Half Baked Café – Part Two
Earlier this year Baby Girl and I stopped by Half Baked Café and had some pretty tasty snacks. This weekend, we took the scenic way through route 127 to get to Beverly Farms. The sun was shining and it felt good to have the wind through our hair while cruising in the Jeep on this beautiful September morning.
The Beverly Cream Donut was what I was really looking forward to trying. Boston Cream is one of my favorites (next to Butter Crunch), and I heard Half Baked has a really good one. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait to find out. Within an hour and twenty minutes of their doors being open, they were already sold out. The really sad part is that they’re going to be closing shop in eight weeks, so I’ll probably only get the chance to try it once.
Donuts
Cookie Dough: This is made on a yeast raised donut. The texture was soft and moist. The cookie dough cream had a great flavor that reminded us of the real deal right out of the mixing bowl. This was hands down the favorite across the board.
Zebra: This was also a yeast raised donut, so the texture was similar to the cookie dough. This donut however, was the most decedent on the table. Topped with chocolate cream, chocolate glaze, crushed Oreo cookies, and a white and chocolate fudge drizzle – this was more like dessert than a breakfast pastry. Baby Girl said it reminded her of brownie batter. The Cookie Connoisseur thought it was an experience. To me, this had a lot going on and was a bit of a sensory overload. It was also very messy, as multiple napkins and a handwashing was needed after indulging in this sweet treat.
Bacon Maple: I thought this was going to be my favorite. Maybe if it had been a yeast raised donut I would have enjoyed it more. To my surprise, this was a cake donut. Not that it’s a bad thing to be a cake donut – it was delicious. However, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. Baby Girl said it tasted like Fall and the Cookie Connoisseur said it reminded him of a Sunday morning with pancakes and bacon. We decided to rename this one the Breakfast Donut.
Strawberry Frosted: This was so much better than any of us thought it was going to be. This yeast raised donut was fluffy and soft. The strawberry glaze had a naturally sweet flavor that didn’t taste artificial or like it would rot your teeth. It resembled a fresh strawberry puree, which made this donut very tasty and far better than any other strawberry glazed donut I’ve ever tasted.
I wanted to try a Somoa Donut, but the other tasters weren’t really into coconut. We decided to pass on that and go with some cupcakes instead.
Cupcakes
These looked a lot better than they tasted. The line up: Funfetti with Chocolate Frosting, Oreo, Chocolate with Vanilla Frosting and Triple Chocolate. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with all of these.
Baby Girl said they reminded her of store bought cupcakes. The cake was a bit dry and crumbly. I hate to say it, but I’ve made box cake that had a better texture and flavor. The buttercream was a bit waxy – like the base was 100% shortening and no butter was actually incorporated. Not to toot my own horn, but my buttercream is definitely superior in comparison.
Other Goodies
Of course, we had to pick up a Chocolate Chip Cookie for the Connoisseur. The granola was recommended by the barista and is going to make a great trail mix for lunches. As for the loaf of bread, the aroma was so intoxicating that there was no way I could just leave the last loaf sitting on the counter.
