If you’ve never found yourself in need of a toothbrush (or some aspirin, or a greeting card) on the streets of Manhattan, you may not be familiar with Duane Reade.

New York City’s largest drugstore chain, Duane Reade has had two big changes in 2010:

  1. They were purchased by Walgreens earlier this year.
  2. They launched a line of store brand food and drink known as Delish.

Why is this relevant for us here at Triumph Dining? Two reasons:

  1. The Delish line contains many clearly-labeled gluten-free options.
  2. It is increasingly available not only in Duane Reade, but in Walgreens nationwide.

The Delish line ranges in price from $3-$7, and includes everything from bottles of seltzer to cookies to jars of salsa. Since the folks at Walgreens were kind enough to send us a few gluten-free snacks to try, I wanted to tell you about my two favorites:

Delish packaging

1. Delish Gluten-free Ginger Snaps: These have a solid gingery flavor to them and aren’t too sweet. Texture – always the bane of a gluten-free baked good – is pleasantly crunchy without being overly crumbly. Perhaps most importantly, I don’t think a gluten-eating person would know that these were “special” cookies.

delish cookies

2. Delish Gluten-free Animal Crackers: OK, so these don’t come in a little circus-car box – but the resealable pouch is definitely easier to transport when you’re on the go. As for the cookies themselves, they have a bit less air than a traditional animal cracker. They reminded me more of butter cookies or a thin shortbread, with a nice crispness to them. Tastewise, I could easily eat more of these than I care to admit. We gave them a dunk in some extra chocolate mousse after Thanksgiving, with great success.

Have you encountered any of the Delish line in your local Walgreens? If so, what did you think?