Big Bear Baked Goods and RuKis' New Branch on Dashibei Hutong is a Treat
Any Beijinger with a sweet tooth will be familiar Jonathan Ellis’ Big Bear Baked Goods. The 33-year-old Chicago born baker rose to local dessert fame in 2013, when he won the Hutong's Charity Cookie Monster Bakeoff (read more about that here).
Since then, Ellis has been building his brand, Big Bear Baked Goods, and selling his wonderful creations at both branches of Palms L.A. Kitchen as well as a sprinkle of other joints and events. Well, lucky for us dessert enthusiasts, Big Bear Baked Goods finally opened their first ever branch in the alleys of Dashibei Hutong, and with none other than Anete Elken from RuKis Estonian Bread, another one of our favorite bakers.
We paid Big Bear a visit over the long weekend, on a particularly sunny and sweaty afternoon. The shop, located right next to 4corners, wasn’t difficult to find – partly due to the smell of freshly baked cookies and bread wafting in the air. It’s a small, quaint shop painted light blue. The little space inside (not mentioning the kitchen, where they bake fresh batches of cookies) is just enough for a cashier counter and a stack of coffee machines. Despite this, the shop doesn’t feel cramped due to it simple design.
Even in the sweltering heat, the cookie queue was already overflowing onto the streets during their soft opening weekend. We quickly placed an order for a bag of cookies, which contains five cookies for RMB 40, and since customers can mix and match, we asked to try one of each flavor. Sadly but unsurprisingly, they had ran out of their specialty, the Mud & Snow, which is a salted dark chocolate cookie. We didn’t let this break our spirit, though, for we still had two other delicious flavors to taste.
We had the Afternoon Delights, which is loaded with toffee, walnuts, and cinnamon. The toffee and cinnamon had distinct flavors, yet the pairing created a smooth and comforting harmony. The soft cookie combined with its gooey toffee filling and chunks of walnuts, creating an array of textures that made each bite a satisfying mouthful. They truly were an afternoon delight.
Their chocolate chip cookies are also delicious, but are different in texture than the Afternoon Delight. Big Bear’s chocolate chip cookies are for those who prefer drier cookies, and while we personally prefer chewier cookies, the chocolate chip cookies were nonetheless tasty and very comforting.
We also got half a loaf of Estonian rye bread from RuKis (RMB 25 for half, RMB 40 for a full loaf), a baked goods brand specializing in Estonian rye bread. RuKis has had a strong following in Beijing for about a year now, and have made its way to Beijing's Farm 2 Neighbors Market. Their bread is made from scratch using fresh and high quality ingredients.
For the time being, Big Bear cookies are now exclusively sold at their shop, but according to Ellis, th ey are starting " … an aggressive marketing plan to sell to other restaurants and cafes.” Following this soft opening weekend, the store will be open on weekends to start off with, from 11am-7pm, with the aim of expanding opening times. Several local craft goods are also on hand at this new bakery, like Mantra bars, Naked Nut Butter, Yeyo, and more.
The owner and baker also told us that cookies are just the first phase of Big Bear Baked Goods’ plan. Their second phase is to venture to pies and cakes, then donuts and other confections, and eventually bagels and other baked goods. Ellis had previously sold donuts for Hatchery for a limited amount of time. His innovative donuts include flavors like the straw-thorn (strawberry and hawthorn). As fans of the brand, we are definitely waiting for the next phases with bated breath.
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Photos: Carmel Moersalim
