Short N Sweet Bakery In Tempe, AZ – Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Short N Sweet is a bakery in Tempe, AZ that is run by Julia, a celiac, and her husband. They offer several gluten free baked goods, such as chocolate chip cookies, muffins, cupcakes, bundt cakes, and even custom cakes and gift sets. But their claim to fame? Gluten Free cinnamon rolls.

I first heard of Short N Sweet bakery after Julia followed me on Twitter. Intrigued, I did a quick google search, which turned up very positive reviews. I also read several glowing reviews on Gluten Free Registry.

Shortly there after, I found out that they were being carried at Gluten Free Country Store in Gilbert (if you haven’t had a chance to get down there yet, you really need to move it to the top of your to-do list. They have ALL the best gluten free goodies there!). And, like so many other reviews of these cinnamon rolls, Gary (from GFCS)—whose opinion of gluten free products I value almost as much as my own—had wonderful words for them that may or may not have been in all caps and ended with exclamation points.

I bought 2 of these little ditties when I was at his store. They sold for $4.99 and are in the freezer section. They come frozen, and silly little me took them home and put them directly into the freezer.

But Stephanie, you say, what’s so wrong with that?

I know, young grasshopper, I was once as naive as you. The fact of the matter is, these will not survive your household long enough to necessitate remaining frozen. Go ahead. Trust me. Just put them in the refrigerator.

Long story short—I need Short N Sweet Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Addicts Anonymous. I ate those two cinnamon rolls before they even knew what hit them.

And then I had the itch. Whoa, whoa—not that kind of itch (p.s. go see your doctor). I wanted more. Nay—I needed more. For me to continue my journey through this life I needed to get more gluten free cinnamon rolls from Short N Sweet bakery—STAT.

So this past weekend, I asked (read: TOLD. DEMANDED. THREATENED TO BEAT HIM UNTIL HE CRIED LIKE A LITTLE GIRL) my husband if we could make a quick stop at the Short N Sweet bakery while we were out running errands. Conveniently located at Elliot and McClintock! We were in the area! (I planned it that way..ha)

I had the pleasure of meeting Julia and her husband when we stopped in and we chatted for a bit. Such wonderful and friendly people! They told me all about their products and their cautious baking techniques. At present time, they do bake non-gluten free items. I feel comforted that Julia is a Celiac herself, and therefore takes all the precautionary measures to prevent cross contamination. However, soon they will be converting their bakery to ENTIRELY gluten free. YAY! 

And finally…we meet again…like star crossed lovers who overcome all the odds…

Each gluten free cinnamon roll comes in a microwavable container.

Here (above) is what it looks like straight from my fridge. Huge schmear of cream cheese frosting on top. Pop the top a bit and then toss it in the microwave. I microwave mine for about 30 seconds, just until the frosting is melty.

And I wait. Anxiously. With baited breathe.

Opening this is almost as good as opening presents on Christmas morning.

Oh, sweet, sweet cinnamon goodness. Bestill my heart. These gluten free cinnamon rolls are positively out of this world. Did you hear that? OUT OF THIS WORLD. The texture of them are so absolutely perfect. No grit. Not chalky. No bizarre after taste. Soft. Fluffy. The cinnamon to sugar ratio in perfect harmony.

I typically enjoy each cinnamon roll with my husband. I usually employ the technique of eating faster than him so I end up getting more than half. Heh Heh. I’m not much of a food sharer (and by “not much” I mean, “I turn into a rabid dog that will eat your face if you even look at my food”).  But these are a very, very sweet treat, so share I must.

Now I just need to work on my cinnamon-sugar mustache:

It’s a dirty job.

Here is all of the info on where to pick up some of these Short N Sweet Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls for yourself:

Short N Sweet Bakery (click here for their website)

1805 E Elliot Rd Suite 106 (SE corner of Elliot and McClintock)

Tempe, AZ 85284

480.491.5417

(By the way, if you stop in, tell ‘em I sent ya! They have a sweet referral program)

Or, as with SO many other amazing gluten free products, you can get their cinnamon rolls (even other Valentine’s Day themed treats) at Gluten Free Country Store.

