Even with a toddler and baby we’re stilling going strong with our adventures. And our dinners out haven’t slowed down too much either, well maybe a few less since we’re in the middle of cold/flu season. Admittedly we’re creatures of habit, okay really just me, but I like what I like and we tend to order in or dine out at the same rotation of restaurants. Happy to report we just added a regular to the rotation!
I’m always on the lookout for new gluten free options. And I have high standards when it comes to a try out, I’m talking a gluten free menu that includes more than three items that just omit sauce and side and offer plain meat. So when I noticed a random post by Gluten Free Philly it felt like fate that I was introduced to Jules Thin Crust. HOMEMADE pizza crust, not frozen, with over 25 pizza combinations, thanks to all gluten free toppings! Too good to be true? This is totally true I promise! And I have to spoil the surprise with a sneak peak at a pie!
A little about Jules Thin Crust, they have locations on the West and East Coast so if you see a location close enough for a day trip, it’s worth it, trust me. The best part though, they don’t just have a gluten free menu with the little “Eat at your own risk” disclosure, they are really GLUTEN FREE! They’ve worked with the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America to make sure their gluten free dough is safe. The ingredients we all know are only half the battle but the staff here too are trained and well trained to prevent contamination. Good news for any gluten free diner!
Okay now the good stuff. The pies are AMAZING! They come in two sizes, mini and medium which is huge as is. They’re prepped and cooked safely, topped with any of their toppings and sauces, all of which are certified gluten free. Now for everyone else their pies are already made and just need warming, ours are custom made which takes about 12 minutes. But a little wait is worth it because once your pie arrives on a pizza word with gluten free labeled paper underneath you’ll be more than ready to dig right in.
So the pizza…was….AMAZING!!! I opted for half plain and half pesto tomato, yes you can do that here too. The combos are endless and all gluten free, yes I know I said it already but it’s just so exciting. The crust is deliciously thin, a little crispy but soft too making a perfect pizza option for me. And fresh, nothing beats a fresh pizza crust, not frozen, textureless and flavorless like too many others. The toppings go right to the edge, everything is perfectly seasoned and just phenomenal. They have so many options I honestly had trouble choosing what to try. Check out all of the pizza options Jules Thin Crust Menu!
Yes I included the soda because they have so much more that’s gluten free. From a list of gluten free beverages, which you never see, salads, and desserts too, they just kept impressing me! And even though I hardly finished my pizza, my toddler insisted on a sweet treat, so I happily obliged. She picked out a sprinkle butterfly cookie, soft and freshly packaged and it was delicious.
From start to finish the meal was perfect and the experience even better. All of the staff knew just what to do and how to answer every question. Good food and good staff, win win! Even better, my daughters, one of which got to actually taste the food, and my husband loved the dinner as well. We’ll definitely be back, and very soon!
Thanks Jules Thin Crust for making gluten free living a little more enjoyable!
Christmas music, wrapping presents, admiring Christmas lights, and my favorite, baking Christmas cookies, an amazing weekend before Christmas and I can officially say we’re all set for Santa’s big arrival. We had a little mini baking session last week, just Mommy and her girls baking some super tasty Gluten Free Peanut Butter And Chocolate Sandies but we decided to wait for Daddy for round 2 with a family favorite, cutout cookies. But can I just say how delicious these Sandies turned out! Soft, melt in your mouth, deliciousness with my favorite peanut butter/chocolate combo. While I’d like to pat myself on the back for making these balls of holiday goodness while calming a teething baby and washing, rewashing a toddler’s sticky fingers, I have to give plenty of credit to the star of these cookies, Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour. Thanks to them these cookies looked, felt, and tasted EXACTLY like the Christmas cookies of my childhood, only these were 100% gluten free!
In years past we’ve made Christmas cookies only for Daddy and daughter, strictly off limits for Mommy. When 66% of my family was okay with gluten, my daughter being one of them, I decided it was best for the time being to stick with the gluteny cookies (also most price conscious too). Since I spend many an hour in the kitchen with my little girl by my side these days, I’ve watched just how much cross contamination is possible from her little hands to my gluten free food or gluten free cooking utensils, very scary. So to save Mommy from any possible glutening we decided the family is going partially gluten free, at least at home that is. For our baking future, we’ll be doing only gluten free baking, with only gluten free flour flying around, which gives me a little relief I have to admit.
So with our now majority gluten free house I was on a mission this year to make the best gluten free Christmas cookies. Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill our Peanut Butter Chocolate Sandies were just that, gluten free without them being obviously gluten free (hey, the stereotype can be very accurate). Now onto a Christmas staple, Gluten Free Cutout Cookies, and I’m happy to report these turned out just as delicious and pretty as they look. And did you happen to notice anything Disney? Yup, we started fresh this year with brand new cookie cutters and as a special treat to our junior baker we let her pick out her favorites. Not surprising, Disney/Christmas won!
