Sweets & Treats

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Froyo World

Froyo World opens a new location on Thayer Street which is already bustling.


Some people may question why Froyo World opened a frozen yogurt shop on Thayer Street when we already have Juniper, but not me. I’m ready for the Red Mango, the Pinkberry (please, when?) and any other willing competitors. That said, I did feel a little guilty sidestepping Juniper to try Froyo World.

Froyo World follows the self-serve model, which means the cups are intentionally enormous so that you might foolishly load them up with yogurt and toppings — $.49/ounce sounds cheap but it adds up. What I like about this is that I can try as many flavors as I wish — original tart (not as good as Juniper), chocolate and vanilla swirl (convincingly similar to soft serve ice cream and presumably less fattening than Frosty Freez), and peanut butter (sensing I’ll be craving this later). You’re also not penalized for more than two toppings — and I’m still scratching my head at why Juniper charges $1 for a sprinkle of chocolate chips.

Still, Madeline remained unconvinced and insisted on getting her “old” blueberry yogurt with gummy bears and strawberries at Juniper. So we actually went to both places — good thing they’re so close together.

Froyo World
219 Thayer St
Providence, RI www.froyoworld.com

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Lizzy and the Enchanted Creamery

The ice cream counter at Lizzy and the Enchanted Creamery.


When I read that Lizzy and the Enchanted Creamery had s’mores ice cream, I decided to make a trip there with the girls. Although they didn’t have that flavor on the day we arrived, it was well worth the trip (which turned out to be a 20-minute ride anyway).

Lizzy and the Enchanted Creamery is actually a toy store/ice cream shop in one (a combination as obvious as chocolate and vanilla) so we picked up a gift for a friend’s new baby and ate some ice cream — chocolate for Madeline and chocolate chip cookie dough for me. As it turns out, they serve Big Alice’s Ice Cream, which once had its own shop on Hope Street. You can still find the ice cream in Providence at Guido’s Italian restaurant — although on my recent visit there (a blog post for another day), I was too stuffed to order dessert, even ice cream.

So I’ll be back for the s’mores. For now, I’ve been sated by the new Ben & Jerry’s flavor, although it’s not quite as tasty when you can read the calorie count on the container.

Lizzy and the Enchanted Creamery
1700 Mendon Road
Cumberland, RI
Facebook page

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The Donut Robot at Small Point Café

The result of the donut robot.


There is much to celebrate about the new café on Westminster Street in Providence, not the least of which is their “donut robot.” Small Point Café, which opened a little over a week ago, sells pastries (popovers, malasadas), light meals, coffee, and of course, the aforementioned donuts. After your order is placed, the push of a button launches the donut robot, which converts their sweet batter into fresh, hot miniature donuts — no match for Allie’s Donuts, but remarkably similar to the tasty fried dough at fairs. Of course, with donuts (like bagels), the fresher the better — so it’s hard to resist ones that were literally made only seconds ago.

Small Point Café
230 Westminster Street
Providence, RI
www.facebook.com/smallpointcafe

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Cakes from Sin Desserts and Allie’s Donuts

The rainbow cake created by Sin Desserts.

When our daughter tells us she wants a rainbow cake for her birthday, we take such a request seriously. Geoff researched making one like this, but quickly realized we had enough to do without cake baking (when Geoff made our wedding cake, he spent weeks refining a recipe). So we turned to Sin Desserts in Providence who with about a week’s notice exceeded our expectations. Not only did they make a rainbow cake, but they added a smiling sun with the cut-out semicircle (Madeline requested her first piece from there) and a drawing of blue sky and puffy clouds on the tray below. The hard crust of the fondant kept the chocolate cake and whipped cream layer inside perfectly moist — and also ensured that Madeline’s anticipatory poking did no harm. Usually cakes this pretty are awful, but I have to say this was an exception — the cake was light with a great chocolate flavor. Although I did skip eating the fondant, I have to admit — that stuff just doesn’t seem edible.

Finally -- an occasion to order an Allie's Donuts donut cake!

