While visiting the in-laws who were in the United States this weekend up in the Catskills, my mother in-law mentioned that a new chef had taken over one of the bakeries in Saugerties and that she had seen some gluten free options. That was all I needed to hear and we were soon on our way driving the 20 minutes or so to the town. I had been to the previous incarnation of the bakery many times but alas there was nothing I could ever eat. The new chef is clearly sensitive to the food allergic consumer and offers a small but delicious repertoire of gluten free sweets.
I looked around and at first could not spy any items then I focused in on a Lucite case atop the counter with the two magic words every Celiac dreams of finding in a bakery – gluten free. There were four items on offer: a decadent looking large chocolate cookie that the counter person raved about, coconut macaroons, and two types of cupcakes (vanilla with butter cream frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting). I opted for a vanilla cupcake (to eat while antiquing) and a couple macaroons and five chocolate cookies for later.
First the cupcake, it was good not great. The consistency was a bit too much like a gluten free cornbread versus a smoother, cake-like texture. It was a bit mealy for my liking but was not at all bad. The icing was fabulous but I was left thinking I should have went for the chocolate instead.
The counter person was right about the giant chocolate cookies though – they were DE-LISH. They were sweet but not overpowering and had a nice subtle undertone of chocolate and just enough nuts to not take away from the cookie itself. These were almost like brownies with a fantastically crisp crust surrounding a moist and soft interior. My non-Celiac partner also raved about these cookies. The macaroons were over the top. A perfect balance of sweetness married with the subtle taste of the coconut. They were not overly sweet with just the right amount of sugar and seemed to be more coconut than anything else.
Finally, the bakery will also make gluten free cakes for special occasions on order so this is a definite plus for Celiacs. Check out their Web site for their full range of products.
