Robicelli's

Everyone loves Robicelli’s brownies. Especially this squirrel.

When you shorten the link to the Amazon preordering page for our book, you come up with this:

amzn.to/18xBUTT

I couldn’t make this up if I tried.  I think this is a sign you should probably buy it. And these cupcakes (and the whoopies, brownies etc that don’t get photographed every day, because they’re pretty much the same pic over and over again)

Creamsicle: Orange cake, vanilla buttercream, candied orange peel

Bea Arthur: Black coffee chocolate cake, cheesecake buttercream, espresso ganache

Blueberry Cobbler: Vanilla cake, blueberry syrup, vanilla buttercream, blueberry compote, brown sugar streusel

Hazelnut Kiss: Chocolate hazelnut cake, Nutella buttercream, roasted hazelnuts

Hey guys!

So I’ve been slacking big time on this blog lately, and I’m sorry.  I know this is my company and I’m supposed to be on top of these things, but I’m entering a phase right now where I have about twenty thousand things to do, and they all need to be done at the same time.  I’m currently writing this at 12:17am Wednesday morning, and I’ve been working since 11am. I still have a solid 6 hours of work ahead of me to wrap on today.  Then I have two kids to get to school tomorrow and another full day of work planned. 

It happens.

Currently the big project is wrapping up the book after a year and a half of hard work.  It’s written, photographed, and designed, and yet there’s still a billion and a half things to be done.  We’re planning some great events for the fall, retesting recipes to make sure there’s no typos (you’d be amazed how often this happens) — I really can’t wait for you guys to read it. And if you preorder it now, you’ll be able to rest with the security of knowing you’re going to read it, which lets face it, is important to all of us.

Here’s what I can guarantee over the next few weeks: I will promise to post the flavors when they’re up, but I can’t promise anything cute or funny (I will keep writing columns for Medium though, so you don’t need to be going crazy and thinking about jumping off a cliff just yet).

 What I CAN promise is to post videos I’ve yoinked from YouTube of whatever random crap is rolling through my head at the moment.  Today, the theme song to What’s Happening! Man, my head is awesome.

Pecan French Toast: Maple custard soaked cinnamon cake, maple cinnamon buttercream, maple glazed pecans

Turtle: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted pecans, ganache & caramel drizzles

Banana Cream Pie: Banana cake, vanilla custard, custard buttercream, banana chip, graham cracker crumbs

Butterbrew: Butterscotch soaked cake, butterscotch buttercream, edible gold dust

The Awful Truth about Jogging

My new “Having it Some” column is up at Medium.com, and is an Editor’s Pick!

You know I’m busy when I forget the Tumblr because I was supposed to be working but there was a Golden Girls marathon on television and I got sucked into watching it working so hard that I passed out early on the couch.

In consolation, I bring you this. You all know it, and probably haven’t thought about it for a while, but seeing this is going to make your damn Monday. That and some sweet Robicelli’s baked goods of course, available at a very smart, quality minded, and exceptionally good looking retailer near you.  

Happy Monday people!

Root Beer Float: Root beer cake, root beer custard, vanilla buttercream, maraschino cherry

Coconut Custard: Coconut cake, vanilla custard buttercream, roasted coconut

Hot Sunday: Chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream, hot fudge, maraschino cherry

Tres Leches: Three milk soaked brown butter cake, dulce de leche buttercream, caramel shards

In the five years we’ve been in business, I’ve always juggled about 900 things at the same time. This week I’m finally getting close to heading down to Disney World and getting myself cloned (you KNOW Disney has that technology hidden away somewhere).  I’ve been terribly behind on updating this blog and keeping you all in the loop on various projects — here’s why:

#1: THE BOOK

It has a cover and a layout! It’s like so freaking close you can already buy a copy!!! However, it’s not really done yet — I’m currently in the stage where I get to read through the entire book with a fine toothed comb looking for spelling errors, typos, and making sure all the recipes are correct.  I’d always wonder how books ended up with mistakes with all those smart people involved in the publishing process.  Now that I’ve been through it myself, I am honestly surprised there are not more mistakes in all the books we read.  Matt and I are stressing out trying to make sure there are none in our book, so we’re putting in extra hours and snorting a lot of espresso grounds to keep us on point.

