Kid-approved recipes, all gluten free

With a son, Dylan, who has allergies to gluten, eggs and nuts, I am fairly experienced in making allergen-free treats. With “Gluten Free Makeovers,” I am pleased to add a few more recipes to my collection.

Chocolate shortbread (page 196), egg-free and dairy-free coffee cake (page 215), and roll-out sugar cookies (page 201) had great texture and taste and were Dylan-approved favorites for our family and friends. In fact, a friend told me that the Chocolate shortbread was “the best gluten free dessert” she had ever had.

My husband’s praise for the egg-free and dairy-free coffee cake was slightly more diplomatic, “This may be the best thing you’ve ever made that wasn’t your own recipe.” Blond brownies (page 178), however, were a total flop; they were extremely gooey, tasting virtually uncooked. That seemed to be the anomaly, though. I am looking forward to tasting the many other recipes in the book.

Gluten free baking can be complicated because of the combination of flours that need to mixed before the recipe even starts. “Gluten Free Makeovers” takes that a step further by designating various “blends” for advance preparation to have on hand for different recipes (It is a good idea to make these blends in bulk so you have them ready for several recipes). It also uses flours that may not be in every gluten free home, such as millet, sweet sorghum and sweet rice. Although this adds a bit more effort, it’s worth it.

RECIPES

Chocolate shortbread (egg-free)

Makes 24 to 30 squares

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1¼ cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups basic blend (recipe follows)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, optional (we used white chocolate chips because of nut allergies in our family)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with aluminum foil. Lightly oil the foil.

Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until blended. In a separate bowl, combine the flour blend, xanthan gum and salt. Add to the butter mixture and beat on low to combine. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top. Let melt and spread with a rubber spatula. If the chocolate chips do not melt, return to the oven briefly. Sprinkle evenly with pecans and press into the chocolate. Cool completely.

Use the foil to lift the cookies onto a cutting board. Cut into squares or other shapes. These handle more easily if frozen for 1 to 2 hours before cutting.

Shortcut: Use any all-purpose gluten free flour blend, but omit the salt and gum if they are already added to the blend.

Basic blend

2¾ cups rice flour

1¼ cups corn or potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour

Cookbook Critic runs Wednesdays in the Plus section. This week’s Cookbook Critic is Michelle Rutledge of Nicasio who has a passion for all things culinary, including the Three S’s: Sweet, Salty and Starchy. Since her son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies when he was an infant, she was forced to include a fourth S: Sans, as in sans gluten, sans eggs and sans nuts.

REVIEW

“Gluten Free Makeovers: Over 175 Recipes — from Family Favourites to Gourmet Goodies — Made Deliciously Wheat-Free” by Beth Hillson (336 pages, Da Capo Lifelong Books, $19 )

Love to cook or bake?

Thanks to all the IJ readers who sent in an email asking to be a Cookbook Critic. If you’re still interested, email [email protected] and include a little about yourself, your town, your cooking expertise, any dietary restrictions and types of foods you like to cook/bake. Please put “Cookbook Critic” in the subject line.

Gluten free Recipes with Bill & Sheila

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