Did you know? Kitakaro, one of the representative confectionary shops in Hokkaido, offers confectionary limitedly sold in “Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan” opened in March 2016. I will introduce “Chocolate-sand Cookie Hokkaido Doritsu Toshokan” which you can enjoy the fun of DIY before eating! 




 

“Chocolate-sand Cookie Hokkaido Doritsu Toshokan” is limitedly sold at Sapporo Honkan

“Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan” is the first stand-alone store of Kitakaro in Sapporo. Kitakaro is a confectionary store which was born in Sunagawa City, located at about 80 kilometers from Sapporo.

Let people enjoy delicious food from Hokkaido in the form of confections. At the bottom of famous confections loved by many people such as “Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki” and “Baumkuchen Yosei No Mori”, you can feel the spirit of the founder. 


▲“Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan” offers almost all kinds of confections produced by “Kitakaro”. It’s located at about 10 minutes by foot from JR Sapporo Station, and 5 minutes from Subway Odori Station, it’s in the central part of Sapporo. 


“Chocolate-sand Cookie Hokkaido Doritsu Toshokan”, limitedly sold at Sapporo Honkan, is a unique confection which people can DYI own cookie by combining langue de chat and chocolate. 

This is how you do; you will find chocolate in the upper row and langue de chat cookies at the bottom. 


▲“Chocolate-sand Cookie Hokkaido Doritsu Toshokan”


​Open each of them…





And combine them just like a sandwich! Fun, isn’t it? 





This is the official way to enjoy the cookies, but you can also try just the cookie or chocolate. You can even put two pieces of chocolates on one cookie to make the flavor of chocolate stronger. Discover various ways to enjoy it! 

 

The name came from the building

The name “Hokkaido Doritsu Toshokan (Hokkaido Prefectural Library)” came from the building. The shop uses the historical building which was built as Hokkaido’s first prefectural library in 1926. The package of cookies is in the shape of a book, too. 





The crunchy cookie and rich caramel flavors with melty chocolate perfectly fit the atmosphere of the building, adopted intelligent and modern design, and aims to be a “salon” to produce intellectual exchanges through confections. 

The store is designed by the worldwide renowned architect Tadao Ando. He left the outer wall but renovated most of the inside. The building was used as Hokkaido prefectural museum, Hokkaido Kotaro Migishi Museum after the library was closed; it was always the center of culture and art. Tadao Ando put something to pass such history to future in the design. 


▲The exterior of Kitakaro Sapporo Honkan. They face Kita-Ichijo Street and south. (The photo is provided by Kitakaro)


▲Kotaro Migishi’s works are displayed at a corner of the store. They change works to put up seasonally. 


▲The red bricks on the wall are as it was before. 


They have other confections, relating to this red brick building; “Classic Chocolate Yumegasane” and “Caramel-sand cookie Kita-Ichijo Dori Monogatari” which is inspired by the prosperity around Kita-Ichijo Dori during Meiji and Taisho period. “Caramel-sand cookie Kita-Ichiko Monogatari” is not a limited product. However, it is inspired by the building so you should purchase it here! Check it out. 


▲“Classic Chocolate Yumegasane”


▲“Caramel-sand Cookie Kita-Ichijo Monogatari”

 

There is also the limited flavor of their signature cream puffs!

By the way, it was their cream puff which made the name of “Kitakaro” well-known throughout Japan. The rumor about their cream puff spread from pilots and cabin attendants who use Shin-Chitose Airport. 

Sapporo Honkan limited flavor was added to the vaunted cream puff. That is “Croissant Cream Puff Yume-Croissant”. “Kitakaro” offers many unique cream puffs being extremely specific about the dough and cream, but this one is totally new. 

▲“Croissant Cream Puff Yume-Croissant” is in the front and standard flavors are at the back. From the left to right; “Chigiri Cream Puff Piscuit”, “Jumbo Pie Cream Puff Yume-Fushigi”, and “Jumbo Cream Puff Kita No Yume Dream”. 

The croissant dough was baked firmly and had nice crunchy texture. They put plenty of custard cream inside! And the accent of the flavor was the surface which was caramelized. It was crunchy and sweet! 

 

The Sapporo Honkan limited menu at the cafe is “Quiche”

The cafe which has a tall bookshelf which reaches from the floor to the ceiling in front offers “Cake Set” or “Kitakaro’s vaunted Omu-Rice” both popular at the Sunagawa Honten, but they also have Sapporo Honkan limited menus. That is “Quiche”, which has rich aroma of butter. 


▲“Quiche”

▲Above is the cafe. (The photo is provided by Kitakaro)

This is off topic, but the napkin case and menu cover put on the table is specially ordered to “SOMES SADDLE”, the horse gear and leather bag producer from Sunagawa City, the same place as “Kitakaro”. They may be small but it had certain atmosphere and calmness, and it caught my eyes.


▲Napkin case and menu cover created by “SOMES SADDLE”


“Customers can read the books on the shelf freely, and we have all sorts of books; confections, eating, the history of Hokkaido, book about writer or celebrities from Hokkaido, books to introduce about attractions of Hokkaido, architecture, business, etc. ” Shigesada Ono from Planning Division told us. 


▲Mr. Ono. 

You can not only enjoy delicious food but also refresh your mind through reading books here. Make enough time to spend slow relaxing time here, and enjoy Sapporo Honkan limited souvenirs and menus! 

Text / Hokkaido Likers writer Fumiko Magota
Photo / Yasuyoshi Otaki
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