Blog - Gluten-Free Baking

12 Easy Gluten-Free Recipes for Comfort Baking

Apr 28, 2020 · Leave a Comment

There’s something magical about baking. Right now, with the world feeling sharp and uncertain, more folks than ever are baking at home. Not only does baking provide a delicious reward, but it also gives us time to spend in the kitchen–either alone or with our loved ones–to focus on something other than the state of the world. I think any baking recipe is a comfort recipe but these twelve are especially lovely.

Easy Gluten-free Sandwich Bread

There’s something wonderfully comforting about making a loaf of bread, especially now. This easy recipe for gluten-free bread is wonderfully soft and is perfect (of course) for sandwiches but it’s also great as a base for French toast.

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Speaking of French toast, cinnamon raisin bread makes wonderful French toast. It also makes great toast. 😉 This loaf of warm and filled with cinnamon and raisins and, the best part, it’s not too sweet.

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Gluten-Free Banana Bread and Muffins

It feels like everyone is making banana bread. Why miss out? Got some overripe bananas on the counter? Then it’s time to make a batch of banana bread or banana muffins!

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Nothing says “weekend breakfast” like a pan of warm blueberry muffins. These blueberry muffins are tender, buttery, and loaded with blueberries. (Don’t have fresh blueberries yet? That’s fine! Frozen berries work great in this recipe!)

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

I think there’s only one thing that’s better than the smell of chocolate cake baking. And that’s eating a slice of chocolate cake. This one is moist, rich, and really, really chocolaty.

Get the Recipe: Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

Crisp on the edges. Soft and chewy in the center. These gluten-free oatmeal cookies are the cookie version of a warm hug. You can make them with chocolate chips or raisins. (I vote for chocolate chips.)

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal cookies not your thing? Prefer the grande dame of cookies, the chocolate chip cookie? I got you! I just shared a recipe for easy chocolate chip cookies, it only uses rice flour and one that uses a gluten-free flour blend. Use whichever one works for you.

Get the Recipe: Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (white rice flour-based)

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free flour blend)

Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Moist, loaded with spices, and so easy to make, this gluten-free spice cake is really irresistible. I know that for some folks think of spice cake as a fall dessert but, really, it’s an anytime cake.

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Do you eat coffee cake just for the streusel? I get it. The good news is that the cake that’s buried under that delicious streusel is equally delicious. It’s a sour cream cake that’s delicious on its own but even better paired with wonderful cinnamon streusel. If you want a grain-free option, I’ve got that too!

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Get the Recipe: Almond Flour Coffee Cake (grain-free)

Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Tearing into a warm dinner roll and slathering it with butter is one of life’s great pleasures. This recipe uses a gluten-free flour blend and is a great recipe if you’ve never baked with yeast before.

Get the Recipe: Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Gluten-Free Funfetti Cake

Life needs sprinkles right now. I mean, life always needs sprinkles but it needs sprinkles now more than ever.

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Funfetti Confetti Cake

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Cookies with candy pieces *and* peanuts *and* butterscotch chips *and* oats *and* peanut butter sound pretty good right about now.

Get the Recipe: Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Almond Flour Coffee Cake (Grain-Free/Gluten-Free)

Apr 24, 2020 · Leave a Comment

This easy almond flour coffee cake recipe is gluten-free and grain-free. It makes a moist and tender cake that paleo eaters and others love!

My love of coffee cake started years before I tasted a sip of coffee. My mom made a Bisquik coffee cake often during my childhood. We never ate it for breakfast; it was always an after-dinner treat. This recipe, with its sweet cinnamon flavor, makes a nice breakfast or dessert–coffee optional! This grain-free recipe is a love letter to the coffee cakes of my childhood.

Why You’ll Love This Grain-Free Coffee Cake

Delicate and tender
Not too sweet
Easy-to-make
Dairy-Free (with an option to use butter if that works for you.)
Freezes well

Key Ingredients for Almond Flour Coffee Cake

Finely ground almond flour. This is the backbone “flour” for this recipe. It adds wonderful flavor, texture, and richness. Please do not replace the almond with traditional gluten-free flour or additional coconut flour.
Coconut flour. There are only three tablespoons of coconut flour in this cake. It provides the cake-like texture we all know and love in coffee cake. As with the almond flour, it can’t be replaced with either gluten-free flour or almond flour or it will adversely affect the texture of the cake.
Coconut Oil. Some brands of coconut oil taste strongly of coconut. Others do not. For this recipe, I prefer mild coconut oil; I find the coconut flour adds enough coconut flour without overwhelming the flavors of the almond flour and cinnamon. If you use a strongly flavored coconut oil, this coffee cake has more of an almond/coconut flavor.

How to Make Almond Flour Coffee Cake: Keys for Success

Use parchment paper. Grease the cake pan with oil and then line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper. Why? Cakes made with coconut flour tend to stick to the pan. Parchment paper prevents this.
Soften the coconut oil. You want the coconut oil soft, not hard and brittle, and not melted.
Use a large balloon whisk. Thanks to the coconut flour in the recipe, the dough is thick. If you notice it’s sticking inside your whisk, switch to a larger whisk or use an electric (handheld or stand) mixer.

Note: This recipe is dedicated to Julia who loves to bake and to her mom, Kendall, who so beautifully introduced her daughter to the kitchen.

Almond Flour Coffee Cake (Gluten-Free & Grain-Free)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups finely ground almond flour (7 ounces; 198 grams)
3 tablespoons coconut flour (3/4 ounce; 21 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, homemade or store-bought (grain-free)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, solid or unsalted butter, softened (2 ounces; 58 grams)
4 large eggs (about 8 ounces; 225 grams out of shell.)
1/3 cup maple syrup (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping

2 tablespoons granulated maple sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with coconut oil. Place an 8-inch round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
Prepare the batter. Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in coconut oil until no large pieces of coconut oil remain. I like to use my fingers for this. If you don’t want to use your fingers, use a pastry cutter. Remove two tablespoons of dry mixture for the streusel and place in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the remaining dry ingredients. Allow each egg to incorporate before you add the next. After you add the final egg, whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Prepare the streusel. Stir together the reserved almond flour mixture, maple sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cake.
Bake the cake. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan.
Store, wrapped tightly, on the counter for up to three days.

Easy Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake Recipe

Apr 13, 2020 · 14 Comments

Easy Recipe for Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake. Follow this simple recipe for the best angel food cake you’ve ever made. Perfect served with berries and whipped cream.

If you’ve baked angel food cake before, this recipe asks you to forget almost everything you know about the process. And if you’ve never baked an angel food cake, you’re in luck. This version is ridiculously easy–and you don’t need to forget any prior techniques!

Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

Easy to Make. You start by whipping together cold eggs and sugar. A sturdy stand mixer does all of the work.
Light and Tender. This gluten-free angel food cake bakes up so light and tender.
Perfect Served with Whipped Cream and Berries. This cake tastes great on its own but it’s also really tasty with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh berries.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: The Important Steps

Whip together the egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar. This isn’t a fussy recipe. Simply combine the egg white, cream of tartar, and salt and whip until thick and shiny. This takes about 10 minutes on a stand mixer. Don’t give up! Unlike some recipes for angel food cake, there’s no need to add the sugar a little at a time.
Slowly add the gluten-free flour. Once the egg whites are thick and shiny, add the gluten-free flour. Go slow here. It’s important. You want to add about a quarter cup at a time. Be sure each addition of flour is incorporated before adding more.For the first few tests, I attempted to fold the flour into the whipped egg whites with a rubber spatula. This lead to some of the flour sinking to the bottom of the mixing bowl—causing the batter to deflated and bake with streaks of unhydrated flour throughout.
The solution to the problem was simple. I added the flour, in four additions, with the stand mixer running. As soon as the last bit of flour is incorporated, you’re done.
Gently spread the batter into an ungreased angel food pan. It’s important that you don’t grease the pan when making angel food cake. You want the batter to climb the sides of the pan and stick.
Bake until set. Bake until the internal temperature of the cake reaches 205 degrees F. or until the cake is golden brown. Underbaked gluten-free angel food cakes can collapse. So it’s important to bake it thoroughly.
Cool upside down. Before baking, check out your pan. Does it have little feet sticking up on the edge? These are for cooling. You invert the pan onto the feet. Some pans have this feature and some don’t. If your pan doesn’t have cooling feet, find a glass bottle before baking. As soon as the angel food cake comes out of the oven, turn it over onto the neck of the bottle to cool.

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: The Ingredients

Cold Egg Whites: Angel food cakes requires a lot of egg whites. How many? A full dozen! And there’s no need to use room temperature eggs. Cold egg whites work great in this recipe.

Cream of Tartar: A little cream of tartar has a big impact. Just 1 1/2 teaspoons allows the egg whites to whip up thick and shiny.

Granulated Sugar: Angel food cakes are, simply put, a baked sweet meringue. This is why they taste a bit like cotton candy. Reducing the amount of sugar called for in the recipe doesn’t work. Sorry!

Salt: A little salt balances out the sugar and gives our angel food cake it’s delicate-sweet flavor.

Gluten-Free Flour: During testing, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. If you use a different flour blend, the cake might turn out differently from mine and some blends can cause the cake to collapse as it cools. For the best results, I strongly recommend using this blend.

Vanilla Extract: Use vanilla extract to flavor the cake. Some flavorings, like peppermint, orange, and lemon, many contain oil and cause the cake to collapse. (see troubleshooting for more information on why to avoid oil in your angel food cake.)

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: The Pan

The pan is an important part of the success of angel food cake. Here’s the lowdown: you need a 10-inch uncoated pan.

As the cake bakes, it needs to cling to the sides of the pan. If it can’t stick to the pan, the cake will sink and turn out heavy.

If you need to buy an angel food pan, look for one with legs. The cake is cooled upside down. If your pan has feet, you simply flip it over. If the pan doesn’t have legs, you need to find something, like a bottle or stack of cans, to rest the pan on while it cools. While this isn’t hard, it’s a bit of a pain.

Troubleshooting Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

De-grease the Bowl and Whisk. Angel food cake requires a grease-free mixing bowl and whisk. Even just a little bit of grease can prevent the egg whites whipping into a thick meringue. Before mixing, wash your bowl and whisk to remove any greasy film that might be clinging to it.

Keep Egg Yolks Out the Mix. When separating the egg whites from the yolks, it’s a good idea to separate the egg white into an individual bowl. Then pour the white into the mixing bowl. This way if a little bit of egg yolk gets into the white, you can easily remove it. (To remove a little yolk, use half an eggshell. The edge of the shell cuts through egg whites.)

Cool Upside Down Angel food cakes, like chiffon cakes, require an unusual step: you cool them upside down. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, flip it over.

Many angel food cake pans have little legs on them, making it easy to flip the pan over and cool it on the legs. If your pan doesn’t have feet, carefully invert the pan onto the neck of a bottle or a stack of cans.

Why did my angel food cake fall out of the pan?

There are some common causes for this.

The cake was underbaked. This is the most common problem. If the cake is underbaked, even just a little, the moisture remaining in the cake makes it heavy and the weight pulls it out of the pan. Bake the cake until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. At this point, the cake will look golden brown.
The pan was coated. Angel food cake needs to cling to the pan when cooling. If the pan was coated with a nonstick coating or if it was sprayed with oil before baking, it will slip from the pan.
The Kitchen was cold. If your kitchen is 68 degrees for below, the cake can contact and fall from the pan before it sets. Stella Parks suggests this solution for cold kitchens: open the oven door and place the inverted cake on the stovetop, where drafts of warm air will stabilize its temperature.

