If ever there was a time to celebrate the sweet psychological relief of a good ol’ fashioned sugar rush, it’s now. Over the past few months, you may have found yourself indulging in more sweets than usual. You’re not alone. Sugar releases dopamine in the brain echoing the effects of mood enhancing drugs. For some, eating a doughnut can be an almost religious experience. If you worship at the altar of pastries, cookies and pie, lucky you! Calgary is a mecca of cake shops, gourmet cookies and artisan French pastries. Hold on to your sweet tooth, we’re about to blow your mind to confetti with a round-up of local sweets slingers.
By Chanry Thach
CRÈME CREAM PUFFS
There are cream puffs, and then there are cream puffs from Crème Cream Puffs. Carly Hamilton is the chef and founder of Crème Cream Puffs. Hamilton does everything cream puff, from her show-stopping Croquembouche (creme puff towers) to cakes topped with cream puffs, and finally, her out-of-the-ordinary cream puff flavours. With flavours like cereal milk, lemon square and maple pancakes, you’ll never get bored at Crème. During social distancing, pre-order only online for pick-up Tues.-Sat. 2-6 p.m. in Varsity Estates, N.W. cremecreampuffs.com
HERMANA CHOCOLATE
Mehrzad Afshari started her chocolate journey after an impulsive bean-to-bar chocolate class she took during a trip to San Francisco. Soon after, she left her career in IT to build her chocolate business. Fast forward one year and Hermana Chocolate is born. Afshari specializes in moulded chocolate truffles called bonbons. With an extensive list of surprising flavours like lavender fennel, banana rum and raspberry wasabi, Hermana Chocolate is the perfect combo of handcrafted chocolate confections and fresh and local ingredients. Our favourite flavours? Saffron, espresso and earl grey. Follow Hermana on social media to locate their next pop-up. Instagram @hermanachocolate
KAN YOU CAKE
Soon after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Soon after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Ka Yan Ngan moved to Calgary to bless us with her rolled cakes and French pastries. Kan You Cake is what happens when you leave your background in finance and accounting, to do something that sparks joy. Ever heard of a canelé? This French pastry with a caramelized crust and tender custard texture in the centerare sublime. Ngan makes those. How about a white chocolate hazelnut banana roll cake? Yep, she makes those too! kanyoucake.com
BFF COOKIES
If you consider yourself a cookie aficionado, you already know about BFF Cookies. Perfectly suited to social distancing, this cookie-delivery service hand-delivers fresh cookies to your door every Friday. What a beautiful world we live in! BFFs aren’t just any cookies. The BFF team goes above and beyond with super-sized cookie creations like an entire peanut butter cup inside a cookie or stuffing a cookie with marshmallows and strawberry jelly. They don’t mess around with their wild cookie creations. Order online. bffcookies.ca
CAFE´ DU CENTRE
This husband-and-wife duo were travelling through Brazil when they spotted a café offering decadent deconstructed dessert cups called taças They knew they had to bring this concept back to Calgary. Daiana Macedo opened Café Du Centre a little over a year ago and it’s been the sweetest journey since day one. From stuffed croissants to specialty coffees and taças, Cafe Du Centre is the epitome of why you should never skip dessert. cafeducentre.ca
CANELA
Baked goods produced in small batches. Does it get any better? How about we make it vegan, using only plant-based ingredients right here in Calgary too? Say hello to Canela Bakery, by the folks at Barrow Coffee Roasters. Gooey cinnamon rolls, “buttery” scones and flakey croissants are just some of the sweet treats you’ll find at Calgary’s first 100-per-cent-vegan bakery. barrowespresso.com
SNOWY VILLAGE
Two things Snowy Village specializes in: bingsoo and taiyaki. What’s bingsoo you ask? A Korean shaved-ice dessert. Ever eat snow as a kid? This is similar, but much more delicious! Snowy Village uses 100 per cent Canadian milk to create its “snow” base. Then it tops this tower of creamy shaved ice (that has the texture of fluffy snow) with condensed milk, fruit, chunks of cheesecake and Oreos, and anything your heart desires. And the taiyaki? It’s a mix of waffle and croissant, shaped like a fish, and filled with flavoured custards like red bean and chocolate. Check out the menu online and order by phone for pickup! snowyvillages.ca
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