Magnolia Bakery, Boston & New York

Update Review, New York, late 2025 Visits

Grocery / United

United Airlines Banana Pudding
Wafer Cookie Bits.

"Indulge in our new frozen-to-thaw Banana Pudding, a delightful, naturally flavored treat whipped to perfection and made with real bananas."

"Indulge in a wafer cookie wonderland. This frozen-to-thaw, naturally flavored treat is made with real bananas and whipped to perfection with wafer cookie bits. Experience the perfect blend of creamy banana pudding and crunchy wafer cookie bits in every bite."

In 2024, some exciting news came out.  Well, two bits of related exciting news.  First, Magnolia Bakery announced that after years of R&D, they had produced a version of their famous (and truly exceptional) banana pudding that would be sold in grocery stores (frozen).  I love that pudding when purchased fresh from the bakery, and I love pudding in general (hence the label on my blog), but I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about the thaw-to-serve concept, particularly when a key element of the banana pudding is, well, fresh bananas.  So that is piece of news #1.  And then, in December, United announced that they were replacing the onboard dessert (previously sliced pies or their precursors, the pie-in-the-sky from Eli's Cheesecake) with a special version of the Magnolia banana pudding, made just for them.

It is this version that I got to try, in the original banana pudding flavor.  Magnolia also makes a chocolate peanut butter or chocolate hazelnut version for grocery stores, and United also has a red velvet version.

United / Magnolia Banana Pudding.

I'm not sure what exactly is different about the pudding served on board United flights compared to the grocery store version, other than that it comes in a branded cup, and is smaller (the grocery one is 14 ounces, and listed as 2.5 servings).  I did find the size a bit comical, it was more the size of a kid's pudding cup than a proper adult portion.  

So how was it?

Um.  Well, to start, it was basically nothing like the bakery version.  I knew it would be different, but this had zero resemblance other than that it seemed to involve bananas and cream.  Even looking at the ingredients, yeah, just, totally different (Magnolia published the recipe in their cookbook for the bakery version).

This one had a base pudding of heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and banana puree.  The real version in stores uses instant vanilla pudding mix in the base (along with heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk).  The lack of vanilla flavor and lack of pudding mix made this significantly different, but even moreso, the banana puree being part of the pudding base and no actual slices of bananas is radically different.  This one is banana flavored pudding (really, banana flavored very sweet thick whipped cream) rather than vanilla pudding with layers of bananas.  This is radically different.

And then there are the wafers.  Again, radically different.  This one says it had bits in it, which I guess were some of the mush, but certainly nothing I'd identify as wafers.  The bakery one has large hunks of wafers, as they are layered with the pudding and bananas (yes, the wafers are quite soft, but, still recognizable).

So as something anything like the bakery version, wow, no.  If I had this for the first time rather than the bakery version, I'd be so confused why anyone raved about it.  But as a completely different product, a mushy banana pudding from a freezer, sure, it was fine.  As a dessert on board an airplane?  Sure, it was fine.  Nothing I'd go out to buy, but, I finished.  I find it does best with some garnish - fresh berries, mini dark chocolate chips, whipped cream, etc, as it really is quite sweet and lacking dimension on its own.  

I'll give them credit though for the fact that it was smooth, creamy, not watery, etc.  It certainly didn't give off freezer vibes.

3/5 in a generous way, but if you really want to measure it against expectations given the branding, MUCH lower.

December 2025

For the first time, Magnolia's in-store puddings have let me down.  While I've been lukewarm on their other products, the puddings I've never found fault with, until this year.

Red Velvet.
(Dec 2025 Monthly Flavor)

"Layers of vanilla pudding, red velvet cake, fresh bananas and mini chocolate chips."

The monthly flavor for December was red velvet, not one I'd had before.  It really let me down.

It didn't taste like much of anything, besides an occasional bite of banana.

I expected stronger chocolate element, and to really taste the red velvet.  As you can see, there were big hunks of red velvet cake, but it somehow didn't have much flavor.  The chocolate bits were minimal, and even the base seemed more like just whipped cream than their standard pudding.  The banana I did taste when I got those bites.

But really, this was a somehow red but not flavorful bowl of mostly whipped cream with some bananas and bits of cake I didn't taste.  Sadness.  2/5.

The seasonal flavor costs slightly more than the original, at $6.75 for a small, $8.95 medium, and $10.45 large.

Red Velvet: Again.

So I tried again.  I didn't believe Magnolia could really let me down like this.

My second attempt was even worse - barely any cake in this one, and still barely any chocolate, and barely any red velvet or even vanilla pudding flavor.  I added a bunch of my own chocolate bits, but, yeah, eh.  Low 2/5.

Banana Pudding.

"This world-famous, 12 ounce cup of Banana Pudding is layered with vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding."

So I went back to the classic.  It really is just great banana pudding.  Strong banana flavor.  Nicely soft wafers.  Thick rich pudding.  I did actually find it a bit too sweet this time, and wanted some regular whipped cream and more tart fruit (like blackberries) to balance it out, but still quite enjoyed.  3.5/5.

This costs $5.95/8.25/9.75 depending on size where I believe the large is actually 3x the small (and medium is 2x).

Classic Cupcakes: Vanilla, Chocolate, Red Velvet.

I also ordered cupcake for my group, since we had several people who had never been to NY before, and I wanted to give them a NY classic item.

The classic six-pack has two each of their base three flavors: vanilla/vanilla, chocolate/chocolate, and red velvet/cream cheese.  Cupcakes are ~$30/6 or $10.xx for a pair.

Chocolate w/ Chocolate Buttercream.

"Chocolate cupcakes are swirled with indulgent chocolate buttercream."

I remember not really thinking Magnolia cupcakes were great years ago when I had them, but we had some for the event, so I tried the chocolate one.

It was ... fine.  The cake wasn't a style I care much for, just kinda boring, chocolate cake.  No real interesting flavor, no moisture (it wasn't dry, but it wasn't super moist), just, boring.  

The frosting though I really did like.  It was smooth, creamy, fluffy, and really tasted to me like cream cheese (but, chocolate).  I know they say it is just buttercream, but it really seemed like cream cheese frosting to me.

Higher 3/5 frosting, 2/5 cake.  I wouldn't really want another though, and at >$5 each definitely not worth it.

Update Review, New York, 2024 & summer 2025 Visits

Magnolia Bakery.  Over-hyped?  Perhaps.  And I haven't ever loved most items at Magnolia (and in particular, find the cupcakes that made them famous on Sex in the City to be fairly meh), but that banana pudding?  It's pretty flawless.

Classic Banana Pudding. 
Small. $5.98.

"This world-famous, 4 ounce cup of Banana Pudding is layered with vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding."

I've had this pudding before, several times, so you'd think I'd know just how good it is, but it still caught me off guard when I took the first bite.  After all, it didn't *look* all that special.  And how good can banana pudding really be?  Answer: yeah, it can be mind boggling good.

I'm not sure what it is about it, but, the banana flavor is strong, the vanilla pudding is really quite rich and thick, the wafers are pleasantly soft, and yay for fresh banana slices.  It is simple, but it is just done so very right.  Banana pudding doesn't get better than this.

4.5/5.

Blueberry Crisp (July Special). 
Sample.

"Our classic vanilla pudding with a lemon-y twist, layered with blueberry filling, vanilla wafers and baked crumb topping."

Every month the bakeries in NY have a seasonal flavor.  In July 2024, it was blueberry crisp.

I asked to sample this first as I was a bit wary of the lemon base given my general slight aversion to lemon or lime desserts (really, I asked how lemon-y it was, and was immediately offered a sample, plucked from a fresh container that was in the fridge for purchase.  Gotta love their sample eagerness!).

It was fine, but reminded me of just a decent trifle.  The pudding was only slightly lemon, otherwise just good thick rich vanilla pudding.  Swirls of fruity sweet blueberry, some texture from soft wafers and crumb topping.  It was good, but the banana pudding is better, so I got that instead.  3.5/5.

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Pumpkin Spice (September Special).

When I visited a few months later, the special had turned to pumpkin spice (already!).  I tried a sample of the pumpkin spice, and liked it considerably more than the previous year.  I think I was more in the pumpkin spice mood.  Basically, think pumpkin pie filling, but both richer and fluffier, and with soft wafers instead of crust.  4/5.

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Chocolate Banana Pudding (August Special).

"Layers of creamy chocolate pudding, OREO wafers, fresh bananas, and mini chocolate chips."

A year later, I was in New York for July and August, and opted to try the August special, chocolate banana pudding.

This was pretty good.  It wasn't a super intense, rich, chocolate mousse style of chocolate pudding, rather, it is vanilla pudding with chocolate fudge swirls, and then all the other mix-ins: bananas just like the signature pudding, Oreos that were basically just soft chocolate cake since they had been mixed in and sat like that in the pudding mixture like the Nilla wafers do in the classic pudding, plus lots of mini chocolate chips that added great crunch and chocolateliness.  Although I don't like Oreos much, they were barely recognizable as such in this, and it really was just a pretty good banana pudding with chocolate flair.  4/5.

Update Review, New York, 2023 Visits

I know I visited one of the original Magnolia locations when I visited New York ages ago, but, I don't remember being particularly impressed, and think we just got cupcakes.  But once I had that banana pudding from their short lived Boston location ... I knew I had to get it again when I was in New York this summer.

