Recently I had the good fortune to try Reason to Bake's "cookies with heart." These are gluten free, made-from-scratch, artisan cookies available only through the company's website. That's because they are baked and shipped fresh, without preservatives like most cookies you find on store shelves. The best thing about Reason to Bake is that they are a company with a heart-warming mission: to hire and train intellectually disabled adults...and foster entrepreneurship among them. The company was founded by Elise Sampson and her daughter Carolyn in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. There are currently 3 varieties of cookies: Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Oatmeal, and Spicy Ginger (my favorite...like ginger snaps or gingerbread). They also occasionally offer other seasonal varieties, and you can order gift boxes and variety packs. My husband, son, and I absolutely LOVED these cookies. They were so fresh, were the perfect consistency, and each variety had an amazing flavor. If you did a "blind" taste test, you'd never know they were gluten free. They are a very high quality product, too. Reason to Bake cookies are all natural and non-GMO. They ship anywhere in the U.S., so you have no excuse not to try them! I can't... Read more →
Gluten Free Cookies
This year I've made a bit of time for Holiday baking, and I resurrected an old favorite recipe from a friend, making some adaptations of my own. These gluten free Three Layer Chocolate Mint Brownies are a huge hit with my husband and kids -- and, frankly, anyone who tries them. So they make a great hostess gift if you're invited to a Holiday party, whether your host or hostess is gluten free or not! They are not hard to make, but they do require a bit of time between steps as each layer cools and "sets." First, here are the ingredients you will need, by layer: Cake Layer 1 cup gluten free flour (this time I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but any good gluten free baking flour that can be substituted cup for cup for regular flour is fine) 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 4 eggs 1 1/2 cup (12 oz) Hershey's syrup Creamy Mint Layer 2 cups confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 Tbsp water 3/4 tsp peppermint extract (I like Flavorganics Organic Peppermint Extract, which is both gluten free and non-GMO) Chocolate Top Layer 6 Tbsp butter 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate... Read more →
One of my favorite baked goods growing up were the Seven Layer Bars my mom used to make. I don't remember if she necessarily made them just around the Holidays -- or at other times of year. But every so often I get a craving, despite being the only one in my house that's a big fan of them. This past weekend I decided to make a big batch, which I then cut into squares and froze for future Holiday events we'll either be hosting or attending. It is SO easy to adapt the traditional Seven Layer Bar recipe to be gluten free. One ingredient that can present a problem is, of course, the graham cracker crust. But not to worry, as there are now many brands of gluten free graham crackers to choose from. This time, I used Pamela's GF graham crackers, but you can also use Kinnikinnick's S'morables graham crackers or Schar's variety. (These are all great for making traditional cheesecake crusts, too.) The other ingredient that you should be careful about when selecting a brand is butterscotch chips. Nestle's are NOT gluten free. I was fortunate to find Guittard brand at our local Whole Foods store, and... Read more →
Every so often I like to share a recipe that I think will have wide appeal. This recipe, a combination of several different recipes I revised, is sure to be a hit at any summer gathering. I was a little nervous about how these Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Blondies would turn out, since I didn't follow any particular recipe exactly, but I have to say they were delicious -- and very well received by my relatives at a family get-together yesterday. As always, people were shocked they were gluten free. The blondies were made with chocolate chips (I used the new Simply Delicious ones from Nestle, which are made with only 3 ingredients and free of the 8 major allergens), but you can substitute gluten free vanilla chips, butterscotch chips, or even peanut butter chips. Always verify the gluten free status, because not all products are gluten free. Ingredients: 2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted 2 large eggs, beaten 3 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups gluten free flour (I used Cup4Cup) 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp finely ground sea salt 2 cups chocolate chips Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease inside... Read more →
The package says "Super Food Bites," and these cookies can indeed be classified as healthy in my book. Available in six flavors (Dark Cocoa, Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Lemon Ginger, and Raspberry), Emmy's Organics new coconut-based, macaroon-type "cookies" are not only gluten free but organic, vegan, and non-GMO. The company's focus is on clean ingredients. Best of all, they taste amazing. Surprisingly, I think my favorite is the Raspberry. It reminds me of those Hostess "Zingers" (raspberry and coconut coated snack cakes) that I occasionally ate as a kid decades ago. Literally, with my first bite into one of Emmy's Organics raspberry cookies, I was taken back to the 70s...but this little cookie manages to deliver all the taste, without all the chemicals! The Lemon Ginger cookies were a close second for me. All you'll find in Emmy's Organics cookies are pure, natural, and organic ingredients...things like coconut, agave nectar, almond flour, extra-virgin coconut oil, and other natural ingredients for flavor (lemon juice powder, ground ginger, fair trade cocoa, and vanilla extract), Where can you get these little yummies? They're available online and at thousands of retail locations nationwide, including Starbucks. (I found the Cocoa and Vanilla ones... Read more →