Bakery Review: Sweets

Around March of this year I became obsessed with the french macaron. I suddenly wanted to try one. They looked so delightful. So brightly colored. So exquisite. Sadly, I could not find them anywhere in our area. That’s when I got it in my head to bake some myself. I knew they were difficult to master, but I faced the task undaunted. Unfortunately, it turned out that while my spirit was bold, my pastry skills needed a bit more practice (see other blog).

After a few unsuccessful attempts, I shelved the idea of making macarons. Now, I didn’t give up on the goal itself, I just decided to wait awhile and start fresh later. Plus, the ingredients can be expensive and when you know you’re going to fail several times before you succeed, well that takes some disposable income.

Luckily for me, it turned out I didn’t have to wait until I mastered the recipe to actually try a macaron. Last weekend we were having breakfast and perusing one of the free, local newspapers when I came across a “buy one, get one free” coupon for macarons at Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul.



When I saw the ad, my obsession came surging back. Those charming, delicate cookies beckoned to me once again. As luck would have it, we were driving to St. Paul for the Flugtag that weekend, so, of course, we had to try them.

We arrived to find many colorful displays and store adornments, like these paper butterflies...



Or this summer-inspired window display...



Sweets Bakeshop sells a limited menu: Brownies, Blondies, Cupcakes and Macarons. It would have been marvelous to try everything, but the coupon was only for the macarons. We ordered four. I chose salted caramel and chocolate. Jonathan ordered the mocha and a turtle.



Deciding to try the teal-colored salted caramel first, I carefully lifted it out of the mini bakery box and took a bite. The thin, fragile shell swiftly surrendered to the soft, airy meringue cookie and then finally to the creamy caramel center. This being my first macaron, I had nothing to compare it to, but I will say that it was as delectable as I’d hoped. The chocolate one was luscious as well, although I wish they had been more generous with the rich cocoa filling. I think my favorite part of the visit was watching Jonathan’s eyes widen as he bit into one. All he could say was, “Wow!”

We look forward to sampling Sweets other sweets when we get a chance. Their cupcakes looked gracefully decorative and I’m always a sucker for a moist brownie. Hopefully, theirs won’t disappoint.