Nutcracker Egyptian Bakery & Candy Shop in Fairfield

In July of 2021, Khaled H. Khaled opened Nutcracker Egyptian Bakery & Candy Shop in Fairfield with his wife and three children. The Egyptian bakery quickly found an ample following, says Khaled. “All different sorts of people come in. Some people for the candy, some for the baklava, and [many still] for other things.”

The family-run shop’s offerings consist of a variety of Middle-Eastern baked goods, as well as a selection of treats from Egypt’s most beloved brands. Khaled learned how to bake early while working at his family’s confectionery in Cairo. After moving to Fairfield in 2012, he continued to hone his craft while experimenting with possible improvements. Accordingly, Nutcracker offers many different delicacies with an enormous variety of flavors.

Nutcracker’s most popular pastry is undoubtedly their baklava, with a plentiful selection of fillings including nut and cookie flavors. I tried the walnut, cashew, and oreo varieties, all of which had immensely buttery and flaky crusts that allowed Khaled’s expertise to evince itself. The walnut filling has a strong nutty taste, which is complemented well by its hint of sugary fruitiness. The cashew flavor (my personal favorite), retains this nutty flavor while taking the sweetness to the next level, resulting in a fruitiness that perfectly rivals the savory nutty flavor. Unsurprisingly, the oreo baklava is the sweetest of the three. The pastry has a much smoother filling than the other two, which consists of a sweet syrup that tastes like real oreo cookies.

Those wishing for something more smooth than baklava are in luck, as Nutcracker also offers buttery cookies with pistachio, walnut, and date fillings. These bite-sized desserts pair a creamy shortbread crust with delicious salty-sweet fillings.

I also tried Nutcracker’s Halva, a paste-like dessert popular in Persia and the Middle East that combines sesame paste, honey, egg white, and more into a delicious and airy treat. Khaled stresses that, because the dessert is derived from natural sesame oils, “it is actually pretty healthy.” Having never tried Halva before, I was blown away by Nutcracker’s ability to pack so much flavor into such a light and fluffy dish. The sesame oil, in tandem with the cashews sprinkled throughout, gives the Halva an intensely savory nutty taste. The treat also has a soft and flaky meringue-type texture that gives it a delightful melt-in-your-mouth quality. Nutcracker offers chocolate and vanilla flavors of Halva as well.

Finally, Khaled gave me some of Nutcracker’s premium Turkish delight, a popular middle-eastern treat combining a starchy gel with small fillings. I tasted the hazelnut flavor, in which the sweet starch contrasts perfectly with the savory nuts to create a flavor-packed dessert. Nutcracker’s flavors of Turkish delight include almond, pistachio, walnut, and much more.

“Everything here is made fresh,” says Khaled. The pastries are made daily with ingredients sourced from organic companies both in America and in Egypt.

The rest of Nutcracker’s pastry menu includes flower pastries, nougats, Knafeh, and more, all of which are offered in several different flavors. Additionally, Nutcracker's walls are lined with a selection of various other Egyptian delicacies. From kosher candies to Turkish coffee to roasted nut mixes to a variety of dried fruits that “you can’t find anywhere else,” the shop has something for everyone. Khaled is especially keen on the natural fruit juices, which come from “by far the best brand in Egypt.” The Mango, Guava, and Fruit Cocktail flavors consist of natural ingredients sourced in Egypt.

NOTE: Nutcracker has a Kosher kitchen for those interested.

Nutcracker 1555 Black Rock Turnpike, Fairfield, CT 06825

(203) 345-0530

@nutcracker_ct