I am decidedly not a health nut. My kitchen cupboards are currently brimming with an assortment of Girl Scout Thin Mints, Jelly Belly jellybeans, Cadbury Cream Eggs (i.e. the remnants of Easter) and Cool Ranch Doritos. On top of which, I’m notorious for baking Snicker Doodle Cookies and following the Sprinkles Cupcake truck on Twitter. (Needless to say, my gym membership is a remarkably wise investment towards maintaining a waist). However, I have recently noticed a trend in the gourmet snack market. While there is still an assortment of gluttonous munchies, healthy alternatives are becoming more and more frequent. Traditionally, this wouldn’t appeal to me. After all, if I want a healthy snack (i.e. something I view as flavorless) I’ll nibble on celery sticks. But, Lucy’s Gluten Free Cookies recently changed my option.
Dr. Lucy Gibney started the bakery as a way to create a flavorful, modified diet for her child — who has a number of food allergies. In order to do so, she has three key standards consumers can count on. The company only buys raw materials from carefully selected producers, thus reducing or eliminating the chance for allergen contact before use of the ingredients. The company uses the best available methods to ensure there are no detectable allergens from their testing list: gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts and almonds. And, tree nuts and peanuts aren’t allowed in the baking facility or even the building.
And, while it’s great that these tasty snacks are the perfect after school snack for children with allergies, why should you buy them? The answer is simple. They are delicious. There are four flavors within the brand: sugar, chocolate chip, cinnamon thin and oatmeal cookies. I’ve tasted both the chocolate chip and the cinnamon thin varieties. Surprisingly, in flavor, they rival anything I’d bake myself or even sweets I’ve noshed on at Chicago’s best bakeries. So, maybe this is my first step towards healthy eating. At bare minimum, I can replace those thin mints with something that won’t make me so thick!
~Cathryn
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