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Review: Pillsbury Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Just last month I shared the news that Pillsbury was launching three new gluten-free refrigerated dough products and yesterday I finally located them in a local Giant Eagle store.  I didn’t have an easy time locating the products, It was the second Giant Eagle store where I looked for the new products that I finally found them.  The first location didn’t know anything about the products, but after speaking with the manager, she was going to do her best to get them in soon, in addition to some other new gluten-free items.

I have a fun weekend of sampling planned out, but we couldn’t wait to dig into the cookies.  Since the dough is already prepared, it is simple to make as many as you wish at a time.  I opted to make 4 cookies, 3 for Jon and 1 for me.

The cookies are simple to prepare. Simply preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spoon dough by the tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet for 11-13 minutes.

IMG_6820The cookies didn’t spread a whole lot and were a little thicker than my homemade chocolate chip cookies.  The dough is pretty firm when it is used right from the refrigerator, so I suspect that has something to do with it.  It was all we could do to let these cookies cool down a bit to set before we dug right in.

I wish you could smell the heavenly aroma coming from these cookies!  There is nothing better than a warm chocolate chip cookie!  A little crisp on the outside and melty, gooey chocolate on the inside!  I don’t think Jon stopped telling me how good the cookies were the whole time he was eating them!  I know we will be buying these again!

The tub of Pillsbury gluten-free Cookie Dough costs $4.99 and has roughly 16 cookies worth of dough (when measured by the tablespoonful).  This is a wonderful way for friends and family to be able to accommodate gluten-free guests without a high risk of cross-contamination.  Simply line the cookie sheet with parchment paper for a clean surface.

Have you tried the new Pillsbury gluten-free Cookie Dough?

Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Joe Joe’s

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

I feel like I have said, “Trader Joe’s does it again!” so many times on this blog, so what is one more time, right?  Trader Joe’s does it again!  This time they have debuted a gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookie to rival the non-gluten-free fan favorite of our childhood past.  gluten-free Joe Joe’s.

I was thrilled when I hit my closest Trader Joe’s store over the weekend and these cookies were on the “new products” end cap.  A box of the gluten-free Joe Joe’s sells for $3.99 and has roughly 14 servings or 28 cookies.

IMG_6537Joe Joe the Toucan has some great suggestions as to how to the sandwich cookies.  I personally like #3, “Nibble lightly around the edges with beak in a circular fashion until cookie is devoured.  Squawk loudly.”

Of course we all know the proof is in the pudding cookie, right?  True to Trader Joe’s reputation, the cookies are amazing!  They are everything I expected them to be and more!

Above and beyond the fact that these cookies rock, if they put a smile on a child’s face because they are no longer the one who can’t have the same treats their friends are having, that is enough for me.  Kids have enough to deal with these days.  They shouldn’t have to worry about standing out because they have to follow a special diet.

Have you tried the new Trader Joe’s gluten-free Joe Joe’s?

Review: Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 12 Comments

If I am anywhere within a 2-mile radius of Trader Joe’s, I make it a point to swing in to pick up my favorites. I build this time into my errands and bring along coolers if I am picking up refrigerated or frozen items. Recently when I was on one such trip, I found these gems waiting for me.

Oh yeah!

Ingredients: Powdered sugar (cane sugar, cornstarch), cane sugar, unsalted butter, buttermilk (cultured low fat milk, nonfat milk solids, sodium citrate, salt, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3), water, cream (cream, carraggnan), expeller pressed canola oil, rice flour, eggs, potato starch, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, vanilla extract (water, ethyl alcohol, vanilla bean extractives), salt, sodium bicarbonate, xanthan gum, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate), coffee.

IMG_6444I knew my time with these cupcakes would be limited, so I made sure to stake my claim loudly and clearly to the 17-year-old boy who inhales all things gluten-free in my house.  The cupcakes are moist and rich with decadent, creamy frosting.  Darn near perfect and had these been served to me on a plate, I wouldn’t have known that they weren’t homemade.  My son concurred and asked me to make sure to buy these each and every time I go to Trader Joe’s from here on out.