When I’m not twitching, vomiting and gouging at my own flesh with a red pen, I’ve been doing lots of advance press for the book, meeting magazine editors and giving them the two minute pitch about how I’m the greatest person ever and they should buy my book.  It’s like speed dating, which I’m awful at. I was awful at dating period.  Only reason I got Matt to marry me was I got him drunk (that story is in the book!).  Plus, as regular readers know by now, I’m Catholic, and being proud of yourself is a HUGE sin.  So I’ve been doing a lot of meeting important people saying things like “Eh- I’m alright I guess.  I mean, you should buy my book and all.  There’s a lot of other books though that are really good, too. I guess mine’s pretty ok — you can write about it if you want.  I don’t want to force you or anything.  I mean, not like I’m going to be totally devastated or anything if you hate it!  Because, you know, I’m totally a big girl and not freaking out even a little about the acceptance of my peers! That’s me — Mrs. Cool!”.  (please buy my book)

#2: Writing For CNN

That’s right, I wrote something for C-N-f***king-N! And I totally forgot to post it here because I’m an idiot. So here it is! Read it!  And if you like the piece, know that we’re still not done with our fundraiser to help Moore, Oklahoma.  We didn’t want people to forget us after Sandy, and we absolutely cannot forget either Oklahoma, or the men and women of Team Rubicon who are rebuilding their town like they did for us.  Make a donation — even $10 is spectacular — and help us inch towards our goal of $15,000 by the fourth of July.

#3: Writing for Medium

Medium is brought to you by the inventors of Twitter and Blogger, and is being heralded as “The Future of Online Journalism”,  And for some reason they offered me an actual honest to goodness biweekly column, where my stuff gets looked at my editors and goes through multiple drafts and I get paid and everything.  So my A-game is going to be over there, and the poor syntax, grammar, and punctuation you’ve grown to know and love will be staying right here on our Tumblr.  

Thusfar I’ve written four articles for them, including a thorough takedown of the Googa Mooga debacle (is it just me or does that already feel like it happened forever ago? Though I still have all this bottled water in my apartment…..).  If you haven’t had the chance to read them, here they are!

Cupcake Wars 4.23.13

Letter to a First Time Father 5.6.13

What Tourists Need To Know About NYC 5.17.13

The “Great” Googa Mooga 5.24.13

#4: More Writing

I’m working on three other writing projects right now.  There’s so much writing going on that I finally bought a new laptop last week to replace the one that has been dying a slow painful death for months, and still haven’t had the time to switch all my crap over.  I don’t want to forget to do it and lose all the MS Paint classics I’ve got stored on this thing.

I don’t even remember why I drew this, but it gives me unending joy when I accidentally stumble across it.

#5: Sesame Place

You know you’re stressed when you think picking up and hightailing it to Sesame Place with two young sons will be relaxing. Within 6 hours of our “vacation” we had an emergency room visit. Oddly, still more soothing than being home.

#6: Stuff I Can’t Tell You Yet

Don’t you just HATE it when I pull this crap? You should! But part of my job is working really hard on projects that I have to sign non-disclosure agreements and various other legal forms, and when those things become the center of my universe, I end up having nothing to talk about when I sit down to write the Tumblr.  Long term gain, short term loss.  Sorry.

#7: Baking Stuff

Like whoopie pies that are showing up from here to Montauk! Brownies! Loaf cakes! And of course, the cupcakes!

Bailey’s Cheesecake: Bailey’s chocolate cake, Bailey’s cheesecake buttercream, chocolate cake crumbs

Banoffee: Banana cake, toffee pudding, mascarpone buttercream, homemade toffee shards

The Ebinger: Chocolate cake, chocolate custard buttercream, chocolate fudge, chocolate cake crumbs

Horchata: Horchata cake, pudding and buttercream, cinnamon sugar rice krispies 

Last week, in the days after the Oklahoma tornado, I made a plea on this site for funds to support Team Rubicon. If you follow us on Twitter (of course you do, right?), you’ve also been following along in our quest to raise $15,000.  Today, in honor of Memorial Day, I’m using our blog to tell you all a little more about Team Rubicon, who they are, what they do, and why they deserve your support.

