So much more than a s'more

S'mores Cookie from Posh Pop Bakery

Hello, Friendly Reader. For the sake of continuity, let me say that "I'm back!" after an insidiously long hiatus because of work obstacles and computer issues.

It's been a long road, my friends, a merciless trek through the netherworld known as employment. A stultifying existence under the abject florescence of office lighting. And of course, nothing marks the passage of wasted time like the refilling of a stapler. Need I say more? No thanks.

Need I say s'more?

Today I bring you a new dessert discovery, from a new bakery. For those with a rapacious appetite for desserts, for those of you who crave conspicuous consumption of the most conspicuous and consumable kind, this is the place for you. Pop Shop Bakeshop on 192 Bleecker St. is a veritable crack den of better-than-homemade pies and cakes and cookies and brownies, and more.

For weeks I've passed by this dessert shop, rolling my eyes in annoyance at the small white space with pink neon signs. Why? Because it appeared to be yet another pink-and-white themed, overly sweet dessert place in this sprawling dessert land known as Greenwich Village.

And yet, on one recent bright, sunny weekday in June, as I passed by this very same contemptibly trendy bake shop, I saw a tray of large chocolate-chip cookies oozing with marshmallow. “Interesting,” I thought to myself. There was a lot of marshmallow in that giant cookie and it looked freshly baked. I continued walking, but my mind lingered on that vision of gooey marshmallow erupting from the desert-colored surface of cookie like titanium white magma. Would they still be there tomorrow?

Before I knew it I was inside the dessert shop ordering a s'mores cookie and asking the man behind the counter how long the bakery had been here. He said they'd been open for two months and were already known for their cinnamon rolls and monkey bread. Every cookie, cupcake and pie is made from scratch daily at the shop, he said, and recommended the blueberry pie and asked if I'd like my s’mores cookie warmed up. Sure, I said, if he thought it would taste better warm. He said he'd recommend a warm cookie over a not warm cookie any day.

I left the shop excited about my purchase. While waiting for walk sign to cross Sixth Avenue, I opened the white paper bag, stuck my nose in and inhaled -- my own version of vaping. It was a magical scent: the warm, slightly caramelly, vanilla-laced scent of a freshly baked chocolate-chip cookie. I broke a piece off and tried it. A triumph of flavor. Now THIS is a cookie, said my tastebuds. And I hadn't even reached the marshmallow yet!

Upon arriving home, I immediately grabbed a plate, poured a glass of cold milk, and brought my plated cookie to my work desk. I ate the whole thing; it was delicious. Dare I say the marshmallow was the best part. An awesome pairing, indeed. To use “Top Chef” phraseology, the subtle flavor of the cookie, together with bits of chocolate, really allows the marshmallow to sing. I love marshmallow. Health experts always talk about vitamins, but are they concerned about whether we're getting enough marshmallow in our diets? The world would be a better place.

The verdict: The s'mores cookie at Posh Shop Bakery is supremely delicious. If it were a movie, it would be a summer blockbuster you could watch all year round. Like "Poltergeist" or "Goonies." Pure goodness. And very posh indeed.