Finger-Lickin’ Good Vegan Chocolates

New Paltz chocolate lovers listen up! I have discovered a hidden treasure, a gem;  It’s the crème de la crème of chocolates and it’s right here in town! Their name’s Lagusta’s Luscious and knock-your-socks-off chocolate is their game.



Taken by Georgia Schunk



Tucked away behind Pegasus foot ware, Lagusta’s is a quaint, little house with robin’s-egg blue walls (an overall color scheme of teal and chocolate brown) and artsy, New-Paltz-hippie approved décor creating an ambiance similar to that of a craft store and a coffee shop combined.  



Taken By Georgia Schunk



On all sides of the store are deliciously-displayed chocolate bars and a small refrigerator in the corner is loaded with hand-made products such as cheeses, jams and sodas



Taken By Georgia Schunk



There are shelves upon shelves of perfectly organized spices that add to the already intoxicating aroma of fresh chocolate. If you weren’t craving chocolate before you walked in the door, you certainly are now!

Taken By Georgia Schunk





In a glass display case (perfectly in view the second you walk inside) lay an assortment of hand-crafted VEGAN chocolates! When I first heard that word I thought “oh great, tasteless chocolates… yum” but the little vegan-babies looks so darn beautiful and delicious I thought it might be worth the risk… Best decision I ever made!



Taken By Georgia Schunk



After a long debate between the salted Galápagos turtle and the almond-toffee frog I finally purchased the $3 caramel, chocolate and pecan turtle with a dash of sea salt on top (my sister getting a coconut pyramid ($2), her friend a macadamia Maui vanilla cream with chamomile ($2), and my mother: the almond-toffee frog ($2.50))



Strawberries and Cream Bark (Taken By Georgia Schunk)



Taking my first bite into my turtle I felt an explosion of spices, followed by a gooey eruption of salted caramel. The pecans, slightly roasted, snapped apart giving the candy a nice crunch palatable with the chewy caramel. I found my mouth begging for the next bite until my palm sized turtle was devoured. My chocolate craving: delightfully satiated

Taken from Lagusta's Website

The recipe for chocolate is of unparalleled taste. An odd but yet delicious marriage of spices accompanies every chocolate masterpiece Lagusta’s creates. I will warn those, however, who are not fans of experimenting or spices. With options such as the caramelized onion and chipotle truffle, the coriander-beet truffle, and the furious vulva, to call the recipes “crazy concoctions” would be a gross understatement. 



Taken from Lagusta's Website



To make my time at Lagusta’s even more pleasant (which must seem impossible by now) the most wonderful person was working behind the counter: the owner/ creator/ genius behind Lagusta’s! She had such a friendly demeanor and always carried a pleasant smile across her face. She was there to answer my many questions about her recipes, and gave off a warm and welcome feeling that instantly made me feel comfortable. Had there been a bed in the front of the store, I would have moved in permanently!



Taken By Georgia Schunk



Since my first trip to Lagusta’s I have made a weekly ritual of bringing my friends down and trying out the different chocolate (the selection varies depending on what’s available, what is prepared that day and what’s in season). With an assortment of 8 for $15, we split the coast and slowly slip into a chocolate induced coma.  



Taken by Georgia Schunk



Every time my mom stays for the weekend, she ends up leaving with a bag load of Lagusta’s. On many occasions she has even called me from home and asked me to bring her back a box for her friend’s birthday, or simply because she has a burning craving for the divinely enticing Lagusta’s!

Taken from Lagusta's Website

I would tout to anyone and everyone that Lagusta’s Luscious has the best chocolates in all of New Paltz! Every person I have ever taken along the ride with me has left with a new favorite. Whether it be the Heathen Toffee, the Pomegranate Truffle, the Rosemary Sea-Salt Caramel, or the Walk in the Woods Bonbon, there is something for everyone and always a new thing to try. Even if you don’t feel like a truffle there are croissants, chocolate drinks, cookies, teas, sweets galore! Seriously, if you don’t have a foot out the door already then you must be allergic to chocolate or nowhere near New Paltz! And if that’s the case then I’m sorry, and I can’t believe you read all of this, but for those of you who do not have either excuse, grab your wallet, a friend and an empty stomach and check out Lagusta’s Luscious!

