Product Page: http://www.schar.com/us/gluten-free-products/chocolate-hazelnut-bars/
These little beauties are my favorite travel snack. They’re Italian (of course) and taste like flakey heaven. I can’t have some of the other GF wafers out there because they use soy oil, but these make up for the lack.
It all comes down to the chocolate. The smallest flake is ambrosia.
They come in packs of three, each individually wrapped. We order them in bulk.
And then ration the precious, precious chocolate…
Betty Crocker ambushed me. I was in the cake aisle looking for other things when, lo and behold, I see BC boxes with the magic words “GLUTEN FREE” scrawled across them.
I just about went into shock. Very, very happy shock.
It’s been a while since these launched, but I was on goodbloghiatus, so here’s what I have to say about them.
The yellow cake is awesome. It bakes up perfectly. When the box says beat for X time, do it. The cake will come out fluffy and lovely. Same for the devils food cake. The chocolate chip cookies are good, too. Slightly cakey, rather than chewy. I can’t speak for the brownies because I’ve got some really weird mental block surrounding brownies (the last 3 batches I made were ruined by my own ineptitude).
They are priced similarly to other GF goods, and come in the same quantities. Can someone explain to me how double the flour mix makes half the finished cake product? (One box of standard cake mix makes 2 cake layers. One box of GF mix makes one layer.) And why I have to pay double for half?
Betty Crocker means GF is going mainstream. It means smaller, less adventurous supermarkets may be more willing to buy these, as they already know and contract with the brand. Hope springs eternal.
Tres magnifique!! The Ener-G Egg Replacer came yesterday, so I set about "making something." This of course resulted in a 20 minute session of leafing through books and reading recipes. I finally went with something easy: GF Pantry's Cake mix.
Source: Gluten-Free Pantry Old-Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix. JustChocolateRecipes.com Icing.
Possible Allergens: Potato (mix), milk.
Modifications: Egg replacer, almond extract.
Batter Type: Wet enough not to hold a peak, sticky enough to hold swirls from a spoon or mixer.
I had one wish as I started this cake: That it not be grainy and dry. Success! It came out moist and of a good consistency–not too heavy and not too light. I considered adding a bit of lemon juice to make it a yellow cake, one of my favorites, but my mother suggested almond. Divine.
I hadn't planned the icing ahead of time. After choosing chocolate I had a wealth of recipes to choose from, and ultimately went with one that was in our recipe drawer. This icing involves melting & boiling on a stove, but it isn't very work intensive. Throw in all the ingredients and heat.
Definately a winner.
Ideal: For tea time! 
Would also be a great birthday cake with classic frosting. The icing is a great presentation tool as it drips and swirls nicely.
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Chewy, moist, almost toffee-ish bars. And? Really simple.
Source: The Gluten Free Pantry, alternate recipe on side of packet.
Modifications: Used 1/4 Xantham Gum + 1/4 cup water to replace 1 egg. Oven time cut down by approx. 10 minutes.
Batter type: Stiff and sticky, slow-moving lump.
Delish. Deevine. Only trouble? We tipped it out of the pan too soon, as it should be served hot with ice cream. Unfortunately, I misjudged the gooey/heat ratio and a good chunk of the bottom stayed behind. I don't care. It is just that good.
The insides are very gooey and the edges got crusty. Not great finger-food as they're a bit sticky, but very good.
Ideal: Make a big batch for Thanksgiving or Xmas and serve to the family with vanilla ice cream. We certainly will.
Recipe details below the cut…
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The original ice cream cakes with those little chocolate crunchies-! …but can we eat them?
Carvel has full disclosure on its Nutrition FAQ page.
Egg: Only in the vanilla layer of the cakes (as far as I can understand).
Gluten: Avoid sprinkles, cones, crunchies (SOB!), and flavors with cookie, cake, or brownie mixed in. Nothing too surprising.
Soy: Check their tables for specifics but it appears to be mostly chocolates and manufactured candies. Products like M&Ms contain soy lecithin, which is safe for most people, but do some controlled experiments* and talk to your doctor to make sure.
* For instance, some people are more allergic to oats than others. I went a few weeks without oats, reintroduced them, and removed them again, paying careful attention to how I felt. Not so hot with oats, as it turns out. You should always be careful around foods you may or may not be allergic to. Know how it affects you and talk to your doctor.