These, along with the Sandies, are always family favorites. Rolling cookie dough into balls or making special shaped cookies that are screaming for tasty decorations, the appeal for all kids and kids at heart is kind of obvious. So with the help of miniature, freshly washed hands we mixed up the batter and started rolling, cutting, cooking, and repeat. The mixer and cutting parts were fun but a favorite by far was decorating. Daddy picked out our little girl’s favorite icings and some festive sprinkles and let her creativity take over. And even though more icing may have made it’s way into her mouth than on the cookies, the end result, these adorable Christmas cookies that were oh so festive and just screamed my little girl’s name!
Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour, this year I’ve been able to taste some of my favorite holiday flavors from years past and share these with my very excited toddler. Baking Christmas cookies was the perfect ending to our weekend and a fantastic start to Christmas week. Now onto a week filled with last minute preparations and one more round of cookie baking, Pizzelles!
Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope this holiday is plenty merry and oh so bright for each and everyone of you!
Christmas came early for the Gluten Free Mom To Be with two fantastic deliveries from Udi’s yesterday! The first was a huge box of frozen samples that were all completely new to me, but the second was a holiday gluten free goodie box from their #EatDrinkBeMerry holiday campaign. Among the amazing treats were their Double Vanilla Muffins, Soft and Chewy Snicker Doodle Cookies, Steel Cut Oats with Currants, Flax, and Chia, and finally their Soft and Chewy Dark Chocolate Brownie Bites. Being a chocolate girl, my eyes immediately were drawn to the chocolate brownies, especially the words soft and chewy across their label, two my favorite food adjectives. Without any hesitation, the brownies were first up on the sample list and barely survived another minute without being opened. After popping open the carton, I finally caught a glimpse and whiff of the deliciousness of Udi’s brownie bites. If anyone remembers those white individual sized bags of muffin looking brownie bites by Entenmanns these look and taste exactly like them, from what I remember at least; keep in mind it’s probably been a good 15 years since I’d actually tasted one of them but nonetheless a girl never forgets brownie bites. These Udi’s bites look like miniature muffins, wrapped with a cupcake/muffin wrapper with chocolate chips poking through the top. Now, you’re probably wondering if they hold up to their description of being soft and chewy, just like an actual brownie. Ready to find out?Well, I have fantastic news to report! These gluten free chocolate brownie bites are everything that they’re described to be. They’re filled with just the right amount of chocolate, but most importantly they’re perfectly soft and chewy just as promised. Many a gluten free product that I’ve tasted over the years seems to fall short in the texture department, usually being rock hard or crumbling at your touch, far from what they actually should feel like. Udi’s brownie bites, even though their presentation may resemble a miniature cupcake, have succeeded in giving us a chewy brownie that’s perfection, no cake texture here. You certainly get what’s promised on the package and your taste buds will not be disappointed. The only downside with these fantastic gluten free brownie bites is that you will definitely not be able to stop at one, not really a downside I know. These are a perfect premade snack for anyone gluten free, especially when you’re on the go. I’m all for baking brownies and cookies from scratch or at least from a box but I’m certainly not one to pass up the convenient and equally as delicious alternative of a premade snack. Udi’s brownie bites are just that, and I can see myself bringing along this convenient little carton to many a day trip or even vacation to Disney World, when I can find them in my local store at least. Sadly I haven’t spotted these in any of my local grocery stores but fingers crossed that they pop up soon!
Make sure you keep an eye out for these adorable little bites and snatch them up when you see them so you always have a sweet treat on hand! After all, what’s better than a bunch of adorable little brownies nestled snugly in your cabinet?
I cannot believe we celebrated my daughter’s 2nd birthday this weekend. Even though she won’t officially be two until a little before Christmas, we wanted to have her big celebration a little early so it was a bit separated from the holiday. So for our almost two year old we had a Snow White birthday party, per her request, with everything apple inspired. She was dressed in her Snow White best and was surrounded by family, not a bad way to ring in the big 2. Watching her this birthday from the last was a real eye opener as to how much she’s grown and changed in just a year. Something tells me I’m in for many more of those moments down the road, but for now I’m just going to sit back and bask in the start of the toddler years.
With a couple Disney trips under my little girl’s belt, it’s become pretty obvious that she loves just about everything Disney, but one of favorite friends in Disney World is Snow White. So when it came time to choose what direction her 2nd birthday party would go in we had a couple ideas and decided to let the birthday girl choose the winner. Without hesitation, Snow White was the winner for sure and the planning began.
