San Francisco, Bay Area :: Dessert Darling

Archive for San Francisco, Bay Area

Trader Joe’s Almondictive Bits- Caramelized Almond Morsles covered in Dark Chocolate

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Friday, May 4th, 2012

At one of the birthdays I attended this weekend I encountered Trader Joe’s Almondictive Bits, a TJ’s treat that I had strategically been avoiding. I mean, come on! They tell you right there on the tub that you are going to eat the whole thing at once and wallow in misery over your lack of self control and growing love handles! Or something like that. So alas, there they were, right in front of me.. and since they’re Almonds (healthy) and Dark Chocolate (healthy too!), I dove right into these tempting treats. One thing I applaud TJ’s for- they don’t have false advertising. These delicious, caramelized almond morsels covered in chocolate were indeed, addicting.

However, these Cookies & Cream Almonds that were also at the party were sweet, chalky rubbish.. even if they were made in California.

For more info on Trader Joe’s, click here.

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Chocolate Zuccotto Cake from Maggiano’s Little Italy

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Sunday, April 29th, 2012

This weekend I ate enough desserts to sustain me for two weeks worth of posts! Yowza- it was a Serious sugar-showdown. Let’s start with this Chocolate Zuccotto Cake from Maggiano’s. If you’re wondering what the heck a Zuccotto is, it’s basically a chilled cake with alcohol (traditionally brandy), mousse or ice cream layers, and is made into the shape of Florence’s famous dome, the “duomo”.

I couldn’t wait to slice into this impressive mound of a dessert!

Just look at those heavenly layers- so much cake to consume!

This Zuccotto had a rich chocolate flavor deepened by the distinctly licorice liquor, Sambuca. I enjoyed the fun and playful consistencies of the cake and mousse, but the thick and slightly rubbery chocolate encapsulating the cake didn’t harmonize with the soft and bouncy layers inside. If you’re a chocolate fanatic though, you’ll surely love this dessert.

For more info on Maggiano’s Little Italy, click here.

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Kara’s Cupcakes in the SF Bay Area

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Friday, April 27th, 2012

I light up anytime I see cupcakes at an event.. however, the array of avant-garde cupcakes at an engagement party disappointed me. Why was the frosting so flawlessly smooth? Were they made by human hands or aliens?

I learned these were Kara’s Cupcakes, which excited me again since I hadn’t tried them yet. But as I approached the dessert tray, I grew wary. The tall poof of icing perched on top, exposed the cake’s naked edges. Hmm, I like my cake to be evenly covered in icing. I guess the logic was, the icing was so tall it shouldn’t matter. But then I found the height of the icing distressing. How am I going to get this all in my mouth without getting icing on my nose? Am I supposed to eat this with a fork? Why be a cupcake if I have to eat you with a fork??

This cupcake did not look like fun. I dove in anyway…The icing was so airy-whipped that my teeth sliced right through as it evaporated in my mouth. The texture, or complete lack there of, was slippery smooth.. bleh. I need resistance, texture, a little density..just a little.

That all said, Kara’s were made with quality ingredients and had a fine flavor, and um.. I did eat five cupcakes that night (hey, a girl’s gotta be sure.) I much preferred the ones with sprinkles, which added desperately needed consistency.. and they were particularly yummy sprinkles, not like the waxy kind you buy at the store.

I’ve gotta say though…Kara’s Cupcakes? Not my cup of cake.~

: Image from JonasApproved.com

For more info on Kara’s Cupcakes, click here.

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Macarons from Miette in San Francisco

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Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

This weekend in SF I made sure to stop by the historic Ferry Building to to visit Miette, a little bakery that Conde Naste deemed to be one of the top ten pastry shops in the world. While I had an incredible experience with their caramel panna cotta and coconut cake, I’d like to discuss their macarons.

As a refresher, macarons are meringue based, almond cookies that sandwich delicious ganache or jam fillings. Traditionally, macarons appear in festive and delightful settings ranging from intimate tea parties to elegant weddings. Additionally, they make wonderful little gifts. Half the charm of macarons is the range of playful colors and flavors in which they come. This trait is where Miette’s macaron’s fall short. Their cookies only come in natural shades of rugged almond, or perhaps chocolate, depending on the flavor. While I love natural and organic ingredients for my goodies, the macaron is not the cookie to downgrade the fun.

Furthermore, these cookies are extra chewy, thus lacking the melt-in-your-mouth quality that the best macarons possess. Three cherries for these natural yet drab and chewy cookies.

For more information on Miette, click here.

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Blueberry and Strawberry Cheesecake Trifles at Champagne Bakery

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Friday, April 20th, 2012

Today I dropped into Champagne Bakery, a chain french bakery and cafe. I wasn’t that hungry, so it delighted me to see that they offered mini portions, like the Blueberry and Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle.

