Epicurious performed a blind taste test of 21 brownie mixes. Many gluten-free brownie mixes were tested along with gluten mixes. The winner, which beat Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, Ghirardelli, and Pillsbury classic gluten brownies was Betty Crocker gluten-free brownies! Note the price listed for the Betty Crocker gluten-free brownies is incorrect. The actual suggested retail price is $4.49.
The gluten-free brownie first runner up was the brownie mix from the Really Great Food Company. Although it is expensive and not crunchy, the judges liked that it was fluffy and chewy. Below is a list of all the brownies that were tested and their ranking.
"The 21 varieties of brownie mix we tasted are available nationwide in supermarkets or online. They included the following, listed from highest to lowest score achieved in our taste test: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix, Archer Farms Chocolate Overload Brownie Mix, The Really Great Food Company Gluten Free Brownie Mix , Duncan Hines Family-Style Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix, Cherrybrook Kitchen Fudge Brownie Mix With Chocolate Chips,* Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams Fudge Brownie Mix,* Hol-Grain Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Mix,* Pillsbury Milk Chocolate Brownie Mix, Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix, Stonewall Kitchen Triple Fudge Brownie Mix, Ghirardelli Ultimate Fudge Brownie Mix,* Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix,* Namaste Foods Gluten Free Brownie Mix, Marie Callender's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, Dr. Oetker Organic Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix, Trader Joe's Gluten Free Brownie Mix, Arrowhead Mills Organic Bake With Me Brownie Mix, Pamela's Products Chocolate Brownie Mix, Jiffy Fudge Brownie Mix, Now Foods Gluten Free Whey Too Good Brownie Mix. (* The asterisk denotes brands that tied for the same score.)"
Jan 30, 2010
Book Review - The GF Kid: A Celiac Disease Survival Guide
This book was written in 2005. The GF Kid is for ages 8 and up and teenagers would like it too. The girl in the book is named Paris and she is 11-years-old. I am 8-years-old, and I could easily read almost all the words. I read it by myself and only had a few questions about the book because my mom has celiac disease and I know a lot about it. I would recommend that if you are 8-years-old and you only know a few things about celiac disease, then you should read it with a grown up.
The only thing that upset me was that the author made up a few words like “glutenfied” and “gluteny”. I was happy that there was a list of gluten-free companies with phone numbers and a list of candy. I also like that it had recipes in the back of the book to use as a cookbook and that it listed restaurants and stores.
I think this book would be really helpful for kids that are newly diagnosed and would help parents too. I especially like that it mentioned that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, not an allergy, and that it is not contagious! This book had several details about cross-contamination. We got this book from our public library. Also read my other book review called Eating Gluten-Free with Emily.
The only thing that upset me was that the author made up a few words like “glutenfied” and “gluteny”. I was happy that there was a list of gluten-free companies with phone numbers and a list of candy. I also like that it had recipes in the back of the book to use as a cookbook and that it listed restaurants and stores.
I think this book would be really helpful for kids that are newly diagnosed and would help parents too. I especially like that it mentioned that celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, not an allergy, and that it is not contagious! This book had several details about cross-contamination. We got this book from our public library. Also read my other book review called Eating Gluten-Free with Emily.
Jan 27, 2010
Review: Speedy-Bake Mixes from Gluten-Free Essentials
Speedy-Bake is a line of six gluten-free mixes for kids that can be baked in an Easy Bake Oven or a regular oven. Since we don’t have an Easy Bake Oven, we baked them in a regular oven. I received two free mixes through Gluten-Free Dee. The mixes are also nut-free and dairy-free, if you use dairy-free butter. All Gluten-Free Essentials products are made in a 100% dedicated gluten-free facility.
We made the fudge brownies and the Yella-Vanilla cake. Both mixes required a ½ stick butter, 1/3 cup applesauce, and one egg. We used Musselman’s Natural applesauce and found that 1/3 cup is almost an entire applesauce snack cup, which makes it easy for kids to measure. Both the cake and brownies were extremely moist! They stayed moist for several days when stored on the counter in a Ziploc bag.
