My Foodstirs Review
Organic kits that make baking easy
Foodstirs specializes in organic kits and mixes that make baking at home quick and easy. They pride themselves on being a "junk-free bakery," and follow through on that promise by using clean ingredients and less sugar. They're also kosher and have been verified by the Non-GMO Project. The company was started by three parents, Galit Laibow, Greg Fleishman, and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar (be still my 90's teen movie-loving heart), who wanted to create brownie, cake, and cookie mixes they could feel good about.
As a baker who always says yes to sweet snacks, Foodstirs organic baking mixes and baking projects have been on my radar for a while. Let's take a look at the details of this subscription below, and I'll test-drive one of the baking projects at the bottom of the post.
Pros & Cons
The Pros
- Foodstirs organic baking kits are kid-friendly and suitable for ages 6+.
- Kits include all the dry ingredients you need (you'll supply the perishable items) to make the month's featured recipe.
- The projects are creative and fun! Expect to see everything from decorated summery sugar cookies to Halloween-themed, spooky sweets.
- Recipes are quick and easy. They contain only six steps.
- Decorations are made with natural dyes.
- Expect to receive more than just ingredients. Baking kits frequently contain bakeware and cookie cutters you can reuse in future recipes.
- Kits feature fair-trade chocolate and cocoa, and Foodstirs sources ingredients locally when possible.
- You can preview upcoming baking kits on foodstirs.com.
- It's easy to cancel your subscription online.
The Cons
- You'll need to provide perishable ingredients like eggs, butter, and milk.
- If you're handy in the kitchen, you may be able to create similar recipes for less money.
Is It Worth It?
- Do you enjoy getting creative in the kitchen? Do you like the sound of quick and easy baking kits that can help you create Pinterest-ready baked goods that are almost too fun to eat? Then, yes! I definitely recommend joining the Foodstirs baker's club. The kits you'll receive are thoughtful, well-designed, and really charming.
About Foodstirs
The Subscription: Foodstirs
The Cost: $25.99 for a recurring subscription
Shipping: Ships to U.S.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
How It Works
Foodstirs is more than just a subscription service. They have an online store that sells baking mixes and pre-made baked goods, but for the purposes of this review, I'm going to focus on the subscription.
Image via Foodstirs.
When you sign up for a Foodstirs baking kit subscription, you'll receive a new baking kit every other month. You can sign up for a recurring bi-monthly subscription or pay upfront for 3 or 6 kits. (Note that you'll save if you sign up for a recurring monthly subscription.)
Image via Foodstirs.
One of the great features of this subscription is that you can preview upcoming projects. (Can we talk about those surfboard cookies? Are they not totally adorable?) If you're thinking about signing up for a recurring subscription or gifting Foodstirs, it's nice to know what's coming up on the menu.
My Foodstirs Box
Foodstirs February 2021 box
My Foodstirs baking kit arrived in a baby blue box, and inside I received all the dry ingredients and information I'd need to make the featured recipe: Out of This World Donuts.
1 of 2 | Recipe card for Out of this World doughnuts
Included in my Foodstirs box were two cards. One introduced the baking kit and provided nutritional information and the other outlined the recipe (complete with pictures and step-by-step instructions).
Out of This World Donut Kit- $25.99
1 of 5 | Foodstirs' ingredients for Out of this World donuts recipe
Here's what's included:
- 1 Foodstirs® Organic Sunday Stacks Pancake Mix
- 1 Foodstirs® Organic Glaze Mix
- 1 Foodstirs® Silicone Donut Pan
- 1 Plant-Based Pink Dye Packet
- 1 Plant-Based Bright Blue Dye Packet
- 1 Dye-Free Diamond Sugar packet
Let's take a closer look at that doughnut pan, shall we?
1 of 2 | Foodstirs' doughnut pan
How cute is this!? It's made of flexible silicone (which makes it easy to pop out cooked doughnuts and clean), and I love the bold hue. I don't have a doughnut pan in my repertoire of baking tools, and I love that this kit includes something reusable that you can add to your baking drawer.
Baking with Foodstirs
Okay, full disclosure before I get started: I am a professional baker. As such, I do most of my baking from scratch, and I can't remember the last time I used boxed cake or brownie mix. All that said, I am totally not a snob when it comes to baking kits. I am all for using shortcuts (I keep pre-scooped cookie dough in my freezer so I don't have to make it fresh when I want a cookie), and as long as something tastes good, I'm happy. I was actually really excited to give Foodstirs a try! It's been on my radar for a very long time, and I've heard great things from a few friends. I was excited to try it for myself!
