Flying Apron Review

This weekend, Lance and I went to the Flying Apron in Fremont to do some "Market Research" and we grabbed a selection of baked goods. I've been working on several cookie recipes and wanted to see how they compared to the Flying Apron. We purchased a chocolate chip cookie, ginger wheel, apricot thumbprint, peanut butter chocolate cupcake, and a vanilla maple cupcake - which wasn't what I ordered. I asked for a cherry chocolate cupcake.

On the way to the restaurant, we had to leave Champ and Annie in the car. We were just picking up "to go", but you'd think they were being abandoned for life the way Annie carried on. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to find her scrunched up on the back seat against the rear window.


Lance and I got a plate and a knife and cut little bites of baked goods to sample. We had mild tea and water as a "palate cleanser." It was almost official looking. First were the cookies. The cookies we got were definitely not the cookies I remembered. The cookies I remembered were rounded, hard cookies with a distinct bean flavor. I remember the first time Lance tried them he scrunched up his nose and made the "yuck" face. These cookies had perfect cookie texture and were very tasty. There was only a slight taste that we noticed at the very end that was "gluten free", but I doubt people would notice it if they weren't looking for something.

The chocolate chip cookie was quite good, but I preferred the ginger wheel cookie. There were nice big chunks of crystalized ginger in the cookie. Next we moved on to the apricot thumbprint. Not our favorite. Distinct bean flavor, and the apricot would benefit from more lemon zest or something to perk it up.

Cupcakes were next. The peanut butter frosting was fantastic. The chocolate cupcake was a little oily and dense, but definitely good. A good combo. The vanilla maple cupcake wasn't my favorite. I liked the maple flavor, but the bean flour kind of snuck up at the end. The frosting was good, but not as good as the peanut butter.

If you're going to the Flying Apron, I would recommend the cookies or chocolate cupcakes. I still like the cinnamon rolls as well. I find the atmosphere very pleasant and homey. The staff is usually on top of things; this is only the second or third time in a long string of orders that something was incorrect.

Vegan Mofo Day 9: Flying Apron and Ginger Maple Dressing

Seattle Vegan Bakery Review

Today was a bit long and I'm more than a little bit tired, so this will be a short post. This morning I stopped by The Flying Apron on the way in to work. Actually, it wasn't so much a stop by on the way as it was me getting bored of sitting in traffic. I'm glad I did. I haven't been in the shop in a while. My favorite cinnamon rolls were just as good as ever and I decided to pick up a kombucha while I was at it. I had never had the kombucha brand before and was sorely disappointed to discover (after drinking 3/4 of the bottle! Arg!) that it was not vegan (raw honey) and it had ingredients like "Natural Coloring" which is made from who knows what. I really hope the bakery starts brewing their own kombucha. I should have read the label because it is a good practice to keep when you have allergies and they do offer dairy for their espresso/coffee. The brand wasn't that great - I'll stick to Chaco Canyon and Synergy I think.

You will have to excuse the photographs - they were taken with my cell phone. Flying Apron does have some mighty tasty gluten free vegan cinnamon rolls. The one I grabbed was still a little warm, and it was easy to eat at my desk. How they get such a yummy glaze on those rolls, I guess I will never know. Actually, I probably already have the recipe in the cookbook I purchased written by the owner of the Bakery, so I will have to check that out. I do enjoy many of their items and the frosting on their cupcakes and cakes is amazing. Some of the recipes are heavy on the garbanzo bean flour, which is a taste I don't particularly care for, so I tend to stick to my favorites there. The staff is always very helpful and friendly. There was a time when my husband and I lived in the neighborhood and were recognized regulars.

On to the recipe...

Sunday I purchased some wonderful looking arugula at the Sunday Farmer's Market in Capitol Hill. I whipped up a quick dressing to go with it, mixed in some romaine and mushrooms, and we both had huge salads with our dinner.

Ginger Maple Dressing
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 Tb sesame oil
2 Tb maple syrup
3 Tb coconut vinegar
pinch of salt

This is a very simple dressing that just requires some grating (ginger) and a quick whisk before pouring over your salad. It pairs very well with the peppery bite of arugula. I would play with the proportions to suit your taste. This may be a bit too sweet for some, so I would up the ginger and vinegar.


Time for me to go to bed. Crossing my fingers and hoping this post makes sense...