Last week my friend Suzanne, who lives in Denver, emailed a photo to me of a giant three pound tub of cookie dough she spotted at Costco.
Huh? Why would she send that? To me?
She sent it because it’s gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free. She also read the label and said she thought I would be comfortable with most of the ingredients.
I responded with a thanks, but no thanks, I’d rather make my own cookies, blah, blah, blah…
And then I saw it, sitting up high in the dairy cooler at Whole Foods, mini 14 ounce tubs of the same cookie dough from Eat Pastry. Gluten-free, no ingredients that I try to avoid, a label with ingredients I could pronounce and only two ingredients I don’t have on hand in my own kitchen. Hmm…sounds like something I should try.
So I bought it. It only makes 20-some cookies, how much harm could that be?
Well, I ate cookie dough, a store bought variety, out of a container for the first time in 4 years. It was every bit as good as I remembered. Not quite like homemade cookie dough, but that’s part of the joy of it, not having to make it.
Then I baked the cookies. I followed the directions, a Tablespoon of dough, rolled into a ball, slightly flattened with the back of a spoon and baked at 350 for about 12 minutes.
The cookies were good warm.
They were good at room temperature. And also with a glass of almond milk.
I wish I could tell you they store well in an airtight container, but I have no idea. They didn’t last that long. My favorite fella, with a mouth full of cookie, tried to say things like, “These aren’t as good as your cookies,” and “I like your cookies better.” But his comments were a sham,the plate of cookies was gone within an hour.
Are these as good as from-scratch homemade cookies? Not really, because it’s not exactly the same thing. But are they every bit as good as the store bought cookie dough we occasionally indulged in back in the gluten-rich days? ABSOLUTELY! And the ingredients don’t give me pause the way the mainstream cookie dough of my past should have.
There is a list of stores that carry the Eat Pastry cookie dough on their website. In addition to chocolate chip, I see a couple of other gluten-free flavors offered, too. Have you tried them? What did you think?
Johna,
I love your posts. They bring a smile to my face and your recipes are fantastic. Thanks.
Thanks! I’m so glad you drop by. 🙂
It’s interesting to read your review, Johnna, because I shared the news on these cookies on FB (from post from Lexie) and a number of people replied that they thought these cookies were awful. I’m thinking that it’s a matter of those who like chickpea flour and those who don’t. Anyway, I really appreciate your review and get what you are saying. I suspect I’d enjoy these cookies well enough, but realize that they would not be my homemade cookies. That’s alway the case when buying a pre-made dough, but it’s something most of us who are gf haven’t experienced in quite some time. 😉 I love all the photos!
Shirley
Thanks, Shirley! I had fun taking the photos, almost as much fun as eating the cookies. 🙂
I am not a fan of garbanzo flour in most baked goods. The first GF cookbook I bought used it extensively in baked desserts and I never could get past the strong after taste. I didn’t find that in these cookies at all. Definitely not a homemade cookie, but it’s a pretty darned close resemblance to the store bought dough from the past. As far as commercial GF products go, this is a good one in my book. Just glad I found mini tubs, as the 3 pound tub would have been dangerous!
I’m still laughing picturing your favorite fella trying to say those things with his mouth full of cookie! 😀
He sure did enjoy these cookies! I think this is the first time he has actually liked a store-bought gf treat. 🙂
I bought these at Costco recently and was delighted to find a gluten-free item that didn’t have corn in it (because sadly, I’m intolerant to that too). That said, I found these had a pretty strong raw bean flavor that I’m surprised you didn’t mention. We live at high altitude and perhaps they don’t bake hot enough?
I use Bob’s Red Mill GF flour in my home-baked bread and don’t have this problem with the finished product (although I can’t stand the smell of the raw dough, oh-so-very beany). I’m wondering if 1) cookies don’t bake long enough to fully cook the beans or 2) it’s the high altitude thing. Lucky me, I have yet to find GF / DF and high altitude instructions in any cookbook.
Thoughts?
Hi Mardee! Thanks for dropping by. I have had quite a few gluten-free sweets that had a very noticeable bean flavor, including some of the first cupcakes I tried baking. I thought I was pretty sensitive to the flavor, not really a fan of it. As I mentioned in this post, I even ate the dough raw and thought it was good.
Shirley left a comment above and mentioned many people mentioning the strong bean flavor. I must not taste it in this particular product. I’d sure mention it if I did.
I’m a low-altitude dweller, so I don’t have the answer for you but I wonder if the Eat Pastry folks would have an idea? I would suggest contacting them, they seem very passionate about their product and might have some high altitude baking tips for you. 🙂
I bought these at costco today and was intrigued. Usually if somehing seems too good to be true, well, it is. I first took a taste of the dough, and immediately spit it out, while my husband laughed and said “well there goes six bucks down the drain!” If the dough tastes bad, then the cookie can’t good. I put the pan in the oven. I never smelled cookies baking. It smelled like it tasted, like plastic. They looked like baked cookies, the texture was right, but sorry, you just cant polish a turd. I am handing it to the garbanzo flour, remind me to nber use it! These are being returned to costco.
Thanks for sharing your opinion, Kelsey! I use garbanzo flour quite a bit in my kitchen, mostly in savory dishes, and don’t typically enjoy it in baked goods. I didn’t notice it in the cookie dough, but others who have commented here certainly did. Perhaps garbanzo flour is like cilantro, quite polarizing. 🙂
I bought these this weekend and loved them. I can taste the garbanzo flour but it doesn’t bother me at all – I ate the whole container in a weekend!
I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in liking these! They sure didn’t stick around long here. 🙂
Just baked one (at work so popped only one in the toaster oven). I could taste the bean yet they were a tasty treat and look forward to more than one!
I’m glad to hear you like them! I admire your restraint…I must learn to cook just one at a time. 🙂