Category: Sweet Stuff

Product: Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix – $3.99+

WINNING!

Let’s start with that because it was how this chocolate treasure came into my life.  I had joined an online community doing some giveaways during Celiac Awareness Month and won a couple of giveaways.  One I knew about.  This one, however, arrived as a complete surprise.  But, when given gluten-free chocolate…a lady never turns up her nose.

I’ll be honest.  I was a bit reluctant to cook the Hodgson Mill gluten-free brownies up.  I was so enamored with the Betty Crocker mix, I didn’t think anything could top it.  But I was craving chocolate one day…and this was my next gluten-free treat in the pantry to cook up.  And so…that’s what I did.

So easy to make.  Very few ingredients.  Pop it in the oven, and soon my entire apartment smelled of delicious brownie goodness.  If these tasted anywhere near as good as they smelled, it would probably be difficult to keep to just one at a time.

Out of the oven to rest and cool.  The brownies cooked up amazing.  I mean, with a soft crust on the top and everything.  The PERFECT brownie just from the looks of it.  Once it cooled down enough for me to slice into it without making a mess…I plated up.  Because in my world, chocolate is priority.

Fudgy.  Creamy.  Amazing.  These blew the Betty Crocker ones away.  Honestly, one of the best brownies I have ever tasted.  So very moist and soft.  And they kept that way as my roommate and I worked our way through it for eight days.  Nothing went stale.  Nothing got hard.  They stayed moist and delicious.  No heating up in the microwave necessary.  Fall off your fork fantastic.  These gluten-free chocolate morals of goodness are, bite-for-bite, loaded with chewy, chocolate flavor.

I will never doubt the wonders of Hodgson Mill products ever again.  This is the second one I’ve tried.  But this one…by far…has been my ultimate favorite.  Chocolate done right in all it’s gluten-free brownie glory.  It’s hard to stick to a serving.  And…I discovered these are delicious on their own.  No need to dress it up with Chocolate Cool Whip or drizzle it with melted dark chocolate.  Although…we all indulge a little more every now and again.  But…it wasn’t necessary and that was the best part.  These brownies are so amazing they can stand on their own.  Why dress up perfection?

Hodgson Mill won me over again.  Gluten-free never tasted so sweet (or chocolatey).

Product: Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Bars – $2.50+

I love a good gluten-free deal.  Seriously.  Sales.  Manager’s Specials.  It’s one of the only ways I can afford to test out some of the products that I do.  But even more difficult at times is finding healthy gluten-free snacks that aren’t straight out of the produce aisle.

Don’t get me wrong…fresh produce is my favorite thing in this world.  I load up on fruits and vegetables religiously and snack often on apples, berries, and certainly bananas.  But sometimes the diet needs a bit of a shake-up and finding a gluten-free alternative often leads to cookies or high-calorie snack bars.

Then, on the Manager’s Special table at my local grocery store, I found a pack of Nature’s Path’s gluten-free line of products that are marketed to kids.  Envirokidz Organic Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Bars…sounded intriguing enough.  I  like peanut butter.  And when I didn’t have my gluten-intolerance, Rice Krispie treats were one of my favorite things in the world.  So…this sounded like a good way to change up the afternoon snack.  Not to mention, these are relatively healthy, low in calories and fat, and gives this vegetarian a bit of a protein boost from its use of organic peanut butter in the ingredients.

Here’s the good thing about buying products that are marketed towards children.  They often taste amazing.  Why?  Because kids are finicky eaters.  They are the biggest food critics out there and will not eat something that doesn’t taste good to them.

I ripped into one of these at work one afternoon when the 3:00 munchies hit hard.  And I became hooked immediately.  They are soft, chewy, and packed with peanut butter flavor.  They have the right amount of sweetness in each bite to counter any cravings for something sweet (and less healthy).  Not to mention, they are the perfect amount to act as a snack without ruining my appetite for dinner.  Let’s face it…I live to eat and cook, so this was my perfect go-to snack.  Who would have thought?

These bars are the perfect size (think granola bar size) to be filling, and easy to transport.  They have the crispiness in the initial bite, and the soft, melt-in-your-mouth affect that crispy rice bars should have.  And…they are flavored with peanut butter.  Salty meets sweet.  The best combination ever.

Nature’s Path knew what they were doing when they set out to market and make these delightful treats.  Kids will love the animals on the boxes.  But they will also love the product that is wrapped up inside.  Even better…adults will too.  And you don’t need to feel guilty about this little indulgence.

Product: Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix – $2.99+

Mmmmm…muffins!

Muffins are one of those easy, on-the-go, foods that you can just grab and take with you.  Either eat it at room temperature or warm it up in the microwave.  That’s the glorious thing about muffins…they travel well and are delicious.

