After we covered the debut of the new vegan, gluten-free cracker line from Mary's Gone Crackers, their marketing partners got in touch to share some boxes with Gluten-Free Seattle. This gave us the chance to scratch our cracker itch with the new cheddar and cheese-and-herb flavors labeled as Mary's Gone Cheezee, as well as catch up with previous sweet offerings in chocolate, honey, and cinnamon from the Mary's Gone Kookies line.
The new offerings came at a pretty convenient time for me, as a cold struck me down for a few weeks and put me on a lengthy soup diet. (And guess what's perfect with soup?) So I tasted the crackers on their own, with food, in sickness and in health.
Starting with the cheddar flavor, these are worthy options for any Cheez-It lover, especially considering the base of chickpea flour. The crackers are seasoning-forward in a way that Cheez-Its are not (I find they taste mainly of butter) and leave a rich, cheesy coating on your tongue belying their vegan lineage. They're not quite as flaky or pastry-like as Cheez-Its, and don't have quite the same melting effect, but that also means they're more robust and stand on their own better.
The cheese and herb similarly start strong with flavor, staying within the "cheddar" realm but adding something that smacks a little bit of sour cream or chives. The crackers don't leave any weird film on your mouth, or gunk in your teeth the way that some gluten-free products can. A worthy option (especially with soup).
We also got the chance to try the previously released chocolate, honey, and cinnamon "kookies" and they're equally impressive. About the size of a domino, these are like adult Teddy Grahams, with better flavoring. I'm used to sugar being the first hit in most commercial baking products, but in these you're touched first by the bittersweetness of cocoa, the subtle touch of honey or, my favorite, the warmth of cinnamon. And again, the textures are spot on.
Ultimately, the Mary's Gone Crackers has an impressive lineup, and while we offer the full disclosure that it arrived in our mailbox for free, it would be a welcome addition to any shopping cart. You lose nothing for picking up the benefits of vegan and gluten-free, and that feels good in a world of culinary trade-offs.
(Photo credit Bryce Crawford)