It's very ironic that finding out about my son's food allergy would lead me to the world of baking mixes -- I just never understood the point. In my thinking baking mixes only saved me one step, measuring, but I still had to have fresh eggs and milk on hand. So what was the point?

However! I needed a quick batch of egg-free cupcakes to keep in the freezer for my son, and I wasn't in the mood to experiment with vegan cupcakes just yet. I just needed egg and nut-free baked goods and I needed them fast. So I picked up a mix from local mix-makers<a href="http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/"> Cherrybrook Kitchen</a>, and let me tell you -- they're good. Very good.

We tried the yellow cake mix and it was aggressively vanilla scented -- perfect because we happen to love vanilla, but the reviews are even better for the chocolate mix. The cupcakes are soft and chewy, and defrost well.

The best part is that the mix is flexible -- my son has egg and nut allergies but can have milk and may not be able to tolerate soy (ay ay ay!) and a lot of the egg-free mixes are made to work with soy milk which doesn't work for us (plus, a lot of soy milk is processed on the same equipment as almond milk -- a no-no for him). This mix lets you mix and match ingredients to meet your needs. So you can make it with soy milk or cow's milk, butter or margarine -- it comes out delicious either way.

FIND IT! <a href="http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/storelocator.php">Cherrybrook Kitchen store locator</a>