Allison's Gourmet Blog » Organic Brownies

NEW: Vanilla-Kissed Strawberry Bark for Valentine’s Day

Tessa — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:30:51 +0000

It’s hard to believe, but Valentine’s Day is in just three short weeks, and we’ve already received a lot of orders! Don’t leave this important holiday’s gifts until the last minute. With our delayed delivery date option, it’s never too early to order our unique valentine gifts for everyone you love.

Despite the winter season keeping us extraordinarily busy in November and December, we’ve been scheming for months to come up with something new and exciting to offer for this sweetest of holidays. We love creating festive and swoon-inducing vegan chocolates for Valentine’s Day and this year, along with our new line of Artisan Truffles and Caramels, we’re also very excited to introduce you to our latest creation: Vanilla-Kissed Strawberry Bark. As gorgeous and delicious as it sounds, this smooth and creamy vanilla-strawberry bark will have you dreaming of strawberry fields.

Don’t wait to order your own unique valentine gifts for all the most important and chocolate-loving people you hold dear. Other February favorites include cherry chocolate organic brownies, double chocolate chunk organic cookies, and our elegant Chocolate Lover’s Gift Set. Order now!

Happy 2012!

Tessa — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:30:01 +0000

There’s nothing quite like a new year, full of promise and unlimited possibilities to make me feel like winter isn’t so bad. I love anticipating all the exciting and tantalizing things I’m going to experience in the coming twelve months. A vacation on the horizon or a new flavor of gourmet cookies, organic brownies or vegan fudge to look forward to each month, can be great motivators to propel you through the stressful or challenging times that will almost certainly accompany the good times. Plus the 15% monthly club member discount will help take the stress out of gift giving for as long as you’re a monthly club member, since it’s automatically applied to every order you place!

In this new year, as we strive to live healthier, happier and more conscientious lives I have great hope that the positive forces working for compassionate and humane treatment of animals in this country and worldwide will increase and grow. Let’s strengthen the already expanding vegan revolution, one sweet bite at a time. Introduce your friends, colleagues, and loved ones to just how excellent (both in flavor and in health) animal-free eating can be. One step at a time, one person at a time, one meal at a time. It’s so easy to eat vegan, especially when the options include outrageously awesome vegan recipes and cookie of the month flavors like Vanilla Almond and Double Chocolate Chunk.

From Allison’s kitchen of heavenly delights: Happy New Year!

Order Now: Holiday Flavors and Seasonal Favorites

Tessa — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:30:07 +0000

I know it seems like December just began, but believe it or not Hanukkah begins in just 11 days (the night of the 19th) and Christmas is in 16 days! Once they get going these holidays just fly by, don’t they? Thankfully, you don’t have to wait until the last minute to order your holiday gifts for on-time delivery. December’s monthly flavors of gourmet cookies, organic brownies and vegan fudge are newly available, making now the perfect time to order all your holiday gifts online. Choose our delayed delivery date option during checkout to have your gifts delivered exactly when you want them. With top-notch dessert options for every taste from fair-trade coffee and tea to our new line of exquisite artisan chocolates, cross “holiday shopping” off your To Do list and let us worry about the rest of the details. Or, if you’d rather let your loved ones choose their own favorites, an instant gift certificate delivered via email or postal mail, lets them do just that.

Thank you for allowing us the honor of sending important gifts to people you care about. We appreciate your trust. Happy Compassionate Holidays!

Fudge Wins!

Tessa — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:30:07 +0000

A few weeks ago, we learned something new from our customers. For Father’s Day, we promoted what we thought were most Dads’ favorite things: peanut brittle, fair-trade coffee, chipotle caramels, and organic brownies. But, you all obviously know better than we do, because the majority of you chose vegan fudge for the important Dads in your lives instead. We had no idea how many men love chocolate, specifically fudge! We always thought that the guys in our lives were unusual in their ardent love of chocolate, but I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. As one woman put it:

“I wanted to get him something nice, and I thought about what would make him the most happy. Right now, the thing that makes him most happy is your fudge, so I’d like to order some for him.” —L.C., Piedmont, CA

So, fellas love our fudge; especially the Chipotle Cinnamon, Sour Cherry, and Java Crunch flavors! Hopefully, knowing this fact will make gift-giving a little easier from now on. Do you have any guys’ birthdays coming up this summer? How about special occasions like a new job, a project finished, or a dream fulfilled? If so, and you’re wondering what to get for him, take my advice. Go with vegan fudge.

