Product Review: O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins

Product: O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins – $3.99+

It had gotten to the point, as of late, where I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I was never, ever, ever…EVER going to stumble across the third flavor of gluten-free Bagel Thins from O’Doughs.  Seriously.  Because my local grocery store that actually stocks this brand only carries the Original and Sprouted Whole Grain Flax Seed versions.

And while I appreciate that…I was in search of ALL the Bagel Thins.

Leave it to Organic Harvest (my happiest place in Birmingham, Alabama), a natural food store in the aforementioned Birmingham, Alabama, to carry this particular product in their freezer section.  And…because I think ahead…I had a cooler with me for transport back to Indiana when I finished up my visit with my family.  I was actually in town for the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K race with my mom (I ran; she walked) and the gluten-free expo that followed.  All of that was fine and good, but with lunch looming at a diner where there is really nothing my mom or I can eat, we make our way over to Organic Harvest and pick up one of their small salads and usually a dessert to split between us.  But, while there, I had permission to shop a little and pick up some items that I can’t find in Louisville.

YAY!

And so…I began to walk the aisles, scanning the shelves…looking for items of interest.  Something that would grab me, shake me, and beg me to take it home.  Not really though, because if food started to do that, I might scream and run away.  But…if we’re just talking figuratively…I wanted to make the best decision as to what was coming home with me.  Nothing worse than grabbing an item and then finding out it was crap.

Well, my roomie does get just as excited about gluten-free goodies as I do (which I love…since she can eat ALL the food and doesn’t have to eat gluten-free).  And she spotted the O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins in the freezer section while she meandered quicker through the store with my dad.  She hurried over to find me…and alert me of this finding.  I immediately said, “THAT…is definitely coming home with us!”

And so…it happened.  Into the basket with a couple (I behaved) other items and my lunch for that day.  We checked out, put things in the cooler, went to lunch, and then went back to my parents house to store the items in the freezer until we left the following morning.

With another trip looming, this time to Colorado (the iconic home of all things gluten-free and awesome!), I’m starting to work my way through some of these things.  And, with my morning being a crazy hot mess with spinning and everything…well…something quick that could happen while I showered was ideal.  So, out of my freezer came the O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins.

I pulled out a baking sheet (I don’t own a toaster), and then sliced two of the bagel thins in half.  I was expecting to see flecks of cranberry throughout, but I didn’t.  Ah well.  I never know what to expect.  And as the oven was warming, I tossed the pan in and went to take a quick shower.  By the time I was out and dressed, the bagel thins were toasted up and ready for the vegan cream cheese schmear.  Breakfast was served (with a side of my left over Mustard Roasted Potatoes).

One thing that I do find is that bagel thins, while they are less calories, aren’t truly a bagel.  I miss that doughy middle section and that crunch on the outside with the softness in the middle.  That’s a bagel (spoken like a true New Yorker!).  But…I also love to save some calories for other indulgences…like dark chocolate to keep me awake when I’m drowsing off at my desk.  You know…those unexpected things in life.  So, when you bite into one of O’Dough’s Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins, you get a crunch.  If you toast it…you get a crunch.  And then…you get cream cheese.  Even just using a serving size of the cream cheese…you get cream cheese.

But…when you break off a piece that didn’t get well schmeared with the cheese…and taste it on its own…you still kind of don’t get inundated with the flavors of the bagel thin itself.  It does have a nice hint of sweetness to it, thanks to the apples and almonds.  And you get some very mild undertones of cinnamon and raisins and maybe even some citrus.  But it’s not strong.  Which…is not a bad thing.  You don’t want to overpower the product with too many flavors.  However, I was hoping that the apple and cranberry flavor would really take a front seat here.  Unfortunately, it didn’t.  That being said, the texture and the taste of these little bagel thins are really good.  And if you don’t want a strong flavor to your bagel thins, but you want little hints of it in each bite, these may be the way to go.  These would also probably be really good with butter on top.  But I’m a cream cheese girl at heart.

Let’s talk ingredients for a moment, shall we?  The O’Dough’s Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins are made from filtered water, potato starch, tapioca starch, chickpea flour, soya flour, whole grain rice flour, organic evaporated cane juice, cellulose fiber, dried apples, dried cranberries, raisins, glycerine, sunflower oil, yeast, sea salt, salba chia seed, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, dehydrated fruits and vegetables (oranges, apples cranberries, tomatoes, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, carrots).

Hmmmm…tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and carrots in my bagel?  Really??  REALLY??!  That’s…different.

Nutritionally speaking, a serving size is one bagel thin.  One of O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins will supply you with 100 calories and 1 gram of fat.  These thin little bagels have 300 mg sodium and 2 grams of sugar.  They also have 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.  They are cholesterol free, gluten-free, all-natural, and preservative free.  These are an fantastic source of fiber as well.  Oh, and those veggies I was talking about up there are part of the 7 different fruits and vegetables that are contained in these bagel thins…which is nutritionally equivalent to 2 servings of fruit and veggies.  Go figure.

Overall, I thought these were pretty good.  I wish these came sliced, however, because slicing a bagel thin is a tricky task.  Cut one bit too thin and it gets burned in the toaster or oven.  It’s all just about holding it right and cutting it right.  If they came pre-sliced, things would be so much easier on all of us.  Other than that…these were good.  What they lack in appearance, they do make up for in taste.  And that…is saying something.

If you haven’t been able to find O’Doughs Gluten-Free Apple Cranberry Bagel Thins in your grocery store…see if they can order them in.  They are definitely worth trying.  Especially if (like me) you are a cinnamon-raisin lover.  It’s…sort of similar to that flavor.