Gluten Free Crackers: Kinnikinnick S'moreables

PRODUCT NAME:                    S’moreables

COMPANY NAME:                    KinniKinnick

COST:                                      $5.19

SIZE:                                        8 oz

COST PER OZ:                         $0.65   

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       Unknown

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         N/A

ORGANIC:                                 No

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         N/A

VEGAN:                                     Yes                         

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:          Yes

LOCATION OF FACILITY:           Edmonton, Canada     

SHELF LIFE:                              1 Year +

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.               

REVIEW:

Taste: 

KinniKinnick stands at the forefront of the gaggle of gluten-free product pioneers that has popped up as of late. Straight out of Canada, this company aims to make products for the Celiac-Disease-Having masses that both recall upon the indulgences of childhood and satisfy a sweet tooth. Their graham-cracker like product, S’moreables, is just one of the GF snacks-of-youth they have created.

In taste, I found S’moreables to actually be *better* then you’re average cracker of graham.  Upon first bite, I was presented with a rich, pleasant, crumbly crunch that slowly turned into the graham-y ball of mush I loved swallowing down as a kid. They are slightly thicker than your average graham cracker, thus packing more crunch and volume to sink your teeth into. I would compare them to a baby biscuit or Teddy Graham cookie texturally. The taste isn’t exactly like the gluten-filled counterpart, but instead has much more depth. There are identifiable hints of brown sugar and vanilla in each bite that create serious complexity. The quality of the ingredients used is palpable.

The package of this product comes with a S’mores recipe just under the nutrition facts, implying that the proper use for this cookie is to create a melty and delectable campfire treat. I am vegan, thus making marshmallows a bit of a stretch and don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I decided to try this cracker unadorned, despite the suggestion. Although I haven’t given the recipe a shot, I’m pretty sure it would probably be incredibly decadent, so if that’s your thing- Go for it! I can’t imagine it’d be bad.

Nutritionally, these puppies are kind of a calorie bomb. One of the main ingredients is shortening, which is precisely what causes the crispy graham to turn into the sticky mushy ball we all love to swallow down. Your average graham cracker is a large sheet and has sixty calories. Kinnikinnick’s S’moreable also has sixty calories and is about half the size. I would definitely not make the mistake of thinking of this product as a “cracker”. If you consider it more of a cookie, the calorie count seems much more reasonable.

Labeling:

Labelling of this product was clear and concise. I deem it to be very sufficient.

Packaging:

These cookies come in a plastic wrapped plastic tray and are encased in a cardboard box. Although environmentally this seems like a lot of waste, it feels appropriate for the freshness of the product.

Reader’s Reviews:

Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product.

RATING:

Texture:           5

Taste:               4         

Value:              3

OVERALL:        4

Reviewed by Lacy D.

Gluten Free Baking Crumbs: Kinnikinnick Graham Style Crumbs

Gluten Free Baking Crusts: Kinnikinnick Graham Style Crumbs

PRODUCT NAME:                    Graham Style Crumbs

BRAND:                                   Kinnikinnick

COST:                                      $5.29

SIZE:                                       10.5oz

COST PER OZ:                        $0.50/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO     

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

ORGANIC:                                NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

VEGAN:                                   YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:         YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:          ALBERTA CANADA

SHELF LIFE:                             UNKNOWN 

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Kinnikinnick Foods has been continuously providing delicious gluten free alternatives to celiacs and gluten intolerant individuals for the last fifteen years. As one of the first widely distributed gluten-free companies, Kinnikinnick specializes in creating delicious baked goods similar in texture, taste, and appearance to forbidden, but greatly missed foods like Oreo-style sandwich cookies, pancake mix, and donuts. Kinnikinnick’s dedicated gluten free facility offers a variety of safe foods that help improve, instead of degrade the health of celiacs.

Kinnikinnick has created yet another great tasting alternative for at home cooks with Graham Style Crumbs. These crumbs work great as an ice cream topping, pie crust, or as a cheese cake crust, which is how I enjoyed them. I made the subtly lemon infused cheesecake from the recipe on the back of the box and it was as delicious as I expected. I have tried Kinnikinnick’s products before, namely their KinniToos Chocolate Vanilla Sandwich Cookies, which were so yummy that I ate the entire package in one sitting.

Nutrition Facts

The Lemon Cheesecake was beyond decedent, with ricotta cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese as well as fresh squeezed lemon juice and lots of lemon zest. Topped with fresh whipped cream and raspberries this cake was served with coffee and made a great dessert following a light meal.  Kinnikinnick’s excellent graham style crumb crust was buttery and caramely. I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a wheat-filled graham cracker crumb crust and this alternative. Made with natural flours, starches, and sugars like pea and potato starch, rice flour, brown sugar, and molasses this crust was not only tasty, but also whole grain. It contains no preservatives, so make sure to store any uneaten crumbs in a cool and dry place. The package had enough crumbs to make one crust with a little less than a cup left over, perfect for topping an ice cream sundae.

