Since being diagnosed with a food-triggered autoimmune condition, I’ve started to feel like the Goldilocks of gluten free baked goods.
This cookie is too cardboard-y.
This cookie left my hands covered in grease.
And that one . . . well, that one tasted like absolute shit and had zero right to be called a cookie.
But By the Way Bakery? All the treats at BTW are juuuuust right. I missed “real”-tasting desserts, and theirs were above and beyond what I thought was possible with gluten free baked goods. Two of their three charming, pin-worthy locations are in NYC, on the Upper West Side (2442 Broadway, Manhattan) and Upper East Side (1236 Lexington Ave., Manhattan). By the Way’s facilities are 100% gluten free, dairy free and even kosher. (Their goods do include eggs, however. Sorry, vegans!)
Upon entering, my chocolate brown eyes widened, glazing over the array of handmade goodies before me. Food FOMO kicked in, and it was all I could do to leave the shop with only three desserts. At first bite, the mini lemon poppyseed cake greeted me with a delightful fresh lemon zing. The light drizzle of fresh lemon icing on top was sweet, but not overly so. The almond cookies were my favorite—oh-so-soft on the inside, with a firm yet chewy exterior lightly dusted with powdered sugar. The almond flavor really shone through. Their double chocolate layer cake was divine as well, rich and satisfying. It’s also worth nothing that this is the first place I’ve seen in NYC that sells gluten free cake by the slice. Definitely worth a taste if you’re dairy or gluten free.
Have gluten free NYC recommendations? Tweet them to me at @niftynyc.
Photo credit: prettyfunnyvintage