Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Sometimes you feel like having apple pie, but you are just too lazy to make the pie dough. That's when I love apple crisp...So quick (after peeling and slicing apples) and tastes as fulfilling as a big slice of apple pie. Plop a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side and it's pretty much as good as it gets! This is my favorite "crisp" recipe and works for any kind of fruit crisp. (See blueberry crisp recipe). Substitute the flour for regular or any general baking GF flour. Happy summer!

Recipe for Apple Crisp (GF)

4 peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Toss together in separate dish and pour into greased pie or 8x8 pan

3/4 Cups Better Batter

3/4 Cups packed Brown Sugar

6 T Butter

Combine with a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbles result and dry fully incorporated

1/2 Cups Oats

1/2 t Cinnamon

Blend oats and cinnamon into crumble mixture. Pour on top of apples and pat down. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Crisp will be golden and crispy on the edges.

This tastes amazing with ice cream!

Gluten Free Smores Brownies

A few weeks ago many food bloggers were posting recipes for these scrumptious summer treats, so I had to try a gluten free version. The result was amazing. I'm a Better Batter fan and thankfully they have a brownie mix that tastes so good you can't tell it is GF. Any brownie recipe will work with this dessert. And once again, my bulk purchase of GF graham crackers from Kinnikinnick Foods has come in handy! So easy and so yum.

It's a summer campout minus the mosquitos.

The How To:

Using your favorite brownie recipe (GF or regular), after mixing batter fold in about 4 broken graham crackers.

Toss about 12 large marshmallows on top about halfway through baking. They will turn golden and gooey.

Let them cool about 20 minutes before attempting to cut.

'Y' to the 'Ummmmm'!!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Milky Way Icing

Ok, so when I realized that you could literally melt a candy bar to ice a cake, I ran to the store to buy some. This cake is iced with 3 melted Milky Way's! Yu-umm. The banana cake is light and moist, with a crispy sugary crust. Alone, the cake would be amazing. But this recipe calls for 3 Milky Way's and I'm not one to deviate from a recipe. Unfortunately Milky Way bars do have barley malt in them which contains gluten, but as this is only a small amount, I went ahead and made them for my gluten-sensitive husband anyway. Mars does make Milky Way chocolate covered caramels that are gluten free which would also be delicious as icing.

Here is the recipe!

Gluten Free Banana Cake with Milky Way Icing

SIFT: In a small bowl

1 3/4 Cups Better Batter (or any gluten free all purpose flour mix)

1 1/2 t. Baking Powder

1/4 t. Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

MIX: I used the whisk attachment instead of the paddle for a lighter texture

1 Stick of butter

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 Cup sugar

ADD to wet mixture:

2 Eggs, one at a time and mix

1 t. Vanilla

2 Bananas-ripe, mashed

MIX into wet mixture:

3/4 Cup Milk, alternating with dry mixture, until smooth

POUR:

Batter into greased 8 or 9" cake pan.

Tips...I LOVE the PAM spray with flour for baking. Nothing sticks. I also cut out a circle from parchment paper to put in the bottom of the cake pan to help it come out clean.

BAKE:

350 degrees for 45 min-55 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Milky Way Icing

MELT: Whisking until smooth

3 Milky Way Bars (chopped)

1/2 Cup Whipping Cream

3 T. Brown sugar

1 T. Butter

When it is all melted, remove from heat and continue whisking to bring the temp. down and allow it to thicken. When it isn't too runny, pour over the cooled cake and you're done!

Recipe courtesy of: http://lesgourmandisesdisa.blogspot.com/2010/04/gateau-aux-bananes-glacage-aux-barres.html. I made it gluten free by substituting Better Batter for flour.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Ok, so cut-out sugar cookies have been on my list of items to learn how to bake Gluten Free for a looooong time. I have kind of avoided it because sugar cookies have always been a favorite with my family and we have amazing recipes that have been passed down through generations. I guess I haven't wanted to tarnish the memories of these delicious treats by making a less-great gluten free version. It finally took my GF husband BEGGING for sugar cookies, for me to finally take the plunge. And OH MY, OH MY...

These cookies have an amazing moist, crumbly inside just the way a sugar cookie should. They don't fall apart like a lot of GF baked goods...Actually, there isn't anything about this cookie that screams "GF". It is buttery, sweet and smooth.

I used better batter for my universal GF baking flour and as usual, I was not disappointed. As you can see from this photo, this looks like a typical sugar cookie batter.

I like to use parchment paper when rolling out dough...It keeps it from sticking and the clean-up is a breeze.

After rolling to the desired thickness, just peel the top layer of paper away and you are ready to cut-out!

Cutting, cutting, cutting...This dough is really easy to work with.

These babies are done after only 8 minutes.