There’s no denying that one of my daughter’s favorite features of the party was her very special Snow White dress. I’d been eyeing these uniquely adorable Disney dresses for quite some time, for a milestone photo or special occasion, but when I spotted the Snow White option I couldn’t think of a more perfect event than for her 2nd birthday. So as an early birthday gift from Mommy and Daddy, we snatched the very special Snow White dress made by Lover Dovers Clothing on Etsy. Because this dress was such a big hit with my little girl, I’m talking love at first sight not wanting to take off and constantly twirling around, I did an extra special feature on this dress with my little one making her vlog debut. Meet my little Snow White and find out why Mommy loves the Snow White dress too on our vlog.
Snow White 2nd Birthday Party Postcard Invitation
With the birthday girl’s outfit picked out, the party ball was rolling and Mommy jumped into planner mode. First up was the invitation. Last year for our little one’s “it’s a small world” party I made these adorable postcard, front and back invitations with Vistaprint and I just loved the feel and look of them. I decided to go with Vistaprint again this year and do a similar front and back invitation, but this time with a moment of Snow White love on the front and a personalized design on the back, made by yours truly. The picture for the front was an easy choice for me, it’s one of our Disney favorites, but the back I had to put a little more thought into. I knew I wanted to incorporate the signature phrase from the movie so I decided to top the back with a mirror image to which I glued mirror scrapbook paper to, the picture above is an extra invitation that didn’t get the mirror glued on. As far as the invitation text below, I used an amazing authentic Disney text that was perfectly suited for this occasion and the rest I threw together with inspiration from the movie and my little one herself.
“Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest birthday girl of all?
With a smile that shines and eyes that sparkle,
is a lovely maiden who is turning two.
Bouncing brown curls and a heart as pure as gold,
“name” wishes to celebrate with you.
Come join us for “name”‘s royal celebration
on “date”
at “time” at The “last name” Cottage.”
Magical Kiss Sugar Cookies
With the invitations finished and sent off it was time to design a menu. We decided to just go with a sweet theme, with a few savory snacks on the side; keep in mind we have eight nieces and nephews that were going to be in attendance and plenty of adults that I just knew would all appreciate sweets galore to kick off the holiday month. First up, I knew I wanted to incorporate the magical kiss at the end of the movie so I decided to use a holiday favorite and make Magical Kiss Sugar Cookies. A sugar cookie with a milk chocolate Hershey kiss smooshed in the middle, sprinkled with some magical red sugar on top. These were a huge hit with not only the kids but also the adults too.
Marshmallow Apple Pops
Next, I wanted to do something that was really kid friendly so all of our little one’s cousins could grab an easy but adorable treat. I used red candy wafers by Wilton, which are gluten free by the way, large marshmallows that were my store brand which were also gluten free, lollipop sticks, and Spice Farms chocolate sprinkles which as an added bonus were also gluten free. And voila! You have Marshmallow Apple Pops that look like little apples, some with and some without the chocolate topping. These were a lovely bonus for Mommy too, seeing as they were gluten free!
Apple Cutout Sugar Cookies
When I was perusing the candy/cake making aisle in one of the craft stores for the hundredth time, I spotted a 99 cents apple cookie cutter and just couldn’t resist making Apple Cutout Sugar Cookies. I decided to dip some of the cookies in a reddish powder sugar frosting that I made. To give the apple cookies that extra sparkle and shine, I just took the freshly frosted cookies and sprinkled them with the red sugar sprinkles. I added the frosted cookies and a few plain cookies to a cute basket that I thought would really go with the Snow White woodsy theme.
Chocolate Dipped Apples
With a Snow White theme, I just couldn’t help myself with all of the apples, besides they are one of my daughter’s favorite and most requested food. One thing I knew I had to do was feature the actual apple itself and what better way to do that then to dip them in chocolate and roll them in sprinkles, behold my Chocolate Dipped Apples hold the poison. These were a huge hit and looked so pretty, a great touch to the sweets table that’s for sure.
Red Apple Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Dan and I had decided pre-planning to make cupcakes for the guests and order a special small cake for our little girl to save a little bit of money. I’m really glad we did because we ended up with a gorgeous cake that couldn’t have been more special for the birthday girl and equally as beautiful apple inspired cupcakes that won over the masses. For the cupcakes themselves I decided to go with red velvet for obvious reasons of course and triple chocolate for the chocolate lovers. To differentiate between the two I decided to decorate a little differently between both sets. For frosting, I colored white buttercream to this gorgeous red color, piped the frosting on, and topped all of them with those delicious looking red sugary sprinkles that made them shine and sparkle. The Red Apple Triple Chocolate Cupcakes were topped with a small piece of pretzel stick and green chocolate curls to give that stem and leaf feeling of the apple.
Red Apple Velvet Cupcakes
For my Red Apple Velvet Cupcakes, I went with the simple red frosting and red sprinkles and just let them shine and sparkle on their own. You might have noticed the awesome cupcake stands that I was using. These are actually birch rounds that I picked up at the craft store. They’re about two inches thick and a foot or so wide and added that woodsy feel that you obviously see plenty of in the Snow White movie. This party would’ve been amazing in our backyard that has a couple gorgeous trees but seeing as we have a winter birthday I really wanted to bring some of the outdoor feel inside. With these wood rounds and wooden baskets I managed to do just that.