And also this guy! How can you not donate money now?!?!?!

First and foremost, Team Rubicon is a veterans organization. Men and women who have been bravely serving our country for years — sometimes ten or more — return home and suddenly find themselves with a lack of purpose. In 2010 TR was formed to utilize the skills and abilities of our American heroes to impact thousands of lives across the globe.  

When earthquakes destroyed Haiti, Team Rubicon deployed veterans to assist rescue efforts, and rebuilt cities that were literally destroyed.  When Superstorm Sandy decimated our hometown, it was the heroes from Team Rubicon who worked through the harsh New York winter; bringing strength, relief and hope to our forgotten neighborhoods.  And when a tornado destroyed Moore, Oklahoma, almost immediately Team Rubicon announced plans to deploy.

While these are United States Military Veterans, this is not a program funded by our government — this is entirely a volunteer-run non-profit organization who relies on the support of people like us to help them save the world.  

This weekend I was telling my sons, ages 4 1/2 and 6, about Memorial Day and what it was all about.  I told them about the wars America has fought in, and how the extraordinary bravery of seemingly average people has shaped the world.  My boys asked questions about Spiderman and Indiana Jones and the other heroes they see on the big screen. I told them about Team Rubicon, how these people are real, and how they are giving their lives in anonymity to help their fellow man — regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion.  I am proud to be an American, and proud to be able to do my part to support actual superheroes.

On Memorial Day, I hope you’ll take a few moments to learn more about Team Rubicon and the good they put into the world, and perhaps donate a few dollars to help support their mission down in Oklahoma.  In one week our fundraising team has managed to raise over $9,000 — I would love to see us over $10k at the end of today, to honor the men and women who have given their lives for others.  Our average donation so far has been only $15, so every little bit adds up.  

God bless Team Rubicon, and God bless America.  We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and we’ll see you back here on Friday.  In the meantime, here’s what we baked last night — more stuff going out all week.

Duckwalk: Vanilla cake, blueberry port syrup, blueberry port mascarpone buttercream, port simmered wild Maine blueberries

Pecan Potato Chip: Potato chip cake, vanilla buttercream, roasted pecans, potato chips, salted butterscotch

The Duckie: Peanut cake, peanut butter pudding, marshmallow buttercream, roasted peanuts

The Hinsch: Chocolate malted cake, vanilla buttercream, malted chocolate sauce, homemade malted milk balls

IT’S FINALLY TIME. 

I honestly don’t know how I managed to wait this long. This is the best thing that’s happened to me since I found Brian Austin Greene’s rap CD at a garage sale (someone let that thing go for only fifty cents! Can you believe that?!?!?!)

The Bluth: Chocolate banana cake, chocolate buttercream, roasted walnuts, chocolate ganache

Creamsicle: Orange cake, vanilla buttercream, candied orange peel

Strawberry Shortcake: Vanilla cake, strawberry syrup, mascarpone buttercream, strawberry compote

Toasted Almond: Almond cake, vanilla buttercream, toasted almonds

Help Oklahoma: Support Team Rubicon

During our Sandy relief, we had the honor of feeding Team Rubicon many times.  They are US military veterans who return from war zones overseas, and use their emergency response and rebuilding skills in disaster situations.  We as New Yorkers are indebted to them and their bravery.  

We now get word that Team Rubicon is assembling in Oklahoma to assist in tornado relief.  We urge you to donate to them rather than the Red Cross, who was MIA in the days after Sandy, took weeks to appear in certain neighborhoods, closed food and heating stations during holidays and other times, and are not transparent with where your donations are going.  Team Rubicon not only give an emergency situation the blood sweat and tears it warrants, but they also keep an open financial policy that leaves them accountable to donors, and is dedicated to making sure your dollars go to helping people rather than paying for fancy offices, executive salaries, or television ads.

Team Rubicon- thank you for all that you do for the poor and suffering around the world. We salute you.

Here’s our dish for Googa Mooga! CAR BOMB PARFAIT: Guinness brownie, Bailey’s cannoli cream, Jameson ganache, beer nut praline. Find us behind the main stage in “The Woods”, right next to the beer tent with the shortest lines at all of @googamooga (shhhhhh…..don’t tell too many people that….)

IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!! GOOGA MOOGA HAS ARRIVED!!!

For the next three days, if you were keen enough to get tickets, you’ll be able to get your hands on our Car Bomb Parfait: a Guinness stout fudge brownie topped with a Bailey’s ricotta creme, Irish Whiskey ganache, and beer nut praline. This is a Googa-only special which you’ll never be able to find anywhere else outside of this weekend, SO YOU BETTER COME AND VISIT US. 

We’re located in “The Woods” portion, directly next to the beer tent and across from the ATMs. Best way to find us- look for the main stage, walk towards it, turn left slightly and head in the direction of all the trees. We’re in a nice shady nook with lots of picnic tables, next to Northern Spy Food Co., Rippers, Caracas Rockaway, Kasadela, and my favorite-named food business of all time, The Big Banana.

You know you’re a parent when you hear the term “Big Banana” and this is the first thing you think of. And because you can recite the entire episode verbatim.

Instead of posting the event map, which you’ll look at once and forget, I suggest you download the official Googa Mooga App, which will not only tell you where everything is, but also let you check out everyone’s menus in advance. Then you can make your own personal shopping list of everything you need to eat and check it off as you go. My list currently includes grilled maple bacon skewers from Landhaus, a Fois Gras doughnut from Do or Dine, and Tacos al Pastor from Salvation Taco.  And speaking of tacos, another big event has just been announced for us…….

Tickets just went on sale for this years NYC Wine & Food festival, and Robicelli’s will be providing the desserts for Tacos & Tequila hosted by Bobby Flay on October 19th. We’ll be everywhere that weekend as our book comes out two days before — and if you happen to be at Googa Mooga, you’ll be one of the first to see the cover! (don’t despair if you’re not making it - I promise to post a pic on Instagram at some point this weekend).

If Googaing about is not your thing, you can certainly just pick up one of these cupcakes that are going around to various shops, or a whoopie pie at any Red Hook Lobster Pound or Jordan Lobster Farms location, then follow along on Twitter where I’m sure I’ll be posting lots of nonsense all weekend long. And speaking of Twitter- congratulations Mark Turetsky! You won two tickets in our Googa Mooga giveaway by naming your pick for most underappreciated sitcom episode of the last 30 years:

Mark Turetsky ‏@mturetsky15 May

@robicellis Do the Urkel, where Steve repaired a divided America through the power of dance.

Excellent call, Mark. Excellent call. In this crazy world we live in, we can’t forget the power of Urkel to unite and heal us all.

Root Beer Float: Root beer cake, root beer custard, vanilla buttercream, maraschino cherry

Butterbeer: Butterscotch soaked cake, butterscotch buttercream, edible gold dust

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel: Chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, crushed peanuts and pretzels

The Aris: Orange scented walnut cake, Greek yogurt buttercream, spiced honey walnuts

It’s getting real, bitches! TWO MORE DAYS!! @googamooga

We’re 6 days away from Googa Mooga, which will be all sorts of amazing and will change your life and whatnot. I, of course, will not be posting about that today, because I have an incredibly messed up sense of priorities.

What will we be talking about today?

The Simpsons Tapped Out, a game for iPhone/Android that advertises itself as “Life Ruiningly Fun!”. And you know what? It IS life ruiningly fun. It’s been ruining my life since last October and I can’t stop it.

I’m not really sure how to describe the point of this game as, well, there is no point. You’re building and designing your own Springfield, so it’s sort of like owning a dollhouse. Except less expensive, you can keep it in your pocket, and you never need to dust it. Also unlike a dollhouse, this one has a 24 hour animation of Hans Moleman getting hit by a football in the groin.

Ahhhh! My groin!

This has been the #1 game on iTunes for a while now, so I don’t doubt that many of our readers are also addicted. And that means that you’re all in the same boat as I am- desperately collecting as many eggs as you can before “Whacking Day” ends at some point this Thursday.  

Me, I’m desperate. I had to take a few day off the game to “do my job”, then the developers server problems locked me out for a bit, and there was lots of bad luck with the snake/egg ratio.  Point is, now I’m far behind the pace I need to get the Sleep Eazy Motel and Miss Springfield.  So what can I do about this?

