Gluten Free Stroopwafels

Last year my family and I went to a tulip festival held here in Utah Valley. There was a vendor selling Stroopwafels… a Dutch treat that's kind of a crispy, thin cookie filled with a cinnamony caramel syrup.  They were, of course, full of gluten. But that didn't stop my husband and me from enjoying them… it only stopped me from being able to share with the children. At the time I wondered if I could make some gluten-free, but when I looked up recipes they all called for yeast. As yeast-based breads are often hard to translate into gluten free versions, I decided not to try it then. Today, though,  I suddenly worked up enough energy to give it a shot.
They turned out beautifully. I think I will probably play around with the syrup recipe little bit more, as it wasn't quite exactly what I wanted it to be. But they were definitely good enough to post the recipe. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Stroopwafels

4 c. EGF All Purpose Flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 c. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs (I used extra large ones)
1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. yeast

Caramel Filling

1 3/4 c. Brown sugar
1 c. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. corn syrup*

In a small bowl, combine the warm water and yeast. Allow them to sit while you prepare the flour. Combine gluten free flour mix and xanthan gum. Cut butter into the flour until it is in very small pieces.

 Stir in cinnamon and sugar. Add eggs and yeast water, and stir until fully combined. Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes.

While dough is resting, prepare caramel filling. Combine all four ingredients and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Allow the syrup to reach soft ball stage (234-240 degrees)**. Remove syrup from heat. As the syrup cools it will thicken and get harder to spread, so do your best to work quickly.

Preheat a pizzelle iron or Waffle Cone Maker. Place 2-4 TBS of dough into the waffle cone maker and press closed (2 Tbs of dough will make cookies that are about 3 inches in diameter).

 Allow to cook for 30-90 seconds (this really depends on the heat of your iron ... I said the alphabet out loud to myself three times at a steady pace - it allowed the stroopwafels to cook just to a golden brown).  Once it is cooked, remove a cookie from iron. Hold it in a towel or doubled paper towels and cut the cookie into two thin slices.

 Fill with caramel sauce, then allow them to sit until crispy.

*I used light corn syrup, but dark corn syrup would add a slightly deeper flavor. It's up to you.
**Remember that candies (or syrups) cooked at higher altitudes need to have the final temperature decreased by 2 degrees for each 1000 feet above sea level. Since I am at about 5000 feet, I only cooked my syrup to 230 degrees (the higher end of the temp range ... I think that next time I will only cook it to the beginning of that range).