Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

A batch of "cinnful" gluten-free snickerdoodles. These cookies are one of my children's favorites and always beat out the normal flour-based variety time and time again.

Sweet, soft and chewy surrounded by a heavenly coating of sugar and cinnamon.

The recipe is an adaptation of one I have used repeatedly, with rave reviews, from
The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook.

This is a wonderful cookbook for those who have gluten allergies or sensitivities.
Many recipes are dairy, egg, soy, nut and sesame free as well.

The true Snickerdoodle recipe in her book is both vegan and gluten-free.
I, on the other hand, used eggs, butter and milk
instead of her alternative ingredients.

Basic Gluten-Free Baking Mix
used throughout the book:

• 4 cups superfine brown rice flour (preferably from Authentic Foods)
• 1 1/3 cups potato starch (NOT potato flour)
  
• 2/3 cup tapioca flour or tapioca starch

LET'S GET STARTED

I keep my gluten-free baking mix in a ziploc bag and store it in the fridge.
Give it a good shake before using to ensure all ingredients are mixed together.

My daughter Charley preparing the sugar and cinnamon
that the cookies are rolled in prior to baking.


Here are the cookies rolled in sugar/cinnamon mix and ready for baking.
They only take 10 minutes in the oven!


Ten minutes later - these are FANTASTIC !
They will settle somewhat as they cool.

RECIPE (adapted from The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, Cybele Pascal)

WHAT YOU NEED

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour mix (ingredients listed above)
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon xantham gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I used Crisco brand)
3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I use Madagascar vanilla)
1 egg at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk ( I used 2% but whole would be fine too)
2 tablespoons fine granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 375F
LINE 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper

WHISK together first 5 dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
COMBINE butter and shortening with an electric hand-mixer on MED speed for 1 minute
ADD white and brown sugars. Blend until combined.
ADD egg and vanilla extract. Mix , scraping down sides of bowl with spatula when needed.
SLOWLY add 1/2 dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Blend until combined
ADD milk. Blend.
ADD remaining flour mixture and mix until combined.

IN SEPARATE SMALL BOWL, combine sugar and cinnamon
TAKE A HEAPING TEASPOON of dough per cookie, roll into a ball then roll thoroughly in sugar/cinnamon mix. Continue until all dough is used up - should give you 22-24 cookies.
PLACE cookies 3 inches apart on baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 minutes
LET COOL on cookie sheets for 10 minutes
REMOVE from cookie sheets and allow to cool another 10 minutes on cooling rack.

DIG IN !!!

Butterscotch Cupcakes

Light and moist vanilla cupcakes filled with homemade butterscotch sauce. Topped with a fluffy and creamy buttercream icing. To top it off, a sprinkle of Skor bits. It DOESN'T get any better than this !

This recipe is the current Food Network Community Challenge; a sweet concoction by Chef Ricardo Larrivée. I altered it as I went along and will share all the details below shortly !

One word: YUM !!

RECIPE as posted on the Food Network

Ricardo makes cupcakes even sweeter with homemade butterscotch and vanilla buttercream icing.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk

Butterscotch

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons Scotch (or other whisky)
• 1/4 cup 35% cream, hot
• 2 tablespoons salted butter

Vanilla buttercream icing

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons 35% cream, hot

Directions

Cupcakes

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place paper or silicone liners in 9 or 12 muffin cups.
2. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar with the vanilla using an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until the mixture is smooth. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly. Unmould and finish cooling on a rack.

Butterscotch

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns golden-brown. Off the heat, add the Scotch, the cream and butter. Continue stirring until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

Vanilla buttercream icing

1. In a bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream in a thin stream and continue beating until smooth. Set aside.

Assembly

1. Using a apple corer or a melon baller, cut a pocket from the centre of each cupcake, removing about 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of cake without cutting through. Fill the pocket with 15 ml (1 tablespoon) butterscotch. Ice the cupcakes with the buttercream icing.

My Alterations:

• add 1/4 cup of full-fat sour cream to wet cupcake batter ingredients.
• add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract to wet cupcake batter ingredients.
• sift all dry ingredients before adding to wet ingredient.
• omit alcohol from filling.
• add 1/4 cup of cream cheese (at room temp) to icing.
• sprinkle iced cupcakes with Skor bits for a great sugary crunch.

Chewy Mocha Dream Cookies

Thank-you Clean Eating magazine for this great recipe! It is gluten free, only 56 calories per cookie and really knocks it outta the ballpark in terms of its chocolate impact! I love them and the kids are loving them too. If your kids attend an allergy-conscious school (or any of you have nut allergies) , just omit the walnuts and voila - a healthy AND nut-free treat. But for everyone else, I highly recommend you stick to the recipe and load them up with chopped walnuts. The added crunch is divine !

