Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour

Gluten free flour can be a tricky thing. To be honest, I don't bake a lot because the exacting science can be a bit much. This gluten free product review seemed like it was going to be quite a challenge because of that. I realize that having reviews of flour here is important. They are one of the most important products to know about. So, I took the plunge.

For this review I made brownies, using the recipes off of the bag of Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour. I also made Chicken Cacciatore using a recipe from the Tropical Traditions recipe site. Using coconut in savory food was scary for me, but the results prompted me to bump this review to the top of my list.

A quick note about the Tropical Traditions recipe site: There are a ton of gluten free recipes there. I also found a lot of recipes that were not in the gluten free section that actually were gluten free.

Ease of Use

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour is very easy to use. Likewise, the recipes I found for it are pretty simple. As with any flour, it can be very easy or very complicated, depending on it's use.

Appearance

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour is a fine powder, slightly off white in color. It clumps a little bit, but not in hard clumps. The appearance of the finished brownies and chicken were great. There was no flour in site:)

Taste and Texture

The flour itself smelled and tasted like coconut. (Because it's ground coconut)

The brownies were great! They were chewy and fudgy. They rose well and looked very good. The coconut flour gave them a slight coconut flavor and a thicker texture. There were no big pieces of coconut, but you could tell it was there. I am a huge fan of the chocolate and coconut combo, so I loved it.

The Chicken Cacciatore was a big surprise for me. Not only did this recipe use Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour to coat the chicken, but it was cooked in coconut oil. I was really afraid that all that coconut would not blend well with the tomato sauce.

I was wrong! This stuff was good! The coconut flour added a pleasant hint of sweetness. It was not at all overpowering. The coconut flour browned up beautifully when cooked in oil. I will definitely be using it again for coating fried foods.

Versatility

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour has unlimited potential! It can be used for everything that flour can, but it also has other uses. Due to the fact that it is made of pure, ground coconut, it can be eaten alone, sprinkled on food or blended in smoothies.

The only limitation comes when you are making food that should absolutely not taste like coconut. I've learned from my chicken experience that there are not as many things in this category as I once thought.

Overall Value

Tropical Traditions Coconut Flour costs $10.95 + shipping for a 2.2 pound bag. This is pretty comparable to other gluten free flours. My recommendation is to buy in bulk to reduce shipping costs if you plan to use this product often.

Rating

I really like this product. I can't say I'm in love with it yet, but I may get there:)

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.