Sugar Cookie Cutouts!

As a child, making and decorating sugar cookies was an integral part of enjoying the Christmas season.  Choosing the shapes, choosing the colour of icing, and then getting to feed the cookies to jolly old Saint Nick was certainly very joyous.  

There are a ton of variations of this classic cookie, and it luckily is very easy to turn any run of the mill sugar cookie recipe into a gluten free one.  It works with a wide variety of the gluten free flours out on the market, and different G-Free mixtures.  I recommend trying out your favourite recipe with some different types of flour.  In the mean time, if you don't have a preferential recipe, here is one of mine!



Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar (this works well with granulated coconut sugar)
2 lrg eggs 
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
2 1/2 cups GF mixture



In a medium sized bowl, sift the flour, xanthan gum and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, and add the vanilla.  Slowly add in the flour mixture. Chill for at least half an hour.

Bake at 375º on a parchment lined cookie tray for about 6-7 minutes, or until light golden on the bottom.
Let cool on the cookie tray for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

White Chocolate Crumble Shortbreads

While doing my annual Bulk Barn stock up for Christmas baking, I happened across this amazing white chocolate candycane bark.  I figured it would be perfect to add to a simple shortbread recipe.  It's not your traditional cutout shortbread this time, its very quick and easy (also delicious).  

Just look at those hunks of white chocolate goodness!  

Shortbread Log

1 1/2 cups all purpose G free
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup icing sugar (you can find organic icing sugars at your local health food shop)

In a medium sized bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients (except sugar) until well incorporated.  In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until relatively smooth.  Gradually add in the flour mixture, mix well.  Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.

Roll the dough into a log about 2 1/2 inches wide and an inch tall, making sure it's pretty even the whole length through.  Cut into half inch disks down the entire length.  Don't worry if they don't look perfect, they will be plenty delicious enough to make up for it.

Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet at 325º for about 10 - 12 minutes, or until golden.  Let cool on the baking tray until the cookies are set enough to transfer to a wire baking rack.

Gingerbread Cookies

The Christmas season is fast approaching, and with it comes so many temptations.  This year all of my baking, and cooking is gluten free.  I will post everything from how to do a turkey, stuffing, gravy and delicious treats - G Free (most are not sugar free, but are mostly refined sugar free)

To start off this season's recipe-a-thon on a delicious foot, we shall start with gingerbread.     The delicious, not too sweet, yet just the right spicy cookie everyone (I'm assuming everyone because they are amazing) loves.  

Who says gingerbread has to be people?  Snowflakes for everyone!

Gingerbread:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup shortening (can be vegetable if you're vegan)

1 1/2 cups dark molasses 

2/3 cup cold water

5 cups Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour

2 cups Gluten free mix

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

In a medium sized bowl, mix the brown sugar and shortening.  Add in the molasses and water.  Stir in the remaining ingredients, then cover and set in the refrigerator overnight (or a minimum of 2 hours).

When you're ready to bake, heat the oven to 350º.  It's easiest to work the dough in sections.  Take about half the dough and roll out onto a heavily floured surface (I use the Bob's all purpose), or you can use cornstarch.  You'll want the dough to be rolled about 1/4 inch, maybe a bit less.  Cut whatever shapes your heart desires, and place an inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 mins.  Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Easy Royal Icing:

4 tbsps meringue powder

4 cups icing sugar

scant 1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, whisk meringue powder and water together until light and foamy   (about 2 mins) on medium speed, add the extract.  Slowly add in the sugar on low setting until well incorporated.  Scrape down the bowl.  Mix until stiff peaks form and stay on the paddle.  

When working with royal icing, it's best to cover the bowl with a damp cloth to keep the icing from drying out while you're working.  

Pie Crust

With Canadian Thanks Giving just around the corner, it only makes sense to have a recipe for pie crust that doesn't stink.

I honestly thought a flaky, delicious pie crust was never going to be in the cards for G free me.  I was so wrong!  It took some playing around and some research, but I found a crust that doesn't stink, and is pretty easy to make.

The trick in making any good pie crust is to make sure that your "wet" ingredients are cold cold cold, and the bowl you are using is cold too.  It's also important to let your dough sit in the fridge for at least half an hour before rolling it out.  

The Dough:

3/4 cup Bob's Redmill all purpose flour

3/4 cup this GF mixture 

1 TSP kosher salt

2 TBSPs brown sugar

2-4 TBSPs cold water

1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into cubes 

Mix all the dry ingredients together into a medium sized bowl.  With clean hands, blend in the butter by rubbing fingers together with the flour mixture.  You're looking for everything to be blended together into a mealy texture, don't over mix. The butter and flour should resemble small peas.  Blend in the water (this works best with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer), if you don't have a stand mixer work in the dough with your hands blending until everything is just wet.  You may need to add in a few more TBSPs of water.  Once the mixture is blended, kneed out onto a GF flour dusted surface, folding the dough over about 5 times, making sure to keep everything well dusted.  Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

When you're ready to roll the dough out, make sure to work quickly, handling the dough as little as possible.  I find it works best to sandwich the dough in between 2 pieces of wax paper to roll out.  Just roll enough to fit a 9" pie plate, making sure not to over roll.  

Cut the excess dough off the edges using a sharp knife.  With the leftovers you can make fun shapes to put on top of your pie.  Get creative!

Leaf cut-outs are so easy!

Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is so very easy to make, and is arguably the most delicious.  Who would argue that?  Maybe the French with their distinctly sweet teeth.  That being said; I am part way French blooded and bloody well love Pumpkin Pie.  

Ready for the oven!

