I thought maybe we could make ginger bread houses,
and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating,
and maybe even hold hands.
-Will Ferrell as Buddy the elf
Cookies are the best things ever.
Once upon a time in a land not so terribly far away, I used to bake cookies. All. the. time.
I don’t have as much free time as I used to, which makes me feel sort of sad. But not nearly as sad as the other members of my household pretend to be while lamenting the shortage of fresh-from-the-oven baked goods.
To be fair, packaged cookies generally aren’t as good as my cookies. I’m not being boastful, those are the cold hard facts of preservatives affecting flavor and texture. It’s rare that I find any that everybody likes, with the exception of Oreos, which aren’t really pretending to be real cookies, and are pretty much the worst thing in the world for you after maybe eating straight up Crisco from a can.
But we recently got to try Udi’s cookies, and you know what? Those are some mighty fine cookies, y’all. They’re nice and soft and perfectly chewy and tasty, and even Jeff, our pickiest eater, ate them without any drama.
Udi’s carries chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and Snickerdoodles. The boys collectively fought over the Snickerdoodles (I only got a tasting bite and then they were gone). Cass favored the chocolate chip, and I got the lion’s share of the oatmeal raisin. I think if I hadn’t reined everyone in all the cookies would have disappeared in one snack session, but Mom-induced restraint managed to spread the love over a couple of desserts.
They’re gluten free, which isn’t really a concern for our family, but I know plenty of kids (and adults, now I stop to think about it) who adhere to gluten free diets. It’s nice to know I can serve this as a treat when they come over.
It’s worth noting that even though the package was clearly labeled gluten free, Jeff declared them “pretty good!” Usually when anything organic, vegan, gluten free or equally “suspicious” arrives at our door Jeff is ready and happy to point out its gastronomic deficiencies. In particular, we have issues with sugar substitutes; they tend to leave an aftertaste we don’t care for (but Jeff is especially vocal about). Not so with Udi’s. In fact, I think he ate the majority of the Snickerdoodles.
Udi’s also follows my new favorite company trend, clearly displaying the nutritional info and ingredient list on each product page. (Can I get a what what for transparency in food labeling?) Now, these are cookies, so I’m not going to pretend they’re chock full of healthy goodness. They’re indulgences and that’s fine.
As a for instance, the ingredients in Udi’s oatmeal raisin cookies: certified gluten free oats, butter, evaporated cane juice, raisin, whole eggs, oat flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, potato starch, molasses, salt, cinnamon, sodium bicarbonate, xanthan gum. Aside from the assortment of flours, this is pretty much the way I would make the cookies from scratch (sodium bicarbonate = baking soda, the cane juice subs for more sugar or an addition of honey. Xanthan gum being a natural thickener to make up for the lack of gluten). It’s a short list of ingredients and I know what all those ingredients are, a refreshing departure from most packaged treats.
Udi’s also carries gluten free bagels, breads, burger & hot dog buns, granola, muffins, and pizza crusts, which I can only imagine are as tasty as their cookies.
Hey!
Guess what?
I’ve got some cookies to give away!
One reader gets a sampler of chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and Snickerdoodle cookies from Udi’s to destroy in one sitting or dole out over several desserts, depending on how much nicer a mom you are than me. Just follow the directions below (subscribers will have to click through. Sorry!).
Maybe I’ll be inspired to bake some cookies now, now that our Udi’s are all gone 🙂
