Give me just out of the fryer churros, a Viennese chocolate Sacher torte mit schlag ( with whipped cream), pistachio gelato, and lemon tarte tatin anytime. But it’s American desserts I crave the most. We’re talking donuts, cupcakes, traditional layer cakes, ice cream sundaes and more. So was I ever happy to learn about two artisanal Miami bakers who specialize in delectable, decadent, devastating (because you want more than one) all American baked goods. News flash! Suzanne of Eden Bar Bakery will be sharing her luscious bars at my reader event on the 11th!
First we’ll talk about the mentor to the other…..Cindy Lou of Cindy Lou’s Cookies. She learned about baking from the best, and has worked with some of the top chefs in the US. We’re talking everyone from Jean Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Trotter and Emeril Lagasse to Charlie Palmer. Palmer tapped her to co -create the desserts for the Emmy Awards in 2003. Her creations have been featured everywhere from Gourmet and the Wine Spectator to People magazines.
She calls her creations the All American cookies. They’re chewy and full of flavor. Thirty different flavors rotate on a weekly basis. Most popular are the classic chocolate chip; red velvet (cocoa scented red velvety cookie dough swirled with sweet cream cheese frosting that tastes just like the cake); Nutella swirl (chocolate chip cookie base minus the chips with heath bar candy and swirled with Nutella); and guava coconut macaroons.
She also makes petit almond pound cakes, vegan banana bread and carrot cake balls. All are uniformly excellent. They’re sold at her shop at 7320 NE 2nd Avenue (T.305-4568585) and at select restaurants and cafes. The shop hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm, closed on Mondays.They are also delivered through Uber Eats and Postmates, with no minimum order. Cookies retail for $4; petit almond pound cake $2.50; carrot cake balls, $2.50. And don’t miss the lemon bars, $3. The cookies are good for 3 to 5 days, best if wrapped in plastic wrap. They can be frozen for up to one month.
The other bakery for your list is Eden Bar Bakery. Suzanne is the creator of the homemade snickers/brownie/candy bars that have been described as “a party in my mouth”. I think of them as sweets for the child in us (wish I had them at my birthday parties when I was young).To the basic bar, you can also add what she calls “injectables”, ranging from cookie dough, junior mints, M&Ms and peanut butter cups to the exotic jalapenos, churros and Girl Scout cookies. Bars have nuts, but for those allergic to peanuts, substitutions are possible. The bars are a wholesale and catering business right now, though she takes orders by phone. They’re on the menu at Circa 39 Hotel and offered for sale by the bar at Mister Block Cafe & the Rail 71 cafe… coming soon to be sold at Mima Market in Miami Shores.
The bars last for two weeks when refrigerated and for a month frozen. They’re delivered by the pan but she’ll also do special packaging for party favors, like these mason jars (pictured). A minimum order is $50; delivery in Miami, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale is $7.50. To order, and for more information call 917-478-6348 or write Suzanne@edenbarbakery.com. Instagram is @edenbarbakery.
