Quarantine Treat #888: Bake Up’s Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are really hard to get right. Many times, there’s just not enough peanut butter. Or there are too many bits of nuts in lieu of peanut butter. (We didn’t ask for peanut cookies, thank you very much.)

But we recently found a nearly perfect peanut butter cookie at the Newhall Farmers Market. Bake Up pastries sells an assortment of sweets, including cookies, coffee cakes, homemade poptarts, loaves and bars.

The peanut butter cookies, however, are heavenly. The flavor balance is ideal: There’s enough peanut butter to savor without overwhelming the palate. If we had one nitpick, it’s that the decorative sanding sugar on top, while pretty, isn’t necessary. The cookies are $10 for a six-pack.

The six-pack from Bake Up | SCVFoodie.com

A few folks in the Santa Clarita Valley might already know of — or tasted —Bake Up, as Kimberly Gonzalez’s Acton-based home kitchen makes goods for several local coffee shops, including Bodhi Leaf (the blueberry cornmeal and cinnamon coffee cakes are hers, as are the assorted poptarts).

The Newhall Market is open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Bake Up posts its weekly menu on Facebook on Tuesdays. Message them by Thursday evening to reserve baked goods.

Bake Up
Newhall Farmers Market (Saturdays)
Old Town Newhall Library parking lot
24500 Main St., Newhall

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Eat This Now: Jazmin’s Stuffed Croissants

Jazmin’s Bakery, a longtime staple of downtown Newhall, offers a quick breakfast option with a kick. Amid the racks of cakes, pastries and desserts are their croissants.

While their chocolate croissant is good, look for one marked with a jalapeño slice on top. That’s the one you want. It’s baked with a sausage patty, cheese and jalapeño slices inside.

The stuffed croissant from Jazmin’s. | SCVFoodie.com

It’s filling (carbs + protein + fats) with just enough heat that wakes up the tongue. Eat it just the way it is; or, if you have time at home, cut the croissant in half, scramble or fry up a couple eggs and stuff them inside. It’s large enough to share, too. (Unless you have a gargantuan appetite.)

The jalapeño sausage croissant won’t break the budget at $3.50, either.

Jazmin’s Bakery
24330 Main St., Newhall
661-799-2915

Quarantine Treat #875: Alfajor de Maizena

For this week’s quaran-treat, we stopped at the House of the Peruvian Cookie at the Saturday Newhall Farmers Market to pick up a dozen alfajores de maizena. These melt-in-your-mouth biscuit cookies, with dulce de leche filling, are made by hand in SCV resident Angie Schenone’s home kitchen.

For those not familiar with the cookie, the biscuits look a little like macarons, but the alfajores are delicate, light, airy and crumbly made from cornstarch rather than almond flour and sugar. Biting into one of these delicacies is probably comprable to biting a fluffy cloud.

The delicate alfajor de maizena. | SCVFoodie.com

The House of the Peruvian Cookie offers a traditional flower-shaped cookie, dusted with powdered suger (which are the ones we bought); a heart-shaped version; a coconut cookie in which the dulce de leche is coated in coconut; and multicolored alfajores.

Because these Peruvian treats aren’t mass produced, and it’s a local operation, the alfajor is $1.25 for a single, and $12 for a dozen of the traditional. Prices vary on the other cookie options.

The cookies are available at the Newhall Farmers Market on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. They can also be ordered online for deliveries in the Santa Clarita area on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Find the House of the Peruvian Cookie online, on Facebook and Instagram.

Quarantine Treat #854: Beignets from Rablais

After Saturday morning chores and errands, SCVFoodie hit the road to Santa Paula. What the heck is in Santa Paula, you ask? Beignets at Rablais Bistro. Hot. Fresh. Doughy. And covered with a ton of powdered sugar.

About a 40-minute drive on the 126 from Valencia, we usually pass the Santa Paula exits en route to the beaches in Ventura and Santa Barbara. But quite a few people were raving about the Cajun-New Orleans-style restaurant on the Santa Clarita Foodies Facebook group.

Since dining indoors these days is a no-go, we picked up our piping hot beignets for takeout and ate them in the car. They might be bigger than the world-famous Cafe du Monde’s in New Orleans (from what we can remember), but they’re topped with the same amount of powdered sugar (a mound on each). Rablais’ beignets should be eaten right away—because any beignet worth its salt doesn’t have a great shelf life.

