Mr Christie's Snak Paks

Kraft Foods has just introduced a selection of single-portion packs of mini cookies called Mr. Christie’s Snak Paks, and today our five-year-old son and I had the pleasure of trying out the four types that carry a “Peanut-Free” symbol.* Our son is allergic to tree nuts as well, and we were assured by a public relations executive representing Kraft, that these four products were completely peanut-free: Barnum’s Animal Crackers, Teddy Grahams, Mini Chips Ahoy!, and Barnum’s ABC’s Cocoa cookies. They come in brightly coloured, whimsical, 30 g packages — a good treat size.

Although our son said that all of the varieties were “Yum,” his clear favourite was the Animal Crackers. They have a lovely light texture (compared with the more typically dense texture of animal crackers), a softly sweet taste, and delightful animal shapes that had terrific appeal for our son. His second favorite was the “cute” Teddy Grahams, which have a surprisingly rich flavour that reminded me of shortbread cookies (but, thankfully, without all the fat). His third favourite was the Chips Ahoy variety, which might rank #1 with most kids, as most kids love chocolate, and these little cookies are full of big chocolate flavour (our son typically prefers vanilla over chocolate). The ABC’s Cocoa cookies were his least favourite, but would be perfect for kids (or adults) who prefer a less sweet snack. They have a darker chocolate taste and a very pleasant crunch.

Thank you, Kraft Foods, for bringing us these new school-safe options for our kids. With these four distinctly different snack-sized cookies, there’s a flavour for everyone and enough variety to keep lunchboxes from getting boring.

*There is a fifth variety called Mini Oreo that is not made in a nut-free facility.

*Note that these products are peanut-free and are produced in a facility that does not process nuts. Please check packaging whenever purhcasing any food products to ensure of no changes in the processing.

I have been a fan of Vermont Nut Free ever since my son was diagnosed with allergies to peanuts and tree nuts four years ago. Their high-quality chocolates are now a staple in our household for pretty much all the holidays. And, with Easter around the corner, I’m putting together an order for their delicious chocolate bunnies. We’ll also be making some of our own Easter chocolates, which will be equally delicious, thanks to Vermont Nut Free.
 

I’ve accumulated a few candy molds, most of which I bought at our local bulk food store.  I felt a bit odd shopping there, since bulk food is off limits for the reason of potential cross-contamination. My impression is that the store is about 20 per cent bulk nuts, so the potential is high indeed. But, I’ve got some cute molds, including some of bunnies and one of various farm animals (which might also be appropriate for the season).

Last time I ordered chocolates from Vermont Nut Free, for Valentine’s Day, I ordered some of their candy melts as well. I purchased all three flavours: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. Last week I got around to trying out the milk chocolate melts, which I used to make some turtle-shaped chocolates I used to garnish a dessert I’d made. I was very pleased with the results.

I used a double-boiler to melt the chocolate, which melted quickly and smoothly. I spooned the melted chocolate into the molds and popped them in the freezer for about 10 minutes, and then popped out the finished products. They were shiny and beautiful. They didn’t start melting in my hands as I handled them, as had been my experience using chocolate chips for melting chocolate.

And they were delicious. I’m looking forward to our Easter chocolate-making; but, really, I think I’ll be making my own little chocolates for just about every occasion, or even no occasion, from now on.