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake: Supplies

The list below includes affiliate links. GlutenFreeBaking.com earns a commission from sales made using the links.

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

10-inch Aluminium Uncoated Tube Pan

Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour

5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake

Easy Gluten-Free Angel Food Cake. Light and Tender.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Cooling Time 2 hours

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free baking flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (11 ounces; 312 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 large egg whites (about 14 ounces; 396 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat Oven. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and remove the top rack. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift gluten-free flour and set aside.(This removes any lumps in the gluten-free flour.)
Whip the Egg Whites. Stir together granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add egg whites and vanilla extract. Whisk on low to combine, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high (6-8 on a KitchenAid) and whip 6 minutes.
Increase speed to high (10 on a KitchenAid) and whip until the meringue is shiny, white, and thick. This takes between 2-4 minutes. The tines of the whisk should leave a pattern in the meringue. Stop the mixer and remove the whisk attachment from the bowl. The meringue clinging to the whisk should form a very soft peak. You want it to fall in a thick ribbon off the whisk. Replace the whisk and turn the mixer back on to high speed.
Slowly the Gluten-Free Flour. Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until incorporated. Allow each addition of flour to incorporate before adding the next.
Bake the Cake. Spoon batter into an ungreased 10-inch aluminum tube pan. Bake until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 50 minutes. (The internal temperature of the cake should be 206°F.)
Cool the Cake. Remove pan from the oven and immediately invert onto the legs of the pan. If the pan does not have legs, invert onto the neck of a wine bottle. Cool for at least 2 hours. If the kitchen is cold, place the pan on top of the oven to cool and prop the oven door open.
Remove the Cake from the Pan. Slide an offset spatula around the sides of the cake to loosen. Remove the insert, and slide a spatula under the bottom of the cake. Gently lift the cake off the insert and place onto a serving dish.
To serve, cut with a serrated knife. Store leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic for up to 1 week at room temperature.

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mar 24, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Thick and buttery gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

Yesterday I tested a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I’m working on a thin chocolate chip cookie recipe and…this isn’t it.

But these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are undeniably good. They’re thick and buttery. So I thought I’d share the recipe with you today because I’m guessing you could use a good chocolate chip cookie recipe right about now.

Why You’ll Love These Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Easy to Make. This recipe only uses rice flour and you can mix it together with a wooden spoon. You don’t need to pull out the electric mixer unless that’s easier for you. (Want a recipe that uses a gluten-free flour blend? You can either try it in this recipe or you can make a batch of my classic gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.)
Thick and Buttery. The buttery flavor of these cookies and thick texture makes them a winner. They remind me of a thick version of Toll House cookies.
Small Batch. This makes about 16 small-ish cookies.

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Ingredients

White Rice Flour. I used finely ground white rice flour. If you use stone-ground white rice flour, you might notice a slightly coarse texture.

Xanthan Gum. This is why the cookies turned out thick. The recipe only contains 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Can you skip it? Probably but I haven’t tested the recipe without it.

Baking Soda. This helps give the cookies lift and aids in browning.

Salt. It enhances flavor and controls sweetness.

Butter. Use very soft butter. How soft? Almost melted. When removing the butter from the wrapper, it should stick a bit. We aren’t creaming the butter together with the sugar as we do in traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Sugar in the Raw. This was a test recipe and I used sugar in the raw. It’s a coarse granulated sugar. It adds a nice caramel flavor and a light crunch. Don’t have it on hand? No problem. Use an equal amount of cane or granulated sugar.

Light Brown Sugar. There’s only a little brown sugar in this chocolate chip cookie recipe. It adds a nice flavor and delicate texture.

Egg. Just one. It keeps the cookies moist.

Vanilla. It’s here for the flavor.

Chocolate Chips. There are chocolate chips in every bite. If you want more chocolate chips, add them. Want less? Reduce the amount to three-quarters of a cup or less!

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Thick and buttery gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white rice flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xathan gum
1 stick very soft butter (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
1/2 cup sugar in the raw (coarse cane sugar), see note (3 3/4 ounces; 105 ounces)
1/4 cup light brown sugar (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 large egg (about 2 ounces; 56 grams, out of shell)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (about 5 ounces; 142 grams)

Instructions

Heat Oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk Dry Ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together white rice flour, baking soda, salt, and xathan gum.
Make the Dough. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, sugar in the raw, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add whisked dry ingredients. Mix until a dough forms. Add chocolate chips. Mix to combine.
Bake the Cookies. Drop dough, about two tablespoons, onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cookies are golden brown and set, about 12 minutes.
Cool on a Rack. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for five minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Store the Cookies. Keep the cookies wrapped on the counter for up to four days or freeze in a freezer bag for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

Sugar in the Raw

Don't have sugar in the raw (coarse cane sugar) on hand? No problem. Replace it with cane sugar or regular granulated sugar.

How to Make the Best Gluten-Free Biscuits

Mar 5, 2020 · 4 Comments

Soft and tender gluten-free biscuits. No buttermilk required! (Dairy-free option included.)

This isn’t the first time I’ve posted a recipe for gluten-free biscuits. My gluten-free Cheddar biscuit recipe, in fact, is one of the most popular recipes I’ve shared. But I’ve never quite nailed a recipe for classic biscuits, the type that’s soft and tender and wonderfully buttery.

I tinkered with the recipe on and off for a long time. And I finally (finally) came up with a gluten-free biscuit recipe that I think you’ll love. (And, good news for my dairy-free friends, I have a dairy-free option for you!)

Why You’ll Love These Gluten-Free Biscuits

Light, tender and flaky.
Not sweet.
Tangy and flavorful.
Buttermilk-free! (More about that below.)

Are gluten-free biscuits easy to make?

I think the answer to this varies by person. Some folks grew up making and eating biscuits. For them, biscuits are easy. For other folks, who perhaps love eating biscuits but have never made them, there’s a bit of a learning curve. I wouldn’t call them hard-to-make but they do require some specific attention.

If this is your first time making biscuits, take your time. Enjoy the process. It’s a lovely recipe to make. From measuring the ingredients to cutting out the biscuits, this recipe invites you to slow down and enjoy the moment.

I’ve never made biscuits before. What do I need to know?

Oh, yay! Welcome to the biscuit-making club. Below I go into detail about what you need to know about making biscuits. But here’s a quick lowdown.

Whisk the dry ingredients together. This is an easy step to skip. But please don’t! There’s a lot of baking powder in this recipe and we want it evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture. This ensures the biscuits rise evenly.
Use cold butter. It’ll give you light gluten-free biscuits.
Don’t work the butter in too much. Or too little. Here’s where biscuit success lies. Making biscuits, like making pie crust, requires you to “cut in” cold butter into the flour mixture. You want the butter pieces to be about the size of peas. If they are too small, the biscuits won’t turn out as light and tender as you want. And if you leave the pieces of butter too big, about the size of pennies, the butter can leak out of the biscuits during baking.

Those are the three keys to success. Now, let’s look at all the nitty-gritty details, from the ingredients to the individual steps.

Gluten-Free Biscuits: The Ingredients

Gluten-Free Flour. This recipe calls for a gluten-free flour blend. I use Bob’s Red Mill because 1. It works really well. 2. It’s affordable. 3. It’s easy to find. If you prefer a different flour blend, give it a try. Just know that you might experience different results.

Butter (or Shortening). Whether you use butter or shortening, you want it to be cold. How cold? Straight-from-the-fridge cold. The reason we want cold butter or shortening? Steam! As with pie dough, the water in the butter evaporates as the biscuits bake. This creates steam which helps leaven the biscuits. If the butter is warm, the flour absorbs the water and fat and we don’t get the puff of steam we need for light, fluffy biscuits.

My preference when making biscuits is to use butter. It gives you the best flavor and texture. If you’re dairy-free, use a dairy-free butter replacement or use shortening. (One note: biscuits made with shortening lack the flavor of those made with butter or butter replacements.)

Plain Yogurt. When I set out to develop a recipe for gluten-free biscuits, I assumed I’d use buttermilk. It’s classic. However, I remember Stella Parks mentioning that she elected to use yogurt in her biscuit recipe* because it’s so much easier to find. I hadn’t noticed it but she’s right. Buttermilk, an ingredient that was once ubiquitous at grocery stores isn’t nearly as common. Yogurt, on the other hand, is everywhere.

*Please note: the biscuit recipe I linked to above contains wheat flour and is not gluten-free. I’m linking to the recipe because it’s where I got the inspiration to use yogurt and not buttermilk.

Use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt, in these biscuits. And look for a brand that’s simply milk, active yogurt cultures, and pectin. Yogurts with starches or gums can negatively impact the texture of the biscuits.

An Egg (Optional). My original biscuit recipe contained eggs. So I thought this recipe needed eggs. And I included them in my early tests. Eggs aren’t included in classic biscuit recipes and I wanted to see if this recipe would work without eggs.

And, guess what, it worked! But that doesn’t mean you can’t use an egg in this recipe.

If you prefer your biscuits extra tender with a bit of spread, add an egg to the dough. (Full instructions included. See the recipe note for “Rich Gluten-Free Biscuits.)

Made without an egg, these gluten-free biscuits are what I think of as traditional buttermilk biscuits (No buttermilk, of course.) They are tender and flaky but sturdy enough to be split and used for a chicken sandwich.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Baking powder is the traditional leavener of biscuits. Baking soda isn’t so common. This recipe needs it because the yogurt brings more acidity to the dough than buttermilk. Too much acidity means biscuits that are gummy and unpleasantly sour. To balance that acidity, a little baking soda does the trick. The recipe only calls for a teaspoon but it’s an ingredient you don’t want to skip.

How to Make Gluten-Free Biscuits: Steps for Success

Spend Time Whisking. There’s a generous amount of baking powder in this recipe and it needs to be evenly distributed throughout the gluten-free flour mixture to ensure the biscuits rise evenly. Spend a minute or so whisking the ingredients together or, if you’re using a food processor, pulse the mixture a few times to combine.

Cut in the Butter. You have three options for cutting in the cold butter.

By Hand. Use your fingers and rub the butter into the gluten-free flour mixture by using a snapping motion. I don’t recommend using your fingers if you have very warm hands.
A Pastry Cutter. Some folks love pastry cutters. You run them through the butter and dry ingredients in a rolling motion. But…I find them annoying because you constantly have to clear the butter-flour from the tines of the cutter. If this doesn’t bother you, go ahead and use one.
A Food Processor. If you have warm hands, this is the tool for you! A few short pulses with a food processor quickly cuts the butter into the flour mixture. And there’s no fighting with the tines of a pastry cutter that’s jammed with flour and butter. Those are the benefits. The drawback is over incorporating the butter. Food processors work so quickly that you can work the butter in too much. A few quick pulses does the job. After cutting the butter into the flour mixture with a food processor, I recommend transferring the mixture to a large bowl and stirring in the yogurt by hand. This keeps the butter the correct size and prevents you from adding too much yogurt. (Sometimes the mixture can look dry in a food processor when it’s not.)

Stir, by hand. Once you’ve cut the butter or shortening into the gluten-free flour mix, stir in the yogurt. The goal here is to add “just enough” yogurt. You don’t want to see any dry flour hanging out in the bottom of the bowl; nor do you want the dough to feel so damp that it squishes when you squeeze it.

And squeezing it is a good idea. Sometimes the dough can look dry when stirring it with a wooden spoon but when you give a squeeze and a quick knead with your hands, you’ll find it’s hydrated enough.

If the dough does seem dry, add additional yogurt. Start with one tablespoon and increase as needed. Sometimes, depending on the gluten-free flour, temperature of the butter, and humidity in your kitchen, the biscuit dough might need a little extra yogurt.

Pat. Cut. Repeat. Once the dough is at the correct consistency, dust your counter with gluten-free flour and pat the dough into a small rectangle. Cut into three or four biscuits and then gently squeeze the dough back into a rectangle and repeat the process. This patting, cutting, and repeating is an unusual step for making biscuits but it’s needed.

These gluten-free biscuits bake up light and tender but they don’t rise much because of the lack of gluten. The thickness of the dough is about the thickness of your final biscuit.

By keeping the dough thick, cutting out a few biscuits and gathering the dough back into a rectangle, you get nice thick biscuits. Don’t worry about the dough getting tough. There is no gluten in the dough. In traditional biscuits, the more you work the dough, the more the gluten develops. Developed gluten=tough biscuits.

As you work and rework the dough, be aware of its temperature. If the dough is getting soft, this means it’s getting warm. Cut it into rounds and chill the biscuits for about 15 minutes before baking.

Baker’s Tip: Sometimes you’ll have just enough dough left for one biscuit. Don’t let this dough go to waste. Gently press the dough into a round and you’re all set.

Speaking of cutting the biscuits, real talk: I love you but I’m going to holler a bit here: DON’T TWIST YOUR CUTTER. (sorry for the yelling) If you twist the cutter, it can smush the edges of the biscuits and prevent them from rising. If you find your dough sticking to the cutter, dip the cutter in gluten-free flour between each biscuit to prevent it from sticking.

Bake Until Brown. Thanks to the granulated sugar and baking soda in this recipe, the biscuits bake up a lovely golden brown. Once baked, allow them to cool for a few minutes before serving. Warm biscuits are lovely. Hot gluten-free biscuits can taste gummy.

So that’s how you make gluten-free biscuits! Take your time. Use cold butter (or shortening) and remember: pat, cut, repeat. Soon you’ll be enjoying the best gluten-free biscuits you’ve ever had.

Gluten-Free Biscuits

Tender and fluffy gluten-free biscuits. The secret ingredient? Yogurt!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 9 biscuits

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour (11 1/4 ounces; 320 grams)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 ounce; 28 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1 cup plain yogurt, plus additional as needed (about 8 ounces; 226 grams)

Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients. Whisk together gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Take your time with this step to ensure the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Make the Dough. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut butter into the flour mixture until the butter is about the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add one cup of yogurt. Stir the mixture together with a wooden spoon and then knead a few times (in the bowl with your hands.) If dry flour remains in the bottom of the bowl, add an additional tablespoon of yogurt. Repeating as needed. The dough should easily hold together. It shouldn't be dry or too soft and squishy.
Cut Dough into Rounds. Dust your countertop with gluten-free flour. Turn dough out onto the counter and press it into a rectangle, about 1 1/4 inches thick. Cut into three or four rounds using a 1 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.
Place biscuits on the prepared baking sheet.
Gather the remaining dough together, kneading and patting it into a rectangle and cut out additional biscuits. Repeat. You should have 8-9 biscuits at the end.
If the dough seems soft or warm, chill for 15 minutes.
Bake the Biscuits. Bake until the biscuits are deeply golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Serving and Storing. Allow biscuits to cool for 5 minutes on the pan before serving. Gluten-free biscuits taste best the day they are baked.

Food Processor Directions

Combine the gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
Add the cubed butter. Pulse a few times to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. The butter should be the size of peas, no smaller.
Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the yogurt. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon or firm spatula. Once a dough forms, knead the dough a few times in the bowl. If the dough seems dry, add an additional tablespoon of yogurt. Follow step four above for cutting and baking.

Recipe Notes

Plain Yogurt: Use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt. Full-fat, low-fat, or no-fat plain yogurts all work. Full and low-fat yogurts make for richer biscuits.

Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Biscuits: Replace the butter with an equal amount of cold dairy-free butter or shortening and the yogurt with a plain dairy-free yogurt. Some dairy-free yogurts contain sugar and starches which can change the texture of the final biscuits.

Rich Gluten-Free Biscuits: For biscuits with a very soft and tender crumb, reduce yogurt to 1/4 cup and add one add. Whisk the yogurt and egg together until smooth. Follow the directions above.

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Feb 28, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Gluten-free monster cookies are peanut butter-oatmeal cookies loaded with candy pieces, butterscotch chips, and peanuts. Thick, chewy, and so easy-to-make.

Why You’ll Love Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Soft and chewy.
Peanut butter and oatmeal flavor.
Loaded with candy pieces, butterscotch chips, and peanuts.
Easy-to-make. Only one bowl required!
No chilling required. You mix the dough and it’s ready to bake.

What are gluten-free monster cookies?

Monster cookies could also be called “loaded oatmeal cookies.” At their heart, they’re peanut butter-oatmeal cookies with M&Ms. And then the recipes go all over the place. Some, like this recipe, contain butterscotch chips and peanuts. Others contain chocolate chips and raisins. And others include all of those ingredients plus raisins. (If you aren’t in the mood for loaded oatmeal cookies, give my gluten-free oatmeal cookies a try. They’re yummy too.)

Are Monster cookies large?

Some recipes make huge monster cookies. How big? One recipe calls for one cup of dough per cookie. That’s huge. These cookies are nowhere near that large. They make what I’d consider a standard size cookie. If you want to make larger monster cookies, go for it. And, if you want to make smaller cookies, that also works.

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies: Important Ingredients

Gluten-Free Oats: Look for gluten-free oats and/or purity protocol oats. You can use either quick cook/instant oats or traditional oats in this recipe. Traditional oats give you a chewier texture than instant oats but both have good flavor and texture. (If you’re confused about the gluten-free status of oats, I understand. Please visit Gluten-Free Watchdog for more information.)

Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different gluten-free flour blend might affect the texture of the cookies.

Peanut Butter: This recipe was tested using traditional smooth peanut butter. If you use natural peanut butter, stir it well before measuring so that the oil is completely incorporated.

Butterscotch Chips: This is an ingredient that folks either love or HATE. There seems to be no middle ground. If you love them, fantastic! If you don’t, you can replace the butterscotch chips with white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or chocolate chips. (Or you can just omit them. It’s up to you.)

Note: For a long time, some brands of butterscotch chips contained barley. I haven’t seen this ingredient listed anymore. However, always read labels as ingredients change.

Peanuts: Look for roasted peanuts and be sure that the ingredients list doesn’t include garlic or onion powder. While garlic and onion are lovely, it doesn’t have a place in these cookies.

M&Ms: I use plain M&Ms in my monster cookies but you can use any variety that you think will taste good. Just be sure, as always, to read labels. Some varieties of M&Ms may contain gluten.

How to Make Gluten-Free Monster Cookies: Keys to Success

Melt butter and mix with peanut butter and brown sugar. Like my recipe for gluten-free oatmeal cookies, this recipe starts by mixing melted butter and brown sugar together. You can use an electric mixer for this step or, if it’s comfortable for you, mix it by hand with a whisk.

Add the eggs and vanilla. Once the butter brown sugar mixture is smooth, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. At this point, the mixture is surprisingly thick.

Add the dry ingredients. There’s only a 3/4 cup of gluten-free flour in this recipe. Stir the flour into the butter-egg mixture along with the baking soda and salt. Gluten-free flour loves to cling to the bottom of the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to remove any flour that’s clinging to the bowl and give the dough a final stir before adding the remaining ingredients.

Mix in the Oats and Other Goodies. Stir the oats, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanuts. Give the dough a good stir. You want all the goodies equally spread through the dough.

Bake. Drop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, about two tablespoons each. I love to use a cookie scoop for this job. It ensures each cookie is the same size. Flatten. Or Not. These cookies don’t spread much during baking. If you prefer your monster cookies thick and chewy, scoop them onto the prepared baking sheet and bake. If you prefer them a little crunchy on the edges, flatten the cookies with the bottom of a flat glass or measuring cup. To keep the dough from sticking to the glass, dip it in cold water before pressing down the dough. Repeat as needed.

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Gluten-free peanut butter oatmeal cookies loaded with candy pieces, butterscotch chips, and peanuts.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly (4 ounces/ 113 grams)
3/4 cup light brown sugar (6 ounces/ 170 grams)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, see note (7 ounces; 198 grams)
2 large eggs (about 4 ounces/ 113 grams out of shell)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup gluten-free flour, see note (3 3/4 ounces/ 106 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups gluten-free oats, instant or rolled, uncooked, see note (5 1/4 ounces/ 148 grams)
1 cup gluten-free butterscotch chips or chocolate chips (about 6 ounces/ 170 grams)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts ( 5ounces/ 142 grams)
2/3 cup plain M&Ms (about 3 ounces; 85 grams)

Instructions

Heat oven and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the dough. Whisk melted butter together with brown sugar and peanut butter until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix until eggs are combined and the mixture is smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Add the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until flour is combined. Add the oats, butterscotch chips, peanuts, and candy pieces.
Drop dough onto pan. Scoop dough, about two tablespoons each, onto prepared baking sheet. Space cookies about one-inch apart. If desired, flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. Dip the bottom of the measuring cup in cold water to keep it from sticking to the dough.
Bake until set. Bake until edges are golden brown and set, about 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about three minutes and then transfer cookies to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
Cool on a rack. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for about three minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container or freeze. Place cookies in an airtight container and store on the counter for up to four days or freeze in a freezer container, for up to three months. Allow cookies to thaw on the counter.

Recipe Notes

Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend and is recommended for the best texture.

Oats: Use gluten-free oats. Quick cook (instant) oats or old fashioned oats may be used. Do not use steel cut oats in this recipe.

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Recipe

Feb 24, 2020 · 2 Comments

An easy gluten-free yellow cake recipe. Dairy-free. Perfect for birthdays and other special occasions.

Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Yellow Cake

This is an easy one-bowl gluten-free cake recipe. Unlike my gluten-free white cake, which is amazing, but requires several specific steps, this recipe is similar to a box mix. You mix all the ingredients in one bowl, give the batter a mix, and bake. It’s easy enough to make on a busy weeknight and yummy enough to be served at birthday parties. There’s a lot to love with this cake.

Easy to make. It’s a one-bowl recipe.
Dairy-free.
Moist (not gummy!).
Tender with a tight, soft crumb.
Perfect for birthday parties.

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake: Key Ingredients

Gluten-Free Flour. I developed this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour blend. This blend is easy to find and affordable. If you use a different flour blend, you might experience different results. Look for a flour blend that contains xanthan or guar gum. Without these ingredients, the cake won’t rise as high.

Granulated Sugar: For the best flavor, texture, and color, use regular granulated sugar. Cane sugar (also called sugar in the raw) may be used in this recipe. The cake will have a darker color and a slight caramel flavor. Brown sugar should be avoided as it contains moisture from the molasses that will affect the texture of the cake.

Vegetable Oil. This cake recipe uses liquid vegetable oil. It gives the cake a moist and tender crumb. Avoid olive oil or any other strong flavored oil. (Unless you want the cake to taste like olive oil, of course.)

Vanilla Extract. To achieve the classic yellow cake flavor, the recipe uses vanilla extract. If you prefer an almond flavor, replace the vanilla extract with half almond extract and half vanilla extract.

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake: Tips for Success

Grease the cake pans. Coat the cake pans with nonstick cooking spray or brush with solid shortening and dust with gluten-free flour.
Whisk the dry ingredients. Take a minute to whisk together the dry ingredients together. This ensures that the baking powder is evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Folks tend to rush through this step. If I can encourage you to do one thing, it would be to slow down and whisk the mixture for a minute. And I mean a minute. Use the timer on your phone and whisk, whisk, whisk.

Check the bottom of the bowl for dry flour. Gluten-free flour loves to cling to the bottom of a mixing bowl. Before pouring the batter into the prepared pans, take a spatula and scrape the bottom of the bowl. If you see streaks of flour, stir them into the batter.
Cool the cakes on a wire rack. After removing the cakes from the oven, allow them to cool in the pan for about five minutes. At this point, they are really delicate. Removing them from the pan right away can cause them to break. After five minutes, turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. This allows the steam to escape from the cakes. If they remain in the pan, the steam can cause the cakes to stick.

Let the cake cool before frosting. Before frosting your cake, make sure it’s totally cool. The center of the cake loves to hold on to heat. Take your hand and place it on the center of the cake, the way you’d place your hand on a baby’s back. If it feels warm, don’t frost it yet. A warm cake + frosting=melted, messy frosting.

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake: FAQs

Can I make this cake without eggs?

I haven’t tested the cake egg-free, sorry.

Can I make this cake with a sugar substitute?

I haven’t tested the recipe with a sugar replacement.

Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes?

Yes. Directions for making cupcakes are included below in the notes section of the recipe.

Can I use this recipe to make a sheet cake?

You sure can! It makes a 9×13-inch sheet cake. Directions for baking are included below the recipe.

5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake

An easy gluten-free yellow cake recipe. Dairy-free. Perfect for birthdays and other special occasions.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 2 8" or 9" round cakes; one 9" x 13" cake, or 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients

For the Gluten-Free Yellow Cake

2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend, see note (12 1/2 ounces; 355 grams)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces; 298 grams)
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil (7 ounces; 198 grams)
2/3 cup water or milk (5 1/3 ounces; 150 grams)
4 large eggs (about 8 ounces out of shell; 226 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (16 ounces; 453 grams)
3/4 cup Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder, sifted (3/4 ounce; 21 grams)
1 cup butter or dairy-free butter replacement, softened (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk, water, or coffee plus more as needed, see note (2 ounces; 56 grams)

Instructions

Preheat oven and prepare the cake pans. Adjust oven rack to center position. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with gluten-free nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the Batter. Whisk together gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
Bake the Cakes. Divide batter equally between the two prepared cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Cool. Remove pans from the oven. Allow cakes to cool in the pan for five minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Prepare chocolate frosting. Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat butter for 30 seconds on high speed until light. Stop mixer. Add powdered sugar mix and milk or coffee. Mix, on low speed, until creamy. If frosting seems dry, add additional milk or coffee until smooth and creamy.
Frost Cake. When cake is cool, fill and frost the cake.

Recipe Notes

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

This recipe was tested with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Replacing the flour with another brand might change the texture of the cake. Be sure to use a flour blend that contains xanthan gum. If it doesn't, add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the flour. Whisk to combine. Then use as directed.

Sheet Cake Directions

Lightly grease a 9 x13-inch pan. Bake the cake until golden brown about 40. Allow cake to cool in the pan. Prepare frosting as directed above and frost cake when cool.

Cupcake Directions
Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. Spoon batter into muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Prepare frosting and frost cupcakes when cool.

Easy Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies | Thick and Chewy!

Feb 14, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Thick and chewy gluten-free oatmeal cookies are so easy-to-make. This one-bowl recipe is loaded with gluten-free oats, chocolate chips (or raisins, it’s up to you!), and just a hint of cinnamon.

Today we’re making gluten-free oatmeal cookies. This is a recipe that’s ridiculously easy to make and rewards your (little) effort with deeply flavorful cookies. But…I hesitated to share it for a while now. Why? It contains oats.

“Um, of course, it contains oats. You said that we’re making gluten-free oatmeal cookies. Why is this news?”

It matters because some folks on the gluten-free diet don’t consume oats. The reasons are varied. For solid information on oats and the gluten-free diet, you should check out Gluten-Free Watchdog’s Oat Q&A.

If you include oats as part of your gluten-free diet, you’ll love this recipe. In fact, I think you’ll love, love, LOVE this recipe. They’re thick. They’re chewy. And they are so easy-to-make.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies: Key Ingredients

Gluten-Free Flour: I developed this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It makes gluten-free oatmeal cookies that are thick and chewy (to be fair, the chew comes mostly from the oats.). If you prefer a different gluten-free flour blend, the texture of the cookies might come out differently.
Purity Protocol/Certified Gluten-Free Oats: Oats are a gluten-free grain. However, some are handled in a way that exposes them to gluten. Look for purity protocol or certified gluten-free oats.
Brown Sugar: You can use either light brown or dark brown sugar in this recipe. I prefer dark brown sugar because I love the extra molasses flavor with oats.
Cinnamon: This sounds funny but you can’t really taste the cinnamon in these cookies but if you omit it, they don’t taste quite as good.

Oatmeal Cookies: Chocolate Chips vs Raisins

We shall now enter the great chocolate chip vs raisin debate. You might have noticed that I put chocolate chips first. There’s a reason for that. I prefer them in oatmeal cookies. I basically prefer chocolate chips to raisins in almost everything. (But here’s a weirdness! I really like Raisinettes. I know. I don’t get me either.)

If you use raisins in this cookie recipe, be sure they’re soft. This is not the time to use the last of those hard, years-old raisins that have been sitting in the back of your pantry. (You can use those in other baked goods if you soak them first. But adding soaked raisins to oatmeal cookie dough changes the texture of the dough and causes them to spread too much.)

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies: Key Steps

Stir together the brown sugar and melted butter until smooth. This step does two things: it gets rid of any lumps of brown sugar. (If they remain, press on them with your spatula or back of your wooden spoon.) And it cools the butter a bit so it won’t cook the egg when it’s added.
Add the egg and vanilla. Stir until the egg is combined. The mixture looks like a thick caramel sauce at this point. It’s really lovely.
Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until no dry flour clings to the bottom of the bowl. The dough will look very soft. This is fine. It thickens (a lot!) when the gluten-free oats are added.

Add the gluten-free oats and chocolate chips and/or raisins. Stir the dough until the oats look shiny, not dry.
Scoop and bake. Use a cookie scoop to ensure the cookies are all the same size. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake until set. These cookies don’t spread much. They bake up thick and chewy. Look for the edges to be golden brown and set.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies: Keys for Success

Use a Cookie Scoop. It makes it easy to “roll” the cookie dough. The scoop takes care of it for you. And every cookie is the same size which ensures even baking. If you don’t own a cookie scoop, use about two tablespoons of dough per cookie.

Use a Baking Sheet with Parchment. Greasing the sheets with butter or vegetable spray causes the cookies to spread and bake unevenly.

Slightly Underbake. For gluten-free oatmeal cookies that are chewy in the center, remove them from the oven when the center still looks soft. They finish baking on the pan and retain a soft texture when cooled.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies: FAQs

What oats are best for oatmeal cookies?

I’ve tested this recipe with both quick cook and old fashioned oats. The truth is that both types of oats work! Oatmeal cookies made with quick cook oats aren’t as chewy as those made with old fashioned oats. Quick cook oats, because they are so thin, tend to almost fade into the dough. Old fashioned oats dot the dough, adding the classic oatmeal cookie texture.

Just be sure to avoid steel-cut oats. They don’t work!

(And, as mentioned above, look for certified gluten-free oats/purity protocol oats.)

Why are my oatmeal cookies hard?

If overbaked, oatmeal cookies can turn out hard. Next time, bake them for a few minutes less. It should solve the problem.

Can I make these cookies dairy-free?

Yes. Replace the melted butter with a melted dairy-free butter substitute.

Can I make these egg-free?

I haven’t tested the recipe without an egg. However, I believe this recipe would be a good candidate for egg-free baking.

Can I make oatmeal cookies without sugar?

I haven’t tested this recipe with a sugar replacement. Sorry.

Other Easy Gluten-Free Cookies You’ll Love

Easy Gluten-Free Oatmeal Cookies

Thick and chewy gluten-free oatmeal cookies are so easy-to-make. This one-bowl recipe is loaded with gluten-free oats, chocolate chips (or raisins, it's up to you!), and just a hint of cinnamon.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 23 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly (4 ounces/ 113 grams)
3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar, see note (6 ounces/ 170 grams)
1 large egg (about 2 ounces/ 57 grams, out of shell)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup gluten-free flour, see note (5 1/4 ounces/ 150 grams)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked (5 1/4 ounces/ 148 grams)
1 cup chocolate chips OR 1 cup raisins (about 6 ounces/ 170 grams)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Make the dough. Stir together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. The mixture will look like caramel sauce. Add the gluten-free flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Sir until you don't see any streaks of flour. Add the oats and chocolate chips or raisins. Mix until combined.
Scoop and Bake. Drop dough, about two tablespoons each, onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Space dough about one inch apart. These don't spread much. Bake until set, about 12 minutes.
Cool. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for minutes. (While they cook, bake the remaining dough on the second baking sheet.) Transfer cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Store. Keep the cookies covered on the counter for up to four days or freeze for up to three months. To freeze cookies: place in a freezer container and separate layers with a piece of wax or parchment paper. Thaw overnight on the counter.

Recipe Notes

Ingredient Notes

Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was developed with Bob's Red Mill's 1:1 Gluten-free Baking flour. Using a different gluten-free flour might affect the texture of the cookies.

Brown Sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar gives the cookies a more pronounced molasses flavor.

Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake

Feb 7, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Single serving microwaved gluten-free spice mug cake. It contains brown sugar and spices. Takes less than five minutes to make!

Someone saw my recipe for gluten-free spice cake on Facebook and said that the cake looked great but (there’s always a but) they didn’t need that much cake.

That gave me an idea: a gluten-free spice mug cake.

As you know, I love gluten-free mug cakes. And while I’ve made a gluten-free vanilla mug cake and a gluten-free chocolate mug cake, it never occurred to me to make a spice version. Until now.

It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s really good. Perfect for a cold night when all you want to do is curl up with a movie or good book and some cake.

How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake: The Ingredients

Gluten-Free Flour. Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum or guar gum. Without a gum, the cake doesn’t rise well.
Egg. For a light and airy cake, an egg is needed. I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg-replacer.
Brown Sugar. Adds a molasses flavor. If you don’t have brown sugar in the house, replace it with an equal amount of granulated sugar.
Spice Blend. Unlike my gluten-free spice cake, we’re using a spice blend for this mug cake to keep things simple.

How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake: Keys for Success

Like my other gluten-free mug cakes, this recipe is easy-peasy.

Use a large (but not too large!) mug. You need a mug that can hold about 12 ounces. The cake rises (and then falls a bit) as it bakes. If the mug is too small, the cake can fall out. If you use a really tall mug, think Starbucks grande-size or bigger, it’ll be hard to eat the baked cake.
Stir the dry ingredients together. Before you add the egg, oil, and milk, take a second to whisk the gluten-free flour, brown sugar, spices, and baking powder together with a fork. This ensures that you don’t get clumps of brown sugar or spices in the finished cake.
Expect the cake to rise and fall. It’s totally normal for a gluten-free mug cake to rise during baking (microwaving) and fall a little as it cools. This is simply the egg expanding and contracting.

