Rainbow Cookies - Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free!

My dad is coming to town this week to visit. I'm so excited! Part of what I do to prepare for a visit from someone I love is bake. Yep. I make cookies, scones, cake, brownies...something delicious to wow them with! My dad, who has such a sweet tooth, is always pretty excited to sample what I've created.

I know I mentioned a little bit about my dad here, but I wanted to share a little more about the father I respect, honor and love. Our relationship hasn't always been perfect, but he has always loved me, and done what he thought was best for me.

Food has always been a big part of our family, and I remember spending time with my dad in the kitchen, out at the grill, and in the garden preparing food for us to eat. He taught me the importance of hard work, and the reward that comes from that labor (both with food, and in other areas of my life).

Mexican food has always been his favorite, and we ate it quite often growing up. I have fond memories of family vacations, eating out, and hanging out at home. We traveled a lot, but many of my fondest memories are of small things - canning homemade salsa, riding wave-runners out on the lake, yard work, beach camp-outs and kite flying, bike rides, birthday parties, sitting around the fire pit in the backyard, Bryce Canyon family reunions, watching movies and reading together.

My dad is a very smart, spiritual, patriotic man. He works with computers, and knows more about them than anyone I know! He loves sci-fi (I practically grew up on Star Trek), good movies, "classic" literature, See's chocolates, Red Vines, cinnamon candy, music from the 70's and 80's, and photography. He helped publish the local paper when he was younger, and did some of the paper's photography. Thanks to him (and our very own dark room!), I was able to develop my own passion for the art.

I know my dad is going to love these cookies! They are flavorful, yet light, and have a great combination of almondy-nuttiness, mixed with a light fruity taste from the jam. And they're chocolate coated, to boot! Who wouldn't love 'em?

Now, on to the cookies themselves:

When I first laid eyes on this post by Britt @ GF in the City, I knew I had to try it! I've now made these cookies twice. The recipe is a bit time consuming, but breaking it up into two parts helps it feel like it's not taking too long. She did a great job adapting from this Bon Apetit recipe.

I keep forgetting to take a pic, so I borrowed this one from Britt! Yay for Mexican flag-resembling cookies for Dad!

Other than a few substitutions, I followed Britt's recipe pretty closely. Therefore, I am going to suggest you head over to her blog, and follow her well-written, detailed instructions on making these cookies.

My Substitutions/Notes

*I subbed 1/2 c sorghum flour for the millet flour.

*I then subbed 1/3 c millet flour for the brown rice flour.

*I used all tapioca starch instead of a tapioca/potato starch combo.

*I used 1 1/2 sticks of earth balance butter sub.

*I used room temperature eggs. My friend tried to make this recipe, and her eggs didn't stiffen. I think that was why.

*I forgot to buy marmalade both times I made this! So, I used strawberry jam w/ a splash of OJ the first time I made it and raspberry jam w/ a splash of OJ the second. So good!

*Also, I simmered the jam/juice combo a bit longer, to try and reduce the liquid. I ended up needing more than 1/3 c both times.

* I am pretty sure I used more than 2 oz chocolate both times (I used Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips). More like double that!

*Be really careful, and don't rush putting this cookie together. Especially the chocolate part. It seemed my chocolate didn't want to spread well, and I had to go slow, or it wrecked the coating.

*Also, I just used regular baking sheets to spread my dough on, since I didn't have three 8x8 pans and was impatient. They worked well. Try and spread the dough as evenly as you can.

*Cut the cookie up pretty quickly once you remove it from cooling the chocolate. I did 15 min in the fridge, instead of freezer, and the chocolate was a little too settled, and cracked in some places. Next time I'd try 10 min in the fridge.

This recipe is dedicated to my dad. I can't wait to share these cookies with him! I am also sharing this post over at Living Free, where Aubree Cherie is hosting a very special Dads' Celebration of Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten Free!, the great monthly carnival coordinated by Naomi at Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried.

Cookies!

So, it is our good friend's birthday today, and we are going to hang out later. For his birthday, he requested some GF goodies (his wife is trying the GF diet). So, I whipped these bad boys up. They turned out great! It was hard not to eat them all. I was very excited to post them right away!



Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
(from "1000 GF Recipes" by Carol Fenster)

1/4 c butter/buttery spread, at room temperature (I used 1/8 c Earth Balance spread, and 1/8 c applesauce)
1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar (I ran out of brown sugar, so subbed 1/2 c regular sugar)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c Sorghum blend*
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch or alkali)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp acacia fiber (optional, I use this for my IBS diet)
3/4 c chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
1/2 c dried sweetened cranberries (I used fresh, chopped berries)
1/4 c finely chopped walnuts (I bet pecans/almonds would work great as well)

Place oven racks in the two middle slots in the oven, right on top of each other. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on low speed for about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla.
In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients, and beat on low speed until blended. Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts. Mix well to make sure the chips, berries and nuts are thoroughly incorporated.
Use a wet tablespoon to scoop 1-1 1/2 inch balls of dough onto baking sheets, about an inch apart. Use the bottom of a drinking glass (dipped in water) to press cookies down. Place one sheet on the lower rack, and the other on the upper.
Bake for 6 minutes, then switch the baking sheets between racks. Bake for 5 minutes more, until cookies are firm. Cool for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
Enjoy!

*Sorghum blend:
1 1/2 c sorghum flour
1 1/2 c potato starch/cornstarch (I use cornstarch b/c my tummy can't handle potatoes)
1 c tapioca flour

I am also pleased to announce that the dough from the sugar cookies I made last month freezes wonderfully! Here are the cookies I made w/ that dough:

Gluten/Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

Here's an awesome recipe thanks to Lauren at Daring to Thrive!

I modified it a bit, based on ingredients I had on hand. Very impressed! I tried making GF sugar cookies after I was first diagnosed, 2 Christmases ago. They failed miserably. Since then, I have craved a great sugar cookie that also cuts well. This is it! Even my gluten eating husband gave them the thumbs up. He said they were totally "company-worthy" (meaning, ok to share w/ other gluten-eaters). I definitely agree!



Gluten/Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

1/4 c Spectrum shortening
1/4 c applesauce
3/4 c sugar
1 egg (or 1/4 c egg white substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (for some reason I thought this recipe called for almond, and so I added it at the last second)
2 tbsp milk substitute, divided (I used silk soy milk)
2 cups Featherlight flour mix
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Cream shortening, applesauce and sugar in mixer.
Add egg, vanilla, almond, and 1 tbsp milk. Mix well.
Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add slowly to wet ingredients, mixing as you go.
Add extra milk if needed to moisten the mixture. Mine didn't need it.
Cover bowl, and refrigerate (or set out on the back porch) for at least 1 hr.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Dust counter with flour (use a lot!), then roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick.
Cut dough into shapes using cookie cutters.
Place cookies on baking sheet covered w/ parchment paper (I am now a HUGE fan of parchment paper - used it for this recipe, and was amazed by it!). The cookies don't spread out much when baking, so you can put them pretty close together (at least, mine didn't).
Bake for 7-10 minutes (mine only needed 7 minutes). Cookies are done when edges are firm, and bottoms are golden (not brown).
Let cool completely, then frost and decorate.



I used Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting, and some colored sugar sprinkles.

They tasted delicious, but I must admit, trying to frost stars and trees was a bit of a challenge for me. My desire to make Christmas cut cookies has been satiated, and next time, I think I will just use a glass to cut circular cookies for easier frosting.