macadamia – Jellybeans in the City

Valentine Cookies from Scout’s Honor, Santolan Town Plaza

Valentine’s Day may be over but it’s not too late to treat your loved ones to a sweet treat.

This is what I did this past weekend when Hubby and I made a stopover at Santolan Town Plaza and I espied a branch of Scout’s Honor in the area.

Scout’s Honor is an artisanal cookie store inspired by the Girl Scout cookie concept. Its cookies are made fresh daily with premium ingredients, certainly a treat for dessert lovers. Having expanded its menu to include hot comfort food, Scout’s Honor outlets became places where kids and adults can hang out in comfortably.

I decided to bring home some cookies for my kiddos to brighten their day.

Fortunately, I was able to get two pieces each of limited-edition Valentine cookies, Scout’s Honor’s beloved cookie flavors shaped into cute hearts available within February:

Ultimate Chocolate Chip (Php60/pc).

Cashew Macadamia (Php60/pc).

Rocky Road (Php60/pc).

Ultimate Red Velvet (Php95/pc).

To make an even dozen, I ordered two more pieces each of other Cub Scout Cookie flavors:

White Cranberry Oatmeal (Php60/pc).

1969 (Php60/pc).

For my Hubby’s toddler niece who was visiting our home that afternoon with her parents, I got a dozen of 1 Bite 2 Bite cookies (Php95) which consisted of four pieces each of Milk Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Fledge for the little one to bring home.

As luck would have it, I was able to get some treats for my fur-baby as well as Scout’s Honor also offers peanut-butter flavored Dog Treats (Php95). It’s a well-deserved for my beloved pooch and Guardian of Casa de Jellybeans.

Why don’t you bring home some sweet treats for your little ones to show your love today?

This Scout’s Honor branch is located at Ground Floor, Santolan Town Plaza, Col. Bonny Serrano Avenue, Little Baguio, San Juan City, open daily from 11am to 7pm.

Other branches are located at:

Second Floor, Uptown Place Mall, 36th Street Corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Ground Floor, Phase 2, UP Town Center, Katipunan Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
Level 1, Ayala Malls Vertis North, Bagong Pag-Asa, Quezon City
Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City
Ground Floor, Pedro Gil Wing, Robinson’s Place Manila Ermita, Ermita, Manila
Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM City Fairview, Novaliches, Quezon City

Check out my reviews of other dessert shops in the metro:

Awesome pairing of cookies and coffee from Bake Boss and TOV Coffee

It’s a weekday afternoon, you’ve just had your lunch and you’re contemplating on what will power you up for more hours of doing remote work.

For me, its quite simple: cookies and coffee!

Both give me a boost of energy and wakefulness that’s sure to get me over that midday slump.

Fortunately, I got some sweets and TOV coffee packets from Bake Boss that really hit the spot.

Bake Boss is managed by local entrepreneur Earl Reyes, who launched this online bakery in May last year to pursue her passion for baking and make some money during the lockdown due to the pandemic. (Check out my post about Bake Boss’ Chocolate Banana Muffins and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies here.)

True to her entrepreneurial spirit, Earl expanded her offerings to include new desserts under her Bake Boss label and even drip coffee which she branded TOV Coffee after the Hebrew word for “good”..

My Bake Boss cookie treats included:

Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (Php240/box of 8). The chewy, cinnamon-spiced oatmeal cookies got a chocolatey upgrade with the addition of decadent dark chocolate chips.

Brookie (Php240/box of 8). The lusciously moist and chocolatey brownie now in cookie form.

For you brownie purists out there, Bake Boss also offers Dark Fudge Brownies (Php240/box of 12) so you can indulge yourself with bite-sized pieces of rich dark fudge chocolate.

Paired with my sweets are cups of coffee made with TOV Drip Coffee (Php45/packet), an easy way to enjoy freshly brewed coffee anytime you want. Solo servings of ground coffee beans are conveniently packaged in bags which can be torn open and hooked onto the sides of coffee mugs. Hot water is passed through the bags and the resulting brew gathers at the bottom of the mug, ready to drink and enjoy.

