K, time is up- I have taken a month thinking and promising myself that I'm going to start this blog... I could take another month... or I could just start typing... here goes...
The problem is that I don't know where to start, the problem is that I don't know what people want to hear about, the problem is that I hate typing... all except the last are fixable with a recipe. Everybody loves cookies... so this is where I will start.
I spent most of the afternoon yesterday trying to create a recipe for gf/cf sugar cookies (recipe below) and gf/cf bread for a friend. From time to time I will get requests, but in this case it was purely for my own entertainment. Although I have been creating gf meals for the last year or so, this was my first attempt baking without dairy. What I learned in the process is that gluten-free can be more difficult when baking... without dairy, you're also compromising flavor. I should have started with a peanut butter cookie, but thought twice not wanting to deal with allergies. Either way, I should have paid better attention in chemistry class.
A sugar cookie sounded so simple, and now that I have the recipe created... it is.
Sugar cookies
dry
2c white rice flour
1c tapioca flour
2tsp xanthan gum
2tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1 1/2c sugar
wet
1c canola oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp almond milk (original flavor)
When beginning this process, I didn't want to go to the store, but didn't have any margarine in the house... I have oils or butter (as I said before, this is my first cf recipe). So here's the strange part... it will look so incredibly unhealthy (but- in all fairness, it is sugar cookies we're trying to make & I'm sure Pillsbury isn't any healthier)
Preheat oven to 375 deg
Start with the oil and sugar, mix together in large mixing bowl. Add eggs and blend until completely incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together remaining dry ingredients. Return to the oil/sugar combination (yes, it's correct if it looks like a grainy syrup creation- I know it looks weird, but I'm glad I didn't stop here!) Start incorporating in parts the flour mixture & almond milk, alternating between the two, a bit at a time ("ish"- one cup flour mixture, one tbsp almond milk- "ish"). You have created the batter! yeayyy! Now, you can drop spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake, but be warned- they will spread, so give them space!
What I did here is drop a couple on a cookie sheet (it's hard for me to not try something immediately) and then stick the remaining batter in the freezer for about 20 min.When I pulled the remaining batter out of the freezer, it was firm enough to scoop onto fresh parchment sprinkled with sugar. I then rolled the dough into a log that could freeze for future use (I did have to rotate the dough log a couple times to keep the round form).
I baked a few this morning, if you slice about 1/4 inch thick, straight from the freezer- 10 min is sufficient. They still spread a bit (remember- we used oil). I enjoyed the 10 min cooking time, they ended up much lighter, more "airy" and "chewy" than I expected. Just remember that this dough will soften as it cools to room temp, so, work quickly- have the oven preheated & cookie sheet lined with parchment in advance. Then put them in the oven right away.
I will be trying this with margarine soon. Hopefully it's even easier (i.e. staying solid longer at room temperature). You could try it- let me know how it turns out in the comment section!
The problem is that I don't know where to start, the problem is that I don't know what people want to hear about, the problem is that I hate typing... all except the last are fixable with a recipe. Everybody loves cookies... so this is where I will start.
I spent most of the afternoon yesterday trying to create a recipe for gf/cf sugar cookies (recipe below) and gf/cf bread for a friend. From time to time I will get requests, but in this case it was purely for my own entertainment. Although I have been creating gf meals for the last year or so, this was my first attempt baking without dairy. What I learned in the process is that gluten-free can be more difficult when baking... without dairy, you're also compromising flavor. I should have started with a peanut butter cookie, but thought twice not wanting to deal with allergies. Either way, I should have paid better attention in chemistry class.
A sugar cookie sounded so simple, and now that I have the recipe created... it is.
Sugar cookies
dry
2c white rice flour
1c tapioca flour
2tsp xanthan gum
2tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1 1/2c sugar
wet
1c canola oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp almond milk (original flavor)
When beginning this process, I didn't want to go to the store, but didn't have any margarine in the house... I have oils or butter (as I said before, this is my first cf recipe). So here's the strange part... it will look so incredibly unhealthy (but- in all fairness, it is sugar cookies we're trying to make & I'm sure Pillsbury isn't any healthier)
Preheat oven to 375 deg
Start with the oil and sugar, mix together in large mixing bowl. Add eggs and blend until completely incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together remaining dry ingredients. Return to the oil/sugar combination (yes, it's correct if it looks like a grainy syrup creation- I know it looks weird, but I'm glad I didn't stop here!) Start incorporating in parts the flour mixture & almond milk, alternating between the two, a bit at a time ("ish"- one cup flour mixture, one tbsp almond milk- "ish"). You have created the batter! yeayyy! Now, you can drop spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake, but be warned- they will spread, so give them space!
What I did here is drop a couple on a cookie sheet (it's hard for me to not try something immediately) and then stick the remaining batter in the freezer for about 20 min.When I pulled the remaining batter out of the freezer, it was firm enough to scoop onto fresh parchment sprinkled with sugar. I then rolled the dough into a log that could freeze for future use (I did have to rotate the dough log a couple times to keep the round form).
I baked a few this morning, if you slice about 1/4 inch thick, straight from the freezer- 10 min is sufficient. They still spread a bit (remember- we used oil). I enjoyed the 10 min cooking time, they ended up much lighter, more "airy" and "chewy" than I expected. Just remember that this dough will soften as it cools to room temp, so, work quickly- have the oven preheated & cookie sheet lined with parchment in advance. Then put them in the oven right away.
I will be trying this with margarine soon. Hopefully it's even easier (i.e. staying solid longer at room temperature). You could try it- let me know how it turns out in the comment section!
Please keep in mind that this recipe has only been replicated once. Future postings will be tested several times before being published. If you have any difficulties with this recipe, please let me know...
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are delicious
ReplyDelete