Gluten Free Cookie: Ann's Nut & Fruit Cake Cranberry and Orange Cookie

PRODUCT NAME:                        Cranberry and Orange Cookie

BRAND:                                       Ann’s Nut & Fruit Cake, Inc.

COST:                                          $1.12

SIZE:                                            2 oz

COST PER OZ:                             $0.56 per oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:           NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            NA

ORGANIC:                                    NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:            NA

VEGAN:                                       YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:             NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:             Florida

SHELF LIFE:                                 8 months

*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:

Ann’s Nut & Fruit Cake, Inc. makes quite a variety of delectable cookies.  This Gladys Treat Cranberry and Orange cookie is no exception.  On first bite, the cookie is rich and flavorful.  The large dried cranberries that densely populate the cookie hit your mouth with a sweet burst of flavor.  Unlike most orange cookies, where the orange gets lost somewhere in the mix, this cookie has a mellow citrus taste that lines up in harmony with the cranberry burst.  The orange stays on your tongue after each bite and is a pleasant accompaniment with all the other flavors and textures of the cookie.  They soak the cranberries in orange extract as well, just to make sure the cookie’s namesake is identifiable.  The cookie itself is a denser cookie, but not heavy as one might imagine.  It is on the softer side and easily breakable but does not crumble and disintegrate.  The flavors blend wonderfully with coffee or tea, making this a nice breakfast treat as well whenever you need something a little on the sweeter side to start off your day.

The cookie is pretty big, 2 oz. which is roughly the size of your palm.  The cookie weighs in at 110 calories, but honestly, I couldn’t finish the whole thing in one sitting.  The taste and texture is rich enough that it doesn’t take much to satisfy your sweet tooth.  The cookie also has no trans or saturated fats.  The label also says that this is an allergen free cookie, which means it is not only gluten free, but also dairy and soy free.  Ann’s Nut & Fruit Cake, Inc. have a lovely website that details their ingredients, process and tells the story on how they got started.  As with many of these bakeries, they set out to do a little good in the world, one cookie at a time.  They use no artificial anything and stay away from preservatives, sweeteners and colors too.  The plastic bag it comes wrapped in is biodegradable too, so all in all, this is a good cookie, baked with honest ethics and an attention to detail and environment.

Check out the website for other flavors, products and more info: http://www.annnutandfruitcake.com

Taste:  Bursts of dried cranberries with a lingering of orange after each bite

Labeling: descriptive and clearly marked gluten free and allergen free

Packaging: see-through, resealable bag that is biodegradable

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:                    4             

OVERALL:              4

Reviewed by Krisztina L

Gluten Free Cookies: Enjoy Life Crunchy Sugar Crisp Handcrafted Cookies

PRODUCT NAME:                     Crunchy Sugar Crisp Cookies

BRAND:                                    Enjoy Life

COST:                                       $3.99

SIZE:                                         6.3 OZ

COST PER OZ:                          $0.63/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:        YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         GFCO

ORGANIC:                                 NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         N/A

VEGAN:                                     YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:          YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:           SCHILLER PARK,IL

SHELF LIFE:                              1.5 YEARS
 

*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:

Enjoy Life, a company known for making delicious, allergen friendly products, recently launched a new line of crispy cookies. They have taken on classic cookies, like chocolate chip, sugar, and ginger, and make them safe and delicious for just about everyone. Packed full of flavor and all natural ingredients, these delicious cookies are made without the eight most common allergens, which are wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish. They strive to make “smile-good foods that keep people’s insides happy” meaning anyone, allergy or not should feel safe and satisfied after consuming their products.

Reminiscent of the crispy sugar cookies I snacked on as a kid, Enjoy Life’s Crunchy Sugar Crisp cookies were light and very sweet. Made without ingredients like wheat, eggs, and dairy, elements which are normally essential to baking, these cookies were safe without sacrificing an ounce of flavor. Although they are vegan, they tasted buttery and rich, they weren’t too hard or brittle, and didn’t crumble apart. They were very sweet, I would even dare to say that they were on the verge of being too sweet, so a serving size of two cookies was appropriate.

I really enjoyed these cookies, and while they are delicious right out of the box, I would suggest using two crispy cookies to make an ice cream sandwich for an even tastier treat.

Taste: These cookies tasted exactly the way the package promised: crunchy, sugary, and crisp. They were rich and had a great buttery flavor, were very sweet, and were effective in satisfying my sugar craving.

Labeling: As a company specializing in allergen-friendly products, Enjoy Life has made it very easy to quickly assess if their treats are safe or not. The front of the package states that these cookies are dairy, nut, and gluten free. The side panel lists the common allergens NOT included in this recipe and the back has a little bit of information about this allergy-friendly treat. Ingredients and nutrition facts were also included on the side of the package.  

Packaging:   Fourteen cookies were held in a plastic tray inside of a cardstock 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:                 4  
Taste:                     5
Value:                    4
OVERALL:              4.3
 
Reviewed  by: Jennie L.