Spoiler: that banana pudding remains completely worth the visit.

Pumpkin Spice (Fall, Seasonal):
"Creamy pumpkin pudding layered with vanilla wafers and decadent cookie butter."

On September 1, like clockwork, Magnolia Bakery launched their pumpkin spice version of pudding.  This is NOT a banana pudding, which seems like a wise choice, as I don't think pumpkin spices and banana would combine all that well.

Since pumpkin spice can be fairly polarizing, sometimes way too heavy in, say, the nutmeg, I asked the staff member at the shop how aggressively spiced it was.  She said it wasn't too spiced at all, and that it just tasted like pumpkin pie.  As she was saying this, she was immediately fetching a container of it, and asked if I wanted to sample it.  Who am I to say no to a sample?

Her description was very accurate.  It tasted, indeed, like pumpkin pie.  Creamy, lightly spiced, pumpkin pie, that just happened to have some soft wafers in it too.  It was quite enjoyable, but, you had to be in the mood for pumpkin pie, which, it turned out, I really wasn't at the time. 3.5/5.

Banana Pudding (Medium). $7.95.

"This world-famous, 12 ounce cup of Banana Pudding is layered with vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding."

The last time I had Magnolia Bakery pudding, it was in their Boston location, in 2018, before it closed.  I really enjoyed it then.  But I wasn't sure if my tastes had evolved in the past 5 years.

Turns out, this pudding really is still quite good. The vanilla wafers are soft in a good way, almost cake-like.  The pudding is thick and rich, very creamy, and lightly banana flavored.  The ratio of pudding to wafers was spot on too - easy to get a bite of just pudding, but most contained a bit of both.  I was surprised though that there didn't seem to be much in the way of the fresh banana slices.  I didn't mind, as it was so rich, creamy, and delicious as it was, but if you are looking for a banana forward pudding, this isn't it.  I added fresh strawberries and blueberries to mine, and that was perfect.

4/5 though, really, excellent pudding.

Original Review, Boston, 2018 Visits

Magnolia Bakery.  The bakery credited with (or blamed for, depending on your take), the cupcake craze of the 1990s.  Thrust into the spotlight after appearing on Sex and the City.

Originally just a single little bakery in New York, but now a global empire, with locations in most of the big US cities, and internationally in places as far ranging as Dubai, Kuwait City, Bangalore, and Seoul.  Known for the cupcakes, obviously, but also for good classic American desserts.  Clearly, I needed to check the place out.

I never visited the New York locations, but when they opened in Boston, I was thrilled, as I always fly into Boston when I go to visit my family.  And as a lover of all baked goods, how could I pass this up?

But spoiler: it wasn't really the baked goods I was after.  Sure, I wanted to try those, but, itt was something else that led me to go out of my way to check out Magnolia Bakery.  Their other signature item.  The banana pudding.  Yes, just banana pudding, but, uh, it has a serious following.

I quickly found out why.

Visit #1: Icebox Bars & Puddings. July 2018.

My first visit was aimed at trying the signature banana pudding, obviously, in as many flavors as I possibly could.  I also selected a couple icebox bars, as I was unfamiliar with the concept, and wanted to try them out.

The puddings were the runaway hits, no question.

Visit #2: Ice Box Bars, Cupcakes, Cake. December 2018.

On my second visit, I tried more icebox cakes, and this time, added on some cupcakes and a slice of cake.  Of course I got more banana pudding too.

I've still yet to try the cheesecake, classic icebox cake, cookies, brownies, or bars.

Setting

The Boston location of Magnolia is located in tourist central: Faneuil Hall.  Right at the entrance.  It isn't exactly the most peaceful of locations, but it is very accessible and easy to find.

Pudding / Cupcake Finishing Station.

The space begins with a glimpse inside the bakery, which does help the feel of the place be not quite so cookie-cutter, there was prep going on there, unlike many other stalls.

Since this is an active bakery, you can actually see staff finishing cupcakes and scooping out containers of pudding right there.

That is, when they have a moment between the steady stream of guests ...

So. Many. Treats.

The remainder of the shop front is display cases filled with all the treats.  

Magnolia is a full bakery, with an extensive product line, ranging from cookies, to brownies and bars, to cheesecakes, to cakes, and of course, the cupcakes and pudding.

It is from the cases that you order with someone on the other side, then stand in line to check out.

Counter of Treats.

This section was mostly cheesecakes, all mini sized, $7.95,  offered in traditional flavors, or fun ones like German Chocolate or Red Velvet.  I didn't even know Magnolia made cheesecake until I saw these, and I'd love to try them sometime.

The layout suffers quite a bit, as it was hard to browse the items, since people needed to stand in front of the cases to place orders, and the line to check out extended back in front of the cases at most times.  People also seemed generally confused, where to order, how to pay, etc.  But staff did their best at keeping things moving.

Drink Menu.

To go with your treats, you can also order coffee and espresso drinks (hot or iced), cold summer beverages like lemonade and ice tea, or, during the winter, nice warm hot cocoa.

I hear the caramel latte is quite good, made with their house made caramel.

Party Supplies.

The one non-food section had a funny assortment of items, some party supplies like candles and balloons, but also ... tattoos?  And the Magnolia cookbook for sale.

Register.

Eventually you make your way to the register to pay and retrieve your goodies.

Here you see the place in a moment of calm, which I waited around for so I could actually get some photos.

Seating.

Magnolia does actually have a few seats, unlike almost everywhere else in Faneuil Hall.  Just a few stools and counters in a narrow hallway that leads to an exterior door, but, still very welcome.

I managed to luck out and a big gaggle of teenage girls vacated the entire area as I walked up.  I thank them for this, as it was nice to get out of the center flow of tourists so I could enjoy my treats. 

Packaging

Items are all very clearly marked with the magnolia brand.

Magnolia Bags / Bowls / Boxes.

If you are getting your treats for later, items come packaged in Magnolia boxes, taped shut so they don't fly open, and placed into handled Magnolia bags.  This packaging is less elaborate than what you'd find in a fancy bakery in Paris, but, still takes time (for them to do, and you to un-do!).  

The counters are filled with signs encouraging you to just get a plate, not a box, if you are going to eat your treats right away.  I'm sure it is frustrating to slowly pack up a cupcake, just to watch someone pull it out and eat it 2 feet away, throwing out the box immediately!

Cupcake Boxes.

If you do get those cupcakes to go though, they come in a custom box that holds them in place perfectly.  No ruined cupcakes here!

Banana Pudding

Magnolia may be most well known for the cupcakes due to the show, but, if you ask people what to get at Magnolia Bakery, there is something else entirely that *everyone* will tell you to get.  The banana pudding.  Any variety.

 

As a pudding lover, this makes me a very happy girl, because I always feel it is such an under-loved dessert, when it can be so very good if given proper attention.

And, spoiler, Magnolia does this justice.  The rave reviews are well deserved.  They have discovered two not-so-secrets: use sweetened condensed milk instead of milk in your pudding, and fold in plentiful whipped cream to make it lofty.  That is the magic.  Nothing fancy.  Just delicious.

Voting for the next banana pudding flavor!

The counter had ballots to vote for the next banana pudding flavor.  Some sound amazing (cookie dough! Butterscotch!) and really there is something for everyone in the list.

Banana Pudding Cones.

For National Banana Pudding Day (yes, it is a thing), Magnolia offered up a limited time creation: banana pudding cones.

Yes, "scoops" of banana pudding, in a cone, with sprinkles.  For 4 days only, $5.25 each.  Kinda cute, really.

I almost got one, but since I wasn't planning to consume it right then, this didn't seem very practical.

Small Puddings. $4.25 each.

Magnolia always carries the signature classic banana pudding, a monthly special that generally sounds amazing (I just missed salted caramel!), and, exclusive to Boston only, one additional flavor: Boston Cream Pie.  They also normally carry a chocolate pudding with chocolate pudding and Oreo wafers instead of vanilla wafers, but they didn't have it at the Boston location, perhaps it was just sold out, perhaps they just don't offer it since they have the Boston special. 

Pudding is available in this small size for $4.25, medium for $6, large for $7.50, or many other larger party sizes for groups.  I ordered a small of each of the puddings.  You know, for "research".  I needed to compare them all!

Boston Cream Pie Banana Pudding (Boston only special),
Banana Pudding, S'mores Banana Pudding (August Special). 

The small size seems reasonable for having a dessert that leaves you fairly satisfied, but not feeling awful, but I don't think the medium is really too much for a pudding lover to easily polish off in one sitting.  I'd recommend getting bigger and taking some home for later, or just getting several.  They won't keep for long due to the fresh bananas, and obviously require refrigeration, but, believe me, you'll want as much of this as you can get.

It is seriously good banana pudding.

Classic Banana Pudding.

"Layers of vanilla wafers, fresh bananas and creamy vanilla pudding."

I started with the classic, since it is the most simple.

You will laugh if you look at the ingredient list for this classic banana pudding.  It is, literally, just instant pudding mix made with sweetened condensed milk (!), whipped cream (e.g. heavy cream), Nilla wafers (yes, the regular brand name), and sliced fresh bananas.  They aren't trying to be fancy.  No house made wafers, but also not even "real" pudding.  But clearly, Magnolia discovered the secret (hello, sweetened condensed milk!)  I can't wait to try making pudding myself this way ...