TOV Drip Coffee is made with coffee beans from Sagada and is available in variants that are sure to appeal to coffee connoisseurs:

Home-grown brews such as Kalinga, Benguet and Barako which showcase our local coffee artistry
Blends enriched with infusions such as Double Chocolate, Hazelnut, Macadamia, Cookies & Cream and Bailey’s Irish Cream which brings us new notes to enjoy with our cuppa without the sugar

Drip Coffee also has the flexibility to be made into other coffee creations such as:

Iced Americano: just let the coffee drip over ice cubes
Ca phe sua da: place two to three tablespoons of condensed milk into the cup and let the coffee drip over it

So with just my cookies and my drip coffee after lunch, the rest of the day will surely perk up!

Send your orders to Bake Boss via Facebook or Instagram two days prior to delivery. Cashless payments via GCash are accepted.

All of Bake Boss’ goodies are freshly baked everyday and can be delivered from Paranaque to anywhere in Metro Manila via Grab, Lalamove, Happy Move, MoveIt, Angkas, Mr Speedy and others (delivery fee charged to buyer).

Disclosure: Product samples were provided to facilitate this feature article.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business:

Have a box of good cheer with MDJ Cookies

It’s been three-and-a-half months since our seemingly well-ordered life has been upended by the community quarantine and I won’t be surprised if we don’t find ourselves a little out of sorts with the world every once in a while.

You know what comforts me when the doldrums come?

A little bit (or a lot!) of something sweet – like a cookie! – can get me right back into a cheerier mood. It’s not just about the rush of sugar in bloodstream. It’s more about the comfort and warmth that emanates from a piece of well-made cookie.

This morning, just as I was about to take a well-deserved break from working with multiple gadgets open and heated discussions scrolling up my screens, a box bearing my name (well, IG handle actually) arrived from MDJ Cookies.

Talk about a welcome sight!

MDJ Cookies (from owner Martine De Jesus’ name) is a tribute to her mom’s baking prowess. Using her mom’s recipes, Martine gets to spread little packets of good cheer through her cookies. As she puts it: her cookies feel like a warm hug you can eat!

As soon as I opened the box, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafted to my nostrils and made me think of my own Sunday baking sessions with my mom when I was a little girl. Oh, such happy memories!

And guess what: the box’s cookie contents are no less cheery. Check them out!

Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chip (Php30/pc | Php190/6pcs | Php370/12pcs). The good ‘ole chocolate chip cookie gets an upgrade with use of brown butter and a bit of salt.

Birthday Cake (Php35/pc | Php220/6pcs | Php430/12pcs). There’s something so festive about this cookie… Is it the colorful sprinkles? Or the sweet smell of toasted marshmallows? Whatever it is, it’s good for any day worth celebrating.

White Chocolate Macadamia (Php40/pc | Php250/6pcs | Php490/12pcs). A creamy and milky cookie wonderfully complemented by buttery macadamia nut pieces.

Dark Chocolate Macadamia (Php40/pc | Php250/6pcs | Php490/12pcs). This time, the luscious macadamia nuts come with semi-sweet dark chocolate.

Double Chocolate Fudge (Php40/pc | Php250/6pcs | Php490/12pcs). Double the treat for chocolate lovers!

Red Velvet (Php40/pc | Php250/6pcs | Php490/12pcs). The cookie version of the rich deep-red colored chocolate cake with cream cheese icing.

Peanut Butter Bomb (Php40/pc | Php250/6pcs | Php490/12pcs). Any kid knows that peanut butter and cookies are a winning combination. Add in a piece of peanut butter candy for some real decadent sweetness.

Loaded Crinkles (Php50/pc | Php310/6pcs | Php610/12pcs). A fudgy chocolatey treat for the certified sweet-tooth.

While my faves among these yummy treats are the Peanut Butter Bomb and the White Chocolate Macadamia, all variants feature a moist buttery texture and just the right amount of sweetness to highlight the featured ingredients.

To get your hands on these sweet delights, send MDJ Cookies a message via Instagram or Facebook with your name, address, contact number, delivery date, flavors (with quantity of order) and mode of payment (GCash and BPI are accepted).

Plus, personalize the box with the recipient’s name for just an additional Php20.

Sure, the situation in the metro, and in our own daily lives in The New Normal may seem stressful and daunting; but with a little bit of good cheer, I’m sure we’ll pull through.

Are you a cookie lover, too? Give yourself a box of good cheer and give these a try!

Product samples were provided to facilitate an honest review.

Check out my blog posts on other small enterprises and startups in the food business: