Sugar Cookies

So tonight I got brave and made sugar cookies. Now I have tried 15 billion sugar cookie recipes and only one has come out. Give me a recipe I can roll out and play with. Now this recipe isn't perfect no, and you can't do a major roll out, but it works. You need to take it one handful of dough at a time, roll out enough for about two cookies. But it works. I made up two batches.

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
by Baking Beauties adapted by Marcie Dingerson

2/3 cups shortening
3/4 cups sugar
4 ounces pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon unflavoured gelatin
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon guar gum

**Note, I made these well I was making dinner and put the dough in the fridge until after dinner, it worked well. Also 7-8 minutes of baking time was not enough, maybe because my cookies were bigger, they took more like 10-12 minutes. I didn't use parchment paper, I had rice flour down and I worked in small batches, it worked great, for rolling out.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. In a large bowl, beat shortening, and sugar until creamy. Add in pumpkin, vanilla, and milk. Mix until combined.

3. Add in dry ingredients and stir until combined.

4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

5. Roll out dough and cut out shapes.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes or until edges are brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies

So since I made raw chocolate I thought I would go ahead and make the raw chocolate cookies, since the boys were drooling over the page. These were very easy I think 10 minutes tops and they were in the dehydrator. I can't wait for the boys to try them. Ethan cleaned the bowl for me and said they were the best cookie I ever made?

raw chocolate chip cookies
by Matthew Kenney his book here

2 1/2 cups fine cashew flour (I used almond flour)
1 3/4 cups oat flour (I used bob's red mill)
1/2 cup raw cocao powder
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw chocolate chips (I skipped this)

Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl by hand. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Form into 3-inch cookies and press a few extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. Dehydrate on screens overnight at 118 degrees. Yield 22-24.

Raw Chocolate

So I made this recipe awhile back and I had a 3 year old eat every bite of it. He would NOT share one bite. I have to say I have been loving this book by Matthew Kenney I have to get my hands on the rest of his books they are amazing. But this recipe came from everyday raw.

Now I do not have a vitamix, although I dream nightly about having a vitamix. I was able to mix this by hand.

Well this is why you need a vitamix.

This is after lots of mixing.

Now I roll into a ball and squish to make flat disks. If you want to go to the trouble of making chocolate chips, well more power to you. I like to crumble it up through for cookies.

Raw Chocolate Chips
By Mattew Kenney

1 3/4 cups cashews soaked for 1-2 hours (honestly I use sun butter)
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt.

Place all ingredients in a Vita-Mix until smooth. Place in piping bag and pipe chocolate chips onto Teflex sheet. Dehydrate overnight at 118 degrees. Keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use. (did I mention I have three kids? These don't make it to the fridge)

Apple Cobbler Cupcake

So December's Cupcake of the month is Apple Cobbler Cupcake. I got the recipe from here and I changed nearly all the ingredients. They turned out good, good enough to be eaten before I got to frost them. So no frosting this month.

Apple Cobbler Cupcakes

About 12 Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups gf flour mix
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup mayo (or yogurt)
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
1 diced apple

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum, and ginger. Set Aside.
2. Beat in oil and sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffly.
3. Beat in pumpkin, mayo, and lemon until blended.
4. Mix in flour mixture.
5. Fold in apples.
6. Divide evenly among 12 cupcakes.
7. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Everyone loved the cupcakes here. I need to tweak the recipe a wee bit. It's still not 100% but that will come with time.

The Happiest Kid

Is this not the happiest child in the world at this moment? Santa came to preschool tonight to say hi to the kids. All the kids got to hop on his lap to say hi and to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

What a smile.

Do You Prep?

Are you a prep-per?

So a few months ago, I was thinking, well wondering if there could be a better way at making dinner and baking. And thought about how easy it is to line up your ingredients, and then just be able to dump and dump and dump. Trying to cook dinner with three kids running around is HARD. I am always called away for this or that, and it puts me behind on dinner. Now I prep, and then I start cooking. It seems to be going a lot faster, which is good news here. Because you don't want hungry kids. They turn on your, and not in a good way.

I got these prep bowls and I went to town.

So take tonight's dinner. This is called Beef Bop. Got this recipe from a friend. We make this at least once a week here, if not more. I use 1 pound of organic hamburger, I get that started on low heat. I get about 2 cups of rice going as well and set that aside. Then I start prepping.

You get a three year old actually to do the prepping, but since I can't let him use a knife yet, I have to help him prep. But he can ground a mean ginger.

You can add almost anything to this dish and make it work. Tonight we used garlic, fresh ginger, leeks, green peppers.

Once the ground beef is brown, turn off the heat and start the wok. Let the oil warm up, add in garlic, ginger, leeks, and green peppers. After a few minutes, you add in the ground beef, and fish sauce, salt and a sprinkle of sugar. Let it cook down.

Serve over rice.

This is a type of recipe you don't need measurements. Honestly just dump what you want in it. You can do any sorts of veggies. I just had green peppers and leeks tonight. I love fresh ginger in a recipe. Depending on kids I can usually have this on the table in about 30 minutes.

Gluten Free Girl

If you ever get a chance to meet or hear Shauna talk, then GO. It was great meeting here, it was great hearing her talk, and wish it lasted longer.

A photo of me and Shauna.

Ethan snuck in and wanted a photo.

Check out her blog here.

Gluten Free Mobile Two

Well sadly Gluten Free Mobile retired about 3 weeks ago. It was very sad and very sudden, but not totally unexpected. So here enters Gluten Free Mobile Two. I can't tell you how many times I have lost this van all ready. It was time to decorate it.

Here is the back of the van, very settle. I have more to add so give me time. I have just started.

Isn't this pretty? I'm so in love with my circut. It's amazing how much joy that machine has brought me.

Here is a close up. I have this on both sides.

More to come....