Cookiepops

At first, I was skeptical. Did Centre Market really need another bakery, what with Centre Market Bakery, the Honey Hole, and Lebanon Bakery all within a few blocks? After a few macarons, let me answer with a resounding yes! This is a bakery unlike any other in the Valley. Their flagship is the namesake Cookie Pop, an adorably decorated cookie-​on-​a-​stick in a huge variety of creatively decorated shapes (from Cookie Monster to Troy Polamalu’s hair). To be fair, I didn’t try a cookie pop, but I was mentally tabulating whose birthday was next to receive one.
What caught my attention were the macarons. Oh, the macarons. A very friendly gentleman behind the counter informed us that these were real French macarons, identifiable by the lack of cracks across the surface (who would have known?) I purchased both the chocolate and strawberry varieties, and it was love at first bite. The strawberry had a center of real pureed strawberries in a light and crispy outer shell. The chocolate… well, what can one say about good chocolate that hasn’t already been said?
What will keep me coming back (aside from those macarons of course) was the sheer variety of treats to try. Gourmet cupcakes, gargantuan brownies, the hits just keep on coming. A-​plus addition to my favorite Wheeling neighborhood.