Bouchon Bakery Macarons

As a reward for completing a two-day Hunter Education course (prerequisite for a hunting license), I bought myself a trio of heavenly macarons from Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle. After being stuck in a room with over 70 macho guys in the middle of the Bronx for many, many hours, I was in desperate need of some girly comfort. I purchased two chocolate macarons and a pistachio one at $3 each. I quite enjoyed the chocolate ones, but the pistachio was the showstopper. Unlike most macarons, which are delicately petite in size, Bouchon blows theirs up to triple the size. Each bite was a duet of crisp chewiness and luscious cream; also well-balanced in sweetness and texture. If you're willing to share, each would make a good snack for two.

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Chinatown Cake Club

Down an unremarkable street in Chinatown and through a dodgy looking metal gate lies a confection-filled paradise known as the Chinatown Cake Club. This demure and intimate sweets speakeasy opens for just one day (six hours) every month. Once you are granted permission to enter from Joel (cake club bouncer as pictured above), which you can request online at a specified time, you're welcome to sample all of the homemade cakes, cookies, crumbles, and icecreams that pastry chef Victoria Howe has created for $20.

Mini Reese's Cup Brownie Bites

As soon as I saw the recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites on Savory Sweet Life, I planned on making them. However, sacrificing more precious (storage-scarce) kitchen space on a mini cupcake pan was not ideal. Fortunately, my resourceful friend A happened to have the necessary bakeware. She agreed to lend her equipment for a portion of the finished goods (bonus: I also convinced her to help me with the production process). The recipe was easy to follow and a breeze to make. The bites were an instant hit at the office and a great birthday surprise for my friend P. By the way, he's got a killer new album up. Go check it out!

Butter Lane Cupcake

The Apple Spice cupcake from Butter Lane. Super tasty and I love the popcorn on top!

Caramel Cake

Earlier this month, I was told about this great recipe for caramel cake. It required a flour sifter, which I didn't obtain until recently (one of the many thoughtful Christmas gifts from B). Of course, I should have read the recipe more thoroughly since it also utilized an electric mixer (which I still don't have). Since I already had all of the ingredients measured out, I figured that I might as well try it using a more manual approach and hope that it would work.

Belgian Waffles

Array of tempting Belgian waffles in Bruxelles.

Waffle Cones

Stacks of waffle cones that we saw across the street from Nyonya, at a gelato stand.