Les biscuits florentins de Lakota Bakery

Between work and preparing to move house, researching and testing recipes has had to take the backseat this week. However, my sweet tooth won't allow to be put on hold, so I thought it would be nice to pay Arlington's most reputable bakery a visit during one of my packing breaks.

Lakota Bakery started as a wholesale operation in 1991. As demand for owner, Barbara Weniger's pleasing little treats continued to grow, she opened a small retail space next to the workshop. Located at 1375 Massachusetts Avenue in the Arlington Heights, the entire space is geared towards showcasing the wide variety of cookies they're selling and showing the processes behind them through the exterior windows overlooking the work space. It's not a very photogenic shop if we're being really honest, but in reality, it's all about the contents of the box you'll carry out the door with you.

I made the hasty assumption that there would be no gluten-free offerings, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that they have eight flourless creations, including their famous Florentines as of this past March! Keep in mind, these are perfectly safe for people with a gluten intolerance, but not those with Celiac's Disease. 

I chose to pick up a few of their renowned Florentines to try myself and to share with my friends. Personally, I would describe these as divinity in sugary disc form. Yes. I dare relate these to a religious experience. The friends I shared theses with (normally quite apprehensive of anything gluten-free), all reacted very positively and for good reason. Following Italian tradition, Florentines are biscuits comprised of candied cherries, almonds, and hazelnuts encased by caramel and then enrobed in decadent chocolate on one side. You just can't go wrong. 

I'm salivating just reminiscing about them. I don't have to jaunt all the way back to my old neighborhood to obtain more though, Lakota Bakery cookies are readily available at independently owned grocers around Cambridge. You can view the rest of Lakota's selection of flourless cookies here, and the rest of their traditional cookies here. Keep me posted if you go out and pick up some of your own treats from Lakota Bakery on Twitter; I'd love to know which is your favourite. And if you'd like to stay up to date with future posts, you can now follow me on Bloglovin' as well.