Product Review: Bart & Judy’s The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

Product: Bart & Judy’s The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World – $6.00+

Twas back in September that my very own Cookie Fairy (aka: Jenn) gifted me with a few boxes of gluten-free cookies.  I mean, it was my birthday, after all, so naturally you give a cookie monster…COOKIES!  I have already reviewed the other varieties I was given, leaving this as the one to bring up the caboose.  And, you know, it only seems appropriate that the last box is also the one boasting of the most chocolate.  Jenn and I are both chocaholics.  And we will freely admit to that, for sure.

I’m in total hibernation mode these days.  Seriously.  My energy is sapped.  All I want to do is eat and snuggle under my blanket on the couch while either watching a movie, a television show, or playing my vintage SEGA Genesis.  That pretty much sums up how I feel about winter.  Even though we’ve had a rather mild one up until recently, when that cold snap hit…out when any will I had to go outside and do anything.  I, of course, have not given into my plan to bury myself under blankets until spring.

That being said, I do make a point to cook pretty much every day.  At least one meal will be made by me at some point.  Normally…all three are.  That being said, I like for an easy dessert at times.  With me, dessert is not an option.  Dessert is a necessary and wonderful thing.  What better way to wrap up a meal and the day than with a little bite of something sweet.  Cleanse the palate.  Call it a night.

And…as most of you know, one of my favorite desserts to ever exist are…COOKIES!

So giving me something with the words THE, BEST, CHOCOLATE, COOKIES, and GLUTEN-FREE is definitely going to win me over.  Well played, Jenn.  Well played.  Hehehe.  Well, being that it is now January…I decided it was time to bust open this little, unassuming brown box of extreme cookie feasting.

A little bit about the company itself.  Bart & Judy’s prides themselves on baking up cookies that are all-natural, buttery, crunchy, golden-brown and deliciously chocolatey.  They are made with the best of everything…creamery butter, fresh eggs, and the world’s finest dark Belgian chocolate.  They believe the purpose of their cookies should solely be to propagate happiness.  In fact, their statements claims that if you come from the perspective of “bigger is more” than their cookies are not for you.  They produce top quality, but bite-size.

So…how were they?  Were they absolutely THE BEST IN THE WORLD?!  Well, that might be a little bit of an overstatement, however, these cookies are superb.  And this is coming from this gluten-free cookie monster.  I usually prefer soft cookies, but these little bite-size crunchy nuggets of goodness were like…eating that perfect outer edge of a brownie.  Crunchy, without being too hard, and packed with extreme chocolate flavor.  The best part was finding a chocolate chip within the cookie and getting that extra burst of chocolate goodness.  Amazing.  I mean…there is chocolate² in the title.  Two chocolates = double the win.

This was, also, the first box of cookies to ever come with a set of instructions.  I am not joking.  Included in the box was a little slip of paper declaring STOP! READ FIRST! And underneath was the instructions as to how best to enjoy these cookies.  Since they are packaged in a special oxygen-barrier foil bag, Bart & Judy insist that they benefit from “decanting,” much like a fine wine.  So, yes, open up the foil bag, but allow the cookies 10 minutes to aerate to encourage the development of the complex flavors.

With all of that said, let’s discuss ingredients.  The Bart & Judy’s The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World are made from semi-sweet chocolate chips, Bart & Judy’s Proprietary Rice Flour Blend, natural cocoa, butter, cane sugar, brown cane sugar, eggs, baking soda, Madagascar vanilla, and salt.  These cookies are all-natural, free of hydrogenated oils, trans-fats, and contain no chemical additives or artificial anything.  And, the box does let you know that the chocolate is authentic, real Belgian chocolate.  Bart & Judy state on the enclosed instructions that these cookies are slightly overbaked and lower in sugar because they don’t want to “mask” lower-quality ingredients with over sweetness.  And they don’t.  These cookies, while not exactly top-of-the-line, aren’t overly sweet…but just right.  With amazing chocolate flavor.

As for the nutritional information…it is as follows.  One serving of Bart & Judy’s The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World is 11 cookies (or about 34 grams).  The box claims there are 4 servings in the box…but there was only two.  Seriously.  Dammit.  These 11 cookies will dish you up 140 calories and 8 grams of fat.  You will also be taking in 30 mg cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, and 7 grams of sugar.  In addition, these cookies offer up no fiber and only 1 gram of protein.  You’re eating 11 cookies, but they won’t fill you up.  After all, it’s basically 11 bites.  Pop them…and chew.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I tried out the cookies in this very…amusing…yet understated brown box.  What happened was surely pure magic.  And while I have read some older reviews about cross-contamination issues, the box states that their cookies are regularly tested in an independent laboratory to meet the guidelines set by the FDA.  These truly are little bites of happiness.

If you love chocolate…oh…you will totally love these.