Product Review: Heartland Gourmet brand Funnel Cake Mix

My mom and the daughter of a friend who was visiting from college at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa

When I was growing up in Northwest Iowa, county fair time was one of my favorite times of the year.  My hometown of Spencer, Iowa is the home of the renowned Clay County Fair, also known as “The World’s Greatest County Fair”.  So many fun rides, interesting vendors, concerts and, of course, fair food!  Attending the fair each year, my favorite fair treats were Tom Thumb Donuts and funnel cakes!  Who could resist the sugary fragrance that called to you from across the fairgrounds and pulled you to their kiosks to purchase the warm, doughy bites of heaven?

Tom Thumb Donuts at the Fair

Just a few months before I finally got my diagnosis of Celiac Disease, my mom and I attended the fair, which always falls around her birthday.  We went to the concert that night, which included a hometown boy, Casey Muessigmann who appeared on Season 3 of tv’s The Voice.  Casey is also the son of a high school classmate of mine, which made the show that much more fun.  The headliner was Scotty McCreery, whom my mom and I had enjoyed watching and rooting for on tv’s American Idol.  When we arrived at the fairgrounds, our first stop was at the Tom Thumb Donut kiosk to purchase a couple of bags of the mini donuts to munch on while we walked around the fair.  We purchased two more bags before the show and then after the show we ran into a couple of high school classmates and friends of mine, who told us that the kiosk was actually still open.  So, we purchased two more bags before heading to our hotel room.  Neither of us have over-indulged like that before, but when I got my Celiac diagnosis a few months later and realized that was the last time I would ever be able to enjoy one of my favorite treats I didn’t feel so bad about that particular over-indulgence.  We stopped by the fair the next day before heading home and split a large funnel cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

For nearly 6 years I thought that I would never get to experience either of these special treats again.  Then I found a gluten free funnel cake mix made by Heartland Gourmet.  This is a local company based out of Lincoln, NE that offers a variety of mixes, including organic mixes and gluten free mixes.  And I LOVE to support and promote local companies that do gluten free right!  To start out, let me tell you that this is not a sponsored review.  These are products that I have purchased with my own money, so I didn’t receive any free product or any other compensation in exchange for my review, though I have done that in the past and probably will again in the future.  This, however, is not sponsored content. 

I have used many of the Heartland Gourmet mixes, including their cornbread, red velvet and

carrot cake mixes.  None of them have disappointed, so I assumed that my experience with the funnel cake mix would be the same.  The mix couldn’t be any easier to prepare.  All you need to add to it is 2 cups of water.  Heat 2 cups of canola oil in a deep pan, I used a pasta pot that I had to prevent splattering and it worked just fine.  Now, I have never made funnel cake before, so mine didn’t turn out pretty.  The only funnel I had on hand was too small to be useful and the pastry bag I had was an inexpensive one that didn’t work out very well, either, so I did a makeshift “funnel” and put the batter in a plastic sandwich bag and cut a hole in one corner to squeeze it out into the oil.  I didn’t do a very good job with shaping it, but in my defense, again, this was my first time.  The entire process, though messy because I didn’t have the right tools, was easy and fun.  My mom was there helping me with it because she loves funnel cake and, though she doesn’t have Celiac Disease and isn’t gluten free, she enjoys trying my gluten free cooking and baking.  And, I wanted to have the opinion of someone who doesn’t have to be gluten free, as well as my own.  

The texture and flavor of the funnel cake was just how I remembered regular funnel cake tasting like.  It was light and just the right amount of doughy in the center.  I think you could even use this batter to make mini donuts and they would not disappoint, either!  My non-gluten free mom and hubby both liked it.  My mom said she thought it tasted even better than funnel cake at the fair!  My husband, Dave, had never had funnel cake before.  Really!  I know - shocking, right?!  He tried it and asked if there was more, which is a very good sign!

Heartland Gourmet is a family operated business in Lincoln, Nebraska.  As stated before, they offer many mix options, including organic mixes and gluten free mixes.  According to their website, they’ve also just teamed up with Gluten Free Mama and have added her line of gluten free products to their company.  I’ve used many Gluten Free Mama products in the past few years, as well and can speak to the high quality of those products. 

If you are in the Sioux City, Iowa area, the Hy Vee on Gordon Drive sells Heartland Gourmet gluten free mixes in their Health Market section.  The mix prices are comparable to other gluten free mixes also sold there and the quality of these mixes is worth every penny.  I dare anyone, gluten free or not, to be able to taste the difference between the Heartland Gourmet gluten free products and their non-gluten free counterparts.  If you can’t find their mixes in a grocery store near you, you can order directly from their website here.

Until next week, happy baking!