Time to decorate and try not to eat more than 2 in a sitting, because we are saving these for Dear Hubby when he gets home from work. I did eat a few of the burned ones...My kids each had a couple. I promise there were some left for DH when he got home! He seriously enjoyed them (we all did) and couldn't even tell they were GF...The best compliment for a GF baker!

Have fun with these, and get out this recipe for holidays or just on a sunny, Spring morning, when you want to surprise your fam!

Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Recipe

Sift 2 1/2 cups Better Batter (Already contains xantham gum)

2 t. Baking Powder

1/2 t. Salt

Cream 3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs (Mix well between each addition)

2 t. Vanilla

Pinch of Nutmeg

Add dry mixture to butter mixture and mix well

Chill dough ball in fridge until firm (30 min)

Roll dough between parchment paper and cut out into shapes

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies JUST start to brown

Cool on rack and frost.

Enjoy! This recipe was adapted from Shauna's cookie recipe on http://www.glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com, with a little of my mom's famous shortbread cookie recipe thrown in.

Gluten Free Texas Cookies

I discovered this gooey concoction on Food Gawker yesterday, and decided to try a GF version. One of the things I love best about Better Batter is how easy it is to substitute it into regular recipes. It is a one for one exchange. These yummy chocolate chip cookies are so good we barely let them cool before digging in. They are a bar cookie and are not over-baked...You want them gooey and chewy. It is a great base for whatever you want to throw on. I threw chocolate chips on the whole thing, and then a row of nuts and a row of Reeces Peanut Butter chips. You wouldn't know these were gluten free, they are smooth and chewy with a great texture.

A piece of parchment paper on your cookie sheet makes it easy to remove. Once the batter is spread onto the sheet you can throw on whatever you want...Chocolate, butterscotch, coconut, nuts sprinkles...Endless possibilities. And I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to throw a scoop of ice cream on the side. I also wanted to add that if you don't need to cook gluten free, just substitute the Better Batter for flour. It is 1:1.

Here it is straight out of the oven...Just cut into bars and dig in. Due to the amount of brown sugar and butter, it tastes like soft and chewy toffee. I think I'm going to eat another one right now.

Gluten Free Texas Cookies

Sift together 1 cup Better Batter,

1/2 tsp. baking powder,

1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl

Cream one stick butter,

2 cups brown sugar

Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time (mix well)

Add 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in flour mixture until well mixed

Spread onto parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet

Sprinkle on any toppings you would like...Chocolate, coconut, nuts...

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, and *promptly remove.

Cool and Cut!

*These cookies are meant to be chewy-gooey, do not overcook.

Recipe courtesy of:

http://www.thibeaultstable.com/2010/04/texas-cookies.html

Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp

I was gawking at food on foodgawker.com today and saw this lovely blueberry crisp that I just had to try. Number one, I have all these ingredients. Number two, it is very easy to adapt to gluten free. If you haven't purchased Better Batter yet, get to you nearest Whole Foods or shop online. So, thank you kitchen-worthy.com for this delish addition to my GF recipe book! This is a delicious general crisp that you could use with many fruits. Happy berry picking!

Toss blueberries with GF flour and sugar and pour into a greased pie dish or 8"x8" baking dish.

Using your pastry blender, hand-mix the butter, flour and brown sugar into pea-sized crumbles.

This is the perfect consistency...You want to keep blending until there are no longer dry ingredients in the bottom-It is all incorporated into the butter.

Once you have your crumbles, mix in the oats and cinnamon. This recipe is actually ridiculously easy, with crowd-pleasing results.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 or until it is golden and bubbly. The cinnamon will make your house smell fabulous while baking.

Ta-Daaa! Serve this warm with ice cream!

Recipe for Blueberry Crisp (GF)

2 pints fresh or frozen blueberries

1 T Sugar

1-2 T Better Batter

Toss together in separate dish and pour into greased pie or 8x8 pan

3/4 Cups Better Batter

3/4 Cups packed Brown Sugar

6 T Butter

Combine with a pastry blender until pea-sized crumbles result and dry fully incorporated

1/2 Cups Oats

1/2 t Cinnamon

Blend oats and cinnamon into crumble mixture. Pour on top of berries and pat down. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Crisp will be golden and crispy on the edges.

This tastes amazing with ice cream!

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake (Scones)

Sift together dry ingredients.

Cut butter into pieces and add to dry mixture.

Using a pastry blender, mix cold butter with dry ingredients.

Whisk wet ingredients in medium bowl.

Blend wet into dry ingredients.

Press dough into a 1" tall disk and cut into 8 pieces.

Baste with cream.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together in a large bowl:

2 cups Better Batter
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt plus a pinch


Cut into pieces and drop in:

6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives, coating the pieces with flour as you go, until the largest pieces of butter are pea-sized. Keep this mixture cold, chilling it in the refrigerator if the butter starts to soften.

