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!

Gluten Free Norwegian Waffles

When I think of waffles I think of dessert or a treat, not breakfast. I think of the Norwegian thin, slightly tangy, heart-shaped waffles served with brown cheese or jam. I would dare say that you cannot get more Norwegian than waffles. There has to be a reason why the symbol for the Norwegian Seamen's Church is just that....a waffle heart! Every Norwegian knows (or at least should know) how to make them and all Norwegians big and small love these heart shaped treats! 

My Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix (Wheat, Corn, Bean, Potato and Soy Free)

There are probably a million recipes for gluten free all purpose flour and there are quite a few ready-made varieties on the store shelves too. However, I have had a hard time finding one that is wheat, corn, bean, soy and potato free and that tastes good. So what do I do when I cannot find what I want? I make it myself.....so here you go!

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix 
(Wheat, Corn, Bean, Potato and Soy Free!!)

Ingredients:

**Make sure to measure by weight**

- 200 grams Sweet Sorghum Flour

- 200 grams Oat Flour (Gluten Free)

Rice and Oat Muffin (aka No-Corn Gluten-Free 'Corn bread')

I have this inability to leave a recipe exactly "as-is" and therefore end up with lots of total flops but also some hits. This recipe is an example of such a hit. 

Though the change, in this case, is minor it makes a big difference! I took my Wheat Free Pancake Recipe and tweaked it just a little and ended up with a muffin recipe. It is not sweet so I would use it as a substitute for a roll or a piece of cornbread with dinner or instead of a biscuit with breakfast. Served warm and with butter they are quite delicious!

Rice and Oat Muffins 
(aka No-Corn Gluten-Free 'Corn bread')

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, divided into whites and yolks

- 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour

- 2 tsp baking powder (I use this homemade version which is corn free)

- 1 tsp baking soda

Wheat-Free Pancakes

I found this wheat-free recipe for pancakes on Bob's Red Mill and it is great! The pancakes are golden and slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy and moist on the inside.

Rice and Oat Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs, divided into whites and yolks

- 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour

- 2 tsp baking powder (I use this homemade version which is corn free)

- 1 tsp baking soda

Corn Free Aluminum Free Baking Powder

There are a lot of different baking-powder recipes out there, but here is the one I use.

Corn Free Aluminum Free Baking Powder

Ingredients:

1 Tblsp baking soda

1 Tblsp arrowroot powder

2 Tblsp cream of tartar

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

I am kind of excited that I have figured out a way to do pizza even on my new and restricted diet!

I am not eating wheat, which in most cases would mean I should be able to eat a gluten-free pizza.....well..... I am also not eating potato, soy or corn either and let me tell you that really limits the gluten-free choices out there! And yes I know that pizza is not a necessity by any stretch of the imagination but that does not mean that I don't enjoy eating a slice every once in a while. 

I am not going to pretend like I invented this new, revolutionary, never-before-tried recipe for amazing pizza crust. As a matter of fact it has been around for a while and I found the original recipe here on a blog called The Lucky Penny. Check it out, there are pictures and such! 

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

I found this whole wheat bread recipe that I thought looked promising. So, as always, I made a couple of small changes and I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

Whole Wheat Molasses Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1.5 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) Active Dry Yeast

Directions:

- In a large bowl, combine half the flour, the yeast and the salt and mix well. 

- In a separate bowl, combine water, molasses and melted butter and heat to 120-130 

  degrees F.

- Add the liquids to the flour mixture and mix until moistened. 

- Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a firm dough.

- Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (approximately 5 minutes)

   **I used my mixer with a dough hook for the entire process**

- Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and then a clean kitchen towel. 

- Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 - 1.5 hours, or until double in size.

- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, punch it down and then make smooth, 

   round ball. 

- Divide into 24-30 rolls (depending on size) and roll firmly between your palms until a 

   smooth ball forms. 

- The "seams" of the roll should be on the bottom of the roll when you place them onto a 

   cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

- Cover the rolls with the clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 

   minutes. When you lightly touch the side of the roll the indentation should remain 

   visible when the rolls are done rising.

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

- Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

My Favorite Wheat and Rye Bread (which I make quite often)

I got a Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe from my sister a while back and if I am not mistaken it is this recipe from Martha Stewart . However, like with most recipes, I made some changes and switched things around. The result in this case is my Wheat and Rye Bread, which I love and my kids really like it too. It is dense, it is hearty, it is very good!

Wheat and Rye Bread

Ingredients:
2 loaves

3 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (You can use honey or other sweetener of your choice)
2 packs of Active Dry Yeast (= 4 1/2 teaspoons)
- - -

Jan 5th - The first phase of the challenge has come to an end

Even though we still technically have food left in the fridge, freezer and pantry I have decided to wrap up the challenge for this time.
I finally headed to the grocery last night and I will post about that later, but for now here are the details about the day yesterday:

Breakfast:
- oatmeal waffles (new batch made with flaxseed instead of egg)
- sun butter
- almond butter
- home-canned pear

Jan 3rd - Still Cookin'

3rd day of the food clear-out challenge......our meals are definitely taking on some character but we are not starving :P 

As I am preparing meals and all 5 of us are eating I am amazed at the amount of food we still have. I am thinking I might stretch it past Monday.....we will see, as there is a limit to the amount of beans we can eat in a row.

Breakfast: 

- Oatmeal Waffles that were pre-made and in the fridge

- Sunbutter

- boiled apple

Jan 2nd - Baking away

I continued my food challenge today and made another small dent in the pantry and fridge. 

Here are the items I made and what ingredients I used today:

Breakfast: 

- Oatmeal

     *oats

     *milk

     *butter

Lunch:

- "Pizza"

     *homemade dough using 1 pack of yeast, sea salt, all purpose flour and oil from the pantry

     *the sauce was half the jar of potato/cauliflower soup

     *the meatballs cut up were the topping

     *half of the piece of Parmesan cheese shredded on top

Norwegian Sweet Rolls (Boller)

Ok, so time and time again I have tried to make these traditional Norwegian sweet rolls and most of the time they have turned out rather blah. But, this recipe might be the key to success....at least this last batch was fluffy and soft and perfect in my opinion! They are not overly sweet, but they are not meant to be savory dinner rolls either. 

And sorry, but the measurements are metric....

Boller

Ingredients:

500g all purpose flour (plus a little extra if dough is too wet)
100g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
100g salted butter, a little soft
3 1/4 dl milk (2% or whole)
6 1/4 tsp active dry yeast