Dolci Italian Bakehouse

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Okemos, MI
Dolci Italian Bakehouse

Dolci Italian Bakehouse cookies and cakes are skillfully baked in small batches from authentic, time-tested Italian recipes. Fresh ingredients.

The seed for Dolci Italian Backhouse was planted over a quarter century ago when, as a 20-year-old college student, I had my first encounter with Italian desserts. I come from the Midwest, where the “good” desserts in the 1970s were M&M filled monster cookies, oatmeal bars and black and gold Hawkeye jello jigglers. When I first tasted Italian desserts, simply prepared and made with seasonal and hi

gh-quality ingredients, my eyes were opened. To this day, I can clearly remember how my first amaretto classico felt on my tongue, when the shatter of the crisp outermost layer revealed a miraculously chewy almond interior. After a long winding road with detours in political campaigns, lobbying and even gardening, but with extensive experimentation in la cucina italiana at every turn along the road, Dolci Italian Bakehouse finally took root. I now enjoy reproducing and sharing those special amaretti, and dozens of other Italian dessert classics that at various times in my life have also jostled their way to #1 on my list of favorites. Today, Dolci offers a revolving, seasonally-appropriate assortment of small-batch, fresh, authentic peccati di gola (sins of the throat) for satisfying a sweet tooth, gifting to a friend, ramping up your dinner party or holiday party menu, or treating your staff. You won’t find Dolci products at the local grocery store – they are exclusive, addictive and baked to perfection, my only acceptable quality level. With ingredients like olive oil, fresh hazelnuts, almond, pinenuts, home-made candies citrus peel, organic eggs, anise, saffron, and other spices, imported Italian liqueurs, and no preservatives ever, they will either open your eyes or satisfy your soul. Time tested recipes. A sprinkling of culinary magic that will momentarily transport you to bell’Italia, a country so civilized that eating cakes and cookies for breakfast is a perfectly normal.

03/14/2025

Despite my best intentions, I need to start this LONG-overdue update with another delay announcement. Life has taken the front seat, and while I thought for a time I could move it to the backseat, it is stubborn as a mule. Life has securely buckled itself in and is in full control of the temperature, the Spotify playlist, the distribution of the good-for-your-teeth mints in the center console, and the direction of the air vents. As a result of these unexpected life turns, I find that I'm not in Michigan consistently enough to make the Dolci baking schedule work. At this point, I don't want to say I will be back in the fall, but I also don't want to say I won't be back in the fall. I ask you, gentle readers, to continue with your unwavering patience as the next months unfold. To be fully forthcoming, my return will likely be short-term but I am now aiming for one last big stint in the fall/winter season. In the meantime, thank you all for the love you have shown both me and this (very demanding) little micro-enterprise we call Dolci!

06/03/2024

Greetings dear friends! I'm far overdue for an update on a return to the Meridian Township Farmer's Market. The good news is that I plan to return, the other news is that it likely won't be until February 2025 because I have a wild and quixotic spring/summer/fall. In a few hours, I depart for a second international trip within a month. The rest of the summer has three domestic trips, preparing three kids to fly the coop and the welcoming in early August of a foreign exchange student from Germany. But things will calm down early next year and I will be back to baking Italian goodies. Until then, I'll leave you with a picture from La Mancha region of central Spain, near the windmills that inspired Cervantes to write Don Quixote in the 16th century.

12/14/2023

Sweet tidings to you, gentle reader, customers, neighbors and friends! Saturday is both our final market of 2023, and the last market until spring 2024. My main takeaway this busy week is that Elon Musk has failed to invent, for those of us who find ourselves short on time due to seasonal work demands, the ability to temporarily clone ourselves, thereby allowing time for naps and cocktails and tennis and compelling books. I find this state of science to be completely unacceptable. I plan to send Elon a strongly worded letter. In the meantime, you will find a list of all the items I've made (or will make by Saturday) without a professional clone in the comment section. Feel free to preorder (full size cake preorders due by noon Friday) by sending me a text, a facebook message, or just commenting below. Additionally, I'll add another comment addressing shelf life for those of you trying to time my last market with your holiday cookie goals, and also a comment explaining some of the new or changed items. Let me know if you have any questions -- a Sabato!

12/08/2023

Thursday night in December greetings to you all! Although the Julie Time lately has been a little bit compromised while I bake up a holiday hurricane, it's important you know that sampling (a.k.a. quality control ) has been THOROUGH, and many times, executed repeatedly. This week's cake is called Persian Love Cake, a fragrant rosewater flavored cake accented with cardamom, rosebuds, almond flour (although not GF), and candied ginger. It coincidentally features a glaze-y lid with Christmas colors and pink rosebuds. With Hanukah this week, there are also treats in Jewish colors. If you'd like a full size cake, please pre-order by noon Friday. All the cookies are listed below and as usual, I'm happy to hold your requested items. You can find us with all these treats Saturday at the Meridian Township Farmer's Market (10am-2pm in the JC Penny wing, and the Dolci spot is near where all those kids play on trampolines). Grazie, amici!

