Snickerdoodle Cookies

These cookies turn out light and tender. Some have said they like them better than gluten filled Snickerdoodles!

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup Rice Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking powder
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Sugar Cinnamon mixture
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add dry ingredients until mixed. Roll into small balls and cover in cinnamon sugar mixture.  Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Gloria. One of my brother's coworkers gave the recipe to her. It is one of the best carrot cakes our family has had, and no one can tell the difference. It is so good we made it for our wedding sheet cake!! Enjoy!


1 c sugar 
2 eggs, beaten 
1 c white rice flour 
1 t baking soda 
¼ c each coconut and canned pineapple (drain pineapple well) 
½ c oil 
1 ½ c grated carrots 
½ t salt 
1 t cinnamon

Combine sugar and oil; add eggs; and mix well. 
Add grated carrots; slowly stir in dry ingredients. 
Add coconut, nuts, and pineapple.

Mix well. 

Pour into lightly greased and floured (rice flour) 9”x9” pan.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.


Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese (room temp to whip easily)
1 cube butter (room temp)
1tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Whip in vanilla and powdered sugar. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar. Too thick? Add some milk.

Via Gloria VanMason, Thanks!

Banana Cake

Every time I make banana cake it brings be back to high school. My then boyfriend, now husband's mom would make banana cake for him to bring to school quite frequently. I remember giving him the puppy dog eyes that said, please may I have just one bite? It is amazing how hard it can be to get a Jacob's boy to share his beloved family recipe baked goods. Banana cake, seven layer bars, "Grandma Leo's brownies" go so fast you barely even knew they were baked in the first place. Although, usually there will be one itsy bitsy corner left in the pan because the rule is whoever eats the last piece has to wash the pan!  Now I can make banana cake gluten free, and we both gobble it up quickly each time. It is amazing how fast one 9x13 pan can go between two people...

Ingredients:

2/3 c. Shortening

2 1/2 c. Gluten free flour (either the suggested mix, or brown rice flour)

1 1/4 tsp.Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Xanthum gum

2 Large eggs

1 2/3 c. Sugar

2/3 c. Butter Milk*

1 1/4 c. Mashed Bananas (about three)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and shortening, add eggs. Add dry ingredients alternation with the buttermilk and mashed bananas. Blend until all is mixed and mix another 2-4 minutes. Bake in buttered 9x13 for 35 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Good warm, but best when completely cooled.

*Butter milk: May substitute Buttermilk with 2/3 cup milk and a splash (about 1.5tsp lemon juice)

Hamburger/ Sandwich Buns

Basically the same recipe as the Pizza Crust (because I find that one fairly simple). I've been omitting the honey and spices. Make as you would the crust, but scoop the dough and plop it onto a cookie sheet. A ice cream scoop sprayed with oil works well for scooping. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about an hour in  a warm dark place. Bake about 20 minutes.

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup gluten free flour*
2 tsp xanthum gum
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup water (more if needed)
2 tbs cottage cheese*
2 eggs
2 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar


Instructions:
1.Combine the dry ingredients, except for the yeast, in a bowl.
2. Combine the wet ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet
4. Add the yeast on the top of the dry ingredients.
5. Beat on low with a mixer until well blended for 4 minutes, add water if needed to get the right consistency. It should look like wet cookie dough.  See above for more instructions...

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This was my first time making Red Velvet Cake. I felt it was pretty festive for the Fourth of July being that it is red... It turned out very yummy, my only critique was that it pulled away from the frosting when cut. Next I think I will make this same recipe, but bake it as cupcakes. I'll keep you posted on how those turn out. 

FYI, second helpings from Jeremy Jacobs always is good sign that my cake turned out well, even though he gave me a hard time about what this cake was and how it was made: "What kind of cake is this Karen?" -Red Velvet. "Okay but what kind of cake is it?" -Red Velvet...." Yea, but WHAT kind of cake is it???"- I proceed to list all of the ingredients of the cake...


To make cupcakes with this recipe, simply divide batter in cupcake tins and bake for the same amount of time or until knife comes out clean.

2 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon xanthum gum

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsaltedbutter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated whitesugar

2 largeeggs

1 teaspoon purevanillaextract

1 cup buttermilk *

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

16 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

1 1/2 (360 ml) cups cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

Instructions   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside. In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.  Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.) Cream Cheese Frosting:  In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency. Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto yourserving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.  Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut.