Custom Snow White Cake For The Birthday Girl
Finally, onto the birthday girl’s special little cake. I had some idea of what I wanted but with the help of pinterest and the amazing cake decorators at Classic Cake in New Jersey we were able to put together a really spectacular cake that fit perfectly in our budget. A 6 inch vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream filling was covered in yellow fondant and draped with royal blue fondant around the top, subtly reminds me of Snow White’s dress. With a few gold accents making it extra elegant, we also decided to add a red satin bow at the base, one of my favorite parts of the Snow White look and one that I love to put on my little one anytime she allows for a headband. Finally, to top it all off, the signature red apple was added as the topper with a gold 2 on the center. I was thrilled with how the cake turned out and I just love working with Classic Cake. I should also mention that they offer some gluten free treats too; my husband surprised me with some gluten free macaroons as my sweet treat at the party since most of the party food was not gluten free. They were a perfect surprise for Mommy and the cake was an even better one for our little girl.
Snowy Wishing Tree and Handmade Apple Garland
With all of the food made, it was time to finish decorating and get the show on the road. I used that apple cookie cutter from the cookies and red paper to make these apple cutouts that I strung together to make apple garland. On either side of the apple garland, Dan hung red streamers which really finished off a fun backdrop. I also decided to add a snowy, light up tree to the table to tie in that woodsy feel. A great addition!
Chalkboard Snack Signs and Miner’s Jewels
I made these apple shaped signs to label all of the snacks for our guests. I wanted to have chalkboard kind of signs so I used my daughter’s black construction paper and white crayon and went to town. Another cute addition that I didn’t really have to bake were the Miner’s Jewels that I packed into a basket on the table. These were the perfect favor for the kids and a cute idea tying in the dwarves too. I picked up some muslin favor bags that tied at the top and stuffed them with jolly rancher candies, a jewel like candy for sure but also one that was friendly for my nephew with food allergies.
The Birthday Girl’s Snow White Cake
With a cake stand that I already had, little one’s cake was proudly displayed front and center with all of the other treats on either side.
Snow White Storybook Birthday Banner
Without further ado, here’s the final product of our Snow White table. With red, yellow, and blue balloons floating around the room and a giant red two attached to our little girl’s birthday seat, the decorations all pulled together perfectly. But, one of my favorite decorations that I put together was the storybook banner on the front. I took our large Snow White book and made copies of the pages. I cut the pages into pennant shapes and strung them together with red satin ribbon. I also made a miniature version to string along the front of little one’s birthday booster chair too. It was a perfect final touch to it all and I couldn’t have been more excited for our little girl to see it all put together.
Little one ended up loving all of the snacks, decorations, balloons especially, but just the party as a whole. With cake coming first, she ended up really not liking all of the attention and turning very shy, pretty unexpected since she greeted everyone with warm hugs. But I must say she is her mother’s daughter since apparently I too at that age wasn’t a fan of being the center of attention. No worries though once the birthday song was sung, the birthday girl lifted her head and gave some cake a try, very daintily I might add, just as she did on her first birthday. But without a doubt, present time was the highlight of the night. Her reactions were priceless, so innocent and genuinely happy and excited over every single gift, even squeaking out some thank yous here and there. With some warm hugs and kisses goodbye, the party came to a close and bedtime drew near. It’s sad for me as her mom to see another birthday pass but I couldn’t be more happy and in love with this adorably precious little girl that seems to be growing and changing so quickly. It was another birthday for the baby book and one that we’ll always remember.
On one of the many beautiful fall days that we were blessed to have this year, little one and I ventured out for an early little lunch at my favorite gluten free friendly restaurant. Wildflour Bakery/Cafe is a local hidden gem that offers a huge selection of gluten free breads and pastries along with a savory menu, all of which you can enjoy in house or on the go. Since we were out to have some extra special Mommy and Me time, a lunch out was definitely in order so we picked the perfect table in the empty dining room and nestled in to enjoy a wonderfully gluten free lunch.
While the highlights for me at Wildflour Bakery/Cafe are by far on the bakery side of things, the dining menu is just as wonderful, they’ve just been super successful in wooing me with all of their delectable gluten free treats. As far as the menu, they have so many delicious choices, take a look for yourself here, but I usually am a creature of habit and if I find something that I like I tend to go with it each time after until I need a break. I decided this time around to go with a perfect lunch option that both me and my little one would enjoy, a grilled cheese sandwich big enough for us to share and my favorite, their strawberry banana pink smoothie that would sure to please my little girl. While we waited for our sandwich, I decided to request a few of their doughy, cheesy heavenly Brazilian Cheese Puffs, just to tide us over. These are one of Mommy’s favorites and turns out now one of my little one’s favorites too.
