Go Dairy Free | Namaste Foods Cookie Mix (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free)

Namaste Foods is one of those amazing manufacturers that makes products so insanely “free” that only the rarest food allergies prevent them from being suitable for everyone. Allergies to nuts, potatoes, corn, wheat, or milk? No worries, Namaste has you covered. Yet amazingly, their food tastes good, and these cookies are no exception.

Since their products are formulated for use with eggs (see their FAQ’s for egg substitute answers), I followed the directions and added 2 eggs, ½ cup oil (I used coconut), and 2 Tablespoons of water to the mix. After 2 minutes with the hand mixer, everything came together nicely, and began to resemble traditional cookie dough. To keep with the truly allergen-free theme, I added chocolate chips from Enjoy Life Foods for the first batch.

Within ten minutes, I had a beautiful tray of bakery quality cookies! Just as I pulled the first sheet from the oven, my husband’s cookie radar activated. He immediately piped up from the next room with a very polite, “Can I have a cookie?” I am never sure how he will react to the gluten-free products. With no allergies or sensitivities to wheat / gluten, he is able to consume whatever baked goodies he desires. Yet, sometimes the gluten-free products do quite well, proving that they are worthy of all audiences. Luckily, Namaste’s cookies were just such a product. My husband returned to the kitchen twice within the hour to sneak two more sizable cookies. He gave them a big thumbs up.

As someone with brown rice flour experience, I did note the slightly different feel to the flours, but my husband was none the wiser. For a gluten-free cookie, I was amazed by how well they stayed together. Not the least bit crumbly... well just a few errant crumbs, but no more than your average cookie.

I enjoyed the taste and texture as well…lightly sweet and soft, with a nice crisp around the edges but a soft and forgiving middle. They were thick, with a wonderful combination of chewy and cakey... mmm, time for seconds!.

Feeling pretty confident about the overall appeal of these cookies, I baked up a second batch, jumbo style to take to my parents. They worked perfectly as large cookies, still holding an absolutely wonderful texture. My parents, who both eat wheat, loved them! Everyone sat around the table chatting and noshing away until every last cookie was gone. My stepmom even proclaimed them the best cookies I have ever made. I am not so sure how I feel about a mix beating out my prized from-scratch cookies, but I must contend that they are reeeeeeally good.

Where to Purchase: Namaste mixes are sold in stores throughout the US in Canada, see their website for a store locator. Of course, you can purchase the cookie mix directly from Namaste or at a discount via Amazon.

	14-11-2008 12:41
	Before I became such a huge Namaste Foods fan, I browsed through countless reviews, not trusting just the ads to give the full story. Much to my surprise, according to their huge fan base, Namaste had not just lived up to their website's hype, but far surpassed it! So I thought I'd give it a shot, ordering one of everything chocolate for a start, plus a muffin, a waf/pancake mix, and a bread for good measure. They were ALL fantastic! I did fiddle with a couple of the recipes, adding a bit of extras like nuts, fruit, etc. And as I'm a higher altitude, I consulted their quite informative website for variations at high altitude, which worked splendidly. An extra egg, a bit less oil, and a few minutes longer in the oven, and the brownies were by far the best I'd ever tasted, GF or otherwise. My entire family felt the same. Since then, we've been avid customers, and according to the gal I spoke with at their 1-800# (who was kind enough to send me a replacement mix, gratis, when I flubbed one of my experiments) they're be coming out with even MORE yummies: some frostings, a flour, and a biscuit/pie crust dough. Hooray! The only complaint I've EVER heard, on reviews or from ladies at our Celiac Support Group, was that the prices are a bit high- but when one looks at the actual yield, you can see that Namaste produces waaay more mix that most of the others out there. So it really does work out. And besides, I personally would rather pay a dollar or two more for a great-tasting product than a cheap bag of something that, although it may be good for you, is rather tasteless and unappealing to the kids. Wouldn't you?

Kendra Martinez