Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Gluten Free Arrowhead Mills Disappoints

Been awhile and I've really missed it!  Yes, I'm still a believer that gluten-free is cause to Celebrate and the celebrating just keeps getting easier and easier. Gluten free products are becoming more main stream with some grocery stores devoting almost an entire aisle to GF foods. Of course, we now are going to have to weed through the choices and determine which ones are worth the ease and cost!  I am not nor will I be complaining about that little chore.

Today I tried a couple of products from Arrowhead Mills - the GF Bake with Me chocolate cupcake mix and the GF chocolate chip cookie mix. Unfortunately neither is going to become a pantry staple at this house.  The cupcakes were better than the cookies although that's not saying much.  They had a texture similar to a heavy, cake brownie and lack luster flavor. This was the second and last time I will make the chocolate chip cookies unless the company comes out with a "new and much improved". The first time I made them exactly by the instructions on the box and they were inedible. This time I thought - maybe - they would benefit from being mixed in the bowl with the leftover cake batter. Wrong. They baked perfectly, looked delicious, the chocolate chips are full sized and have just the right melt factor but I couldn't find anyone (no one human anyway) who was able to finish even one cookie.  The cookies and the cupcakes bake up pretty but they both are lacking in sweetness and both had a long lasting after taste. I hate to be so detrimental about a gluten-free product especially when they have been so long in coming but even more I hate spending money on food that I can't eat. These are two products that I suggest you pass over on next trip down the gluten-free aisle.


My doctor recently told that the medical community estimates that 1 in 5 people suffer from gluten intolerance.  With consumer numbers growing many companies, new and old, will be trying to take a piece of this pie and that means we'll be seeing more and more wonderful products and unfortunately more and more less than perfect ones.  As always, our best ally will be the powerful Word of Mouth! It is obviously time to CELEBRATE being gluten-free!