Anyway, this is, well, really ridiculously good banana pudding.  Creamy.  Sweet.  Rich.  The Nilla wafers soft, almost like cake inside a parfait, from soaking in the pudding.  The fresh banana soft and just plentiful enough to give banana in nearly every bite, but not overwhelming.

It is a classic thing for sure, but, um, wow.  Certainly the best banana pudding I've ever had.  And yet, of the trio, this was my second favorite.  Because they got better than this.

4.5/5.

Boston Cream Pie. Small. $4.25.

"Layers of vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, bananas and a decadent chocolate fudge. Available exclusively at our Boston location daily while supplies last."

Next, I tried the exclusive Boston version: Boston Cream Pie.  It is just the classic pudding, but with chocolate fudge added.  Chocolate and bananas are a classic combo after all.

I did like this, but, honestly, I think it was more "banana split" than "Boston cream pie".  For me at least, Boston cream pie/cake/donuts are all about the custard layer, and this had the same pudding layer as the regular banana pudding.

Once I started thinking of it as "banana split", all I could think about was how much more fun it would be with some maraschino cherries (and sprinkles?) added in too.  How good does that sound?  Who knows, maybe they have done that for the flavor of the month before?

Still, it was my favorite, the chocolate fudge just amped the basic banana pudding up a notch I wasn't expecting.

4.5/5.

S'mores Banana Pudding (August). Small. $4.25.

"Layers of chocolate pudding, graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, marshmallows, bananas and chocolate shavings - the taste of summer in every bite."

And finally, the August special: S'mores.  I'm not usually excited about s'mores, but this was fairly good.

S'mores Banana Pudding: Close Up.

It had graham crackers instead of vanilla wafers, and chocolate pudding instead of vanilla, so even just the base was quite different.  And then, mini marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate chips added in.

The chocolate pudding was just as good as the vanilla, but I do like vanilla pudding more in general, so it got the edge.  The graham cracker soaked up even more moisture than the wafers, resulting in a softer cake-like texture, but one that tasted like graham, which I preferred less.  And then, um, yes to marshmallow fluff, sweet and sticky, and always something I adore.  Chocolate chips were awesome for texture and crunch.  Eh to the mini marshmallows, but, a yes to everything else about this one.

My least favorite, but still good, particularly if you like chocolate desserts. 3.5/5.

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Chocolate Pudding. (December 2018)

"Layers of OREO® wafers*, fresh bananas, creamy chocolate pudding, and chocolate shavings."

The chocolate version is offered daily in New York, but since Boston has the Boston Cream version, this showed up only as a monthly special, in December when I visited.

It was my least favorite, just chocolate pudding, some Oreo, bananas. Eh.  Just get the Boston Cream.

Icebox Desserts

Magnolia makes a large variety of icebox pies and bars, sold as individual bars for $6, mini pies for $10, or full size 9" pies for $28.

All are variations with kind of crust (vanilla or chocolate wafers, graham crackers, Oreo cookies), with some kind of whipped cream filling (classic, peanut butter, ricotta, lime custard), and a topping (Snicker's, blueberries, etc).  They also make their chocolate and banana puddings as pies as well, same ingredients, just, different assembly.

On my first visit, I was there on a mission to try the latest Boston exclusive item, a Cannoli Ice Box dessert, but I knew I wanted to try one other too.

I was about to order the peanut butter or Snicker's versions, because both sounded pretty amazing, the former made with a vanilla wafer crust, caramel, peanut butter whipped cream/cream cheese filling, and Reese's PB Cups, the later with a chocolate wafer crust, peanut butter, cream cheese/whipped cream filling, and Snickers, but then I saw the August special peach "jamboree" bar, and got quite excited.  And then it sold out in front of me.  Doh.  I fell back on the blueberry jamboree bar, as I loved the sound of the crust (pecan shortbread!).

I'll admit that I was hit with buyer's remorse on this one.  I really did want either of the peanut butter based desserts, and it was only my disappointment in the peach disappearing in front of my eyes that lead me to the blueberry.  I considered turning back when I was about 10 minutes away, not because I didn't like what I had, but because I still really wanted peanut butter!

So when I returned in December, it was clear I had to order both of them.

Blueberry Jamboree Bar. $6.

"Pecan shortbread crust layered with whipped cream and cream cheese filling with a fresh blueberry topping."

My consolation prize, when they didn't have the one I wanted the first time: the blueberry jamboree bar.  I think the "jamboree" is a Magnolia creation, as it is not a term I was familiar with before, and a quick Google search doesn't reveal much (besides recipes for the Magnolia one).

This was the best of the two icebox bars I tried.

I really liked the crust, made from compressed pecan shortbread, full of texture from chopped pecans, and very pleasantly sweet.  It went great with the cream filling, which was rich and creamy.  The cream cheese mixed with the whipped cream gave it more body and flavor than a simple whipped cream filling.

I wasn't crazy about the blueberry topping though, little wild blueberries, in a compote of sorts.  I prefer bigger, juicier berries, and maybe even more of a classic "goo" around the fruit.  You can also get this topping on the cheesecake.  My companion who I split it with however loved the blueberry layer, so this was clearly just preference.  He couldn't decide if he liked this, or the banana pudding, more.

I was happy enough with just the crust and cream layers to be honest, but I can't help but wonder how amazing the peach version is!

3.5/5.

Cannoli Icebox Bar. $6.

"Inspired by the traditional Cannoli, this exclusive Icebox Dessert has a Nilla Wafer Crust, Sweet Whipped Ricotta filling with a hint of Lemon and a layer of Mini Chocolate Chips." 

The last item we tried on our first visit was the new Boston exclusive Cannoli Icebox Bar.  It was our least favorite, no question.  Neither of us cared for it much at all.

The crust was compressed (and sweetened?) Nilla wafers, thick, and kinda boring.  Why didn't they use crushed cannoli shells instead?  Using Nilla wafers here in a cannoli inspired dessert seemed a bit wrong.

The filling layer was sweetened ricotta, per a traditional cannoli, with much more than a "hint of lemon" to it.  We both felt it was far too strong on the lemon, much more of a lemon bar dessert than we were expecting, and, as neither of us care for lemon desserts, far too much lemon.

The mini chocolate chips were fine, I liked the texture, and they obviously added to the "cannoli" aspect of it.

So, overall, this just wasn't a success for me.  Boring crust, filling I didn't like due to aggressive lemon, meh.  2/5.

Peanut Butter Icebox Bar. $6.

"Vanilla wafer crust layered with caramel and a peanut butter whipped cream and cream cheese filling, topped with Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups."

My second visit yielded success at getting a slice of the incredible sounding peanut butter icebox bar.

I love peanut butter cups, so this sounded pretty awesome.  I did think it was strange that the peanut butter icebox bar had caramel and the Snickers one did not however, as I expected it to match the Peanut Butter Cups on top a bit better.  Same with the vanilla rather than chocolate crust.  Maybe they found that chocolate crust and just peanut butter whipped cream and cream cheese filling was too much sameness?

Anyway.

I liked this more than the previous bars, but I think that icebox style bars just aren't really my thing.  The crusts are kinda odd to me, crumbly and they break apart, and I always want the fillings to be either richer and thicker like cheesecake, or more like a pudding.  Nothing wrong with the execution of this bar, I really think it just isn't the form for me.

The peanut butter flavor in the filling is strong, and you can tell this is a peanut butter dessert.  I didn't really taste much, if any, caramel though.  Nor cream cheese really.  Just sweetened peanut butter cream really.  Which is tasty, but not really a complete dessert to me.  Having layers of distinct peanut butter whipped cream and peanut butter cream cheese might work better?

Of course I liked the chunks of pb cup on top, along with a few bits of crushed peanut.

I think I'd like this more with a thicker, firmer crust (with some pb cups in it perhaps?), a layer of just whipped cream, and a rich thick chocolate ganache in there somewhere ... yeah, I think I don't like icebox bars!  3/5.

Snickers. $6.

"Chocolate wafer crust layered with peanut butter, cream cheese, and whipped cream filling, topped with Snickers® Bar pieces."

I also managed to get a slice of the equally decadent sounding Snickers icebox pie.

The Snickers version was very similar, although this cream was only peanut butter, not caramel I guess, a lighter color, and slightly more mild flavor.  It actually did taste a bit like caramel, but, it says just peanut butter ...

The texture of the crust was similar, just chocolate this time.  Chunks of Snickers were less exciting to me than peanut butter cups.

I liked the peanut butter version more since it featured the cups, but I still can't help but think it would make more sense to have the caramel filling here, and the vanilla crust ... 2.5/5.

Cakes & Cupcakes

And finally, yes, the cupcakes.  Or full size cakes if you prefer.

Whole Cakes.

Magnolia offers classic cakes daily, usually vanilla or chocolate bases with vanilla or chocolate buttercream in a variety of flavors, available by the slice or full cake in assorted sizes.  They also make a number of specialty cakes, ranging from German Chocolate with coconut caramel pecan filling to Hummingbird with banana, pineapple, and pecans in the cake.

The cakes are all available to pre-order and can be decorated as well.

Vanilla Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Slice. $5.

"Rich, buttery, old-fashioned cake with a light crumb. Our most popular cake!" 