This recipe is in the Feb 2011 issue of Clean Eating.
Try these out ! You will be pleasantly surprised !

LET'S GET STARTED !

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

6 egg whites at room temperature
pinch sea salt
3/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice ( I used Sucanat)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used Fry's brand)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 oz dark chocolate (70% or greater), chopped
1/2 cup chopped unsalted walnuts

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. * Though the recipe didn't call for it, I highly recommend you spray your parchment paper with cooking spray to avoid any sticky messes!*
IN LARGE BOWL, beat egg whites with salt using an electric beater until soft peaks form.
GRADUALLY add cane juice and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
FOLD in cocoa powder, espresso, vanilla, chocolate and walnuts and mix until combined (the recipe said no need to fold but trust me on this !)
DROP batter by rounded tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, dividing evenly. This recipe should make about 24 cookies.
BAKE 1 cookie sheet at a time on oven's middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes per sheet, until cookies are no longer shiny.
ALLOW to cool 5 minutes before removing from sheet. PLACE on cooling rack until they cool entirely. If these tend to stick somewhat to parchment just use a hard spatula to quickly lift them off the parchment.

These are chewy, sticky and just plain GOOD !

STORAGE TIPS: I recommend storing these in the fridge.
I also recommend you keep them in a simple plastic container with a lid.
Line the bottom with wax paper, then layer with one single layer of cookies,
top with another piece of wax paper and continue.
If the cookies come in contact with one another they will stick together.
I learned this the hard way after I took the photo at the top of this recipe entry !

Old-Fashioned Banana Roll

Just like the banana roll I used to buy my Granny at Woolworths many, many years ago! This is a lovely light banana cake with a whipped cream icing.

What brought this on? As I walked into my kitchen to put on a pot of tea, I was greeted by the smell of an overripe banana. And sure enough, there it was. One lone banana overly ripe on the counter -- not enough for muffins or a quick bread. So now what? Freeze it for good use later? Or throw it out?

And then I remembered!



Like a candy-coated flashback, it all came back. Little me as a teeny-bopper picking up a sweet banana roll at Woolworths on my way home one Saturday for a weekend visit.
After that first purchase it became the norm - a banana roll was toted home
(along with my dirty laundry) each and every visit !

This brought back many fond memories. I hope it does the same for you.
And if not, well then you can bet it will create new superb memories
for you to enjoy in the future!

Rather than trying to put together a recipe from scratch with the hopes of mimicking the real thing, I figured there was no way I was the only person who loved and missed this little dessert. My Google research led me to find a recipe that I was sure was my ticket to recreating the Woolworths Banana Roll and I found it here at Tasty Home.
I did adapt this version though as I went along.

I am not a jelly roll superstar. To be honest, this is the FIRST one I have ever baked.
I am proud to say it came out perfectly!

LET'S GET STARTED !

To begin, I greased a cookie sheet (as I had no jelly roll pans hanging around)
and lined it with parchment paper with 2 inch overhang.
Then I greased the parchment paper too !


The batter was simple but beware, have 3 mixing bowls handy before you begin.
I smoothed it into the pan and hoped for the best.


10 minutes in the oven and out it came to be immediately transferred
to a tea towel which was pre-dusted with icing sugar.
Then I simply, and gently, rolled up the cake into a little log.
I let it sit for a good hour before icing.

Yes, there is a little jelly roll all tucked away in here.
I couldn't stop touching it while it was still warm and swaddled in the tea towel.
It felt like a kitten wrapped up in a blanket (and yes, in a GOOD way!!)


Let the icing begin !


So two amazing things occurred today:
I conquered my fear of jelly roll baking and I recreated a memory!
I brought the past into the present!

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

FOR THE ROLL

1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 large banana works)
1 tablespoon full-fat sour cream
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature

FOR THE FILLER ICING

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon banana extract
1 package of Whip It

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan
LINE with parchment paper ensuring 2 inch overhang on all sides
IN MEDIUM BOWL, SIFT flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
IN SMALL BOWL, MASH banana and combine with sour cream.
IN LARGE BOWL, CREAM butter until it is smooth (1-2 minutes medium speed with hand-mixer).
ADD sugar and scrape sides of bowl if necessary.
CREAM SUGAR and butter for 2 minutes medium speed.
ADD egg and continue to beat 2 minutes.
SLOWLY add half flour mixture, then banana mixture and end with remaining flour mixture. MIX until smooth.
POUR batter into pan and use icing spatula or knife to spread evenly.
BAKE for 10 - 12 minutes until top starts to turn golden brown.

REMOVE from oven
LAY a tea towel on your work surface and dust with icing sugar
INVERT cake onto tea towel and ROLL up with towel.
ALLOW to cool for 1/2 hr.

MAKE ICING:

COMBING all icing ingredients blending at medium to high speed with a hand-mixer
until smooth and thickened.

