As someone who's lucky enough to eat pretty much anything
she wants, I'm usually wary of products that are anything-free. In my
experience, it's just not the same without the fat and the sucrose. But I
recently had the chance to try the sugar-free, gluten-free and preservative-free
cookies from the New York-based
Caveman Bakery—and I was shocked (in the best way possible!).
Focusing on all-natural sweets, Caveman Bakery follows the
Paleolithic diet, based on the principle that people best digest food that was
around before the relatively recent practice of agriculture—avoiding groups
like grains and dairy. We can definitely appreciate this focus on healthy
habits, especially at a time when allergies in children are on the rise.
Though not everyone agrees on what causes the intolerance to certain food groups, this increase in allergies has encouraged everyone to think more carefully about what we're eating and has prompted more and more players in the food industry to cater better to various dietary restrictions. And while this "Caveman Diet" is a bit controversial in the nutrition world, there's no denying that all of us can benefit from consuming food that is less processed and contains fewer calories.
Now back to the cookies. I'd already read that the almond flour-based treats are naturally sweetened by honey, but it wasn't until I tried it that I could believe it. True to the bakery's claim, the cookies were incredibly dense and chewy—and definitely as sweet and satisfying as cookies go.
With a generous dose of nutmeg and cinnamon, the Original cookie was almost like a disk of gingerbread, but much more moist. Made with hazelnut flour and carob, a chocolate substitute from a plant, the nutty Alpine cookie was vaguely reminiscent of a Ferrero Rocher with a bittersweet burnt sugar-like taste that I especially loved. The third and last Tropical cookie, enrobed with unsulfured coconut and macadamia nut, had a pleasantly strong ginger taste—not spicy, but nice and warm—perhaps a good way to introduce kids to the fiesty root.
At 65-75 calories each (depending on the variety), I really can't complain about
any of these—especially when all of them pass the taste test that many regular
sugar- and butter-laden cookies don't! Indulging my sweet tooth and supporting
at local business at no big cost to my health? That's a definite win in my
book.
Small bag of cookies (contains 6), $5.45, cavemancookies.com
KELSEY BANFIELD
JENNIFER CLAIR
TRACY GARY
JENNA HELWIG
LIZA HUBER
AMY SPIRO
CARLA SULLIVAN
JILL VALENTE
JESSI WALTER
Great job on the blog, it looks great. I am going to save it and will make sure to visit weekly
It's really amazing what they can produce nowadays I already talked about it that we are really moving towards a healthier society.