Christmas Sugar Cookies

Every Christmas, I love to make homemade sugar cookies with frosting.  I converted this GF recipe from the Joy of Baking website. I'm not a fan of Royal Icing so I used just a basic butter frosting. The batch I made two days ago is already almost gone...they are so good!!

Ingredients:

3 cups GF flour (I used 2 cups brown rice flour/ 1 cup sorghum flour)

1 teaspoon xanthum gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Mix dry ingredients together
• Beat butter, sugar, eggs in mixing bowl on low-medium speed with a mixer
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until combined.
• Chill dough until firm
• Roll out dough onto clean floured surface until 1/4 inch thick*
• Cut into desired shapes
• Place on cookie sheet and back for 8-10 minutes

*Helpful tip: Roll out only a quarter or half of the dough so that it does not warm up too much. Keeping the dough cool helps it roll out better.

Frosting

4 cups confectioners sugar sifted

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 milk

 Instructions: Mix ingredients until well combined. Add drops of your favorite colors and decorate as desired!

Read more: http://joyofbaking.com/ConfectionersFrosting.html#ixzz2EibbPVb5

Read more: http://joyofbaking.com/SugarCookies.html#ixzz2EiQWdSnb

Banana Bread

Apparently, I am a banana hoarder...I have about 20 frozen banana in my freezer right now. I used up four today for a double batch of banana bread. I do not know what it is about bananas...they never get eaten before they go ripe. I'm just grateful they freeze wonderfully and thaw well to make banana goodies. Our household favorite is banana cake, but I decided to change it up today.

I adapted this banana bread from a Martha Stewart recipe. I substituted the sour cream for greek yogurt, and it turned out very moist. I used a minimal amount of xanthum gum, so if you do not have any on hand, no biggy. Also, I'm sure using brown rice flour alone will be just fine, I'm just partial to mixing it up a bit. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients

            1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

            1 cup granulated sugar

            2 large eggs

            1 cup brown rice flour

             ½ cup sorghum flour

             1/8^th teaspoon xanthum gum*

            1 teaspoon baking soda

            1 teaspoon salt

            1 cup mashed very ripe bananas

            1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

            1 teaspoon vanilla

    Directions

.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

.    In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, yogurt, and vanilla; mix to combine.

.    Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

.    *omit if xanthum gum not available

*adapted from Martha Stewart.com

Gluten Free Baked Donut

I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it would be an easy recipe to make GF. It tastes more like a vanilla muffin not so much like a donut, but sure is tasty none the less. 

3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk (made one batch with rice milk to good results)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (1 1/4 cup brown rice, 1/4 cup sorghum flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum
Coating
2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)
1/2 cup superfine sugar (can pulse regular sugar in food processor to make), or powdered sugar

• Lightly grease a muffin tin with vegetable oil or spray.
• In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla to sugar mixute and combine.
• In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Then pour into liquid mixture and stir to combine.
• Fill muffin cups 3/4 full, and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

http://macandcheesereview.blogspot.com/2009/08/donut-muffins.html

Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Bars

I don't know about you, but I love anything with cinnamon and sugar. These bars are really easy to make and taste great! 

2 brown rice flour*
2/3 cup sorghum flour*
1 teaspoon xanthum gum2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For topping:2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Spread evenly in prepared pan (mixture will be somewhat cookiebatter-ish.) Combine white sugar and cinnamon in a little bowl. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top of the batter.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until surface springs back when gently pressed. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a baking rack. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack. Once cool, cut them into bars.


*If you don't have sorghum flour, and only brown rice, go ahead and use 2 2/3 cups of brown rice flour, it should work fine. 


Original non-gluten free recipe/picture from http://www.eatmedelicious.com/2009/08/snickerdoodle-blondies.html

Yellow Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Happy Valentines Day! Here is a recipe for yellow cupcakes and vanilla frosting. I added a few drops of red food coloring to the frosting to make it pink. Enjoy!

Yellow Cupcakes

1 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cups sorghum flour

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon xanthum gum

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into pieces)

1 large egg, room temperature

2 large egg yolks, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup (120 ml) sour cream

½ cup milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthum gum, and salt. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Place in cupcake tins three quarters way full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Buttercream Frosting

½ cup butter, room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons milk

Combine all ingredients in mixer until smooth. Use immediately or keep refrigerated for later use.