Thinking that the cake would feed about 30 small mouths (turns out it was more like 60), we also ordered a donut cake from Allie’s Donuts which we’ve been wanting to do since our first visit there a few weeks ago. At first, I had no idea what could possibly be inside the pizza-sized boxes emerging from the donut place, but it turns out it’s a giant donut. Genius.

When Geoff called to order it, they wanted to know exactly what time he’d be by to pick it up — it turns out they were going to make it immediately before to ensure the maximum freshness possible.  And it showed — it was so soft, it practically melted in your mouth.  I personally could have done without the rainbow sprinkles, but it wasn’t my birthday. We froze some of the rainbow cake, but the donut cake has been eaten, and I’m now awaiting the next appropriate occasion for one.

Sin Desserts
200 Allens Ave
Providence, RI
www.eatwicked.com

Allie’s Donuts
3661 Quaker Lane
North Kingstown, RI
Also read a blog post from our first visit.

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Rhode Island Rocks

Peanuts, raisins, pretzels and chocolate make up the lumpy Rhode Island Rocks.

I’ve never been a huge fan of chocolate-covered pretzels, so I was pleasantly surprised by the simultaneously chewy and crunchy, salty and sweet candy called Rhode Island Rocks. Invented by two out of work siblings and based on their mother’s recipe, the candies have grown in popularity over the last few years and can be found at dozens of locations in the state (as well as some stores in Connecticut and Massachusetts) and ordered online. If only every Rhode Island job loss story could end this way — and by that I mean, with candy.

Rhode Island Rocks
Tesoro Confections Inc.
Headquartered in Warwick, RI and available throughout the state (see locations)
www.rirocks.com

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Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My version of the whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

When you gain 50 pounds during pregnancy and your baby is only six — well, you might be left with a few extra pounds.  Anyway, as you may have noticed, I have a weakness for sweets, which makes dieting a bit difficult (although admittedly I’ve never tried a cookie diet). So in an effort to find a cookie that I could indulge in regularly (no, I won’t divulge what I mean by regularly), I spent a few weeks perfecting this healthier version of a chocolate chip cookie, which I originally found too dry. It turns out, it works better with butter instead of oil (not much surprise there). Plus I borrowed a tip from The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook‘s cookie recipe, which is not to be alarmed if they look raw. If you cook them too long they will be dry and brittle — and no diet is worth that.

Recipe

1 1/2 cups ground oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

Grind the oats. Mix the oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugars until smooth and creamy (in a mixer ideally, although this can be done by hand). Then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Then add the dry mixture and mix well. By hand, mix in the chocolate chips.

Arrange into balls with about 1 1/2 diameter and bake for 14 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove and cool on a rack immediately.

Note: I find that putting the cookie dough in the fridge only causes it to dry out so I bake them without cooling the dough. Of course, they’re delicious hot out of the oven.  With the remaining cookies, I cool them and keep them in the freezer. If you have a microwave, you can nuke them for a few seconds (no idea how many since I don’t have one). Or just remov from the freezer and wait a few minutes (if you can).

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Legendary Lovers Collection for Valentine’s Day

The mouth-watering Legendary Lovers collection from Garrison Confections.

The mouth-watering Legendary Lovers collection from Garrison Confections

I know I already wrote about Garrison Confections, but I felt compelled to highlight their Legendary Lovers collection of handmade chocolates for Valentine’s Day. The truth is I adore chocolate, but I generally dislike boxes of chocolates. I find most of them have unappetizing gooey centers so the box ends up filled with half-bitten, abandoned blobs.

But not the Legendary Lovers collection. Each of these little morsels contains a perfect balance of soft interior with a thin crisp chocolate outside, such as the John & Yoko, a homemade pistachio marzipan enrobed in dark chocolate, or the Francois Bouche, a raspberry ganache and raspberry pâte de fruit enrobed in dark chocolate. Of course, expertly made chocolates like these come at a price — $26 for a box of 12 to be exact. The truth is we are lucky to have such an extraordinary chocolatier in our state — chocolate this good is hard to find at any price. It may seem expensive, but like fresh locally grown produce, there’s value in the real thing.

