Trader Joe's Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles

Good readers, it's time for another theme week on the blog. This time we're tackling Trader Joe's gluten-free products. Enjoy! 


Here's a good "explainer" article on the whole subject of gluten and gluten-free diets.

Trader Joe's has here tried to recreate a favorite childhood treat without using any "bad" ingredients. As the box proclaims, "They're free of wheat, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and soy. That's a tough nut to crack in the world of cookies." Well, yeah. It's kind of a head-scratcher how you make cookies without flour and eggs--and without butter, which for some reason the TJ's copywriter didn't include in the list of stuff they're proud to have omitted. They do boast that the cookies are gluten-free, but only in small print down there on the lower right-hand corner of the front of the box.

They've used sorghum flour instead of wheat flour, brown sugar instead of white sugar, and pear juice concentrate and grape juice concentrate for sweetness to reduce the amount of sugar needed.

The result? They're weird. They're off. They are nothing like any snickerdoodle cookie I've ever had. I think we all have a pretty clear idea of what a snickerdoodle is supposed to be, and these don't fit the mold.

I reject them.

Will I buy it again? 

No. Trader Joe's, let me know when you get some real snickerdoodles. Those I'll buy.