Brazilian Cheese Puff from one of our previous trips.
Soon enough our Grilled Cheese and Pink Smoothie had arrived. Little one dove into her very own cup of smoothie and couldn’t get enough of it. I had to insist on a few breaks to get in some of the grilled cheese but the winners by far in her book were the smoothie and cheese puffs. The grilled cheese for mommy was just as delicious as I remembered. It’s made on their housemade gluten free bread which beats any of the store bought varieties, you can just taste of all of the love that’s cooked into their food.
Gluten Free Grilled Cheese: Wildflour Bakery/Cafe
With our smoothies disappearing and our sandwich plate beginning to empty, I decided to top off our special lunch with a sweet treat. So I sprung my little one from her highchair so we could head over to the bakery cases and pick out just the right treat. Cookies, tarts, scones, cheesecake, and brownies galore, the cases were just overflowing with mouthwatering gluten free goodness. My little one though had her eye on an extra special chocolate treat, a chocolate brownie cake covered in a banana ganache icing. So we picked out our dessert, made our way back to our private table, and waited with anticipation for its arrival. Finally, our sweet finish had arrived, it was the perfect dessert made for sharing for just little one and me. The chocolaty cake was so moist and brownie like and when combined with the banana icing, so delicious! Our plate was cleaned with only a few minutes worth of work, so I think that’s a pretty reliable testament to just how tasty this dessert was. It was a perfect lunch for just us two, good food, full bellies, and plenty of smiles and laughs to go around!
Chocolate Banana Ganache: Wildflour Bakery/Cafe
Besides the delicious menu items that Wildflour Bakery/Cafe offers, the true joy of dining here is the ability to eat a meal with comfort and without fear of cross contamination. This restaurant is 100% gluten free, hence their bakery cases that are filled with unique bakery sweets and their menu overflowing with sweet and savory concoctions are 100% gluten free too. What an absolute treat to be able to choose from anything off of a menu without adjustment. As always, this trip to Wildflour’s was a true pleasure and I’ll anxiously be planning our next to go or dining in visit. Make sure you take a peak at all of my other Wildflour adventures in Gluten Free Living In A Non-Gluten Free World.
Not too long ago I shared with you a very special review of one of my favorite gluten free cookbooks by BabyCakes in my very first vlog! I hope you caught on to how much I love their cookbook because I do, I really do! Each one of their recipes uses a reasonable amount of gluten free ingredients that you stock up on one time and you’re good to enjoy countless recipes down the road. And just as an added bonus, they use one of my favorite gluten free all purpose flours out there, by Bob’s Red Mill.
So with the holidays rolling around, I thought I’d remind you about their fantastic BabyCakes Covers The Classics cookbook that shares amazing allergy free cookie recipes. They share your basic cookie recipes, made special by BabyCakes of course, to some pretty special kinds that’ll surely be gobbled up by all, making it pretty tough to keep some around to put out for Santa Christmas Eve night. One of my favorites happens to be a classic cookie that I honestly haven’t tasted in my gluten free life, that’s the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. I teasingly shared a glimpse of my special batch with you on my vlog but now today I thought I’d share the recipe with you too. Now, BabyCakes gives you the basic Oatmeal Cookie recipe but suggests a few swap outs or changes that would work too. I decided to add a little twist inspired by my all time favorite gluten free candy, Raisinets. So without further ado, I introduce you to Oatmeal Chocolaty Raisin Cookies!
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Gluten Free Oats (I actually used the new Plain Gluten Free Oatmeal by Chex.)
1/4 cup Ground Flax Meal (I always use Bob’s Red Mill which is certified gluten free.)
2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Melted Refined Coconut Oil (Pick a gluten free variety like the one by Carrington Farms. Alternatively you can use a canola oil.)
1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce (I like Musselman’s which states gluten free on the label.)
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract (Always make sure it’s pure vanilla extract, McCormick’s is gluten free.)
3/4 cup Raisins
3/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (Hershey’s are gluten free.)
Note: Feel free to use less chocolate if you prefer just a hint of chocolaty flavor or you could get really fancy and add in Raisinets instead of the raisins and chocolate chips but this is just a slightly less sugary method.
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a whisk, combine all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl including 1 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup gluten free oats, 1/4 cup flax meal, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.
Next, melt 1 cup coconut oil for measuring, which I like to do in a glass measuring cup.
Add 1 cup of your melted coconut oil along with 1/2 cup applesauce and 2 tbsp vanilla to the dry mix and gently stir with a rubber spatula until a thicker dough forms.
Finally, add in 3/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. If you want to make some raisin cookies without chocolate, add your raisins and mix your dough up, split your dough into two, and add just half the amount of chocolate chips to one bowl of dough.
