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By this time of year, many people have broken the vows they made at the very beginning of the year to not let a morsel of sugar pass their lips. Let’s be honest, eating healthy is great and all, but if you can’t let yourself indulge in a cupcake once in a blue moon, you’re not living.
If you’ve behaved yourself this week and committed to your exercise routine, kept up with your fruits and veggies, then gosh darn it, treat yourself this weekend. There are far too many local bakeries with scrumptious specialties in Metro Detroit to let them go unknown. Visit one of the following and you’ll find everything from fresh bread to chocolates to cookies:
Zingerman’s Bakehouse, 3711 Plaza Dr., Ann Arbor, has breads, pastries, cakes and the whole shebang. While there are plenty of varieties of bread to choose from on a daily basis, did you know that Zingerman’s makes specialty breads that are available only on certain weekends throughout the year?
This weekend and this weekend only, you’ll find Potato Dill Bread at the Bakehouse on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28. If you thought Zingerman’s original sourdough was excellent, it’s even better with roasted potatoes, dill and scallions in the mix. Irish Brown Soda Bread will be available at the beginning of March (from Sunday, March 1 through Tuesday, March 17) and Pumpernickel Raisin the weekend of Friday, March 13.
JoJo’s Treats N Sweets, 985 N. Mill St., Plymouth, is a shop that specializes in premium hand-dipped Belgian chocolates. While one might argue that this falls more under the “handmade candy” category than bakery, cake pops are also made here, so your argument is invalid.
The treats here aren’t cheap, but take a look at how cute JoJo’s Tortoises are. Almost too precious to eat! Almost. Also up for consideration are boxes of Chocolate Dipped Sea Salt Caramels and JoJo’s Signature Rolled Caramels. Don’t forget about the truffles and homemade marshmallows!
Ethel’s Edibles, 22314 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores, is a bakery that specializes in gluten free treats. All of the products made here are gluten free, and many are also dairy free. The Pecan Daddy is what Ethel’s first started out with, which is a dessert bar with toasted pecans, honeyed caramel and shortbread crust.
If that doesn’t float your boat, try an Oatmeal or Fudge Whoopie, Killa Vanilla cupcake (with a touch of almond) or Choco-Luscious cupcake (self explanatory). Ethel’s Edibles are available at these grocery stores, as well as specialty coffee shops and more in Metro Detroit. You can even get products shipped nationwide!
Love and Buttercream, 3202 Crooks Rd., Royal Oak, makes all of its goodies from scratch, and with local ingredients when at all possible. Click through some of the photos and you’ll quickly learn that Love and Buttercream puts together some of the most impressive specialty cakes around!
But what is truly remarkable are the sandwich cookies, specifically the Mitten Made Sammie. This signature cookie is made with potato chips, pretzels, coffee, chocolate and butterscotch, and is then stuffed with espresso buttercream. I will give you a moment to lift your jaw off the floor.
Additional sandwich cookies include the Mint Chocolate Chip (mint chocolate chip cookies filled with chocolate mint buttercream) and Oatmeal Cream (stuffed with cinnamon sugar filling). Also, consider one of the standout cookies with a twist: Chocolate Cayenne Candied Bacon.
Nom Nom’s Cupcake Factory, 5975 N. Wayne Rd., Westland, is one of the many boutique cupcake shops of Southeast Michigan, but it stands out for a good reason. Where else can you find your favorite boozy drinks in dessert form? If you’d like to combine your after-dinner drink and dessert into one experience, you’ve got nearly a dozen choices at Nom Nom’s.
Irish Car Bomb (chocolate cake infused with Guinness with chocolate mousse and frosting with Bailey’s), Jack and Coke (chocolate cake infused with Coca-Cola and buttercream frosting infused with Jack Daniel’s), Soco Red Velvet (Southern Comfort-infused red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, topped with walnuts) and Tequila Lime (lemon juice-infused white cake topped with Jose Cuervo-infused buttercream frosting, sprinkled with sea salt) are all wonderful options.
Good Cakes and Bakes, 19363 Livernois Ave., Detroit, is a gem located downtown that offers everything from breakfast pastries to vegan baked goods. There are over two dozen cake and cupcake flavors, five of which can be prepared vegan (including chocolate, vanilla bean, red velvet, carrot and banana).
Additional tasty and unique flavors include salted caramel, German chocolate and Hummingbird, which is like a hybrid between pineapple upside down cake and banana bread. Coffee cakes, apple cinnamon rolls and muffins are just a few of the additional offerings.
This weekend, treat yourself to something sweet! You certainly won’t find unique and tasty baked goods lacking in the D.
