Chewy Gluten Free Granola Bars

 These granola bars are so good!!  They are more like a cookie bar!!  I got the recipe from Gluten Free Goodness' blog, but I can't seem to find the link right now.   I love to have these to take on trips or just for snacks!!

 Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups       GF rolled oats

1 cup                All-purpose GF flour (I use Featherlight mix.)
1/2 tsp             Xanthan Gum (if its not in your flour)
1 tsp                 Baking Soda
1 tsp                 Vanilla Extract
2/3 cup            Butter, softened
1/2 cup            Honey
1/3 cup            Brown Sugar, packed
1-2 cups          Chocolate Chips (could use raisins, nuts or a combination)

Directions:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).  Lightly grease one 9" x 13" pan.

In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey & brown sugar.

Stir in the chocolate chips (raisins or nuts).

Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

When it comes out of the oven, use a spatula and press the granola bars.  

It helps them stick together better.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes.

Then cut into bars.  

Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.  

Although my husband can never wait that long.  :)

Once they are cooled I wrap each bar in wax paper and store in an air tight container.

ENJOY!!!

Gluten Free Waffles

We love these waffles!!  I got the original recipe from the cookbook "Life Tastes Good Again".  You can also find the original recipe here.  I did add some ground flaxseed.

3 eggs, separated
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
2 cup featherlight mix
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder
2 Tbs Flaxseed meal (optional)

Beat egg whites until foamy.   Slowly add sugar, and continue beating until the whites form soft peaks.

In another bowl, mix featherlight mix, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, flaxseed (waffle mix).  Add . egg yolks, milk, and oil.  Mix well.  Fold egg whites into mixture.   Bake on a hot waffle iron.

TIP 1:  I make a mix so I don't have to measure all the dry ingredients every time we make waffles.  I mix together the: featherlight mix, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder & flaxseed.  Then when I make the waffles I use 2 1/4 cups of the waffle mix.  I 8 times the recipe and store the mix in my tupperware cereal storer.

Here are the amounts for 8 times to make the waffle mix:
16 cups featherlight mix
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup baking powder
1 cup flaxseed

TIP 2:  We at least double the batch so we have some to freeze for an easy breakfast.  We put in freezer bags with wax paper between the waffles.  We then re-heat in our toaster oven or you can use a toaster.

Gluten Free Mini Fruit Pizzas

My previous post was the sugar cookie "crust" I used to make one of my all time favorite desserts - FRUIT PIZZA!!  These are soooooo good I could live off of them - actually I did for a few days!!    You could roll the dough out on a pizza pan or bar pan and bake, then decorate the whole thing, which is what we have usually done.  This was the first time making the MINI FRUIT PIZZAS and I LOVED the mini version much better for a few reasons:

1- With the bigger version the fruit can get yucky on leftovers.

2- On bigger version - Crust usually gets a little soggy on leftovers.

3- This way you can make it how you want, with the fruit you want and its always FRESH!!

Make Sugar cookie "crust" recipe.  You can find it here.

Mix:
1- 8 oz    cream cheese
1/3 cup   sugar

Let cookies cool, spread cream cheese frosting over cookie and add fruit of your choice to top.

Fruit we like to use:  strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, raspberries, blackberries, bananas

Gluten Free Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

I know it has been awhile since I have posted any recipes.  I apologize for that.  Life has just been really busy and I haven't found the time to post.  Here is my all time favorite sugar cookie recipe that I have altered to make it gluten free.  No hard cookies here - just soft and fluffy cookies!!!  Just a note:  There is no frosting on these cookies because I used them to make mini fruit pizzas for my husband's 40th birthday party.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup           butter
1 1/2 cups      sugar
1 tsp                vanilla
2                       eggs
4 1/2 cups       featherlight mix *
1 1/2 tsp          xanthan gum
2 tsp                 baking powder
1/2 tsp             salt
1/2 tsp             baking soda
1 cup                sour cream

Directions:
Thoroughly cream butter & sugar.  Add vanilla & eggs, mix well.  Whisk together dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients & sour cream alternately.  Mixing well after each addition.  Cover and put in fridge for at least an hour.  (It will make it easier to work with the dough as it is very sticky.)  Roll out on well floured counter/board and cut.**  Bake at 370 degrees for 8-9 minutes.  Frost with your favorite frosting.

