Izzi B’s A Friend To Those With Food Allergies

A few weeks ago I added a post to my facebook page asking for recommendations on an allergy friendly gingerbread house the whole family could put together and eat together. One friend, whose name I won’t mention out respect for her privacy, referred me to her friend’s company, Izzi B’s.

I’d never heard of it and was intrigued by the fact that it was free of most allergens, so I decided to check it out. The folks at Izzi B’s Allergen-Free Bakery have a variety of products not limited to: sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate chip cupcakes, golden yellow cupcakes, vegan “butter” cookies, and gingerbread houses. Sound good right? But wait! There’s more…

Izzi B’s offers product that are, “vegan, no gluten, all natural, no refined sugars, no nuts, no wheat, no trans-fats, no preservatives, no casein, no dairy, no eggs, celiac friendly, no cholesterol, kosher, no soy, no artificial colors or flavors. Did you catch all that?

I was curious, but a little skeptical. Would a product free of so many things taste good? The folks at Izzi B’s were kind enough to send a sample box so me and the family could see for ourselves.

Despite my skepticism, I experienced pure happiness when I spotted their cheerful box waiting on my doorstop one Monday afternoon. It would be just the pick-me up I needed for a case of the Mondays.

Although I usually don’t waste time discussing a product’s packaging, I think Izzi B’s earned a worthwhile mention here. There box comes with a note encouraging customers to save their box should any pieces inside be cracked or damaged. While they make no specific guarantees, they offer to do everything possible to get you the best product possible. With this extra personal touch, I was officially impressed and felt like a valued customer.

Each item was wrapped delicately and placed in “poppy” paper. The sample box included a beautifully decorated Christmas tree sugar cookie, a gingerbread man cookie with icing, and a gingerbread house kit. (I especially loved that they sent me current Christmas bakery specials instead of whatever was lying around on a shelf.)

My son and I tasted the gingerbread cookie first. The texture was perfect; solid and not the least bit crumbly. It had the perfect mix of spices and was decorated to be aesthetically pleasing. Let’s just say it didn’t last long! It was a wonderfully safe Christmas treat that my son and I could SHARE!

The sugar cookie Christmas tree cookie was even better, but then I’m a little partial to sugar cookies! The cookie was large like the gingerbread cookie, probably four or five inches tall. Again, the texture was perfect and not at all crumbly. The rare allergy-safe cookie was a fabulous afternoon Christmas treat for me and my son.

Lastly, we tried out the gingerbread house. I was more excited about testing this product than any of the others. Making gingerbread houses used to be a tradition for us until food allergies entered the picture. Then it became almost impossible to find something safe for one member of my family much less all of us. To have a gingerbread house that my whole family could build together and eat together would truly be a dream come true.

As far as gingerbread houses go, it comes together like most others do (with terrific instructions). There is a front, a back, two sides, and two roof pieces that can be built on the included base. The icing comes in powdered form and simply needs to be mixed with water (we did have to add more water than the directions stated to get ours to flow more readily). They even provide you with an icing bag to pipe out decorations on your house!

The allergy-safe candy was, hands down, the most exciting part of the house for my family because we seldom can have such colorful and delicious goodies that are safe. The kit included peppermints, crystal sprinkles, gummy worms, licorice, gum drops, gummies, and more. It was an allergy-safe candy land!

The product sampler Izzi B’s sent was well-presented, well-preserved, and well-thought out. Although Izzi B’s does require a little extra money for fast shipping to preserve the life of the product, it is worth the cost in my opinion.

Apparently, my hubby (A.K.A. The Food Allergy Dad) agrees! 🙂 I caught him red-handed as he dismantled the roof!

As many of you know, I’m not a big fan of companies that try to charge you and arm and a leg for a safe treat. I feel like Izzi B’s attention to detail is well worth the cost here. What can I say? My whole family came together at the kitchen table after dinner. We turned on some Christmas tunes and sang and danced while we decorated our gingerbread house. It was pure heaven and I am so grateful to Izzy B’s for giving me back this treasured family tradition!

Be sure to contact the folks at Izzi B’s first, but if you’re looking for an allergy-friendly gingerbread house, this might be the ticket!