Cookies and Donuts

It’s bar mitzvah week! Have you already entered the giveaway for the Port wine tasting and pairing class? Bar mitzvah week means that today’s post is going up late because last night instead of writing a blog post, I was working on putting together centerpieces and souvenirs.

Actually, our centerpieces are made out of the souvenirs. So, I’m killing two birds with one stone. Everyone is walking away from the event with a Rubik’s cube of their own. Technically it’s not a Rubik’s cube. It’s a Sheng Shou speed cube. And instead of a 3x3x3 cube, these are the smaller 2x2x2 cubes.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s a dumbed down version of the original. In some ways it’s harder because there is no static center cube which informs you of the color each side needs to be.

If you locked me in a room with one of these cubes, and didn’t let me out until it was solved, I would die in that room. Of course my son can solve it in about ten seconds.

This bar mitzvah is all about the young man who is coming of age, and that’s why instead of a cake, we’re getting cookies and donuts. But not just any old cookies and donuts would do. Naturally, these had to be special. Fortunately, we have some very special places in the Capital Region.

Left to my own devices, I would get a cake from Crisan. But the kiddo just isn’t into cake. And while I love Crisan, it’s always been more of an adult experience. Little Miss Fussy likes it too, but she’s precocious when it comes to food.

The donuts were the easy part. Bella Napoli boston cream. My personal favorite donut in the area is the old fashioned from Schulyer Bakery. And while everyone here enjoys it, the soft, yeasted rounds, filled with vanilla custard, and topped with a rich cocoa icing are beloved by the kids most of all.

So that only leaves two questions to solve. How many donuts does one order for dessert of a luncheon, and what other flavors do you order, if any?

Part of me wanted to get nothing but boston cream donuts. But some people might want other flavors. Mrs. Fussy thinks that I ordered too many donuts. I’m still not sure I ordered enough. In the end, we enough for every adult, child, and infant to have two. And we ordered enough boston cream donuts for everyone to have one.

That means half of the donuts are boston cream. A quarter of the donuts are the Bella Napoli old fashioned. It’s not quite as exquisite as the Schuyler Bakery version, but it’s magnificent. That hard fried crust is amazing, and the flavor and texture is top notch.

For the last quarter, I asked them to make something that I had not seen in their cases, but should be well in their wheelhouse. It’s just a classic yeast raised ring, topped with white donut icing, and rainbow sprinkles.

It will help to add a bit of color to the dessert table.

Cookies could add some color to the dessert table too, but those are for the after service reception on Friday night. Once upon a time, our congregation hired a baker to make cookies and treats for after services. These days, the cookies are sadly store bought.

That wasn’t going to fly.

I struggled with the cookie decision for days, until Mrs. Fussy reminded me of the obvious choice: The Cookie Factory. Duh. And it’s not for the butter cookies, but rather the fudge fantasies. These too are a favorite of the bar mitzvah boy.

Butter cookies, loaded with as much fudgy topping above as there is cookie below? What’s not to love? Plus, people coming in from out of town may not be aware such a cookie even exists. It’s a regional favorite, and part of me thinks there are similar cookies elsewhere beyond the region. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me they were related to Baltimore’s famous Berger cookies, but I have no idea. That’s a topic for another day.

Of course, they aren’t for everyone, so we got a mix of other cookies from this Troy shop. Sadly the M&M cookies will likely be the first to be consumed by hungry little hands. But that’s how it goes when kids are involved.

Never did I imagine I would be spending hundreds of dollars on cookies and donuts. The heart wants what the heart wants. And in the end, not only is it less expensive than cake, but I suspect people will actually enjoy it more.

Now I have to run out to Party City and pick up some more stuff. More on bar mitzvah planning tomorrow.