Gluten Free Food Reviews

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

Yesterday I tried the chocolate version of these sandwich cookies by kinnikinnick, and I liked them so much that I thought these would be just as good. Ummmm, not quite.

The package shows a golden sandwich cookie that I expected to taste just like a “regular” vanilla sandwich cookie. The chocolate version did, so why wouldn’t the vanilla as well? I knew I was in for a big disappointment the minute I opened the package. The cookies did not look golden, they looked almost white, like a very pale shortbread cookie. When I bit into the cookies, the sweetness hit me. WOW. very sweet. The top and bottom of these cookies tasted strangely familar- I then realized it tastes just like the kinnikinnick KinniKrittrers animal cookies! Same cookie, different shape.

These cookies are crunchy, but not hard, and crumble just a little, as most cookies do. The top and bottom layers taste like a fine shortbread- light, with a sweet sugary taste. The creme in the middle is creamy and tasty with no grittness. Now, I suppose these are decent cookies, but for me personally, they were so sweet, and so different than what I was expecting that I just did not care for them at all. It is a personal preference and not necessarily a product flaw.

Pros: Nice texture, creamy filling is yummy, nice crunch factor

Cons: Too sweet, especially with the cookie/creme combination- get your sweet tooth ready!

Rating: 3 stars

Where Can I Buy These Cookies?

Kinnikinnick - KinniToos Vanilla Cream Sandwich Cookies
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Icing (icing sugar (may contain 2-3% corn starch), palm fruit oil (non hydrogenated), vanilla flavor, soy lecithin, salt), sugar, pea starch, potato starch, palm fruit oil (non hydrogenated), white rice flour, cocoa powder, water, tapioca starch, glucose, pea protein, sodium carboxy methylcellulose, salt, vanilla flavor, pea fibre, guar gum, inulin, ammonium bicarbonate(90), sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin.

Ok, so I had to find out what all the fuss was about. I have a few GF online friends that have raved about these cookies. However, I was hesitant. At $5.39 for an 8 ounce package of cookies, I thought the price was a bit steep. My friends assured me it was worth every penny, so I bowed to peer pressure and picked them up at my local natural foods store. I lucked out and purchased their last package of these cookies. The cashier, who also happens to be the owner, assured me these cookies were one of their best sellers in the gluten free section. I felt a little more confident in my purchase, and headed home just in time for my kiddos snack time. I figured they would be the ultimate test to see if these cookies are, in fact, the best gluten free Oreo alternative.

Well, my kiddos and I were not disappointed. These cookies are simply yummy. The chocolate cookies are crunchy, but not hard, and the cream center was smooth, creamy and perfectly sweet. I was amazed! These cookies are really really good, and if you are one that missed your Oreo dunk tradition, look no further. This is your cookie. The chocolate cookie part is not perfect- kind of light and sugary- but that was what I was expecting with this gluten free cookie after looking at the ingredients.

My my gripe with these cookies are with the cream filling. First, there isn’t enough cream in the middle- just a touch more would make them perfect. Also, the cream is applied in a donut shape:

This results in gaps and spaces in the cookie- a little disappointing considering the price.

Pros: Decent flavor, texture, perfectly crunchy, best GF oreo substitute out there so far!

Cons: skimped on the cream filling, a bit pricey, sugary sweet chocolate cookie may be too much for some

Overall Rating: 4 stars

Where Can I Buy These Yummy Cookies?

Kinnikinnick - KinniToos Choc. Cream Sandwich Cookies
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Icing(Icing Sugar(may contain 2-3% corn starch), Palm Fruit Oil (Non Hydrogenated), Vanilla Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Salt), Sugar, Pea Starch, Potato Starch, Palm Fruit Oil (Non Hydrogenated), White Rice Flour, Cocoa Powder, Water, Tapioca Starch, Glucose, Pea Protein, Sodium Carboxy Methylcellulose, Salt, Pea Fibre, Vanilla Flavor, Caramel colour, Guar Gum, Inulin, Sodium Bicarbonate, Soy Lecithin, Ammonium Bicarbonate

My sister spotted these at a natural foods store in Richmond, and I am so glad she did. It is funny, when I visit family, I often raid the natural foods shops, because the gluten-free food selection is so much better than in my small town!

These hand crafted italian cookies cost $5.59 for a 6 ounce bag, or about 15 mini biscottis. I peeked in the see-through window and they truly reminded me of the biscotti I sampled in Italy ages ago. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed!

