Bella Lucia gluten free Italian Pizzelles....review...

This week my husband and I sampled Italian Pizzelles, courtesy of Bella Lucia. Although we only sampled the Vanilla and Saigon Cinnamon flavors the company also makes a Anise flavor as well.
They come in approximately a 10 count package, and although they are gluten free, they are made in a facility that also contains wheat, so the company go beyond industry standards by using ELISA Technology to ensure a gluten free result.
 Although they tended to be slightly thicker in nature than that of pizzells I have tasted  in the past, and I have tasted many, they still maintained that outer crispness of the basic pizzelles nature.
There are no extra additives or preservatives added, and the  pizzelles are made with the finest gluten free ingredients, and the taste proves this to be so.
The Vanilla had a soft vanilla flavor that did not over power the pizzelle, but left a smooth taste in your mouth. The Saigon cinnamon pizzelle had a sweet Cinnamon taste but not overpoweringly sweet. This was my favorite.
All the pizzelle flavors have the same basic ingredients except for the flavoring itself.

Ingredient list:  White rice and brown rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, potato flour, xanthan gum, pectin, sugar, canola oil, eggs, flavoring.

*Contain eggs

I found the pizzelle was sturdy enough to dip in a cup of tea or coffee as well as with a cold glass of milk. However you eat them you will be sure to enjoy.

Although a few of the top pizzelles were broken upon arrival, most were not harmed and they are a nice size also.

You can purchase the pizelles online at http://bellaluciaglutenfree.com/ in 3 packs for around $20.99 plus S&H. That's about $6.99 for a 6 oz package. You can also purchase them Half case (6 boxes) and Full case (12 boxes).

If you are lucky enough to live in AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, MD, MA, NJ, PA you might find them on the shelves of a few select stores in your area. If you  local to a Wegman's store check there first.

I would rate this treat:

Vanilla Pizzelles 5 Stars

Saigon Cinnamon Pizzelles 5 Stars

 Nutrition facts:  Serving size 1 cookie (17g); Servings per container 10; Calories 100; Fat calories 38; Total Fat 4.26g; Trans fat 0%; Saturated fat 7g; Cholesterol, 28.78mg; Sodium 9.53mg; Total Carbs 13.65g; Dietary Fiber <1g; Sugars 6.24g; Protein 1.34g; Vitamin A, 1%* Vitamin C, 0%*; Calcium 0%*; Iron <1%* ; Percent daily values are bases on a 2,000 calorie diet

WOW Baking Company review...

WOW Baking company sent me several products to sample and I am so glad they did. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I LOVE my sweets, and this company did not leave me disappointed.
Over the weekend I had family visit from Pa. and used WOW's chocolate cake mix to make a cake for dessert. WOW....is all I can say. The cake was moist and flavorful and was enjoyed by everyone. I even saw a few relatives go back for seconds. I did not tell anyone it was gluten free and the question was never asked. As the saying goes..."What you don't know, can't hurt you"...
I loved the rich chocolate taste and the moistness of this cake. Although it does use quite a few eggs to bake, 6 to be exact, it can stand up to any other cake mix on the shelves of the supermarket, and definitely wins my approval. It was easy to make and iced well also.
This cake mix contains: Organic crystallized cane sugar, gluten free flour (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), cocoa, corn starch, potato starch, salt, baking powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), xanthan gum.

* may contain traces of nuts

Nutritional Facts:

Servings per container 15
Serving Size 1 Slice
Calories 239
Total Fat 10g
Saturated Fat 6g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 66g
Sodium 375mg
Total Carbohydrates 39g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 22g
Protein 3g

Rating: 5 Stars

The second product they sent me was a bag of their Lemon Burst cookies. These cookies are pre-made so this saved me lots of time in the kitchen. Second to chocolate, Lemon is my second all time favorite flavor. I love it in tea, I love it on seafood, I love it in baked goods, heck, I even love the smell of Lemon!
Once again I was not disappointed. The light lemony taste of these cookies was so satisfying I had trouble putting the bag down! It's a good thing there are only 4 servings per bag so I didn't go too overboard. Well I guess that depends on your own personal version of what you might consider overboard to mean.
The cookies had just enough lemon flavor to satisfy, but not to much to overwhelm. They were moist and chewy with just a hint of sugar sprinkled on top. These are a definite must have in my pantry.

Ingredients:
Gluten free flour (brown rice, sweet rice, tapioca), sugar, butter (milk), eggs, cornstarch, potato starch, vanilla, lemon oil, cream of tartar, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt.

Contains: eggs, milk
*may contain traces of nuts

Rating: 5 Stars

Nutritional Facts:
Servings per container 4
Calories 260
Total fat 12g
Saturated fat 7g
Trans fat 0g
Cholesterol 50mg
Sodium 220mg
Total Carbohydrates 36g
Dietary Fifer 1g
Sugars 14g

The next 3 products they sent me were all individually wrapped baked goods. A Chocolate Chip Cookie, Oregon Oatmeal cookie, and a Chocolate brownie. All these products are not only all natural with No trans fats, and were wheat and gluten free, but were also delicious.

The Chocolate chip cookie was soft and loaded with chips. The Oregon Oatmeal was loaded with cranberries and apricots, a combination I would never have thought to try, but was so moist and chewy with just the right amount of spices it made me wish I had more! Well, do I dare say that the cookies are such a generous size that I would have been making a pig of myself  if I had indeed eaten more!
The brownie was so moist and chewy that I savored every last crumb!
I am not going to list the ingredients of these items for the sake of time, but you can check them out at WOW's home site at http://wowbaking.com/ along with all their other wheat and gluten free products that they offer. Chocolate and yellow cake mixes, bakery tubs of fresh baked mini cookies, individually baked wrapped cookies, bagged baked cookies, and for those more adventurous their cookie dough that you can bake yourself, when needed.

I would rate these products:

Chocolate Chip Cookie:
 4 1/2 Stars ...only because I like my Chocolate chip cookies a little more chewy, although the flavor is excellent.
Oregon Oatmeal Cookie:
5 Stars It was sooooo moist and flavorful.
Chocolate brownie:
5+ Stars....You know I love my brownies!!!

Till next time, have a great wheat free day!!!