I decided to get a slice of cake because I knew it was layer cake, and I often find that layer cake has better frosting to cake ratio (as in, more frosting!) than a cupcake, and the cake is generally more moist.  (Sorry cupcakes, but full cakes often have the leg up!)

The cake was decent.  Moist, buttery vanilla cake.  Not particularly notable, but a nice cake.  Fairly textbook.

The buttercream, light blue but just vanilla buttercream, was quite sweet, but, that is what I was after.  Good texture.  Nice amount on top and in-between the layers.

Overall, a very solid, very basic, classic vanilla cake.  Well made, but it mostly made me wish it was a cake from Empire Cakes in New York ... I was obsessed with their cake when I was there recently (review soon)!

3.5/5.

Cupcakes.

But the main attraction at Magnolia is still the cupcakes.  Multiple display cases are filled with cupcakes, all versions of chocolate and vanilla (e.g. chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake and vanilla buttercream, etc), plus a daily cupcake flavor, plus a weekly special.

On my visit in December, there were also holiday decorated cupcakes.  The seasonal cupcake was chocolate with peppermint buttercream, the daily was red velvet.  Specialty cupcakes are also available to pre-order, including a fun confetti cake and a pb & j version with jelly inside a peanut butter cake, with peanut butter buttercream.

Vanilla (Holiday) Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream. $3.95.

"Rich, buttery, old-fashioned cake with a light crumb. Our most popular cake!" 

I'll admit, I got this one for my mother because she loves snowmen, and because it was so darn cute, not because I wanted a plain vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream, when I had also gotten the slice.  But seriously, how do you pass him up?

It was ... a decent cupcake.  Vanilla base, moist but not as moist as the regular cake, decently buttery, good texture, good sweetness level.  The buttercream was exactly the same as the cake, just, white.  I did like the extra large sugar crystals on top, which truly did give it a snowy shimmer.

This was a fine cupcake, but again, not as good as Empire Cakes, although it wins a lot for style points.  3/5.

Red Velvet Cupcake with Whipped Vanilla Icing. $3.95.

"Light chocolate cake with whipped vanilla icing."

I also got a red velvet cupcake, because the lofty icing was just too much to pass up.  Seriously, look at that mound of frosting!!!

The cake was the best of the three I tried, a lot more flavor in the classic red velvet base, a touch of cocoa in it, and I believe buttermilk.  Good moisture level, good crumb.  A nice cake, but again, just good, textbook, but not exemplary.

The frosting was actually much lighter than it looked.  Truly it was whipped.  It was sweet and fluffy, kinda fun.  I think I liked it more than the classic thicker buttercream. 

They also make the red velvet cupcake (or cake) with a more traditional cream cheese icing.

3.5/5.

Read More...

Springhill Farm

I love trying snacks in other countries, including Australia, where I spent a significant amount of time for a number of years.  At some point, I picked up these snacks from Springhill Farm, an Australian brand.

Springhill Farm has several product lines, but their dominant products seem to be Slices and Boodles.  All are vegan.  Slices are just healthy bars, and were less interesting to me as that is already a widely covered market.  Boodles however looked more interesting ...

They make several styles of Boodles, all of which are healthy grain clusters featuring soy protein crisps, brown rice puffs, quinoa, and buckwheat, sweetened with coconut sugar, and then embellished. Chocolate clusters are the most decadent chocolate covered confections, "healthy clusters" are made from a combo of grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, etc with added adaptogens, and lunchbox clusters are crispy grain puffs with kid friendly flavors like cocoa, vanilla sprinkles, and strawberry.  I tried only the chocolate clusters line.

Boodles Chocolate Clusters

"We keep it light taking the crispy, natural goodness of seeds and grains, like quinoa, buckwheat, soy and rice crisps and smothering them in smooth, creamy chocolate."

Boodles are a form of crispy chocolate cluster, but lower sugar (50% less they claim) and protein bolstered (15g protein) compared to regular chocolate confections.  The protein comes from soy protein cocoa crisps, quinoa crisps, cocoa rice crisps, and buckwheat.

They come in 5 flavors: original chocolate, chocolate and caramel, chocolate speckle (with nonpareils), peanut and pretzel, and chocolate and hazelnut.  I was only able to find the basic chocolate ones, and the hazelnut version, although I really wished I could find the peanut/pretzel or speckle ones!

Chocolate.

These were not bad.  I liked the variety of size pieces, some little bits, some bigger.  All had a great crunch, and good chocolate coverage.  The chocolate quality was decent.  They didn't taste too healthy, mostly just like a chocolate crispy oddly shaped candy bar.  I did want a little salt to make the flavor pop a bit more.  Awesome as an ice cream topping. 3/5.

Chocolate Hazelnut.

"We keep it light taking the crispy, natural goodness of seeds, grains and hazelnuts and slathering them all in smooth, creamy chocolate."

I'm not one who adores all things chocolate-hazelnut.  I don't go nuts over Nutella, etc, but it is a combo that works, and the hazelnut variety sounded a bit more interesting than the plain chocolate.

It really wasn't much different to me.  I didn't taste hazelnut.  But I did enjoy the crispy bits and the great crunch, and the decent quality chocolate.  Again great as a topping on ice cream or pudding.  But truly did not taste the hazelnut. 3/5.

Treats

Classic Rocky Road Slice.

"Jump on a joyride of marshmallow chunks, coconut pieces and chocolate as far as the eye can see – no two bites are the same. It’s not for the faint-hearted."

I wanted to like this so much more than I did.  But there were three issues, one minor, the others more major.

The minor complaint I have is that the milk chocolate wasn't very high quality.  It was "fine", but very sugary, and just not great.  That can be ok in a confection style treat though if the rest of the item is strong enough to carry it.  In this case though, the other elements weren't.

The marshmallows were fine, soft, squishy, sweet. But the ratios were all off here, just far too much marshmallow, and little else.  Another strike.

And then, the coconut.  When I think "classic rocky road", I do not think of coconut.  I think of other nuts.  I wanted crunchy other nuts.  And instead I had soft shards of coconut.  The coconut taste dominated, as did the texture I wasn't into.  

So, mediocre chocolate, poor ratios, too much unwanted coconut.  Low 2/5.

Read More...

Firebrand Artisan Breads

If you ask someone in the Bay Area where to get a great pretzel, assuming they don't point you at the mall food court (I'm looking at you Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's!), chances are high that they'll mention Firebrand.

Firebrand is bakery located in Oakland, operating since 2008, known for, among other things, the pretzels.

"Firebrand is a mission-driven bakery creating quality jobs through the craft of artisan baking. Come try The Bay’s best damn pastries and wood-fired breads."

Firebrand is a bakery you feel good supporting (particularly after they had a horrible fire a few years ago!).   I've never visited the shop in Oakland, but the business started out as wholesale before opening a storefront, and I was fortunate to work somewhere that offered their goods as part of our morning breakfast lineup, and often featured their products at special events.  I also encountered their baked goods at coffee shops around town, their pretzels on upscale pub menus, and they distribute via Good Eggs (and now, even, are in Whole Foods), so, finding their goods has been relatively easy.

My feelings on Firebrand are mixed - they have a few very, very strong offerings, many "decent" ones, and some that just really weren't good.  When I see the Firebrand name on a menu though, I'll still seek it out!

Pretzels

While Firebrand is a full bakery, offering loaves, pastries, and more, the pretzels seem to be a signature feature of the menu.

Salted Pretzel. $3.25.

"Authentic german style."

This was a very good pretzel.  I see why people rave about these.

Soft, doughy interior.  Crispy "crust".  Excellent salt level.  Slightly strange shape.

Just a simple soft pretzel, but, a very good one. 3.5/5.

Sunflower Seed Pretzel. $3.25.

Firebrand also coats the pretzels with a few other toppings, like sunflower seeds, something I haven't seen done before elsewhere.

It was the same good base pretzel, soft interior, good bite to the exterior, but I wasn't really into the sunflower seeds.  They did add a nice crunch though.  3/5.

Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot. $3.50.

"Firebrand's classic best-seller is the salty, savory pretzel. Here it's been introduced to Cypress Grove goat cheese, herbs, French sea salt and black pepper! The Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot is a whole new level of deliciousness, ready for you to enjoy at breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

So, I don't like goat cheese.  Ever.  I'm sorry.  I've tried it all, I've had it fresh, I've had it from every producer who tells me, "Even people who don't like goat cheese like my goat cheese".  I've tried to work it into things I love: I've had it in ice cream, I've had it in whipped cream, I just don't like it.

So this goat cheese pretzel knot was unlikely to be something I liked.  But I tried a bite.  As expected, not for me.

The pretzel was great actually, soft inside, chewy crust, plentiful salt, deep flavor.  But the goat cheese?  Yes, it tasted like goat cheese.  I want one filled with gruyere instead.

Such good pretzels though. 3/5.

Gruyere Pimenton Pretzel Bomb. $4.50.

"A Firebrand favorite, these buttery, chewy pretzels are filled with Austrian Gruyere and topped with Pimenton (Smoked Spanish Paprika) and French sea salt. Why "pretzel bombs"? Well, of course, because they'll blow your mind!"

I remember reading about the pretzel bombs way back when.  I almost ordered them from Good Eggs several times.  I was thrilled to finally get to try one, although it was oddly served at breakfast at my office cafe.

