Love cookies, but are on a diet? I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. A few months into quarantine, I gained a ton of weight and I knew I had to start holding off on the snacks. This included one of my favorite snacks: cookies. 🙁 Fortunately, one online bakeshop has come to the rescue, providing guilt-free vegan treats that aren’t just healthy, but are also downright delicious!

Beatrice Llanes, the owner of BTRC Bakes, believes that cravings can be satisfied guilt-free; so everything that they make is egg- and dairy-free, all-vegan goodness! Since everything is plant-based, there is no cholesterol at all. It helps that Bea is into fitness because she makes sure that she calorie-counts all of her cookies. In fact, she has experimented to keep the calorie count low without sacrificing on taste. Bea points out: “Snacking doesn’t have to be unhealthy for it to be good. Through our goodies, you’ll get a healthier alternative while retaining the taste and feel of indulging.”

Bea shares that she got into baking when she was 14 because she decided to go vegan and really missed her sweets. Since she didn’t know where to get vegan cookies, she started to make her own. A year later, she realized she could sell them; and many of her friends and relatives ordered from her. She averaged baking 20 boxes a day on her bake days – quite a feat for a 15-year-old!

She eventually stopped taking orders to focus on senior high school, as well as take more business classes. Last month, Bea decided to reopen BTRC Bakes – and I am so happy that she did. “The support and love have been overwhelming,” Bea beams, sharing that she has sold over 1,200 cookies in just 20 days. “I couldn’t be more grateful. My heart has been really full since our relaunch.”

Here are their flavors:

Classic Chocolate Chip

Mega Size: Php250 for 3, Php430 for 6, Php750 for 12
Regular Size: Php270 for 12, Php500 for 24, Php975 for 48

This was BTRC Bakes’ first flavor. Bea has been selling these since 2015. Who doesn’t love a classic cookie, after all? BTRC Bakes’ Classic Chocolate Chip cookies are rich, chewy, and chocolate-y. They also have pink Himalayan salt as an option on top of the cookies to really elevate their flavor and create a sweet and salty combination. It’s still drool-worthy with or without, though!

Toasted Caramel Coffee Chip

Php295 for 9, Php385 for 12

This is my personal favorite. Or was when I first tasted their cookies, anyway. (They released a Matcha Chocolate flash flavor recently, and that is now my new favorite. :p) Since Bea drinks coffee everyday, she knew she had to create something with coffee. “This was the longest I had to experiment on because I wanted it to be dark but not too dark in taste that non-coffee lovers would still like it,” she shares. These cookies have a sweet caramel exterior and a rich coffee base with just a little bit of dark chocolate to further accentuate the flavors.

Oil-Free Peanut Butter

Php220 for 6, Php420 for 12

If you’re looking for a cookie with super low calories, this is it! These cookies are only 74 calories a piece and don’t have any oil in them whatsoever. Even the peanut butter used only has pure peanuts. It is their healthiest cookie to date and is perfect as a post-workout treat!

Cinnamon Sugar

Php280 for 9, Php365 for 12

BTRC Bakes’ Cinnamon Sugar cookies were an accidental discovery when Bea mistakenly used cinnamon sugar instead of regular sugar one night. “When I tasted them, I knew it was a good addition to the menu,” she shares. And it’s a good thing she added them, too, because these cookies are my daughter’s favorite out of the bunch. (She said it reminds her of Auntie Anne’s.)

BTRC Bakes are best eaten within 5 days (stored in an airtight container at room temperature). However, they can last up to three weeks when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The best part is that they still taste great after long periods of time.

Pro Tip: Add a slice of bread in the container to keep them soft. You can also heat them in the microwave for 5 to 15 seconds for the regular-sized cookies, or 8 to 25 seconds for the palm-sized ones. Of course, you can just eat them cold, too.

BTRC Bakes proves that snacking can still be indulgent, decadent and delicious without sacrificing one’s health. I haven’t tried a lot of vegan treats in the Metro so far; but these are actually on my personal favorite cookies list, in general. They’re so good, I’ve already ordered two batches after the first batch that I tried just last week. :p I’ve also ordered batches for my friends so they can discover the deliciousness of BTRC Bakes – definitely one of my favorite quarantine discoveries!

BTRC Bakes delivers their treats all around the Metro, including nearby provinces like Laguna, Cavite, and Cainta. They will also be launching more variants and sugar-free options in the future, so make sure you follow them on social media to get your updates on their healthy treats.

BTRC Bakes

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BTRCBakes

Instagram: @btrcbakes