These small biscotti are truly yummy. The chocolate flavor is light and studded with bits of almond. I was surprised when I bit into one- initially they were crunchy, but instantly melted in my mouth, just like real Italian biscotti- not the American version that requires a dunk in a cup of hot coffee or cocoa to make them chewable. The texture was not gritty and did not even provide a hint of it’s rice flour base. They certainly don’t taste gluten free.

I thought the flavor was just perfect, although a bit more almond would have made them even better. Overall, a great find! I strongly encourage you to sample their other flavors and check out my reviews for the following biscottines flavors: vanilla, chocolate chip, and hazelnut anise ( this one will be posted later this week). For information about the Sorella Gluten Free Bakery, check out my review for the chocolate chip flavor biscottines.

Pros: great flavor and texture

Cons: Could use a bit more almond

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy These YUMMY Biscottines?

Sorella - Biscottines - Chocolate Almond
From: glutenfree.com

Oh my goodness, are these Glutino crunchy chocolate covered wafer cookies addictive!

This product was sent to me from Glutino to review, and I am so glad they did! These cookies sell for about $3.99 for a box of 16 wafers, or four servings. Looking at the packaging makes you want something chocolate just by looking at it! I was surprised to find that the center of the of the inside packaging tray has a false bottom, so you aren’t getting as many wafers as you’d expect- the edges are stacked two high, and the center is a single layer of wafers- just something to keep in mind.

These wafers are a perfect balance of crispiness and sweetness. The chocolate is rich without tasting too sugary, and the wafers are light and crunchy and hold their own between the creamy layers of chocolate. These definately do not taste gluten free, and if you choose to purchase them, I’d suggest adding two boxes to your virtual shopping cart.They really are that good!

Pros: Wonderful flavor, texture and sweetness- doesn’t taste gluten free!!

Cons: Be careful of melting if shipped in the summer heat

Rating: 5 stars

Where Can I Buy These Tasty Wafer Cookies?

Ingredients: WAFER: evaporated cane juice, palm oil, potato flour, cocoa powder, soy oil, soy lecithin, salt, vanilla extract, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate. COATING: evaporated cane juice, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, soy lecithin, salt

Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? I think I may have found a fast gluten free version you can bake in your own oven with minimal fuss and mess. Now, that’s my style! Sorry, but my great photo of these cookies has gone MIA on my computer, so please feel free to check out a photo HERE at godairyfree.com.

My local natural food store sells this Gluten-Free Essentials chocolate chip cookie mix for $5.99, however, Gluten-Free Essentials generously sent me this complimentry mix to review. Gatta love it! But don’t worry, just because it’s complimentry doesn’t mean it will get a good review. Each package makes aproximately 2- 3 dozen cookies, depending on how big they are. The bright red packaging makes it easy to spot this brand on the shelf.

To make this mix you add melted butter and 2 eggs, although I have heard that you can use a butter and egg substitute with decent results as well. During preparation, I would suggest not adding the eggs directly to the hot melted butter unless you happen to enjoy scrambled eggs in your cookies (trust me on that one). Other than this slight precautiion, this mix combines easily by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula. Seriously, it could not be easier. After mixing, I chilled the dough for 30 to 45  minutes and found that was long enough for a nice result, unlike their Cocoa Mudslide Cookies, that required a longer chill time. I rolled the dough into balls by hand and baked them for 14 minutes and let them cool completely on the pan.

I found these cookies to have a sweet, traditional flavor, comparable to a Tollhouse recipe chocolate chip cookie. The texture was somewhat grainy and seemed “off”, but were not crumbly. The cookies were crisp on the bottom and edges with a chewy, softer top. They tasted a bit dry to me, so I could suggest baking closer to 12Â minutes. The chocolate chips appeared evenly distributed and tasted yummy. Overall, I would definately buy this mix to have on hand for cookie craving emergencies

Pros: traditional flavor, nice combo of crisp and chewy, easy prep

Cons: texture is a bit grainy, long chill time, plan ahead

Rating: 4 stars

Where Can I Buy This Mix?

GlutenFreeEssentials.com

Ingredients: sorghum flour, sugar, GF baking powder, guar gum, salt, chocolate chips (chocolate liquor, cocola butter, soy lecithin sugar, salt, vanilla)

I came across this cookie flavor as I browsed a newer natural foods store on my last visit to see my parents. I am a sucker for dark chocolate, and it is not a secret I like many of Pamela’s Products, so I took the dark choco splurge. My mom is a chocoholic as well, and her enthusiasm definately helpd edge me closer to the check out line.