I loved the form, and they had a nice chew and pretzel flavor that Firebrand is known for.  I wasn't really into the pimenton flavor though, and the gruyere was very minimal, just a dot in the center.   It was fine, but, sounded more promising than it was.

I think these would be amazing paired with french onion soup ...

3/5.

Gruyere Pimenton Ball (2024).  $4.75.

I was underwhelmed with these years ago when I tried them, but they looked dramatically improved (at least on the cheese front) so I gave them another try.

They were much better - the cheese on top was more significant, as was the cheese within.  The pimento flavor was less, which I preferred.  I still wasn't quite sure when I'd want it / how to enjoy it though.  I think warmed and served with french onion soup would be good, or cut open and stuffed with hot dogs or bologna, but otherwise, it still feels a bit like something is missing, at least for me.  But definitely better than previous versions.  3/5.

Croissants

Firebrand also makes croissants, both sweet and savory, some ... pretzel-like!  They are a very flaky (messy!) style.  These are found in many coffee shops around town.

 Pretzel Croissant. $3.50.

Firebrand's most unique, and iconic item, besides the pretzels themselves, is the pretzel croissants.

I really want to like these, but, I just don't quite.

The problem is the pastry itself.  It is kinda spongy, oily, and just not very good.  And the top is very dark, burnt tasting almost, but, this is by design, it is supposed to be like a pretzel.  Which almost works, but it just tastes burnt to me usually.  I do love the salt on top though, and this is *almost* great, hence the reason I try it all the time, just to be disappointed.  2.5/5.

Ham & Gruyere Croissant. $4.75.

"Black forest ham, gruyere, fontina, parmesan and whole grain mustard."

Gruyere!

I eagerly grabbed this one, but alas, I never really found the cheese.  Inside was a small slice of crispy, quality ham and flavorful grainy mustard, both of which were good components, but, I was looking for the cheese.  Perhaps that was cheese on top?

The fillings were ok (although seemingly cheeseless), but the pastry was not.  Spongy, oily, not good. 2.5/5.

Almond Croissant. $4.75.

"Topped with slivered almonds and powdered sugar."

Almond croissants are fairly polarizing for me.  Or at least, legit almond croissants, done the French patisserie way of double baking a day-old croissant, after slicing it in half, stuffing it with frangipane, and topping it with almonds and sugar.  I'm going to guess that most American bakeries don't actually make almond croissants as a way to re-use their more-than-4-hours-old croissants.

Anyway, almond croissants.  I should love them.  I always *want* to love them.  I like sweet frangipane filling.  I like the crunchy aspect of coating them in powdered sugar and almonds.  Of course I like flaky buttery croissants.  And I'm a big fan of not letting food go to waste.

Yet, nearly every time I eat an almond croissant, even at Boulangerie Julien and Ladurée in Paris, even from SF Darling Tartine, I'm left with a sense of "Hmm, that wasn't great", that I just can't explain.

Which is basically how I felt about this too.

The croissant was decent, fairly laminated, fairly buttery.  It was just the right amount of crispy on the outside, and the sugar/almond crusting was sweet and crunchy.  It was stuffed with about the right amount of frangipane, not too much to overwhelm, not too little that you couldn't tell it was there.  The frangipane was fairly standard, not too sweet.  Basically, everything about it was "fine", but, it wasn't particularly good or noteworthy. 3/5.

Classic Croissant. $3.50.

"Flakey and buttery."

Next, I moved on to a simple classic croissant, not an item I'm generally very excited about, but, I figured that I couldn't really judge Firebrand unless I tried the plain croissant.

I didn't like it.  The exterior was extremely crispy, too crispy.  The almond croissant was also crazy crispy, but I thought that made sense in the context of a double baked almond croissant.  For a plain croissant, it almost made it seem stale.  Inside, it wasn't flaky and light, rather, it was a bit spongy.

I need to try another, because this was extremely disappointing.  2/5.

Banana Chocolate Croissant (Seasonal Special). $4.75.

This was fun, but not exactly successful.

A regular croissant, sliced in half, filled with a line of chocolate paste and soft cooked bananas, slightly glazed on top, with a smear of more chocolate paste and slightly caramelized pearl sugar.

The problem here was the croissant.  Firebrand just doesn't make good croissants.  It was oily.  It was a bit spongy.  It wasn't flaky.  It wasn't buttery.  It wasn't well laminated.  The croissant just was not good.

The chocolate paste filling inside was fine, quality dark chocolate blended into a creamy thick paste (I'm not sure what else was in the mix), and I liked it more than just standard bar of chocolate that most places bake into chocolate croissants.  The bananas were soft and went well with the chocolate.

The glaze on the outside of the croissant attributed to it being not crispy, so that was a bit strange, but I did like the chocolate on top.  It was the same as from the filling, except topped with tons of pearl sugar and baked, so it was crispy and sweet.

I enjoyed the chocolate and bananas, and especially the top chocolate, but, overall, this was not good and I would not get another. 2.5/5.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo. $4.75.

This was massive.  It might be hard to see the size here, but this was a really, really large croissant, in height and in dimension.  I almost didn't take one, particularly as it also looked burnt and dark, but, my curiosity and love of chorizo got the better of me.

I'm glad I tried it.  The outside was coated in unexpected spices.  I tasted caraway, salt, maybe poppyseeds, and more.  They were flavorful and quite tasty, and went well with the flaky exterior.  I'm not sure what made it dark, but, it wasn't burnt.

This was labelled "Chorizo Croissant" at my cafe, but, Firebrand calls it the "Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo", which is a much better description.  The addition of the everything spices was unexpected to me, but really a creative fusion between what you expect on a bagel, and a croissant.  Which gets me to the filling.  3/5.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo: Inside.

It was a lofty croissant, and the layers were well done, buttery, nicely laminated.  Inside was the chorizo that I was expecting, but, also, cream cheese.  This made a lot of sense with the everything spices, but, again, I wasn't expecting that either.

I didn't love the filling.  The chorizo was chewy and just slices of chorizo.  The cream cheese was a big block in the middle, not very soft, and pretty firm.  A softer whipped cream cheese, or maybe mixed with chopped up chorizo, or mixed with the everything spices would have been more successful.

Still, overall I liked it, as the crispy flaky exterior and spicing were well done. 3/5.

Chocolate Croissant. $4.75.

"made with Valrhona chocolate."

This was a very large, but not particularly good, croissant.  This is just about 40% of one, so I could show the cross section.

The pastry itself just wasn't flaky, not well laminated, and not crispy on the outside.  Somewhat soft. It did have a buttery taste, but, just not really what I want in a croissant in terms of texture.  The two big batons of dark chocolate were fine, but not really noteworthy.

I wouldn't get again.  2/5. 

Danishes

Firebrand makes a every changing lineup of danishes, in several form factors, again both sweet and savory.

 

Spring Seasonal: Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Danish. $4.75.

A seasonal danish special for May: balsamic strawberry rhubarb!

The danish sadly went the way of the croissants, which makes sense, given that it is likely the same dough.  The dough was oily and spongy, not buttery, not flaky, not laminated.  It was glazed on top in a way that made it even soggier, and tasted vaguely of apricot, although it didn't have apricot listed as an ingredient.

The custard filling inside was good, creme fraiche and egg yolk based, and the strawberries and rhubarb were actually great, soft, sweet, accented with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

I enjoyed the fruit and custard, but, just like the chocolate banana croissant, it was the pastry itself that just let me down.

I do give them points for this one looking great though, and for the balsamic touch. 2.5/5.

Spring Seasonal: Blackberry Cream Cheese Danish. $4.75.

The other spring seasonal danish special was blackberry cream cheese, a different style than the balsamic strawberry rhubarb.  It used a folded over pocket instead of the open round, and had a cream cheese base rather than creme fraiche custard.  Like many other Firebrand pastries, it had a generous sprinkling of pearl sugar that crisped up the top.

Like the others, I was again let down by the pastry, it was slightly soggy, not flaky.  The pearl sugar on top didn't help.

I did really like the cream cheese filling though, soft and sweet, basically, like cheesecake.  The blackberries were whole berries, soft from being baked, but, still blackberries, which means seeds, which means I don't like.

So, about in-line with the other pastries.  The dough for the croissant/danish base just ruins these, but I really did like that filling. 2.5/5.

Summer Seasonal: Peach Root Beer. $4.75.

Summer brought a transition from strawberries to peaches, and, a peach root beer danish to go with it.

This sounded odd, and certainly worth trying, even though I knew I wouldn't like the pastry.

And, yeah, the pastry wasn't good.  Soggy, spongy, not flaky, not butter, not good.

And in the center, two small chunks of soft peach.  I didn't taste root beer.

Oh well. 1/5.

Black Forest Ham, Mustard, & Gruyere Danish. $4.75

This was truly delicious.

The pastry was extremely flaky, which I loved.  Seriously, pastry perfection, at least for this style of danish.

Inside was a mix of chopped up bits of ham, soft cheese (it said gruyere, but there really seemed to be cream cheese in there too ...) and a little mustard for additional flavor.  Good textures, good flavors.

My favorite of the savories I've tried. 3/5.

Mini Sweet Cream Danish.

