Gooey (and Delicious) on the Inside

When I lived in Paris, one of the things I missed about American sweets was the utter absurdity. Twinkies. Magnolia cupcakes. Cornflake marshmallow chocolate chip cookies. As lovely and divine as a macaron or chocolate éclair is, sometimes you just want to sink your teeth into something over-the-top decadent.

Enter Gooey on the Inside. These cookies are like the chubby, eccentric love child of Levain and Momofuku: hefty, chockablock, slightly mad, but all kinds of delicious.

And, as you’ll soon see, their mad creator, Kafi Dublin, has just the personality to make these over-the-top cookies absolutely irresistible.

Q: Give us the skinny on Gooey on the Inside!

A: There are two things that I'm innately good at: baking and fashion. I had enough of working in the private sector around idiots with no common sense, so I said it's time to follow my passion. It was the best decision I ever made! As I am fanatical, obsessive compulsive and detailed oriented, I relentlessly worked on perfecting my recipes because failure was not option and I know how brutal NYC foodies and critics can be. And I was not going to fall prey to such criticism.

Q: Let's play a quick game of association. What's the first word that comes to mind when you hear...

Red Velvet= addicted

Peanut Butter=sticky

Birthday Cake= comforting

Honeycomb=unique

Creme Brulée= sophisticated

Chocolate Chip=childhood

Q: You clearly have a penchant for over-the-top flavors. Where do you get your inspiration?

A: Have you seen my closet?! People who know me, know that I am not "normal.” I embrace my eccentricities! I have never been one to follow the crowd and so there was no way due to my DNA that I could create "simple" cookies. Impossible!

Q: How often do you introduce new flavors?

A: Whenever I get inspired. Whenever I eat something that impresses my taste buds, I always think, “How can I take this item's flavor profile and convert it into a cookie?" Buffalo jerky didn't really work out; foie on the other hand... brilliant!

Q: Are there any flavors that you thought would be delicious but just didn't make the cut?  

A: Buffalo jerky, grilled cheese and green tea. Yucky!

Q: Who are some of your baking heroes? 

A: I don't really have any except for my mother. All my memories of " the best things I've ever eaten" come from my mother.

Q:  Where can people find you and your madly delicious cookies? 

A: Currently, they can be purchased on my website: www.gooeyontheinside.com
Starting May 25, until October, I will be at the Hester Street Fair. I'm hoping to open a little dessert "nook" in NYC in the near future.

Breakast Club at Doughnut Plant

When was the last time you had a doughnut for breakfast? 

Or... five?

For me, it had been much too long. So I was very happy when Ben agreed to meet at Doughnut Plant, the newer Chelsea location, for Breakfast Club.

Even though they just do doughnuts, the choices are not easy.

But we did well.

Peanut butter and jam.

Vanilla bean.

Tres leches.

 Oatmeal.

And, for good measure, a wee creme brulée doughnut.

So good. So gluttonous. If I had to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat.

Keep truckin'

It’s like the Loch Ness monster, Superman, dust fairies, the perfect brown boots: it doesn’t exist. This Dessert Truck that New York magazine and Eater.com rave about… where is it? I’d like a helping of bread pudding for god’s sake.

The concept alone makes me happy: a mobile bakery. Just walk right up for a serving of molten chocolate cake, crème brulee or hot (Valrhona & Guittard) chocolate. If I could only find it, that is.

After weeks of being the crazy stalker girl who takes the long way home to see if “he’s” there, I gave up trying to play it cool. There were only so many times I could skulk around University and 8th, trying for that chance encounter with the Dessert Truck. So I Googled him. Natch. Turns out my folly was the hour of the day — he only comes out at night.

So now I know, and now I am among the blessed to have had the chocolate bread pudding. And the hot cocoa.

All I can say is the rave reviews are deserving. Both treats are over-the-top rich, and sent me immediately into orbit. Chocolate oozed and rolled around my mouth in unimaginable ways. The cocoa is thick and chocolaty-sludgy. The bread pudding is both smooth and mildly textured, dense chocolate at the spongy edges and denser chocolate in the molten middle. It was an experience so decadent, even I could barely tolerate it.

But tolerate I did, and tolerate it I will again. Like that crazy stalker girl who just can’t leave well enough alone, I’ll be going back. Oh yes, I will be going back.

University & 8th
Every evening except Monday

Chocolate Pops

A new way to eat crème brulée: in one giant bite.

With the plants and orchids in the front window of Kee’s Chocolates, an under-the-radar boutique in Soho, you could easily walk by with nary a glance. But what a shame that would be. Once you step inside the wee spot, the heavy scent of chocolate seduces you, preparing you for the perfection that awaits.

Since opening in 2002, proprietor Kee Ling Tong has whipped up fresh bon bons daily, with her chocolate molds and fresh ingredients there for everyone to see. Thai chili, Earl Grey, mint mocha, and green tea are just a few flavors that might be infused in the homemade chocolates at any given time. But one that’s always on the menu — that is, if you get there before it's sold out — is the signature crème brulée truffle.

The outer chocolate shell of the truffle is thin and brittle, attesting to it being well tempered. But inside, it’s soft, sweet and creamy. “Pop the whole thing in your mouth so it doesn’t spew,” the staff advises. Indeed, the custard filling explodes inside your mouth, with the subtle vanilla flavor perfectly balanced against the dark chocolate. And hurry up, and binge: Because of the custard’s freshness, the crème brulée truffles need to be refrigerated and eaten within two days.


Kee’s Chocolates
80 Thompson Street at Spring
212.334.3284