Hi all!

This is a big departure for me. Brace yourselves!

* Ahem * (NOT a sponsored post) * Ahem *

Back Story

I have a friend with digestion issues and a very delicate constitution. She has eliminated a substantial percentage of foods from her diet, including dairy, grains, sugar, nuts, etc. Her diet is simple, effective, and streamlined. She’s accepted it, while often declaring how much she misses chocolate. Typical chocolate is chock full of sugar, occasionally dairy, and potentially full of other wonky preservatives that make for a grumbly rumbly in the tumbly.

Me, being me, I thought, “Aha! Lakanto makes some interesting chocolate products. They’re dairy free and use sweeteners that are safe for most. Maybe this will fill the void!”

Over the holidays, I ordered a box of goodies and had it sent to her. I was in California at the time. She was located out of the country. I had the box sent to a mutual friend (Peter) visiting the states, with the plan to bring it back down to her. Box ordered, mailed and then…

… I found out Peter had to return early for work!

I quickly contacted Lakanto’s customer support, to ask if they could change the shipping address in transit. They were quick to respond and appeared to bend over backwards to see my request fulfilled. I was constantly updated with progress, but… alas… the box was delivered to the front door of an empty home; a big, sweet-smelling box filled with chocolate treats, suntanning in front of an unoccupied house… melting.

I asked Lakanto if they knew if there was any way send USPS back to get the box. Again, they worked to fulfill my request, but came back with a big “We tried, but once delivered… it’s out of their system. Would you like us to send another one? Our treat!”

I was blown away. Beside myself. They had 100% fulfilled their obligation to me. I ordered, they sent it, then went above and beyond dealing with my shenanigans as we worked to save this box. At no point in this story were they at fault. They were also fully aware that the fault rested with me. They strive to #SweetResponsibly, so they persisted that the offer stood.

Luckily, a neighbor managed to save the box before it melted. It was forwarded on and finally made it to its ecstatic destination (who LOVED it and was more than able to digest it!).

In the end, I passed on the free box of chocolate. The box was saved. I profusely thanked them and moved on with my life, but that experience never left me. It made me a MASSIVE fan of Lakanto. Bear in mind that none of this was done as “DJ Foodie”. I was just a random order. I never named dropped myself. I was polite and forthright. They were helpful and generous.

I especially want to pay extra special attention to Kacie, who worked me through this. Kacie, I am writing this blog post and all these recipes for you and your top-notch customer service. Thank you so much!

Should I use packaged foods on the blog?!

This whole thing got me to thinking. I wanted to write about my experience, if anything just as a positive boost for Kacie. I decided it might be fun to take some of their products, try them, but also to coax and tease them into something else.

I decided to give it a whirl! I ordered a bunch of their products and put ‘em to the test. Again, this is not a sponsored post. I’m simply embracing my inner Sandra Lee. And, having gone through the process, I’m no longer planning to alert them to this series of recipes. My evaluations will be honest at a level that they may not appreciate. However, you, dear reader, gain the benefit of my experiences!

Long story short? Lakanto is actually mostly awesome.

Their products are made with incredibly clean, healthy ingredients. They don’t use anything nasty, funky or unsavory. Right across the board, their formulas are near perfect and logical. They use the same base ingredients I we do!

Their customer service is also the best I’ve seen. I was completely impressed by their kindness and follow through. A++

Now, the actual products? They range from amazing to… ‘missing the mark’, a bit.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll share oodles of thoughts and recipes using these ingredients and mixes. I’ll explain what I thought, how it worked, what my thought process was and why I done do’d what I did!

Let’s start with the brownies. Their brownies were INCREDIBLE! Straight up every bit as good as any other full sugar/wheat-based brownie I’ve ever had. They were rich, chewy, and gooey. They’re also sugar-free, grain-free and dairy free. These brownies are almost a marvel!

Here’s a photo of the recipe, as it comes straight from the bag.

Below, is a fun marbled merging of Lakanto Brownie Batter with Bayou Brownies. These things were spectacular! Pretty to look at. My mouth did that whole drooling on my chin thing!

Recipes

Chocolate Marbled Bayou Brownies

As stated in my blog post about Lakanto, I had a very positive experience with their customer service and opted to try something new. This is a bit of a review of one of their products, while also being a fun twist to their product. This is unsponsored (does it matter, really?) and just something I wanted to try.

What do y’all think? Do you like the idea of reviews, along with fun twists and ideas for pre-made products?… More >

Coconut-Almond Brownies

This is a throwback, from the time before time. This goes back to early experiments with coconut flour. It’s a terrible recipe, but I thought the story and the lesson learned was worth sharing. If you’ve got a moment and lookin’ to giggle, read on!… More >

I hope everyone is doing well. More soon…

Enjoy the chocolatey goodness!

~DJ

STANDARD FTC DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note, I only ever endorse products that are in alignment with my ideals and I believe would be of value to my readers.