Those Bakery Cookies

These last longer than any other gluten-free cookie I've ever seen! Making 16 "monster-sized" cookies, they get individually wrapped for quick escapes. You don't even want to know how many calories are in one.....NOT that you have to eat an entire cookie at once. Take a whole day. I won't tell.....

Bakery Cookies - adapted from thebrowneyedbaker - A.K.A. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Combine the following and set aside:
1/3 cup + 1 T. sweet sorghum flour
1/3 cup rice flour (either, I use brown)
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together til THOROUGHLY mixed:
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural, keeps 'em happy)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

To creamed mixture, add:
1 egg

 Combine both mixtures and add:
1/2 cup certified gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips - I always use Ghiradelli 60% chips

CHILL DOUGH for several hours or overnight.

Oven to 350 degrees F. Divide dough into 16 equal scoops, flatten slightly into disc shapes, and place on parchment-lined sheets. Bake ~ 14 minutes. Begin to check 1 minute early. Allow edges to completely "set" and remove from oven...even though centers will NOT look completely set. Allow to cool COMPLETELY on sheets! Individually wrap, store away from heat.....or in the freezer.....not that you'll forget they're there!

Banana Bread Muffins

I'm still toying with this recipe but it's definitely more than acceptable as is. They are too light and fluffy when first cooled but take on a nicer density the following morning...so I suggest making them the day before you want to eat them. Again, though, I don't use xanthan gum here and that means I usually freeze (or give away) half the batch after the one-day rest.

BANANA BREAD MUFFINS - makes 1 dozen - spray muffin tin(s) - set oven to 375 degrees F

3 large RIPE bananas, mashed (4 medium seems to be about the same)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter, cooled slightly

 Mash bananas first; then add sugar and egg til blended. Then add butter.

Combine the following and add to above mixture:
1/2 cup + 2 T. sweet sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 T. tapioca starch
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda (I'll be dropping this to 1/2 tsp next time. Need to know.)
scant 1/4 tsp. salt

 Divide batter evenly. Bake about 20 minutes, til tops are springy. As they bake, they will completely fill the cups. Cool about 10 minutes before taking one out! They don't seem to be too "disturbed" by the fact they've been left to cool completely in the cups though.....you know, 'cause that happens sometimes.....

Giving Brownies a try

I figured I should move on to things we know most men appreciate...so Brownies it is. They will crumble if you try to cut them while still warm.....but we really don't care, do we? I think they benefit from being left alone for several hours after that though. Initially, they struck me as more cake-like but, after a night of waiting, they began to move to the middle, somewhere between the cake-y and fudge-y realm.

For such a simple recipe, this will do in a pinch. I'll eventually be converting a recipe that uses melted chocolate...because that's the kind of brownie that appeals to ME! I pulled this from gluetenfreecookingschool.about.com and tried it with the ingredients I always seem to have available.

SIMPLE BROWNIES
 I used a sprayed 8x8 glass pan and set the oven at 325; I was happy with the results.

Whisk together the following:
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
2 T. brown rice flour
2 T. tapioca starch
1/2 cup regular baking cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup + 2 T. sugar (I always use cane sugar)

 In a separate bowl, whisk together:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
2 lg eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine mixtures thoroughly. Stir in:

1 cup chopped walnuts, optional (but not here...)

Bake for about 25 minutes. ( Exactly 25 minutes worked perfectly for me.) Let the pan cool, on a rack, for at least 30 minutes (if you can manage.)

Cover them when completely cooled. Remember, no xanthan gum here means their shelf life is shorter. But it's a small pan so do we really have anything to worry about?!?

The Snickerdoodle request

My favorite cookie (most of the time!)

Snickerdoodles - these require chilling so plan accordingly!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg, milk, and vanilla; blend well.

1 egg
1 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla (the real stuff only!)

Whisk together ALL dry ingredients:
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 cup potato starch
scant 1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. cream or tartar
scant 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. baking soda
dash salt

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture.  Cover or wrap dough with plastic.  CHILL at least one hour.  Easily left in frig overnight.

Preheat oven - 375 degrees.  Combine the following:
2 T. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
dash nutmeg, optional

Roll small balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  (I like a small scoop here...about 2 tsp. amount or so.)  Place on parchment so they can spread a bit.  Bake about 9 minutes.  Move to cooling rack after 1 minute.

Let's start with breakfast...

Pancakes and Waffles


I make these at least twice a month.  Nothing too special.  Light and fluffy like others want them.  Fast.  Easy.  Tasty!  And the waffles are light and crispy, just as waffles should be!

(I have two other waffle posts on now:  pumpkin and chocolate.  Check 'em out!)

1/2 cup + 2 T. sweet sorghum flour

1/2 cup + 2 T. white rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

2 T. granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. (slightly heaped) baking soda

pinch of salt

In a medium bowl, mix/whisk all dry ingredients well; set aside.

2 large eggs
2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Whisk eggs; add buttermilk.

2-4 T. butter, melted (2 for pancakes, 4 for waffles)

To the egg bowl, add dry ingredients and melted butter.  Whisk til incorporated but do not overmix.  

For Pancakes:  Heat pan(s) over medium-low.  I use my favorite Calphalon non-stick Unison pans, at least two at a time, or my cast iron griddle that accommodates two good-sized pancakes at once.  It's best to use this batter rather quickly, once it reaches a thick consistency, because it tends to break down too much with only one pan going and watery batter doesn't make fluffy pancakes!  Flip, as always, when you see the bubbles begin to form.

For Waffles:  Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions and proceed as directed.  Eat immediately or put on rack to cool so they stay crisp...or on rack in low temp oven.  I wouldn't know about that oven trick, though, because they get eaten or cooled and frozen for later!

Added thought:  I saw where a food blogger made "French toast" pancakes with leftover pancakes and I tried it!  Yep, it really works!  I whisked together 2 eggs, 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 2 T sugar, and some cinnamon; soak the pancakes long enough to get them eggy but not so long that they fall apart when you lift them out, and fry them like French toast!  I had nine smaller pancakes and this took care of all of them!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The First Day...

Today is the beginning of this blog but a far cry from the beginning of my gluten-free journey.  I decided to create this space for those I love who need to know what I know.  This will be a safe place to search for tried-and-true recipes that will not cause you harm, if gluten is your enemy.  And helping others avoid unnecessary floundering and failures in the kitchen can only be a good thing!  Besides, food is a terrible thing to waste!  

Let me know (you know who you are!) what recipes should be posted first and I'll get right on it!