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

This review will kick off a series of reviews for Bread of Life fresh baked goods. Since many of their products are packaged individually and have a shelf life of 7 to 10 days or so, I thought they would be a great option for gluten free traveling. They may be purchased online for $2.79, or in select natural foods stores in the southwest.

Bread for Life Gluten Free Bakery was started by two homeschooling families in 2002 and is based out of Missouri. Their products do not contain any rice flour ( gasp! is that possible in a gluten free product?!?) and feature wholesome, rich, high quality ingredients. (Click HERE to read their amazing story of how the Bread of Life bakery came to be). Their dedicated bakery is free of wheat, gluten, rice , oats, rye, peanuts and tree nuts.

First of all, these hefty and filling gluten free chocolate chips muffins are incredibly soft and scrumptious. As I gingerly sliced the muffin in half, I expected it to crumble since it was so soft and moist. Nope, not the case- hardly a crumb! These muffins have a smooth texture and mild pleasant flavor that screams ” I’m homemade!” The body of the muffins are not grainy or gritty like some gluten free baked products, and do not taste gluten free at all. Seriously. They are that good.

It is obvious high quality ingredients are used. The fact that free range eggs and sorghum flour also make this gluten free product appealing. The muffin was mildly sweet, flavorful and was perfect paired with a big glass of ice cold milk. The best way I can describe the flavor of this gluten free chocolate chip muffin is simply delightful, sinfully rich and lip-smacking good.

Although the body of the muffin is soft, smooth and moist, the topping threw me for a loop. A thick, sweet coating on top helped me crunch my way through the muffin. I do like a bit of sweetness with my muffins, but I found the sugary topping to be overwhelming at times. So, I simply brushed off the excess and was satisfied with the result.

The chocolate chips in my muffin also seemed a bit sparse- but the chocolate that I did taste was flavorful and seemed balanced with the overall flavor of the muffin.

Thanks to Bread of Life for the muffins. This is a great gluten free product from a great start-up that I am happy to support. Look for more muffin, cookie, and bread reviews this month from Bread of Life. You’ll be in for a treat!

PROS: soft, moist, flavorful, do not taste gluten free! Individually packaged for freshness, high quality ingredients

CONS: crunchy sweet topping may be overwhelming,

Rating: 5 stars

Where Can I Buy Bread of Life Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins?

Click HERE to visit the Bread of Life website for ordering information

(BONUS! If you order $39 or more before May 1st, your shipping is free!)

Ingredients: Sorghum flour, organic evaporated cane juice, potato starch, butter, non-gmo sunflower oil, chocolate chips(cocoa butter, sugar), free range eggs, tapioca flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, sea salt

**please note nutirional analysis is not yet available

I really like lemon, almost as much as pumpkin, and since I still haven’t found a really great lemon bar recipe or mix, I thought I’d give this lemon bar a try from the Bittersweet Bakery in Eagan, Minnesota. It is conveniently located by my parents’ home off of Cliff Road, and the half empty pan in their display case convinced me that they must be pretty good, if so many were gone by 11 a.m. So I splurged, purchased a generously sized bar for $2.25 and went on my merry way.

The bottom layer is a vanilla-tasting yellow cake. My piece was quite dry and crumbled profusely. The top layer of icing is a sour lemon flavor that is brittle and cracks when cut with a knife or fork. It tasted a bit old and stale. As an afterthought, I realized warming this cake in the microwave could have helped. Because I like this bakery so much, I think this product deserves another chance. However, overall I was really disappointed with this product experience.

PROS: Umm, it’s gluten free

CONS: dry cake, sour icing, the combination of the two tasted strange

Rating: 2 stars

For more information on Bittersweet Bakery’s products, click HERE.

To read the review for their yummy pumpkin bar cake, click HERE

This amazing pumpkin cake/bar is brought to you by a local gluten-free bakery in my hometown of Eagan, Minnesota. The Bittersweet Bakery is located at 2105 Cliff Road. My family told me about this small bakery when I was visiting in June. I just had to stop in and explore, since I have never been in GF bakery before, and I was excited to see what they offered. It was wonderful to walk in the door with greetings of breads, rolls, hamburger buns, cakes, cookies, and sweet rolls. They even have pancake and cornbread mixes! It was a pleasure to buy just one hamburger bun for my family’s cookout that evening. No bun o’ lettuce for me that night! Along with my bun, I just had to get the pumpkin bar to try. I love most anything pumpkin when it comes to baking, so this was an easy one to say “yes” to.

The pumpkin bar is generously proportioned ( pictures above is only half!), and at $2.25 a bar, you get your money’s worth. The pumpkin cake is super moist and doesn’t taste anything like a gluten free product. The cake is also soft and full of flavor without too much sweetness or crumbling. The frosting on top was a thick cream cheese/vanilla concoction that was really sweet. So sweet, that I scraped a portion of it off my pumpkin bar. Just a little was perfect for me.

Unfortunately, they do not ship at this time ( plans for nationwide shipping are in progress for this fall, according to store employees), but I hope anyone passing through or local will stop in and give their products a try. There is nothing I like better than to support a local business that has quality products. In the upcoming weeks I will have reviews for their other products as well.

Becky, I know you are in Minnesota, you’ll have to let us know if you have been here, and what you thought of their products.

PROS: moist and delicious, does not taste gluten free, great value

CONS: frosting is too too sweet

Rating: 4 stars

Visit Bittersweet Gluten Free Bakery’s website for more information!