I should have known better.  The danishes/croissants just aren't very good from Firebrand, at least, not when served at my office cafes.  Yet this one looked different, and so loaded with filling, that I gave it a try.

The pastry itself again let me down badly.  So dry. Not flaky.  Not buttery.  Just not fresh tasting or good at all. 

The filling was ok, but had a lot more lemon to it than I care for.  Sorta like cheesecake filling, e.g. sweetened cream cheese.  Overall though, big meh. 1.5/5.

Scones $5.00.

For years, Firebrand only made one kind of scone (blueberry vanilla), and a seasonal one that changed, but they recently introduced a chocolate orange version to the regular lineup.

May Seasonal: Pecan Apricot Scone.

The pecan apricot scone were a pleasant surprise.

A very rustic style, not triangles, not round, not square ... very full of rough edges and crags.  They weren't pretty, but they were tasty.  The base had a fantastic tang to it (although it didn't have buttermilk), and plentiful bits of chopped pecans.  It crumbled just right.  A fantastic base.

In the middle-ish was apricot jam, sweet and fruity, and it went nicely with the scone, although apricot and pecan aren't necessarily a combination I would have thought of.  Like many Firebrand pastries, it had generous pearl sugar on top, which added additional sweetness and crunch.

3.5/5.

July Seasonal: Blueberry Vanilla Scone.

July brought blueberries, and thus the apricot pecan scone was swapped out for blueberry vanilla.

It was also a slightly rustic style, a triangle that wasn't quite a triangle, full of crags.  The base was ok, not particularly interesting, I do prefer a buttermilk tang.  It had generous blueberries throughout, but they weren't particularly juicy.  Hard style scone again, very crumbly.

Overall, fine, but not particularly exciting.  Due to the hard, crumbly nature, I found myself wanting some clotted cream or whipped cream alongside.  Which of course I did have on hand. 3/5.

Raspberry Jam Buckwheat Scone.

Once fresh fruits were out of season, it was time for jam based varieties, such as the raspberry jam topped buckwheat scone.

This was a decent scone.

Again, quite rustic in nature, triangle-ish, jagged.  Good crumb.  The buckwheat made it slightly hearty, but certainly didn't dominate and it did not come across as a "healthy" item.

The jam was good, sweet, gooey, and made it an easy option to grab and go, but I would generally rather slather fresh jam and clotted cream on a scone.

It also had a few juicy raspberries integrated throughout.

A good enough scone overall.  3.5/5.

Raspberry Buckwheat Scone (December 2019).

It came back the next winter, slightly different style with less jam.

I again found the scone base "fine", slightly hearty, but nothing over the top healthy.  I again liked the fruity gooey jam in the middle, but still wanted more, and some cream with it.  

Chocolate Orange Scone.

I was drawn in by the huge hunks of chocolate, and the pearl sugar on top.

It was an ok scone - not too crumbly, kinda boring flavor (e.g. no buttermilk tang that I like), but did have pretty strong essence of orange, which just isn't my thing.  I did like the crispy sweet top, and the big hunks of chocolate though.

Overall fine, but not my thing. 3/5.

Blueberry Vanilla (half).

Although I didn't really care for it before, I tried the blueberry vanilla again after several years.  It was again lackluster.

It just had no real base flavor, I really wanted a buttermilk tang or something.  Not really sure where the "vanilla" was.  The blueberries were tiny bits of dried berry, and didn't add a juiciness or much flavor either.  I liked the pearl sugar on top, but the scone itself was soft in a strange way, not crumbly like most American scones, but also not soft like a British scone or biscuit either, it was more like ... a scone that had been stored in a container for a few days? 

Anyway, big meh.  2/5.

Muffins $4.50.

Firebrand makes 4 standard kinds of muffins, basically, the classics: bran, blueberry, lemon poppy seed, plus a vegan sweet potato one, and occasional others.

Bran. 

Bran muffins are one of those polarizing baked goods, much like oatmeal raisin cookies.  Those who want chocolate chip have their day ruined by unexpected oatmeal raisin.  Bran muffins, often the losers, except some really love them.

Me?  I *sometimes* love them.  The right texture, heartiness, mix-ins ... and usually a quality butter or jam to slather on, and I might love one.  But the majority?  Dry, boring.

I had hope for this muffin.  It was studded (albeit not consistently) with little currants and seemed loaded with shredded carrots.  It glistened on top.

However ... it was solidly in the "meh" category.  Dry.  No sweetness like honey or molasses to liven it up.  No particular flavor at all really.  Meh.  1/5.

Blueberry.

Wow.  I'm ... surprised this is a fresh baked Firebrand product.  It tasted, and kinda looked, like it came out of a plastic wrapper.

The top was not crisp as I like, rather it was moist.  The texture of the whole muffin was  rather spongy.  The base flavor was ... processed.  Everything about this seemed like it was plucked from a cellophane wrapper, a mass produced, scary long shelf life kind of product.  At least it did have generous distribution of large juicy berries?

But wow, just, a fake, processed tasting muffin.

1.5/5.

Sweet Potato Flaxseed. Vegan. 

This muffin ... looked sad.  Shrunken into the wrapper, considerably smaller than its non-vegan counterparts.  It looked, from a distance, almost like it might be a chocolate muffin with nibs on top, but, closer inspection revealed it was flax seeds on top, and the dark color was ... who knew.  Not chocolate.  I expected sweet potato to give it a more orange hue.

Anyway, it was actually much better than it looked.  It was a healthy, hearty tasting muffin, reminding me a bit of a bran muffin.  It had very little sweetness, I think only naturally sweetened by the sweet potato, and, besides the flax seeds on top, very little texture.  I did like the crunch they added, but sorta wished for this to be more like a morning glory or carrot muffin, with a bit more interesting bits inside, or, gah, even some raisins.  It was very dense, likely due to its vegan nature, and much of why it looked so sunken.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, and when I'm in the mood for a hearty, healthy, bran-like muffin, I'd get it again.  I suspect it would be good with some cream cheese on it too.

3.5/5.

Orange Spelt.

I was drawn to this muffin by the little bits of pecan I could see on top.  While I shy away from orange flavors generally, I do love pecans, and I do love hearty muffins, so the spelt element did not detract.

I almost liked it.  A reasonably moist, hearty style muffin, not too sweet, nearly healthy tasting.  I liked the crunch from the pecans.  But, it was clearly an orange muffin, and those orange notes were too strong for my taste.  If you like orange, and like you healthy-hearty muffins though, try this.  I think my mother would like it.

2.5/5

Wheat Free Pumpkin Muffin.

This is an interesting muffin.  I'm still not quite sure how I felt about it.

It was mostly like a lightly spiced pumpkin cake (luckily not too much aggressive nutmeg!), with pleasant warming spices, and mild pumpkin flavor.  It reminded me a bit of Starbuck's pumpkin loaf.  It didn't taste oddly gluten-free, but was kinda oily.  Not greasy, but, dense oily if that makes any sense.  The texture was otherwise fine though.  I liked the bit of streusel/nuts on top, but there wasn't much of it.  I think it would be even better with nuts throughout.

As a muffin I wasn't particularly interested in it (just not my style) but warmed up and topped with blackberries, a scoop of ice cream, and pumpkin whipped cream I enjoyed it.  3/5.

Veggie Muffin.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this muffin, labelled as simply, "veggie". It was topped with both black and white sesame seeds.

It was an interesting muffin. I didn't know what to make of it.  I sorta thought it would be like zucchini bread or a carrot muffin, just more intense maybe.  But it had a slew of veggies in it, including bits of bell peppers, and definitely some shredded veggies too.  It had a lot going on.  It was very moist, but also somewhat oily/greasy in an odd way.  It was savory for sure.  I couldn't tell if I actively disliked it, but I didn't particularly like it.

I am not sure where this muffin would make sense in my life.  It was a bit too much to think of like a side bread/roll/biscuit that you'd have with a meal.  It was far to vegetable-forward to make sense as a breakfast item.  It certainly wasn't a dessert.  Maybe something to have on the side with a salad as a light lunch?  I'm really not sure.  It basically just confused me (and why was it so oily?).  2/5.

Blueberry Hemp Muffin.

I'm not entirely sure why I grabbed this, but my coffee bar had them one day, and for some reason, even though covered in hemp seeds (not something I really care for) I still wanted it?

It was a shockingly moist muffin.  Really remarkably so.  And the blueberries within were massive and juicy.  These elements all set it apart from most blueberry muffins immediately, and were the highlights.  But ... it did taste pretty healthy (sorta bran like) and the hemp seeds definitely dominated.  I still enjoyed it, more than I'd expect to, but I wouldn't get another as hemp just isn't my thing (in this form). Low 3/5.

Brown Sugar Spice Muffin.

I picked this muffin because it was adorably ugly.

It was an exceptionally boring muffin.  Some vague slight spicing, but not much.  Some vague sweetness, but not much.  Three tiny bits of pecan on top, none within.  Not dry exactly, but not moist.  Exceptionally boring. 2/5.  

Other Pastry

And then there are ... the "others".  And yes, spoiler, I saved the best for last.  In the more decadent morning lineup, Firebrand uses their croissant dough for morning buns and kouign amann, and for the really decadent, a sticky bun made with their pretzel dough, covered in gooey goodness, with plenty of pecans.

Morning Bun. $4.75.

