Black + Blanco - Sandcastles

Interestingly enough, I nearly missed the chance to try the best cookies I've had since I first discovered Uncle Eddie's.  The company Black + Blanco and their cookies will be making the headlines soon. But, unlike Uncle Eddie's, their cookies are truly unique in that they are a Moroccan sandie cookie turned vegan! I almost missed these cookies at the food show because there was no indication that they were vegan anywhere on their booth! How dare they try to sneak a cookie by me?!  That's when I met Steve and Heidi, the makers of these delicious cookies. They said they used to have vegan on the front of the packaging, but found that people didn't understand how good vegan cookies could be so they moved the vegan statement to the back of the package. Okay, fine.

The cookies are called Sandcastles -- they are little organic rye cookies made from whole grain rye and organic virgin coconut oil. They look like simple tea cookies, but their flavors are anything but simple. With flavors such as Vanilla Black Sesame, Marzipan, and Maple Dusted Cardamom, you know they aren't your typical cookie.

The first one I tried was the marzipan flavor and I couldn't believe how good it was. This little crumbly cookie was satisfyingly sweet with the goodness of almonds baked in.

The vanilla black sesame will blow you away. I promise. Vanilla, black sesame and sea salt - how did they even come up with this flavor? Amazing.

The maple dusted cardamom, however, is my favorite. It is the same amazing cookie, but with cardamom and I'm obsessed enough with Indian cuisine to love a cookie with cardamom. You will too!

Black + Blanco's cookies are about as healthy as a cookie could be as they are free of refined sugars, cholesterol, trans fat, dairy, preservatives, wheat, and GMO's. You may be wondering why one would use rye. Rye grain contains phenolic acids, lignans, alkylresorcinos and many other compounds with potential bioactivities. Research indicates that consuming whole grain rye has many benefits including: improved digestion and better blood sugar control, thereby reducing your risk for diabetes. All this in a cookie? You better believe it. Black + Blanco cookies are melt-in-your-mouth goodness (not literally) and you need to try one soon. They are mostly sold in NYC at the moment, but you can order them direct through their website here.