Chocolate Chip Cookies 

The Enjoy life semi-sweet chocolate chips are optional.  We use them because some people in our family have soy allergies as well as gluten allergies. If you also have soy allergies, these chocolate chips are the best! We get them on Amazon. 


Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Life-Semi-Sweet-Chocolate-10-Ounce/dp/B000HDJZWO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334620398&sr=8-1

Ingredients

 1/3 cup Coconut Oil

1/3 cup Butter

1 tbsp. safflower oil

1 cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Water

2 1/4 cups *Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Xanthan Gum

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Gluten-Free Baking Powder

1/2 of a 10 oz. bag of Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

*Gluten Free Flour Mix
2 parts rice flour
2/3 part potato starch
1/3 part tapioca flour
ex. 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour. 
This will yield 3 cups flour.


Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Cream coconut oil, butter and sugars in a mixing bowl.
• Add vanilla and water. Mix until just combined.
• Combine gluten-free flour, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda and baking powder.
• Add to creamed mixture and beat until smooth.
• Add in mini chips. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto parchement-lined baking sheet.
• Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.

Strawberry Shortcake

Recently, on a gluten free message forum; a woman commented that she missed Sara Lee pound cake. The following recipe is not exactly like Sara Lee pound cake, but I think it's better.  It's a recipe that has been in our family for years. We converted it to gluten free, and it tastes just as good. This cake is dense, moist, and buttery, just like a good pound cake should be. It's delicious by itself, but it also makes for an excellent strawberry shortcake!


Southern Plain Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup shortening (For soy free or non-hydrogenated use palm oil or coconut oil which are both solid at room temperature.)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar (The original recipe calls for 3 cups, but we tried it with 2 1/2 and it is just as good. But if you really want the sugar go for all 3.)
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups *gluten free flour mix and 3 tsp. xanthan gum.
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder (make sure the label says gluten free.)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla (Or any other flavoring. I have tried almond and I really liked it.)

*Gluten Free Flour Mix
2 parts rice flour
2/3 part potato starch
1/3 part tapioca flour
ex. 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour. This will yield 3 cups flour.


Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
Grease tube pan. 
Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. 
Add eggs, whip until creamy. 
Sift flour and baking powder. 
Add slowly to butter mixture until completely mixed. 
Add milk and vanilla together. 
Pour slowly into batter and whip until creamy. 
Pour into greased tube pan. 
Bake for 1 hour. Check cake and bake for 1/2 hour more or until done. 
Butter cake top while hot (optional)

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Easter is coming up, and if you're like my family, you like to decorate cookies. We hope you enjoy this recipe, and that you have a very Happy Easter!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups gluten free flour mix*
3 teaspoons xanthan gum


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Mix baking powder and flour, add one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. The dough will be very stiff; blend last flour in by hand (if dough becomes too stiff, add water, a teaspoon at a time). Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 portions. On a floured surface, roll out dough and cut into desired shapes.
Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet on top rack of oven for 6-7 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned.



Frosting: 
1 stick butter
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Food Coloring 


Directions:
Combine butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Whip until creamy.  Then separate frosting into bowls and add food coloring until desired color is achieved.  


*If frosting is too thin add powdered sugar
*If frosting is too thick add a tablespoon of milk 

Number Of Servings:20-24 average-size cookies

*Gluten free flour mix:

2 parts rice flour

2/3 part potato starch

1/3 tapioca flour

  

Gluten Free French Bread

This french bread is amazing! It tastes so similar to the "real" french bread. It's crusty on the outside, and soft and tender within. This recipe is so versatile it can make so many other things. We'll post those recipes later, but for now, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice four
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 3 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons egg substitute (optional)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons fast rise yeast
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 3 egg whites, beaten slightly
• 1 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider)
• melted butter, for brushing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer; place flours, xanthan gum, salt and egg replacer (if used). Blend with mixer on low.
In a small bowl dissolve the sugar in the water, and add yeast.
Wait until the mixture foams slightly, then blend into the dry ingredients.
Add the butter, egg whites, and vinegar. Beat on high for 3 minutes.
to form loaves, spoon dough onto greased and cornmeal-dusted(optional) cookie sheets in two long French-loaf shapes or spoon into special French-bread pans.
Slash diagonally every few inches. If desired, brush with melted butter.
Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place (If you have a drawer under the oven, put it there) until doubled in bulk, 20 to 25 minutes.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove from pan to cool.

  

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

In honor of our Irish Ancestry, we wanted to do a St. Patrick's themed dinner.  The recipes may not all be authentically Irish, but they are delicious, and of course, gluten free. Erin Go Bragh!