Rablais Beignets, pre-bite. | Photo: SCVFoodie.com

For those who’ve never had one, the beignet is the French version of a fritter or doughnut. Traditionally made with a few ingredients including flour, water, butter/lard and eggs, the beignet is hollow in the middle with a touch of crispness on the outside.

Rablais’ version is certainly worth the drive on a Saturday morning—especially when there’s nothing else to do. But when it’s safe to dine-in again, we’ll definitely be back. There are a few things we want to try that look better eaten at the restaurant (Croque Madame, Pulled-Pork Benedict, jambalaya, shrimp and grits and their po’ boys).

Of course, we’d have to start or finish that meal with those beignets and a chickory au lait.

Rablais Bistro’s beignets are three for $7, six for $12 or a dozen for $20.

Rablais Bistro
861 E. Main St., Santa Paula
805-525-2109

Rablais is located on Main Street in Santa Paula, Calif. | Photo: SCVFoodie.com

Quantine Treat #743: Martino’s Tea Cakes

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Martino’s Bakery has been a Burbank staple since 1926, when Victor and Eva Martino started a pie business in their garage. More than 90 years later, the baked goods are still enticing crowds—especially their signature teacakes (available in both regular as well as cranberry and blueberry flavors).

The original version of the little square cake is soft and moist on the inside with a hint of vanilla or caramel, and topped with a sugar glaze that hardens. The fruit-enhanced versions are closer to muffins than the original tea cake, but just as tasty.

If you still aren’t convinced that a drive out to Burbank is worth it for these tea cakes, then the prices—$1.69 (original) to $1.79 for the cranberry/blueberry flavors—just might.

Just remember to order ahead of time online so your order will be ready for an even safer, physically distanced pick up.

Martino’s Bakery
335 N. Victory Blvd., Burbank
818-842-0715  

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  Martino’s Tea Cakes and turnovers.

Hot Stuff: Check Out Temple City’s Blazin’ Chicks

A sampling of Southern fried goodness from Blazin’ Chicks in Temple City.

If you live in the L.A. area, you’ve probably driven by Temple City without even knowing it. Located just south of Pasadena and between the 210 and 10 Freeways, the community is predominently residential. But the four-square mile city boasts a number of great restaurants, tucked in the strip malls.

SCVFoodie has written about several restaurants for Temple City’s Connect Magazine. Last year, we wrote about the Michelin and Bib Gourmand restaurants in the area, including Grand Harbour and Dai Ho.

Our latest adventure took us to Blazin Chicks, a fried HOT chicken place that opened just before the pandemic took hold of the country. It specializes in chicken sandwiches, wings, mac and cheese, butter rice, collard greens and other Southern-style comfort foods.

Read the entire story about the restaurant and  co-owner and chef Henry Lu on the city of Temple City’s website.

Blazin’ Chicks
5728 Rosemead Blvd Unit 102
Temple City, California 91780

Henry Lu creates the spicy, hot delectible offerings at Blazin’ Chicks in Temple City.

Eat This Now: Pizza Bread at Italia Panetteria & Deli

Italia’s Pizza Bread | Image: SCV Foodie

If you’ve been craving carbs during the stay-at-home pandemic, then SCV Foodie suggests an addition to all the sourdough and banana bread baking we’ve seen on Instagram lately.

The family owned and operated Italia Panetteria & Deli on Newhall Ranch Road bakes its rolls and breads daily each morning. Among the selections is its Pizza Bread, a deep, thick-crusted bread topped with a savory tomato sauce and dusted off with parmesan cheese.

The dense bread can be eaten by itself or add a bit of mozzerella cheese and toppings for a DIY pizza.

At $5.49, the Pizza Bread is a bargain because it’s heavy and filling and only the heariest of appetites can tackle in on sitting. There are limited quantities available on a daily basis so once they sell out, they’re gone.

Italia Panetteria & Deli
27674 Newhall Ranch Road #55, Valencia
(661) 294-9069
Hour: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday

Bagel Boyz Adds Delivery Service

If you’re family’s craving fresh bagels and cream cheese, but are following orders to #stayathome during the coronavirus outbreak, Santa Clarita’s Bagel Boyz is now delivering bagels to doorsteps by the dozen.