3345 S Val Vista Dr, Suite 101 (202 Santan freeway and Val Vista)
Gilbert, AZ 85297
480-889-9932

And while you’re there, grab a bag of the chocolate chip cookies from Short N Sweet. You won’t regret it!

Gluten Free Foods and Shopping Survey

If you have a minute, please take this survey on gluten free foods and shopping.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3ZWPFZ2

The survey is to help a new gluten free online store provide the gluten free community with what they want! Make your voices heard!

Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Pancake and Waffle Mix

I have eaten a LOT of really bad gluten free pancakes. I’ve tried a few different mixes and a couple of recipes, all ending in disaster.

I recently decided to give gluten free pancakes one final shot. I’ve had mostly good experiences with Kinnikinnick products so I tossed their gluten free pancake and waffle mix into my cart at Sprouts.

This mix is so easy. One cup of mix, 3/4 cup milk (or water), 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon of oil makes 4-5 regular size pancakes.

I prefer to try to make my pancakes as big as possible. Preferably plate-size like the ones at IHOP.

Ooooooh, delicious little bubbles! Almost ready to flip..

Perfectly golden brown and I guarantee no one will notice they are gluten free. Visually, they are exactly the same as regular pancakes. The cook the same, and even the texture looks the same.

But how do they taste?

Oh. My. Gosh. They are divine!

The gluten free pancakes I’ve tried before were hard and rubbery. And they tasted weird. It was like someone put syrup on a hockey puck and put it on the plate in front of me. But not these Kinnikinnick pancakes. They are light, fluffy, and airy. Not at all dense and no funky taste! They are only lightly sweet, except of course, when I drown them in syrup. In short, they are the perfect (gluten free) pancakes.

They are exactly how I remember pancakes to be. Victory!

The Loot From Gluten Free Jubilee at Sprouts

So this is all that I got at Sprouts tonight during their Gluten Free Jubilee sale! All gluten free items in the store are 25% off so, of course, I took advantage! I was actually really surprised because they were sold out of a lot of things! I might go to a different location before the sale ends on January 20th to get some more Udi’s gluten free bread and some Kinnikinnick pancake and waffle mix. Oh, and their donuts. And maybe some more animal cookies just for good measure. :)

Have any of you gone to Sprouts this week for their Gluten Free Jubilee? Did your pile of stuff look better or worse than mine?

Gluten Free Jubilee Week at Sprouts!! January 13th-20th, 2010

Gluten Free Jubilee week starts again at Sprouts tomorrow, January 13th!!

During this sale, all gluten free items are 25% off! It is also very, VERY helpful to go there during this time because ALL their gluten free products are marked clear as day! Last time they had Gluten Free Jubilee, I found several products that I didn't even know were there!

And remember, Udi's gluten free bread is now at Sprouts...so it'll be 25% off as well!

Check out the Sprouts website here to find a location near you. You can also look at their newest ad there as well.

Happy shopping :)

P.S. If you bump into me while I'm there, please do not judge me based on the huge quantities of Udi's bread, Van's mini waffles, and Kinnikinnick animal cookies in my cart. Thanks in advance.

Caesar’s Gluten Free Frozen Pasta Entrees

While I was on my quest to find Udi’s gluten free bread in Sprouts, I was going to every Sprouts that was on my drive home from work. At my third stop in one night, I was thinking, “Udi’s or BUST!!” and told myself that I would not be purchasing anything THIS time (because the other two times I was walking out with everything BUT Udi’s).

But nay.

At my third stop, I found some serious SCORES! One of these scores was Caesar’s gluten free frozen pasta entrees. They had three different ones:

Stuffed Shells

Manicotti

And lasagna. (not pictured because I didn’t buy it)

I was so excited because I am a gal who loves her some pasta stuffed with cheese, smothered in tomato sauce, and then smothered in cheese again.

These little babies weren’t cheap though. I’ve since lost my receipt but I remember paying 5-6 dollars for each of these. Not cheap.

They are, however, delicious! The pasta is great and not at all funky. The cheese filling is, well, it’s cheese filling. Is there anything wrong with that?!?! And the tomato sauce is very good too, though sometimes it did sort of hit me that it was kind of sweet. They were easy as pie to make (which I don’t get because is pie ever really easy to make?)—you just cut a slit in the plastic and microwave for 7 minutes.