Instructions from Joy of Baking.com
Read more:http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCake.html#ixzz1ROAQdoRk

Flour Mixture

Here is a new flour mixture I have been using in all my recipes:

1 part brown rice flour
1/2 part sorghum flour
1/4 part tapioca flour
1/4 part millet flour

*Using rough estimates for the four parts is fine. It doesn't have to be exact. I mix up all four flour and then use it as an all purpose flour

If you have a local health food store, they probably have flour in bulk. I go to Manna Mills in Mountlake Terrace for my flour. Prices range $1.75-2.15 per pound.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Another new easy recipe! This one was for Mother's Day dinner at the in-law's home. I made a double batch (9x13 pan), and a quarter of it was gone before dinner even started. So, apparently it turned out well. The Jacob's women (and men) sure are good at baking, maybe someday we can put together a dessert cookbook!

Blueberry Coffee Cake


Cake Batter:
1 cup gluten free flour*
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
2 cup blueberries*

Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup gluten free flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into pieces

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, xanthum gum , and salt in a bowl
3. Beat the butter until smooth, add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until incorporated.
4. Add the flour mixture, alternately with the milk, and beat until combined.
5. Spread the batter into the greased pan.
6. Arrange the blueberries on top of the cake batter and sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Streusel topping: Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a knife or pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs.

*Flour suggestion: Recently, for this recipe, and the chocolate cake recipe, I have mixed 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup sorghum flour, 1/2 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 cup millet flour (combined and used as an all purpose GF flour)

* Fresh blueberries are suggested in the original recipe. I used frozen blueberries from Costco. Make sure to THAW the blueberries and drain all the juice, otherwise the topping comes out very moist.

Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake

I have never been able to make a really good gluten free chocolate cake.  They always turn out dry or dense. I've tried Pamala's chocolate cake mix which is not bad in a pinch, it always tastes "gluten free" to me. Betty Crocker's gluten free chocolate cake mix is actually pretty good (a bit dry), but I love to pride myself in making things from scratch.

This weekend, for Easter, I adapted a Martha Stewart's recipe for a chocolate cake that turned out great! Now, hopefully everyone wasn't just being nice, but I thought it tasted yummy! I doubt my whole family would lie to me...some had second helpings which tells me it was a success! Finally, a chocolate cake recipe from scratch that I can use more than once!

Now, I will tell you, Martha's instructions were pretty annoying and high maintenance. Add this one at a time, stir twice, bla bla bla...everything turned out just fine even though I added the chocolate mixture in first instead of the flour... Come on Martha, can't you make things a little more simple? So, I've changed some of her instructions to make it easier.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder*
1/2 cup bowling water
1 cup milk
1 1/2 (3 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for pans
2 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups gluten free flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl and wisk/stir in the boiling water until there are no clumps. Set aside and let cool.
3. In a large bowl or electric mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar until light and fluffy, 3 or 4 minutes, scraping down the sides. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, xanthum gum, and salt.
5. Whisk the milk into the reserved cocoa mixture until smooth with no clumps.
6. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake until tester comes out clean, about 35-45 minutes.
8. Let the cakes completely cool before attempting to remove them from the pans.
9. Frost with your favorite frosting!

*Want to make Cupcakes? Simple put batter into prepared cupcake tins and bake for the same amount of time. Makes about 24 cupcakes.

*I read up on this type of cocoa. It is different than your normal cocoa ( I usually just use Hershey's baking cocoa). Dutch cocoa is processed differently so that it tends to make cakes less dry! So, my guess is using this type of cocoa helped this turn out more moist than in would have with normal cocoa. I used Hershey's dark chocolate cocoa powder.

My 'go to' chocolate frosting recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1 tbs butter

Instructions:
Heat the whipping cream and butter, bring to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate chips. Stir until smooth, and let cool, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate mixture is cool, which may take 30-60 minutes, whip with an electric mixture until you get a creamy, consistency. It should turn a little lighter in color. Spread on cake as desired.

*Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
2 sticks of room temperature butter
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk to thin

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

It seems like I went years without eating pizza. Can you even imagine?... Luckily many restaurants have gluten free pizza now, Romio's, Boston's, and Garlic Jim's. Recently, I've learned how to make gluten free pizza at home. Let me tell you, it is a WHOLE lot cheaper, and tastes just as good!

Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup corn starch
1 3/4 cup gluten free flour*
2 tsp xanthum gum
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup water (more if needed)
2 tbs cottage cheese*
2 eggs
2 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbs honey

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 175
2.Combine the dry ingredients, except for the yeast, in a bowl.
3. Combine the wet ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet
5. Add the yeast on the top of the dry ingredients.
6. Beat on low with a mixer until well blended, add water if needed to get the right consistency. It should look like wet cookie dough.
7. Place on a pizza pan or stone. Oil a spatula or oil hands and spread the dough on the pizza pan until it forms a crust shape. It will be sticky, so it may be hard for it to get a good pizza shape. It should cover a large pizza pan.
8. Place in the preheated oven, and turn off the oven. Let the dough rise for 45 minutes
9. Reshape the dough if needed after it has risen.
10. Pre-bake the dough at 350 for 10 minutes.
11. Add your favorite toppings/ sauce etc.
12. Bake another 10-15 minutes, broil the top if desired.

