When Tracy Horton found out she was allergic to gluten, she wished for cookies and cakes that she could still enjoy.
What’s more, she wanted to find a way to give youngsters with similar allergies a chance to finally enjoy their first decadent birthday cake just like any other kid would.
She imagined the possibilities.
And she made them happen.
The result is Imagine It, an allergy-friendly bakery that sells its treats at local farmers markets, including the Saturday Willow Glen market in San Jose, the Saturday Santa Clara market, and the Sunday Campbell one.
The baked goods are made without wheat, gluten, soy, eggs, dairy, peanuts and tree nuts. Instead, they get their texture from garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, white sorghum flour, fava bean flour, organic rice milk, and a vegan egg product.
Horton experimented on the recipes for quite awhile, as each flour reacts differently and requires a different amount of liquid when used in baking.
Whole cakes need to be ordered in advance. But cookies, scones and muffins (about $3 each) are readily available at Imagine It’s stand at farmers markets. Recently, I had a chance to try samples.
The crumb cake is super moist and topped with a thick layer of crumbs. Like many Imagine It baked goods, it has a slight bean-y aftertaste to it, which may or may not appeal to every palate.
The cookies are quite soft and crumble fairly easily. In fact, my Sunbutter didn’t make it home in one piece. Made with sunflower seed butter, it has a real richness to it. The sprinkle of sea salt really brings out the flavor of the sunflower seeds. You can taste the vanilla in the chocolate chip cookie, which is not overly sweet to let the chocolate shine through.
The cranberry millet muffin has a hearty taste to it, thanks to the millet, which also adds more good-for-you fiber.
Imagine It shares a stand at farmers markets with Cosmic Coffee, Co., which sells Maui-grown coffee. So, you can snag a cup of Joe while you nosh on your muffin, too.
More Gluten-Free: Dia Delights
And: Pica Pica Maize