Trader Joe’s maintains a list of gluten-free products making it easy to shop in their store.  I was disappointed to find that there weren’t any of Udi’s gluten-free items in stock when I was there this time but was told there had been a delivery issue and they hoped to have them back on the shelves as soon as possible.  It makes me happy to see the gluten-free baked goods line consistently growing at Trader Joe’s.

Have you tried the new Trader Joe’s gluten-free cupcakes?

Review: Kinnikinnick Gluten-Free Soft Bagels

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

It was just a few weeks ago that I found out and wrote a blog post about the brand new Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels. I checked a few local stores, but was not able to find the bagels in stock yet.

The gluten-free gods must have smiled down on me because I received samples of the new bagels earlier this week.

Plain – Ingredients: Water, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Corn Starch, Cellulose, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Yeast, Modified cellulose, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

Blueberry – Ingredients: Water, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Blueberries, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Cellulose, Corn Starch, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Natural Flavour, Yeast, Modified cellulose, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

Cinnamon Raisin – Ingredients: Water, Raisins, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Sunflower and/or Canola Oil, Cellulose, Corn Starch, Fructose, Psyllium fiber, non-Hydrogenated Shortening (palm and/or canola oil), Yeast, Modified cellulose, Cinnamon, Salt, Cultured corn syrup solids, citric acid, Vitamin and Mineral Blend(Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic Acid, Iron), Enzymes

IMG_6409I didn’t waste any time sampling these babies!  I had planned on a veggie burger for a fast dinner, so the plain bagel became my vehicle!

Look at that – so bagel-y!  The outside has crisper “skin” and the inside is nice and chewy, just like a bagel should be! Breakfast was a given – blueberry bagel and cream cheese.  Before I show you my breakfast, check out the bagel after I toasted it, before I spread it with cream cheese, it is purple from all of the blueberries!

Seriously delicious!  I do believe that this is the first gluten-free blueberry bagel I have tried and it was spectacular! The bagel was thick, soft and chewy and had a wonderful blueberry flavor.  Simply heaven!  Last, but not least, the Cinnamon Raisin bagel. It was equally as impressive and tasty smeared with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.  What a nice treat!

In addition to being gluten-free, these bagels are also vegan, dairy- and nut-free.  The bagels come 4 to a package and are priced at $5.99/package.  They are currently available on the Kinnikinnick website and will be shipping to their distributors over the next few weeks.  Remember that Kinnikinnick offers flat rate shipping for $10, so make sure to stock up on your favorites.

Have you tried the new Kinnikinnick Soft Bagels?

Review: Pamela’s Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookie Mix

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

I had the opportunity to sample a new cookie mix from Pamela’s Products recently and I am thrilled to share my thoughts about it. Pamela’s recently debuted an Oatmeal Cookie Mix that is not only certified gluten-free, but dairy-free, too.

Ingredients:
Gluten-free Oats, Evaporated Cane Sugar, Brown Rice Flour, Brown Sugar, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Sorghum Flour, White Rice Flour, Sweet Rice Flour, Spices, Grainless & Aluminum-Free Baking Powder (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Potato Starch), Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Guar Gum.

I followed the directions on the back for the cookie bars, as opposed to cookies.  I chose to add peanut butter baking chips, as I knew that was a sure fire way to get Jon to eat the bars, though I would have preferred raisins.  The mix was simple to put together by softening the butter with the mixer and then adding the mix, egg and mix-ins.  Mix-ins can be anything from dried fruit to nuts, coconut or baking chips.  After the ingredients were well blended, I pressed the batter into an 8 x 8 parchment lined pan.

IMG_5992I baked the bars for 28 minutes in a 350 degree oven, let them cool for a while and then cut them while they were still warm.

The mix produced a wonderfully moist and flavorful Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie bar!  I love the combination of flavors and can’t wait to share them with a few gluten-free friends tomorrow.  While the mix is free of dairy, the bars as I prepared them are not, though they could be made that way by using dairy-free margarine and baking chips or subbing dried fruit for the chips.

Pamela’s Products mixes can be purchased online or in select stores across the US.  Have you tried Pamela’s new Oatmeal Cookie Mix?  What is your favorite Pamela’s product?