DINING OUT: Out of the Ovenly and into your kitchen

When a simple chocolate chip cookie is Instagram-worthy and leaves you wondering if you should buy a whole box worth, you know the bakers have knocked it out of the park.

This is my reaction every time I walk into Ovenly, the Greenpoint business that is celebrating its fourth anniversary with the release of its very own Ovenlycookbook (in stores on September 30). Fortunately for fans of their creative confections, founders and food book club buddies Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin put as much of themselves into their cookbook as they did into crafting their popular recipes.

“We poured our hearts into it. We’re most excited about the stories about starting our business in Brooklyn,” said Patinkin.

“Each of us did chapter introductions and shared the preface,” noted Kulaga. “There’s a lot of storytelling in it, which was fun, looking back on memories.”

Fans can rest assured that “90 percent of the store items are in the cookbook,” Patinkin added. “We knew we would put the favorites in and asked ourselves what items from the past we would want. Peanut butter miso didn’t make it, but there’s coffee cake, berry quickbread and mustard spice cookies.”

Also present is the aforementioned Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip cookie (all cookies are $2.75 each/$30 per dozen), which is traditional with perfectly soft-yet-not-too-chewy texture and a comforting sweet and salty balance.

Another twist on classic flavors are the Gluten-Free Peanut Butter cookie, which is deliciously peanut buttery and free of worry about having it stick to the roof of your mouth, and the Blueberry Cornflake Muffin (muffins are $3 each/$34 per dozen), which is a familiar-yet-new mood booster.

Shortbreads ($2.75 each/$30 a dozen) are also a must, with Stumptown Shorty’s pieces of espresso with burnt sugar perfect for a morning jolt.

Sweet and savory options abound in the scone selections, with Cheddar Mustard being Kulaga’s favorite, especially when served warm with hot honey and sometimes even a piece of goat cheese. The sweetness and sharpness of the cheddar are emphasized by the tang of the mustard and is great for either breakfast or lunch.

On the sweeter end, the Pistachio Cardamom Cupcakes have lovely hint of cardamom throughout the soft cake and transports you to memories of warmer, relaxing climes. A great autumn and winter treat, they go great with a glass of refreshing Ginger Hibiscus Iced Tea, unsweetened ($2.75 small/$3 medium/$3.25 large) or Homemade Agave Lemonade ($3.75 small/$4 medium/$4.25 large).

Ovenly also does catering, special occasions and wedding cakes – try the wonderfully rich Brooklyn Blackout Cake, made with Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout).

OVENLY

31 Greenpoint Avenue

347-689-3608

www.oven.ly

Open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.