Using a tablespoon, drop the dough by spoonful onto the parchment paper covered baking sheets.
Bake for about 8 minutes, turn the baking sheet 180 degrees, and bake for an additional 7 minutes until your cookies turn golden brown. Always make sure you keep an eye on your cookies and cook times. Sometimes you may have to cook a little longer or a little shorter depending on your oven.
Remove your baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool a bit on the baking sheets for about 15 minutes and enjoy!
As I’m sure we all could agree, gluten free baking in general is no easy task. It’s really tough to get just the right texture without changing the flavor for the worse. But somehow, someway BabyCakes makes gluten free baking look easy and taste perfect! And I just love that through their cookbooks we too can learn the secrets behind the tastiness of their recipes and tons of gluten free baking tips and tricks between. Thanks to their cookbooks I feel a bit more confident in my gluten free baker’s shoes, and not too afraid of unique ingredients that appear all too often in gluten free baking. So make sure you snatch up a BabyCakes cookbook for your gluten free holiday baking this year and in the meantime, try my Oatmeal Chocolaty Raisin Cookies!
1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Gluten Free Oats (I actually used the new Plain Gluten Free Oatmeal by Chex.)
1/4 cup Ground Flax Meal (I always use Bob's Red Mill which is certified gluten free.)
2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Melted Refined Coconut Oil (Pick a gluten free variety like the one by Carrington Farms. Alternatively you can use a canola oil.)
1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce (I like Musselman's which states gluten free on the label.)
2 tbsp Vanilla Extract (Always make sure it's pure vanilla extract, McCormick's is gluten free.)
3/4 cup Raisins
3/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chips (Hershey's are gluten free.)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a whisk, combine all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl including 1 3/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup gluten free oats, 1/4 cup flax meal, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1 tsp salt.
Next, melt 1 cup coconut oil for measuring, which I like to do in a glass measuring cup.
Add 1 cup of your melted coconut oil along with 1/2 cup applesauce and 2 tbsp vanilla to the dry mix and gently stir with a rubber spatula until a thicker dough forms.
Finally, add in 3/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. If you want to make some raisin cookies without chocolate, add your raisins and mix your dough up, split your dough into two, and add just half the amount of chocolate chips to one bowl of dough.
Using a tablespoon, drop the dough by spoonful onto the parchment paper covered baking sheets.
Bake for about 8 minutes, turn the baking sheet 180 degrees, and bake for an additional 7 minutes until your cookies turn golden brown. Always make sure you keep an eye on your cookies and cook times. Sometimes you may have to cook a little longer or a little shorter depending on your oven.
Remove your baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool a bit on the baking sheets for about 15 minutes and enjoy!
By Gluten Free Mom To Be
Adapted from BabyCakes
Adapted from BabyCakes
Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/
It’s hard to believe but we are only 3 weeks away from Thanksgiving. Time has literally flown by, as it always does this time of year. It seems like once October rolls around, the weeks pass so quickly, probably because the last few months of the year are loaded with birthdays and holidays in our family. November alone holds the birthdays of 3 family members and 2 friends along with Thanksgiving of course, and shortly after follows December with three more family birthdays, including my precious little angel’s, one friend’s birthday, and my favorite holiday of the year. I always feel like we’re bouncing from one party or event to another but to be honest, I just love all of the time that we spend with family that we don’t necessarily get to see everyday which is exactly why Thanksgiving ranks in my top 3 favorite holidays.
Every year about this time, the holiday decorations start rolling out in stores, Christmas music pops on here and there, and Christmas shopping commences, and I just love every bit of it. What I’m not a huge fan of though is all of the holiday dinner commercials flashing on the tv which are a constant reminder of the two big family dinners that are looming ahead of me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the family part, it’s the dinner part that worries me. Not all of my family always remembers or understands my gluten free diet so the dishes they bring are always in question but my parents, and in recent years my mother-in-law and her husband, have always been the best at accommodating, taking a lot of the worry out of at least a couple of the main dishes.
