Top Three Easter Basket Treats

Headed to an Easter brunch or an afternoon Easter egg hunt? Don't bring the same ol' same ol' jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. Trade in those Peeps and  Cadbury Eggs for some equally sweet and exponentially more inventive Easter treats from some of my favorite local bakeries around town. So what are you waiting for? Grab your Easter basket and get ready to fill it with Fork This, Savannah's Top Three Easter Basket Treats.

1. Maison de Macaron's Macaron Assortment

At $1.89 a pop these french inspired cookies come in all the the Eastery pastel colors and flavors you could ask for. I picked the blue vanilla bean, pink raspberry, and yellow Meyer lemon flavors. A crisp, slightly chewy shell gives way to a smooth, delicate, cream filling.

The vanilla bean had real flecks of vanilla bean for a rich flavor that's anything but "vanilla."

The raspberry wasn't too tart, lightly sweet. A flavor I can only describe as "pink."

The lemon was nice and sour; a cross between lemon curd and your mom's lemon bars.

Bring a dozen of these french cookies to the Easter brunch and the adults will thank you.

Maison de Macaron
 1100 Eisenhower Dr #28, Savannah, GA 31406
(912) 665-9894

2. Two Smart Cookies' Iced Bunny Cookies

Perfect for the kids. At $1.25 a piece, these blue-iced bunny-shaped cookies are better than anything you can get at the grocery store. Especially for the price. Trust me. They're thickly cut and dense. More like a shortbread because of  their smooth, sweet consistency. Not gritty like a lot of store bought sugar cookies. Think shortbread without the overt butter flavor with a splash of almond extract. Like a wedding cake in cookie form. The icing provides a nice glaze of sweetness and pop of festive color. Not chalky at all (I'm looking at you, Target sugar cookies...) Bring these cute blue bunnies to the Easter egg hunt and you'll probably get nominated for "World's Coolest Mom."

Two Smart Cookies
6512 White Bluff Road
Savannah, GA 31405
912-353-2253

3.  Smallcakes: A Cupcakery's  Vanilla Easter Cupcake

The over-achiever of Easter cupcakes. These moist vanilla (real vanilla bean right in the batter!) cupcakes are expertly frosted with a fluffy swirl of purple vanilla icing and cleverly decorated with Peeps and Robin's Eggs. I got one right out of the oven and seriously. The cake was oh-so-delightfully falling apart under the weight of all the indulgent Easter candy toppings.

These cupcakes are delicious and impressive. Bring these to the school Easter party and say you baked them yourself. People will call you the next Martha Stewart. Everyone will love you. Your dentist will hate you.

Smallcakes: A Cupcakery
7360 Skidaway Road, Unit L-1
Savannah, Georgia 31406
912-200-4395

Not Your Mother's Blueberry Muffins

Forget everything you know about blueberry muffins. Those blue-dotted yellow cake crossovers often found gracing the baked cases around town. Those muffins with batter so sweet the berries seem sour in comparison.  Make way for Great Harvest Bread Company's Ultra Healthy Muffins that have more in common with a wholegrain slice of bread. And I mean that in the best possible way.

The Muffin

In these wholesome muffins, plump, juicy blueberries take center stage. Berries abound in every bite and the batter doesn’t upstage them—it’s packed with bran, whole-wheat flour, a touch of oil, and only lightly sweetened with orange juice and brown sugar. The rest of the recipe, the owner explains, “is confidential.”  And you won't find any paper cupcake wrappers here. They serve these muffins naked, fresh from the pan.

The Experience

Tucked away in Sandfly Georgia's Norwood Shopping Plaza, Great Harvest Bread Company quietly bakes up bountiful breads and other wholegrain goodies.  And they’re more than willing to slice up a free sample of their sweets and breads. Just ask! Their prime location, right next-door to Savannah Power Yoga makes Great Harvest Bread Company a great spot for a post-meditation munchie. I dropped by last Saturday before heading to the Lake Mayer, a nearby park for a mid morning run. I ordered an “Ultra Healthy Muffin” slathered with butter and an iced tea.  The muffin had the stick-to-your-ribs sustainability you usually get from a bowl of oatmeal. It was satisfying and delicious. I felt energized for my entire run. 

Eating a muffin named “Ultra Healthy” definitely does something to your psyche. You feel like you’re eating the “right” thing, like you can enjoy it without the guilt of indulgence. And for that, the folks at Montana-based Great Harvest Bread Company are marketing geniuses.

Ultra Healthy Muffins are available in the baked case on select days. Butter is available upon request. Visit their Savannah website for a complete bread and sweets schedule.

Looking for an ultra healthy muffin that’s also ultra delicious? Fork this, Savannah!

Great Harvest Bread Company
7360 Skidaway Road
Suite J -1
Savannah, Georgia 31406
(912) 777-7263
M-F 6:30am-6:00pm
Sat 7:00am-4:00pm