The brownies tasted like chocolate cake and had large chocolate chips. While certainly they weren’t as good as Betty Crocker gluten-free brownies, they were still good. More chocolate chips would make them even better. The vanilla cake smelled like cake, looked like cake, but tasted like a pancake, not cake. In fact, the Spice-is-Nice cake mix can be used to make pancakes by adding extra liquid. Regardless, kids would enjoy baking and eating these mixes, and parents would enjoy eating the brownies too.
There are additional instructions on the website for making a portion of the mix for use in an Easy Bake Oven. Each package will yield approximately five batches in an Easy Bake Oven. Speedy-Bake mixes cost $3.99. For more quick baking products, Gluten-Free Essentials sells Hug in a Mug, an instant microwave cake in a mug, and some varieties are even “diabetic friendly”!
We made the fudge brownies and the Yella-Vanilla cake. Both mixes required a ½ stick butter, 1/3 cup applesauce, and one egg. We used Musselman’s Natural applesauce and found that 1/3 cup is almost an entire applesauce snack cup, which makes it easy for kids to measure. Both the cake and brownies were extremely moist! They stayed moist for several days when stored on the counter in a Ziploc bag.
The brownies tasted like chocolate cake and had large chocolate chips. While certainly they weren’t as good as Betty Crocker gluten-free brownies, they were still good. More chocolate chips would make them even better. The vanilla cake smelled like cake, looked like cake, but tasted like a pancake, not cake. In fact, the Spice-is-Nice cake mix can be used to make pancakes by adding extra liquid. Regardless, kids would enjoy baking and eating these mixes, and parents would enjoy eating the brownies too.There are additional instructions on the website for making a portion of the mix for use in an Easy Bake Oven. Each package will yield approximately five batches in an Easy Bake Oven. Speedy-Bake mixes cost $3.99. For more quick baking products, Gluten-Free Essentials sells Hug in a Mug, an instant microwave cake in a mug, and some varieties are even “diabetic friendly”!
Jan 26, 2010
Today Show Video: Is Dairy or Gluten Making You Sick?
Watch this video of Joy Bauer discussing lactose and gluten intolerance on the Today Show this morning. About half way into the video, the gluten-free portion begins. She explained celiac disease as an autoimmune disease, mentioned the blood test, and listed several gluten-free products she recommends. She also mentioned osteoporosis and anemia. Joy is the nutritionist and diet editor on the Today Show.
Jan 22, 2010
Review: Glutenfreeda Granola
Glutenfreeda sent me free boxes of their new gluten-free granola to review. The granola is made with certified gluten-free oats, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, honey, and no artificial ingredients. There are three varieties - Apple Almond, Cranberry Cashew, and Raisin Almond.
Each box contains four individual packs, which makes it easy to eat on the go if you have a spoon and cup or bowl. However, individual isn’t exactly the right word for the packs as each pack contains 2.5 servings, so calculate the calories and fat before eating an entire pack.
The granola is good! The clusters are small and similar in size to the Enjoy Life granola, but it would be difficult to eat with your hands. It tastes like traditional granola - not sweet, except for the dried fruit. It is a little crunchy, but I would prefer a bit more crunch and more dried fruit. (The granola made by Enjoy Life is too sweet and crunchy for me.) My favorite Glutenfreeda granola flavor is the Cranberry Cashew, with large pieces of cashews, and I would buy it!
One box is $6.95 at the Gluten Free Mall, but is currently on sale for $5.56. Currently, eight boxes can be purchased on Amazon for $30.77, instead of the list price of $40.00, which is a great deal. The granola has a shelf life of approximately one year.
Each box contains four individual packs, which makes it easy to eat on the go if you have a spoon and cup or bowl. However, individual isn’t exactly the right word for the packs as each pack contains 2.5 servings, so calculate the calories and fat before eating an entire pack.
The granola is good! The clusters are small and similar in size to the Enjoy Life granola, but it would be difficult to eat with your hands. It tastes like traditional granola - not sweet, except for the dried fruit. It is a little crunchy, but I would prefer a bit more crunch and more dried fruit. (The granola made by Enjoy Life is too sweet and crunchy for me.) My favorite Glutenfreeda granola flavor is the Cranberry Cashew, with large pieces of cashews, and I would buy it!
One box is $6.95 at the Gluten Free Mall, but is currently on sale for $5.56. Currently, eight boxes can be purchased on Amazon for $30.77, instead of the list price of $40.00, which is a great deal. The granola has a shelf life of approximately one year.
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