I can intimidate entice you all to give me your snake eggs.

In the event you’re actually still reading what can only be described as the most shameless blog post in the history of this company- remember that bit about Googa Mooga in the beginning? The giant music/food festival which sold out in like 20 seconds? Well guess who has a bunch of free freaking tickets to hold over your head to make you dance like cheese eating surrender monkeys?

My user name is AllisonF718. You give me your eggs, you let me know who you are and how many you have me over on Twitter or Facebook, and whoever gives me the most gets 2 general admission tickets to Saturday’s Googa, featuring Sharon Van Etten, Matt & Kim and more.

“But that’s not fair!” you say! “I was smart enough not to get sucked into that massive timewasting orgy of pointless phone tapping! Where are MY free tickets!” you say! Well don’t worry- I’ve set aside a few for bribes, but I still have more to give away to our devoted fans. You NEED  to pay attention to our Twitter over the next few days, because that’s where I’m going to be doing it. What’s it going to entail? No freaking idea.  I’m doing this the same way I make all my important decisions- I’m downing a few bourbons and then making some crap up. I’ve got a .631 average in good decision making that way, which is WAY better than most!

Now as I didn’t get sent a picture of today’s cupcakes from the kitchen last night, here’s random picture of Phyllis Diller.

Cupcakes would have looked better.

McFadden: Victorian lemonade cake made with Pimm’s, lemon ginger buttercream, candied lemon zest

German Chocolate: Chocolate cake, salted caramel buttercream, roasted coconut

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp: Brown sugar oat cake, vanilla buttercream, strawberry rhubarb compote, oat crisp

Hazelnut Kiss: Chocolate hazelnut cake, Nutella buttercream, roasted hazelnuts

We occasionally bake things for celebrities. I never take pictures or tweet about it or things like that because the way we see it, when you’re enjoying something sweet, it’s a little indulgent moment just for you. I don’t need to be sticking my face up in that, blowing you up to the world, ruining your little pocket of “me time” just because you’re famous! Enjoy whatever it is you’re eating! Cupcakes and such don’t care about what tv show you’re on or how many albums you’ve sold- they just want to make you smile in your tummy.

However, today I’m going to have to blow up someone’s spot and do a bit of bragging, because this is just too. Freaking. Cool.

Ladies and gentlemen - today we have made cupcakes for….

WINNER OF THE 2013 KENTUCKY DERBY ORB!!!

Mind you, this is the first time we’ve ever made anything for a horse, so I don’t know if he gets to eat any cupcakes, or if his handlers get to slowly eat it in front of him, inciting him into a jealous rage and making him want to win more. That could very well be the case.  However what I DO know with absolute certainty is that horseys are the super-duper best, and Orb is apparently King of the Horses! SUCK IT, EVERY HORSE I’VE EVER ACTUALLY PUT MONEY ON! I’M A WINNER NOW!

Know who else is a winner? Your moms. And this weekend is Mother’s Day, meaning you should pick her up some special cupcakes, like our only-four-times-a-year Strawberry Champagne, or two of our Golden Girls cupcakes, or Banana Nutella (what mother doesn’t like Nutella? Aside from the ones with life threatening nut allergies?). You should buy your mom a few of these, load some Dirty Dancing up on Netflix, then slowly back out of the room and keep your freaking mouth shut all day. That’s the gift I’m hoping for.

Strawberry Champagne: Champagne cake, strawberry champagne buttercream and compote, edible gold dust

Bea Arthur: Black coffee chocolate cake, cheesecake buttercream, espresso ganache

Estelle Getty: Amaretto cake, cheesecake buttercream, amaretti cookies

Banana Nutella: Banana cake, Nutella buttercream, banana hazelnut praline

A Letter to a First Time Father — Having it Some

As I write this, one of my best friends is waiting for his first child to make her entrance into the world. I’m following along at home like…

I’m now officially a member of the writing staff of Medium with a bi-weekly column: “Having it Some”.  This week I give some advice to one of my best friends on earth, who just welcomed his first daughter into the world. I’ve managed to keep my kids alive for six years now without serious injury or flat out losing them, so I’m now an authority who can dispense advice over the internet!