Gluten-Free Spice Mug Cake

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon milk

Toppings

whipped cream
vanilla ice cream
cream cheese frosting, recipe below

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon milk

Instructions

Spray a large (12 ounce) mug with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together gluten-free flour, brown sugar, spices, and baking powder in the mug. Add egg, oil, and milk. Stir until smooth with a fork or mini whisk.
Microwave on high for 60-80 seconds or until cake pulls away from the sides of the mug and the top looks dry. Allow cake to cool in the mug. Top warm cake with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Or allow the cake to cool for a few minutes and frost.
For the Frosting
Beat together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth with a spoon. Add milk. Mix until creamy. Spread frosting on cooled cake. If you put the frosting on the hot cake, it will melt.

Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Jan 31, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Easy gluten-free spice cake. Moist and tender. Perfect finished with cream cheese frosting.

This Gluten-Free Spice Cake is

a one-bowl recipe
easy-to-make
tender-and-moist (not heavy or gummy)
great with frosting; great without
made in a sheet pan (Layers and cupcakes are options too!)

Gluten-Free Spice Cake Ingredients

Here’s the thing: the ingredient list for gluten-free spice cake looks long. Why? The spices. But if you take a second to read the other ingredients, you’ll see that they aren’t anything too fancy.

Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe was tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It makes for a nice moist and dense spice cake. If you use a different flour, use one that includes xanthan or guar gum. Without those ingredients, the cake comes out too dense and won’t rise.

Brown and Granulated Sugar. Brown sugar adds a nice molasses flavor and helps to keep the cake moist. But too much of it proved too much of a good thing. It made the cake a bit too moist. To solve this, I swapped out half the brown sugar for half granulated sugar. It gave me a cake with a moist, delicate crumb and just the right level of sweetness. (I haven’t tested this recipe with sugar-replacements.)

Baking Powder and Baking Soda: A combination of baking powder and baking soda helps the cake rise. And the baking soda enhances the flavor and browning.

Salt. Enhances the flavor and controls the sweetness.

Spices. Here’s where the magic is at! Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg give the spice cake it’s spicy flavor. You can replace the individual spices with a spice blend, like pumpkin spice, but the flavor will be a little different.

Vanilla Extract. There’s only a teaspoon of vanilla extract in this cake and you can’t really taste it. So why use it? The vanilla extract enhances the spices and, frankly, just makes the cake taste good.

Eggs. Helps the cake to rise and gives it structure and a delicate texture. (I haven’t tested this cake with a flax egg but several of my testers did with excellent results.)

Oil: Makes for a moist, light cake.

Milk. Smooths out the batter, adds flavor, and helps the cake brown.

How to Make Gluten-Free Spice Cake

This is a one-bowl gluten-free cake. You don’t even need to use an electric mixer to make the batter. (But if you want to use on, go ahead!)

Preheat the oven. Baking a cake in a hot oven ensures it rises to its full potential.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Take care to break up the brown sugar so there are no little lumps of it.
Add the eggs, oil, and milk. Whisk until a batter forms. Switch to a rubber spatula to ensure there’s no dry gluten-free flour hanging out in the bottom of the pan.
Spread batter into prepared pan. I like to make spice cake in a 9×13-inch pan. Instructions are included below for two rounds and cupcakes.
Bake. As always, it’s best to use visual cues to tell when this cake is done. Look for it to be set in the center. A 9×13 inch cake takes about 40 minutes to bake. (Bonus: the house smells amazing while the cake bakes.)
Make Frosting. While the cake bake, make the frosting. Cream cheese is the classic frosting for spice cake but use any frosting you love.(Or skip this step if you don’t want frosting.)
Cool the cake. Unlike most cakes, this one cools right in the pan. It takes about an hour or so to cool.
Frost. Once the cake is cool, frost it. (To make sure it’s cool, put your hand on the bottom of the pan, right in the center. It should not feel warm. If it’s still warm, the frosting will melt into a mess.)

Gluten-Free Spice Cake

Easy and moist gluten-free spice cake.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (10 ounces; 285 grams)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5 1/2 ounces; 158 grams)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/2 ounces; 158 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil (5 1/4 ounces; 148 grams)
4 large eggs (out of shell, about 8 ounces; 226 grams)
1/3 cup water (2 2/3 ounces; 75 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
2 tablespoons butter, softened (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces; 226 grams)

Instructions

Heat the oven and prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 350° Grease a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Make the batter. Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove. Add the oil, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake until set. Bake until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, about 40 minutes.
Cool and frost. Allow cake to cool in the pan. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Cream until light and smooth. Add powdered sugar. Mix until smooth. Spread on cooled cake.

Recipe Notes

Other Pan Sizes

Round Layer Cake: Use two greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Double cream cheese frosting recipe when making a round layer cake.

Cupcakes: This makes about 24 standard cupcakes. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clea, about 20 minutes.

Gluten-Free Sparkle Sugar Cookies

Jan 24, 2020 · Leave a Comment

These gluten-free sparkle sugar cookies are light and crisp on the edges and soft in the center. They’re sweet and buttery (and a perfect recipe for beginners).

Gluten-Free Sparkle Sugar Cookies

These gluten-free sugar cookies are

Light and crisp on the edges
Soft in the center
Sweet and buttery
Perfect for beginners

Gluten-Free Sparkle Sugar Cookies Ingredients

This recipe uses all the standard ingredients for simple drop sugar cookies. (Think butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla).

Here’s what you’ll need (along with some subs):

Gluten-Free Flour: A good gluten-free flour blend is the backbone of these cookies. They were tested with Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour blend. If you use a blend that does not contain xanthan or guar gum, the cookies might spread more than those made with a blend that contains xanthan or guar.

Baking Powder: Gives these cookies lift (rise). The texture of these sugar cookies is light, thanks to the baking powder.

Salt: Salt acts as a flavor enhancer and, as odd as this sounds, makes the sugar cookies taste less sweet–which is a good thing! For this recipe, use table salt, not flaky (kosher) salt.

Butter: Butter gives the cookies a lovely flavor and delicate texture. If you can’t use butter, replace it with a solid fat, like margarine or coconut oil. Be sure to use softened butter. If the butter is too cold, it won’t beat up light and fluffy with the sugar. If it’s too warm, the cookies will spread and/ bake up greasy.

Sugar: The recipe calls for granulated sugar but you could easily swap it for turbinado sugar or natural cane sugar.

Egg: The one egg in this recipe does a lot! It adds flavor, moisture, and helps give the cookies a bit of lift. I have not tested this recipe with an egg replacer.

Vanilla Extract: I prefer to use natural vanilla extract but artificial works just fine. You can also swap the vanilla for almond extract or use a combo of the two. That adds a lovely flavor.

Sanding Sugar: To give these cookies some sparkle, roll them in colored sugar before baking. There are two types of colored sugars commonly found: sanding and coarse. Sanding sugar is similar in texture to granulated sugar, perhaps a bit finer. Where coarse sugar is larger and adds a nice crunch to the cookies.

How to Make Gluten-Free Sparkle Sugar Cookies

These are simple drop sugar cookies. No rolling pin or cutters required! Woot! Like gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, you (usually) don’t need to chill the dough before baking. Since no chilling is required, this means you can make a batch of these cookies, from start to finish, in under an hour.

Whisk the dry ingredients. Combining the gluten-free flour with the baking powder and salt evenly distributes the baking powder and salt throughout the gluten-free flour mixture. Why is this important? Because this helps the cookies to rise evenly.
Beat the butter and sugar. Use an electric mixer and beat the butter and sugar together until it looks thick and almost light. Don’t overbeat the sugar and butter; this can cause the cookies to spread.
Add the egg and vanilla. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture. I like to add the vanilla along with the egg because it mixes evenly throughout the batter. Making each gluten-free butter cookie taste nice and vanilla-y. (Vanilla-y is a word, right?)
Mix the dough. Stop the mixer and add the whisked dry ingredients. The dough will be thick and soft.
Chill the cookie dough. (optional) If the dough seems too soft to roll into balls, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes. Most of the time, you don’t need to chill this dough. But sometimes, depending on the temperature of the room, butter, and how long you mix, the dough gets soft. If it feels squishy/sticky chill it. If not, go to the next step.
Roll dough into balls. Use about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough for each or use a cookie scoop. If after chilling the dough is still a little sticky, wet your hands with cool water before rolling.
Roll the dough into sanding sugar. To give the cookies a pretty sparkle, roll the dough balls into sanding sugar. If you want cookies with a bit more crunch, roll them in coarse sugar.
Flatten the dough. These cookies spread during baking. But if you don’t press them down before baking, they tend to be rather thick in the middle. For uniform cookies, use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup and press the cookies down when they’re on the baking sheet.
Bake. Bake until the cookies are set and lightly golden brown on the edges. For one tablespoon of dough, that takes about 12 minutes. As always, it’s better to go by how they look than the clock.
Cool on a wire rack. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes. If you try to move them before that, they might break because they’re so hot and delicate from the oven. Once they’ve cooled for a few minutes, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to Store Gluten-Free Sparkle Sugar Cookies

Store cookies in a lidded container on the counter for up to five days. The cookies tend to get a bit crunchier as the days go by but the flavor remains just as buttery and delicious.

Gluten-Free Sparkle Sugar Cookies

These gluten-free sparkle sugar cookies are light and crisp on the edges and soft in the center. They’re sweet and buttery (and a perfect recipe for beginners).

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour, see note (7 ounces; 198 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 3/4 ounces; 165 grams)
1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
1 large egg (out of shell: 2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup colored sanding sugar (about 4 ounces; 113 grams)

Instructions

Heat oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine Dry Ingredients. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat Butter and Sugar. Cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until a thick paste forms, about 1 minute. Add egg and mix until well combined. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix until a thick dough forms.
Chill Dough. (optional: dough is sticky and hard to roll into balls, chill for 10-15 minutes.
Roll Dough in Balls. Roll dough, about 1 tablespoon each, into a ball or use a cookie scoop.
Roll the dough into sanding sugar. Place dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Space cookies about 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies to 3/4-inch thickness with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup.
Bake. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, until set and lightly golden brown on the edges, about 12 minutes.
Cool on a rack. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

Gluten-Free Flour: Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour recommended. If you use a flour blend that doesn’t contain xanthan or guar gum, the cookies might spread.

To Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be made ahead. Prepare through step four. Wrap bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to two days. Let dough soften at room temperature and then roll and bake as directed.

The dough can also be shaped into balls, rolled in sugar, and flattened before baking. Freeze on the baking sheet. Once the dough is frozen, transfer to a freezer container or a large zipper-top bag.

To bake from frozen. Place frozen dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake as directed. Increase baking time to about 15 minutes.

Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Jan 16, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Easy-to-make sweet and spicy gluten-free cornbread. Perfect served with chili!

Cornbread is one of my go-to side dishes. It’s great with chili (of course), roast chicken, and shredded Mexican beef. But sometimes I want something just a little different than my usual pan of gluten-free cornbread: enter cheesy jalapeno cornbread.

The great thing about this recipe is that it isn’t too hot, not is it too cheesy. It’s, as Goldie Locks would say, “just right.”

Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread: The Ingredients

Gluten-Free Cornmeal

I prefer a finely ground gluten-free cornmeal when making cornbread. It gives the bread a lovely cake-like texture. If you prefer a cornbread with a bit more crunch, use a gluten-free stone-ground cornmeal.

Gluten-Free Flour

Some recipes call for all cornmeal. This isn’t one of them. The recipe uses half cornmeal and half gluten-free flour for a nice texture. Unlike some gluten-free recipes, this one isn’t picky. I used (and recommend) Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking flour. But any good gluten-free flour blend should do the job well.

Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt

Three other ingredients are important to the flavor and lift of this cornbread: sugar, baking powder, and salt.

The sugar adds sweetness and color. (I love the combo of sweet and spicy!) If you want your cornbread to be a bit less sweet, reduce the sugar from 1/4 cup to 2 tablespoons.

Jalapeño

With ghost peppers and habaneros going mainstream, jalapeños now seem somewhat quaint. And, in this recipe, I guess they are. They aren’t terribly hot. They just add a pop of spice here and there. And you can control that spice by either omitting the seeds or leaving them in.

If you prefer a milder heat, remove the seeds. (The seeds contain the heat.) If you want some spice, leave the seeds in.

No matter which you prefer, with seeds or without, remember to wash your hands after chopping jalapeños. You don’t want to touch your eyes or other parts (ahem) with pepper spice on your fingers. You’ll remember the burn for a long time. Trust me.

Eggs, Milk, and Cheese

I haven’t tried this recipe without eggs. So, for our egg-free friends, I can’t say whether or not it works with an egg-replacer.

As for the milk and cheese, the recipe was tested with traditional (dairy) versions. If you’re dairy-free and have substitutes you love, they should work well.

How to Make Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cornbread

Heat the Oven.
Mix the Batter.
Bake. (It’s that easy!)

Heat the Oven

Preheat the oven while you prep the other ingredients. And if you have a cast-iron pan, throw it in the oven while the oven preheats. Pouring batter into a hot skillet gives the cornbread a lovely crust.

If you don’t own a cast-iron pan, don’t preheat the pan. (And consider getting a cast-iron pan. They’re wonderful!)

Chop the Jalapeños

I like to get this step out of the way first. Grab a jalapeño or two and cut off the stem. Now you’ve got options. If you like things spicy, leave in the seeds and chop the pepper into small pieces. Take care when chopping as seeds can sometimes make a knife slide on a cutting board.

If you prefer a milder heat, cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise. Use a spoon and scoop out the seeds. (The seeds contain the heat) and then chop.

No matter which you prefer, seeds in our out, remember to wash your hands after chopping jalapeños. You don’t want to touch your eyes or other parts (ahem) with pepper spice on your fingers. You’ll remember the burn for a long time. Trust me.

Grate the Cheese (Or Not)

I prefer the texture of freshly grated cheese but, for this recipe, pre-grated cheese works well. As always, read labels to ensure the cheese is gluten-free.

And if you want to skip the cheese, that works too.

Make the Batter

This batter combines gluten-free flour and cornmeal to make a cornbread that has a soft, cake-like texture.

Whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. This step helps to distribute the baking powder so your cornbread rises evenly.

Then add the milk, eggs, and oil. Stir until the batter is smooth. No need to use a handheld mixer for this recipe, a wooden spoon works great. (Unless a handheld mixer is easier for you to use.)

Add the jalapeños and grated cheese. Stir until evenly distributed and you’re all set.

Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread

Easy-to-make sweet and spicy gluten-free cornbread. Perfect served with chili!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

nonstick cooking spray
1 cup gluten-free cornmeal (4 ounces/ 113 grams)
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (5 ounces/ 142 grams)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (2 ounces/ 56 grams)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (8 ounces/ 226 grams)
2 large eggs (about 4 ounces out of shell/ 113 grams)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (2 1/3 ounces / 65 grams)
2 large jalapeno pepper, diced (see note) (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Pepper Jack (3 ounces/ 85 grams)

Instructions

Heat Oven and Prep Pan. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the Batter. Whisk together the cornmeal, gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the milk, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir until a batter forms. Add chopped pepper and cheese. Stir to combine. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
Bake and Cool. Bake until cornbread is set and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cornbread comes out clean. Place pan on a wire rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Store leftover cornbread wrapped on the counter for up to three days.

Recipe Notes

Notes:

The Cheese: Grate your own cheese or use pre-grated cheese.

The Jalapeño: The jalapeño seeds contain most of the heat. For a spicy cornbread, leave the seeds in the pepper. For a cornbread with less heat, scoop out the seeds before chopping.

Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cheddar Skillet Cornbread: Place an 8-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven as the oven heats. Remove it from the oven, grease with nonstick cooking spray and carefully spread the batter into the pan. Bake about 18 minutes.

Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins: Scoop batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake about 18 minutes.

Freezing: Allow the cornbread to cool completely. Wrap and freeze up to two months. Allow cornbread to thaw on the counter.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Jan 8, 2020 · 2 Comments

Gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies are so easy to make. This recipe, which is loaded with peanut butter, makes the best dessert for any peanut butter cup lovers in your life.

The other day I made a batch of gluten-free peanut butter blondies and it reminded me how much I love peanut butter. I mean, why don’t I make more peanut butter treats? It’s not like they’re hard to make. One of my favorite cookies are these 5 ingredient gluten-free peanut butter cookies. Five ingredients!

And not only are peanut butter desserts easy, they’re also tasty. Super-duper tasty. Since gluten-free brownies are always popular in our household, I decided make a batch of gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies. Good idea, right?

Spoiler: it was a great idea.

If you love peanut butter cups, then these are for you. It’s a thick swirl of peanut butter batter nestled into the the best gluten-free brownies you’ve ever tasted. (Fun fact: I made my brownies from scratch but you can always use a box of your favorite gluten-free brownie mix.)

But I have to admit that I’m biased. I love swirl brownies of all sorts. Gluten-free cheesecake brownies and gluten-free pumpkin cheesecake brownies both make my list of top ten desserts.

Why do I love swirl brownies so much? They’re:

thick and fudgy.

loaded with flavor.

so pretty!

How to Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Preheat the Oven. While you make the brownie batter, preheat the oven. This way it’s ready to go as soon as you finish mixing the batter.
Line the Pan (optional) I always make this step optional but, in my opinion, it’s optional only if you enjoy struggling with getting brownies out of a pan. If you do, go right ahead and skip this step. If you prefer ease, then line your pan with parchment paper or foil.To line the pan with parchment paper, cut two long (about 12-inches by 8-inch) strips of parchment paper. Lay one sheet in the pan. Run your finger along the bottom two corners of the pan, pressing the parchment into the corners. This helps to hold the parchment in the pan. Repeat with the second sheet, going in the opposite direction, crisscrossing the sheets in the pan so all the edges are covered.To line your pan with foil, cut a piece of foil about 12-inches long (don’t use heavy-duty foil for this, it’s too stiff.). Lay one sheet of foil in the pan. Gently push the foil into the corners of the pan and up the sides. Repeat with the second sheet, going in the opposite direction, crisscrossing the foil in the pan so all the edges are covered.
Mix the Batter. This batter comes together so easily, you can skip an electric mixer if you feel like it.
Make the Peanut Butter Swirl. After spreading the brownie batter in the pan, mix the swirl. If you make it before you mix the brownie batter, it gets too thick to spread easily. Drop the peanut butter mixture evenly over the pan and use a knife to swirl it through the batter.
Bake. These brownies take about 30 minutes to bake. A cake tester inserted into the center of the pan should come out few a few damp chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
Cool and Cut. This step is always the hardest part of making a bar cookie. You need to wait for the brownies to cool before you cut them. It’s worth the wait, I promise.

Shop the Recipe

The links below are affiliate links. GlutenFreeBaking.com earns a commission when you use them to shop.

Square cake pan. I love, love square cake pans with square, not rounded, edges. This is just a personal preference. If you like square edges, this is the pan for you.
Small angled spatula. Spreading batter evenly into the pan is important. I use this small angled spatula for the job.

5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies are so easy to make. This recipe, which is loaded with peanut butter, makes the best dessert for any peanut butter cup lovers in your life.

Servings 12 brownies

Ingredients

3/4 cup gluten-free flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Peanut Butter Swirl

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8x2-inch pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk together gluten-free flour blend, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Batter will be thick.
In another bowl, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and egg. Mixture will be thick.
Spread about half of the chocolate batter evenly into the pan. Drop large spoonfuls of peanut butter all over the chocolate batter. Using a knife, swirl the peanut butter batter into the chocolate batter. Drop the remaining chocolate batter on top. Swirl lightly with a knife.
Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Allow brownies to cool in the pan and then cut into squares.

One Bowl Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Jan 7, 2020 · 4 Comments

This easy gluten-free carrot cake recipe makes a moist and delicious cake. Add pineapple for an extra treat. Make the best cupcakes or muffins for the carrot lover in your life.

How to Make One Bowl Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Preheat your oven and shred the carrots. You always want to bake cakes in a hot oven. Turn on the oven and, while it heats, shred the carrots. You can use either a box grater or a food processor fitted with a grater attachment. Once the carrots are grated, set them aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Grab a large bowl and whisk together the gluten-free flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. If you see any dry bits of brown sugar, break them up with your fingers.
Add the wet ingredients. You’ve basically made a homemade cake mix at this point. All you need to do now is add the oil and eggs. The batter might look thick. This is totally normal. Once you add the carrots, it loosens up.
Stir in the carrots. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula and add the carrots. If you’re using pineapple or raisins, add them now.
Divide the batter between two cake pans. Grease two round cake pans and pour the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake until a cake tester comes out clean. Gluten-Free carrot cake takes about 35 minutes to bake. Test it by inserting a cake tester in the middle of the cake. It should come out with only a few crumbs clinging to it.
Remove from the oven and cool. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about five minutes. If you let it cool longer than that, it can stick to the pan. And if you try to remove it before that, the cake will be hot and delicate and can break. Five minutes is your magic number here.
Frost. Once the cake is totally cool, frost it with your favorite frosting. Cream cheese frosting is classic but you can use whatever you love.

FAQs: Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

What’s the best flour for gluten-free carrot cake?

For this recipe, use Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It makes for a nice moist carrot cake with a tender crumb. (If you want to mix your own flours, see recipe note.)

How do I shred the carrots?

There are two ways to shred/grate the carrots for carrot cake.

Use a box grater.
Use the grater attachment on a food processor.

But! I think both of these methods have one shortcoming: the carrot shreds can be too long.

Here’s what I like to do:

If using a box grater, place the shredded carrots on a cutting board. Chop the grated carrots lightly with a Chef’s knife.

If using a food processor, you have two options. You can chop the carrots in the bowl of the food processor by removing the grating disk and inserting the food processor blade, then pulse the grated carrots a few times. (Don’t go wild or you’ll get carrot mush.) If that’s too much of a pain (the ease of this step really depends on your food processor) place the grated carrots onto a cutting board and chop.

Do I need to do this?

No, you don’t. I just think that shorter pieces of chopped, shredded carrots are more pleasing in a cake than long strands.

Can I add pineapple?

Yes! Add one 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple. Any more than that and the cake gets too moist, almost gummy.

How about raisins?

If you like raisins in your carrot cake, go for it! (Just don’t offer me a slice…)

Is this carrot cake dairy-free?

Yes! The cake contains no dairy.

What kind of frosting goes best with carrot cake?

