Gluten-Free Baking Mix: Making Cookies That Actually Taste Good
Although we occasionally review and talk about gluten-free snacks because I’m not gluten-intolerant or sensitive, we haven’t done a lot on gluten-free baking or cooking. But I know that a lot of ya’ll are gluten-sensitive. And gluten-sensitive people deserve tasty eats, too! So when Maple Grove Farms asked us to try its All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Mix, we were down for the taste-testing.
When I think of gluten-free baking or goods, I don’t typically think of delicious—more like a less-than-ideal substitute for foods you want to eat, but make you feel like poo (or turn your poo into a really bad time). But this all-natural gluten-free baking mix really wasn’t too shabby. Sure, it wasn’t exactly like normal baking mix (it has a slick, almost corn-starchy feel), but the results weren’t bad.
You can use the Maple Grove Farms Gluten-Free Baking Mix for biscuits, cakes, muffins, pizza crusts and pies—but I used it for cookies. Because cookies are awesome. I actually tried the recipe that was on the back of the box for chocolate-chip cookies because I randomly had half a bag of dark chocolate chips that were calling my name. (Jenn….eat…me…!)
Since it’s an all-purpose baking mix, it’s pretty much the easiest cookies I’ve ever made. By measuring just a few ingredients, I had my dough (in my super fun recycled mixing bowl!) YUM. Yeah, I totally ate some raw.
Then, I got my bake on. The results? A crumbly chocolate-chip cookie that wasn’t as good as Toll House, but could certainly hold its own. No, it wasn’t health food (this particular recipe had enough butter to make Paula Deen proud), but for a chocolate-chip-cookie lover with gluten sensitivities, it would be a hit. And even in my gluten-eating home, these were gone within 48 hours. (Oddly enough, they were actually better the next day. Go figure.)
Maple Grove Farms Gluten-Free Baking Mix is sold at select grocery stores for about $3.99 for a 16-ounce box or online for about $40 for a case. With 90 calories in a quarter-cup serving, it actually has slightly fewer calories than your usual all-purpose baking mix, which has about 120 calories in a quarter cup. Cookies may be a sometimes food, but these cookies made from gluten-free baking mix are a cookie-craving go-to choice for those who steer clear of gluten!
Do you eat gluten-free products? Which are your fave? —Jenn