Summer Heat and Chocolates Don’t Mix

Tessa — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:30:24 +0000

It’s been a whacky weather year here in California. We had an unusually snowy, wet winter, and we’ve had a ridiculously long, cool spring (we’ve even had some confused trees with their leaves turning colors already!) But the sun has finally come out, and I’m hoping that we might soon catch up to the rest of the country and have some real warm weather.

The prospect of summer heat has me smiling big time, but it also reminds me that summer is a hard time to ship vegan chocolates. Even with a chill pack and 2-day air shipping, chocolates do not always survive the intense heat in many areas of the country during the warmer months. So, now that temperatures are really heating up, we’re recommending that you use caution when ordering chocolate items like vegan peanut butter cups, peppermint patties, cherry truffle hearts, and cherry almond bark. Check the weather for your shipping destination and if it’s going to be over 65ºF, consider ordering something less perishable.

Some non-meltable but still chocolate-y alternatives for summer gift-giving include organic brownies, Double Chocolate Chunk cookies, drinking chocolate (great in shakes and smoothies or as chocolate milk), and individually wrapped caramels in several chocolate and vanilla flavors. Cookies and brownies with chocolate chips in them are also a slight melting risk, but melted chocolate chips, while messy, won’t be a catastrophe. If your chocolate chip baked goods arrive melted, simply let them cool somewhere below 65º for a few hours before devouring them.

P.S. Remember to order your Father’s Day gifts this week. Dad will thank you!

Dad of the Day Giveaway!

Tessa — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:30:03 +0000

Looked at a calendar lately? It’s almost Fathers Day! We love the Day O’ Dads over here at Allison’s and this year we’re looking for the Dad of the Day. Comment here on our blog telling us how you are going to celebrate your dad and what makes him so fantastic and June 19th might get a little sweeter! We’ll pick a winner next week, Monday the 13th, and if you win, we’ll send you or your pops a $30 gift certificate.

This Giveaway is now closed.

If you don’t win, don’t worry, we’ve still got you covered. Here’s a curated selection of products any dad (vegan or otherwise) is sure to love:

The Spice Lover’s Gift Set
For adventurous dads with a (slightly) daring palate! Spiced Peanut Brittle and Chipotle Caramels.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Sweet and salty peanut butter hugged by delectable dark chocolate. Chocolate-loving Dad’s dream come true.

Chocolate Caramels
Buttery caramel. Smooth chocolate. Tootsies just rolled over.

Sweet Desires Gift Basket
For the dad who deserves it all! Peanut butter cups, vegan cookies, two flavors of brownies, four flavors of organic coffee, chocolate peanut brittle, vegan toffee and perfect gift packaging!

Salted Chocolate Brittle
If there was an edible Dad metaphor, this would be it. Classic buttery peanut brittle, rich dark chocolate topped with pink Himalayan salt.

Pecan Brownies
Sumptuous organic brownies fit for a king! Crowned with buttery toasted pecans.

Organic Coffee Sampler

Dad doesn’t have a sweet tooth? Here’s a variety of impeccable organic and fair-trade coffee. Excellent black, iced or otherwise.

Feel great about spoiling the ones you love. All Allison’s products are totally organic, use only the highest quality ingredients, and are cruelty free. And if Daddy loves you, he might share!

Healthy Dad!

