Edge of the Woods, the vegetarian market on Whalley Avenue, has my respect. It’s an independent family business with multiple departments and actual principles—a hard line to walk for one year let alone 47.
It’s an even harder line to walk when one of those departments is a bakery, keeping two long cases filled with made-from-scratch cakes, cookies, cupcakes, scones, bars, brownies, pies and more while knowing that grocery store bakeries don’t get a lot of respect. Maybe we collectively assume that the most skilled and experienced bakers work for restaurants or baking businesses that aren’t also focused on providing other services. Maybe we worry about how long stuff’s been sitting in the case and how closely it’s been monitored for freshness.
But maybe we also wonder how fair those suspicions are. Recently, I felt it was time to give Edge of the Woods’s bakery, specifically its vegan desserts, a proper chance. Here’s what I tried—and also what I found:
Apple Pie, Carrot, Pistachio & Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes ($3.49 each)
Each was moist and springy with frosting whipped to a delicate fluff. The thatch-frosted cap of the Apple Pie, perched over a yummy stewed apple filling, brimmed with cinnamon. The Carrot’s frosted dome was rolled in a coarse chop of toasted almonds, adding depth to the cake’s classic flavor. The Pistachio was finished in more finely chopped (you guessed it) pistachios, though a sprinkle of salt may have emboldened their flavor. My favorite? The Lemon Raspberry, which, with a core of silken, tangy lemon filling and the frosting’s light berry blush, just slightly edged out the Apple Pie.
Brownie ($2.75)
I got an endpiece, one side slick and sloped like the edge of the pan. The chocolate flavor was a little too mild, but the interior was moist, with a crispier, chewier top. A serviceable, but not spectacular, brownie.
Cinnamon Roll Bar ($3.25)
Each bite was a super-moist blast of sugar, with the cinnamon phasing in and out. I liked it better in, but I also just liked the overall package. A glaze of icing over the top added a nice beat of texture and brought it all together.
Tahini Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies ($2.49 each)
I’ve had a great tahini cookie from here, but this one was dry and stale. The peanut butter one, on the other hand, was nicely moist, though it could’ve used plenty more peanut butter flavor.
Cherry Raspberry Strudel ($3.49)
Outside: light, soft, flaky dough decorated with sugar crystals. Inside: smooth, ruby red filling that was beautifully tart and not too sweet. Together: a great time.
Linzer Cookie ($1.75)
Nutty and earthy, the almond-oatmeal build of the cookie was too dense and monotonous to recommend. The thumbprint of jammy glaze on top—raspberry, I think—could have saved it if the proportions had been different. Instead, this was a drop of fruit in a bucket of cookie.
Pecan Pie Bar ($3.25)
Thick, sticky, decadent. Bigger by volume, I think, than an actual slice of pecan pie. Toasty, buttery, earthy flavors balanced against sweet notes of brown sugar, salty brittle and, in a late rush, maple syrup. The bar was a little wetter inside than I’d have liked, but the chewy caramelized top, oatmeal pie crust and, in the middle, shards of pecan gave each bite plenty to hang onto.
Generally, I was impressed with the quality of the output—when it tasted fresh. The clerk told me trays of this or that are replaced when the last one sells, which confirms for me, along with the tahini cookie, that there’s a real danger of things sitting too long in the case. Two items that didn’t last long enough for me to try them were that day’s vegan scones—Lemon Currant and Lime-Glazed Toasted Coconut, which the clerk said had sold out within hours.
Next time I go to Edge of the Woods and get a hankering for something sweet, I’ll let freshness be my guide. I’ll head to the bakery cases and ask what’s new—and hope the answer involves one of those scones.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims.