I purchase the box of nine cookies for $3.89, fairly average price for Pamela’s Products items. When I opened the package I discovered these cookies were on the smaller side, and fairy thick. As I took one out of the box and took my first bite, I noticed these cookies were not as soft as the other Pamela’s cookies and had a distinctive crunch to them. The texture seemed grainy to me with a thick, rich dark chocolate flavor that I really enjoyed. The chocolate chunks are evenly and generously distributed throughout the cookie. The flavor is very sweet and rich, but not too sweet- just right for such a chocolatey creation. This is a decent cookie if you need a chocolate fix, but not a product I would call my gluten free sister about.

Pros: Excellent chocolate flavor

Cons: Grainy texture, somewhat crunchy

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy These Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies?

Pamela’s Products - Dark Chocolate Chunk Chocolate Cookies
From: glutenfree.com

INGREDIENTS: Organic Natural Evaporated Cane Sugar; Organic Non-hydrogenated Palm Oil;, Organic Chocolate Chunks (Organic Natural Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Paste, Organic Cocoa Butter, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin/emulsifier, Gluten-free Organic Vanilla. Chunks may contain traces of milk protein due to the manufacturing equipment.); Organic Rice Flour Base (Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic White Rice Flour, Organic Tapioca Starch, Organic Sweet Rice Flour, Xanthan Gum); Organic Cocoa Powder (Processed with alkali); Grape Juice and Rice Syrup; Organic Eggs, Gluten-free Natural Flavor; Gluten-free Organic Vanilla; Grainless & Aluminum Free Baking Powder (Monocalcium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cornstarch); Sea Salt; Xanthan Gum.

Another day, another cookie . . . isn’t cookie & biscotti month great? There are so many sweets and so little time!

I just had to highlight my new favorite product line again, this time focusing on the vanilla flavor biscottines, or smaller sized biscotti. These cookies arrive in a brown 6 ounce bag with cheerful yellow and blue labeling. Each bag contains aproximately 15 cookies.

Please read my review on the chocolate chip flavor HERE for more information regarding the background of this company and how Phyllis, the owner and baker, came up with the name and the history behind these divine creations. Also, please take note of their fanatastic shipping- the packages of biscottines are carefully packaged by hand in custom ordered boxes, and the shipping speed is incredible. I recieved my box of cookies in two days!

I truly love the vanilla flavor. In reality, it tastes just like the chocolate chip biscottines, minus the chocolate chips. I found the texture to be smoother though, missing the larger nooks and crannies of the chocolate chip flavor. Sorella Bakery’s mini biscotti are crunchy, but not hard, and melt in your mouth. They are a touch crumbly when bitten, but are not gritty or coarse. I also found that they are airy and light, verses their dense and heavy counterparts.These are definately characteristic of true Italian biscotti, not the hard American version. To be honest, I do not even like traditional American biscotti, but I love them from Sorella Bakery.

The vanilla flavor is simple, light and not too overpowering. This flavor would pair particularly well with a strong flavored drink or food assortment, and taste good partially dipped in a dark chocolate. This is a versatile biscotti flavor ia appropriate for any occasion, meal, or dessert. My gluten consuming family helped polish off this bag in a matter of hours. They tend to be very picky with gluten free food, but this flavor was definately a winner. It truly does not taste gluten free!

Pros: light texture, crunchy but not hard, balanced vanilla flavor, hand made with natural ingredients

Cons: Are there any?

Rating: 5 stars

Where can I buy these yummy cookies?

Sorella - Biscottines- Vanilla
From: glutenfree.com

Be sure to check out what Flamenco Mom at Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Mama has to say about these cookies!

Ingredients: Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, Eggs, Canola Oil, Sugar, Pure Vanilla Extract, Aluminum-Free Baking Powder, Xanthan Gum, Salt

These small, round cookies come 12 to a package, and since it has been literally years since I have had a snickerdoodle, I thought I’d give these a shot. I found them while shopping at a natural foods store with my mom in the twin cities area in Minnesota, where I grew up. ( And no, I do not have the MN accent anymore! If you are from there, or have visited, you know what I am talking about.) Plus, I haven’t tried any of the Enjoy Life cookies yet.

When I opened the box I was impressed that the clear a packaging was shaped to separate these soft cookie. Too bad the packaging didn’t work. Each row of cookies was mashed together in one large snickerdoodle tower. I think the cookies need to be a bit larger to fit the grooves in the packaging. Anyway, the cookies separated with minimal damage, so it wasn’t a big deal.