Tessa — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:30:04 +0000

It’s June 1st and there are only two weeks left to order for Father’s Day! Do you know a special Dad who deserves a treat but is trying to stay healthy or get fit? You can support healthy Dad and show him that healthy eating does not have to mean complete deprivation. Our vegan baked goods, confections and chocolate gifts contain zero cholesterol and use all organic, superior-quality, real-food ingredients; no animal products, preservatives or artificial anything. Tickle his taste buds with decadent organic brownies, a perfectly picante Spice Lover’s Gift Set, or elegant chocolate caramels. Treats should, of course, be consumed in moderation and a healthy lifestyle should also include several servings a day of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as regular exercise. For a little of everything, treat Dad to a complete vegan gift basket with plenty of goodies share!

If Dad’s really not eating treats at all, there’s always our elegant fair-trade coffee or tea samplers that ensure guilt-free gift giving for every lifestyle.

Upgrade Your Party with Allison’s Gourmet

Andrea — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:30:15 +0000

If you’ve planned a party, you know the prep work involves much more than simply announcing a date and waiting for the guests to arrive. You’ve got to consider decorations, music, invitations, and most important of all – menu! To help, we’ve compiled a list of time-saving suggestions featuring our favorite Allison’s Gourmet goodies to help make an elegant and memorable impression.

Coffee Talk: Whether you’re hosting a bridal brunch or a late night fête, coffee is a must. Our blends are organic, fair-trade, shade grown (for wildlife habitat preservation), freshly roasted, packaged in a one-way valve bag and delicious. Try our Organic Coffee Sampler to offer your guests a variety.

Bag, You’re It: Send guests home with a sweet send-off. Prepare little goodie bags with a few of our fair-trade chocolates tossed in to thank them for their attendance.

Sundae Funday: Try a sophisticated take on the make-your-own trend with a tray of our organic brownies. Let guests customize their treats with a variety of sauces, ice creams, and candy toppings, like our vegan toffee (hint: crush it up!) and peanut brittle.

Tell us: what do you like to eat at parties?

Happy New Year!

Tessa — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 17:30:12 +0000

It’s been a big year for us here at Allison’s. In November we celebrated the 1st birthday of our gorgeous “new” website and we sincerely hope you’re enjoying it as much as we are. (I feel like I could live on some of those photos, they’re a great thing to have to look at all day long). Also this year we completed our transition to all Wheat-Free baked goods. This was a big one for us, and very important to Allison, as she herself is sensitive to wheat gluten. Being able to eat her own organic brownies and cookies guilt-free is such a treat for her (and the rest of us) that we’ve developed the code word “brownie o’clock” to describe our daily brownie habit!

We’re always dreaming up new products around here as well. Lately we’ve been on a salted kick with the introduction of Salted Chocolate and Vanilla Caramels and Salted Chocolate Peanut Brittle. I’m sure there will be more new additions to our family coming in the new year, and we’re always open to suggestions. Also in 2011, Allison has some plans on the cookbook front. Her resolution for 2011 is to finally finish her cookbook, and lately it seems like that cookbook might turn into two cookbooks with different focuses. I can’t wait to have some of Allison’s amazing recipes as arms reach in my kitchen.

What were your trials and triumphs this past year? What are your plans for the future?

Happy New Year from Allison and her elves!

Flavors Come and Flavors Go…

Tessa — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:30:45 +0000

We’ve had several requests lately from clients wishing to order product that no longer appear on our website. To clarify this confusion I’ll explain. Each month we feature a new monthly flavor of vegan brownies, cookies and fudge. These monthly flavors are shipped automatically to our monthly club members, and available on our website through their month and for some period of time beyond. Eventually, however, these flavors will become unavailable, as we fill the bakery schedule with making the next months’ flavors.

You may also notice that included in the monthly flavors rotation are several classic flavors of vegan fudge, cookies and brownies that we do keep available year-round like Walnut Fudge, (Wheat-Free) Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, and (Wheat-Free) Half Original/Half Pecan Brownies.

So, if you missed a monthly flavor you were excited about, don’t fret. Each new month brings more exciting flavors to our website and your doorstep. October, for example, will be ushering in (Wheat-Free) Mexican Chocolate Brownies. Plus, our monthly flavors stay the same each year, so if you missed it this year, mark your calendar and order it in 2011.