Momma Told Me: You don't need dessert.
What is the purpose of dessert? Its the commencement of a meal, the end of a day, the last flirt with flavor before falling asleep. Dessert should not be mandatory, but earned. Sugar is not meant to be consumed for the simple sake of sweet, but the enhancement of flavors it creates when paired with indulgent notes such as vanilla bean, cocoa, and even rum. If you wander into the kitchen cabinets a quarter past ten o'clock and unwrap the first foil encased snack cake you come across you are not doing dessert justice my friends!
Sweets have long been regarded as a delicacy, a reward; confectioners have dedicated lives towards perfecting textures and flavor blends. They pair flaky with sweet and sticky, or bitter with melty and crunchy. I believe no sweet treat should ever be the same. And Orange Glad believes the same, my friend. They exist solely to curate the very best independent and handcrafted sweetness in a monthly box of U.S. made goodies. You may recall my
first encounter with this sweet subscription service last October when I faced down the giant krispie.
I've been invited back, by the company, to try the following three months of specially dessert gift curated boxes in hopes I will share my opinions once more with you, my readers. You might be surprised but no one had to twist my arm in that agreement, I was on board faster than you can spell s-u-g-a-r r-u-s-h! So a beautiful square parcel landed on my doorstep in the middle of 95F Southern California Summer heat, and was immediately concerned for the certain chocolate contained within. I was happy to find that
Orange Glad has smartly stayed away from highly meltable confections, and, instead, opted to pack two award winning
Baking Bettys cookies on ice. The jumbo
S'more Cookie (or Smorkie as I affectionately call it) was soft and chewy, and packed with gooey marshmallow bits and chocolate chunks. It didn't last long.
One of my favorite things about the Orange Glad subscription boxes is the variety of types of sweets included. I am always certain to try at least one, if not multiple, new treat I'd never considered or even heard of. There were two such delights in the May 2014 box, the first being the playfully cinnamon sugar coated
Italian Butterhorns. Not only have I been so inspired to consume these hand -rolled Italian butter cookies, I promptly went online to research recipes and learn how to make my own. (Expect a recipe post soon.)
Continuing my unintentional trip around the globe were the 'hand griddled' authentic
Welsh Cakes in Cranberry Orange. These boasted that they were best served warm, and most reminded me of a sweet breakfast biscuit. As it turned out they were much more dense, and sweet, than I'd envisioned; more like a condensed muffin. These European cakes had fresh cranberry bits and a very vibrant orange zest flavor that was quite powerful throughout.
Ironically, what grabbed me the most about this collection of sweets were just how many of them were locally sourced and made. Fine Sconehenge Baking Company, which provided a
Gluten-Free Ultimate Brownie is actually based out of a city that neighbors mine, and the Welsh Cakes are made in the town adjacent to my Aunt! While the product packaging was a little underwhelming, on the vendor's parts, Orange Glad always provides a complete ingredients list, and storage or care (shelf life) guidelines. Customers who find a new favorite brand or product are encouraged to log onto the website where they can buy directly from vendors and interact with the companies. My only criticism? I wish Orange Glad would bring back the colorful and fun boxes- it's always nice to see that orange box show up once a month!
What Daughter Says: If you're not experiencing new sweets, then you're not doing dessert right.
I would be dangerous with a subscription like that. All would be inhaled within oh, 5 minutes of receipt and only crumbs left for the hubby. That S'mookie sounds like something I have to meet
ReplyDeleteOrange Glad is such a great way to try new sweets! I think this would make the perfect gift for a new grad to enjoy at college.
ReplyDeletePatty - me too! Those look so good though.
ReplyDeleteYou are making me so hungry. Yum is what I have to say about this review.
ReplyDeleteOh my I would love to check my mail if I knew that was coming. The desserts look so unique and delicious!
ReplyDeleteI would gain so much weight with this!
ReplyDeleteI love how I read this the day I decide to give up excess sugar. LOL Regardless of whether I can eat it or not it sounds like my kind of subscription box xD
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