Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are so yummy! Serve them to your friends and they won't know that they are gluten-free. Adapted from the All-Time Best Recipes cookbook.
Enjoy!

Recipe:
3/4 c brown rice flour
1/2 c white rice flour
1/4 c cornstarch
1 tsp non-flavored gelatin
3/4 tsp xantham gum
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt
1 1/4 c gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
4 oz. milk chocolate chips
12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover cookie sheet with aluminum foil and grease.

1) Whisk together flours, cornstarch, gelatin, xantham gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
2) In separate bowl, mix together oats and chocolate chips.
3) In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar with paddle attachment until fully incorporated. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed.
4) On low speed, fold in dry ingredients completely. Then add oat mixture and mix.
5) Scoop dough with tablespoon onto greased cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each ball of dough.
6) Bake 13-15 min. until slightly brown on the edges. Cool 5-10 min. and then serve.

Gluten-free Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

A yummy recipe for gluten-free muffins. You can substitute any fruit you'd like and it's good with the cream cheese and without. I have also added oatmeal to some of my batches and it gives the muffins a nice texture. Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

Recipe:

1 c brown rice flour
1/2 c white rice flour
1/4 c gluten-free cornstarch (I use Argo)
1 tsp non-flavored gelatin
1 1/2 tsp xantham gum
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 c sour milk or buttermilk
1/4 c cooking oil
1/2 pkg. of softened cream cheese
1/2 pint of fresh or frozen strawberries
1/2 c gluten-free oatmeal (optional)

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1) Mix brown rice flour, white rice flour, cornstarch, gelatin, xantham gum, baking powder and salt in medium bowl with a whisk.
Add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until well incorporated.
2) In separate bowl, beat egg, milk and cooking oil.
3) With flat beater attachment, mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Should look like cookie dough at this point.
4) Fold in 1/2 package of softened cream cheese and 1/2 pint of fresh or frozen strawberries. If desired, mix in oatmeal.
5) Using a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop dough into muffin pan greased or lined with muffin cups.
*Optional: Top with streusal topping (3 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon mixed together. Then cut in 2 tbsp of butter until forms crumbs.)
6) Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Tops should be slightly browned. Cool and serve warm.

Gluten-free Pizza

Gluten-free Pizza

This is the best recipe I have tested so far for gluten-free pizza. My husband says pizza is one of the foods he misses the most being on a gluten-free diet. We have tried many, many, many different recipes and most tasted like cardboard. This recipe has the softest crust I have tasted yet. Try it and tell me what you think!

Recipe:

1 1/2 c white rice flour

1 c brown rice flour

3/4 gluten-free cornstarch (I use Argo)

2 Tbsp. xantham gum

2 tsp unflavored gelatin (one packet)

1/4 c sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder or garlic salt

1 tsp yeast

3/4 c shredded mozarella cheese (can omit if dairy allergies)

1 Tbsp + 4 tsp olive oil

2 eggs

2 tsp vinegar

1 1/2 c hot water or milk

1) Mix dry ingredients in large bowl with whisk to sift together.

2) Add mozarella cheese and wet ingredients to dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix with flat beater or dough hook on medium low speed until pulls away from the side of the bowl.

3) Cover and let sit next to oven while oven preheats (about 10 min.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

4) Prepare surface to roll out dough with cornstarch. Roll dough into circle. Pinch sides up to hold in toppings. Transfer to pizza sheet. Baste with melted butter and garlic.

5) Cook 10-12 min. in oven.

6) Top with sauce, cheese and pizza toppings of your choice. Bake 10-15 min. more until cheese is bubbly and crust is lightly browned.

7) Enjoy!

Gluten Free Powdered Sugar Donuts

Gluten-Free Powdered Sugar Donuts

This was my first attempt at donuts ever. I have never made them even when I was cooking with regular flour so I wasn't sure how they would turn out. They were delicious! And not only that, they take no time at all to cook!

I found a recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com/ called Amazing Gluten-free Buttermilk Donuts and then tweeked it from my experience with gluten-free baking.

Recipe:

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups sour milk

1/4 cup butter melted

5 cups gluten-free flour mix *see note for mix.

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

3 3/4 tsp xantham gum

2 tsp non-flavored gelatin

powdered sugar to taste

*Flour mix: 2 1/4 c white rice flour, 1 1/4 c brown rice flour, 1 1/2 c gluten-free cornstarch

1. Beat the eggs, sour milk, and melted butter in a large bowl with whisk attachment.

2. Combine flours in separate bowl along with xantham gum and gelatin and use whisk to combine. Add additional dry ingredients and combine with whisk until fully incorporated.

