Most of us that have gone gluten free are making an effort
to improve our health. This means that for the most part we are eating clean
and healthy whole foods. Occasionally, though, we do have a hankering for
something rich, sweet, and yummy. Also if we have little ones, we can keep them
on track by providing the yummy things they see their friends enjoying.
Making goodies like cookies from scratch is actually very
beneficial to having a healthy diet. In fact making most things from scratch is
healthful because you can control the ingredients. This includes controlling
the quality of ingredients, where they come from, and how they come to you.
Unfortunately many of the recipes readily available for the
gluten free diet tend to have odd ingredients and at times, do not produce a
desirable goodie that will satisfy the occasional sweet tooth. Also the variety
of recipes can be scarce at times.
However, there are a multitude of recipes out there for non
gluten free diets. The ability to convert these recipes into a more healthful,
gluten free option will add exponentially to your repertoire.
One of the easiest sweet to make from scratch is cookies.
There are a few basic things to keep in mind when converting. The “flour” used
is the most important consideration. While coconut flour and other healthy
flours are desirable, these can sabotage a recipe because they have a high
protein and fiber content. So it is important to be careful when using these.
Most of the time you can incorporate these flours successfully if you blend
them with a starch. Another option for a healthy flour is Bob’s Red Mill
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. Now just to be clear, this
brand makes a baking flour blend. I do not use this because it has rice
flour in it. For my family, it is important to stay away from most grains. We
occasionally use corn. The All Purpose flour has bean flours and sorghum
blended in. Even this blend can be a bit heavy for baking. To make it work I
usually blend a few different “flours” together. Typically for cookies a blend
of these three:
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
Tapioca Starch
Cornstarch
Sometimes the amount of flour in a recipe can be divided
into three equally. When it can’t be divided equally I usually assign the
larger measure to the all purpose flour. You may also want to do this if you
want to keep your starch intake low. However, please keep in mind that if you
want to make something really delicious and satisfying you will have to, in
most cases, incorporate some starch. If you are really opposed to using
starches, then I strongly suggest sticking to recipes that are already gluten
free, tried, and tested.
The other very important consideration is using Xanthan Gum.
This is very, very important. Without it, your cookies won’t make it off the
cooking sheet in one piece. (A discussion about Xanthan Gum will be featured
soon. Stay tuned!) The general guideline for cookies is ¼ teaspoon for every
cup of “flour” you use. This includes starches. So let’s say that the recipe
calls for 3 cups of flour. You would use 1 cup of each: Bob’s …All Purpose
Flour, Tapioca Starch, Cornstarch + ¾ teaspoon Xanthan Gum.
For most cookie recipes these are the only changes you need
to make. When vanilla is called for, I like to use Simply Organic vanilla. This
brand is definitely gluten free. Also be sure to use ingredients that you know
to be gluten free. For baking power or baking soda, Bob’s Red Mill Brand is a
good choice. Do not forget to use Parchment Paper. This makes baking successful
and enjoyable.
So are you ready to get started? Try out my chocolate chocolate chip recipe. This is a variation of the Nestle Toll House cookie recipe - always a
crowd pleaser. Stayed tuned for more tips and recipe conversions. If you would
like for me to help you convert a recipe to make it gluten free, please post
your request in the comment section. Remember to include your e-mail address.
Happy Gluten Free Eating!
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