cookie,” as it’s touted by the company that makes them.
they should call them the “everytime cookie.”
this is the cookie for people who hate cake like i hate cake.
it’s got lots of icing – delicious fudgy icing – but without dry, mealy cake underneath.
instead, the icing is on a soft, vanilla-y cookie.
in short: lots of icing, lots of moistness, no extra cake to choke down.
brilliant.