Most of the time, cream cheese frosting is used. If you have a dairy allergy, try using a dairy-free cream cheese or finishing the cake with a classic dairy-free buttercream.

How do I make carrot cake muffins?

If you want to use this recipe, you’ll be making carrot cake cupcakes. There really isn’t a big difference between carrot cake muffins and cupcakes. If you want a recipe for carrot muffins, let me know!

Why does carrot cake turn green?

Hopefully, with this recipe you won’t have to wonder why your carrot cake turned green!

If this happened to you in the past, there are two possible culprits:

The recipe called for too much baking soda. Carrots contain a pigment that makes them sensitive to alkaline. (Baking soda is alkaline.)
The baking soda wasn’t mixed into the recipe and, therefore, came into direct contact with the carrots. To prevent this, be sure to mix the dry ingredients well before adding the eggs, oil, and carrots. That will solve this problem!

5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Easy gluten-free carrot cake recipe makes a moist and delicious cake. Add pineapple for an extra treat. Make the best cupcakes or muffins for the carrot lover in your life.

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots (about 5 to 6 large carrots)
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained optional
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans optional
½ cup raisins optional

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
1/4 cup butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar sifted

Instructions

For the carrot cake, preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the carrots, drained pineapple, pecans, and raisins, if using.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean, about 35 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Cream until light and smooth. Add powdered sugar. Mix until smooth.

Recipe Notes

NOTE:

To use your own flour blend, replace the Bob's Red Mill Flour with:

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Whisk together in a small bowl before using.

Pineapple and Sweetness

Because pineapple adds sweetness, you can reduce the brown sugar by 2 tablespoons if desired.

21 Gluten-Free Recipes for Christmas Morning

Dec 19, 2019 · Leave a Comment

There’s nothing quite like Christmas morning! Here are 21 gluten-free recipes to make for Christmas breakfast.

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

This gluten-free coffee cake is an easy—and delicious—recipe for Christmas breakfast.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Gluten-Free Corn Muffins

Bakery-style gluten-free corn muffins–without a trip to the bakery! These are sweet and tender. And taste wonderful toasted and spread with butter.

Get the recipe —>Gluten-Free Corn Muffins

Gluten-Free Cranberry Bread

This gluten-free cranberry bread looks festive and, if I dare say, tastes like the holidays.

Get the recipe —>Gluten-Free Cranberry Bread

Gluten-Free Beignets

Feeling ambitious? Make a batch of gluten-free beignets! These taste best right out of the fryer. So you might want to wait until after presents are opened to whip up a batch.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Beignets

Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Fluffy gluten-free pancakes taste extra-special on Christmas morning. It’s a fact.

Get the recipe —> Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Muffins

There’s nothing plain about these simple gluten-free sour cream muffins. They’re light and sweet and go great with a cup of coffee–or hot cocoa!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Sour Cream Muffins

G luten-Free Soft Rolls

A gluten-free soft roll, toasted and served with a hot cup of coffee is a great Christmas breakfast for parents who spent all night helping Santa wrap presents.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Soft Rolls

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Chocolate on Christmas morning? Yes please! Especially when it’s tucked into this gluten-free peanut butter banana bread!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Peanut butter banana not your thing? I get it. How about a batch of gluten-free chocolate chip muffins?

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes

Gluten-free doughnut holes somehow manage to taste even better than gluten-free doughnuts. I don’t know why. I just know it’s true.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Sure we all love pumpkin bread in the fall but, happy news, it tastes just as good (maybe better?) on Christmas morning!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Frozen blueberries make it easy to make gluten-free blueberry muffins at the end of December!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Gluten-Free Waffles

Santa loves gluten-free waffles. How do I know this? He told me.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Waffles

Gluten-Free Panettone

Making a gluten-free panettone requires a bit of planning but it’s worth it! (What’s panettone? A classic Italian yeast bread that’s studded with dried fruit. It’s so good!)

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Panettone

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

While you were busy wrapping presents, those bananas on your counter were busy turning brown. No problem! Use them up in a batch of gluten-free banana muffins!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

Gluten-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Did you know you can make doughnuts without pulling out the fryer? You can! These glazed gluten-free chocolate doughnuts are so easy and so tasty!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Baked Chocolate Doughnuts

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bun Waffles

“I don’t want none unless you got buns, hon.” Sir Mix a Lot was clearly talking about these gluten-free cinnamon bun waffles. 😂

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bun Waffles

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread taste great toasted and spread with butter? And! It’s also amazing turned into French toast. That’s a win-win.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Paleo (Grain-Free) Apple Muffins

Baking for a grain-free friend on Christmas morning? These paleo apple muffins are a perfect treat!

Get the recipe —> Paleo (Grain-Free) Apple Muffins

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

Scones are so pretty and so yummy! These gluten-free pumpkin scones were inspired by the ones Starbucks once sold, so you know they’re good!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones

Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

(Because sometimes you just want a piece of toast on Christmas morning.)

Did you enjoy a big meal on Christmas Eve? Then maybe you’re in the mood for a cup of tea and a slice of toast on Christmas morning. That sounds good to me!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

26 Gluten-Free Christmas Cookie Recipes

Dec 11, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Christmas is almost here! That means it’s time to bake gluten-free cookies. Here are 26 gluten-free cookie recipes to make the holiday even sweeter!

Gluten-Free Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

My favorite holiday cookie! Buttery, sweet, and, best of all, easy to make!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Is it Christmas if you don’t have at least one gingerbread cookie? I’m not sure but I do know that the holidays taste better with a plate of these cookies.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms

The BEST gluten-free peanut butter blossom cookie recipe. Fast and easy! This classic recipe is made without shortening. Perfect for Christmas or other special occasions. Plus, you get to squick a chocolate kiss into a warm cookie!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blossoms

Paleo Cutout Sugar Cookies

Paleo sugar cookies are fun and easy to make. These include almond flour; so they taste as good as they look.

Get the recipe —> Paleo Cutout Sugar Cookies

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars

All the taste of a sugar cookie with the ease of a bar cookie!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars

Gluten-Free M&M Cookies

Gluten-Free M&Ms Cookie Recipe. Buttery Sugar Cookies studded with M&Ms. What’s not to like?

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free M&M Cookies

Gluten-Free Pizzelles

You need a pizzelle iron for this recipe but, if you’re like me, it’s worth it! These pizzelles are thin and crisp and perfect for Christmas!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Pizzelles

Gluten-Free Anginette Cookies

These cookies are a Christmas tradition in many Italian-American homes. They quickly become a favorite of everyone who tries them.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Anginette Cookies

Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies

Easy gluten-free molasses cookies. Soft and spicy. Santa loves these. He told me.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Molasses Cookies

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

This recipe makes gluten-free snickerdoodles—a simple sugar cookie coated with cinnamon-sugar—that are crisp on the edge and chewy in the center.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies

Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies are buttery and tender. A gluten-free flour blend– and good cookie press–makes these one of the easiest Christmas cookies to bake. They are lovely on their own or decorated with a sprinkle of colored sugar.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are easy to make. Loaded with chocolate chips!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars

These marshmallow peanut butter bars are an easy—and tasty—treat to make for Christmas. They look amazing on a cookie platter!

Get the recipe —> 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Gluten-free peanut butter swirl brownies are so easy to make. This recipe, which is loaded with peanut butter, makes the best dessert for any peanut butter cup lovers in your life.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Gluten-Free Lemon Bars

These are the best gluten-free lemon bars! A rich and tender shortbread base with a thick, lemony topping. Not too tart; not too sweet! Lemon lovers will adore these bars.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Lemon Bars

Gluten-Free Soft Sugar Cookies

This easy recipe makes soft gluten-free sugar cookies. Inspired by the famous Lofthouse brand, these cookies are topped with frosting and finished with sprinkles.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Soft Sugar Cookies

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Easy gluten-free cinnamon-sugar pretzels. They’re a perfect sweet and salty treat.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

Who says we have to leave pumpkin spice behind in the fall? These thick snickerdoodles, coated with pumpkin spice, are just as welcome at Christmas as they are in October.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Cheesecake + Pumpkin + Brownies= A perfect holiday dessert!

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Pretzel Bars

Got 5 Minutes? Then you can make these over-the-top cream cheese pretzel bars.

Get the recipe —> 5-Minute Pretzel Cream Cheese Bars

No-Bake Gluten-Free Chocolate Orange Cookies

You know those orange-shaped chocolate that are popular at Christmas? They inspired these easy no-bake cookies.

Get the recipe —> No-Bake Chocolate Orange Cookies

Gluten-Free Easy Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies don’t require a cookie cutter! Make the dough. Roll them in sugar. Place them onto a baking sheet. Annnnnnd….you’re done!

Get the recipe —> Easy Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

The World’s Easiest Cookies

You won’t believe how easy these cookies are to make. They’re just almond flour, maple syrup, and baking powder. That’s it. Seriously.

Get the recipe —> The World’s Easiest Cookies

Easy Gluten-Free Butter Cookies

These cute butter cookies take only minutes to make! The finished cookies come out of the oven already decorated with a sweet, buttery flavor.

Get the recipe —> Easy Gluten-Free Butter Cookies

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and tender gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Also a favorite of Santa’s. (He has lots of favorite cookies. Lots.)

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blondies

Think of these gluten-free peanut butter blondies as the perfect marriage between a peanut butter cookie and a blondie.

Get the recipe —> Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Blondies

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Dec 6, 2019 · 4 Comments

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake | Easy Recipe | Sour Cream Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping | Perfect Christmas Dessert

This recipe is an updated take on the sour cream coffee cake from my first cookbook, Easy Gluten-Free Baking.

Since there are now great gluten-free flour blends available at the market, there’s no need to mix individual flours for this recipe. (That said, if you LOVE that recipe and I know lots of you do, go ahead and make it as written!)

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake: The Ingredients

Gluten-Free Baking Flour: For this recipe, I use my go-to flour blend: Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. If you use a different flour blend in this recipe, the results might be different. (For the best results, be sure to use a blend that includes xanthan or guar gum.)

The Butter: Reach for softened butter when making this cake. When it’s beaten together with the sugar, it traps air. Trapped air= a light cake with a delicate crumb.

The Sour Cream: Sour cream makes this cake light and moist. For the best flavor and texture, use full-fat sour cream. (If you’re dairy-free, try a plant-based sour cream.)

The Eggs: Two eggs are needed to make this cake. I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg replacer. So I can’t say if it will work without eggs.

The Cinnamon: This is the star of the show, isn’t it? Not only does the filling and streusel include cinnamon, I add a tiny amount to the butter. This adds a whisper of cinnamon to the cake batter. You can’t really taste it but you can tell it’s there.

The Sugar: You’ll need two types of sugar to make this coffee cake. Granulated sugar for the cake batter and brown sugar for the filling/streusel. The brown sugar adds a lovely flavor that, if used in the cake batter, would impart a flavor that’s not traditionally found in coffee cake. This recipe makes a traditional coffee cake. That means it’s a vanilla-scented cake topped with a brown sugar streusel topping.