Having a strict gluten free diet can often times be tough.  When I am presented with cheesecake, I would have to reluctantly scrape the cake from the crust, being careful not to take the pesky (and poison) glutinous crumbs with it.  The last time I attended a birthday party where cheesecake was served, a gracious friend made me a couple mini-cakes with no crust.  Kinnikinnick’s Graham Style Crumb crust made it possible for me to happily enjoy the entire cake, crust and all without risk of contamination.

Taste: These graham style crumbs tasted just the way I remembered the originals tasting. They were crumbly, buttery and rich and kept their taste and consistency well after the cheesecake was baked and cooled.

Labeling: The box is minimally designed and clearly labeled with dairy free, nut free, and gluten free on the front of the package. It has a picture of a cheesecake on the front, and a recipe for the cake on the back as well as nutrition facts, ingredients, and a little bit of information about the company.

Packaging: The crumbs are stored inside a plastic bag within a cardboard box.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:          5

Taste:              5

Value:             3

OVERALL:       4.3

Reviewed by Jennie L.

Gluten Free Cookies: Vanilla Sandwich Creme KinniTOOS

Gluten Free Cookies: Vanilla Sandwich Creme KinniTOOS

PRODUCT NAME:                    Vanilla KinniTOOS

BRAND:                                   Kinnikinnick Foods

COST:                                      $4.99

SIZE:                                        8 oz. (21 cookies)

COST PER OZ:                         $0.62/oz
 
CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        NA

ORGANIC:                                NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        NA

VEGAN:                                    NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:         YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:         Canada

SHELF LIFE:                            1 Year

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Nutrition Facts and Ingredients

The slogan on the box for Kinnikinnick’s KinniToos Vanilla Sandwich Crème is, “Gluten Free never tasted so good!” and boy are they right! Kinnikinnick sent us these addictively delicious cookies to try. I’m not going to lie, I opened the package to taste them and after my initial elation as to how scrumptious the cookie was, devoured the first seven cookies in the package without blinking an eye.

The cookie itself is lightly lemony with a bit of a shortbread taste as well. That combined with the creamy vanilla frosting center is a match made in some sort of Gluten Free heaven. I opened them up, which I might add, I could do without breaking the cookie itself, and ate each half at a time, saving the half with the crème on it for last of course. They are crisp cookies without being dry and moist without being soggy. They exist in the very center where we all fantasize a cookie’s texture to be. The taste brings back a childhood memories of enjoying cookies with milk at my grandmother’s house. Well, since I can’t have milk anymore I use Hemp milk, so I tried that, and it was delicious as well. Score! I want to add though that they don’t have preservatives, which is actually a great thing. Only downside to that is once you open the package they need to be stored in a zip lock bag. I wouldn’t worry too much about that though because once they’re open, it’s tough not to eat them.

These cookies have a lot going for them. They are dairy free and nut free which is awesome. Comparing them to their glutinous equivalents, they hold up pretty well too. Take Oreos for example, which have 53 calories and 3.3g of fat per cookie. These Kinnitoos have 50 calories with 1.5g fat per cookie. Not too bad for a gluten free cookie. For more information about these cookies, visit their website at: www.kinnikinnick.com

Taste: Lightly lemony, like shortbread, with a strong vanilla crème taste

Labeling: Cheery blue package with sunny cookies

Packaging: plastic cookie tray with plastic covering

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:            5
Taste:                5
Value:               3
OVERALL:         4.3

Reviewed by Krisztina L.

Gluten Free Cookies: Kinnikinnick Chocolate Sandwich Creme KinniTOOS Product Review #115

Gluten Free Cookies: Kinnikinnick Chocolate KinniTOOS

PRODUCT NAME:                   Chocolate KinniTOOS

BRAND:                                  Kinnikinnick

COST:                                     $4.99

SIZE:                                       8oz        

COST PER OZ:                        $0.62/oz    

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       NA

ORGANIC:                               NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       NA

VEGAN:                                   NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        Canada

SHELF LIFE:                            1 Year

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.   

         

REVIEW:
After seeing our review for Kinnikinnick’s Fudge Sandwich Crème KinniTOOS, a friend of ours recommended their Chocolate Sandwich Crème KinniTOOS.  Kinnikinnick was kind enough to provide us with a sample of these cookies for us to review.  Our first thought about them was that they were like Gluten Free Oreos.    So how do these compare?

From the start, you can clearly see that they look just like Oreos.  They have that same white cream sandwiched between 2 dark brownish black cookies.  When seeing the Oreo looking cookie, I was expecting it to taste like an Oreo too.  And my for the most part, my expectations were met.  The cookies used are great.  They have a light chocolate flavor that is very similar to the cookies used in an Oreo.  The cookie is crispy and has great texture.  They are crumbly by nature, just because of the lack of gluten, but Oreos are usually pretty flakey as well.  The cream is also very similar to Oreos.  The minor difference in flavor is that the cream used in the KinniTOOS is that it is not as sweet.  I don’t see this as a negative though.  One thing I will comment on is that the cream is a little pasty.  When you to split the 2 halves apart, the cream splits.  It doesn’t come off clean like Oreos. 