12/01/2023

Happy December, i miei amici! This kitchen has been so active this past week, I feel like it has developed its own metabolismo! Here are some of its creations, all available tomorrow (Saturday 12/2, Meridian Mall, JC Penny wing, 10am-2pm). This afternoon, I'll be making a Cranberry Rictotta cake laced with orange zest and topped with sugared cranberries (full size requires preorder by noon today, apologies for the micro notice) and a dozen or so types of cookies listed in the comments. If you'd like me to set anything aside, let me know in messenger or text or in the comments. Thanks friends! A domani!

11/20/2023

If you'll allow this quick commercial break to interrupt your November raking, gutter cleaning and cranberry sauce recipe research, I have a December update! An assortment of Italian holiday treats will be available at the Meridian Township Farmer's Market (indoors at the Meridian Mall, JCPenny wing, Saturdays 10am-2pm) on December 2, December 9 and December 16. I'll plan to publish the complete list the day before each market. Some items are Italian Christmas favorites (ricchiarelli, cuccidati), some are Dolci's traditional offerings but dressed up in Christmas (and Hanukah!) colors (red and green cherry almond biscotti, lemon knots with seasonal sprinkles), and some are December specials, like tri-color cake, lavender sea salt caramels, and spinach cake with sugared cranberries. There is a fourth category -- looker cookies like peaches -- that are so pretty you might have to convince people they're really meant to be eaten. I hope you enjoy your family time this Thanksgiving and I will see you in December. Gratefully! Julie

10/24/2023

For our final market until December 2nd (when we will pivot to Saturdays -- more on the winter/spring schedule next week), there are a couple almost-new chocolate cookie varieties coming your way. For coffee lovers, there is an Espresso Bean Chocolate Brookie (a cross between a brownie and a cookie) which has black cocoa and chopped up chocolate covered espresso beans. The other is a Dark Chocolate Orange Wafer, a crunchy little thing with candied orange blitzed with sugar and orange zest and topped with sparkling sugar. And speaking of orange, one of the cakes tomorrow will be Triple Orange cake with a Ghirardelli drizzle and whole pureed oranges (peel, pith and pulp!). All cookies and cakes will soon be listed in the comments below. Feel free to preorder (and definitely preorder any cake you want in full size by tonight). Felice Halloween!

10/17/2023

For our penultimate market until December, because I'm a softie and also because this has turned out to be one of my personal favorites... I've given in to customer pleas for ONE MORE plum cake this year, so that is happening tomorrow. Additionally, I'm trying out a brand new Radicchio Carrot Cake (not to be confused with my other Radicchio Carrot cake, pictured below). This new cake features a cream cheese/buttermilk glaze and browned butter, which I think is a good match with earthy fall flavors. Please preorder any full size cakes by tonight. For the full list of what's available tomorrow at the Meridian Township Farmer's Market between 3-7pm, check out the comments below, and if you'd like anything set back and guarded until you arrive, leave me a direct message, a text or an email. A domani, amici!

10/10/2023

For tomorrow's market, I'm making a pumpkin cake that I desperately wanted to label the Anti-Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Cake, which is flavored with cardamom, a little cinnamon and allspice, and a "threat of pepper" as my chef friends at The Ugli Pi Company would say. But I figured there's enough wrong with the world right now so I'm running with a more positive label. The cake is finished with a maple olive oil glaze and it's perfect for those of you who have had it to the gills with the ubiquitous pumpkin spice. Also available tomorrow is a Lemony Rosemary Currant cake. Both cakes readily available in mini, but please preorder any cakes you'd like in the full 9" size. See the comments for this week's array of Italian and Italian-inspired cookies, all of which are available for preorder.

10/03/2023

I struggle to think of a more spectacular time & place combination than October in Michigan! For tomorrow's market (10/4 from 3-7pm), and the remaining three October markets, I'm incorporating the colors and flavors of the season. The full list of cookies (and a candy), plus Michigan Apple cake and Chocolate Orange Beet cake, is in the comments below. As always, I'm happy to set aside your order. Feel free to text me, DM me, or just leave a comment and i'll confirm with a thumbs up. And now I'm off to Clearview Orchard to pick some tart apples!

09/26/2023

Here's a quick reminder that I will not be at the Wednesday Sept. 27th market. That said, Florida was lovely and I was on the lookout for new ideas, like this incredible hazelnut chocolate butter cookie from the Posto Dolce store at the Biltmore Hotel. So until the Wed. Oct. 4th market, friends, have youselves "una settimana meravigliosa"!

09/19/2023

All systems go for the Meridian Township Farmer's Market tomorrow, 9/20, from 3pm-7pm! ***but first, a quick aside: I'm heading out of town on a previously scheduled trip so there will be no market for us the last Wed. of September***. This week, we're bringing back that gorgeous Plum Cake before we switch to pure fall ingredients like apples and pumpkins. Also back on the menu is an almond flour cake with a crunchy almond topping from Puglia in southern Italy. A full list of items is in the comments below, and as always, I'm happy to set anything aside for you. I thank you all again for your patience and understanding with this wonky September schedule!

Address

1185 Wrightwind Drive
Okemos, MI
48864

Opening Hours

10am - 2pm

Telephone

+15172307959

Website

http://dolciitalianbakehouse.com/

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