Gluten Free Cookie: Alive & Radiant Foods Vanilla Contrast Cookie with Cacao Cream

PRODUCT NAME:                  Vanilla Contrast Cookie w/Cacao

COMPANY NAME:                 Alive and Radiant Foods

COST:                                    $3.00

SIZE:                                     1.5 oz

COST PER OZ:                       $2.00

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      N/A

ORGANIC:                              YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      Unknown

VEGAN:                                  YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        Emeryville, CA

SHELF LIFE:                            2 months

*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: 

Alive and Radiant Foods is a bay area raw foods company straight out of Emeryville, California. The company is most famous for their Dehydrated Kale Chips and has an almost cult-like following as a result. Although this savory treat is their most famous, they also have a fairly broad smattering of raw treats that fall on the dessert side of the spectrum. Today we have the “contrast cookie” to review.

The ingredient list is very short, which is something I greatly appreciate about the product. It consists solely of almonds, coconut butter, agave, cacao, cashews, coconut milk, and vanilla. That’s right folks! No gluten, sugar, soy, dairy, or sugar. This cookie’s ingredients are extremely health conscious and particularly chosen. Additionally, every single component listed is recognizable to me as a delicious food that I personally enjoy. I was really looking forward to indulging.

The cookie itself is on the larger side and has a vanilla outer edge and a cacao cream center. It seems the outside is supposed to be the “cookie” while the inside is supposed to be the “cream” but there was no discernible difference in texture between the two and so that is kind of a hard sell. The outside has an immediate almond flavor but none of the mealy almond texture that could add nuance or complexity to the flavor. Four out of six ingredients listed were direct fat sources and it seems that all of these were thrown together in a food processor to make a paste and then formed into a cookie. All the textural delight of cashew, coconut, and almond was completely nullified by this blending and left me with a wave of disappointment. Truth be told, the cookie had the texture of Play-Doh.

Onto the center. As the cookie itself seemed to be a flop, I could only press forward and onto the redeeming qualities of the cream. I broke the cookie in half and took a bite that was 100% cream center. As I mentioned before, same texture. The addition of cocoa gave the flavor of the cream more than the single taste note of the cookie, but all in all, I wasn’t anywhere close to impressed.

Labeling:

Labeling on this product was not sufficient. There was no nutrition information whatsoever. As I determined that many of the ingredients listed were fats, I assume the calorie content is fairly high, and it seems sneaky to market something as “healthy” but not also include the fact that it also may be very caloric. Also, it took some poking around on the company’s website to find that the product was organic. As organic seems to be a huge selling point these days, wouldn’t they want to make this information immediately known?

Packaging:

The packaging of this product was a sealed plastic sheeth. It seemed 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:           2

Taste:               2         

Value:              2         

OVERALL:        2

Reviewed by Lacy D.

Gluten Free Cookies: Blessing's Alive & Radiant Foods Luscious Lemon Swirl Cookies

PRODUCT NAME:                   Luscious Lemon Swirl Cookies

BRAND:                                  Blessings Alive & Radiant Foods

COST:                                     $6.00

SIZE:                                       4 oz. (7-8 cookies)

COST PER OZ:                        $0.66/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       NA

ORGANIC:                               YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       UNKNOWN

VEGAN:                                   NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        Emeryville, CA

SHELF LIFE:                           1 month, longer if frozen

*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:
These lemon cookies are certainly luscious. Their name does not lie. On first bite you get the rich, chewy and satisfying texture we all hope for (but rarely get) out of a raw cookie. The ingredients are cashews, lemon, raw honey, and coconut, all organic in this case, and each of the flavors blend together extremely well. The coconut is finely grated so it’s not overwhelming, the cashews provide a wonderful nutty balance, the honey is present but blends nicely with the coconut and the lemon is the element that ties everything together. It’s a strong and bold lemon cookie, but it definitely holds up with coffee or as an afternoon snack.

The serving size for these on the nutritional info is 2 cookies, weighing in at 150 calories. Not bad really, and taking into account you are eating nuts and other tasty-but-good-for-you ingredients, you can feel good about eating them. They even have a decent amount of vitamins and minerals so, in a sense, I like to look at these as decadent health food (ie. You don’t want to live on them, but if you’re having a cookie or two, you don’t really have to feel bad about it). Blessings Alive and Radiant Foods, who were so kind as to give us these tasty samples, has a wonderful website. They go into great detail about the care and thought that goes into making their foods, as well as the high quality ingredients they use. Bravo.

For more information about this product and other Blessings Alive and Radiant: http://www.blessingsaliveandradiantfoods.com

Taste: Zesty, bold, chewy, nutty and not too sweet. These cookies are extremely delicious.

Labeling: The label is somewhat hard to read because it is small, but it does say “gluten free” and lists out the ingredients.

