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
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
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.

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

You wouldn't think corn dogs would have wheat in them, but it's likely the only way to whip up that smooth corn dog batter is to mix in a whole lot of wheat in the bowl as it would seem that most gluten-free corn dog options are a lot less smooth in texture. 

No wheat means no food glue and this means nothing really sticks together or smooths out as it should. Corn dogs are something that is probably near the top of the list of unhealthy things to eat and they usually have so much fat and calories in them that the only appropriate place to eat them is while walking around a fairground where your next meal will either be cotton candy or a funnel cake. 

It is perhaps fortunate that people who require gluten-free varieties of corn dogs aren't otherwise likely to eat the full-fat versions since they can really throw a diet out of whack. Fried dough is never a good thing. Well, nutritionally anyway, because corn dogs do taste delicious even if they are an evil food. 

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

 For slightly less egregious examples of tasty corn dog style foods, there is Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs to consider, which is clearly aimed at children with the cartoon-style drawings on the exterior of the box, but is something that anyone of any age could eat. The major issue with any corn dogs that don't have the benefit of a wheat-filled smooth batter is always going to be the consistency of the exterior of the dogs and whether they stay intact under the pressure of cooking.

And this isn't really an area where these corn dogs excel as they do tend to leave a bunch of crumbs during every part of the experience whether it's just taking a few out of the box to pop them in the oven or whether it's where you eat them and get crumbs everywhere that seem to just pop off of the dogs at will whenever they're moved.

But really, this is more of a logistics complaint than a taste complaint and if a person is dedicated to finding an option for a corn dog, Ian's is certainly a good place to start. One of the good things about these corn dogs is also their shape and size as there's no traditional wooden stick to get in the way when you're eating one. Just a fork will do (your hand will probably be covered with corn bits if you try to eat these as a finger food, and they are rather hot when they come out of the oven).

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

And regarding ovens, it really is recommended that you utilize one for the cooking of these dogs as the microwave just isn't going to go very well with the gluten-free covering and the interior where the turkey dog rests will probably not cook evenly either. This is just the way microwaves tend to be with turkey dogs or hot dogs.

Fortunately, they don't take that long to cook and there's enough in a box for a few meals worth (probably a few lunches for the average adult). Taste-wise, if you can get beyond the slight inconsistency of the batter, these little dogs are a decent substitute for the real thing although it's very apparent that you're eating a food that's been altered in some way to offer an eating experience that someone who can't eat gluten wouldn't otherwise get to have.

This author is of the opinion that gluten-free food is always going to be best if you can't actually tell that you're eating gluten free food. Perhaps Ian's just needs to do a little more investigation into how best to make the batter on its corn dogs less granular. Taste-wise though, the turkey-dogs are great and the batter does indeed taste better than average.

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs Report Card

The Good Stuff:

These corn dogs do taste good and are fun to eat as well. They're definitely something that can give you that county fair food fix and the basic taste should satisfy your need to do something very bad with your diet (the nutritional content on these little suckers sure isn't innocent). Well worth a taste if you like corn dogs.

What Could Improve:

Gluten free food sometimes tastes like gluten free food and Ian's Popcorn Turkey Corn Dogs don't actually taste like they're gluten free... but they do look it. The company that makes this snack would get a huge thumbs up if they could find some way to approximate that gluten-laden batter...

Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips

Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

It would seem that chips of all kinds are one of the more popular items for companies to offer the public in a gluten free form and this is often because traditional tortilla chips don't usually have any wheat flour in them anyway unless it's in the flavor mixture. 

Notice I say "usually" as a lot of seemingly innocent tortilla chip manufacturers toss soy sauce in their mixture and this ingredient has wheat - so always look on the label of any tortilla type chips to confirm ingredients and even then, consider asking the company itself whether its chips contain any gluten or wheat, even if the listing of ingredients suggests they don't.

But generally speaking and as far as snack or tortilla chips are concerned, a company can usually come up with a tasty topping for the chips that is naturally gluten-free or isn't really missing anything significant if substitutions are made. The nice thing about a number of these chip varieties is that they often taste almost the same as a general snack for anyone to eat whether they have problems with wheat and gluten or not.

Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

And often such chips can also be considered copies of mainstream gluten-filled options such as Doritos (who would have thought Doritos would have wheat?) as often the texture and taste of a lot of these chips will tend to mimic more well-known varieties and brands.

(Note that Frito Lay suggests on their website that several varieties of their Doritos DO NOT contain wheat. The original flavor of Doritos - Nacho - DOES contain wheat)

Copying well known manufacturers is fine in most cases as there's no reason to reinvent the wheel. Since ranch tastes good on everything (personal observation but likely an opinion held by anyone who has ever tasted ranch dressing), it's not surprising that a gluten-free style chip would be created in this flavor.

Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

Regarding Late July Dude Range Multigrain Snack Chips, these chips are likely trying to imitate the popular Doritos flavor "Cool Ranch," as they are not only triangle in shape but are a tortilla-style chip that's ranch-flavored. And generally speaking, the taste of these chips does come close to what an actual bag of Doritos would taste like although the Late July chips seem to be a little thicker overall.

Taste-wise, there aren't any real complaints to be had outside of the general note that these chips are somewhat impressive in their ability to come visiting your senses for hours after you actually eat them. You might have popped a few of these during lunch, but you'll definitely be left a stark reminder in your nostrils hours later when you sit down for dinner. 

Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips
Photograph Copyright 2012 by Kelsey Wyatt

One of the better aspects of these chips though is that they've got significantly lower calorie and fat content than Doritos as 28g of chips from Late July (which is approximately 12 chips) has 120 calories and 5 grams of fat while Cool Ranch Doritos pack 150 calories for the same weight and a heavier 8 grams of fat. 

Even if you're not looking specifically for gluten free products (which, realistically you could actually eat the Cool Ranch Doritos if you chose and had gluten-free requirements), the calories and fat on the Late July chips are a lot more attractive.

Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips Report Card

The Good Stuff:

There are a lot of chip varieties that you wouldn't think would have wheat, but do indeed contain a type of gluten and so if you're a fan of ranch chips, this snack should do the trick. The calories and fat, as pictured above, are also pretty respectable for a bag of snack chips.

What Could be Better:

These chips won't knock your socks off and you probably won't fall to your knees thanking the heavens above that you've been granted some ranch flavored chips, but they do the job admirably and anyone who enjoys ranch flavored tortilla chips and requires gluten-free food should be plenty satisfied with a bag of Late July Dude Ranch Multigrain Snack Chips.