Gluten Free and Tasty!

"Kinnikinnick Foods, North America’s leading manufacturer of gluten-free baked goods and snacks, today announces that its company facilities, and an extensive list of products, are certified OU kosher pareve by the Orthodox Union.

Kinnikinnick runs the largest, dedicated gluten free, dairy free and nut free facilities in North America.  Both plants have been through the rigorous certification program under the supervision of the Kashruth Division of the Orthodox Union.  By making all of its products in house, Kinnikinnick can ensure all of its baked goods and snacks are safe from cross contamination. The OU certification means that those people with special dietary concerns that follow a Kosher diet now have access to a far greater variety of high quality items. 

The OU symbol will begin rolling out on Kinnikinnick’s packaging beginning this December."

Read more here: Kinnikinnick Foods Receives Kosher Certification

 I made these delicious cupcakes for my  birthday in early October, but never got a chance to write up a review! The batter was a wonderful, velvety smooth, sweet chocolate. I wanted to share a picture of it too, but Blogger keeps turning it sideways! When I tasted the batter, I thought, WOW! True, luscious chocolate! Mmmm! Sweet! Won't need frosting (although the box shows a decadent slice of frosted chocolate cake).

I was pleasantly surprised, however, to bite into a warm, moist cupcake and discover that somewhere between mixing and baking, most of the sweetness had disappeared! I can't tell you how they would go with frosting,  however, because I never tried it. I ended up with nearly 24 cupcakes, and knew that with just the two of us, some would go to waste. So mixing up a huge batch of frosting seemed a waste (especially since I'm the only one who really likes frosting, unless it's of the cream cheese variety!).


What I did try, however, was sprinkling powdered sugar over top of the cupcakes. This was delightful. Very delicious, not to sweet . . . a little messy, but not much! I think that any chocolate lover would be thrilled with this mix. The batter is delicious. The end result is delicious. Just wish I knew more people who I could have shared them with - bad form to waste chocolate, you know. ;-)

The texture was absolutely perfect. I'm pretty sure that if you fed these to a gluten-eater, they wouldn't be able to tell that they were gluten free at all. Kudos to Kinnikinnick! I will definitely keep this product in mind when I need (or want) chocolate cake!

Kinnikinnick Pancakes

As much as I adore Kinnikinnick products, this wouldn't be one I would choose to purchase. But not because there is anything wrong with the mix itself, this is purely a matter of taste.

I grew up loving plain, buttermilk pancakes. Maybe a touch of butter, but no syrup at all (overdid that as a kid! There's a funny story that goes along with that experience too.). The sweetest I ever liked for pancakes was at IHOP, where I would get pancakes with walnuts (or is it pecans? I forget), slices of bananas, and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

T did not like how the mix tasted, but said that since sometimes, the end result doesn't taste anything like the mix, she was still willing to give them a try. (I didn't taste the mix myself.) We both found the pancakes to be too sweet. Butter (Earth Balance) did nothing for them, and maple syrup made the sweetness worse -- and actually, we thought it made the pancakes taste peculiar. However, we tend to buy B grade syrup, which is better for baking. Mos maple syrup you put on pancakes is "A" and is lighter in color and flavor, so that may have been the issue with the syrup.

Taste preferences aside, as you can see, the pancake mix cooks up very nicely. The pancakes were light and fluffy. They looked and felt just like you would expect a pancake to be. The mix is also usable for waffles, but we don't have a waffle press, so we couldn't try that.

So we're still on the hunt for a pancake mix that tastes the way I remember pancakes from childhood, but if you like your pancakes on the sweet side, definitely check this mix out!

Last week while visiting my parents, we all tried the Cinnamon Apple (with pink icing) donuts. They were a big hit. The texture is the same as the Cinnamon Sugar donuts. They are a little stickier (presumably because of the icing), but not terribly messy. The icing was tasty without taking away from the flavor of the donuts.

I particularly enjoyed the apple bits inside the donuts. It reminded me of the fried apples you can get at Cracker Barrel, or the apple bits in the Quaker Instant Oatmeal (whichever one had apples in it) which I used to enjoy pre-gluten-free days.

We just drank water with these, so I can't say how they would go with tea, but we definitely all enjoyed them. No one would have known they were gluten free if they hadn't been told.

Another great job from Kinnikinnick!

One more donut to go: Vanilla Glazed. I hope to try it out later this week!

When I got home from work on Wednesday night, I was delighted to find that my sample package from Kinnikinnick Foods had arrived! The box was stamped with the note that baked goods needed to be frozen immediately upon arrival. The box came while we were at work -- but since it had snowed during the day, I figured the box had probably stayed cold enough!

As soon as I put my work bag down, I ripped the box open to discover a treasure trove of donuts!

I received three flavors: Cinnamon Sugar, Vanilla Glazed, and Cinnamon-Apple with pink frosting (the Valentine's Day treat). Tonight/this morning, after my partner got home from work, we pulled a box randomly out of the freezer to try out.

Tonight's choice: Cinnamon Sugar.

These are not the size of regular donuts, but they're a perfectly good snack size! If the only kind of donut you hanker for is that of the Krispy Kreme texture, you'll probably be disappointed, but if you grew up on Dunkin Dounts (or the like), as I did, you're in for a pleasant treat! These little donuts are cake-like, but nowhere near as dense as you'd imagine a gluten free donut to be.

There is just the right amount of cinnamon sugar coating these donuts. Delicious taste without being too sweet. We were able to enjoy the donuts with a cup of Red Rose tea (with milk and sugar) and not have our taste buds overwhelmed. They are not at all sticky, but you will want napkins handy as the cinnamon-sugar is rather crumbly and will come off on your hands!

My partner (who went gluten-free for me) and I both likened the texture to donut holes. They are very filling. We heated up 2 (one at a time), and split them. The first one was gone quickly, and we immediately went back for the second. We both enjoyed this donut very, very much.

As soon as we finish this box (4 more to go), we will try out and review another flavor.

Stay Tuned!

I wanted to share a special Fall item with you all! I received this notice a few days ago in e-mail, and wanted to share this special treat with all of you. If you haven't tried Kinnikinnick Donuts yet, you are missing out. In my experience, they tend to be heavier and denser than donuts you might pick up from Dunkin Donuts, but they are still quite delicious! Kinnikinnick was the first gluten free brand of donuts I ever tried after going gluten free, and I enjoy trying their products.

These Pumpkin Spice Donuts look particularly delicious, and I know I can't wait to try them!

If any of my readers try them, please post your reactions in comments to this entry.