This is the photo of the manicotti. I know, the picture totally makes it look unappetizing. I’d show you a picture of the stuffed shells too, but honestly it looks exactly the same. Lol. There is literally nothing different between the two of these except the shape of the pasta.

I really enjoyed these and am happy that they are close enough to me that I could purchase them again. I think they are perfect when you are in a pinch – when you have no idea what to make for dinner, or when you’re tired of the same ol’ cheese and crackers routine for lunch at work. The only down size is that they are pretty pricey. I’m a cheap-o, so I definitely won’t be purchasing these for an all-the-time sort of meal (which my butt appreciates).

I got these from the freezer section of the South Chandler Sprouts (Queen Creek and Alma School) in Arizona, and so far, I have not seen them at any other location. 

Udi’s Gluten Free Bread

Stop what you're doing. Now, go throw away all those gluten free bread mixes in your cabinet. Shred all those recipes you've printed from the internet for gluten free bread. Dig into the depth of your freezer and banish those frozen loaves to the garbage can.

I have found the end-all, be-all of gluten free bread. Udi's has created a product that will change the way you think about gluten free bread and will keep you coming back for more. Forever.

First of all, I have to give a big shout out and HUGE thank you to Gluten Free Steve for introducing me to the miracle that is Udi's gluten free bread. Thanks Steve, for spreading the word to the gluten free community about this spectacular product!

If you live in Arizona, I have fantastic news for you. Sprouts is now carrying Udi's gluten free bread in their stores!!! I have been stalking 3 different locations since the announcement was made by @udisglutenfree on Twitter on December 22nd. And today, a seemingly unassuming day, turned into the happiest day of my life. Today, I found the bread in the freezer section at Sprouts, and to top things off, it was on sale, a mere $4.49 a loaf (which is cheap for GF bread).

Udi's gluten free bread is sold frozen at Sprouts and can be thawed at room temperature. Once thawed, it is amazingly shelf stable. No refridgeration needed. You could refridgerate if you wanted to, but you won't have to. This won't last long enough in your house. But if you're skeptical about how fast you'll devour this bread, I'll ease your worries by saying you could easily leave this on your counter, fully defrosted, for 2 weeks and it'll still be soft and delicious (and not moldy) on day 14.

When your loaf first thaws, I guarantee you'll be amazed by how soft the loaf is. You'll pick up the package and squeeze--and the bread will actually give, much like those, ahem, mainstream wheaty breads. I've never known a gluten free bread to not feel like a brick. Then, you'll open the package and grab a couple of slices. The texture will blow you away! Light, airy, little holes all over!

But then, and here's the kicker. No really, you won't believe this. This is practically unheard of when it comes to gluten free bread.

You won't toast this bread. You will bypass your toaster all together. Sorry little guy, you won't be needed as much anymore.

You will go straight for the mayo and mustard, or for the peanut butter and jelly. And you know what? You'll take a bite of your finished sandwich and you will die. DIE. Because can you remember the last time you had untoasted bread? The last time you had a gluten free grilled cheese sandwich that didn't taste and feel like your Kraft cheese slices were stuck between two sponges? The last time you had just plain ol' toast with jelly in the morning? The last time you had a BLT? (*swoon*). No, you probably can't remember, and neither could I.

But Udi's has changed this gal's gluten free life. And it could change yours too!

If you're in Arizona, make it a priority to hit up a Sprouts and pick up a loaf or two. Or, if you live elsewhere, visit the Udi's website and see about ordering it online (p.s. their muffins are magnificent too). You could also talk to them on Twitter at @udisglutenfree and see if they are carried anywhere close to you. Heather at Udi's is incredibly helpful and friendly, so don't be afraid to say hello!

Oh, and WHEN you try this bread, let me know what you think! I've never been this excited about a gluten free product ever.

**** Updated to Add:

Gluten Free Country Store in Gilbert, AZ is also carrying Udi's products!!! AND they are carrying more products than Sprouts!

They have Udi's gluten free whole grain bread, blueberry muffins, lemon streusel muffins (which are amazing), and their pizza crusts (which I have heard people RAVE about)! So, if you want more selection go see the great folks at Gluten Free Country Store!