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We Weren’t Sure We’d Get Our Favorite Holiday Treats This Year…
For years my husband and I have been going to Connecticut to visit his parents for the holidays. Nana and Nonno (my in-laws) are great and so full of holiday cheer that every year is filled with presents, music, decoration, and (more recently) Milk Bar.
Nana is a sassy woman and a few years ago she began saying, “I’m eighty-something years old and I’ve baked enough!” Honestly, who can blame her? The problem is that I can’t bake (like, at all) and none of the bakeries in Connecticut are up to her impossibly high standards… annnnd that’s where the peppermint perfection of Milk Bar’s holiday collection comes in.
Around this time every year, Milk Bar releases a very decadent limited edition holiday line-up. I’m not usually the “peppermint spice and everything nice” type of gal, but Milk Bar just does it right. It’s literally the only bakery that has passed the Nana Test….but this year, Nana and Nonno are coming to our place in Miami for Christmas, and there are no Milk Bar bakeries anywhere in Miami.
I panicked at first (you would too if you ever met Nana) but as luck would have it, Milk Bar is now offering nationwide, next-day delivery. That means I can get all of the holiday treats delivered to my front door.
In case you’ve been living a sugar-free life (I’m so sorry), let me fill ya in on Milk Bar!
What’s the Deal With Milk Bar?
It all started in 2008, when head chef and dessert mastermind Christina Tosi opened the first Milk Bar location in New York’s East Village. Since then, it’s expanded to over a dozen locations across the US and even Toronto, amassing a cult following that includes celebrities like tv personality Chrissy Tiegen and supermodel Karlie Kloss.
Milk Bar is basically a place where you can be a kid again and enjoy the butter-filled, sugar-packed, no-holds-barred desserts your mom used to make (just made by an award-winning pastry chef). Think cookies stuffed with potato chips and pretzels, funfetti cake, and pies made mostly of butter. Milk Bar is committed to making dessert more fun than fancy — the way dessert is supposed to be.
Put Some Pep(permint) In Your Step This Holiday Season
I used to make a stop at Milk Bar in New York City, pick up enough treats for the week, then hop on the train to New Haven and hand-deliver them to Nana. So when it came time to place my order online, I may have gone a little overboard. But hey, Milk Bar’s holiday specials are only available once a year.
Luckily you can schedule the delivery for any date you want, up to 30 days out, so I ordered a bunch of treats that will show up the same day as Nana arrives. Apparently, most of the winter treats are already almost sold out, so I’d suggest pre-ordering yours now.
Here’s what I ordered…
Peppermint Bark Cake
This is the staple, the centerpiece of the dessert table. We try hard to save it for last, but usually just can’t wait (so I ordered 2 this year). The Peppermint Bark Cake is truly a winter wonder. It’s crowned with fudgy chocolate and peppermint bark cake bites, then the layers of peppermint-soaked dark chocolate cake, peppermint frosting, and chocolate fudge begin. It’s finished with just the right amount of cocoa nibs and crushed candy cane bits, which gives it that little crunch in every bite.
This cake is creamy, crunchy and chocolatey — everything you need to say “Happy Holidays!” without having to say anything at all (because your mouth will be too full to talk!)
Peppermint Pretzel Snaps
Nonno, my husband’s dad, is notorious for keeping some peppermint bark on him at all times and sneaking it to the kids when nobody’s looking. Recently, he’s made the switch to the pocket-sized, individually wrapped Peppermint Pretzel Snaps and the kiddos aren’t too happy because Nonno rarely shares them. I don’t really blame him, because these snaps are to-die-for!
The pretzel snaps are kinda hard to describe. They’re part cookie, part cake, and part wafer, and 100% delicious. Each one is packed with layers of pretzels, peppermint, caramel, and dark chocolate, and dipped in silky white chocolate peppermint bark. They come in packs of six, but I ordered 24 because these on-the-go treats are always are the first thing to go.
Peppermint Bark Truffles
Milk Bar doesn’t usually make a limited edition cake without the truffles to match… and this season is no different. When I saw the limited edition Peppermint Bark Truffles were available for delivery, I don’t think I could have added them to my cart faster!
These glorious little truffles are like doughnut holes, but not sad and dry. Think of them like the adorable babies of the Peppermint Bark Cake. Each ball has a fudgy double-chocolate-chip cake center, which is dusted in a thin white chocolate coating and rolled in crushed candy cane bits, sprinkles, and peppermint sand. Pro tip: these are somehow even more delicious warmed up.
Milk Bar Lets You Have Your Cake and Eat It Too
I’ve always been confused by the saying, “have your cake and eat it too.” What else would a person do with their cake? After I finished all of my treats though, the phrase clicked for me. Once I ate it all, I didn’t have it anymore… Luckily, I can have another Peppermint Bark Cake at my door anytime I want (well, at least until they run out)!
While I will miss the euphoric feeling of walking into a Milk Bar store IRL this year, having my treats delivered to my house is so much easier, and the cute pink and white box makes it feel like a special gift just for me. The only issue is, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stop ordering. Sorry, bank account.
