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

My New Favorite Flourless Chocolate Chip Blondies

A friend of mine sent me a recipe for Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies with Sea Salt from Ambitious Kitchen and I made them for dessert yesterday. I am in love!!

The recipe is grain-free and gluten free and it can be dairy free, corn free and egg free etc. but what it lacks in ingredients it makes up for in flavor, gooey-ness and deliciousness! And, it is actually pretty healthy too so I hope you give it a try :)

Flourless Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies

Ingredients
Cooking spray (or butter if not dairy free)
1 can (15oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup all natural almond butter or other nut-butter (I used almond)

Creamy Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

I came across a recipe for avocado chocolate pudding by Martha Stewart and, though extremely skeptical at first, I decided to give it a try. It was easy and quick and I have to say I was pleased by the end result. And yes it is dairy free but not calorie free :)

Here is my modified recipe:

Creamy (Dairy Free) Avocado Chocolate Pudding

1 serving

Ingredients:

1/2 large avocado, ripe

2 - 2 1/2 Tblsp light brown sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 Tblsp unsweetened cocoa powder

sprinkle of sea salt

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!

Texas Sheet Cake

If you do a search for Texas Sheet Cake there are a lot of different recipes that come up. This one, from Southern Living’s Best Ever Cakes and Pies Magazine, is my favorite. It is moist and chocolaty and just the way a chocolate sheet cake should be.

Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Frosting

Make the frosting before taking the cake out of the oven, and spread it on the warm cake.

Sheet Cake Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 (8oz) container sour cream

Orange Raisin Cookies - The Most Versatile Cookie in the Whole Wide World

This recipe is for my most favorite cookie in the whole wide world! It is easy, it is versatile, it is quick, it is  allergy friendly (or at least can easily be). With a couple of substitutions it can be dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, nut-free, chocolate-free, gluten-free or whatever else free too probably.

The original recipe is from one of my favorite blogs called Attic24 and you can see it here but I have also included it below just for easy reference.

Orange Raisin Cookies (12 small)

100g all purpose flour (or gluten-free substitute)

½ tsp baking powder (or corn-free substitute)

50g soft, light brown sugar

50g soft butter (or dairy free margarine)

Oatmeal Waffles

Breakfast seems to always be a bit of a challenge at my house. My kids have grown tired of oatmeal and scrambled eggs or omelets etc. are not the highest on their list either. I do have to say that I have the least picky eaters I have ever met, but I think we just hit a point where the same old breakfasts were just that, the same old. So in order to still give them oatmeal and also eggs here are two options that are big hits:

Blender Oatmeal Waffles

1 ½ c oats (quick or regular)

1 ½ c milk (can be substituted, see below)

2 tsp baking powder

2 Tblsp oil