As many know, I'm always in search of delicious nut-free foods. In my three year long search, I had yet to find a nut-free cookie dough, let alone, a delicious one - until two weeks ago.
Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you: Rebecca's Nut-Free cookie dough.
I had the opportunity to speak with Chris, the Founder of the company and mother to Rebecca.
She told me a horrific story of Rebecca's first anaphylactic reaction (are any of those stories not awful?), and her mission to provide these sweet treats to her family without endangering her daughter's life. Like most people, she was unaware of the seriousness of food allergies prior to having to deal with them. After learning and struggling with watching Rebecca not being able to eat cookies that family, friends, and classmates brought over to share, the company was founded.
Rebecca's Nut-Free and it's suppliers are 100 percent peanut and tree nut (including coconut) free - this is their number one priority. They also ensure no sesame is used, and no latex is used in the process of preparing the cookies. They research every company that they purchase ingredients from, and require that the suppliers' facilities be dedicated nut-free facilities.
In addition to nut-free, Chris wanted to be conscious about the ingredients themselves. The second priority of Rebecca's Nut-Free is to keep the ingredients natural and the ingredient list short. "The ingredients are all natural. We don't include palm oil, margarine, and you will never see 'natural flavors' on any of our ingredient lists," she said.
Rebecca's Nut-Free offer three flavors that are available to consumers online or in select stores: chocolate chip, sugar, and oatmeal raisin. They also offer two more flavors that are available for fundraising only: lemon zest and chocolate chip oatmeal.
With all of these flavors the only ingredients they use are: gourmet natural chocolate chips, sweet cream butter, pasteurized eggs, whole grain white flour, pure vanilla extract, cane, confectioner's, and brown sugars, whole grain old fashioned oats, baking soda and powder, organic raisins, organic lemons, and sea salt... THAT IS IT.
This all sounds wonderful, but how do they taste, you ask?
Answer: DELICIOUS... come with me on this taste testing journey...
1. The cookies arrived in a Styrofoam container, filled with deliciousness and dry ice (they are shipped frozen).
2. The packaging is adorable, and designed by Rebecca herself, who recently just graduated with a Bachelors degree in graphic design.
3. Read the back nutrition facts, because if you have a food allergy, it's a habit. It's no health food, but hey, if I can squeeze in some fiber while enjoying a yummy cookie, I'll take it.
(Chocolate chip package shown below.)
4. Read the baking instructions, and think to self, "not bad, I can do this!"
(Chocolate chip package shown below.)
5. Place as many (or as little) of the little cookies on a baking sheet.
This is GREAT for people like me who live alone; I don't want 48 cookies, sometimes I just want two right now, and two tomorrow morning with my coffee.
And yes, all the frozen cookies are perfectly round like the ones below.
(Chocolate chip package shown below.)
6. LOL... I was a rebel, and ate it anyway. It was NOMS. Sorry Rebecca's mom (but not sorry enough not to do it).
7. Bake and ENJOY!
I mean... have you ever seen a more delicious looking cookie in your life?!
(Chocolate chip pictured on top. Sugar pictured on bottom.)
8. REPEAT!
This company has won over my heart and my tastebuds. Even my non-food allergy man-child (boyfriend) LOVED the cookies.
So what does the future hold for Rebecca's Nut-Free?
If you live on the east coast in the U.S., you're in luck. They will be bringing cookies to select Whole Foods stores in the New England area starting September 2016.
They will also be featured in two fundraising magazines, so if you have a fundraiser coming up, it would be a great option. The two magazines are Meadow Farms and Cristoline.
For those of us who don't live on the east coast, or want to try these cookies before September, you can buy them online here.
As I do not live on the east coast, I asked Chris, "What can I do to get your product in my local grocer?" She replied, "Anybody who wants their local grocery store to carry our product could contact the grocer and submit a product request. Additionally, if there is a local grocer who is open to the idea, we would be more than happy to speak with them directly."
Chris has successfully raise three daughters, two with nut allergies, including Rebecca, who was recently married (of course, there were the company's cookies at the wedding). This mom has taken a tragedy and turned it into an opportunity - something that we can all learn from. So thank you, Rebecca's Nut-Free, for the life lesson and delicious cookies that are, in Chris' words, "a labor of love."
