Gluten Free Food Reviews

Bread of Life Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookie, originally uploaded by Gluten Free Food Reviews.

Yummmmm, this one is a keeper!

When Bread of Life sent me this fresh baked cookie to review, I have to be honest, I was skeptical. I haven’t had many really great gluten free cookies in the two years I have been gluten free. I don’t like the gritty, course, and crumbly texture of many gluten free baked treats. I am really picky about my cookies! But this one was different.

When I opened the package of this gluten free Snicker Doodle cookie, I was immediately struck by how big it was. It is huge!

I took my first bite and marveled at the texture- it did not have the gritty and grainy gluten free texture I was familiar with. Instead, I found this gluten free snicker doodle cookie to be dense and chewy with just the right balance of softness. The cinnamon sprinkled on top was just right, and did not overpower the flavor. I did not detect any type of aftertaste. Nice.

Now, I have to say, this is not the traditional snicker doodle I consumed before Celiac Disease. The flavor is richer and more “wholesome” tasting thanks to the sorghum flour and date paste. I have to admit this is one of my new favorite gluten free treats. If you want an extra sinful but heavenly treat, warm this gluten free cookie in the microwave for 10 seconds, and it will literally taste like it melts in your mouth.

Bread of Life warned me that these cookies- as with their other tasty muffins and cookies- are not low in fat or calories and should be consumed knowing they are a treat. I appreciated that they pointed this out to me, and didn’t’ try to pass their products off as healthy, wholesome “snacks.” Very honest. It also makes me feel good, knowing that these yummy concoctions are made in a dedicated gluten free facility.

PROS: perfectly chewy, rich spiced flavor, individually packed makes them perfectly portable, smooth texture

CONS: not quite a “traditional” snickerdoodle thanks to the sorghum flour

Rating: 5 stars

Where Can I Buy these Cookies?

Visit Bread of Life’s website HERE

Ingredients: sorghum flour, organic evaporated cane juice, date paste, butter, free range eggs, tapioca flour, cinnamon, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt.

Feel free to check out my reviews of these other Bread of Life gluten free products:

Bread of Life Buttery Gluten Free Sugar Cookie

Bread of Life Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Muffin

A fresh baked, portable, individually wrapped, gluten free sugar cookie. This would be perfect for those times when I am traveling and want something sweet, but homemade. This, I had to try.

Bread of Life creates these gluten free sugar cookies in a dedicated gluten free facility that is also free of rice, soy, rye, nuts and oats. These huge and hearty 4 ounce gluten free cookies sell for $2.49 and easily satisfies a savage sweet tooth.

I tried this cookie five days after Bread of Life sent it to me; not because I didn’t want to dive in right away, but I wanted to see if this gluten free sugar cookie would actually last more than a few days.

This cookie definitely passed the shelf life test. I found the cookie chewy and dense with a wholesome, hearty taste thanks to the sorghum flour, evaporated cane juice, butter, and free range eggs- simple ingredients that create a simply yummy cookie. Because these ingredients are different than a “typical” sugar cookie,the flavor is also somewhat different than what I expected. It was a good different! The buttery flavor also added a nice balance to the other ingredients.

The texture of this cookie is not grainy, dry or gritty, like many gluten free cookies I have tried. It is somewhat soft, but with a satisfying density you can really sink your teeth into. Topping this cookie was a thick, sugary sweet topping that provided a crunch. However, I found it to be overwhelming so I brushed off the excess topping. No big deal.

My favorite way to eat this cookie is warmed in the microwave for 10-12 seconds. It literally melts in your mouth. Yum.

Pros: doesn’t taste gluten free , chewy and satisfying

Cons: thick sugary topping

Rating: 5 starsÂ

Want to try this cookie for yourself?

Click HERE to order from the Bread of Life website

Ingredients: sorghum flour, free range eggs, butter, date paste, organic evaporated cane juice, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea saltÂ

I have tried Namaste’s brownie mix, and since I loved it so much I was really excited to see if this mix was just as good. I purchased the mix at Nature’s Pantry for $5.99 (gulp!). At this price, I really hoped it would be worth it. This mix makes 2 dozen medium sized cookies.

Mixing the cookie dough was downright disastrous. Upon adding the oil, water and eggs, I found the dough to be very thick and oily, and hard to handle. I ended up using my hands to rolls small balls of dough since the drop cookie method was not an option. Ugghhh, what a mess! I had to keep washing my hands because the oil felt disgusting on my hands. I ventured a taste of the dough ( as always), and instantly regretted it. It tasted AWFUL- very gritty with a bitter aftertaste, like it had too much baking powder in it.

Ok, time for the ultimate test- baking. Initially I baked 6 cookies plain, with no added ingredients; and another 6 cookies with added bittersweet chocolate chips and walnuts.

Fresh from the oven, the plain cookies had a strange grainy texture and crumbled when I took a bite. The cookie seemed to be dry with a bitter aftertaste; the same taste as when I sampled the dough, only it was not as strong. The cookies with added chocolate and wlanuts were only slightly better in flavor, since the added ingredients masked the bitter aftertaste a bit.