As always, my good friend Jenn, was looking out for me one day while grocery shopping and picked up a box of Hodgson Mill Apple Cinnamon Muffin Mix, which just happened to be gluten-free (she is always on the search for products for me because she rocks like that!).  We figured, the next time I came up to visit, we’d bake up a batch for breakfast and give them a try.

So…that’s exactly what we did.

These are so easy to make.  Preheat oven as instructed and line a muffin pan.  Then melt two tablespoons of butter.  Pour the mix into a bowl, add sugar and melted butter.  Then add milk and an egg.  Mix well and then spoon into the prepared pan.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops spring back when you touch them.

Easy enough.  I loved the chunkiness of the batter, in part due to the presence of apple slices.  We managed to get 8 muffins out of our mixture.  And as they baked, the kitchen smelled absolutely divine.  It made me want to go buy apple cider and hit up an apple orchard.  Honestly.  These smell SO amazing when you bake them up.  I took that as a good sign.

We took them out of the oven, surprised by how pale they still seemed (not the golden brown we imagined), but the tops sprung back so they were done.  We allowed them to cool for a few minutes before we each took two and settled in for a light breakfast.  Aside from the muffins sticking to the muffin liners, these muffins were absolutely delicious.  Fresh out of the oven, they are still warm and soft on the inside.  One little spread of butter and it all comes together.  The hint of cinnamon, the sweetness of the apples.  And since the mix is made with milled flax seed, these are also a healthy choice for either a breakfast or a snack.  Absolutely delicious.

Jenn sent my roommate and I home with the two that were left, which we ate as a snack on the road.  They were far more delicious fresh from the oven and warm, but what baked good isn’t?  I can’t wait to try to bake these up here and hopefully will have better luck with the muffin pan liners not sticking.

Taste is what I go for, and these had just the right levels of apple and cinnamon flavor.  Nothing overpowered the other.  It was perfectly balanced, making a perfectly delicious breakfast and snack that day.  The box also gives a recipe for using the mix to make pancakes, which just sounds heavenly, so I think I might need to give that a go.

This mix just happened to provide the first muffins I was able to eat since needing to go gluten-free.  What a fresh and great start indeed.  I now have a couple boxes of this mix in my own pantry, as well as a couple other Hodgson Mill gluten-free products because these were so good, I now trust the brand.  This allergic chef is looking forward to getting in that kitchen and baking up some more gluten-free goodness.

Thanks, Hodgson Mill!

Product: Udi’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies – $5.99+

Just call me a real-life cookie monster.  They are my second favorite treat.  Ice cream will always be my first.  So, one day while perusing my local grocery store for manager’s specials, I found Udi’s brand cookies on a table in the bakery.  These were not on sale, but I knew I had to try them.

Why?

Because Udi’s was the first really delicious gluten-free brand I tried after having to go gluten-free.  I was in Boulder, Colorado…and eating out at a restaurant called The Buff.  I was prepared to, as I normally have to do now, order something without the included toast, but I noticed on the menu the option for gluten-free toast.  SOLD!  And it just so happened to be Udi’s bread.  Back at the hotel in Denver, I had purchased a loaf of Udi’s bread for my roommate and I to use for our breakfast/lunch so we wouldn’t eat out all the time.  I loved what I tasted at The Buff…and so, my love affair with Udi’s began.

And it has never stopped.  I’ve tried two types of their muffins, I’ve had their bagels, and, of course, I’ve had their bread.  But the cookies…this was the first I had seen of them in the area.  The store only had a few packages…and they were all chocolate chip (which is my favorite type of cookie anyway so…that didn’t matter!), so I picked one up and actually paid full price for them.  Don’t judge.  I’m a woman with a gluten-free sweet tooth.

The package made it as far as the car before I had it open and my roommate and I were each trying one out.  Instant cookie heaven.  These look like they would be hard and crumbly, but they are actually the perfect cookie texture.  A little crunch, but soft.  And sweet.  They are flavored with molasses, vanilla,  and evaporated cane juice.  It was the perfect level of sweetness and the chocolate chips were the star.  Honestly…great chocolate chip cookies to munch on!  I only wish they were bigger.  These cookies are, honestly, about the side of a half dollar.

But the flavor does make up for the lack in size, and the serving size is two cookies.  So it really is the perfect amount in the end.

The difficult thing now is finding them.  That grocery store no longer carries them.  My local Whole Foods and Rainbow Blossom don’t carry them.  My other go-to grocery stores stock different varieties of gluten-free cookies…but not Udi’s.  So, I found a delicious treat, but now I can’t buy it.

Hopefully they will work their way back into the products stocked by my local grocery store.  Thankfully, they are a bit more plentiful in other places.  Next time you feel like a cookie monster, reach for Udi’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.  They are…cookie perfection!