Allergy-Free, Imagine It Baked Goods

Crumb cake from Imagine It bakery. It's all gluten-free, too.

Crumb cake from Imagine It bakery. It’s all gluten-free, too.

 

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.

Chocolate chip and Sunbutter cookies.

Chocolate chip and Sunbutter cookies.

Cranberry millet muffin.

Cranberry millet muffin.

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

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5 comments

  • Carolyn,

    Thank you for your post about our bakery. I just wanted to clarify that my business partner Jolynn is the head baker and recipe inventor so she should get all of the credit for the delicious treats that we create and provide. It’s a collaborative effort and we wouldn’t be here today without her.

    Cheers,
    Tracy
    Imagine It Bakery

  • Carolyn, Gluten free can be challenging at times but definitely has come a long way now for people with a lot of options to buy or make their own baked goods.

    @Imagine IT Bakery Id love to see your GF goods come to NYC and Long Island area.

  • I’ve never heard of Imagine It Baked Goods. Now I’ll keep my eye out. You know I’m always looking for good GF treats.
    Thanks for the tip, Carolyn!
    E

  • These look like regular baked goods! There are so many gluten free eaters in Australia and baked goods and breads are always the hardest for them to find a good version of!

  • Crumb cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts! It’s nice to see a gluten-free version for people with gluten allergies!

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