Taken from Lagusta's Website

Mouth-Watering Moxie Goodness

A few days a week, I groggily wake up during the wee hours of the morning, hop on my bike, and ride to town to get to work before 7AM – a real feat for the typical weary college student. And every morning, in my sleep walking (or, should I say sleep riding) state, I pass Moxie Cupcake, longingly wishing to stop for a simple, delicious cupcake. Come to think of it, the thought comes to my mind every single time I pass the shop, seemingly beckoning me to come closer; and yet, I ride past it time and time again.

So one beautiful Saturday afternoon, I finally decided to give into the temptation, dragging my nocturnal roommate out of hibernation and into the shining sun to try out these hyped-up cupcakes once and for all.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Moxie Cupcake, let me tell you – you’re absolutely missing out! It’s located right on Main Street, tucked in the back corner of a little hole-in-the wall strip – a real “hidden gem.”

Moxie Cupcake’s reputation precedes itself – ever since I came to SUNY New Paltz, I’ve heard countless people rave about these local cupcakes. The shop touts their use of strictly local dairy, eggs, produce, and fruits, that they never use trans fats, added preservatives, or stabilizers, and that everything is made right from scratch! Cool, huh?

The shop itself is quite charming. The pinks and browns that paint the walls make it very obvious that the shop is run and owned by two female bakers. A cozy patio sits next to the main shop, and makes for a perfect location to sit and enjoy a Moxie treat on a picturesque afternoon.

My mouth started watering as soon as the baking aromas hit me, immediately titillating my taste buds. I’m not the best chef, per say, but I do love to bake. There’s just something about making sweets and desserts for myself, family, or friends  (and eating the ingredients while I’m at it!) that I find simply irresistible. There were countless flavors to choose from, including The Moxie (chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, vanilla bean buttercream and a candy Moxie flower), Vanilla Sky (vanilla cake, vanilla bean filling, vanilla bean buttercream, pearl sprinkles), Cherry Darling (chocolate cake, tart cherry filling, vanilla bean buttercream, organic chocolate shavings, chocolate cherry), and Annie Get Your Gun (red velvet cake, chocolate ganache, cream cheese frosting, chocolate shavings)… as well as SO many more… 

The Moxie 

Cherry Darling

…but my roommate and I both had our eyes set on the Salt Away My Sugar cupcake.

The main attraction: Salt Away My Sugar

For anyone who is a true caramel fanatic like myself, this is THE cupcake for you. The Salt Away My Sugar is made up of a chocolate cake iced with a chocolate butter cream frosting. Upon taking a bite, freshly made caramel ganache oozes out from the inside, which is absolutely and perfectly compatible with the flavor of the chocolate cupcake itself. More caramel is artfully drizzled on top, and the cupcake is finished with a sprinkle of fleur de sel, commonly known as sea salt.

“Sea salt?!”, you might wonder – does that strike you as odd? It did to us too, at first. My friend wrinkled her nose when she heard that, although that minor oddity obviously didn’t stop her from indulging in the delicious treat at once. The sea salt, surprisingly, complimented the caramel, and created a fun, sugar-like texture. The combination of salt and sweet was a perfect juxtaposition that made our mouths water and tingle with delight. Who knew?!

Simple, yet perfect.

My only gripe is in regards to the prices – they’re a just a tad too expensive, especially for a student on a college budget. Each cupcake is about $3.00, though the prices decrease a bit as you buy larger quantities at once. While this could not be a daily expenditure for most, it certainly makes for a nice way to treat yourself every once in a while! For what I paid, the cupcakes could be a bit larger as well. As they were undeniably scrumptious, they could definitely be larger in size.

In addition to their Main Street location, Moxie Cupcake just opened another shop in the Water Street Market. I’m excited to head down there soon to check out that location and to taste test many more of their alluring cupcake flavors! They have different daily specials for each day of the week, which are always posted on their Facebook page. I encourage you to do the same and check it out, cupcake lover or not! We all deserve to spoil ourselves & treat our sweet tooth every once in a while.

Bon appétit!

Awkward solo shot - but I had to flaunt my purchase!

Look at how cute it is!

Why just buy one? The more the merrier!

Check out Moxie's Website for directions, mouth-watering images, and more information!