Stir in:

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) and/or
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

3/4 cup cream (substitute unsweetened coconut cream if you are lactose intolerant)
1 egg
1-2 tsp orange or lemon zest (optional)

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture starts to hold together, then gently knead the dough a few times with your hands. Depending on your flour mix, the dough may be very sticky. While this makes it difficult to handle, it is okay. If the dough seems dry and won't hold together easily, add 1-2 Tbsp more cream and knead it in.

Put the dough on a large baking sheet. Gently push the dough into a flat disk about one inch high. Cut into eight equal pieces and arrange them on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Brush some cream onto the tops of the scones. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.

This Recipe is courtesy of Gina E. Kelley of Portland, Oregon. (I changed to better batter)

Gluten Free Pizza on the GRILL!

Anyone who knows me will tell you my favorite food is pizza. No if's, and's or but's. I am a self-proclaimed connoisseur. And there is no pizza better than pizza from a wood-fired oven. So last night I decided to try a gluten-free pizza on my BBQ. And let me tell you, it turned out better than I could have imagined. (And if I didn't have a piece-of-junk grill that heats unevenly you wouldn't be looking at blackened crust on one side).

Before starting this dish, I knew I would have to do a few extra steps to make the gluten free dough tough enough to be put on the grill. If you have ever made GF pizza, you know that the dough is more of a batter that must be spread onto a pizza stone. More on this later! So, here I am adding the yeast-sugar-water mixture to the Better Batter, salt and oil.

Mix on high in your electric mixer for 3 minutes until a nice, smooth, cake-like batter is reached.

This is where I started to get creative. While mixing the dough, I heated my oven to 450 degrees with my baking stone inside. When I was done mixing the dough, I took out the baking stone and greased it and sprinkled cornmeal on it. I then turned off the oven. I spread the dough onto the stone, making it nice and thin. I could have made this much dough into two pizzas by making it thinner. (The part of the pizza with the thinner crust tasted the best). I was hoping that the hot stone alone would set the dough enough to make it moveable, but it still needed to go into the hot (but off) oven for about 5-7 minutes. Not long enough to cook it, just to set it.

When the dough was done in the oven I used a spatula to loosen it, then flipped it onto a new tray. It was basically like regular pizza dough now and could be slipped onto the grill without worries of breaking apart. I basted it with basil-infused olive oil.

From here on out, I would suggest having a helper, because it goes quickly and you don't have time to waste looking for tools or toppings! (As I found out as we went). Here we are slipping the dough onto a clean, greased BBQ grill. The temp was about 400, but I turned the burners down on the side the pizza was on. In the meantime, make sure all toppings and sauces are ready nearby. For flipping, I had a flat baking sheet, but you should definitely have something larger like that...A spatula might cause the dough to break.

Here is the crust after about 8-10 minutes, but watch closely. Our grill burns hotter in the back, so we had to slip some foil under the section that was done quicker. So, we see the bubbles, I check underneath and it is perfect! I made my husband flip it for me because I was scared. But it held together perfectly and was starting to take on the texture of an amazing crust.

Here is the crust after an amazingly executed flip by my husband. As you can see, back burned front not so much. Rrrr. My old BBQ tried to sabotage my pizza, but didn't succeed I'm happy to say. But notice the grill lines and great color. The texture was perfect.

Right after that flip is where you have to work quickly. Get the oil or sauce basted on quickly and throw on those toppings so you can close the grill and let the heat melt the top as the bottom of the crust is crisping-up. It goes fast if your grill is hot. I had to use foil again to keep the back from burning.

Ok, now we are carnivores, so you probably won't see a lot of veggie or vegan pizzas in our house. We went all out with browned Italian sausage and pepperoni and fresh cut grape tomatoes. No sauce, just basil-infused olive oil. I also used fresh sliced mozzarella instead of the shredded kind. What a difference.

This pizza was amazing. My GF husband even went as far as to say it was "the best pizza" he's ever had. It was probably the Italian sausage and pepperoni talking, but I'll take the compliment. I thought it was excellent pizza and worth all of the work! It was actually kind of fun cooking outside. Let me just say that I would gladly pay money for this pizza in a restaurant...So you should definitely give it a try!

Gluten Free Pizza on the Grill!

2 Cups warm water

1 Pkg. yeast

1 T. Sugar

2 1/2 Cup

2 1/2 Cups Better Batter

1/2 t. Salt

2 T. Olive Oil

1-2 T. cornmeal for pan

**Preheat oven to 450

1. Proof yeast in sugar and water for 5 minutes. Make sure it is well dissolved.

2. Sift flour and salt, and add olive oil

3. Add yeast mixture to flour mix. and beat on high for 3 minutes. Dough should be like cake batter.

4. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal on a hot baking sheet. Turn off oven after it has reached temp.

