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.

Gluten Free Graham Crackers

A couple of weeks ago I made graham crackers for a dessert. I used the recipe in our second cookbook, but as I baked them I realized again that I have not been in love with this recipe for a while. Somehow the graham crackers always seem to boil away. And they are chewy… And they just aren't quite as good as I want them to be. So today I decided that I would take a look at the recipe and see what I could do to improve it.

Sweet Potato Chips

Before cooking

After cooking

These chips are super easy to make, bite sized for perfect snacks, and very, very yummy! After eating the first chip, you won't be able to stop! 

 

Sweet Potato Chips

Sweet potatoes, sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
Sprinkle salt to taste

Place sweet potato slices in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and stir to lightly coat each slice.

Spread slices in a single layer on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (This makes cleanup easier.) Sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 400 F for 25 minutes, checking them at 15 minutes to ensure that they aren't overcooking.

Enjoy!!!

Mentos...Gluten free?

Although some people considered Mentos to be gluten free, they are not. Here is the company's reply to the inquiry on the subject:

The only raw material which is derived from wheat is the glucose syrup. The syrup meets the requirements for “gluten-free goods” as laid down in the Codex Alimentarius (CODEX STAN 117-1981/ max of 20 mg per kg). However, nearly all ingredients are derived from agricultural products and could be processed on equipment that also handles products containing gluten. Therefore Perfetti Van Melle does not actually claim that Mentos are gluten-free.

Pumpkin Seeds

It's a tradition at my house to save the seeds of the Halloween pumpkins we carve at Halloween and then bake them for a tasty treat. I have tried several different recipes for pumpkin seeds, and so far this one is my favorite.

Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds
4 c. water
4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. butter
3 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce*
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Preheat oven to 350°.
Rinse seeds until no pumpkin is left on them.
Boil the water and salt in a large pot. Simmer seeds for 10 minutes. Drain water. Add olive oil, butter, and soy sauce.
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Spread seeds out on the cookie sheet so they are not on top of each other. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool before eating.

Betsy's Pumpkin Seed Recipe: Clean most of the goop off the seeds, but don't rinse them. Place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake.

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c. GF mix
3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp.baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. sugar
1 c. finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 c. oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat Oven to 350°. Grease one 8x4x2 loaf pan.

Combine flour mix, xanthan gum, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In another bowl, combine sugar, zucchini, oil, egg, and lemon peel. Mix well. Add dry mix to zucchini mix. Stir just until moistened. Fold in nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely

Butterscotch Crinkles

Butterscotch Crinkles

My daughter's kindergarten teacher made these for us one day, and my kids loved them!!! Not very healthy, and a bit expensive once you buy the gluten free cornflakes, but quite addicting once you taste them. So, if you make them and happen to put on ten or so pounds, it's totally not my fault. Blame it on kindergarten.

1/2 c peanut butter
1 bag of gluten free butterscotch chips
6 c of gluten free cornflakes (I bought mine at Macey's grocery store in the GF section)

You can half all of this too and make a smaller batch.....I would if you plan on NOT sharing....hehehehe:)

Melt the peanut butter and butterscotch in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Pull out and stir then put in for another 30 seconds.  Continue stirring, melting, then checking until melted all the way through. Then add cornflakes....mix....then put on wax paper to dry. You might need to heat a little longer depending on your microwave. Make sure you don't cook over stove too....it won't cook right! Have fun eating!

Bite Size Oreo Cookies

Bite Size Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Oreo's)

1 3/4 c. margarine
1 large pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. featherlight mix
3/4 c. special dark cocoa powder
1 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt

Cream margarine, pudding mix, and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.

Chill about 1 hour. Dust a clean surface with potato starch or featherlight mix. Roll out about 1/8 of an inch thick, adding enough potato starch to make the dough less sticky. Cut with a small, round cookie cutter (about 1 inch in diameter to make minis).

Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Filling
3 3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
2 Tbs. hot water

Combine all filling ingredients and beat until smooth. Roll 1 - 2 teaspoons of filling into a ball. Gently squish the ball of filling between 2 cookies. Store in a closed container.

Happy Cooking!!

