Author : Maycko Macapugas
Photos: Logan Kardash
Oats: My mouth gets dry just thinking about them. Even oatmeal can sometimes give me an uneasy feeling. This was my first instinct when finding out about Nairn’s Gluten Free Oat Cookies. While my initial inclination was only marginally right, the neutral tones of the oats did well to convey all the biscuit flavours.
Chocolate
Chocolate has an alluring nature that most of us can’t seem to resist. What’s really great about Nairn’s chocolate oat cookies is how subtle the flavour is. If it weren’t for the neutral taste of the cookies’ oat base, the chocolate would be everything but present. It looks like it would be chocolate-flavoured, and the first crisp bite of the cookie is undeniably true to that. The remaining bites (cookies come in packets of four), leave you waiting for more chocolate explosion. If you want to tease your tastebuds, I’d suggest having these with a cup of coffee, or even having these the next time you make some s’mores!
Stem Ginger
Ginger– one of my favourite flavours. Always adds a bit of freshness and balance to any set of flavours. What I found interesting about Nairn’s version of this is that the ginger’s spiciness does not go unnoticed. It is not unbearable, but rather pays obvious tribute to homemade ginger snap cookies, with less of a sweeter note. There is still sweetness, of course, just less.
My suggestion? Take a packet (or two) of these, with a hot herbal, green, or white tea, plop yourself on your bed or couch, cuddle up in a blanket, and enjoy your favourite book. These cookies help make for a perfect “me day”.
Could these go with other meals/dishes? Probably! The next time I get my hands on these, I’ll be sure to serve this alongside some ceviche. It would be interesting to seehow this sweeter ginger plays with some seafood flavours.
Verdict: Yet to be determined.
Raisin
My take on the raisin variation is that they are plain– and I think that’s how should be. The addition of the raisin to these cookies did two things. First, the texture changed from just being a basic cookie-like chew, to a more slightly more exciting and gummy chew. Instead of just experiencing oat dissolve in my mouth, I noticed the raisin bits add more firmness. Along with the firmness, the raisins did a second thing: added pops of authentic raisin flavour throughout pieces of each cookie. This did well to add a bit of tang and kick!
Overall
Now let’s not confuse Nairn’s with oatmeal cookies — or cookies in general. My take is that these oat cookies come closer to biscuits. All three flavour variations had that distinctive, soft, but crisp break you find in biscuits. My bias manifests itself as I have a preference for softer cookies, however, the point is not to categorize between cookie and biscuit.
These cookies are great for different occasions. Chocolate for subtle flavouring. Stem Ginger for those needing a bit of spice in their life. And, Raisin for those that aren’t picky about flavour, but may be more sensitive to texture!