You with me?

Being healthy is important. We all know this. "You are what you eat." "Good health = better life." "Food is fuel." "Everything in moderation." You've heard it all before. This certainly isn't rocket science; it's more like third grade biology. However, to a self-confessed sugar junkie like myself, when it comes to dessert, there's a fine line between good and good for you - and it's one I don't often cross. I mean, if you're gonna eat a cupcake, EAT A CUPCAKE, amiright?

This was an unwritten credo of mine until a few months ago when I met my match.

A vegan brownie.


A vegan, gluten-free, peanut-free brownie to be exact.

I only tried it because a girlfriend of mine came around my house with one claiming, "OHMIGOSH, Jenny! You've gotta try this!" I took her enthusiasm as a cruel joke she was about to play on my taste buds. My first reaction? "Yeah, this is gonna taste like a bitter piece of cocoa cardboard, isn't it?"

You see, I don't do vegan. I don't do gluten-free. I don't even do fat-free. 

Well friends, the only thing bitter I ate that day were my words. And a badly made cup of coffee, but that's besides the point.

Holy. Crap. Did I just actually eat a vegan brownie and moan?

I sure did, folks. It was decadent. It was chocolatey. It was indulgent. It was also at that moment a vegan and allergin-free bakery made me a believer that healthy treats can actually taste really delicious.

Said bakery? Kelly's Bake Shoppe. Kelly's Bake Shoppe is a gorgeous, whimsical storefront bakery located downtown in my current hometown of beautiful Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by mother/daughter duo, Kelly Childs and Erinn Weatherbie, it isn't the bog standard run-of-the-mill bakery. What makes their bake shoppe quite unique is the fact that it is the first bakery of its kind in Canada to be completely free of gluten, dairy, egg, butter, casein, and peanuts - all the things I'm most known for.

In saying this, you'd never know they were from looks alone.


Renowned for their indulgent cupcakes with sky high frosting, Kelly's also offers up a variety of baked goods that are available in most standard bakeries, but without the aforementioned ingredients. Their bakery uses only pure, wholesome, organic, and fair-trade items, including natural colours sourced from flower petals.

I believe it's a saving grace to those that can't, or choose not to, include these ingredients to their diets due to intolerance, allergies, or lifestyle, but still wish to indulge in some sweet goodness.

Don't take my word for it alone.

Buzzfeed Community recently name Kelly's Bake Shoppe as one of the 25 cutest cupcake shops around the world to eat at before you die. To share in this experience - and to see what the fuss was all about, I've included my blogger girls in this taste testing venture. Christina was having a stellar pizza party and dessert is always a must at any get together, so it only made delicious sense.

The verdict?