Showing posts with label Lucy's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucy's. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies

Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies
Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt
There are generally a few methods for making cookies that don't have wheat gluten in them. One method results in a rather crispy cookie that is prone to exploding into a shower of small cookie crumbs every time someone takes a bite. Another method is some strange recipe where the cookie doesn't look anything like a cookie and the consistency doesn't seem very dessert-like either.

And then there are also cookies that a dry and taste like cake that's been sitting out on the counter for a few days along with cookies that simply fall apart if you stare at them too hard. With all of the strange recipes for cookies out there that don't include wheat gluten, it's almost like a game to try and figure out why most bakeries are trying to make cookies that just don't look like cookies.

Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies
Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt
The cookies from Lucy's bakery seem to fall into the very first category mentioned. The cement cookie. Surprisingly, this shouldn't put you off eating the cookies as the recipes used do tend to be pretty tasty and are worth potential damage to one's tooth enamel.

For the cinnamon variety, one could almost pretend that the consistency of a very stiff cookie was fine and accepted since the usual recipe for a ginger snap is often going to be . . . snappy.

The nutritional content of these cookies isn't too out of this world although it's kind of odd that in this small package of four cookies, that the manufacturer would bother with making a serving size of 1.3 in a single bag. They should just put the number of calories that are in the entire snack size bag on the back and not expect people to notice that there's a third more calories in the bag than the simple number that's printed on the back of the bag next to the word "calories."

Lucy's does have a few different kinds of cookies and their sugar variety offers pretty much the same exact consistency (cement) although taste-wise, both recipes are rather good. Indeed if the cookies were made in such a way that they were softer, they'd honestly be a true competitor for wheat-filled cookies. As it is, the cinnamon variety is something that seems to work well with the idea of a ginger snap, which someone might expect to have a harder consistency.

Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies
Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt
Lucy's Cinnamon Thin Cookies Report Card

The Good Stuff:

If you like cinnamon and you enjoy cookies, Lucy's recipe is a winner (just like their sugar cookies). And the convenient snack-size packs are great for tossing into the lunch box of a child who's going to school or someone who might want a snack with their afternoon tea while at work.

What Could Change:

As noted above, these cookies are certainly a little on the stiff side and if the taste of the cookies wasn't so superior, they would definitely not get a very high mark. Not only does the hard nature of the cookies make them a bit of a crunchy experience, but they really do have a crumb-factor of 11.5 on the Richter-scale. Make sure you have a napkin ready for all those crumbs or are able to eat them over the sink.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Lucy's Sugar Cookies

Lucy's Sugar Cookies
Lucy's Sugar Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt
Cookies come in a million different flavors and are especially fun to eat in just about any type of combination with no shortage of creativity coming from dessert makers who are quite apt to taunt individuals who can't eat wheat or gluten with tons of different wheat-filled masterpieces that have everything from chocolate to lemon to pecan flavoring. 

Fortunately, finding gluten-free options has become markedly easier in the last few years as the gluten-free revolution has taken off and gotten immensely popular. But not all gluten-free cookies are created equal and one of the biggest problems that cookies tend to have when they're gluten free is that they're a bit gritty or they don't have the same sort of consistency that a gluten-filled version might have.

And there seems to be two schools of thought surrounding cookies and one is the art of imitation where a cookie is meant to taste just like the "real thing" while the other is an attempt to make a good tasting cookie that offers a nice dessert or snacking experience. And with Lucy's Sugar Cookies, it's clear that the company is attempting to mimic the style and taste of cookies that have gluten in them as a sugar cookie is usually a soft, sugary experience in the cookie world.
Lucy's Sugar Cookies
Lucy's Sugar Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

But beware, upon biting into one of these sugar cookies, it's definitely not going to be a soft experience as these little suckers are fairly taut in their presentation. And this isn't something that makes them taste any less delicious, but it is something that some people might not like as far as the consistency of a traditional cookie is concerned. And the interesting fact about these cookies is that they do taste good, but they're awfully crunchy.

And crunchy just doesn't seem to be the most interesting word one would want to apply to a cookie. It's more a descriptor that should be used for a cracker. These cookies certainly aren't Soft Batch, that's for sure. But perhaps some enterprising individual could pop them in the microwave for ten seconds and see what happens...

The basic appeal of these cookies is going to be that they taste good and not necessarily their lack of an accommodating texture. They're a crunchy sugar cookie and the taste certainly isn't something that would immediately suggest that they were something that was free of gluten. If you enjoy sugar cookies or any cookies really, they're worth a taste as the recipe is definitely something that tastes great.


Lucy's Sugar Cookies
Lucy's Sugar Cookies
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Lucy's Sugar Cookies Report Card

What's Good:

The basic taste of these sugar cookies is exactly what you would expect and there's only the barest hint that they are a gluten-free variety and as a snack, they are great for getting a sugar fix. Tons of sugar will fly off these things every time you take a bite as they crunch in half, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That's just the fun of eating a sugar cookie.

What Could Improve:

As noted above, the consistency of these cookies is really stiff! And it's going to catch some people off guard. But it's not something that would necessarily doom these cookies as something that shouldn't be tried at least once. In fact, the taste of these cookies is very satisfying and they're a tasty dessert or snack.