With this recipe, you can either use pie pumpkins (which is how I do), or you can use the canned pumpkin purée.  When you're at the grocery store make sure it's the purée you're buying, not the prepared pumpkin stuff (which already has sugar and spices added).

How to do it the good ol fashioned way:

2 medium sized pie pumpkins
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger 
Ground Cloves

Cut the top off the pumpkins like you were going to carve it for Halloween. Gut the seeds and stringy guts stuff and toss out.  Place the pumpkins as-is onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with your assorted spices along the inside walls and a bit into the bottom just to cover lightly. With the nutmeg and cloves, make sure to use a pretty scant amount, as it's quite a strong flavour. Bake at 350º for about an hour.  Once the pumpkins are done and soft, scoop out the innards right off of the skin into a blender.  Purée until just smooth. This yields enough for 2 pies, or 1 pie and some other creative pumpkin concoction.


Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie:


3 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin
1/2 cup thick coconut milk (Grace coconut milk is amazing for   this)
1/2 cup brown sugar

If you opted for the canned pumpkin you'll need these as well:

1 TSP ground cinnamon
1/2 TSP ground ginger
1/8 TSP ground nutmeg
1/8 TSP ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Beat the eggs for just a few seconds, enough to be just broken up. Add in the pumpkin, coconut milk, sugar, and spices if you're using the canned pumpkin.  Beat again until smooth and blended, maybe just another 30 seconds or so.  Pour the mixture into an unbaked pie crust, either home-made or store bought.  Bake for about 45 minutes, if the filling is still liquidy bake for another 5-10 minutes keeping a close eye on the crust.  If the crust starts to brown too quickly, take a fairly long sheet of tinfoil and cut a hole into the middle.  Cover the pie with the tinfoil, making sure to keep the hole in the centre of the pie.  Let the pie stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

I dip, You dip, We Dip...Biscotti!

Mmmmmm Biscotti.  One of the best treats to ever be dipped into a coffee according to me, and surely many others.  Biscotti is the plural form of Biscotto, which is derived from a Latin word that means "twice baked".  Due to the cookie being twice baked, it lasts longer in terms of preservation; but most important it was dead easy to convert to a gluten free version of the recipe.  

Another very delicious aspect of this cookie, is that you can mix up so many different flavours.  Almond/Vanilla, Cranberry/Orange, Chocolate Chip, Almond/Lemon, Lemon/White Chocolate etc., etc., so on so forth, on and on and on...get creative!

For this recipe I did my most favourite plain Jane Almond/Vanilla, and decided to dip the cookies in white chocolate afterwards.  


Vanilla Almond Dipped Biscotti

1 cup Bob's Redmill All Purpose Flour (2 cups if you want to omit almond flour)
1 cup almond meal flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 TSPs baking powder
1 TSP salt
2/3 cup agave nectar (or 1 cup of sugar)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 TSPs vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped almonds
2 squares of Baker's white chocolate 

Preheat the oven to 325º.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl or stand mixer bowl, beat the eggs and agave (or sugar) for appox. 3 minutes.  You're looking for the eggs to be fluffy and a pale colour.  Stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed and even. Let the batter stand for up to 7 minutes.  Divide the dough into 2 piles on the baking sheet, forming them into 2 even log shapes that are about 3" wide.  Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the logs are a nice golden colour.

They don't need to be perfectly shaped to turn out delicious.

Once the cookies come out, let them stand and cool for a few minutes.  Cut them diagonally into even lengths.  Lay the cookies out onto the baking sheet cut side down and bake again for about 25 minutes.  Let the cookies cool completely.

Countdown to om nom time.

In a double boiler (or glass bowl placed over a pot), melt the white chocolate taking care not to burn it.  Dip 1 end of each of the cookies and place on the baking tray to cool.  Brew up some coffee, and dip dip dip.

Lock Stock and Two Smoked Bones

Stock is what I'm really going for here with my delicious title.  The easiest thing in the world to make in my humble opinion, and the stepping stone to so many delicious meals, soups, gravies etc. etc.  

This entry will give a basic idea of how to achieve 3 different types of stock, depending on your preference, and what you might be cooking.  You can either choose to discard the veggies or reuse them in the soup/concoction you're making.  


Stock Number 1 - Chicken

1 chicken carcass
1 whole onion cut into quarters with skin still on (washed of any dirt)
1 whole carrot (washed but un-peeled)
4 cloves of garlic smashed with skin still on
1 celery stalk
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of fresh rosemary 

Throw all ingredients into a large pot and generously cover with water.  Cook on medium heat until a rolling boil is achieved for about 5 minutes.  Cover and simmer on low heat for up to 2 hours depending on how large the carcass is.  Refrigerate until cool and fat has solidified on the top.  Skim fat, strain into a freezer container, pot, or bowl.  Voila.

Stock Number 2 - Vegetable

2 whole onions cut into quarters
2 whole carrots 
4 cloves of garlic
2 celery stalks 
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 handful dried mushrooms

Throw all ingredients into a large pot and generously cover with water.  Cook on medium heat until boiling for 5 - 10 minutes.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 hours.  Strain into a freezer container, pot, or bowl.


Stock Number 3 - Beef

1 portion beef bones (2-3 lbs) (acquired from the butcher)
1 onion cut into quarters
1 carrot roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic smashed with skin on
1 celery stalk roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 400 º, roast the beef bones for up to an hour.  Place the roasted bones, vegetables and herbs into a pot; generously cover with water.  Cover and simmer on low heat for 2 hours.  Refrigerate until cool, skim any fat that may have risen to the surface. Strain into a freezer container, pot, or bowl.