About a year ago, I discovered that I’m sensitive to gluten. It wasn’t a hard transition for me to make–I love lots of gluten-free grains–but I also like baked goods. A lot. And, to be frank, most gluten-free cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. just don’t live up to my standards. The texture is always off. There’s always a funny aftertaste. My biggest pet peeve is that it’s almost impossible to find gluten-free goods that aren’t made with refined flours and filled with sugar.
Enter Purely Elizabeth, a new line of gluten-, dairy-, and sugar- free mixes created by a fellow holistic health counselor. They’re made with 100% whole grains (including millet, almond, and coconut flours) and contain lots of fiber from flax, hemp, and chia seeds. The baker adds the sweetener (either maple syrup or agave nectar), so you can control how sweet you want it. Almost too good to be true: whole grains AND natural sweeteners.
Elizabeth was kind enough to send me a few samples to try for myself. (She sent Ultimate Cacao Muffin, Apple Spice Muffin, and Pancake mixes. There’s also a blueberry maple muffin mix). I’m staying with my father and step-mother (who is also sensitive to gluten), so we decided to taste test the cacao muffins.
Confession: I love batter. It’s one of my favorite things in the world. Throughout my childhood, my mother lived in constant fear that I would die from salmonella poisoning because every time we made cookies I’d attack the batter and forego the baked result. Since going gluten-free, I’ve sorely missed eating batter. I’ve tried… but it’s always awful. Even when the end result is good, the batter is not at all delicious.
This afternoon, I very tentatively tasted the cacao muffin batter and was dumbstruck to find that it actually tasted good. Good enough to lick all the spoons, spatulas, and the bowl! I just knew the muffins themselves would be delicious — and I wasn’t let down. Once cooled, the muffins were very chocolatey with a hint of cinnamon. They were slightly crusty on the top and super soft in the middle. In fact, my father ate them not knowing they were gluten-free and didn’t notice a difference.
My analysis: EXCELLENT. I’m so thankful to Purely Elizabeth for coming out with this line! I cannot wait to try the other three products and am glad there’s finally a healthy gluten-free product that I can recommend to clients who are struggling with the transition to this lifestyle.
UPDATE: Click here for a review of their Apple Spice muffins. (Hint: They were even better…)
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October 15, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Dori
Wow sounds great! I would love to try the pancake mix.
October 19, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Amanda
Hi Hadley,
I actually tried the cacao muffins this weekend and they came out very dry and crumbly. I used 1/2 the amt of agave, but I dont think that should make a diference. I also used Almond milk.
Any thoughts??
October 20, 2009 at 12:54 am
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