*1 3/4 brown rice flour or 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour and 1/4 cup sorghum flour
*2 tbs sour cream will work as well if you don't have cottage cheese.



It is alot easier to make than it looks! Good luck!

3 Minute Gluten Free Chocolate Mug Cake

Last night my husband and I had a hankering for something sweet, but I did not feel like spending too much time in the kitchen.  I remembered having a recipe for a 3 minute chocolate mug cake recipe...I could not find it...and so I found it online and made it gluten free. It turned out pretty well, and took about 5 minutes total to make.


1 Large Coffee Mug
4 Tablespoons gluten free flour*
1/4 Teaspoon xanthum gum*
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons baking cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Tablespoons Chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

Instructions:
Mix all the dry ingredients in the mug, add the wet ingredients. Mix well ( Be sure it is mixed thoroughly, the flour tends to get stuck on the bottom of the mug). Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes. It will rise over the top of the mug, but don't worry, it will not spill. It will sink back down once it is done.

*I used mainly sorghum flour, only because that is what was in my flour canister. I'm sure brown rice would work great too.

 

*If you don't have any xanthum gum on hand, my guess is that it would work fine without any. Usually if a recipe has alot of eggs you do not need much xanthum gum. 

 

Good luck!

Pancakes!

Another go to recipe I use often. Great for breakfast, dinner, or a snack, and easy to make! My mom taught me when I was young how to make a peanut butter and jelly pancake sandwich, so sometimes I make that for lunches in substitute for bread.

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free flour*
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbs oil
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp xanthum gum

Buttermilk variation: add lemon juice to milk about 2 tsp

Instructions: Combine all ingredients with a whisk. Mix until all lumps are gone. Cook on stove top or griddle like you would any other pancake!

 Flour variations:

*1 cup brown rice flour (my preference because it is so easy!)
*3/4 cup brown frice flour and 1/4 cup tapioca flour

Sandwich Bread

After years of eating the cardboard rice bread from the store, I've discovered how to make gluten free bread at home! The bread from the store is fine, I'm used to it, but nothing is better than warm, fresh, gluten free bread.  Bread that actually has some sponginess to it and can be used for a sandwich without having to toast it first... 

Some facts about GF bread I have learned so far...

Do not try and adapt normal recipes and try to make it gluten free....it DOES NOT work. I tried this once and got a door stop...Adapting recipes can work for other things, but NOT bread...

Your batter should look like "cake batter", so I have read, but I usually have this recipe look more like cookie dough batter. In other words, GF bread dough is thinner than normal gluten doughs, it will not make a dough ball.

The reason GF breads call for things like eggs and milk powder is because GF flour lacks proteins that wheat flour has, therefore you need to add them some other way.

I am fairly new at making gluten free bread. This is the only one I have found worth making more than once. I adapted this recipe from one I found online. It is pretty flexible as far as what kind of flour you use. See below for flour variations.

Ingredients:

Wet:
3 eggs
1tsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup butter or oil
1 1/2 cup water (room temp)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs honey (will work without if you do not have honey on hand)

Dry:
 3 cups gluten free flour*
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tbs xanthum gum
3 tbs sugar
2/3 cup milk powder
2 1/4 tsp yeast

Instructions:
(For a bread maker)
Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl, all room temperature. ( If the ingredients are not room temperature, I use warm water instead of room temp warm water which makes the rest of the wet ingredients pretty much room temp)
Combine all of the dry ingredients, minus the yeast in a separate bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet (in the bread maker pan), and pour the yeast on the top (make sure it does not touch the wet ingredients)
Use a gluten free setting, if your breadmaker has one, otherwise just choose the whole wheat option.

I have not baked this bread without a breadmaker yet, but it should work fine. Try blending it with a hand mixer, let it rise in a warm place, and bake until golden brown. My guess would be about an 1- 1.5 hours. The saying I use often is, "cook it until it is done!". So, try it out and let me know how it goes! 

 Flour combinations:
*2 cups brown rice flour, 1/2 tapioca flour, and 1/2 sorghum flour (my preference)
or
*3 cups brown rice flour (if you want to make it easier, should work)
 * 1 cup brown rice flour, 1 cup white rice flour, 1 cup sorghum flour ( if you like white rice..)
Really any combination should work. Or if you want to make it even easier, a all purpose GF mix from the store would probably work too.