5. Spread batter onto baking sheet in a thin layer. (You may need to make this into two crusts depending on how thin you want your crust).

6. Set pizza dough in the hot but off oven to let it set for 5-7 minutes.

**Start heating your outdoor grill to about 400.

7. Flip crust out onto a different tray to carry out to the grill. Brush it with olive oil.

8. Have all toppings ready to go right next to the grill.

9. Grease grill and turn down heat on the side where the pizza will go. Slide dough onto grill.

10. When dough is bubbly and you can see by peeking underneath that it is ready, then using a large, flat tray or spatula, flip the crust over.

11. Brush with olive oil or sauce and place all toppings on the pizza. Close the lid to the grill so the heat can melt the toppings.

12. When the bottom is done, remove the pizza and serve!

French Bread-Gluten Free

This is not normally a spread you would see in a gluten free household. It is one we have missed dearly. I've said many times I could probably live on bread alone. And cheese. That's all I need. After the gluten free verdict, I tried to stay brave for my husband's sake. But inside I was dying a little. Needless to say, when I stumbled upon this recipe on a GF recipe site from the UK, I was skeptical. But, somehow this recipe actually tastes like French bread. The crust is crisp and brown and crackles when you tear it. The inside is chewy and moist. There is no grit and no aftertaste. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Sooooo Good!

By the way, how cute is that olive oil plate? My Mother and Father in-law brought those back for us from a trip to Italy. They have been hidden away, but are now back in use!

Below is the first step...Proofing the yeast. You should use a fast rise yeast. Warm water, sugar and yeast...Wait until it foams.

Beat the egg whites before adding.

To the dry, sifted ingredients, add the yeast mixture and then the whites, butter and vinegar.

Since this is GF bread, there is no kneading. Just set that mixer to high and let it roll for about 3 minutes. It will look like cake batter.

Here is the consistency when you are ready to put the dough in the baking pans.

I am so excited about this purchase! French bread pans! It gives the loaf a chance to rise and not just spread, like on a baking sheet. You actually get a loaf shape, which makes you feel good...Like you actually know what you are doing or something.

Spoon your dough into the loaf pans you are using, or onto a baking sheet, and shape them like a loaf. I sprayed my fingers with Pam and tried to smooth the dough as much as possible. I then brushed the top of the dough with melted butter and cut little slits down the length. The recipe recommends letting your dough rest, covered until it has doubled. Mine never did...Grrr. So, I had really low expectations for this bread. (It ended up rising in the oven and tasted perfect, so there you go).

Here is a little tip I found somewhere along the way. I can't believe I actually posted a picture of the inside of my oven. Wow, that needs a pass with Easy Off. Anyway, to get that crackly, golden crust here is the trick... Put the bread in at 450 for 15 minutes and throw about 4 ice cubes into the bottom of your oven. Then turn the temp. down to 375 for 15 minutes and throw 4 more ice cubes in. The steam keeps the crust from setting too early, thus keeping the loaf from expanding. Then when the inside is done expanding, the crust can get brown and toasty. For a more rustic look, sprinkle a little four on the bread before going in the oven.

Aaaaah. Freshly baked bread. Is there anything quite so wonderful in this whole wide world? To keep the bread crusty, let it cool on the counter, don't wrap it up. My kids and I dug into one of these loaves before it had even cooled. We had put a whole loaf down before I realized we had better save some for Daddy! (The reason I bake GF :). He was blown away with how good this bread was. Just the other day he was reminiscing about bread dipped in olive oil. I always aim to please. Give this recipe a try. It has a few steps, but is SOOO worth it!

Recipe for GF French Bread

3 Cups Better Batter

1 1/2 t. Salt

2 T. Sugar

1 1/2 C. Luke Warm Water

2 T. Fast Rise Yeast

2 T. Butter, melted

3 Egg whites, beaten slightly

1 t. Vinegar

Melted butter for brushing

1. Proof yeast in small bowl with water and sugar

2. Sift flour and salt

3. Blend yeast mix. into dry

4. Add butter, whites and vinegar; beat on high for 3 minutes

5. Spoon dough into greased/cornmealed (optional) loaf pans (makes 2 loaves)

6. Slash diagonally and brush with melted butter

7. Cover and let double in size (20-40 minutes)

8. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes and don't forget those ice cubes in the bottom of the oven, then at 375 for another 12-15 minutes with 4 more ice cubes.

9. Remove bread and allow to cool, if you can before digging in!

**Keep uncovered or the crust will get soft

Enjoy!

**Ok, post script, this bread does not keep well overnight. Like many gluten free baked goods, it is best the day you make it. So plan on using it all up that day!