Packaging: Somewhat re-sealable plastic bag has all 7-8 cookies

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: Caveman Bakery Alpine Caveman Cookies

Gluten Free Cookies: Alpine Caveman Cookies

PRODUCT NAME:                       Alpine Caveman Cookies

BRAND:                                      Caveman Bakery     

COST:                                         $5.45

SIZE:                                           3.4 oz (6 cookies)

COST PER OZ:                            $0.62 per cookie

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:          YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:           GFCO

ORGANIC:                                   NO     

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:           NA

VEGAN:                                      YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:            YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:            New York, NY

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:

Today, we have Alpine Caveman Cookies up for review.  They are hearty little snacks made of honey, hazelnut meal, almond meal and toasted ground carob.  That’s it!  Hurray for simple, good and tasty ingredients with no hidden unhealthy additives.  Being Caveman snacks, the website promotes a “paleolithic” diet, which according to them means, simple, natural basic ingredients.  I’m all for it.

Nutrition Facts

The cookies are a half ounce each so they are pretty small, but they are certainly satisfying.  They are surprisingly filling too so they make a great grab and go snack.  These Caveman cookies are pretty healthy cookie alternatives, packing a respectable 1.5g of protein and 4.5g of fat, .25g saturated, per cookie.  I am a fairly healthy eater and if I am going to splurge on something sweet, I try to get things with simple ingredients.  These definitely fit the bill .

These little cookies make a great sweet pick-me-up snack to get you through the day.  I recommend spreading peanut or almond butter on them for an extra protein kick.  They have a really nice hazelnut flavor that blends well with the carob.  It reminds me of Nutella without the chocolate.  I’ve found some things with carob to be a little pasty and this is definitely not.  It is smooth tasting with a nutty, slightly chunky texture.  They come in individually wrapped packaging that is easy to throw in a purse or gym bag for whenever you need it. 

Check out the website for other flavors and more info:  www.cavemancookies.com

Taste:  Simple, tasty, Nutella-like with nutty chunks

Labeling:  Cute Cavemen logo

Packaging: Simple brown paper bag with catchy caveman label.  The cookies are individual plastic wrappers.

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:               3.5                         

Taste:                   4                             

Value:                  2             

OVERALL:            3.2         

Reviewed by

Krisztina L.

Gluten Free Cookies: Original Caveman Cookies

Gluten Free Cookies: Original Caveman Cookies

PRODUCT NAME:                     Original Caveman Cookies 

BRAND:                                    Caveman Cookies 

COST:                                       $5.45 

SIZE:                                         3oz 

COST PER OZ:                          $1.81 

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:        YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         GFCO

ORGANIC:                                 NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         N/A

VEGAN:                                    YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:          YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:          New York, NY

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:

The folks at the Caveman Cookie bakery pride themselves on creating a product similar in nutritional content and ingredients to the snacks our Paleolithic ancestors would have enjoyed. Their treats are all natural and made with minimal ingredients; the Original Caveman Cookie is made with only seven ingredients, all of which are foods and spices I recognize. They promote the “caveman” diet, which is a natural, holistic eating regiment based on easily digestible foods that early Homo sapiens would have sustained themselves on. Followers of the “caveman” diet focus on consuming whole, healthy foods like meat, veggies, fruits, and legumes and avoid foods like dairy, wheat and other grains which are common in the modern human diet.

Nutrition Facts

Caveman Cookies are sweet, chewy, and delicious, but to think of these desserts as a traditional, unhealthy cookie would be inaccurate. If you are craving a sinful treat full of bad fat and sugars, Caveman Cookies are not for you. These healthy snacks, which are more like granola bars than actual cookies, will satisfy your sweet tooth while providing nutrients and fiber, making you feel full. Free of preservatives but packed with all the good stuff, like honey nuts and berries, these tasty little snacks are great for bagged lunches or work as a healthy alternative to combat an afternoon sugar binge. Individually wrapped, they are a very convenient gluten-free alternative used to fight the inevitable hunger pangs that occur when everyone around you is munching on communal, wheat-filled snacks. 

Soft and chewy, these cookies have a consistency similar to a healthy, nut and honey filled version of the nostalgia-inducing oatmeal raisin cookie. Like the original oatmeal raisin, these cookies have sugary raisins and small chunks of walnuts. Instead of the allergic reaction provoking oats and wheat present in the original, these safe cookies were made from dough consisting of almond meal and honey. The Caveman Cookie would be an ideal healthy breakfast on the go because they are energy filled with 3 grams of protein per serving. I enjoyed mine with a cup of coffee on the bus and I was ready to face the day.

Taste: Chewy and sweet, these cookies tasted like a simple, healthier version of an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Labeling:  The information provided on the package was minimal and clear. On the front of the bag the phrase “gluten free” is obvious. The facts were limited to only necessary nutritional information, ingredients list, and a short blurb about the cookies inside.

Packaging:  Adorable! The cookies were all individually sealed in little plastic sleeves, making it easy to slip one in a purse or lunch sack. The cookies were housed in a brown paper bag with a sticker on the front and back which featured a cartoony bearded caveman enjoying one of his cookies.

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:                 3   
Taste:                     4
Value:                    2
OVERALL:              3


Reviewed  by: Jennie L.