However, just like regular savory foods I am also a bit of a food snob when it comes to dessert. As it stands, I do not bake and have given up that pursuit a long time ago after a bevy of personal failures from best selling gluten free baking cookbooks that I have attempted. Nope, I am going to stick with what I am really good at and leave the baking to the professional.
Enter Maggie Bee Gluten Free and her product line Sinfully Safe.
Unlike most items I review where someone is seeking me out, this one came to me by way of a friend who wanted to bring a dessert to my wife and daughter at a party (thanks Nikki!). Before I review the product though, let me tell you a little about Margaret Bauer, owner and baker of Maggie Bee Gluten Free.
I met Margaret for coffee to talk about her story and her product. I have to say, I am always fascinated to hear how people start to do what they do in the gluten and allergy free world. Her story begins with the all too familiar word “misdiagnosis,” as is heard through much of the gluten free community when it comes to getting that first diagnosis. After the actual diagnosis though, her story reminds me a lot like my own. Basically, after trying many different gluten free products and being unhappy with the substandard quality of them, she took it upon herself to start baking. After perfecting her recipes, visitors at her house would have her desserts and say, “Margaret, you should sell desserts they are so good.” One thing led to another, and now we have the Maggie Bee Gluten Free bakery.
She brought me many products to try out, and while I did try some while chatting with her, the real sit down part of my review was later when I got home.
On the menu: brownies (regular and peanut butter version), chocolate chip cookies and a sample version of their Pecan Banana Muffin.
Let’s start with the look of this product. The cookies looked like Toll-House cookies, the brownies were big and looked like they were baked to perfection and the Pecan Banana Muffins looked decadent. Basically, these items did not look like gluten free products, which are typically dry and crumbly. And while the look of a product may not be so important to some, I tend to eat with my eyes first!
Next up, the deciding factor…taste. Let me just skip to the chase on this since I have three items to talk about and can sum this up in two words…COFECTION PERFECTION! Seriously, I am not kidding!
I am blown away by these products. The only things going through my head while eating these products were how moist and delicious they were.
What was not going through my head was how good of a “gluten free” product they were. I seriously could not taste the difference in flavor or texture in these from that of a regular gluten containing product. In fact, I would bet anyone that if you had these items side by side with gluten containing products that they could not tell the difference, either visually or by flavor.
These products are more of a home-baked item from a bakery rather than a supermarket bought product. The cookies really looked like my wife whipped up a batch of Toll-House cookies. The texture was no different than its look. Side note: The dunk ability factor was truly irresistible.
The brownies looked like a real brownie should, and not like a big hunk of processed fudge. They tasted just like they looked; crisp on the outside with a chewy and super moist looking inside. I have to admit, they are addictive and the ones with peanut butter were killer.
Last, and by no means least, was the Pecan Banana Muffins. These were so good I am actually glad I only had one to eat. They were super moist and were loaded with flavor and texture. Self control would have gone right out the window if I had more.
As you are no doubt looking to try the Maggie Bee Gluten Free line of Sinfully Safe desserts at this point, remember to ask your local store if they carry it. If not, I am sure they will get it in for you.
By the way, don’t think I am being a hypocrite reviewing dessert items and then posting about “Diets, and your failure to succeed.” While I have been taking the high road to health and wellness as of late, it does not mean I have denied myself the occasional indulgence. In fact, rule # 1 to my six month program is that “deprivation” is evil. So after working out five days a week and eating super healthy, you bet your abs that I am going to enjoy a cookie or a cupcake in moderation, if so presented with one, on an occasion.
This just in: Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ will now be carrying Maggie Bee Gluten Free line of Sinfully Safe baked goods.
Resources:
Sinfully Safe Website
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter Handle: @sinfullysafegf
Delicious Orchards, NJ: http://www.deliciousorchardsnj.com/welcome/index.php
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