Nutrition Facts & Ingredients

Kinnikinnick puts a lot of care into their products.  Since 1991 they have been producing great tasting gluten free food that is also dairy free and nut free.  All of their products are produced in a dedicated gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, peanut free and tree nut free facility.  Comparing it to regular Oreos, the nutrition facts are about the same.  These Kinnikinnick Chocolate Sandwich Cream KinniTOOS have 50 calories, 1.5g of fat, 5mg of cholesterol, 20mg of sodium, 4g of sugar per cookie.  I wouldn’t consider these cookies healthy so be sure to eat in moderation. 

Overall, we thought these Chocolate Sandwich Cream KinniTOOS were great.  They weren’t quite the real thing, but they came pretty close.  Many people probably wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference.  If you’ve been craving Oreos, this is probably as close as you’ll get.  For more information about these cookies, visit their website at: www.kinnikinnick.com.

Taste: These cookies are pretty much the gluten free version of Oreos.  The only differences are that the cream is a little different and they don’t taste as sweet.   

Labeling:  The picture of the cookie on the front is sure to catch your attention.  The text is also easy to read and important information like the fact that they are dairy free, gluten free, and nut free are all enlarged or used as a seal. 

Packaging:  Just like the other Kinnitoos we reviewed, these cookies feature your typical cookie tray in a plastic package.  I would like to see a resealable package in the future because it states on the bag that it doesn’t contain any preservatives so it should be stored sealed in a cool dry place. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 4             

Taste:                     4.5         

Value:                    3

OVERALL:              3.8

Reviewed 4/28/11 by Calvin C.   

Gluten Free Cookies: Kinnikinnick Fudge KinniToos - Product Review #106

Gluten Free Cookies: Kinnikinnick Fudge KinniToos

PRODUCT NAME:                       Fudge KinniToos

BRAND:                                       Kinnikinnick

COST:                                          $4.99

SIZE:                                           8oz        

COST PER OZ:                           $0.62/oz  

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         NA

ORGANIC:                                  NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         NA

VEGAN:                                      NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:          YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:           Canada

SHELF LIFE:                              UNKNOWN

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.   

         

REVIEW:

A few weeks back, Kinnikinnick Foods sent us their newest variety of KinniToos, Fudge Sandwich Crème Cookies.  Imagine an Oreo cookie with chocolate filling, only gluten free.  It’s all chocolate so it’s the perfect cookie for chocolate lovers on a gluten free diet.

When we first got them, we were excited to try them.  I am a huge Oreo fan so this was right down my ally.  First thing I did was twist it apart to look at the filling.  It has a texture similar to chocolate that has been melted and is on its way back to firming up.  The flavor of the chocolate is most like powdered chocolate that you would make chocolate milk with.  The cookie is a slightly lighter shade of brown and has a light chocolate flavor.  It is crispy and breaks apart easily.  Everyone in our office thought they were great and addicting.    

Kinnikinnick has been producing gluten free food since 1991.  Their mission statement is: “To provide Celiacs, people with Autism and other people with special dietary requirements with an uncontaminated, risk free source of food products.”  They put a lot of care into their products and it all starts in a dedicated gluten free and nut free facility.  What you end up with is a gluten free cookie that looks and tastes good. 

Nutrition Facts and Ingredients

I looked at the nutrition facts on the cookies and I was a bit surprised.  With 60 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, no cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 9 grams of carbs and 4 grams of sugar, the figures don’t look bad.  You have to look at the serving size though.  This was the nutrition facts for 1 cookie.  If you calculate it out, these values are about on par with similar products on the market, which as you might know aren’t the best for you.  When you’re eating these cookies, don’t forget to practice portion control. 

Overall, we liked these cookies a lot.  It’s all going to depend on your tastes.  The chocolate flavor is pretty light, but I can still see most chocolate fans liking it.  For more information about Kinnikinnick and about these cookies, visit their website: www.kinnikinnick.com.

Taste: The flavor of this cookie is a light chocolate flavor similar to that of powdered chocolate that you would use to make chocolate milk.  Some like it, some don’t, the choice is yours. 

Labeling:  Easy to read labeling with an accurate looking picture of the cookie on the front. 

Packaging:  These cookies feature your typical cookie tray in a plastic package.  I would like to see a resealable package in the future because it states on the bag that it doesn’t contain any preservatives so it should be stored sealed in a cool dry place. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 4             

Taste:                     4             

Value:                    3

OVERALL:              3.7

Reviewed 041211 by Calvin C.