I love baking cookies. I also love eating cookies, and my kids love helping me! In addition to cookies, my family also enjoys vegetables. However, as I have previously written, I am always searching for new ways to sneak in the vegetables in the meals I make. When Hidden Garden recently approached me about reviewing cookies with hidden vegetables, I eagerly accepted the opportunity. I received two bags each of Red Velvet, Ginger Snaps, Cocoa Cherry, and Chocolate Chip.
About Hidden Garden
Hidden Garden believes that people do not eat enough vegetables and wants to help solve the problem one delicious bite at a time. The founder, Catherine, was having difficulty getting her two young daughters to eat vegetables. Both wanted to eat only cookies, so, naturally, Catherine decided that the best plan of action was to combine the two, and Hidden Garden Foods was born! Made with hidden vegetables, Hidden Garden cookies are all natural, baked without preservatives or artificial flavors or colors.
All Hidden Garden cookies are produced in a certified gluten free bakery and have been certified gluten free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, which inspects the production facility and regularly tests the cookies to ensure compliance. The company is permitted to use the certified gluten free logo on cookie packaging, which stands for the independent verification of quality, integrity, and purity of products. Hidden Garden cookies are also nut free, and no nuts are present in the production facility. Most of the ingredients used in the cookies are readily available in home kitchens because Hidden Garden believes that a cookie does not need to be stuffed full of chemicals in order to taste good!
Price
Each bag of Hidden Garden cookies retails for $4.99. When I researched other brands of gluten free cookies, I found Hidden Garden comparably priced. Additionally, I would pay a little extra for the hidden vegetables than I would for more conventional cookies. I thus consider Hidden Garden cookies reasonably priced.
Red Velvet
My daughter and I love red velvet desserts! Each 40 gram serving of the Hidden Garden Red Velvet cookies hides 1/4 cup of beets. To pack each crunchy cookie with the hidden veggie, the bakery dries and grinds the beets up into a flour-like powder. While neither my mom nor my daughter tasted the beets, I could taste a hint of the earthy root vegetable behind the cocoa flavor if I really concentrated while chewing. But I like beets, so I did not mind the extremely subtle taste. The Red Velvet cookies are a perfect little snack or lunch time treat if you love cocoa or red velvet cookies.
Ginger Snaps
I love ginger snaps, especially during the winter holidays. The distinct flavor always makes me think of my dad because he also loved the ginger cookies that I baked for him. The Ginger Snaps from Hidden Garden are rich with the flavor of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and each 40 gram serving contains a hidden 1/4 cup of butternut squash. Butternut squash is a neutral flavor, so all I taste in each crispy bite is delicious spices. My mom thought the Ginger Snaps were the best flavor of the four. My son also enjoyed eating these crispy ginger cookies, which he also liked sharing with my two dogs!
Cocoa Cherry
Of all four cookie flavors, my daughter loved the Cocoa Cherry the most. Each 40 gram serving is jam-packed with 1/2 cup of spinach full of healthy iron. The cocoa and cherry flavors with a hint of hidden spinach is an absolute culinary delight for the taste buds. My daughter would have eaten the entire bag in one sitting had I let her. I can only vaguely taste the spinach if I really think hard while chewing, and my daughter would not detect the spinach at all. If you are a fan of chocolate-covered cherries, the Hidden Garden Cocoa Cherry cookies are the dessert for you!
Chocolate Chip
Of the four Hidden Garden cookies that I tried, the Chocolate Chip with hidden pumpkin are my absolute favorite! Each 40 gram serving of cookies contains the added hidden benefit of 1/4 cup of pumpkin. I must admit that I could taste the pumpkin, and so could my husband. However, in addition to regular chocolate chip cookies, I also love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Instead of plain chocolate chip, I think of this light and crispy cookie as pumpkin chocolate chip. I ate nearly the entire bag by myself over a couple of days! If you too like pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, then definitely try the Hidden Garden Chocolate Chip. I would definitely buy more for myself and my family (although I would hide the bag so that I can enjoy all the cookies myself)!
Video Review
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Transcript: Hi! I’m Heather from The Parenting Patch. I received eight bags of Hidden Garden cookies in exchange for my honest opinion. Hidden Garden believes that people do not eat enough vegetables and wants to help solve the problem one delicious bite at a time. Made with hidden vegetables, Hidden Garden cookies are all natural, baked without preservatives or artificial flavors or colors. All Hidden Garden cookies are produced in a certified gluten free bakery and have been certified gluten free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. Hidden Garden cookies are also nut free, and no nuts are present in the production facility. Most of the ingredients used in the cookies are readily available in home kitchens because Hidden Garden believes that a cookie does not need to be stuffed full of chemicals in order to taste good!
I received two bags each of Red Velvet, Ginger Snaps, Cocoa Cherry, and Chocolate Chip from Hidden Garden. Each 40 gram serving of the Hidden Garden Red Velvet cookies hides 1/4 cup of beets. The Red Velvet cookies are a perfect little snack or lunch time treat if you love cocoa or red velvet cookies. The Ginger Snaps from Hidden Garden are rich with the flavor of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and each 40 gram serving contains a hidden 1/4 cup of butternut squash. My mom thought the Ginger Snaps were the best flavor of the four. My son also enjoyed eating these crispy ginger cookies, which he also liked sharing with my two dogs! Of all four cookie flavors, my daughter loved the Cocoa Cherry the most. Each 40 gram serving is jam-packed with 1/2 cup of spinach full of healthy iron. The Chocolate Chip with hidden pumpkin are my absolute favorite! Each 40 gram serving of cookies contains the added hidden benefit of 1/4 cup of pumpkin. At $4.99 per bag, I consider Hidden Garden cookies reasonably priced. I am very excited for the brand to come to the United States in the near future! For more information, check out my full review at The Parenting Patch.
Final Verdict
If you are searching for a gluten free cookie, I highly recommend the Hidden Garden brand. Made with hidden vegetables, Hidden Garden cookies are all natural, baked without preservatives or artificial flavors or colors. The cookies are also gluten free and nut free but packed with delicious cookie flavor. At $4.99 per bag, I consider Hidden Garden cookies reasonably priced. I am very excited for the brand to come to the United States in the near future!
For more information, visit the Hidden Garden website. You can also follow Hidden Garden on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Image Credits
Hidden Garden Cookies Review © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Red Velvet, Ginger Snaps, Cocoa Cherry, and Chocolate Chip Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Red Velvet and Ginger Snaps Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Chocolate Chip and Cocoa Cherry Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Red Velvet Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Ginger Snaps Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Cocoa Cherry Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Hidden Garden Chocolate Chip Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
Toddler Eating Hidden Garden Ginger Snaps Cookies © 2016 Heather Johnson
