Monday, May 23, 2011

Northportfishington Cookiefactory, Philadelphia PA

monkey bars

Cookies for brunch? Probably not the best idea, but Cinnamon Buns, Monkey Bars (banana bread & cream cheese delights), and apple cider donuts certainly are!


Before I continue, full disclosure: I am acquainted with Mike Landers, the master baker & owner of Northportfishington Cookiefactory. In fact, I was lucky enough to be one of the early taste testers back before the company even existed. That said, Mike does not know that I am writing this review (well, at least not yet anyway), and in fact he may not even be aware of brunchphilly.com, so in order words: I am receiving nothing in exchange for writing this. Okay, now back to your irregularly scheduled review:

For starters, the Cinnamon Buns. I never really liked cinnamon buns until I tasted these. They remain the only ones I have ever truly enjoyed.


Cinnamon Buns

They have a perfect cinnamon-to-topping ratio, are not too sweet, and pretty much float across your tastebuds. One of these is the perfect companion to any morning beverage. The only drawback is that if you don’t eat them within a day, they go stale. You can partially revive them by heating—which, even when they are fresh they taste best warmed for a minute or two-- but the day olds just can’t compete with the fresh ones.

Next, another surprised for me, the Oatmeal Cranberry Cashew Cookie. It’s usually a requirement for my cookies to have chocolate. While I don’t think an additional of chocolate chips would hurt these babies (hint, hint), they are perfectly fantastic just the way they are. The cashew bits are small enough that you’re not overwhelmed, and the cranberry adds a deliciously tart flavor. These cookies have a nice crisp edge, but are totally soft in the center.

Seasonally, you can sometimes find the mini Apple Cider Donuts. These also surprised me, because I’ve never been huge on donuts. But these babies are perfect to dunk into a mug of hot cider—that is, if you can wait long enough for the cider to warm up before devouring all of them. They are moist and covered with a gentle dusting of cinnamon and sugar.

If there is anything on the Northportfishington Cookiefactory’s bakery list that I’m not crazy about, it would be the brownies. They’re fine, but not outstanding. And personally I find them to be a bit too cakey and lacking the super crispy edges that a perfect brownie requires.

brownie

That said, if you’re all about cakey brownies, you might love these.

Final verdict? Even if I knew no one at Northportfishington Cookiefactory, I would still be to the moon about their yummy products!



GreensgrowWhile there are several coffee shops around town that stock some of the items, the one place I know I can always find the perfect Cinnamonbun brunch is at Greensgrow Farmers Market. Grab a bun, and perhaps a pint of fresh berries or a plant or two while you're there, and it’s a perfect start to a spring weekend!



If you go:

No comments: