Read Gluten-Free Makeovers Online
Authors: Beth Hillson
Grind in a food processor until the cookies are fine crumbs and store in an airtight container. These will keep for several weeks.
Great for topping any fruit pie or crisp. This is also layered into Grandma’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake on page 214.
¾ cup rice flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup ground pecans, walnuts, or almonds, optional
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or non-dairy buttery spread, at room temperature, cut into pieces
Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt, and pecans, if using, in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the butter and use your fingertips to mix just until crumbly.
To use as a topping for an apple pie, crumble 2 cups of crumb topping over the apples. Bake at 350°F, or until the apples are bubbly. If the edge of the piecrust browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Tip
:
Make a double batch and store in the refrigerator for three weeks or freezer for three months.
The gluten-filled version of this recipe (originally from
FamilyFun
magazine) is a tradition with my friend Oksana and her family. I offered to create a gluten-free recipe so her son Mikey, a celiac, could enjoy this holiday dessert along with the rest of the family. There’s no doubt this will be a tradition with both families from now on.
one 9-inch Dream Crust (see page 232)
2½ cups peeled, cored, and quartered apples (McIntosh or Granny Smith or a mixture of both)
⅔ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice flour
2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
¼ cup rice flour
¼ cup cornstarch or tapioca starch
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold butter or non-dairy buttery spread, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll out the crust and line a 9-inch pie pan. Crimp the edges and set on a cookie sheet for easy handling.
Thinly slice the apples along the short side. Combine the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and rice flour in a large bowl. Add the cranberries and toss. Gently spoon the filling into the prepared pie shell and smooth the top.
Bake for 30 minutes. If the crust browns too quickly, cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil.
Make the topping: While the apple mixture is baking, combine the rice flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the butter using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Spread the topping evenly over the apple mixture. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles around the edges.
Cool and serve. The pie may also be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days. Return to room temperature before serving.
Easy and delicious, this pie will be enjoyed by all, but will be a special treat for those with allergies to gluten and dairy. It can be made egg-free, as well.
1½ cups finely ground almonds or almond flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons non-dairy buttery spread, melted
1 large egg
10 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons non-dairy buttery spread
one 8-ounce container dairy-free whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with vegetable spray.