Kelly's Bake Shoppe - Vegan & Gluten Free

I'm beyond excited about today's post! While I'm predominately a beauty blogger, my love for food runs deep. So deep, that my Instagram has more food (and dog) pictures than anything else. So when I saw that Kelly's Bake Shoppe was looking for bloggers, I quickly emailed them. I've been going to Kelly's for about a year now. I love their beautifully decorated and clean space, friendly staff, variety of offerings, and the fact that they're vegan, gluten and nut free. Does it get any better than that?? It does.

The outside of Kelly's. Beautiful right?
Picture courtesy of Kelly's.

Kelly's Bake Shoppe is located in Downtown Burlington, Ontario (Canada) and is run by a Mother and Daughter team with a passion for clean eating. Kelly Childs, Mother, and Erinn Weatherbie, Daughter, are health warriors. They believe in living a healthy lifestyle, full of whole foods that are chock full of nutrition for your body. That doesn't mean you have to skip dessert, you can have your cake and eat it too! Their Bake Shoppe goodies contain absolutely "No HONEY (we use Maple Syrup or Agave), no butter, no peanuts, no eggs, no milk, no cheese, NO gluten, no casein, no GMO’s, no artificial flavours and colours, no preservatives, no white flour, absolutely no junk or generally cheap refined ingredients (the things that are bad for you)". There are also many items that are soy free. Instead, they use the best of the best natural, organic ingredients (like pure vanilla beans and cacao) to bring you decadent desserts that even the pickiest eaters won't realize are good for them. If you're not sold yet, perhaps the fact that they've been awarded Best Cupcakes, Best Desserts, and Best Bakery in Burlington for both 2013 and 2014 will sway you. On top of all that, they also give back to the community. Every month, they provide a financial donation and host a Cupcake Day for the women and children of the Halton Women's Place. Halton Women's place is a safe haven for women, and their children, who have been abused. I love a business who gives back, don't you?

The beautiful Erinn (left) & Kelly (right) at Kelly's Bake Shoppe.
Picture courtesy of Kelly's.

 Disclaimer: This post may cause drooling, a sudden urge for sweets, a trip to Kelly's Bake Shoppe, and/or jealousy. You've been warned.

This is the part I think you're all most excited about, seeing what I had the opportunity to sample. Before that, I want to show you how the goods arrived. They arrived in a white paper bag with the Kelly's logo, and some leopard print tissue paper. Inside was a four pack of cupcakes, their signature pink box, and their daily menu. I friggen love how they have daily regular cupcakes, like chocolate and vanilla, and then they have fancy ones on certain days of the week. For example, on Tuesday they have a Mexican Chocolate cupcake, Wednesday they have a Cookies & Cream cupcake, Thursday a Lemon Raspberry cupcake, and so on.

In their beautiful, signature pink box were three cookies; World Peace Cookie, Snickerdoodle, and Chocolate Chip. One of my favourite things to get at Kelly's is their World Peace Cookie Sandwhich; two World Peace Cookies sandwiched between a faux (but delicious) vanilla buttercream frosting. Oh-my-goodness, if you ain't drooling then don't worry because I'm drooling enough for the both of us. Just keepin' it real...

The World Peace Cookie isn't that big but it's incredibly hearty and I guarantee you'll be completely satisfied after eating just one. If you plan on trying the sandwich, and eating it all at once, wear stretchy pants because it's a meal in itself. I've never really tried a Snickerdoodle anything before and wasn't sure what it's supposed to be like. It tasted like a cinnamon sugar cookie! Nom nom nom! The Chocolate Chip Cookie was honestly incredible! It has got to be one of the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever had. It wasn't too sweet or overdone with chocolate chips, just perfection. All three were so soft, moist, and fresh.

Also in the box, was a Mile High Brownie. Keep scrolling to read more. Refrain from trying to reach through your computer screen.

Let's take a moment to admire that Mile High Brownie....*drool* Okay, it was insanely delicious!! As someone who's not a big fan of brownies, chocolate cake, or anything overly chocolatey, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this brownie. It was moist and rich, but the faux whipped cream cut the richness a bit, and the date caramel sauce gave it that extra oomph. Incredible and a must try for all. The Coconut Cupcake was delicious! I actually have a sick obsession with their Chocolate Coconut Cupcake, it's a problem. This one comes in at a close second. I believe it's a vanilla cupcake topped with buttercream and covered in coconut. The combination is to die for. Then there was Cookies & Cream. Ugh, I honestly wish I hadn't of shared half with my mom. It tasted exactly as I imagined, heaven. The Chocolate Cupcake and Red Velvet Cupcake weren't my favourites. Red Velvet was coloured using beets, which also contributed to its very unique flavour.   Kelly's Bake Shoppe proves that healthy doesn't have to be bland or boring, instead you can indulge without the guilt. Their stuff isn't overly sweet, just enough to satisfy that craving without feeling like you're missing out. I highly recommend visiting them and trying out some of my personal favourites; Chocolate Coconut Cupcake, Chocolate Chip Cookie, World Peace Cookie Sandwich, and the Mile High Brownie. Have you ever been to Kelly's Bake Shoppe? Let me know what some of your favourite menu items are or what you'd like to try most. *All items pictured in this post were provided for sampling. All opinions are entirely my own. As already mentioned, I've been visiting Kelly's Bake Shoppe for about a year and have paid for all the other goodies (not pictured here) myself. 

Anise Apothecary in Burlington

Anise Apothecary is an adorable little shop located in downtown Burlington. I have been following them on Twitter for a little while now and wanting to visit them every since. Finally, my schedule allowed me to make my way to Burlington and meet Monique (owner). I can't even tell you how excited I was to a. be in Burlington (love this city), b. meet Monique (so sweet, beautiful, and knowledgeable), and c. see the shop (cutest shop ever!). The front entrance immediately invited me in and the homey feel, plus everything else inside, made me never want to leave. They carry all sorts of brands like Graydon, Olie Biologique, One Love Organics, Zoe Organics, Rahua, Antipodes, PurelyGreat, Nyl, Sappho, On a Branch Soaps, and the list goes on and on. They also carry local raw honey, vitamins, chocolate, herbs, olive oil, tea, and much more. Considering the variety of products carried, it was really well organized and laid out. 
I thought it would be fun to share some pictures from my "trip" to Anise Apothecary, enjoy :)

In love yet? No? You will be..

Look at all that tea!! Monique had some Rooibos Vanilla ready to sip on, it was delicious.

Seriously, look at this place! If you're not in love yet, then something is wrong with you!

Delicious, raw, local honey! Nom, nom, nom!

I actually missed the stand that had Antipodes, Rahua, Organic Matter and some other stuff on it..damn..sorry guys. Anise Apothecary carries so many different local and worldwide brands, at so many different price points, that you're bound to find something for yourself and others. Whether you live in the area or not, it's a shop worth visiting. WARNING: You'll feel like a kid in a candy store and want to buy one of everything!

A special thank you to Monique for taking time out of her day to share information about the shop, products, and herself with both my boyfriend and I.