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Snack Break: Sampling baked goods at Counterspace in White Star Market

The first time I set foot in White Star Market, it was for a behind-the-scenes preview for 225, and I was lucky enough to get to try a little bit of everything. I’ve since tried dumplings, pizza, elotes, oysters—but I always thought the food hall was missing something. I’m a dessert junkie, and that was the one thing White Star wasn’t bringing to the community table.

That is, until a space opened up for the entrance of MJ’s Cafe and—for customers with a sweet tooth—Counterspace. The small baking brand, which got its start at pop-ups like Mid City Makers Market, specializes in from-scratch baked goods with rustic appeal, gourmet flavors and creative flavor combinations.

I stopped by for a midday sampling on the recommendation of one of our editors, who is a total tahini fiend and strongly recommended the whoopie pies made with a tahini buttercream. But it’s hard to pick just one item when you’re confronted with the cakestands piled high on the Counterspace counter. Since I was splitting with a photographer, it only seemed fair to get plenty to go around: a whoopie pie, a cookie and a piece of cake.

The salted chocolate chip cookie is a smart marriage of flavors, especially if you’re a fan of salty-sweet like I am. It’s soft and melt-in-the-mouth, with a carefully balanced cut of saltiness through the richness of the cookie. The funfetti cake brings a not-too-sweet vanilla bean buttercream and a dense crumb that makes one of the trendiest cake flavors feel a little more artisanal.

But the real star, to me, is the whoopie pie. Made with a pair of soft, melt-in-your-mouth mocha ricotta cookies sandwiching a tahini buttercream, it’s both an unusual offering and a perfect combination. All of it together creates a blend of flavors that’s a little nutty, a little spiced, a little decadent and the ideal amount of sweet. It makes you curious to try one of their speciality weekend cakes, like the pomegranate pistachio, to see what other flavor combos they’ve mastered.

Behold the tahini buttercream whoopie pie.

So next time you find yourself in White Star Market, save a little room for dessert. Counterspace is open Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.