Squirrel and the Bee, located in Short Hills, NJ, is the absolute best dairy- and gluten-free friendly bakery around. The atmosphere felt trendy and welcoming from the moment I walked in, with a soft murmur of Ed Sheeran playing in the background. With the help of store employee Julie Woloshin, I perused the entire store menu and sampled several dairy-free goodies.
The shop started out with their mission of bringing healthy, fresh, and local foods to their bakery while using ingredients that are friendly to people with food restrictions or diets (think Paleo or vegan). By using nut flours, they avoid all grains in all products, which adds extra protein to their food that helps fuel you through the day. They also avoid dairy in most of their products, which utilizes healthier fats and helps people who are dairy-free indulge and feel good.
The store is decorated to feel like a cute coffee shop, but the look doesn't underplay their gourmet food selections. I was really impressed with the friendly and welcoming feel. Since food is available for any type of diet, there is no judgement because of what you can or can't eat. If you're curious about the ingredients or the different diets, just ask an employee and they would be more than happy to outline the specifics of all of their food products.
Not only can you go enjoy their cute and cozy restaurant feel, but you can also order online. This is awesome for anyone living in the local area that can't always make the trip for muffins, breads, cookies etc. Now for my taste testing.
Dairy-Free Ice Cream
This apple crumb flavor of their "frozen dessert" (coconut milk ice cream) was worth the trip. It tasted like a apple crisp in ice cream form. Regardless of its substitute ice cream ingredients, the taste was rich and flavorful and not at all like the coconut milk base. The only draw back is that it's definitely more watery than regular ice cream would be. That doesn't change the fact that it's still my favorite thing on their menu and would still be my choice of dessert.
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Another pretty remarkable creation at Squirrel and the Bee is their varieties of ice cream sandwiches. You can go and get a dairy-free, grain-free oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich - pretty unique if you ask me. The taste makes me forget that it's dairy-free.
Muffins
These are really great considering they are 100% grain-free. They are not too try and not too sweet. I tried both the chocolate chip and carrot-zucchini, but was overwhelmed by how many options there were. As I am a sucker for chocolate, I would say the chocolate chip was my favorite of the two (so give it a try if you're ever there).
Dairy-Free Cupcakes
I sampled the chocolate batter and vanilla "buttercream" cupcake, which was delicious, but different. I really enjoyed their frosting, even though it tasted more like marshmallow fluff than buttercream. I am not complaining because even the thought of eating a creamy cupcake makes me smile. The cake was moist and fresh, and with all of their flavor options there is definitely something for everyone.
In all, I got soup, muffins, cupcakes, ice cream, and more for $45. This might seem really pricey at first glance, but the soup and ice cream were by the pint and I got more than one muffin and ice cream sandwich. While eating healthy and with substitutions can be expensive, Squirrel and the Bee is worth every penny. Especially since you leave without a stomach ache and with food for the week ahead.
This experience was totally unreal for me because almost every single thing in the store is dairy-free (and grain-free). I have never been able to walk into a bakery and order a cupcake, ice cream sandwich, and creamy soup all at once without worrying about my body's reaction. Squirrel and the Bee specializes in bringing fresh ingredients into the store and turning it into something delicious that anyone with a food restriction can eat.