The next time a bake bread I will post a picture of what it should look like!

Waffles!

Waffles, great for breakfast, dinner, a snack...tasty basically anytime...Since making waffles is  faster than making bread, I have mine like toast most of the time with jam, nutella, or cinnamon and sugar. Here is the recipe I use.

Heat up your waffle maker while you prepare:

2 cups brown rice flour*
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 milk
4 tbs butter/margarine*

Directions:
Combine all of the dry ingredients: flour, xanthum gum, baking powder, sugar, salt.
Add the eggs, milk, and butter.
Mix with a wisk until combined without lumps.
Add to your favorite waffle maker and cook per maker's instructions.

* I use brown rice flour, but you can also use 3/4 cup brown rice flour and 1/4 cup tapioca flour.
*Oil or 4tbs applesauce also will work for a butter substitute.

Enjoy!

Xanthum Gum

If you are new to being gluten free, you are probably thinking, what in the world is xanthum gum? Gluten is the protein in wheat breads etc. that make it moist, gooey, and stretchy. So, without gluten, foods are left dry, crumbly, and dense. Therefore, baking with xanthum gum is crucial! I like to think of xanthum gum as a gluten substitute. It makes your baked goods hold together.

Most of the time, I guess on how much xanthum gum to add to baked goods. For example, if what you are baking has alot of eggs, or fruit in it, you probably don't need to use quite as much xanthum gum. If you use too much xanthum gum, you will be left with a sticky mess that will not bake, if you don't use enough it will crumble and be very dry.

Xanthum gum is pretty pricey at the local grocery store (about ten dollars for a tiny bag), if they have it at all. It is usually located in the baking section near all of the gluten free flours (Bob Red Mill brand). I find the cheapest xanthum gum at the health food store (about 15 dollars a pound at Manna Mills), in the bulk section. It is alot cheaper and you can buy as much or as little as you want. The good thing about xanthum gum is even though it is expensive, it will last you FOREVER! Sometimes you only use 1/4 teaspoon for an entire recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

This is one of the easiest recipes I have. Everyone likes chocolate chip cookies right? I use the Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe on the back of the package.  However...

Use brown rice flour instead of the all purpose flour, and add one teaspoon of xanthum gum.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups brown rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthum gum
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups (12oz package) semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Follow the instruction on the back of the package like normal.


For best results, chill the dough before rolling it into balls. I find that if I don't chill the dough, the cookie will flatten out and all of the chocolate chips will be left in the middle of the cookie.

OR

Make Cookie Bars, my husband's preference. All you do is follow the directions like above, same ingredients etc. but bake it in a tin 9x13 pan. Again, follow the directions on the back of the package. 

I told you it was easy!!

this is gluten free?

I've been thinking about making a gluten free blog for a while now. So here I go. My name is Karen, for those who didn't know. I've been gluten free now for almost seven years. After years of knowing I was sensitive to gluten, eating it anyway, and not knowing it was terrible for me, I became gluten free. Gone are the days of horrible, stabbing, "mom it feels like a knife in my stomach" pain, food going right through me, feeling like I had food poisoning, and canker sores.

People ask me if it is hard to be gluten free, and yes, at times it is, but it is so much better than feeling sick. It is hard to eat out, especially in a pinch. I rarely go out for Italian food, which I'm sure my husband misses terribly. I'd love nothing more than a really great bagel, doughnut, or sub sandwich. Maybe I will get to that level of baking someday.

Despite the things I miss occasionally, eating gluten free is very easy. Most of the time I don't miss it at all. There are alot of bread, cake, pizza dough mixes out there, but I find if you really want something to taste "not gluten free" you need to do it yourself. Most of the time you don't even need to do anything special at all to cook gluten free!

In this blog I hope to share the best of my recipes I use on a day to day basis. I've learned alot about gluten free baking over the years. For example, what is xanthum gum? how much do I use? when? (maybe we'll get into that later). It sounds harder than it is. Trust me, if it was really hard to bake gluten free without mixes and prepackaged items, I wouldn't do it. And in time, baking because fast: I can make a batch of chocolate chip cookie bars in the time the oven preheats.

So, I hope you find things turn out well. Most of the time people can't tell anything I make is gluten free. For example, one day I sent gluten free cookies with my husband to share with work. One of his coworkers, who is gluten free, said to him, "Are you sure those cookies were gluten free? My stomach hurts now..." He responded, "Yes, I am sure those were gluten free, we don't even have normal flour in our house!"...so, like I said, most people can't tell...or they are just being really nice...see for yourself.