Old Post 12: Another "perfect" bakery (sarcasm abounds)

At Giant Eagle in Bethel Park, there is a display that reads "Pittsburgh's best chocolate chip cookies and macaroons." Sweet Tammy's bakery from Squirrel Hill is now selling Challah bread, chocolate chip cookies, and coconut macaroons to the mass of Giant Eagle consumers. But are they the best?

Sugar Love has a confessed snobbery for chocolate chip cookies. Everyone seems to think they have the best, but chocolate chip cookies are hard to get right. There must be a balance between chocolate chip and cookie and between a chewy and crisp texture. And given the last article about the best coconut macaroon ever from Enrico's, Sweet Tammy's was up against a lot, especially when she's willing to make the claim that hers are the best in Pittsburgh.

The chocolate chip cookie was disappointing. There was too much chocolate chip and not enough cookie. It was also very apparent that she was not using butter. But Sweet Tammy’s is kosher and dairy-free, so it’s no butter is forgivable, but not the disproportion of chocolate to cookie. The macaroon was better than the chocolate chip cookie, but was rather dry.

It's hard to truly judge a bakery by its packaged goods though, so it was off to Squirrel Hill to see Sweet Tammy's in the flesh.

A quick word on process: you do research with each article. You visit the website, google the bakery, and read up on it's Urban Spoon rating to get an idea of customer satisfaction. Sweet Tammy's has a nice Urban Spoon rating (85%) and she does communicate with consumers who make complaints. But on the opening page of her website she claims: "There are only a handful of perfect bakeries in America: Sprinkles in LA, Magnolia Bakery in New York, and now, Sweet Tammy's in Pittsburgh."

She's kidding right? A perfect bakery, on the same level as Sprinkles in LA and Magnolia in NYC? Sprinkles is the proclaimed start of the high end cupcake trend and Magnolia is one of the most famous American bakeries.

But back to the audacious little Sweet Tammy's. The selection of "perfect" sweet treats included another chocolate chip cookie (in an attempt to be fair), a snickerdoodle, a peppermint patty, and a pecan bar. The chocolate chip cookie fresh was better, but it still lacked the balance of chocolate to cookie. The pecan bar was forgettable- the caramel flavor was drowning the pecans, though it's presentation was very nice. The peppermint patty was ok, but there was a disproportionate amount of cookie to filling. You had to bite pretty far in to get any filling, though the filling was dead on a peppermint patty filling.

The snickerdoodle redeemed the trip to Squirrel Hill. It was moist and balanced and flavorful: a worthy Sugar Love sweet treat.

What Sweet Tammy's is trying to do definitely has an audience. A kosher, dairy-free bakery is needed and Sugar Love can applaud her for that. And overall, her baked goods were tasty. She also has one of the most beautiful store presentations and display cases in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, arrogant claims put her treats on a much higher pedestal than is typical and when they don't support the claim, it's hard to have a great experience.

Sweet Tammy's Chocolate Chip Cookie on the Sugar Love Scale
Taste ♥♥
Texture ♥♥
Appearance ♥♥♥♥
Overall ♥♥♥