Monday, March 9, 2009

Is Walden Farms Good?

Walden Farms products have been a staple in my kitchen for several years. They are calorie-free and most items taste pretty good—under the right circumstances. What this means is that you shouldn’t to eat a big glob of one of their condiments straight out of the container and expect your taste buds to be overjoyed with the flavor.

Out of the several Walden Farms products I have bought, some fare better than others in the taste department. Since there are so many products in this line that I’ve tried, I’ll start with a review of Walden Farms sweet dips. In upcoming posts, I’ll review other Walden Farm items.

The sweet dips are my favorite items from Walden Farms, by far. I regularly buy their Chocolate, Caramel Dip, and Marshmallow Dip. The key to enjoying these dips is to use just minimal amounts of the stuff. So if you’re using, say, the Chocolate Dip as a compliment for your strawberries, all you need is a small dab per strawberry. Use any more than that and you’ll end up with a yucky aftertaste instead of sweet calorie-free chocolate.

Walden Farms Chocolate Dip is also tasty with bananas, pretzels, raisins, and a variety of nuts. For the Caramel Dip, I usually use it with apple slices. It is a really yummy alternative to those calorie and fat laden caramel apples at the supermarket and at the cider mill. With Walden Farms Marshmallow Dip, I usually put a little bit on top of my Jell-O or pudding. And sometimes I just enjoy a dab or two straight out of the container when my sweet-and-gooey cravings hit.

I do have to say this, though: When I have a really strong craving for chocolate or candy, a Walden Farms dip is not going to “hit the spot” for me. As with many healthy alternative snack foods, they’re only so useful in fending off junk food cravings.

Another good use for Walden Farms dips is in baked goods. I use a few tablespoons of the Chocolate Dip in place of the conventional melted chocolate many brownie recipes call for. My recipes turn out well and the flavor is still good. Depending on the cake flavor, I use either the Chocolate Dip or the Caramel Dip (and sometimes both). I’ve used the Marshmallow Dip in my cake and brownie recipes, but it didn’t seem to add much flavor, so I don’t recommend incorporating this one into your baked goods.

And there you have it—my review of Walden Farms sweet dips. Stay tuned for more of my reviews on Walden Farms products in future posts.

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