When the packaging says that these cookies are soft baked- they are not joking. They are, in fact, very soft and chewy with no crumbling. You can literally sink your teeth into one of these small cookie confections. There isn’t any chalkiness or grittiness, and the texture is pleasant and not at all gluten-free tasting. These cookies are coated with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and for me, this was the only resemblance of a snickledoodle flavor. The cookies themselves are sweet and fruity tasting, thanks to the healthy dose of date paste and fruit juices in the ingredients. In fact, I could see and taste small chunks of the date paste. (Too bad I am not a huge fan of dates.) There is a strong spice flavor comparable to soft gingerbread. Overall, they are decent cookies.

Pros: Soft and chewy, nice spice flavor, excellent texture
Cons: Doesn’t really taste like a true snickerdoodle, fruity flavor, flawed packaging

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy these cookies?

Enjoy Life Foods Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Gluten-Free Cookies - glutenfreemall.com

Ingredients: Sorghum Flour; Date Paste; Grape, Apple and Pear Juice Concentrates; Pure Cane Brown Sugar; Expeller-Pressed Vegetable Oil (Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil); Natural Rice Dextrin; Ground Flaxseed; Water; Baking Soda; Xanthan Gum; Vanilla; Salt; Cinnamon; Rosemary Extract

Read my other Enjoy Life gluten free reviews:

 Enjoy Life Soft baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enjoy Life Very Berry GranolaÂ

Feel free to check out what Bittersweet Blog, VegFamily, and OnlySometimesClever have to say about Enjoy Life soft baked cookies!

Hmmm, very impressive. I must say, if you are a choc-o-holic but don’t like the fuss of homemeade cookies, this one is for you. Gluten Free Essentials sent this mix in a sample box for me to try, and I knew this particular mix had to be first. This mix sells in my area for $6.99 and makes aproximately 24 cookies. It took Gluten Free Essentials a week to ship, from email contact to the product arriving on my doorstep.

The prep to make these cookies could not be easier. Add melted butter and eggs and mix by hand or by a hand/stand mixer with ease. After mixing, you will need to refrigerate the cookies; the package directions suggested 30 minutes, but I found an hour was preferable so the dough was easier to work with. However, if you get busy, you can simply cover the dough and store it until the next day and still have fantastic results. When I sampled the cookie dough ( yes, I am one of those people that eat cookie dough), it was rich and creamy, not at all gritty like other GF product mixes. I was surprised to find bits of chocolate and marshmellow dotting the dough. What a yummy surprise!

I rolled the dough into small balls and placed them on a cookie sheet and baked for the suggested 12 minutes. if you prefer a rounder cookie, rolling the cookies into balls vs. dropping spoonfuls of dough on the cookie sheet is the way to go. On my first try, I think the oven must have been running hot because they turned out crispy and burnt- umm, not so yummy. On try number two I cooked them for 10-11 minutes, They were very soft and gooey and I let them cool completely and set for an hour on the counter. The wait was definately worth it!

My cookies were slightly crisp at the edges and had little “slides” of chocolate where the marshmellows used to be ( hence the name of the cookie.) I noticed that cooking the cookies at the recomended 12 minutes resulted in marshmellows that completely dissappeared into the cookies, but if they are slightly underbaked some of the internal marshmellows remain intact. The chunks of sweet chocolate add gooeyness and the dark chocolate taste reminds me of brownies. These cookies definately taste “regular” and not at all gluten free. The texture of these cookies is typical of any gluten cookies and only crumbles when the cookies are overcooked or dried out a bit. My gluten-consuming family really enjoyed them.

After a day, these cookies dry out quickly and lose their appeal, so I would suggest eating them right after they have cooled. Remember, you can always save some of the dough in the fridge for the next day or so for fresh cookies another day.

Pros: Simple to mix, great chocolate flavor, excellent texture

Cons: long prep/cook/cool time, kind of pricey, fussy baking time

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy This Yummy Cookie Mix?

Gluten Free Essentials.com

Ingredients: Sorghum flour, rice flour, salt, gluten-free baking powder, guar gum, chocolate chips (chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin sugar, salt, vanilla), sugar, cocoa powder, marshmalows (corn syrup, modified corn starch, dextrose, water, gelatin, natural and artificial flavor, sodium pyrophosphate, blue #1).

Want to hear what others have to say about this mix? Check out Jay at the Gluten Free Post, Alisa at Moove Over Milk, and the writers at GoDairyFree.com