"Made with croissant dough and rolled in cinnamon sugar."

This was my first time having the morning bun, for some reason, my cafe at my office always offers the pecan sticky buns, which, are glorious but far more dessert appropriate.  The morning bun, while still certainly a "treat" felt more appropriate mid-morning with my coffee.

It is a decent morning bun.  Flaky croissant dough, TONS of cinnamon and sugar, slightly caramelized bits, moist inside.  I think I detected a hint of citrus as well.  No Tartine morning bun, for sure, but, good.

3.5/5.

Pretzel Sticky Bun. $4.75.

"This is one of Firebrand's favorite treats!  Our delicious buttery pretzel dough is rolled with butter, Saigon Cinnamon sugar and organic black currants. It is then topped with organic pecans and a dark caramel glaze like no other. These babies are decadent and addictive. Eating with a napkin nearby is recommended!

We use spices from our local Oaktown Spice Shop and brown sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners."

OMG.  That is all I have to say about this.

What do you get when you take Firebrand's fluffy, softy pretzel dough, roll it with layers of butter/cinnamon/sugar/currants, and coat the whole thing in caramel and pecan bits?  Answer: you get sweet and salty magic.

I don't think I've ever had a sticky bun that uses pretzel dough as the base, but, I absolutely loved the sweet and salty combo, and the fluffy dough was a natural match.  As they say, a napkin is recommended as it is sticky and a complete mess to eat, but just licking your fingers after is totally accepting in my book too.

I loved this, and it wasn't nearly as indulgent as it actually sounds, the pretzel aspects made it feel lighter and slightly savory. 4/5.

Update:
I've had many, many of these over the past few months, as they are available in my cafe at work daily (yes, danger!).  I'm not quite as enamored as I was at the start, although I still really love the pecans and sticky caramel.  I've certainly been known to go near the end of breakfast service, when I know the sticky buns will be gone, and the serving bowl will be filled with all the bits of nuts and caramel that have fallen off.  My favorite part! 4/5.

However, sometimes they really are burnt.  The nuts in particular are sometimes bitter tasting and actually visibly burnt.  I think some quality control is needed.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls. $4.00.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but, the cinnamon rolls went the way of the croissants and danishes, which makes sense, given that they use the same base.

The pastry wasn't flaky, it was oily, it was spongy.  There was just a little cinnamon between the folds.  The icing was cream cheese based, sweet, ok, but not particularly interesting.  3/5.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann. $4.75.

"Made with caramelized croissant dough."

Kouign amann are a wondrous creation. 

They are crispy on the outside, buttery and sugary, wonderful wonderful things.  One of the best pastries ever.

However, these ... weren't great.  The pastry wasn't as crisp, it wasn't as caramelized, it wasn't as buttery, it wasn't as sugary as it should be.

The frangipane filling was nice though. 2.5/5.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann #2.

I tried again.  I couldn't give up on the wonder of a kouign amann!

But ... it again wasn't good.

The frangipane inside was really mushy and gritty.  The pastry layers were oily, spongy, and not really flaky nor crisp, except for the very top.  The very, very top was ok, but, generally, it really suffered.  Was it not stored properly perhaps?  Not fresh? 2/5.

Sour Cherry Kouign Amann. $4.75.

Sour Cherry! I love sour cherry.  And the hope of a good kouign amann was still there.

Sadly, this still wasn't it.

The sour cherry filling was good, basically, slightly sour cherry compote, but not particularly more interesting than any jarred variety.

And the pastry.  Sigh.  Just not flaky, buttery, caramelized.  I need to give up on these.  I do.  But ... kouign amann!  It *should* be good!!! 2/5.

Nutella Kouign Amann. $5.

I waited probably 3 years before trying another.  But one day, I couldn't resist.  A kouign amann!  Nutella!

But ... sigh.  The pastry really did just seem a bit spongy, not flaky, not caramelized, not buttery.  Its just not very good.  The glob of Nutella in the middle was, well, Nutella.

Sadness. 2/5.

Cronuts. $4.75.

Firebrand doesn't always offer cronuts in the cafes, but they do for wholesale.  I tried them years ago and really enjoyed them, so I was thrilled to snag one recently.  Flavors change seasonally, they were chocolate hazelnut, strawberry, and vanilla on the day I found them.

Iced Croissant Donut.

Oh, the cronut.  Er, croissant donut.  At least the hype has died down about these, with even places like Dunkin' Donuts offering them, so they are now just a normal thing to offer at breakfast gatherings.

We had these for a special event, and I was thrilled when I heard they came from Firebrand.  I had no idea Firebrand made donuts, or, cronuts for that matter.  I was eager to see how they approached them.

For the event, the croissant donuts were iced with different colors of royal icing, per the host's request.  They were ... very generously iced.  And the icing was quite thick, very, very sweet, and made a mess.  I wish the host hadn't done this to the otherwise perfectly good croissant donuts!

Croissant Donut: Layers.

The donuts themselves were great though.

The layers were nicely laminated, the donuts lofty.  Good croissant component, better than their regular croissants, really.  Flaky, buttery, just right.  Perhaps because not made in such large scale batches?  And they were certainly fried as well, greasy in all the right ways.  They ... did sit heavy in the stomach though.  Particularly if you ate more than one in a day.  I mean, what, who doesn't that?  Gulp.

Some were a bit burnt, but you could tell when you grabbed one if it was too dark, but I'll say that consistency is not a strong point of Firebrand.

Overall, a good croissant donut, but the icing was unfortunate, here you can see what happened when we cut into one, the icing just all came off everywhere.  3.5/5.

Chocolate Ganache + Pistachio Cronut.

Things got much better with the chocolate dipped cronuts.

Wowzer. This was crazy good.

The same good croissant donut base, flaky, layered, fried, greasy in the right ways, horrible yet delicious, and then, thick, rich, very chocolately ganache.  I loved the ganache, so much better than standard chocolate dipped donut topping.  Little bits of crushed pistachios added a little crunch.

<3 this so much. 4/5.

Chocolate Hazelnut.

I was drawn to the chocolate hazelnut not because I like Nutella-like flavors - I don't generally, but because I wanted the house made hazelnut brittle on top.

The brittle was great - candied, crispy, exactly what I wanted.  There was very little of it though, just the dusting you see here.

The cronut was well coated with chocolate, I think with a slight hazelnut flavor to it.  It was creamy, and a nice compliment to the rich dough below.

The base was pretty different from the last time I had one.  Before, they were crazy lofty, easily double the height, with beautiful layers.  This was more compressed, the size of a regular donut, just with a bit of a croissant-like aspect to it.  It didn't flake as well, but it did have a reasonably buttery taste, quite rich.

Overall, it was good, but not dramatically great, and I remember liking the other versions more.

4/5.

Custom Cronuts.

Ah, the Google colored cronuts strike again.

While the concept is fun, I think Firebrand's regular cronuts are considerably better.  However, these were exactly what I remembered from before - lofty and really thick sugar coating.  All colors taste the same.

The texture of these was more soft, like a mediocre croissant, and less fried like a donut.  It was tasty, but, the one I had the week before that wasn't a custom one was considerably better.

3/5.

Cookies. $4.00.

Firebrand makes 4 kinds of regular cookies: chocolate chip, ginger, oatmeal cranberry pecan, and peanut butter, along with specials like rose pistachio, or vegan double chocolate or sugar cookies.  I find it interesting that only vegans can get classic sugar cookies, or decadent chocolate chocolate ones.  All are large size cookies, which makes sense, given the $3.75 price.  My cafe always cuts them in half.

Ginger Mollasses.

I'm not a cookie person, but this was a good cookie.

It was fairly soft, yet crispy on top from the pearl sugar (yes!).  The flavor was strongly like gingerbread, but it also had large chunks of candied ginger inside (double yes!) which added a ton of flavor and nice chewy bits.

Still a cookie, so not my dessert of choice, but very good.

This is clearly just half a cookie. 3.5/5.

Rose Pistachio.

This was another decently soft cookie, yet crispy on top with pearl sugar (and rose petals?)  I didn't necessarily taste rose in it though.

I did taste pistachio, ground bits were throughout the cookie.

A very fascinating, different cookie, well prepared, just, not necessarily what I like.  3/5.

Vegan Double Chocolate.

The vegan double chocolate cookies were quite interesting.  At first glance, they looked almost like cakes, or brownies, just, in a strange form.  This wasn't helped by the fact that my cafe had attempted to cut them in half, and the result was mostly a platter of crumbly rubble.  

The cookies continued to be quite interesting as I bit in.  Clearly a crumbly texture, but also they had a lot of grit to them.  Not a bad thing exactly, much like a stoneground dark chocolate bar, but there was a grit to every bite.   They were soft due to being so puffy, but not cake like, and also crisp, if that makes any sense.  There is a reason they were just hunks of rubble! They were intensely chocolately.

I think I liked them?  But definitely a bit of an odd cookie.  Wonderful to dunk in milk (uh, soy milk if you actually *are* vegan?), or top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

3/5.

Confetti Cookie.

This was an exceptionally crunchy cookie.  The complete opposite of the style of cookie I like.  Sooo crispy.  The sugar cookie flavor was fine, but, yeah, wow, way too crisp for my taste. 2/5.

