I first found the Half Baked Cookie Company (website) during the Cookie Challenge of 2018 here in the Vancouver area. They are a micro-bakery located in a small space on Nanaimo Street in East Vancouver. Because it’s so small you get to see all the ingredients and watch everyone work while you enjoy the treats. They are a very friendly, nice group too.
I describe their products as decadent & addictive. While the Cookie Challenge of 2018 brought me into their awesome little bakery, their products keep bringing me back. Repeatedly. What I love is how they mix flavours that aren’t as common in other bakeries, or maybe even in our own homes, but are delicious together. Because of this, they create wonderful treats.
COOKIES AND A BROWNIE I HAVE TRIED
Shortbread Cookies
You might recognize the Half Baked Cookie Company name even if you haven’t been in their bakery. They make shortbread cookies in a wide assortment of flavours that are packaged and sold in stores all around the lower mainland. And by wide assortment of flavours I mean flavours you normally don’t associate with shortbread cookies.
I’ve tried the hazelnut, cheddar cheese, and rosemary & brown sugar flavours so far. The hazelnut was a really nice subtle flavour. The rosemary & brown sugar as well as the cheddar cheese flavours were good even if they did confuse my brain. I’m not used to mixing sweet and savory. It might have been originally confusing but their shortbread cookies are really good. I will need to try the toffee one no matter what though.
Malaysian Malted Cookie
This is the cookie that started it all for me. Shared in the 2018 Cookie Challenge, where it won 1st Place, the Malaysian Malted cookie is still available. It is crunchy, soft, chocolatey, buttery, and contains Milo. I find their cookies are buttery so they are thinner but larger in diameter than other bakery’s offerings. Sorry but I didn’t get a picture of this cookie. Between the mouth-melting Snickers Brownie and this cookie I forgot.
Chocolate Chip Cookie
As I just said, the Half Baked Cookie Company cookies are more buttery than other bakery cookies and this chocolate chip one is no different. It’s delicious and I have bought one every time I visit. I always get it to go and then end up eating it either on the way back to my car or sitting in my car before starting the engine. It is a soft, chewy, delicious chocolatey cookie.
Snickers Brownie
This was one of the most decadent brownies I have ever tasted. It was so super rich and chocolatey, it almost melted in my mouth. It was amazing. I can’t even describe it using any other words, I’ve used the big ones already. Sorry I ate this too fast to take a picture. Like all I could think about was how amazing it was, how it was melting in my mouth, and how fast I was eating it. It was only later I realized I didn’t have a picture to share.
A PIE, CAKE, AND CRUMB I HAVE TRIED
Island Time Pie
I was driving down Nanaimo Street one Sunday afternoon when I decided I needed a treat. So I popped in and chose the Island Time Pie, a passionfruit and coconut treat, simply because it had passionfruit in it. Holy crap I am so very happy I picked this pie. It has the texture of cheesecake without the overly creamy cheesy flavour. The creamy flavour in this pie is created with coconut milk but the tartness from the passionfruit cuts through the creaminess. It doesn’t need any fruit toppings either because of that passionfruit flavour. The crust is a coconut shortbread crust using their own coconut shortbread cookies. It is delicious, not overly sweet, and even contains small pieces of coconut.
Strawberry Mango Crumb
I was looking for a fruit pie the day I went in and found this crumble instead. I didn’t mind though because it was sweet, fruity, crunchy, and of course buttery. As I’m realizing with most of the concoctions from this wonderful bakery, it had a nice blend of flavours. I mean I know strawberries and mango mix together really well but they still got the best ratio of each.
Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
Ummmmm, yeah. This was as amazing as it sounds. It tasted exactly like a cheesy peanut butter cup. It really had such a good mix of flavours between the chocolate, peanut butter, and cheese. And it also had a delicious crispy cookie base. You might be thinking how can chocolate, peanut butter, and cheese work together but they found a way to make that work.
So. As you can see, I have not tried one item at this amazing micro-bakery that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. They make delicious treats with common and uncommon flavours, and they do it well. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but open every other day to help you spoil your taste buds. Enjoy!!
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Cookie Challenge of 2018 in Vancouver