My love of cooking has definitely grown over the years, so I’m always more than happy to contribute a few dishes to the meal, especially ones that are gluten free, and when I can dairy free and egg free for my nephew to enjoy too. I always like to add a few of our family’s savory favorites that have become traditions over the years and then add in a dessert here and there. The past few years, my go to for pre-made gluten free sweets has been Katz Gluten Free. They’ve consistently delivered some fantastic items that certainly do the gluten free world justice. When I first noticed that they offer pies, I was shocked since I hadn’t seen many if any pre-made gluten free pies out there, but then I instantly thought of Thanksgiving, my dad’s favorite pie holiday, where he rolls out at least three huge, mouthwatering (non-gluten free) pies. While I’ve dabbled in gluten free pie making over the years, on a holiday like Thanksgiving where I’m also making a number of other dishes, the cost and time spent make purchasing a pre-made pie more and more appealing. So before Thanksgiving comes around this year, I wanted to give Katz’s gluten free pie a try, but if it’s anything like their other items, I knew my Thanksgiving order would soon follow. So, Katz offers a couple different varieties of gluten free pie, which also happen to be free of dairy, nut, and soy too, including apple, cherry, and blueberry. I’ve always loved blueberry pies so I figured that would be a good one to try out. Price wise, each of these pies come in a 6″ size that runs about $7.99, but remember Katz offers promotions all of the time so keep an eye out over the coming weeks for a holiday pie deal. If you need something a bit larger than a 6″/personal pie, you can either order two 6″ varieties or they also offer the apple pie in an 8″ size for $12.99. If you want to check out all of Katz Gluten Free’s pie varieties, head over to their cake/pie section on their site. Once you decide what varieties of pie you’d like to go with, go ahead and order away, but not before you peruse the rest of their site just to be sure that there’s nothing else that you might like to try for the holiday season. Gluten free sprinkle cookies anyone? Once your order is placed, it’ll be no time until it arrives; I always get my orders really quickly from Katz, but keep in mind I am relatively close to them geographically, but nonetheless I’ve always received my orders in a timely fashion. When your pies do arrive, make sure you make room in your freezer to pop these in and save them for Thanksgiving, or at least try to. To enjoy, since these pies are pre-baked, all you have to do is thaw them in the refrigerator and if you’d like, warm them for 15 minutes in the oven, which does add the homemade, pie baking smell to your house that’s very appealing this time of year.
And finally, you’re probably wondering what these pies taste like. Okay, I think I’ve kept you in suspense long enough to tell you that these are DELICIOUS! The blueberry pie filling that I tried wasn’t too sweet but was just right with blueberries scattered throughout, while the crust, well that was just perfection. The gluten free pie crust was crispy and was softened just enough by the filling, but by no stretch did it do the signature crumble apart that so many gluten free products do. Katz’s gluten free pie tasted so homey, just like my dad’s homemade pies but without the gluten. I’m certainly adding these to my holiday shopping list, and I highly suggest that you do too. Let me know what kind you end up getting and what you think! Enjoy!
Note: No pretty pie picture unfortunately because my dear husband promptly dropped the wrapped pie flat on the ground before I even had a chance to bake it, so even though the pie was still edible and delicious just the same, it didn’t look so pretty at that point. There’s always next time.
Do you LOVE the gluten free Chex varieties as much as I do? They are by far the best gluten free cereal I’ve had to date. From rice and corn to honey nut, chocolate, and vanilla, each is as tasty as the one before, and that’s only some of the flavors that they offer. Any and all of them make a perfect bowl of cereal for breakfast, okay lunch and dinner too if you’re like me and can eat breakfast at any meal of the day.
A little creative twist that I’ve been using Chex for ever since my early days of gluten free living are making Chex treats, a little remake of the childhood favorite Rice Kristpie treats. I remember when Gluten Free Rice Krispies first appeared on the gluten free scene at a steep $5.99 a box; the sight of them took me back to being a kid and I couldn’t wait to pour a bowl of the snap, crackle, and pop deliciousness or better yet, make those marshmallowy treats. After just one bite though, I was sorely disappointed in the yucky flavor and after taste. They just weren’t my cup of tea and didn’t live up to their regular predecessor.
Now with that nagging obsession for a rice cereal treat, it dawned on me to use my favorite Chex cereals. Hence the birth of my go to birthday party, picnic, holiday, or just because Chex treats. The regular version of Rice Chex and marshmallow have graced many an event in our family over the past few years but with the release of so many different Chex flavors, I can’t help but put a spin on my traditional dessert. With summer coming to an end, I decided to make a summery Chex treat that can be enjoyed year round. As an alternative to my Chocolate Peanut Butter and Strawberry And Vanilla versions that appeared this summer, I decided to take one of the most classic summer treats and make it in Chex form. May I introduce you to the Gluten Free S’more Chex Treat; a marshmallowy square of Schar honeygrams and rice Chex, coated with a marshmallowy sauce, and drizzled with melted milk chocolate.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 boxes of Schar Honeygrams (each box is about 5 oz)
10 oz Rice Chex (about 3/4 of a 12.8 oz box of Chex)
10 oz bag mini marshmallows
4 tbsp butter (I use Smart Balance or Land O’Lakes)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips (Hershey’s is gluten free)
Non-stick cooking spray (I use Smart Balance)
Directions:
Spray 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Add 3/4 of a 12.8 oz box of Rice Chex to a large mixing bowl. I like to crush them a bit while they are still in their bag so you have some rice krispie size pieces mixed with some whole Chex still floating around.
Next, chop or crumble 1 1/2 packages of Schar Honeygram crackers. Make sure you have big enough pieces throughout to really give you that s’more feeling.
