5 nostalgic sugar rushes

I was so excited when I read that The Redhead, a restaurant that came highly recommended from Cheryl, had salted caramel Ho Hos for dessert. But of course when I went and scoped out the menu, they were gone. In my subsequent need for some nostalgic sugar, I share with you five other childhood snacks that can hit the sweet spot:

Murray’s Ring Ding
“Moist devil’s food cake stuffed with cream and tucked inside a dark chocolate shell.” Take that, Drake’s!

Bouchon’s Nutter Butter
About five times the size of the original cookie, Bouchon’s interpretation sandwiches whipped, airy peanut butter cream inside two oat-filled peanut butter cookies. It’s a real nutter.

Milk & Cookie’s Oreo
But the way this West Village bakery describes it—a vanilla creamed filled chocolate wafer cookie—there’s nothing Nabisco about it.

Trois Pommes’ Hostess Cupcake
Park Slope’s Trois Pommes doesn’t just make a “Hostess CupCake,” it makes the “Mostest Cupcake”: a dense chocolate cupcake with an espresso cream center.

Sarah Magid’s Twinkies
Er, “Goldies.” Pastry chef Sarah Magid changed the name of her organic gold-dusted, dark chocolate ganache-covered, chocolate sponge cake treats that are filled with either organic vanilla or espresso whipped buttercream. Wha???

The underwhelming chocolate chunk

More and more, I’m realizing the start-up bakeries (Amai, Kumquat, Nine Cakes) are where it’s at. Their small batches, artisinal ingredients, appetite for experimentation and the exquisite treats that, combined, these things yield are nothing short of sublime.

But Bouchon is supposed to be sublime, too. And I figured with the luck I had at Petrossian, the chocolate chunk cookie from Keller’s boulangerie-inspired bakery would also be pretty incredible (like his bouchon).

I have to say, it was unremarkable.


What it did have was an awesome chocolate to batter ratio. And a titch of saltiness, which was nice. But it could use more butter and brown sugar to make it doughier, greasier, chewier and—more sublime.

Obsession of the week: peanut butter

It was a rich and creamy week. Bouchon's Nutter Butter: nice. Hill Country's PB&J cupcake: not great. Today's Sweet Revenge signature cupcake of peanut butter cake and frosting with a chocolate ganache center: more on that soon.

Still, City Bakery's simple little peanut butter cookie is on the pedestal.

Nutter

Finally. I can check Bouchon’s Nutter Butter off my list.

I love the concept of gourmet interpretations of trashy sweets, even if it gets a little pretentious. Bouchon’s Nutter Butter has been on my radar for a long, long time. The opportunity to indulge and the availability of the cookie finally aligned last night, a fine summer night.

In classic dessert for dinner form, I brought this creamy beast to the Philharmonic for my picnic dinner with Kev. As well it should, Bouchon's reincarnation takes the treat to a whole new level.

The monstrous double-decker is made with two soft peanut butter cookies that are chock full of peanut chunks and oats. They’re good. Totally different consistency than City Bakery’s heavenly specimen, but good. What elevates it is the creamy peanut butter filling. It’s whipped and airy, almost like peanut butter frosting, so there’s none of that stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth thickness. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But, for this treat, the delicacy of the center is what makes this a sophisticated splurge.

Time Warner Center
Third Floor
212.823.9366

Love Bites

A bouchon is a bouchon, not a brownie

To state the obvious: the path to finding the perfect brownie is paved in decadence. And while it may not be easy to choose the best of the best in a very delicious field, it’s easy enough to find unexpected delights along the way. Like finding the aforementioned decadence and deliciousness in a different form, and in… a mall.

When Bouchon Bakery opened in the Time Warner Center, everyone who worships at the altar of Thomas Keller was thrilled. Keller has received nearly every culinary accolade possible and, for those who can't score a resy at Per Se, or afford the tab, a place to nosh on top-notch food is a golden gift. But, since “Bakery” is in the eatery’s name, skip the tuna sandwich. And, since “Bouchon” is in the name, go straight for the goods: i.e. the chocolate bouchons.

A bouchon? Qu'est-ce que c'est? Think of it as a French brownie. Shaped like a delicate beehive, it has the texture of a homemade brownie from the pan’s perimeter: tough and chewy at the edge; moist and chocolaty at the center. Making this four-bite treat even better are the chunks of chocolate that punctuate the cake inside.

If the mall setting doesn't bother you, sit under the Samsung sign and have the chocolate bouchon with coffee ice cream. Otherwise, make like a Parisian and take your bite of heaven chez-vous.

Time Warner Center
Third Floor
212.823.9366