I opted for the mini Blueberry Trifle, which tasted like it had been sitting on the shelf for a while as the whipped cream on top had solidified into a glue-like substance. Furthermore, a strong lemon flavor alarmed my taste buds. Say what? I didn’t want a zingy lemon dessert! I wanted a cool and creamy trifle, accented by fresh blueberries. When I asked the lady behind the counter if she knew that the trifle was indeed, lemon curd, she gladly gave me the Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle for free. Wooo! That was a really nice gesture that nearly upped their cherry points (nearly, not quite).

The Strawberry Cheesecake option definitely tasted more fresh and had a playful mix of consistencies with the fluffy whipped cream, chunky crust moments, smooth cream cheese center, and soft fresh strawberries. That said, the cream cheese was a bit sour (could have used more sugar) and overall, well.. I threw it away less than half way through. (Sigh).. Perhaps I didn’t choose the right desserts here, but I say pass on the Trifles when you drop in the Champagne Bakery and make sure that what you order looks fresh!

For more information on Champagne Bakery, click here.

XOXO

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Mini Chocolate Creme Eggs by Lindt and “Cadbury” (er, Kraft)

By Dessert Darling · Comments (5)

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

First off, I must give a very enthusiastic 5-cherries to Lindt Lindor Truffles’ White Chocolate Eggs. They could not be more creamy, dreamy, melty delicious. White chocolate can be incredibly difficult to pull off, but Lindt does a supreme job here. Like the larger Lindt truffle balls, these little eggs have liquid goodness inside, but their smaller, egg shaped proportions make for a more delicious experience.

But Boo- the Mini Creme Eggs were complete rubbish. When I was a kid, having a Creme Egg in your lunch-box was the equivalent to being King of the World! I loved them more than life itself. Alas, the shells on these minis don’t even taste like real chocolate and the inside is just thick, pasty, sweet blah-ness. Boo. I can blame old age or Kraft, now that they took over dear old British Cadbury.

I blame Kraft.

How many Yummies can you spot above!?

Answer: 12- remember, the Creme Eggs were total rubbish.

What’s your favorite Easter treat?!?

XOOX

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Thinny Thursday: Eat Chocolate- Stay Thin with Hail Merry Macaroons

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Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Well Glory Hallelujah! Yet another scientific study that touts the merits of Chocolate! This study essentially states that those who eat chocolate on a regular basis are thinner than those who don’t, even though they do not eat fewer calories or exercise more. WOW! So THAT’s how I do it! Seriously, I eat chocolate every morning after breakfast since I’m not a coffee drinker.

In honor of this outstanding Thinny Thursday news, I’m sharing with you these raw, vegan, gluten-free Hail Merry Chocolate Macaroons to feed your fix in an even healthier way. Made without refined sugar, these delicious treats still boast dark cocoa for all your chocolate needs. They’re Sooooo delicious I ate the whole bag in one sitting. Oops.

For more information on Hail Merry, click here! (I found my bag in Whole Foods).

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Organic Rice Divine Carrot Cake Frozen Dessert- YUM

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Monday, March 19th, 2012

Love Ice Cream but avoiding dairy? Love Carrot Cake? Are you Vegan or Gluten Free? Well this glorious pint of Organic Rice Divine, Carrot Cake is just the treat for you then. I discovered this Good Karma treat in the frozen aisle of Whole Foods and it sat in my freezer for days before I finally caved in and tried it. The extremely flavorful and sweet dessert totally surprised and delighted me. Not only did the “ice cream” part sing of carrot cake, but also it contained actual chunks of carrot cake bites in there for fun texture. YUM. While dairy substitutes are never quite as creamy as the real deal, Rice Divine is still fantastic, thus earning itself a solid 4 cherries!

ps: I bet their Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge is amazing too!

For more info on Good Karma Foods, click here.

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The BEST Chocolate Bar for your Dark Chocolate Fix

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Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

If you didn’t already know it, dark Chocolate is GOOD for you. And if you want some solid reasons why, here are nine of them from Everyday Health. Even before I had substantial proof of this glorious fact, I’ve been a firm believer in keeping the kitchen supplied with a token bar of chocolate- If not for everyday health, then at least for emergency’s sake. I’ve played around with my chocolate bar choices over the years, selecting whichever bar seemed to jump out or intrigue me the most on the Whole Foods shelves. There’ve been hits and misses and it’s high time that I share with you the absolute best bar that there is.

The #1 Chocolate Bar is……….(those dots are a drum roll)…… Dark Chocolate Quinoa- Midnight Crunch by Alter Eco Fair Trade!!!!

Sure there’re fancy little icons at the bottom of the bar signaling that they have a Zero Carbon Objective, it’s certified Fair Trade, and USDA organic- Also, on the back you learn its Free of GMOs (wohoo!), Gluten Free, No artificial Flavors, Vegan, Swiss Made etc! All feel good markers indeed, but really? This bar just tastes the best. :-9