GF Products: Kinnikinnick

My first encounter with a Kinnikinnick product was not one that I particularly enjoyed. It was a package of gluten free cookies, mock-oatmeal chocolate chip, I think, and I barely made it through the package. There was a strong aftertaste, likely due to the pea flour that was used. So I wasn't inclined to be thrilled when many of the GF products at Wealth of Health in Idaho Falls were Kinnikinnick.

However, I got two of them anyway, and I can recommend both of them. The first was a box of chocolate dipped donuts*. Six in a package, package to be kept frozen. These are cinnamony cake donuts with a coating of chocolate frosting, and the package is labelled: "gluten free - wheat free - dairy free - soy free". Since they are kept frozen, you have to heat them up to eat them. The package says 20-30 seconds in the microwave. I found that 20 seconds dry, then 30 more seconds with a small dish of water in the microwave with it, produced better results (times will vary by microwave). Things tend to dry out in the freezer, and a small dish of water in the microwave can help replenish the lost moisture. One caveat: while I did like these, I much prefer raised donuts; the richness of these donuts is such that I'm unlikely to get another box for quite a while, and it took me nearly a month to get through the one box.

The other Kinnikinnick product that I tried is labelled "K-Toos" or "KinniToos", available here. Essentially, these are gluten free "Oreo" cookies. Based on my vague memory of "real" Oreos, the flavor wasn't quite as good but the texture was better for Kinnikinnick's GF version. Unfortunately, these do contain soy lecithin**, but they are labelled as "gluten free - wheat free - dairy/casein free - egg free - trans fat free". Compared to most packages of gluten free cookies, you get a fair number of cookies in a package. Hmmm... the linked page says a package is 7 oz, but my package is labelled 8 oz. In the 8 oz package, there was a plastic tray with four rows of either 8 or 10 cookies (I've recycled the tray, so I'm guesstimating), so either 32 or 40 cookies. If the packages have since shrunk, there may be fewer now.

*Link also includes other varieties.
**WHY??????

Quick Addition: Kinnikinnick also has a blog, with a post describing their procedures for ensuring their products really are gluten free.

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