A Field Guide to Satisfying Your Postnatal Sweet Tooth in Boerne

Here’s a fact that is now as foreign to me as it is true: I used to eat salads for dessert. Sometimes I would even round out my meal with an extra serving of roasted brussels sprouts or foccacia bread or hard cheeses. But when I had my son, who I affectionately call my little vampire baby because he quite literally sucks the life out of me at regular two-hour intervals, all of that changed. Since having Nathan, I have developed a sweet tooth the likes of which I never imagined possible. Me, the girl who always, without question would choose savory over sweet…me, the girl who didn’t have a cavity until her mid-twenties (and then probably due to sweetened coffee creamer more than anything else)…me, the girl who never met a salty snack she didn’t like. Me. I am all of a sudden an addict of the highest order: a sugar addict, and I will stop at nothing to get my fix.

My newly wired taste buds were initially so foreign and alarming to me that I was compelled to turn to the internet to see if I could find any kindred spirits who shared my confusion and depravity. I liken my search to the “Am I normal?” questions that used to monopolize the advice columns of preteen staple Seventeen magazine. You remember those questions right? Young, embarrassed and under-informed girls would write in, state their issue or dilemma, and close their query with “Am I normal?” Well, my google query was similar. “Hello – I’m a breastfeeding mom whose newborn eats constantly, and I think about cupcakes the way an adolescent boy thinks about sex. Am I normal?”

It is probably no revelation that you can find validation of any sort of condition when you research it online, so of course I found lots of posts on mommy chat boards from moms who experienced an insatiable craving for all things sugary and sweet since giving birth to their babies. I don’t know if there is any scientific legitimacy to the phenomenon or how to explain it, but what I do know is that for me anyway, it’s very real. I simply cannot eat enough sugar…

And since there are plenty of obvious downsides to this affliction, I thought maybe I would focus on the positive: my need for sweets has led me to discover some awesome new shops in and around Boerne. Shops that cater to sugarheads such as myself. So without further ado, meet my enablers.

Paul’s Gourmet Popcorn

You’ve probably heard about the 31 flavors of ice cream, but did you ever in your wildest dreams imagine that a shop could offer over 50 flavors of popcorn?!? Well neither did I. And yet there is such a magical place right at the start of the yellow brick road that leads to the Fair Oaks Ranch neighborhood, and it is truly a one-stop shop for satisfying any craving that your pregnant, breastfeeding, or just regular ole human self could imagine. Feeling like pizza? There’s a popcorn for that. How about a loaded baked potato? Got that covered too. Or maybe you’re like me and you have a hankering for dark chocolate with sea salt. Yes!!! It’s all available – in recent health food darling popcorn form no less – at Paul’s. Can’t make up your mind? Never fear – the good people at Paul’s had the foresight to include a sample bar at their store so that you can try (and try and try) before you buy!

Although I first discovered Paul’s in a (successful) attempt to feed my need for chocolate, I will likely be going back to make someone else’s day in the form of a gift. The store is filled with cute containers that can be filled with delectable morsels for any occasion or anyone: end of the year teacher gifts, out-of-town gift baskets for weddings or other events, graduation, baby showers, or my personal recommendation: new mom gifts! While everyone else is sending gifts for the bambino, let your friend know you are thinking about HER by sending her the X-Large bag (110 cups)  of one of the store’s most popular flavors: Zebra.  All of Paul’s popcorn is made fresh in-house, and all of the flavors are gluten-free.

Sugar Belles Cake Shop

On the days when I’m craving something pretty hard-core, I head to Sugar Belle’s Cake Shop in Boerne. Ladies, I lived in Dallas as the cupcake craze was developing, and I sampled some tasty morsels during that awakening. I worked in Manhattan when the cupcake craze was booming, and I hit every cupcake shop that graced the headlines of DailyCandy. Call me a Betty Crocker kind of girl, but I was never overly impressed with the store-bought cupcake….until I had one from Sugar Belles.

Oh.My.Word. (And yes, I really do talk like that. Please see here). I do not know what they put in these cupcakes, but I suspect it’s crack. And if not crack, then it must be butter. Loads and loads of butter. There is something about the heavenly consistency of the icing (not too thick, not too fluffy), the lightness of the cake, and the perfection of the flavors that cannot be denied and certainly not replicated at home. At least not in my home. If you have not had a Sugar Belles cupcake, you simply must go to try one. Today. Yes – even if you live in Central San Antonio. It’s worth the drive, and if you disagree, the cupcake is on me. If you can find me, that is. Tee hee. Oh, and Sugar Belles usually offers two gluten-free flavors each day that are absolutely and positively just as delectable as their gluten-laden options.

 

Dough Ray and Me

There are days – lots of days, actually – when I’m in need of not just a sugar fix but a caffeine fix as well. When that situation arises, Dough Ray and Me is my new go-to spot. The perfect anecdote to the played-out flavored lattes and dry, predictable pastries at Starbucks, Dough and Ray Me offers us interesting caffeinated (and decaffeinated) beverages and a refreshingly diverse selection of pastries made daily in-house. On a recent visit I was (shockingly) craving something savory, so I ordered a sausage and cheese kolache with a miel latte. The kolache was served warm, and it was so divine I ordered a second shortly after devouring the first. The miel latte is made with honey and cinnamon, and I highly recommend it…as does Brendan the barista. (Follow Brendan on Instagram at @doughraymeboerne to keep abreast of the most up-to-the-minute offerings at the shop.)

Bakery selections can include such delicacies as Nutella pound cake, pie, chocolate oatmeal cookies, mini iced strawberry donuts, muffins, and quiche. I am always on the look-out for gluten-free bakery items, and Dough Ray and Me has an excellent assortment from which to choose. I have sampled (ok, eaten my weight in) several varieties of their gluten-free cookies, and they are truly tremendous. While you’re waiting for your drink to be prepared, take a look around the shop at the thoughtfully curated gift items for sale. You could knock out quite a few gifts on your list while you browse as they carry everything from Duck Dynasty merchandise to children’s gifts (including the cutest owl backpack from MudPie that I was unbelievably tempted to buy) and everything in between.

I’m hoping this cookie/cupcake/chocolate phase passes soon because I’m not loving the feeling of being enslaved by sugar, but in the meantime, I’m all too happy to continue to give these local shops my devoted business. Where do you go when your cravings rear their ugly head? Can you relate to the breastfeeding induced sweet tooth? Tell me it ends soon!!!