Potato Cheese Soup

•  4 med. potatoes, diced
• 1 lg. onion, chopped
• 1 qt. water
• 1/4 c. butter 

• 2 tbs. potato starch 

• 1/2 c. milk
• 1-1/2 c. shredded sharp cheese
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Chopped chives

 Directions:
Combine potatoes, onion and water in heavy saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Add butter. Mix potato starch into the milk and stir into the soup. Return to heat; cook and stir until thickened. Add cheese and seasonings.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread 

4 cups gf flour mix* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 3/4 cups buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (Our favorite ACV is Bragg) and 1 3/4 cups milk) * If you are going to sour regular milk instead of using buttermilk, start this process first. Add the vinegar to a large measuring cup and then add the milk. Let rest 5-15 minutes. Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch cake pan. Sift together the gf flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Create a well in the mix and add the buttermilk or sour milk gradually, stirring until all the flour has been gathered into a sticky dough. If you have extra floury flakes, you may need to add more milk. Mound the dough into the cake pan. Cut a cross into the top of the dough. Cover with another cake pan or pot of same size. If you don't have cake pans, you can cook the dough on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the upper pan and bake for another 15 minutes until crust is just beginning to turn golden. The bottom of the baked bread should have a hollow sound when tapped. Cover to keep bread warm. *Gluten free flour mix: 2 parts rice flour 2/3 part potato starch 1/3 tapioca flour

Easy Key Lime Pie
Filling

• 4 egg yolks, beaten 
• 2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup Fresh Key Lime juice (Fresh is best, but bottled is good too. If you can't find Key Lime juice, use half lemon juice and half lime juice as a substitute) 
• 2 drops green food coloring (optional) 

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground gluten free shortbread cookies ( We use Schar) 
• 4 tbs butter, melted

* To get your cookies finely ground; put them in a gallon sized ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin, or, use a food processor

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes (when you take out the crust it will have puffed up a little bit, I use a clean measuring cup to press it back down to really get that graham cracker crust texture)

Keep oven at 375 degrees F.

Combine the beaten eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice. Mix well. Pour into crust, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until filling no longer jiggles.

Note: You will most likely have too much filling for one pie pan, and not enough for two pie pans.  We poured our extra filling into ramekins, and baked them at 375 degrees F. for 15 minutes in a shallow water bath (a 9 x 13 inch glass cake pan with an inch of water in it).  When they were cool, we sprinkled granulated sugar on top, and burned it to a golden brown with a torch (but similar results can be achieved by putting them under the broiler and watching them very, VERY closely).  This is our version of Key Lime Creme Brulee.

   

Lemon Pudding Cake

-3 Dandy Meyer lemons, (These are a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.  If you can’t find them I am sure juice from other lemons will work.)

-¾ cup sugar

-¼ cup gluten free flour mix*

-¼ teaspoon xanthan gum

-¼ teaspoon salt

-3 large eggs separated

-1 cup whole milk, at room temperature (I used 2%)

-4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Butter a baking pan.
• Finely grate 2 teaspoons zest and then squeeze 1/3 cup juice from lemons; set aside.
• Combine dry ingredients. 
• Whisk together yolks, milk, butter, lemon zest and juice; add flour mixture; whisk to combine.
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir 1/3 egg whites into batter to lighten; gently fold in remaining whites (batter will be thin). 
• Pour into prepared baking dish. 
• Bake until golden; 35-40 minutes

 

• Serve warm or at room temperature (We like it served warm, where the pudding is almost like a sauce over the cake). 

*Gluten free flour mix:

2 parts rice flour

2/3 part potato starch

1/3 tapioca flour

Gluten Free Spice Cake!


This is the first cake recipe we tweaked, that tasted like REAL cake to us.  A lot of our other family members who don't eat gluten free still love this cake. We think it's very yummy, and we hope you will too!

2 cups Gluten free flour mix*

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 ¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. salt

2 tsps. Cinnamon

2 tsps. Pumpkin pie spice

1 ½ cups milk

1 ½ cups brown sugar

¼ cup butter

¼ cup canola oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat Oven-325       Bake 40-50 minutes

• Sift together flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. 
• Combine milk and sugar in heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium heat. (The milk may start to separate and look weird, but don't worry about it). 
•  Remove from heat and add butter, canola oil, maple syrup and vanilla. 
• When butter is melted – add to flour mixture – mix until thoroughly blended. 
• Add eggs and mix until blended. 
• Pour into a greased 9” by 13” pan (or two 9 inch round pans), and bake at 325 , for 50 minutes.

*Gluten free flour mix:

2 parts rice flour

2/3 part potato starch

1/3 tapioca flour

Frosting

½ cup butter

3 TBS. maple syrup

2 ¼ cup powdered sugar

Note: You should be able to find all of the kinds of flours, and the xanthan gum at your local grocery store in the baking section, but if not, check your local health food store.  Below are some places we've shopped for items we can't find in our local market. 

• Whole Foods
• Earth Fare 
• Henry's 
• Trader Joe's 
• Jimbo's Naturally
• Kristina's Natural Ranch Market (I think this is only in Fresno, CA)
• Amazon (We love online shopping)