Overall, I was dissappointed, and felt like I had wasted $6. I hope that others out there had a better expereince, because I really do like this company and many of their other products.

Pros: free from many common allergens

Cons: bad aftertaste, dough is messy to work with, higher price

Rating: 1 1/2 stars

Hoping you’ll have a better outcome?

Here is where you can buy this cookie mix:

Ingredients:Evaporated Cane Juice, Sweet Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Rice Milk Powder, Cream of Tartar, Baking Soda, Salt, Xanthan Gum and Vanilla.

A Gluten free mint oreo? This, I had to try.

Since I already reviewed Mi-del’s chocolate sandwich cookies, I thought I knew what to expect-a fairly crunchy cookie, but with a mint twist. However, I knew I was in trouble from the first bite.

I took a bite, and thought I would break a tooth- I couldn’t even bite through this cookie it was so hard! This cookie was so crunchy it was diffiucult for me to even evaluate texture and flavor. A good soaking in a glass of milk helped somewhat, but held it’s shape despite a good 5 minute soak. The mint filling inside was thin, but thick in consistency and had a strong mint flavor that actually tasted decent. Overall, I can’t buy these cookies again, way too hard and crunchy to even enjoy.

PROS: Nice mint flavor, keeps shape when dunking

CONS: Way too hard!

Rating: 1 1/2 stars

Ingredients: Cookie: Gluten Free Flour (Contains Corn Flour, Soya Flour, Potato Flour, Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Xanthan Gum), Organic Dehydrated Cane Juice, Canola Oil, Cocoa, Egg, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Starch, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt, Soybean Lecithin (Used as an Emulsifier), Baking Soda. Creme Filling: Fructose, Canola Oil, Natural Flavor, Soybean Lecithin (Used as an Emulsifier).

Feeling brave and have strong teeth? You can buy these cookies at:

food4celiacs.com

See what Racheline from gather.com has to say about Mi-del cookies!

I was very curious about these cookies. How wonderful would it be to have a ready made gluten free chocolate chip cookie that was soft and yummy? I hoped this was the answer.

I purchased these cookies at a local grocer near my parents home the last time I was there for a visit. I paid $3.99 for a package of 12 very small cookies. Inside, the cookies were encased in a plastic sleeve to protect from mashing together ( I assume). The packaging worked! The cookies made it to my home, intact, separated and ready to eat.

I found these cookies to be very soft, but dense; a cookie you can really sink you teeth into. They hold their shape with no crumbling or graininess with just a hint of dryness. The cookies are dotted with miniature chocolate chips. Unfortunately, the chocolate chips looked and tasted stale, and the cookies had a strong date flavor that added a fruity sweetness to the cookies.I was disappointed at the lack of chocolate chips, despite the box boasting of “more” chocolate chips. I started to wonder if this cookie even tasted like a chocolate chip cookie! In reality, it tasted OK, but not quite the traditional tasting soft baked C.C. cookie I was hoping for. I am starting to think I am just too picky. I am not sure if that is good or bad!

Pros: soft and chewy, naturally sweetened

Cons: not a traditional chocolate chip cookie flavor, strong date/fruit flavor

Rating: 2 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy These Cookies? Click the link below:

Enjoy Life Foods Soft Baked Chewy Chocolate Chip Gluten-Free Cookies at GlutenFreeMall.com

Ingredients: Sorghum Flour; Grape, Apple & Pear Juice Concentrates; Pure Cane Brown Sugar; Date Paste; Expeller Pressed-Safflower Oil; Chocolate Chips(sugar, chocolate liquor, and non-dairy cocoa butter); Water; Natural Rice Dextrin; Xanthan Gum; Baking Soda; Salt; Vanilla; Rosemary Extract.

Read more Enjoy Life product reviews:

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies

Enjoy Life Very Berry Granola

Hmmm, after by disappointing experience with the vanilla KinniToos sandwich cookies, I was hoping these cookies would make up for it. There has to be at least one good GF sandwich cookie out there, right? I just remember having these types of cookies when I was growing up- there’ s just something comforting about a childhood memory of dunking sandwich cookies in a cold glass of milk.

A package of these cookies costs $4.69 in my area, but Glutino was generous enough to send me a sample to review for this site. Thanks Glutino! My favorite feature of these cookies is the packaging- the cookies are twin wrapped to preserve freshness. Smart call Glutino, because these cookies go stale in the bat of an eye if left unsealed. I love the little twin wrapped packs- they are the perfect size for snacking. Each box contains 5 wrapped twin sets for a total of 10 cookies.

These “cookie” part of these cookies have a nice crunch to them but are not hard, and have a pleasant texture that isn’t too gritty or crumbly. The vanilla flavor is mild and has a slightly processed taste that left a residue in my mouth. The filling is like a thick slab of gritty sweetness. It is not fluffy or smooth, but manages to blend well with the cookies surrounding it.

If you want a decent cookie that will fulfill your sweet tooth craving in a hurry, this cookie is your ticket. Just be sure to have a glass of cold milk nearby.