When my Foodstirs kit arrived, I immediately got excited. I couldn't have asked for a better recipe. This box promised two things that have been on my to-try list for quite a long time: baked doughnuts and galaxy-inspired icing. Now, I've made "real" doughnuts quite a few times in my life, and they're awesome. The downside is that they're time-consuming and messy. (I dare you to try frying a big batch of doughnuts without splattering oil everywhere and burning yourself at least once.) Baked doughnuts that are quicker and healthier? Count me in.
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Step one for making Foodstirs' Out of This World Donuts was to mix up the batter. I started by beating two eggs and then stirring in melted butter followed by yogurt, milk, and the included packet of pancake mix. I stirred until the batter was smooth and lump-free, and then snuck a taste. Yummy! The flavor and consistency reminded me of cake mix.
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With the batter ready to go, it was time to fill the molds. Foodstirs simply said to "fill each donut well with 2 Tbsp of batter & spread evenly," but I've played this game before, and I know that's a little easier said than done. Instead, I got out a piping bag and used it to fill the molds with roughly two tablespoons of batter each, about halfway full. Now, I realize that not everyone keeps disposable piping bags stocked up in their kitchen, but here's a tip: you can use a large ziplock bag as a makeshift piping bag. Just fill the bag, snip off one of the corners, and voilà!
After filling the molds, I transferred the doughnuts into a preheated 350-degree oven. The instructions recommended a cooking time of 12-15 minutes. Mine were ready in 10.
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I let the doughnuts cool for 10 minutes, and then popped them out of the silicone baking mold. They released cleanly, and the consistency seemed great. They felt soft and supple but held their shape nicely. Time to decorate! I've seen galaxy-inspired glazes all over the internet in the last several years, but I never got around to trying the technique myself, so I was over the moon to give this a shot! (Over the moon, get it? Because SPACE! I'll see myself out...)
I mixed the included packet of glaze mix with two tablespoons of milk and stirred it until it was smooth. To make the colors, I transferred a little bit of the white glaze into three bowls and used powdered dyes to make pink, blue, and purple glaze. I drizzled the colored glazes on top of the remaining white and started dipping. I then topped each doughnut with white sanding sugar. Ready to see the final product?
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How pretty are these doughnuts!? The galaxy drizzle technique was easy to execute and a huge success, I think. The colors blended and swirled beautifully! They also delivered on taste. The texture of the doughnuts was cake-like, soft, and very moist. Even though Foodstirs sent a "pancake mix" for this project, I found the texture and flavor of the doughnuts to be more like yellow cake, rich and buttery with a hint of vanilla. They were really tasty!
My only complaint is that my finished product looked just a little bit different what was pictured on the recipe card. I'm 100% sure this is largely due to the fact that my glaze was just a little on the loose side; if I'd added a bit less milk, I think the glaze would have had that thicker, full-coverage look. The other thing is that my white glaze wasn't nearly as white as it could be, and I think I know why. As Foodstirs is an organic baking kit, I'm sure they send only organic powdered sugar instead of the non-organic stuff, and here's the thing: organic powdered sugar and conventional powdered sugar are quite a bit different. I'll spare you the nitty-gritty details (though I could probably write a treatise about this), and tell you that it basically comes down to cornstarch vs. tapioca. Organic and non-organic powdered sugars each contain an additive that prevents caking, and these additives affect the color, texture, and behavior of the product. While organic powdered sugar is better in a lot of ways (and better for you), it just isn't as pretty when you're making glaze. I think a brilliant white base would have made the galaxy colors pop, but I realize I'm splitting hairs here. As-is, these doughnuts are still stunning (and I would never knock an organic baking kit for sending organic powdered sugar). Truthfully, I just enjoyed this project so much that I'm already planning to make these doughnuts again and considering ways to achieve an even bolder look!
My Verdict
Wow, this Foodstirs box was awesome. The concept is adorable, the recipe is well-conceived, the instructions are clear, and my doughnuts came out great. Does it really get any better than that? Despite how much I enjoyed this box, though, I have to be realistic. As someone who regularly bakes at home from scratch, I'm not sure I would sign up for a subscription that specializes in baking mixes. With that in mind, I don't think Foodstirs is a good fit for me personally in the long term. That said, I had a blast browsing Foodstirs' site, and I will absolutely check in occasionally for baking inspiration. (They have so many fun and clever ideas!) They've also won me over as a future customer. My best friend's daughter is 6, and she's recently taken an interest in baking. Whenever I visit, she's my little shadow in the kitchen, always eager to help me and get her hands dirty. While making these doughnuts, I wished so hard that she was here to make them with me. The next time I see her, I plan to bring a Foodstirs kit with me. I think she'll have so much fun with it!
In terms of value, Foodstirs baking kits cost $25.99 with a recurring subscription. Would it be possible to recreate the projects yourself at home for less? Probably. But I think the Foodstirs experience is great, and I absolutely think it's worth the cost.
Want to know more about the Foodstirs?
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