Yesterday, we stopped by their Central Falls location — a modest building with a miniature chocolate shop inside manned by chocolatier Andrew Shotts himself. They are typically not open to the public, but made an exception this weekend and will be open Monday, February 14 from 11 am-6pm, so there’s still time to taste for yourself (they also take online orders). Even better, he shared the news that he’s planning to open a shop in Providence. So I guess I’ll just have to go there myself when they open and eat more chocolates for yet another report.

Garrison Confections
72 Ledge Street
Central Falls, RI
www.garrisonconfections.com (see their Valentine’s collections)

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Little Bites of Heaven – Peruvian Treats

Buttery cookies filled with dulce de leche.

I had never tried Peruvian desserts before yesterday, and now I know what I’ve been missing. This weekend , I stopped by the Little Bites of Heaven stand at the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers’ Market and tried several of their offerings including “Sweet Divine” (Alfajores) butter cookies with dulce de leche filling; “Blissful Choco-tejas” soft caramel and pecan candies covered with dark chocolate; “Holy Cake Roll” a vanilla cake with dulce de leche filling; and “Heavenly Lucuma” chocolate shortbread cookies with lucuma filling. Lucuma, for those who don’t know (I didn’t) is a fruit native to Peru with a flavor resembling maple.

Soft caramel and nut inside a crisp chocolate coating.

Since they don’t have a store yet, you’ll have to go to the winter market to sample for yourself (which is well worth the trip anyway). Perhaps soon enough they’ll go the way of the Cupcakerie and have a store of their own…

Tiny Bites of Heaven
www.tinybitesofheaven.com
available at the Winters Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays

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Allie’s Donuts: Worthy of the Doughnut Capital

An assortment of old fashioned and raised doughnuts from Allie's Donuts.

You’d think in the doughnut capital of the United States, there would be a plethora of great options a short drive, or better yet, a short walk from my house. But a Google Maps search shows only two local options – Honey Dew Donuts and Dunkin’ Donuts – fine if you’re desperate, but lousy if you’re looking for a fresh homemade doughnut.

If you’re willing to travel for your doughnuts however (which I am), then there is a great option – Allie’s Donuts in North Kingston which has been around since 1968.

Allie's Donuts

Inside, they offer doughnuts in two categories – old fashioned and raised – each in assorted flavors such as sugar coated, chocolate frosted, glazed, jelly-filled, and chocolate. The old fashioned are usually the type of doughnuts I find too dry, but Allie’s are crunchy on the outside and soft and moist inside. The raised are soft inside and out so that they practically melt in your mouth. We tried several different kinds – all delicious, although personally I prefer a darker chocolate frosting (the chocolate donut, on the other hand, was right on).  They even make “donut cakes” for birthdays and other lucky occasions – something I’ve never heard of before, but will be sure to be trying at the next opportunity.

There’s no doubt how fresh Allie’s doughnuts are since they sell bags of day-old ones at discounted prices. But for me, the fresher, the better so next time instead of arriving at noon on a Saturday, I’d like to be there at 6 am when they open.

Allie’s Donuts
3661 Quaker Lane
North Kingstown, RI

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Garrison Confections: Rhode Island’s Chocolatier

Garrison Confections produce delicious artisan chocolates right here in Rhode Island.

Yes, it’s true that I have a new cavity for the first time in decades, and I’ve found a reason worth making more – Garrison Confections. This artisan chocolatier in Central Falls, Rhode Island makes such excellent chocolate that it rivals the likes of Galler in Belgium. Their “turtles” – salty caramel covered with a sliver of dark chocolate and sprinkled with pecans – are definitely addictive. And their hot chocolate mix reminds me a bit of Burdick’s, which I also love (although, in my opinion, you only need 2 heaping teaspoons instead of a 1/4 cup for a steaming mug).

Tasty "turtles"

If you happen to be buying a present for someone with a sweet tooth, they have plenty of pretty designed chocolates in fancy boxes. As for me, I’m sticking with the turtles.

You can visit their factory outlet this month for the holiday season, or you can find them Saturdays at the Wintertime Farmers’ Market in Pawtucket.

Garrison Confections
72 Ledge Street
Central Falls, RI 02863
www.garrisonconfections.com

Top photo by roboppy.