The Twisted Baker

The Twisted Baker sits quietly on the second floor of a charming building on Wells. Its name could not be more misleading. Once inside, you'll notice a casually elegant decor and a simple bakery layout. There are cookies and bars and tarts and eclairs and cupcakes all nicely organized within a glass display case.

I chose two of the mini cookies for 85 cents apiece - "nutless choc chip" & "chip"- and a medium-sized carrot cupcake for $2.25. I was a bit nervous ordering a cupcake though because the ones on display looked dry and dead, but thankfully, those were just for show!


I wish I could say something corny like "though the cookies were tiny in appearance, they were huge in flavor", but alas, I cannot. I would not mislead you, loyal reader. The reality is that both cookies were fine. The "chip" (on the left) had walnut and bittersweet choc chips whereas the "nutless cc" (on the right) contained only tightly-packed bittersweet choc chips. Both cookies had similar consistencies, good chewiness and a slight crunch, but the "nutless" was thinner and a bit moister.

The carrot cupcake was easily the highlight of my visit; in fact, twas phenomenal. Even now, it's hard to understand the way that it stayed simultaneously soft and fluffy with such a densely packed carrot cake. It was what other carrot cupcakes - or even carrot cakes - ought to strive for. The swirl of fantastic and smooth cream cheese frosting on top paired excellently with a tasty and complex base. Awesome notes of ginger and carrot and brown sugar lit up my tongue and the whole thing smacked of an expert baker's knowledge of balance.

Back or Forth? I will be going back.

The Twisted Baker - Old Town - (312)932-1128 - 1543 N. Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610 - Public transportation: bus 11 or 72 or the Sedgwick stop of the Brown/Purple Line.

chip cookie - 85¢
nutless choc chip cookie - 85¢
carrot cake cupcake - $2.25