Sweet Treats: Cookies Infused with Love, Joy and Asian Flavors

“Are you talking about the cookies?” asks Thaddeus Pham as I enthusiastically chat with Raquel Curtis at Anh Chị Em Bakery’s weekly pop-up at Fishcake about an unrelated topic (Labubus).

“No, but what cookies?” I ask, and Thaddeus puts me on to Lovejoy Confections, another Fishcake vendor on Thursdays. Since he and I both adore his sister’s jasmine tea cake, I figure we have similar tastes in sweets. His recommendation goes on my to-try list.

Photo: Andrea Lee

On a Saturday morning, I track down these cookies at Try Coffee, when the shop is busy but not packed. Lovejoy Confections is set up at a table beside the counter with neat stacks of cookies and pastries on rustic wooden boards, each with a handwritten label. Jonny Kimbro, the owner, is there to take my order.

Kimbro is a familiar name on the baking scene. He made arguably the city’s best chocolate chip cookies at The Curb in Kaimukī, and before that cooked at Senia, The Pig & the Lady, Fête and Kapa Hale. Frolic editor Mari Taketa still gets rhapsodic about the natto Stroopwafel that Kimbro made one year for Natto Day.

SEE ALSO: The Curb’s Cookies and Toasts Are Worth A Drive to Kaimukī

Here’s what I try:

Photo: Andrea Lee

Miso soba cookie, $4.50

Looking at Lovejoy’s menu, this catches my eye. With buckwheat groats and cacao nibs in the mix, this cookie looks like a mineral deposit and is about as big as my hand. One bite, and I’m hooked. It has the perfect balance of not too sweet and a touch of salty with a soft, chewy body peppered with crunchy bits. If you try only one cookie, this would be my recommendation.

Photos: Andrea Lee

Chai sugar cookie sandwich, $6.50

At first sniff, I’m not sure if I’ll like this since it has a strong cinnamon smell, but the chai flavor in the cookie is actually not strong. The brown butter maple crème filling makes it for me; it’s richly flavored yet almost fluffy in texture and addictive. Keep in mind that it’s a messy eating experience. You’ll get sugar all over your mouth and fingers, and crumbs will fall everywhere, and you’ll want to eat them all up.

Sablé butter cookie, left, and Stroopwafel. Photo: Andrea Lee

Stroopwafel, $4.50

The Stroopwafel is the only cookie made fresh when you order it. Kimbro pops a couple of balls of batter into a little waffle iron, then cuts the cookies into circles, squeezes the shoyu caramel filling between them and puts a finishing shake of black sesame sugar. It only takes a few minutes and is well worth the wait when you get to enjoy a warm, crisp Stroopwafel with oozing caramel. It also walks the line of sweet and salty in the best way.

Sablé butter cookie, $3

This dense, chewy cookie is mildly sweet and reminds me of the kind that comes in a tin. I don’t quite get the makrut lime sugar flavor, though it might be too subtle to taste after eating all the other cookies. It’s nice, but I probably won’t get it again given the other more tantalizing options.

I also try the lup cheong kolache bun ($8), which is good but doesn’t stand out compared to the sweets.

Photo: Andrea Lee

Lovejoy is only about a month old, born from Kimbro’s desire to strike out with his own creations. At The Curb, he made savory pastries but wanted to branch out more.

To come up with such unique flavors, Kimbro credits reading and trial and error. “How do you make a dessert that’s craveable and not just sweet?” he asked himself, which led to the mash-ups of sweet and savory, drawing from Southeast Asian culinary influences and his experience at Asian restaurants.

In April, Lovejoy Confections will continue to pop up at Fishcake and Try Coffee.

Tips:

• All the cookies are big enough to share and pair well with coffee.
• Since the Stroopwafel is made fresh, its filling is drippy—watch out for your clothes!
• Kimbro accepts private custom orders. DM him on Instagram to discuss the details.

What: Cookies with Asian ingredients and flavors
Cost: $3 to $6.50 for a cookie (most are $4.50)
Where:

• Pop-up at Try Coffee, Ward Centre 2nd floor, 1200 Ala Moana Blvd.
• Pop-up at Fishcake, 307 Kamani St.

When:

• Try Coffee: Every Saturday in April, 8 a.m. til sold out
• Fishcake: April 10, 23 and 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Payment: Cash, card, Venmo
Contact: DM on Instagram
Follow: @lovejoy.confections

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