Pros: twin wrapped for freshness, perfectly sweet

Cons: filling is somewhat gritty and thick

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Find these cookies at these sites:

Glutino - Dreams - Vanilla
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Ingredients: Corn starch, vegetable fats (palm and palm kernal oils), evaporated cane juice, maltodextrin (corn), fructose, soy flour, xylitol, sea salt, vanilla, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, beta carotene. May contain traces of tree nuts and milk.

These cookies were a new product featured at my local natural foods grocer, so I thought I’d give them a try. I have missed regular vanilla wafers, and was hoping these might be a satisfactory replacement.

These small vanilla cookies are about the size of a dollar coin, maybe even a little larger and are very pale in color. They are packaged in a plastic bag for freshness within a much larger box; I found the packaging deceiving compared to how many cookies actually come in the box.

They are slightly soft, but with a subtle crunch. The texture is fine, almost shortbread-like, and slightly crumbly with no chalkiness. The smooth vanilla flavor is strong but not overpowering; it makes this simple cookie interesting as well as tasty. These would pair well with a strong drink or just a glass of milk. They are a perfect snacking size, and I think adults and children alike would approve of these cookies. Overall a tasty treat.

Pros: Great vanilla flavor, perfect size for snakcing

Cons: slightly processed taste

Rating: 4 stars

Want to try them for yourself? You can buy them here:

Hoffnersglutenfree.comÂ

Ingredients: Potato starch, eggs, sugar, vegetable fat (soy), flavors (vanillin)

Oh yah, looks good, huh? This is the Cherrybrook Kitchen Sugar Cookie Mix with their vanilla frosting mix.

Every Easter, I have a tradition of making soft and yummy sugar cookies with my kiddos. I have a heavenly recipe that is to die for that I have used for years. And even though I don’t mind eating gluten free, at Easter, every so often, I wish I could just have one of my famous sugar cookies.

When I saw this mix at my local grocery store, I was excited. Maybe I wouldn’t have to miss out at Easter anymore! Could it be? A good GF sugar cookie mix? This, I had to try. When I prepared the mix at home, I found the cookies easy to mix by hand. I rolled 18 small balls of cookie dough by hand, gently placed them on the sheet, and popped them into the oven. They were supposed to bake for 12-14 minutes, so I set my timer for 13 minutes. When my timer went off, I was shocked to discover that the cookies weren’t even half baked! They had barely started to flatten out and showed no hint of browning at the edges. I ended up baking the cookies for a full 19 minutes before they browned a bit at the edges and slightly cracked at the top.

After cooling completely on a wire rack, I found that these cookies appeared rounded at the top, creating a thicker center. This created some difficultly in frosting the cookies, as I prefer a flat sugar cookie:

I found the bottom and edges of the cookies to be crisp, with a soft chewy center. The texture seemed grainy and mealy, and crumbled a bit when I took a bite. the flavor was mild, not too sweet with a slight aftertaste. They tasted “OK”, alone, but much better with frosting, as with most sugar cookies. These cookies also dry out quickly, and suggest storing them in an air tight container after cooking. The packaging is just adorable, I just wish the mix turned out better for me. I hope someone else out there had a better experience than I did.

Pros: easy prep

Cons: fussy baking time, grainy texture, “OK” flavor

Rating: 3 stars

Were Can I Buy This Mix?

Cherrybrook Kitchen - Sugar Cookie Mix
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: White rice flour, evaporated cane juice, potato starch, tapioca flour, baking powder [sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate], xanthan gum, sea salt.

I admit, I wanted to get the mix just because the box was so darn cute.

The whimsical children sliding down the cupcake was just too much to resist. I just had to try it, and since I was also purchasing the Cherrybrook Kitchen sugar cookie mix, I thought the combination of the two would pair well together. I purchased the mix for $3.99 and it makes enough to frost a dozen cupcakes or a nine inch cake.

This frosting was easy to prepare, just add a whopping 2 1/2 sticks of margarine (or butter)and 2 tbsp soy milk ( or regular milk) to the frosting mix. I used a Kitchen Aid mixer and the frosting ended up light and fluffy and unbelievably smooth. I frosted my sugar cookies with ease. I suggest using this frosting immediately for best results.

The texture of this frosting is completely smooth and creamy, with no grittiness and a mildly sweet flavor. My children tasted it and thought it was whipped cream and loved it. When I tasted it, though, all I could taste was the butter. Yuck. I felt disappointed, but I really should have not have been surprised. I usually make my own buttercream frosting for frosting cookies, and in comparing my recipe and this mix, the ratio of powdered sugar and butter ( or margarine) seems to be off off- too much butter, not enough sugar. In reality, when examining the ingredients of this mix ( confectionary sugar, vanilla flavor and sea salt). I think you are better off making this from scratch.

Pros: Creamy, light taste. easy prep

Cons: tastes more like sweetend butter than frosting, pricey for what you get

Rating: 2 stars

Where Can I Buy This Frosting Mix?

Cherrybrook Kitchen - Vanilla Frosting
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: confectionary sugar ( contains cornstarch), all natural cvanilla flavor, sea salt