Sprinkles' GF Cupcakes

About two weeks ago I found out that Sprinkles was going to start offering a gluten free cupcake. Hello! Then I found out that the one flavor they were going to offer was red velvet, introducing it around Valentine's Day. Brilliant! Considering that they charge $3.25 per cupcake or $36 per dozen, Valentine's Day was the perfect way to get The Hubby to go for it. So, after getting him over the initial shock of paying a small fortune for a baked goods, we ordered a dozen online (6 for me, 6 for him) to be picked up the day before Valentine's.

Sprinkles came to my area after I was already gluten free, so I can honestly say that I've never even seen one of these stores. When we got there to pick up our order, there was a huge line out the door! Apparently it's always like that, especially on the weekends since it's located in a trendy shopping center. Luckily, we got to completely skip the line to get our already boxed cupcakes! I was pretty proud of myself for having the foresight to order ahead of time. And don't worry, I mentioned that to The Hubby a couple of times. :)

One thing that is VERY important to take note of, especially for those who are more sensitive to gluten than I am: Sprinkles does NOT bake their gluten free cupcakes in a separate kitchen, so cross-contamination is an issue for those who have severe reactions to tiny amounts of gluten. The cupcakes are baked in a lining, so that reduces the risk for cross-contamination, but of course there is always the mixers, bowls, icing thingys, etc. I think, though, that if the demand is high enough, a separate kitchen might happen in the future, as they are aware of the issue. There was a hand-written note on my order reminding whoever was working to make me aware of the situation, which I found comforting. As I've mentioned before, cross-contamination is rarely an issue for me, so I wasn't concerned.

Now, onto what I thought about them...

As you can see, I could not restrain myself. I opened the box to find six perfectly iced, awesome smelling red velvet cupcakes with cute little "G"s on the top, and I had to try one immediately. This was in the car, driving away from the bakery. Crumbs were flying...it wasn't pretty. I have no willpower.

Once I got the remaining cupcakes safely home, I was able to take a closer look at them. So pretty! Iced perfectly thick. The aroma was to die for. One thing: while the "G" is very cute and a nice touch since all of their cupcakes have unique tops, do not try to eat it. I'm sure it's technically edible, but I nearly broke a tooth and when The Hubby tried it, he thought for a split second that it might be plastic. Haha.

See the thick icing? Yum. This cupcake was exactly the way I remember gluten filled cupcakes being. It was moist, rich, light and fluffy, and the icing was phenomenal. I, for one, am a huge cream cheese fan...and adding sugar to it to make icing? Yes, please. 

I may have eaten two in one day. Within about three hours of each other.

Since then, I've successfully restrained myself. Yesterday I only had one after our wine and cheese festivities. I haven't had one yet today. I think I deserve a pat on the back. 

Since I've never had a Sprinkles cupcake, I don't have anything to compare this to. All I know is that these cupcakes are making me very happy. However, The Hubby ordered one red velvet gluten-filled cupcake, and he sampled one of mine (aren't I generous?) right after tasting his. He said that the texture of the gluten free version was a little grainier than the gluten filled one, and that there was a slight flavor in the gluten free one that made it different. I personally think that a lot of gluten free items have an earthier flavor that their gluten-y counterparts, and after I mentioned that to him he nodded in (slight) agreement. He also said that now that he is seasoned in his exposure to gluten free food that he would have been able to tell that mine was gluten free had he has tasted it first. That being said, since I haven't had "regular" baked goods in almost two years, I didn't taste the things that he did and decided on my own that these cupcakes are pure heaven.

There's a local bakery in town that also does gluten free cupcakes for the exact same price. I can't wait to try those in the near future and compare! I also am really looking forward to attempting some cupcakes of my own. I can't wait until I have more free time to devote to new recipes! Only three months until then.

Happy cupcake-ing!

Kelly