When my wife announced she would be making gluten-free brownies, I wasn’t sure what to expect. While I have enjoyed some items from Aldi’s Live G-Free line, others, like the pasta noodles, have been far less than satisfactory. At best, I was expecting a decent chocolate flavor with a slightly-sandpaper-ish texture, while at worst I was expecting a crumbling mess of something not at all resembling a brownie, either in taste or appearance.
Right after my wife completed the creation, the first thing I noticed was how…normal it looked. It looked exactly like a glutenous version of a brownie, and I thought maybe my best-case scenario would be far surpassed. It even cut like a “normal” brownie, meaning the texture was pretty much spot-on as compared to a “normal” brownie. But just because it looks like a brownie doesn’t mean it tastes like one…so how do these things taste?
Now I’m not a brownie connoisseur, but if I didn’t know in advance that this brownie was gluten-free, I never would have known. It’s almost eerily spot-on. Even though the texture was convincing while it was in the pan, I figured once I popped a piece in my mouth, that the façade would end there, that something would be off just enough to ruin the ordeal. But nothing like that ever occurred. The brownie was soft, and almost melted in my mouth, the way a typical brownie does. The chocolate flavor was surprisingly deep and authentic, which I really wasn’t expecting at all. When it was all said and done, this was a brownie, plain and simple.
Though I haven’t tried a whole lot of the products in the Live G-Free line, I can say that this is by far my favorite one. Everything is flawless when compared to the “real thing”, and at $2.99 per box, it’s also pretty affordable, at least as far as gluten-free products go. I’m pretty convinced that even the most discerning child wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this, or a gluten-filled brownie, so even parents on the diet that are afraid of subjecting their children to the sometimes “off” textures and tastes of gluten-free products shouldn’t have anything to worry about here.
Overall: 9/10. If you don’t tell anyone these are gluten-free, no one will ever know. This package makes a spot-on gluten-free imitation of a brownie that was absolutely delicious. The chocolate flavor is very chocolaty and rich, while the texture is exactly what you would expect out of a delicious brownie. At $2.99 a box, it’s also pretty darn affordable, especially as far as gluten-free products are concerned. Whether you are on the diet, thinking about starting it, or just curious to see what a gluten-free brownie can taste like, this is a shining example of how products can be adapted for just about anyone to enjoy.
