Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies

Once again I have taken my favorite orange raisin cookie recipe and made some changes to come up with a totally new cookie. This ginger molasses cookie might be lacking gluten but it is certainly not lacking in flavor and sweetness!

This recipe is easy, it is relatively quick, it is gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free (and with a couple of simple substitutions it can also be dairy-free  and corn-free).

Gluten-free Ginger Molasses Cookies (20 small)

Ingredients:

100g gluten-free flour (my gluten-free flour is here) 

1/2 tsp baking powder (or corn-free substitute)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (can be omitted but this makes cookies more crumbly)

50g cane sugar

1 Tblsp molasses

50g soft butter (or dairy free margarine)

1/2 - 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp dried ginger

a pinch of salt

(a few drops of water if needed to make the dough stick together)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, dried ginger, xanthan gum and salt. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and molasses until well combined. It should resemble slightly wet brown sugar. Add the sugar to the flour mixture with the butter and fresh ginger. Rub all the ingredients together with your fingers until they are crumbly. 

Continue to use your fingers to mix just until a dough forms. Do not work it too much, simply combine. (You might have to do just a touch of water if you cannot get it to stick together at all).

Form the dough into a long, narrow log and cut it into 20 (more-or-less) equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Using your fingers or a fork, slightly flatten each cookie.


Bake in the middle of the oven for 13-15 minutes until nice and golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on a rack and store in an airtight container or freeze them. 


Enjoy!

"Non-Tomato Tomato" Sauce

My kids are allergic to tomatoes so this sauce is my go-to "Non-Tomato Tomato" sauce for pastas and lasagna and pizza and about everything else that needs a sauce. I also tweak it a bit and use it for enchiladas or Mexican inspired casseroles. 

The sauce originally came about on pure accident, as I looked in the fridge in hopes of finding anything that could be made into a sauce. I grabbed a little of this and a little of that and ta-da sauce accomplished!

Keep in mind it is not going to be red like tomato sauce, and it is not as acidic either but it does the trick at our house, even for my pizza and pasta loving husband :) Also, you might want to play around with the amount of broth you use depending on how thick you want your sauce.

Non-Tomato "Tomato" Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1 Tblsp fat (chicken fat, oil, butter or whatever you wish)

- 4 Tblsp onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 Tblsp celery, finely chopped (I usually use the leafy part, but the stalks work too)

- 2" thick slice of a medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small

- 1 cup broth (I use chicken but you could probably use other kinds too)

- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

- In a small saucepan, heat the fat and add the onion, garlic and celery and  

  sauté for a couple of minutes.

- Add the sweet potato cubes and broth and bring the sauce to a simmer.

- Let the sauce simmer on low until all the vegetables are soft.

- Blend the sauce until smooth with either a traditional blender or an

  immersion blender.

- Season to taste with salt and pepper.

**For pasta or pizza sauce:

          Add ½ teaspoon each of dried oregano and dried basil

**For enchilada sauce:

          Add ½ teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon cumin