Seriously, dudes and dudettes.
I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite new baking businesses. It's called Serious Business Pastries, and it's a special-order operation based in Portland, OR.
What's so special about Serious Business Pastries? For starters, the sweet history.
I first "met" owner Lindsay Yousey several years ago when I discovered her blog entry featuring Starry Nights cupcakes. Now, consider that at the time, she was not baking professionally. Actually, her background was in psychotherapy. They looked pretty professional to me, though, so I urged her to become a professional baker.
And she listened to me! I love it when people do what I tell them.
After honing her pastry skills at Mother's Bistro and Grand Central Baking in Portland, she opened up her own operation.
And when I was in Portland for Crafty Wonderland, I got to sample her baked goods--she brought me a big stack of freshly-baked "Serious Snickerdoodles", which are described thusly:
Our bakery’s hallmark cookie. We developed and nurtured this recipe over a number of years, and we’re quite pleased with it. Tender sugar cookie base, with all-natural cinnamon chips, and rolled in our blend of vanilla-cinnamon-sugar. They’re outrageously delicious, whether fresh from the oven, or the day after.
And oh, are these cookies good. Soft but not gooey, buttery but not too crumbly, these cookies yield to your greedy teeth, linger on your tongue long enough to impart a buttery flavor all over your mouth, and then melt into sweet oblivion into your belly...and make you want to repeat that bite over and over.
But that's not the only item offered on the menu: they've got plenty more cookies, cakes, and even the outrageously delicious-sounding "Muffinletta":
Inspired by our love of food from New Orleans, this is a large savory yeasted muffin that’s almost as filling as the sandwich that bears a similar name. We begin with our own sourdough starter muffin base, and mix in olive salad and shredded smoked provolone. From there we add artisan cured capicola, soppressata, and Genoa salami and top it off with sesame seeds and a pierced olive. No mayo ever touches these muffins, ever.
So, I suppose you must know what I am getting at here. If you live in Portland, it is my strong suggestion that you seek out Serious Business for your next special-order batch of baked goods, or seek them out at an upcoming farmer's market!
For all the info, visit the Serious Business Pastries website or find them on Facebook!