Cakes & Cupcakes

Cakes and cupcakes are not part of Firebrand's normal lineup, but they do make them for wholesale requests, or sometimes, seasonally.  We get the regularly for special events in my office, so I've been able to try several.  The buttercream keeps drawing me back in ... 

Chocolate w/ Chocolate Buttercream. $4.50.

This was ... a cupcake.  It didn't seem better than anything a decent enough home baker could make.  The cake wasn't that moist, the top not crispy, the chocolate flavor not very intense, in neither the cake nor the buttercream.  The buttercream was fluffy though.  3/5.

Vanilla w/ Lemon Buttercream. $4.50.

The vanilla cupcake was about the same - not bad, but not particularly good.  Not very moist, no crispy top, no real flavor.  The buttercream was again delightfully fluffy, sweet, but, surprise (!) lemon flavored (I thought it was vanilla with vanilla buttercream).  The lemon caught me off guard, and I wasn't particularly pleased with that, since I don't care for lemon, but if you do, this had some nice zest in it. 3/5.

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Vanilla base with vanilla frosting."

I've had Firebrand cakes and cupcakes before, but it had been a while when I had this, a classic vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.  I believe the logo on edible paper was added by our catering team, not Firebrand, but I'm not certain.

The cake was good, but not quite standard.  The texture was almost like a cornbread, with a bit of texture and more dense than you'd expect in a cupcake or sheet cake.  I liked it, but, definitely not a light and airy cake.  It was sweet but not too sweet.

The frosting was very sweet, fluffy, and quite tasty.  I really liked it.

Overall, a decent cupcake.  Not amazing, and didn't quite fit the mold of a generic cupcake, but, it was good.  3.5/5.

Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Chocolate base with chocolate frosting."

The chocolate cake was fairly standard generic chocolate cake.  Not particularly moist, but not dry.  Very homogenous, no crispy top.  Reasonable cocoa flavor.  Generic, but fine.

The frosting was very good, light and fluffy, sweet but not cloying.  Light chocolate flavor.  

Overall, this was slightly above average compared to a reasonable generic cupcake, the frosting was the star.  I would have preferred even more frosting to cake, but I think the ratio was fairly appropriate for most.

3/5.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.

Yes, this was originally a full size cake, sorry for the slightly-destroyed photo.

The cake was far better than average.  

Two layers of chocolate cake and plenty of frosting both inside and on top.  Basically 1:1 cake to frosting ratio, which I was pleased by, particularly as I really enjoyed the sweet, fluffy frosting.  The cake was fine, decently moist, some chocolate flavor.  Not amazing, not bad, certainly better than grocery store cake, but not better than what a really good home baker would make.  The frosting though I really, really liked, and put together, it was just a very nice cake.

I had way, way too much of it, and of course took all the extra frosting around the edges that no one else claimed!

4/5.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.
(September 2022).

A few months later, it was time to celebrate for my own team, and we ordered the same cake I had enjoyed the remnants of before.  Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream.

This one didn't live up to my memories.  The cake was fairly dry, and it wasn't as intensely chocolatey as I remember.  But really, the dryness was the downfall.  The cake part itself, around grocery store quality, certainly no better, perhaps worse.  

The frosting that I so looked forward to was also less great - it wasn't as fluffy, it wasn't as sweet.  It was a harder style, and tasted mostly like corn syrup and crisco.  

I was pretty let down by this cake, and although I salvaged some by warming it up, and serving with a scoop of chocolate hazelnut ice cream, it wasn't that great on its own.

2.5/5.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream.
(October 2022).

The next month, it was time to celebrate again.  This time we had a MASSIVE sheet cake, and went for a real birthday theme: funfetti.  Funfetti cake, sprinkles around the edges, and swiss buttercream.  It was also a three layer deep cake, rather than only two.

This cake was considerably better.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream: Layers.

First, we have to talk about the ratio of cake to frosting.  OMG.  Yes, this was basically equal parts.  Which, for me, was perfect.

The cake was dense, moist, loaded with sprinkles.  I'd prefer a more interesting cake base, a touch of tang from buttermilk or something, but it was a good funfetti cake, and the moisture level in particular made it better than average.  3.5/5 cake.

And then of course, the frosting.  It was quite plain, and sweet, and yes, tasted mostly like corn syrup and Criso (I really don't think it was true swiss buttercream ...), but, it worked. 3/5 frosting. 

When you got a bite of equal part cake and frosting, which, given the construction of the cake was basically every bite, it worked together quite well though.  While the individual components were only slightly above average, together they were much better.  Overall experience of eating it? 3.5/5, approaching 4/5.

This is cake for people who really like frosting though, beware.

Pies

Pies are available for special order only.

Cherry Lattice. $54.
(Special Order).

For National Cherry Pie Day (an VERY important holiday after all!), I was able to special order a cherry pie from Firebrand, not something normally on their lineup.  They did a decent job with it - and it really did look impressive with the beautiful lattice top!

The one slight issue with the pie is that it was really stuck to the pie pan, very hard to serve and chisel out.  It seems someone may have forgotten to lightly grease it?  The crust though was good, very clearly high butter content, but that is not a bad thing at all. It had great depth of flavor, and was nicely crispy.  Good bakery quality crust, better than home baker crust.

The filling was fairly standard cherry pie filling, a bit unnaturally red, not a deep dark red, but more bright red than I was expecting.  I think it did not use fresh cherries (which makes sense, because the holiday is in February, which is not cherry season).  It was good though - juicy cherries, slightly tart, slightly sweet, and appropriate level of goo.  I detected some citrus in there too for a bit of brightness and slightly unique taste.  I appreciated that it wasn't over the top sweet.

Basically, better than average, and great for somewhere that doesn't make this regularly.  3.5/5.

Breads

And finally, the breads, the other main attraction besides the pretzels, given that the business name is Firebrand Artisan *Breads* after all.   They claim to be the "Best Damn Bread in the Bay".  Firebrand makes a number of wood-fired loaves, assorted classic batards (sourdough, whole wheat), baguettes (regular, sourdough, whole wheat, olive), and specialty loaves like walnut wheat, german or sprouted rye, and even a croissant loaf.

Pull Apart Roll.  $8.50/6.

This is a good, classic dinner roll.  Fluffy.  Lovely shine on top.  Some subtle sweetness to it.  A simple dinner roll, no more, no less, but a nice one.

3/5.

Croissant Pullman Slice. $9/loaf.

Well, huh.  Its amazing to me this was my first time having croissant bread, but, well, I'm glad I tried it!

It doesn't necessarily look all that special - just a slice of bread with a kinda different structure, but the taste is 100% croissant.  It is buttery and rich, and tasted, well, exactly like the inside of a croissant, just no messy flaky exterior to deal with.

The flavor is deep enough that this is actually quite enjoyable just toasted with a little jam, but I think it would make killer breakfast sandwiches, french toast, and bread pudding.

What a unique product!

4/5.

Banana Walnut.

"Moist, sweet, and nutty — whether for breakfast, or a between-meal snack, this walnut banana bread hits the spot! It's also a great loaf to have out when hosting, so guests can nibble as they please."

While banana bread doesn't generally excite me, I was drawn to this by the streusel topping, and visible caramelized banana slices on top.  

It was, well, banana bread?  Reasonably moist, and kudos for having generous walnut chunks for crunch, but at the end of the day, just banana bread.  Likely best toasted and topped with sweetened cream cheese, but alas, I had it room temp.  The sweet streusel topping I did enjoy, and the actual slices of roast banana on top were unique.

Good, for banana bread?  3/5.

Sliced Breads

"Firebrand is now proudly introducing a fresh look at sliced bread.

Never frozen, every loaf is crafted with our signature sourdough starter and power-packed with 100% organic sprouted whole grains, a 25-day shelf life, and hard work. We offer a full-service DSD program, delivering directly to your shelf."

After years in business, Firebrand went very, very mainstream.  Sliced bread.  In the regular bread aisle, in the grocery store.  Available in 6 varieties, all whole wheat based, all loaded with toppings on the outside, which look quite inviting.  The most simple version is the Honey Whole Wheat, but even that includes a seeded exterior.  Unfortunately for me, they all use a sourdough base.  Sigh.  I really wish I could bring myself to tolerate sourdough.

Sprouted 18 Grain & Seeds.

This bread is a powerhouse.  The base contains a slew of grains (yup, 18 of them), so I won't enumerate them all, but all the usual suspects are there.  It is a hearty ground grains base, studded with flaxseeds and ground groats.  I liked the textures and depth of flavor to grain/seed aspect.  

The topping on this one has a bit of everything too: sunflower, pumpkin, flax, and two kinds of sesame seeds along with rolled oats.  I liked those too.

But ... I could taste (and worse, smell!) the sourdough, which just ruins it for me.  I wish they made just one without a sourdough starter ...

2/5.

Sprouted Rye.

The sprouted rye is more focused: rye berries, rye flour, rye starter, and with just sesame seeds on the outside.  It does have wheat berries in the base (as do all of Firebrand's sliced breads), and a slight sweetness from honey and brown sugar too.

This is my favorite of the Firebrand sliced breads that I've tried.  Yes, it has a bit of sourdough to it that I'd like it not to have, but, toasted with copious amounts of butter, cinnamon, and sugar for breakfast, or slathered with melty nutella, I barely care.

3/5.

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