* Featherlight recipe here.
** Like I did when I made them this time, you can scoop (I used a 2 tbsp scoop.) roll into a ball and flatten with the bottom of a floured glass cup and bake like normal.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

My husband's family has had a traditional chocolate cake they make for EVERY birthday party!!!!  I believe the original recipe came from his aunt Janice.   When I first joined the family I thought it was really boring to always have the same cake.  But I have come to LOVE it just like everyone else.  When I was diagnosed with celiac disease I knew I would have to adapt it to be gluten free.  It took me several times to get it perfect, but I believe it is there.  We had a family party yesterday to celebrate 6 birthdays and so I made the traditional chocolate cake gluten free for everyone and they all loved it.  You'd never know it was gluten free.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups featherlight mix *

1/2 cup GF mix**

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and dust two 9" round pans.  

I have made in a 9 x 13 pan too.

 Cream sugars and butter.

 Beat eggs, add to creamed sugar/butter & mix well.

 Add cocoa w/ butter & vanilla, blend.

 I use the powdered buttermilk.  It is much easier to have on hand and not waste any.

Mix up the buttermilk powder (2 Tbsp) with 1/2 cup water.

Mix together featherlight mix, GF mix, xanthan gum & baking powder.

 Alternate adding flour mix and buttermilk - a little at a time.

Put baking soda in the bottom of a measuring cup; add boiling water.

Add to cake mix a little at a time.

 Divide cake mix into the two 9" pans.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 Cool Cake in pans while you make the frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter/margarine

4 Tbsp cocoa

6 Tbsp milk

1 lb/box powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter, add remaining ingredients.  Mix until smooth.

Dump one cake out onto a plate.  Frost top and sides.  Add second cake on top.  Use toothpicks to keep in place.  Finish frosting the whole cake.

ENJOY!!!

* You can find the featherlight mix recipe here.

** You can find the GF mix recipe here at the end.

Gluten Free Hamburger Buns

Barbecues are a very common event among my family.  Once going gluten free it was hard to not have a good hamburger bun to enjoy my hamburger with, until a friend posted she had some extra to share.  I had my husband pick up a hamburger bun and was in heaven when I tried it with a barbecued hamburger that night.  These hamburger buns are so good!!!  Thanks Roxanne for sharing your recipe with me.  She now has a blog and has posted the recipe here.

 *Preheat the oven to 200°F*

Ingredients

DRY Ingredients – Mix together
3/4 cup GF oatmeal flour (I blend mine in blender)
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dough enhancer

WET Ingredients – Blend together
2 eggs
2 additional egg whites
1/2 cup plain gf yogurt (I usually use vanilla yogurt or sour cream if I don't have yogurt.)
1 cup water, room temperature
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons of Honey (I have used 2 T of agave in place of honey.)

 Blend the oatmeal in the blender.

 I use english muffin rings. Be sure to grease the rings really well.  I also spray the pan.   I have made 6 and I have made 8 buns with this recipe.  When I make 6 they overflow and are harder to get out of the rings.  Making 8 definitely makes it easier to get out.

Directions
*Mix dry ingredients together, blend wet ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet, slowly, blending on high speed constantly. Blend the mixture well so it works the dough and mixes all the ingredients together.

 Divide the batter into 6-8 english muffin rings.

*Turn off 200°F oven and immediately place the pans in it. Do not open the door once you place the buns in the oven. Allow the dough to rise in oven for 90 minutes. Dough should rise over rim of pans.
*Increase heat in oven to 350°F (do not open door) and bake for approximately 40 minutes until crust is golden-brown.  Cool slightly (1 minute) and removing it from the pan to finish cooling. Do not slice until the bread is no longer hot or else it could be gummy.

 *The hamburger buns do not need to be refrigerated or frozen, but if they haven’t been eaten in a couple days, you can freeze them in air tight bags.