WOW Baking Company – Ginger Molasses Cookies
Cookies are one of those things that make me glad I don’t know how to bake. I mean, I’d love to learn how to, but in the off chance that I get good at it, I might end up doing it all the time and just get fatter, and fatter, and fatter. At some point I’ll get so fat that I won’t be able to leave through the door frame of the front entrance, and I’ll have to get everything shipped to my door and never leave the house. In the interest of that not happening, I’ve used it as a convenient excuse to not learn how to bake. I mean, why would I need to, when there’s such a wide variety of companies and bakeries that can do it for me? Like the cookies I have today from WOW Baking Company. I’ve never heard of them until I saw their product at the drug store, but I figured I’d try something new instead of always grabbing the same old Oreo’s.
Should I be at all worried that they are banking so hard on the fact that they are gluten and wheat free? I always feel like when a product is really in your face about something, there’s a reason for it. Like they’re trying to compensate for it, or they want to make sure you know exactly what’s up. Like I’m not intelligent enough to realize it. Well, okay that might be true in most cases, but still. Give me some credit!
I guess the whole trend of gluten-free has been met with a fair bit of blow back, so often times when people see gluten-free they automatically assume it means “not as tasty as the original” type of deal. Anyone who knows me personally is aware of how I feel about the whole gluten free marketing hype. I have nothing against people who can’t have wheat or gluten. I know some individuals who suffer from it. But the way it’s been marketed, a lot of people are convinced that gluten free is equivalent to being healthier, which is absolute nonsense. Companies are aware of it, so they use it as a selling point, and it’s created this huge feedback loop that gives gluten a bad rap. To me, it’s almost predatory marketing to convince people that gluten is a boogeyman and that your product is superior because it’s gluten-free. It all comes across as super disingenuous, and I ain’t down for that.
That being said, I’m also a very open person, and try out all sorts of products and foods regardless of how they’re marketed. Just to give things a fair shake. Whether it’s vegan food products, or dairy-free chocolate, I’m willing to give everything at least one try.
The flavour of these are very strong ginger. Not strong to the point where it’s spicy, but strong enough that you know the ginger is there, and it’s not sleeping on the job. It’s at least has the courtesy of pretending to listen to you as you talk. It smiles occasionally, and gives you a flavour for what it has in store. This is helped by the little candied ginger pieces, which come in various sizes. I’d wager they’re mostly the size of mini chocolate chips. The molasses flavour is nice and mellow, and is probably helping to keep the ginger from getting spicy. A wonderful flavour combination all round.
In terms of texture, I’d be hesitant to say these are what I’d consider moist. They are certainly similar to the moist variety of pre-packaged cookies you find in groceries store and the such. But something about the way to cookie crumbles is different, and if you didn’t know these were gluten-free, you might just think the cookie is slightly stale. The best way I can describe it is that it has a soft crumbly texture, but also tends to have a slightly powdery, gritty finish to it. Like it leaves a little something behind, or it wasn’t fully baked all the way through. It’s not that noticeable at first, but after about my fourth one I start to notice it a lot more. I think people would be a lot more forgiving if they realized this was made using gluten free flour, as opposed to normal flour. Overall it’s softer, and even the crumbs it leaves behind are smaller and more powdery.
That isn’t to say it’s a deal breaker though, because I actually like these quite a bit. I especially like the touch of the little pieces of candied ginger in the cookie. I’m a big fan of ginger snaps and ginger cookies in general, and the added texture and flavour of the candied ginger really elevates this cookie to the point where I actually want to eat more, despite being gluten free and having a huge handicap because of that.
While the big push for acknowledging this product is gluten-free kind of irks me for some reason, I still can’t resist these little circles. I prefer not to judge a snack by it’s packaging, and I’m glad I gave these a try. While I have no reason to go for gluten-free cookies, these are tasty enough that I can look past the occasional weird after taste and buy these again. I should probably mention these aren’t cheap in any sense. A bag of about 230g retails for about double of your typical Chips Ahoy or Oreo of the same weight. So keep that in mind. But as I always say, quality over quantity.