3. Use flat beater attachment on mixer low speed, while adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Beat on low until combined and pulls away from the sides.

4. Let dough rest while heat up oil in a skillet. Heat 2-3 inches of canola oil in the bottom of the skillet until hot. I kept mine a little hotter than medium.

5. Prepare a work surface with aluminum foil or a rolling mat covering lightly with gluten-free cornstarch. Turn out dough and cover lightly with cornstarch. Roll out dough to 1/2 to 1/3 inch thick. If it's sticky, add more cornstarch.

6. Cut dough with end of a glass or a jar to form a circle. For the middle, a bottle cap works perfectly to cut out the donut holes. (Roll the donut holes into balls when done).

7. Drop donut dough into hot skillet carefully. Cook until you see golden brown on edges-only a minute or so and then turn with a slotted spoon to cook other side for a minute more.

8. Place cooked donuts on a paper towel to drain the oil and then roll in powdered sugar until fully coated.

BEST SERVED WARM!!!

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

Really!

I adapted this gluten-free recipe from my sister's yummy gluten-filled recipe, Better Homes and Gardens cookbook recipe and Gluten-Free for Kids cookbook. Yes, they are made with yeast and NO, they didn't taste like cardboard! The dough was even elastic enough to roll out and form! The secret weapon? Unflavored gelatin! It seems to help replace the elasticity that gluten contributes to in gluten-filled foods.

A Gluten-Free Birthday!

This Tinkerbell cake was made from gluten-free chocolate cake baked in square pans and covered in homemade fondant. See my previous post to find out how to make gluten-free homemade fondant.

Tip: You can buy the character topper from your local grocery store without purchasing an entire cake!

Now your gluten-free child doesn't have to be left out of the character themed birthday party trend!

Superbowl Saints Cake

YES, it's gluten-free!!!

How to make it? I made it from scratch but an easier way is to use the Betty Crocker Devil's Food Gluten-Free cake mix for the cake and Betty Crocker Chocolate Icing in between layers and as the foundation for the fondant.

To make this cake, you will need the following:

2 boxes of cake mix

1 container of icing

2 pkg. of marshmallows

2 pkg. of powdered sugar

food coloring

rolling pin

shortening

fencing wire

2 cake pans

1 round metal bowl

To obtain the roundness of the helmet, you will need to bake one whole cake in a round metal bowl (use the entire cake mix). Then bake another batch of cake in the 2 cake pans. You should then have 1 half round cake and 2 flat cakes. Cool overnight or in the freezer for a few hours. Make sure it is completely cooled or even a little bit frozen before you start carving the helmet. Once it is cooled, ice between layers and stack. Stack the 2 flat cakes with icing in between and then ice the top and add the half round cake. Make sure the half round lines up with the back of the cake layers before carving.

To carve, use a nice sharp knife and start carving so that the whole cake is uniformly round using the half round top as your guide. Once that is done, it should look like a complete dome shape. You will then to carve out the inside front to form the helmet. You can use the knife or if your cake is frozen, you may be able to use a spoon to scoop it out. Don't go too far in or it may collapse the cake.

Once the cake is carved, ice the entire cake and quick freeze (place in freezer for 10-15 min. for the icing to set.

Meanwhile, you need to make fondant. Here is a great recipe for marshmallow fondant that is easy and tastes good. I found a dough hook is very helpful in mixing the powdered sugar into the melted marshmallows. Separate the fondant into 2 sections for coloring. Leave a small amount white for the outlines on the helmet. Color a large section with your helmet color-I used 2 different yellows to try and make a gold color.

Once you have made your helmet color fondant, you need to roll out a large piece to cover the entire cake. This piece should be at larger than the cake so you can lay it on and then cut to size. To roll, you need to grease your rolling area and rolling pin generously with shortening. Roll the fondant out to about 1/8 inch or less in thickness. You will then transfer it to your cake at one time centering over the cake and then letting it lay down. You should then use greased hands to form it to the cake. A pizza cutter works great to cut off excess.

The rest of the fondant can be colored and then formed into decals, etc. by rolling thin and then cutting with knives, cookie cutters or whatever you might use with clay or playdough. I used a bottle top for circles and a knife for the other decals. Decals should stick to the fondant easily. If it dries out too much, a little water will help it stick.

The mouth guard was formed from fencing wire (available at craft stores or local hardware store). I then wrapped the fondant around the wire and pushed the wire into the cake.

Voila-you have a beautiful gluten-free cake!

See my next post for a little girls' gluten-free dream cake!