Rink Dinks & Twinks, brought to you by Betty from Brooklyn

Betty Bakery, on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, had been on my list of places to go for a while now, after reading about their own version of Hostess cakes such as the Rinky Dink & Twink (Betty’s special Ring Dings and Twinkies).  When my new roommate and I were apartment shopping in the area, I decided to walk past it and finally get to give it a try.  Sure enough, the day I made it down there, it was Monday and it turns out that they aren’t open on Mondays.  So the next time Stacey and I met up to celebrate getting out apartment at the Addison, we went back to Betty’s to finally try it.


I of course opted for the Rinky Dink, since that was the dessert I had read about and  Ring Dings are one of my guilty non-bakery related desserts.  It was definitely better than the pre-packaged hostess treats.  The layer of chocolate was thicker, the cake was soft and it had just the right amount of cream inside.  Sad to say we only tried the one dessert because I had just come from brunch and wasn’t even hungry, but now that Betty’s is just a few blocks away I’m sure I’ll be back.  The Rinky Dink did cost $3.50, which in comparison with a whole box of Hostess Rings Dings for $2.50 this is a little bit hard to justify, but I chalked it up to the fact that these are freshly made and include local, high-quality ingredients.

Other menu items of note are Twinks (obviously based on Hostess Twinkies), caramel tarts, cupcakes, and lots of different puddings – triple chocolate, coconut tapioca, and bread pudding.  They also had little Marzipan figures, but at $6.50 for a small piece, definitely not worth it.
They also carry bread from Balthazar, for those of you that can’t get to Prince Street to buy it fresh.  They had a wide selection of coffees as well, including cappuccinos and espressos.  I had a great ice coffee, and since there is limited seating we sat and enjoyed our Rinky Dink and ice coffees on the bench in front.

Betty’s has been opened since 2006.  The owners used to work somewhere called Bijoux Doux Specialty Cakes, before they relocated to Boerum Hill and opened Betty’s.  Neither of the owners are named Betty.  The premise of Betty’s is to create baked goods that resemble the treats that came out of grandma’s kitchen, but updated to today’s standards.  For you gluten-sensitive readers, the chocolate-almond cake is wheat-free.  For the animal-friendly, the eggless chocolate cake is vegan.  Betty’s also accepts cake orders and can cater for weddings and other parties.

Betty Bakery is located at 448 Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn between Bond and Nevins Streets.  For those of you scared of crossing the bridge into Brooklyn, it is easily accessible from Atlantic Terminal, or the A/C/G to the Hoyt/Schermerhorn stop.  And while you’re there, call me and you can come visit my new apartment  J  But don’t come on Mondays, because they and I won’t be there.

www.bettybakery.com
718-237-2271