Gluten-free baking is something I love experimenting with. I've developed a lot of recipes for gluten-free friends, and I've enjoyed eating what I made! But for about three years now I've been "going to" try a month of gluten-free just to see what it would do for me. "Going to" just as soon as I can pick a month to do it, a month with few or no events that would make it difficult to stick to it one hundred percent.
With that in mind, I've been taking an inventory of all the gluten-free products in my pantry and doing a little more experimenting. The day I came up with this cookie recipe, friends stopped by and I gave them tea and cookies. I don't think I even mentioned the cookies were gluten-free. Everyone loved them, and the cookies seemed in no way different from, or in any way inferior to, wheat cookies.
Of course, there are options with this cookie. if you aren't concerned about gluten, just replace the sorghum, brown rice and tapioca flours and the xanthan gum with 1 1/2 cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour. If you don't have a bag of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free muesli, use 3 cups rolled oats, 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit and 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice.
How about you? Are you now, or have you ever been, on a gluten-free diet? How has it benefited you? Tell me about it; I need all the encouragement I can get! Look for more gluten-free recipes on my Recipes index page.
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Gluten-Free Muesli Cookies
(Makes 3 1/2 dozen)
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces/227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (4.67 ounces/132 grams) sugar
2/3 packed cup (4.67 ounces/132 grams) dark brown sugar
2 large (medium in UK, etc) eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces/59 ml) water
1 16-ounce (454 grams) bag Bob's Red Mill gluten-free muesli
1 In small bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. If you are not making gluten-free cookies, whisk together 1 1/2 packed cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
2 In large bowl of electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, vanilla and water. By hand, stir in flour mixture and muesli (or oats, fruit and nuts). Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
3 Preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas5. Drop #40 scoops (0.8 ounces or approximately 1.5 tablespoons) of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased parchment-lined cookie sheets. (The slightly domed cookies on the right were just scooped and baked; the flatter ones on the left were flattened slightly before baking.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. For crisp cookies, bake a bit longer, watching carefully so that they don't burn. Cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Jean
Of course these would be good. And of course you served them with tea. XOGREG
ReplyDelete:D, Greg! I would have served them with tea anyway ("of course"), but in this case definitely, as the family had just moved here from England.
ReplyDeleteJean, thanks for bringing them over to the table. Cheers
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Carole!
ReplyDeleteAs always you make it look so yummy. As for gluten-free I think this is a good thing but something we all need to think about is losing the sugar in our diets and this can be problemmatic when we think 'gluten-free'.
ReplyDeleteSome of us (ahem...)who would experiment with gluten-free and feel quite satisfied with ourselves may in the process increase the carbs which are the real culprits for reeking havoc on our body systems.
I, myself, am incorrigible--if I let myself go just a little bit down the path of playing with gluten-free goodies for other people, of course, I cut free and overindulge myself.
What's a girl to do? (smile).
Thanks, Sue! I agree with you about the sugar. A lot of people following low-fat diets fall into that sugar trap too. As you know, my recipes call for less sugar than most. And I make them for us with even less. When I make a pumpkin pie that only my husband and I will be eating, I use just 1/4 cup of sugar!
ReplyDeleteJean, you make me want to start eating gluten-free!! Especially with posts like this. They sound really good!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe, Jean! I do eat, cook, and bake gluten free. Only occasionally do I eat grains at all. But, this is a recipe I'll make and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenn! Look for more gluten-free next month (and I'll be doing one very NOT-gluten-free post next Thursday!).
ReplyDeleteJudy, you're welcome. I hope you like the cookies.
ReplyDeleteCooooo-kie! Cookie, cookie, cookie! YES! 5 cleavers before I even read it. But they do look worth it in the picture. [Pause to read] … 5 cleavers confirmed. Gluten-free matters not to this sweet tooth. So long as it isn’t glutton free, I’m at the table…
ReplyDeleteOoh, another 5 cleavers - I'm flattered!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sending me your article via Twitter. I've got a ton of questions for you :D but Twitter just doesn't give enough space lol. I'd love to connect and want definitely be trying the muesli cookies before I start my Whole30.
ReplyDeleteCheers, GFKimAZ
Hi Kim, thanks. I'll be emailing you.
ReplyDeleteHi Jean, these look fantastic, although I've not been lucky in the past with gluten-free recipes. Think I need to experiment with more recipes before I'm entirely sold on gluten-free things though.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Charles. Yes, there is a lot of variation amongst gluten-free items. I don't like a lot of the GF recipes I find, which is why I've developed my own. I suggest you start with my GF vanilla cupcakes. If you use the same ingredients as listed, I think you'll be very happy with them!
ReplyDelete