Gluuteny Bakery is a gluten-free and dairy-free bakery in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They’re currently offering online orders or walk-ups to a cute little window counter, due to pandemic restrictions, but hopefully one day soon we’ll be able to stop in to enjoy the bright and cheerful interior of the bakery. The first time I tried Gluuteny was probably around 2012, but they’ve been around since 2007 and consistently win Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Best of Gluten Free” award! Thanks to having family in the area, I’m able to get my hands on their baked goods a few times a year, even if I’m not traveling myself. This past week I happened to have family making a trip, so I ordered a variety of goods to give you the most all-encompassing gluten-free bakery review possible, without breaking the bank. Let’s get started!
What I Ordered:
My two favorite things on the menu at Gluuteny are the Toasted Almond Cupcake and the Sprinkle Sugar Cookies, which come pre-packaged in a pack of four. Typically, I’ll get a few of each and freeze them so I can grab one whenever I want and don’t feel a rush to eat them. They freeze really well!
This time around, I also ordered a Deluxe Brownie, Hollywood Square, Coconut-Topped Donut, and White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie for variety. All of these items are gluten free, dairy free, and fit the rest of my personal dietary restrictions. Some products at Gluuteny are also soy free or vegan.
Thoughts:
Deluxe Brownie
The Deluxe Brownie had a layer of rich chocolate ganache glaze on top, rainbow sprinkles, and a dollop of frosting with a maraschino cherry on top. It was over the top and I loved it. The brownie itself was rich and fudgy, amplified by the ganache glaze and a subtle crunch was added by the sprinkles. I definitely couldn’t eat one of these in a sitting, but that just means I get more of an experience out of it! This is definitely one of, if not the best gluten-free brownie I’ve ever had from a bakery, and I’ll certainly be ordering one next time I get the chance.
Hollywood Square
So, it turns out after looking at the Gluuteny website to make sure I accurately described the baked goods I’d ordered, I photographed the Hollywood Square upside down. In my defense, this is how it has been presented to me the two times I’ve ordered it, so I didn’t know any better! This is essentially 80% peanut butter and 20% chocolate and chocolate sprinkles. I’ve only eaten it after refrigerating for a while because it seems like it would be a sticky mess to eat warm. With that said, if you like treats with peanut butter, you’ll probably like this. I wasn’t familiar with Hollywood Squares before trying this one from Gluuteny, and while it isn’t my favorite thing on the menu, it is a rich treat full of flavor that definitely pleased my taste buds.
Toasted Almond Cupcake
Of the few cupcake flavors I’ve tried from Gluuteny, their Toasted Almond Cupcake reigns supreme. If I’m going to pay for an allergy-friendly cupcake, I want something fun. If I just wanted a chocolate or vanilla cupcake, I have good recipes for those that I love, so I don’t buy them when I’m out. The Toasted Almond Cupcake is a light, moist cake with a pleasant almond flavor, topped with creamy frosting and almond slivers. The flavor is distinct and not overly sweet. The frosting isn’t overwhelming but adds to the overall experience.
Coconut-Topped Donut
The Coconut-Topped Donut is a cake donut, topped with a small amount of chocolate icing and coconut shreds. Generally, I’m pretty sensitive to chocolate and picky about chocolatey flavors, but to me, this chocolate flavor didn’t really stand out and the coconut was the star of the show. The cake of the donut was spongey and moist. It held together well, so I wasn’t left with a crummy mess! If I lived nearby, I can totally see myself picking up one of these donuts for breakfast in the mornings when I want a treat.
White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie
This cookie was thick. That was the first thing I noticed about it, since gluten-free cookies – and baked goods in general – seem to be notoriously flat. This cookie was far from it. It was thick, but not too dense. It was crumbly but didn’t totally disintegrate into my hands. There was a pleasant sweetness in each bite that complimented the flavor that burst through from the macadamia nuts. I split this cookie with my sister, who I consider a total cookie snob, and she rated it a 10/10.
Sprinkle Sugar Cookies
I’ve always loved a nice soft cakey sugar cookie, but have never found anything gluten-free that came close: until Gluuteny. I love everything about these cookies. They’re the perfect size for a small sweet treat, have an incredibly soft texture that is so nice to bite into, and the icing, in my opinion, is phenomenal. The sprinkles are just a touch of fun that make it even better. If I could only get one thing from Gluuteny, nine times out of ten I would order these cookies, without even glancing at the menu. They’re that good.
And that wraps up my Gluten-Free Bakery Review of Gluuteny!
Gluuteny is definitely one of the best gluten-free bakeries I’ve been to. If you’re gluten-free and find yourself in Pittsburgh, I highly recommend checking them out!
