Review: Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cones

Sometimes I dream of owning a summer home – where it’s not hot in the summer. Last year, we had a nice break from scorching temperatures in the Metro Atlanta area. It was nice in so many ways. Not feeling like you stepped into a warm tub when you went outside was nice, but saving $100 a month on the power bill was even nicer! It doesn’t look like we’re going to be that lucky again this year. Summer arrived quite early and it seems like it’s here to stay.

The only time I like ice cream (or any related cold treats) is during hot summer months. For whatever reason, we really didn’t have a spring season this year. We skipped right to summer even though it’s only April. Last year, I went on the search for the best gluten-free ice cream cones. Sadly for me, the only ones I found edible are not sold in a store here. The gluten-free cake style cones from “Let’s do Organic” are is sold at many health food stores here and at Whole Foods. That cone tastes very much like styrofoam to me. However, I never liked cake cones when I ate gluten either and think those taste only slightly better than the gluten-free version.

The only gluten-free cones I’ve had that I like are the waffle cones from Barkat. They are available from the gluten-free Mall. The gluten-free Trading Company sells three different brands of cones, including one I plan to try, Cerrone waffle cones. According to the description of those cones, they are large. Therefore, I hope they are at least normal sized. The delicious waffle cones from Barkat are like a toy cone – resembling something you might serve a doll. My husband who loves ice cream any time of year broke into boisterous laughter when I showed him the size of the Barkat cones last year. He actually felt bad for me. I didn’t mind the size that much, but people who want a normal serving of ice cream might feel ripped off to find the tiny cones inside the package.

Most of the time being gluten-free doesn’t bother me. It can be inconveniencing at times, of course. I’m a planner and that trait comes in super handy when you have to follow a special diet. But when I drive by the Brewter’s ice cream shop around the corner from our house and see a line of people waiting to order an ice cream cone, it reminds me that we really can’t do everything others can do. Something as simple as ordering ice cream – even without a cone isn’t that easy either. Most ice cream parlors don’t claim that any of their products are gluten-free due to cross contamination issues. I’ve had good luck sticking to frozen yogurt in a cup at Brewster’s, but the company does not claim anything they serve is gluten-free. Also, I’ve not had issues with soft serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce at Dairy Queen.

As an adult who doesn’t really love ice cream in the first place, my life isn’t affected by not being able to order an ice cream cone at a parlor. However, when I think of the children with celiac or food allergies who can’t do what other kids can, I realize why so many parents avoid having their kids tested for celiac. They want their kids to be normal and don’t think that’s possible if they are on any type of restricted diet. Wouldn’t it be nice if at least one major chain offered a gluten-free ice cream cone and a certified gluten-free ice cream? Even if they offer something that tastes like styrofoam to some of us, most kids would absolutely love them. Kids just want to be kids, after all.