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.

Georgetown Cupcakes

Ahh, cupcakes.

Get a little closer.

Ten years into the mad trend, and it's still not old. Not to me.

Chocolate and vanilla. Vanilla and chocolate. Plus Georgetown's decadent flavors like honey banana, cinnamon and chocolate mint.

Mom and I got red velvet and toffee crunch.

One better than the other.

Georgetown Cupcakes
111 Mercer Street

Last minute but rich and delicious

Vite, vite! Looking for a killer Valentine’s gift today in Manhattan? Here are decadent pick-me-ups from all over town.

• Warm pain au chocolate at Patisserie Claude (there’s still time to serve it in bed!)
• Petit fours from Three Tarts (Chelsea)
• Champagne chocolate chip cookies from Ruby et Violette (Hell’s Kitchen)
• Chocolate skulls from Bond Street Chocolate (East Village)
• Love potion hot chocolate at City Bakery (Flatiron)
• Passion fruit macarons from Bosie Tea Parlor (West Village)
• Red velvet bundt cakes at Make My Cake (Harlem) and cupcakes at Amy’s Bread (Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, West Village)
• A giant box of assorted bonbons from Kee’s (Soho)

Georgetown Cupcake Takes Manhattan

I’ve been waiting for this…

…and so, apparently, has half of Manhattan!

Two-hour-long waits. TV cameras and balloons. And we’re inside Georgetown Cupcake!

The line was slow, giving me plen-ty of time to consider my ordering strategy…

… and ogle the perfectly frosted cupcakes.







Mommy!

She was glowing. And her daughters?

Katherine and Sophie, and their whole crew, were fast at work. (Everyone was ridiculously nice.)

Most people were ordering cupcakes by the dozen. Ever the study of modesty, I ordered two (actually, I only ordered one, but you got one free in celebration of the grand opening and who would ever turn down a free cupcake??).

I knew I wanted the strawberry lava fudge. I have a thing for strawberry cake…and combined with chocolate? It was a no-brainer.

On a whim (or, more like trying to make an important decision quickly, under pressure) I got the red velvet for my freebie as it’s their best seller.

Although there area handful of tables in the big, bright bakery, I brought the cupcakes home with me so I could savor them in private.

The strawberry lava fudge was, as anticipated, ridiculous.

The strawberry frosting was sweet and the fudge oozed from the middle into a chocolaty puddle. Ridiculous.

The red velvet, however, is what blew me away. Pitch-perfect cream cheese frosting—neither too sweet nor tart, spread generously atop the moist cake.

It was fun, it was delicious, and it was totally worth the madness.

Ta-dah! Tu-Lu’s gluten-free cupcakes

The last thing I need is another cupcake stop in the neighborhood. But Tu-Lu’s, on 11th Street, has been on my radar for months and I finally stumbled upon the gumdrop-sized spot this weekend. Naturally, cupcakes were consumed.


What makes Tu-Lu’s different is it’s a 100% gluten-free bakery. Thank god I don’t have any wheat allergies, but I’m becoming more and more of a fan of vegan baked goods, which Tu-Lu’s also has.

They have vegan cookies…

And also cookies made with dairy…


Chocolate, vanilla and red velvet cupcakes…



And mini cupcakes…


Seeing as I wanted to sample more than one flavor, but unwilling to spend $6 or $9 for an afternoon sugar fix, I opted for three minis (pretty, no?).

The vanilla on vanilla was good, but my least favorite. It lacked at special umph.

Red velvet, the bakery’s most popular flavor, was moist and creamy. Three quick bites of dreaminess.

My favorite, however, was the chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. It shared the same perfect balance of moistness and creaminess, but had better contrasting flavors.


I definitely don’t need more sweets on my radar. But three wee cupcakes is like one regular-sized one—pas mal, right??