Photo Credits for first six images: http://www.moxiecupcake.com/ 

A Chocolate Lover's Dream

What is better after a long day of classes than a leisurely walk into town to get some chocolate? Probably nothing if you were looking for a definitive answer. The weather may not be ideal, a little chilly and gloomy but, like many other things, chocolate can quickly fix the mood.

If you don’t know where the best place to get chocolate in New Paltz is then I am here, coming to your rescue. Krause’s Chocolates on Church Street in New Paltz across from Suruchi Indian Restaurant is a chocolate lover’s wet dream. 

Krause's Chocolates: Church Street, New Paltz

My boyfriend and I traipsed into town on a Monday afternoon, knowing that the shop was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays oddly enough. I know that the chilly walk into town was going to be worth the potent flavors that awaited my taste buds inside the quaint brick building.

            Upon entering the shop my senses were overwhelmed, in a good way. The place is relatively new so the smell of carpentry, pungent scents of wood and art supplies crept into my nose, but on top of that the luscious smell of gooey, melty chocolate took center stage. The décor was simple and the people were friendly, very fitting in the town of New Paltz.

            I knew I was going into the store to buy my father a birthday present because, like me, he is a chocoholic. But could I really leave without something for myself? Hardly. So Greg (the aforementioned boyfriend) and I chose about 11 chocolates to fill up the half pound box (about $7.25 depending on weight) which was much harder than expected, considering there were a myriad of choices.

Inside of Krause's Chocolates; a myriad of choices

Of course we were somehow able to make the necessary choices and move on to the more exciting part of the experience, taste testing! The first thing that we noticed was that all of the chocolates looked so homey and rustic, they obviously didn’t contain any kind of preservatives or the traditional chemicals that are found in your typical Mars bar. Even the pickiest of eaters (Greg) would have been excited to delve into this cornucopia of treats.

We devised a system to go about testing each of these treats and because we couldn’t remember what each one contained it was a little bit mysterious and slightly daunting. It was decided that we would cut each in half and each take a taste of each.

And now I will do you the favor and save you the time of doing this taste test yourself (although I know I would want to take the challenge on for myself, the chocolate is just that good)!

A Tour For Your Taste Buds

The chocolate covered graham cracker: This was one of the most simple chocolates of the bunch, the layer of chocolate was a little on the thicker side but had a very smooth and milky texture.

The coconut cream: Definitely Greg’s second favorite; this chocolate is reminiscent of a classic Mounds bar, only homemade and a much more pungent coconut flavor.

The chocolate cream: To me, this chocolate was a little odd. I bit into it not remembering what exactly the flavor was supposed to be. Greg told me it was in fact chocolate cream but I could have sworn there was some other flavor in there, maybe almond? But regardless the chocolate was still delicious, just a bit confusing to my amateur taste. 

The chocolate raspberry: This chocolate was very flavorful and contained much more raspberry flavor than I was expecting (but lots of pretty pink dust), and too much for Greg’s liking. Continually the strong flavors amazed me because apparently I am not well versed in gourmet chocolates.

The orange cream: This was another super flavorful chocolate and quite messy having radioactive orange color oozing out of the dark chocolate coating, but still quite delicious (not that I really found one particularly gross).

The chocolate mocha: This chocolate tasted like I had been given a cup of coffee straight from Starbucks, I really enjoyed how strong the coffee flavor was and any avid coffee drinker or even barista would definitely agree.

The chocolate and peanut butter: This is simple and relatable, just think classy Reeses.

The chocolate marshmallow: I bet if you combined this chocolate with the graham cracker chocolate and sit in front of a fire you’ve got yourself the making of some delectable s’mores, bringing it back to our childhood.

The buttercream chocolate: This is one chocolate that confused me personally. I’m not entirely sure what buttercream flavor is supposed to be and I’m still not. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the taste; I just couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. If you try it and figure it out, let me know!

The caramel: Another chocolate Greg won’t touch but for anyone who enjoys the simple things then this is it, classic chocolate and caramel.

The cookie dough: Greg’s all-time favorite of the night. Eating the cookie dough is everyone’s favorite part of making cookies and now here’s the opportunity to eat it covered in chocolate, there is nothing better than that.

If you like chocolates and are looking for either a gift or just something to satiate that sweet tooth and the child within Krause’s is the place to go. From gummies to truffles to chocolate covered potato chips they offer it all. Along with a pleasant and helpful staff this quaint, local stop should be on every foodies list.