Chocolate Drizzled Pretzels

The other day my daughter was craving something sweet, yet salty. She was desparately searching through our cupboards when she came across the gluten free pretzels (Glutino pretzels are the tastiest) and some chocolate chips. She decided the lay out the pretzels on some wax paper, melt the chocolate chip and then drizzle the chocolate over the pretzels. That in and of itself would have been yummy enough, but she took it one step farther and found some caramel syrup in our fridge and added that to the top of the chocolate pretzels. Can I just say YUM!!! I loved it not only because caramel, chocolate pretzels are one of my most favorite treats, but because I did not have to do anything except eat them! So, if you have pretzels in your cupboard and feel like fancifying them up, get out that chocolate and get busy!

Pumpkin Bread

I have been thinking about what kind of treats I should make for neighborhood gifts this Christmas. I intended to give away English Toffee, but I started making it too early and ate it all. (The kids helped, of course.) Then, while walking around Costco, I sampled some pumpkin bread. My GF girls were offended that they couldn't have some, so I decided that I would make a gluten free version for them. It turned out so well that I've promoted it to "Chief Neighborhood Treat Plate Filler". Good name, huh?

I had initially intended to use my banana bread recipe and just use pumpkin instead of bananas (plus add some of the right kind of pumpkin appropriate spices). But when I started looking at pumpkin bread recipes online, I realized that they all had at least TWICE as much sugar as my banana bread and a lot more oil. I suppose that the reason for the extra sugar is because pumpkin is nowhere near as sweet as over-ripe bananas. I wasn't sure about the extra oil, but I decided it might have a good reason, too. So I took an online recipe, changed several things (used GF flours, changed the spices to match MY ideas of good pumpkin spices, etc), and baked away. The Costco version was covered with Cream Cheese Frosting. I haven't added frosting to mine because it's so darn good without it! (I must admit that my children have been having a heyday with the Nutella, though. Evidently they believe that chocolate hazelnut butter is the best accompaniment to pumpkin things ever invented. And I haven't really argued too much about it. Who could?)

Pumpkin Bread

3 cups canned pumpkin puree (practically a full 29 oz. can)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
5 cups EGF all-purpose flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. mace

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 4 9x5 loaf pans. (I actually did 3 9x5 pans and then 2 4x3 pans.)

Combine pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Mix well.

In another bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add to the pumpkin mixture and blend until well combined. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. (The top should spring back when lightly touched, and a cake tester inserted into the thickest part of the loaf should come out clean.)

Cool. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Oat Crackers

Now that school is back in session, I'm working on making varied gluten free lunches. There are definite benefits to having my gluten free kids bring lunches from home; I know that they are getting food that tastes good, and I know that their food is truly gluten free and hasn't been cross contaminated by a poorly trained cafeteria worker. On the other hand, I do have to spend some time coming up with interesting lunch variations so they don't get bored to death with the same old same old.

When I was younger, my mother would put cream cheese frosting on graham crackers and pack them in our lunches. I decided that I would do the same for my kids . . . though it's really more of a "based on a true story" movie than a documentary. (Did that metaphor make sense? It did in my head, but now that it's out on the page it seems a little odd. Ah, well.)

So I decided to take my oat biscuit dough (which I usually have in my fridge), roll it out thin, make cinnamon-sugary crackers out of it, slap frosting on/between them, and send them off to school with them. And . . . it works! (Of course it does, don't be ridiculous.) So now I will share with you the very complex and tricky recipe for these delicious treats. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Oat Crackers

1/3 c. oat biscuit dough
3 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll biscuit dough out very thinly. (If the dough has been in the refrigerator, you may want to microwave it for 10 seconds or so in order to make it easy to roll it out.) Spread the melted butter over the surface of the dough.

In a small bowl (or ziplock bag), combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the butter. (You won't need to use all the cinnamon sugar. Save the rest for another day.)



Use a pizza cutter (or a knife, if you insist) to cut the dough into whatever size of crackers you'd like.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until cracker edges are browned and crackers are crispy. Remove from oven and cool completely. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting or eat plain.

Party Cheese Spread

Here is a recipe that is quick and easy. The kids will love it and its perfect for a party!

8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 cups Shredded Cheese
2 Tbs. Dry GF Ranch powder

Mix it all together in a heavy mixer. And spread on GF crackers and Enjoy!