About this time last year, I was introduced to Trader Joe's Gluten Free Joe-Joe's quite by accident in Huntington Beach, when one of my husband's friends brought them for us to snack on, not even realizing that I had to eat gluten free.
We all loved Trader's Joe's Gluten Free Joe-Joe's so much, I asked my aunt to pick me up a couple of boxes from the Trader Joe's in Pittsburgh before she met us in Hilton Head last summer. My aunt does everything in a big way. I think she brought us about 8 boxes of cookies! During our recent trip to Williamsburg, I picked up the box of Joe-Joe's in the picture. Thankfully, we will be able to buy gluten free Joe-Joe's in Orlando starting at 8 a.m. on June 27th, when the new Trader Joe's opens in Winter Park! The new store will be located in Lakeside Winter Park on N. Orlando Avenue.
I have tried many gluten free versions of Oreo cookies, but Trader Joe's Gluten Free Joe-Joe's are by far the best. Yesterday, my daughter Katie told me that she thought they were better than Oreos! As far as allergens go, they do contain soy and eggs, and may contain traces of milk and tree nuts.
While in Williamsburg, I also picked up a bag of Gluten Free Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are packaged exactly like Tate's gluten free chocolate chip cookies, and they look and taste exactly like Tate's gluten free chocolate chip cookies. I did a little research online, and some people think they are Tate's, just repackaged under the Trader Joe's brand. You can read my review of Tate's Bake Shop gluten free cookies here.
If you like crispy, buttery chocolate chip cookies, you definitely want to pick up a bag the next time you are in Trader Joe's.
My friend Shelley recently bought me a box of Trader Joe's Soft-Baked Snickerdoodles, described as chewy sugar cookies dusted with cinnamon. If you like Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies, you will like Trader's Joe's version. They taste exactly the same to me. Again, there is speculation online that they are the same cookies, just repackaged under the Trader Joe's brand.
These little cookies are free of the the top 8 common allergens.
My biggest concern about Trader's Joe's products is that they are not certified gluten free. When I buy processed foods, like cookies and frozen meals, I prefer them to be certified gluten free. When I was in a Trader Joe's last year in Greenville, South Carolina, I noticed that some products had a "Gluten Free" shelf tag, and some had a "No Gluten Ingredients" shelf tag. It's important to read product labels in Trader Joe's to see if they have warnings about the product being made on shared equipment or made in a facility that also processes wheat.
Nicole Hunn from Gluten Free on a Shoestring did some investigating when she first bought Trader Joe's Gluten Free Joe-Joe's. You can read her blog post about her findings here. Nicole also reviewed Trader Joe's Gluten Free Flour, which you can read about here. When she contacted Trader Joe's about their flour, she was told that Trader Joe's would never label a product with the words "Gluten Free" unless it was made in a dedicated facility or tested under 20 ppm of gluten.
I am excited that a Trader Joe's is finally opening in Orlando, but I will be exercising great caution when I choose which products to buy there.
You can view Trader Joe's No Gluten Ingredients product list here.
What are you favorite gluten free products from Trader Joe's?
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