ICE THIS BABY !!

UNROLL cake slowly (if it starts to stick gently pull towel off cake) and spread with 1/2 of icing
ROLL up slowly and cover with remaining icing
SPRINKLE top of jelly roll with chopped walnuts

ENJOY! This one is to remember!!

Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes with Fudge Icing

These lovely little jewels are dense and moist thanks to egg yolks and sour cream. Top them off with a chocolate fudge icing and you are in business !

This recipe is one of my faves; simple yet effective !!! I found it years ago in a fantastic baking cookbook.

The icing is just a buttercream base with added melted semi-sweet and unsweetened chocolate. You cannot go wrong with buttercream !

A vanilla buttercream icing would work just as well. And for Easter, think about tinting it a pastel shade of green, yellow, pink or blue !

The Secret (to a superb yellow cupcake) Lies Within.

For those not lucky enough to own this little gem,
I will repost the recipe here with a few alterations.

Cook's Illustrated Magazine - Baking Illustrated. America's Test Kitchen.

LET'S GO !!

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fine white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large egg at room temperature
2 large egg yolks at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (love Madagascar vanilla in these!)
1/2 cup full fat sour cream at room temperature


FOR THE ICING:

2 ounces of dark baking chocolate
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (you can go with baking chocolate or even chocolate chips)
2/3 cup unsalted butter @ room temperature
1 1/3 cups sifted icing sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE 12 muffin cups or LINE with paper liners (I am always a fan of liners!)
IN A LARGE BOWL, whisk together first four ingredients
WITH ELECTRIC HAND-MIXER, add all other ingredients and blend until combined
DIVIDE batter evenly among muffin cups
BAKE for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean
ALLOW to cool in muffin tin 5 minutes
REMOVE cupcakes and allow to cool 1/2 hr on a cooling rack before icing

Ready to be iced

MAKE THE ICING:

CHOP chocolate into small pieces
IN A SMALL MICROWAVE SAFE BOWL, combine dark and semisweet chocolate
MICROWAVE 30 seconds at 50% power
STIR and microwave again 30 seconds at 50% power
STIR and if melted then great ! If not, back in it goes
ONCE MELTED, allow to cool to room temperature
IN SEPARATE LARGE BOWL, whip butter with electric hand-mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes at medium speed)
SIFT in icing sugar and mix until blended (1 minute at medium speed should do it!).
ADD vanilla extract and mix til combined.
ADD cooled chocolate mixture and blend until well combined.

ICE the cupcakes: I used a 1M Swirl Wilton piping tip.

My little assembly line

The Desired Result

PW's Raspberry Cobbler

I made an incredibly easy and tasty raspberry cobbler this evening. The entire family devoured it ! Thanks goes to The Pioneer Woman for a lovely recipe from her cookbook "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". I purchased this book yesterday and couldn't wait to get started !

This recipe can be found on her website and I will simply direct you to her link versus re-posting.

I do have some pictures to share of my cobbler baking experience though and I do hope you enjoy them. If they inspire you to cook this gorgeous dessert then all is truly well in the world.

ONE OF THE EASIEST COBBLERS I HAVE EVER MADE

A simple blend of butter, self-rising flour, milk and sugar creates the base.
Then feel free to choose your fruit - I opted for raspberries.


It emerged from the oven golden, crispy-edged and glittering with sugar


And it didn't last long. I served it with vanilla ice cream.
Whipped cream on this would be great too! As you can see, we dug in !

Don't wait another moment: The Pioneer Woman's Cobbler recipe

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies - an old favorite among many. This was a recipe my mom used to make when I just a little lass.

For the peanut butter, I had great ideas to inject some kind of "healthy" version of it into these lovelies and go with pure and natural peanut butter. My advice: DON'T DO IT ! Stick to your typical Skippy or Kraft brands for best results.

I had also initially intended to jazz these up a bit - dipped in chocolate or even just drizzled. But honestly, why mess with a good thing? I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

LET'S GET STARTED !

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

1/2 cup fine white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg at room temperature
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 375F
LINE 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
IN LARGE BOWL, combine first 7 ingredients. Hand-mixer works well on medium speed
SIFT in flour, baking soda and salt
STIR until combined
ROLL dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets
DIP a fork in sugar and flatten dough in crisscross pattern
BAKE for 10-12 minutes (mine needed the full 12)
REMOVE from cookie sheet and let cool completely on wire rack

This recipe can also be used to make PEANUT BUTTER KISS cookies.

Simply do not flatten dough, roll in sugar and bake for same amount of time.
When done, remove from oven and press Hershey chocolate kisses down into center of cookies until they crack around the edges.

ENJOY !!!!

Foodie Friday (Feb 25, 2011)

Sweet Tooth Friday ( Feb25, 2011)