When I first heard about a Milk Bar opening in Cambridge, I legitimately have never been more excited. I have a major sweet tooth and figured there is no better way to exploit it than to review as many of the Milk Bar products that I could in one sitting. Also, essential to know is that the whole inspiration behind Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar is “familiar yet unexpected desserts” and the concept of using the flavor of cereal milk in desserts.
First, the classic Milk Soft Serve: I chose to go for the Fruity Cereal Milk Soft Serve rather than the classic. I did enjoy the crunch of the cereal since they not only layer it on top of the ice cream but also fill the bottom of the cup with the cereal pieces. The soft serve itself was definitely a flavor I was not used to, but when paired with the cereal pieces I did like it. I did not love the taste enough to finish it once I used up all the cereal pieces just because the cereal milk taste did have a somewhat bitter aftertaste.
Secondly, the infamous Crack Pie: For those who do not know, the Crack Pie is a toasted oat crust with a “gooey butter filling.” When I first took a bite of my slice, my mouth started watering immediately, and the butter filling literally began to melt in my mouth. I rarely ever think something is too sweet, but wow; this was quite literally the sweetest thing I’ve ever eaten. After taking two bites of my slice, I needed to put it away and save it for another time. I would really recommend this for anyone that loves buttery desserts and can handle eating something that is almost like straight sugar.
Thirdly, the Chocolate Malt Cake Truffles: The truffles are “rich chocolate cake mixed with malted milk, coated with white chocolate and rolled in malted milk crumbs.” This was my favorite dessert from Milk Bar by far. It was very rich and tasted like brownie batter in the best way. I enjoyed the balance between the softness of the cake inside and the crunch of the malted milk crumbs on top. I only got the pack of three of these and really wished that I had gotten more to take home.
Lastly, the Cornflake Marshmallow Cookie: This cookie is a classic chocolate chip cookie with “crunchy cornflakes, gooey marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips” added in. I really did enjoy this cookie because of the balance of textures within it. I do think that if you do not like marshmallow, then you would not want this cookie, as the marshmallow fluff part of the cookie is very prevalent. I loved the addition of cornflakes for a good crunch, and the texture of the cookie (since it was prepackaged) was very good and felt freshly baked.
Overall, I would say that Milk Bar is worth a visit, but since it is so popular in Cambridge at the moment, I would recommend going later at night especially on the weekends, since they’re open until 2 am. I enjoyed some of the items but would really only go back for those truffles.
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