• Buy a baker’s dozen (13) bagels for $9.50.
• A baker’s dozen with 8 oz. of cream cheese: $12.
• A baker’s dozen with 15 oz. of cream cheese: $15.

Call or text owner Lance Takao at 818-730-6253 to place an order. Venmo: @cheryl-takao.

Bagel Boyz – WEST
27674 Newhall Ranch Rd., Valencia, CA 91355
661-383-9454
Monday – Friday: 6 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 6 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Bagel Boyz – EAST
18580 Vía Princessa
Canyon Country, CA 91387
661-299-2243
Monday – Friday: 5 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday – Sunday: 5:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Golden Road Brewery Opens Drive-Thru Pantry

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, Golden Road Brewery in Atwater Village (at the intersection of the 5 and 134 freeways) is obviously closed for in-person dining and and drinking. But it’s opened a drive-thru pickup for necessities, grocery items and beer (naturally). And the bargain on the shopping list? Toilet paper for 50 cents a roll.

Shop without having to leave your vehicle: The drive-thru is open from 12-8 p.m. daily. The pub menu is also available for food to go. Call 818-243-2337 to place a grocery order. The pub menu as well as well as some grocery items are available online via the Toast app, Uber Eats and Grubhub.

View the images below to view the grocery, beer and pub menus.

Golden Road Brewing
5410 W. San Fernando Road
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Bagel Boyz Opens Second Location in Valencia

Bagel Boyz isn’t just for breakfast: Meet the Turkey Bacon Ranch Guacamole sandwich. | Photo: scvfoodie.com

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Bagel Boyz, the popular bagel shop on Via Princessa, has quietly opened a second location near Valencia High School on Newhall Ranch Road.

Lance Takao, a veteran of front-of-house/restaurant management with Restaurants Unlimited (Kincaid’s in Redondo Beach, the former Palomino in Westwood) as well as Togo’s, took over the original Bagel Boyz location in 2017. He opened this second location last week (Jan. 21) in the former First Serve Tennis storefront.

The bagels are made fresh daily at the Via Princessa store, and served at both outposts. Takao says that from the 20 or so varieties they make, Santa Claritans love the jalapeño cheese and everything bagels the most.

Lance Takao, right, opened Bagel Boyz 2 on Jan. 21. He’s pictured here with employee Damien Wong. | Photo: scvfoodie.com

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Bagel Boyz’s sandwiches are just as in-demand. Takao says their top-seller is the Chipotle Breakfast, made with an egg and sausage on a jalapeño cheese bagel smeared with jalapeño cream cheese and chipotle sauce. (If you like breakfast with a kick, this tasty sandwich is definitely for you).

And the bagels aren’t just for breakfast either. There’s a whole array of lunch sandwiches with pastrami, ham, turkey, chicken, tuna and chicken salad. Pizza bagels are also on the menu for those who want hot fare. And there’s salads.

But let’s be real, if you head to Bagel Boyz, skip the salad and try their chewy, tasty bagels that pair perfectly with cream cheese or eaten alone.

For the month of February, if you mention their flyer at the new location, customers can partake in these grand opening specials:

• Buy a dozen bagels, get a dozen free;
• Buy a bagel sandwich, get a second one free; or
• Buy one bagel, get one free.

If you’re a student or faculty/teacher at one of the local schools, then ask for the School Special—any sandwich (except lox) plus a fountain drink—for $5.

Check the gallery below for some of Bagel Boyz most popular items.

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  An assortment of bagels at Bagel Boyz.

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  The egg bagel

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  The strawberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese

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  The everything

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  The Chipotle Breakfast

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  The jalapeño cheese

Photos: scvfoodie.com

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Bagel Boyz (original location)
18580 Via Princessa, Canyon Country
Hours: 5 am – 1:30 pm (Monday to Friday), 5:30 am – 1:30 pm (Saturdays and Sundays)

Bagel Boys 2
27674 Newhall Ranch Road, Unit 40, Valencia
Hours: 6 am – 4 pm (Monday to Friday), 6 am – 3 pm (Saturday and Sunday)