Artisan Confections: A Sweet Treat in Arlington

So many choices.

The smell upon walking in the door of Artisan Confections is enough to solidify a craving.

Chocolate wafts in the nostrils, but so do notes of fruit, spice and coffee. The shop’s décor is simple yet inviting. It’s a modern take on an old-school candy shop, mature enough for adults while still succeeding to create that kid-in-a-candy-store kind of anticipation.

With flavors like salted caramel, Tahitian vanilla, and peanut butter and jelly, it’s tough to make a choice. Especially when the chocolates are “painted” beautifully with their own distinct design according to flavor. A seasonal artist series is offered, featuring special designs and flavors.

Overall, the presentation is gorgeous and adds to the allure of making a choice. Luckily, they have several customized box options: You can choose to buy pieces individually, or gather four ($8), nine ($17), 15 ($26) or 30 ($48) candies that meet your fancy. All candies are cuddled up together in a gold box and tied with a dark red ribbon – again, a presentation that feels both mature and exciting, creating the chance to go home and relive the joy of opening the box to enjoy your indulgence. (That is, if you even make it home before you crack open the box.)

After much deliberation, I chose my four candies: lavender-honey, caipirinha, chipotle chile, and malted milk (the personal favorite of the woman who helped me). After my next four meals, I looked forward to the tiny chocolate treat that I knew would be packed with huge flavor, each one different and fun. And they did not disappoint.

The lavender-honey was subtle and light, not soap-like and overly fragrant like some herb-based foods can seem. Neither lavender nor honey overpowered the flavor. Of all the pieces I sampled, I actually would have wanted a little bit more of a distinct flavor from this one. But, it was well balanced, almost fruity, and certainly creamy. It seems like this candy would make a nice pairing with port for an after-dinner sweet.

I couldn’t pass up caipirinha. An Argentine cocktail in a piece of chocolate? Yes, please. This little piece of wonder was painted in greens and creams to reflect its ingredients of lime, mint and rum, just like the cocktail. I could taste each element and it hit my tongue with lots of tangy flavor. Now I realize that bartenders would be wise to incorporate some chocolate in their caipirinha for the perfect compliment.

Chipotle chile was phenomenal and provided that kick you expect from a spicy chocolate. Chile-based chocolates have become more popular recently, with companies like Lindt and Ghirardelli producing varietals that can be picked up at most grocery stores. Artisan’s version is a juiced-up edition of the trend, packing a lot into a little.

It’s no wonder that the woman’s favorite selection was malted milk. It had a classic, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth flavor to it, but in a richer, more refined way then say, a malted milk ball. It was like tasting perfectly creamed coffee; you know when it’s just right. I enjoyed it with a glass of cabernet, and it seemed to make a great pairing.

Artisan Confections also offers classes for tasting and making chocolates. Classes fill up quickly as chocolate tasting is gaining popularity along with wine and coffee.

After you enjoy a meal in the neighborhood, head over to finish off strong with your choice of the perfect sweet treat.

Artisan Confections is located at 1025 N. Fillmore St. in Clarendon.

This article can also be seen on Patch.com  http://patch.com/A-pTVq

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cream cheese frosting?...whopieeeee!

My dear friend and neighbor, Kira, is a fantastic baker.  I am not.  So I seek her out for wisdom on all things baked and fluffy. She is the kind of deliciously creative friend who makes dinner party guests wowed (and jealous) by making the cream pie from the cover of Bon Appetit...and it looks JUST like the picture. Last weekend, she graced my dinner party guests with seasonal Pumpkin Whoopie Pies that were OUT OF THIS WORLD.  
Here is her recipe and notes, adapted from the cookbook Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Their bakery in Red Hook opened in Jan 05. This is their first book.

Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 " baking powder
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 " ginger
1 " cloves (didn't have this, and don't like it, so i doubled the ginger instead)
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup veg oil
3 cups chilled pumpkin puree (i used about 2 x the canned stuff) 
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
*Note: chilling the pumpkin makes the pies easier to scoop. 

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment.
Whisk the first seven ingredients in a bowl and set aside. 
In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar and oil. Add the pumpkin puree and whisk to combine. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined. 
Sprinkle the flour mixture and whisk until combined. (This implies that you do not have to use a mixer, and the dough is not very tough, but I used my Kitchenaid with the whisk attachment.)

Use a small spoon to drop the dough onto the baking sheets one inch apart. Bake for 10-12 or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. 

Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (although mine was straight from the refrigerator. I think this helped with the consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift confectioners sugar (I skipped this, but can see why it is useful, there were a few clumps of sugar in the final result)
In a bowl with electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (I used my handheld mixer for convenience) beat the butter until it is smooth. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Do not over beat or it will loose structure. - Can be made one day ahead. 

Assemble the whoopie pies. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. I made the cookie part in the evening and then the filling in the morning and assembled them. The cookie part gets a little sticky, so if you are storing them (for up to 3 days) line the container with parchment and put parchment on top, with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.