Gluten-Free Makeovers (73 page)
Read Gluten-Free Makeovers Online
Authors: Beth Hillson
Avoiding Dairy?
Replace the butter with organic shortening and use soy cream cheese in place of regular cream cheese.
MAKES 18 TO 24 COOKIES
We had several variations of sugar cookie recipes when I owned Gluten-Free Pantry. I tested them all and selected the best cookie in the bunch for this book. It was not an easy job, that’s for sure. However, this recipe won our hearts. I am sure you will agree!
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
⅔ cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups Basic Blend (page 17)
½ cup sweet rice flour
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. In a separate bowl, combine the flour blend, rice flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder and mix with a fork. Add gradually to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until combined. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap to ¼ inch thick. Remove the top sheet of plastic and cut out cookies using your favorite cutters. Gather the remnants of dough and form another ball, then roll to ¼-inch thickness and cut out more cookies. Repeat until all the dough is used. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the cookie sheets.
If the dough becomes too warm to handle, lift the cookies and the plastic wrap onto a cookie sheet and chill for a few minutes until the cookies are easy to remove.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are light brown. Cool on a wire rack
Decorate with confectioners’ or royal icing on pages 258 and 259.
Before baking these cookies, sprinkle with colored sugar. This touch gives your cookies a perfect finish without the icing.
One of my testers, Brooke Mommsen, rolled this dough into a 1-inch round log. She wrapped and refrigerated the dough then cut it into ¼-inch-thick slices, sprinkled the tops with colored sprinkles, and baked as above. The results were delicious and with far less fuss.
It’s challenging to make over desserts in the cake and cupcake department. Something is often lost when rice flour replaces wheat flour and that’s often the light and airy texture. So many desserts smack of a certain graininess that is barely masked by sugar and chocolate and frosting. The blends used here aim for a light texture that fools most. People who can eat wheat are surprised and delighted. I don’t tell them how far gluten-free has come. I simply smile and say, “What did you expect?”
Once you have successful recipes like these in your repertoire, you can dress them up with any number of frostings and fillings. Scoop out a bit of cupcake and pipe preserves or frosting into the center for a tasty surprise. Or spoon half the batter into each muffin cup, drop a dollop of preserves or a chocolate kiss in the center and cover with more batter.
Slice through the center of a cake to create thin layers and spread chocolate mousse or buttercream mixed with toasted ground almonds between the layers. Once these are stacked and the cake is frosted, sprinkle toasted almonds or chocolate shavings around the sides and top. The presentation is lovely and professional looking. And it’s a great way to hide any mistakes.
Most of all, imagine that every cake and cupcake is for you and celebrate.
CAKES AND CUPCAKES
Auntie’s Apple Cake
Dairy-free
Years ago, my husband’s aunt made an apple cake for the Jewish New Year. Alas, I couldn’t taste it, but the compliments she received touched my soul where good food lives. This version uses my Cake and Pastry Flour blend, reduces the oil, and replaces it with additional orange juice. Delicious—and lower in calories.
3 to 4 cups peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith or McIntosh apples (about 3 large)
5 tablespoons plus 2 cups sugar
5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups Cake and Pastry Flour (page 16)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
4 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup orange juice
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a tube pan.
Toss the apples with 5 tablespoons of the sugar and the cinnamon; set aside.
