Monday, April 6, 2015

Milk and Cookies Bakeshop

Happy April! I hope your Easter long weekend has been super fun so far - I know mine has! On Saturday, CJ and I decided to spend our morning shopping local at the On the Spot Pop Ups market which was held at Latitude 53. On the Spot Pop Ups market turns an empty space into a shopping space while bringing together local businesses who make, bake, or create their own products. It is the perfect opportunity for Edmontonians to discover YEG-made products crafted by local artists, and a new way to shop and support local outside of weekly Farmers' Markets. 

I learned about this event through an Instagram post that was under the yegfood hashtag. One vendor in particular caught my eye: Milk and Cookies Bakeshop. I had seen a few posts from this business previously, and I told CJ about my interest in ordering macarons from them. I never got a chance to place an order, so when I found out they would have a table set up at this market I knew I had to go! 

CJ and I woke up early to LRT to the event which opened at 10 am, and I was worried the entire time because I didn't want to miss out on the swag bags for the first 50 people to walk through the door. Luckily, we were able to score a free bag of goodies. Yay! We walked in to find ourselves surrounded by handmade jewelry, artwork, greeting cards, and so much more. I was excited to look around but I unsurprisingly made a beeline to the table for Milk and Cookies Bakeshop. 



I found myself looking at a beautiful display of meringues, macarons, and cookies in bright spring colours. So many choices! It was hard to not grab one of everything. I ended up walking away with a smile on my face and a bag of meringues and macarons in my hands. 

Meringues and Macarons.

Can't eat until I snap a picture of it! 

Meringues: Blueberry, Raspberry, and Lemon.

$4 for a bag gave me 14 small meringues that came in blueberry, raspberry, and lemon. I loved how cute and colourful these looked - they made for a perfect Easter treat. The small size of each meringue was also a plus for me because I find that larger ones become overwhelmingly sweet as you eat it. The meringues were soft with just the right amount of sweetness. Made from freeze dried blueberries and freeze dried raspberries, the blueberry and raspberry meringues tasted delicious. My personal favourite was the lemon meringue though: the bright and prominent lemon flavour reminded me of warm spring sunshine. 

Macarons: Strawberry, Lemon, Salted Caramel, Milk Chocolate, and Rootbeer Float.

The gorgeous macaron photos on Milk and Cookies Bakeshop Instagram page were what convinced me I needed to try their products! This bag of 5 macarons cost $10, each one being a different flavour. 

Strawberry Macaron.

I started out with the Strawberry Macaron, mostly because it was the one at the top of the bag. This macaron was the most perfect bite EVER. The filling was light with a lovely strawberry taste and not too sweet. I seriously can't get over how good this one was. 

Milk Chocolate Macaron.

Next up was the Milk Chocolate Macaron. Made using Callebaut milk chocolate for the filling, this one had a pleasant chocolate flavour that left me craving for more. Great for chocolate lovers like myself. 

Lemon Macaron.

I decided to try the Lemon Macaron at the bottom of the bag for my third macaron. I think lemon is my favourite flavour for spring time... this one had a bright, refreshing, and satisfying taste. 

Rootbeer Float Macaron. 

A Rootbeer Float Macaron?!! What an interesting flavour! After my first bite I was very impressed at how prominent the rootbeer flavour was! It even smelled like rootbeer too. Even the carbonated aspect of a rootbeer beverage was on point. The filling was made with natural rootbeer flavour and carbonated sugar to taste just like a classic rootbeer float. 

Salted Caramel Macaron. 

And now for the last bite: a Salted Caramel Macaron. This macaron was SO GOOD. Salted caramel was wedged between the two macaron shells and made for a tasty, sweet yet salty bite. This was definitely the perfect ending. 

Final thoughts? Perfect amount of sweetness and not too big or too small in terms of size. The macaron shells were lightly crunchy and the fillings were AMAZING! 

Now how does one get their hands on these delicious goodies? Simply place an order on the Milk and Cookies Bakeshop website here or follow Rachelle, the owner of this business, on Instagram (@milkandcookiesbakeshop) to stay up to date on where these products will be sold. Lastly, follow their page on Facebook to see tons of photos of their baked goods!