Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

It has been a very cool, overcast day so what better time to bake some cookies. I've been trying to organize my Christmas baking since we are gluten-free and what better way than to test actual cookies. Hey, a good excuse is a great excuse to make, bake, and eat a warm cookie from the oven.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed, dark brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter - crunch or smooth, your choice
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour. I like the version sold by nuts.com.
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two to three baking sheets with parchment paper. The cookies actually seem to bake more evenly this way.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and blend until just mixed and the dough is holding together. Depending on what size you want, shape the dough into balls or use a cookie scoop. With a wet fork, press a crisscross on the top of each cookie pressing down to spread out the dough a bit. They do spread a bit in the baking.

Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on the size you made. The edges should be nicely browned and the tops golden. Cool on the baking sheet for few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

*If you are being festive, you can drizzle a chocolate or orange icing over the cookies. You can always sandwich them together in twos with melted chocolate. Mix some peanut butter, powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla for another sandwich cookie filler.

Bundt Cake - Gluten-Free Style!

Since we've gone gluten-free for the benefit of my husband's health, I'm always looking for ways to either adapt my own recipes or find ones that serve my purposes in the kitchen. This recipe just showed up on my Facebook account. I reviewed it and it doesn't ask for anything exotic and it seems that it could end up being my go-to recipe. I think you could easily add some nuts or coconut to the batter as well as just enjoy it as the recipe is written. I haven't tried it, yet, but plans are being processed in my mind and I foresee it appearing at our dinner table in the near future.

Enticed to bake yet? The recipe is here --> http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/2013/10/gluten-free-vanilla-bundt-cake.html

Gluten-Free and Suffering? You think? :-)

When I mentioned to a friend that we were trying a gluten-free menu, her first explanation was, "You are going to starve!"

As I try to type and munch on a warm oatmeal cookie from the oven, I don't feel deprived of anything! It seems that eating gluten-free has exploded on the scene and just about any 'normal' recipe you have enjoyed, can now be worked into a gluten-free format. No, bread will never be exactly like the wheat version but we are finding a lot of bread recipes that actually appeal to us more. The challenge adds a lot to my interest in baking and no one around here has lost any weight over the gluten-free lifestyle. When we decided to try going gluten-free, my husband started rattling off the favorite Christmas cookies he looks forward to each year and wanted to know if I could still make them. So far, I have either adjusted recipes or found gluten-free versions - some of which we have liked even better.

Today, I tried a gluten-free version of oatmeal raisin cookies. As you can see from the pictures, they worked out very well. Since the first batch is almost gone, I'd venture I could pronounce them a success. The recipe can be found here: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/thick-chewy-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/ The only changes I made to the recipe was omitting the chocolate chips and adding some freshly-grated lemon zest and two tablespoons of chia seeds for some added fiber.

I have a small collection of gluten-free cooking/baking books on hand now and have found recipe keepers in each of them, however, my favorite author has to be Nicole Hunn. She has written two cookbooks to date : Gluten-Free on a Shoestring and Gluten-free on a Shoestring - Quick & Easy. I like her books as she does, indeed, simplify gluten-free recipes with basics. If you follow her advice, you will actually save money rather then feel like you are putting out more money to do this. She also has a Blog that I highly recommend as there are even more recipes listed there.

A sideline to our adventure into gluten-free eating is that less than a month into it, my husband realized that he does have a mild case of celiac. Once we got the gluten out of the house and his system, he had been able to put aside all the digestive medications he has been taking for years. It was by mere accident that I picked up a book on being gluten-free. It was amazing that my husband said to go ahead and see how it goes. Looks like God sent the message and, for once, we listened!