Add your crumbled graham cracker pieces to the large mixing bowl of cereal and mix together.
Rice chex mixed with honeygram cookies.
Melt 4 tbsp of gluten free butter in a microwave safe bowl (about 30-60 sec).
Add 10 oz bag of mini marshmallows to melted butter and stir to coat.
Melt marshmallows in microwave (about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes). Keep an eye on these in the microwave, as they do expand and can overflow the bowl easily.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir melted marshmallows until smooth.
Pour melted marshmallow onto crushed Chex and graham cracker mixture and stir to combine, making sure all cereal and cookies are coated with marshmallow. This is going to be very sticky; I like to use a spatula and spray it with a little non-stick spray when needed.
Scoop sticky marshmallow cereal/cookie mixture into baking dish and use a spatula or spoon sprayed with non-stick spray to press into an even layer.
Press marshmallow cereal/cookie mixture into baking dish.
Melt 3/4 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave chocolate chips in short intervals to prevent chocolate from burning. I like to microwave in 20 second intervals and stir after each.
Once all chocolate is melted, drizzle over rice treats.
Drizzle melted milk chocolate onto rice treats.
Allow mixture to cool and then use a knife (sprayed in non-stick spray) to cut into squares.
Enjoy!,
Gluten free graham crackers and rice cereal swirled together with melted marshmallow, all topped with a drizzle of sweet, melted milk chocolate. Just one bite and you’re instantly transported back to a warm summer night around the fire pit where you can hear the chatter of cicadas and smell the deliciousness of grilled favorites. This dessert combines two of my favorite sweet treats, a s’more and Chex treat, and creates a snack that can be enjoyed year round. They’re delicious and so incredibly easy to make! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
1 1/2 boxes of Schar Honeygrams (each box is about 5 oz)
10 oz Rice Chex (about 3/4 of a 12.8 oz box of Chex)
10 oz bag mini marshmallows
4 tbsp butter (I use Smart Balance or Land O’Lakes)
3/4 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips (Hershey's is gluten free)
Non-stick cooking spray (I use Smart Balance)
Instructions
Spray 9″ x 13″ baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Add 3/4 of a 12.8 oz box of Rice Chex to a large mixing bowl. I like to crush them a bit while they are still in their bag so you have some rice krispie size pieces mixed with some whole Chex still floating around.
Next, chop or crumble 1 1/2 packages of Schar Honeygram crackers. Make sure you have big enough pieces throughout to really give you that s'more feeling.
Add your crumbled graham cracker pieces to the large mixing bowl of cereal and mix together.
Melt 4 tbsp of gluten free butter in a microwave safe bowl (about 30-60 sec).
Add 10 oz bag of mini marshmallows to melted butter and stir to coat.
Melt marshmallows in microwave (about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes). Keep an eye on these in the microwave, as they do expand and can overflow the bowl easily.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir melted marshmallows until smooth.
Pour melted marshmallow onto crushed Chex and graham cracker mixture and stir to combine, making sure all cereal and cookies are coated with marshmallow. This is going to be very sticky; I like to use a spatula and spray it with a little non-stick spray when needed.
Scoop sticky marshmallow/cereal mixture into baking dish and use a spatula or spoon sprayed with non-stick spray to press into an even layer.
Melt 3/4 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave chocolate chips in short intervals to prevent chocolate from burning. I like to microwave in 20 second intervals and stir after each.
Once all chocolate is melted, drizzle over rice treats.
Allow mixture to cool and then use a knife (sprayed in non-stick spray) to cut into squares.
Enjoy!
By Gluten Free Mom To Be
Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/
Glutino is of the biggest gluten free companies out there! They offer tons of different gluten free groceries that fill each and every nook and cranny of your diet. Thanks to them, I’ve been able to add a few unique items back into my diet, somethings I thought I’d never taste again since going gluten free. Some of the most unique products by Glutino, and some of my personal favorites, include their Chocolate Covered Pretzels (and a yogurt version too!), Parmesan Garlic Bagel Chips (these are perfect in my favorite appetizer, don’t worry I’ll introduce you one day soon), Vegetable Crackers, and drumroll please for the last one, Toaster Pastries, that’s right their gluten free version of Pop Tarts. (more…)
I’ll be honest, most of the time during my pregnancy being gluten free wasn’t too difficult. Of course there were plenty of moments where I couldn’t seem to get a specific craving out of my head and couldn’t necessarily satisfy it either but that was to be expected. There were also plenty of moments that my cravings were completely doable and were for things that I could eat in a second. Like everyone else’s pregnancies though mine was no different, scattered throughout there were cravings for non-gluten free items that, no matter what I would do, just wouldn’t disappear. Two in particular stand out at the moment, bagels and donuts, both of which were extremely off limits in my diet. (more…)