How to Make Gluten-Free Coffee Cake

Mix the Filling. This coffee cake includes a yummy ribbon of cinnamon-sugar filling. That same filling turns into the topping. It’s baking magic. (It’s butter, which, I think is baking magic.)
Make the Batter. This is a simple batter to make. You beat together some butter and sugar. Add a few eggs. Then add (separately) the dry ingredients and sour cream. Mix until the batter looks smooth and thick.
Spread Half the Batter into the Pan. The original recipe called for a bundt pan. While this is lovely, a lot of people don’t oven bundt pans. So this version of the cake is made in a 9×9-inch square baking pan.
Sprinkle the Filling Over the Batter. Sprinkle half (this is important) the filling evenly over the cake batter.
Spread Remaining Batter Over the Filling. Plop the remaining batter all over the pan. Then spread it over the cinnamon-sugar filling. Sometimes the filling makes it tough to spread the batter. This is normal–and a bit annoying!–to make this easy, spread the batter with the back of a spoon. And don’t worry too much if the filling pokes through the cake batter. The streusel topping covers it up.
Make the Streusel. Here’s where the magic happens: stir a little melted butter into the remaining filling. It’ll clump and look a bit like wet sand. Gently squeeze and crumble topping evenly over the top of the cake.
Bake. Bake until the cake is golden brown. It smells amazing while baking. Test for doneness by inserting a cake tester into the center of the cake.

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake FAQs

Is there coffee in coffee cake?

No. Coffee cake, at least in the United States, is usually a vanilla cake topped with a streusel topping. It’s served in the morning, usually alongside a cup of….coffee.

Can I make this recipe dairy-free?

Yes. Replace the butter and sour cream with dairy-free alternatives.

Can I use almond flour?

Not in this recipe.

Can I make this cake without eggs?

I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg-replacer. So I can’t say for sure.

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake | Easy Recipe | Sour Cream Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping | Perfect Christmas Dessert

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 slices

Ingredients

For the Streusel

3/4 cup packed brown sugar (5 1/2 ounces; 155 grams)
1/4 cup gluten-free baking flour (1 1/4 ounces; 35 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted (1 ounce; 28 grams)

For the Cake

2 cups gluten-free baking flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour suggested) (10 ounces; 283 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces; 297 grams)
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (6 ounces; 170 grams)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces out of shell; 100 grams)
1 cup sour cream (8 ounces; 226 grams)

Instructions

Prepare Pan and Heat Oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Spray an 9x9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. (For a thicker coffee cake, use an 8x8-inch pan.)
Make the Streusel. Stir together the brown sugar, baking flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. (You’ll use the butter later.)
Prepare the Cake Batter. Whisk together the baking flour and baking powder in a small bowl.
Beat together the butter and cinnamon until light, about one minute on medium-high speed on a stand or handheld mixer.
Add the granulated sugar. Beat until a thick paste forms, about 45 seconds. Stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Mix again for 15 seconds. (This mixes in the thick butter that was stuck to the bottom of the bowl.)
Stop the mixer. Add the eggs. Mix until combined. Stop the mixer. Scrap the bowl. Mix again for 15 seconds.
Add HALF the flour mixture. Mix until combined. Add HALF the sour cream. Mix until smooth. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Mix until batter is smooth.
Spread Batter into Pan and Add Filling. Spread half the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle half the streusel mixture over the batter.
Add Remaining Batter and Top with Streusel. Spread remaining batter over the filling. Stir the melted butter into the remaining streusel topping. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the cake.
Bake and Cool. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool for 20 minutes before serving. Store, wrapped, on the counter for up to three days.

The Best Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Nov 20, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Easy gluten-free gingerbread cookie recipe. These sweet and spicy cookies are perfect for Christmas.

How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies: The Basics

Use a gluten-free flour blend. Instead of blending different gluten-free flours and starches, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour. This recipe was developed using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. If you don’t have this blend on hand, be sure to use a blend that contains xanthan or guar gum (these ingredients prevent the cookies from spreading).
Use baking molasses. There’s a small amount of molasses in this recipe. Be sure to use unsulfured baking molasses. Both “robust” (dark) and blackstrap molasses are too strong for these cookies.
Scrape the bowl. While making the dough, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl at three important points: after creaming the butter and sugar together, after adding the egg, and after mixing in the flour. Scraping the bowl ensues the cookies bake evenly.
Chill the dough. This reduces grittiness and thickens the dough and prevents spreading.
Roll the dough. Generously dust your counter and rolling pin with gluten-free flour. Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/4-inch thick.
Use similar-size cutters. To prevent burning, cut cookies out with similar-size cutters. If you want to use different shapes and sizes, no problem — just put them on a different baking sheet.
Bake. Preheat the oven and bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. These cookies don’t spread much as they bake, so you can put them pretty close together.

How to Make Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies: Explained

Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Gingerbread cookies start with a simple cookie dough. If you’ve ever made gluten-free sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies, the method is similar.
Start by sifting or whisking together gluten-free flour with the baking powder, spices, and salt. Some gingerbread cookie recipes use a lot of different spices, including black pepper, but I prefer to keep my gingerbread cookies simple and ginger-forward.
The unsung ingredient here is the salt. The salt enhances the other flavors, without making the dough taste salty. I recommend baking with table salt, as it blends easily into dough.
This seems like such a simple step, doesn’t it? Why not skip it and add the ingredients directly to the mixer? But this step helps evenly distribute all the ingredients. You want to spend about 30 to 45 seconds whisking everything together.
Make the dough.
Cream together butter and dark brown sugar.
Combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. The temperature of the butter is important. If it’s too soft (or worse, melted) the cookies will spread. If it’s too cold, it won’t get fluffy when creamed. That “fluff” is air, and it’s important. Along with the baking powder and eggs, this step helps the dough to rise. While we don’t often think of gingerbread cookies as rising, we want them to rise a bit to prevent them from being too hard to bite into. Use butter around 68 degrees F.
Since we’re using both brown sugar and molasses in these cookies, I prefer to use light brown sugar. It adds a nice, almost-caramel flavor without making the cookies too molassesy. (If you want a gluten-free molasses cookie, I’ve got a recipe for that.)
Cream everything together until it lightens in color. I hesitate to say how long this takes because the time varies depending on the temperature of your butter and the speed of your mixer. It took mine about two minutes, but that’s just a rough guideline, not a hard-and-fast rule.
Be sure to stop the mixer once or twice during creaming. Use a rubber spatula to incorporate the butter-sugar paste that’s clinging to the side or bottom of the bowl. If you have a KitchenAid mixer, take care to run the spatula around the ‘nub” at the bottom of the bowl.
Add the egg and molasses.
Stop the mixer and add the egg and molasses. At first, it might look curdled. Beat the mixture until it’s smooth and fluffy. This takes about 30 seconds. Again, stop the mixer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. (Doing this ensures you won’t get any odd-shaped cookies.) And run the mixer for a few seconds to incorporate the thick butter-sugar paste.
Ingredient note: For the molasses, use an unsulfured molasses. (I use Grandma’s Molasses with the yellow label.) Don’t use dark molasses in the recipe because it’ll make the cookies unpleasantly bitter. And please don’t use blackstrap molasses; it’s bitter and too high in sodium and won’t give you a good flavor.
Add the dry ingredients.
Stop the mixer again and add the flour. You can do this all at once. There’s no need to add the flour in stages. Turn the mixer to low. Once the flour has incorporated, increase the speed to medium and mix until a dough forms. Or not …
Knead the dough (if needed).
Sometimes the dough doesn’t come together. It might look a bit dry or crumbly. Don’t fret! This is normal — especially if you’re using a handheld mixer. If the dough looks crumbly, turn it out onto a lightly floured (use the gluten-free baking flour to dust your counter) surface and knead a few times.
Chill the dough.
After mixing the dough, you might be ready to bake, but, unfortunately, the dough isn’t. It needs to chill for at least 30 minutes.
There are two reasons for this. First, the butter can warm up during mixing. And warm dough = cookies that spread. But since we usually make gingerbread cookies in the winter, sometimes the butter stays on the cool side. So why waste time chilling? Hydration! A brief 30-minute chill allows the gluten-free flours and starches time to absorb the liquid in the recipe (in this case, the eggs, molasses, and brown sugar). They sort of plump up, giving the cookies a better texture.
Pat the dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
Roll the dough and cut out cookies.
Roll out the dough.
After chilling, it’s time to roll. Dust your counter generously with gluten-free flour and rub flour onto your rolling pin. Cut the dough in half. (It’s easier to roll out small amounts of dough and this allows you to have more control over the thickness.) You don’t need to chill the second half of the dough unless your kitchen is exceptionally warm.
Roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. If you like your gingerbread cookies crunchy, roll out to 1/8-inch. (Rolling the cookies to 1/8-inch doubles the number of cookies you’ll get.) If the dough is the correct temperature and you use enough flour, the dough shouldn’t stick to the counter. However, I always like to check. I run a large angled spatula under the dough. This tool is commonly used for cake decorating. Do you need one? No, but if you love to bake, it’s nice to have.
Cut into shapes.
Cut the dough using your favorite cookie cutter(s) and follow this rule: One shape per pan. Different sizes and shapes of cookies take a different amount of time to bake. If you put a tiny star on the same pan with a large gingerbread boy, the star will burn long before the gingerbread boy is done. If you don’t want to stick to one shape per pan, try to keep the shapes the same size.
When cutting, nestle the cuts as close together as possible. This saves you from having to re-roll the dough several times. There’s nothing wrong with rerolling the dough, but it does take additional time and you need to make sure the dough doesn’t get too warm between rolls. If it does, pop it back in the fridge until cool.
Bake and cool.
Place the cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The cookies hardly spread during baking. So go ahead and place them close together.
Bake until the cookies are set. It’s hard to give a specific time because different sizes take different times to make. Look for the cookies to look dull (not shiny dough) and puffy. They should also smell amazing.
Cool.
Cool the cookies on the pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate.
When cool, go wild with decorating. (Or not. I often skip this step!) Royal icing is traditionally used to decorate gingerbread cookies because it hardens, unlike buttercream.
Store.
Gingerbread cookies seem to keep forever. They’re good for about a week after baking. If you want to keep them longer, freeze them. Place the cookies in a freezer container. (Layer with parchment paper) and freeze for up to three months.

FAQs: Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Can I use almond flour?

No. Don’t replace the gluten-free flour with almond flour. It makes the dough too rich and the recipe doesn’t work.

Can I use coconut flour?

No. The recipe will not work with coconut flour.

Can I replace the butter?

Yes! Replace the butter with either a dairy-free margarine or shortening.

Can I use dark brown sugar?

Yes. Replace the light brown sugar 1:1 with dark brown sugar. But know that the cookies might spread more during baking because of the extra molasses in the dark brown sugar.

Easy Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Easy gluten-free gingerbread cookie recipe. These sweet and spicy cookies are perfect for Christmas.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

3 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (15 ounces; 425 grams)
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
12 tablespoons butter, softened (6 ounces; 170 grams)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (5 1/2 ounces; 155 grams)
1 large egg (about 2 ounces; 50 grams out of shell)
4 tablespoons molasses (3 ounces; 85 grams)

Instructions

Prepare the Dough. Whisk together gluten-free flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and ground clove. Set aside.
Cream together butter and dark brown sugar until a thick paste forms, about 30 seconds. Add egg and molasses. Blend until combined. Stop mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Run mixer for a few seconds after scraping the bowl. Add dry ingredients. Blend until a dough forms.
Chill Dough. Lightly dust your countertop with gluten-free flour. Turn dough out onto counter and pat into a round. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for several hours or overnight.
Bake Cookies. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to stand for about 15 minutes. This allows the dough to soften a little, making it easier to roll. Divide dough in half and roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness on a generously rice floured countertop. Cut into shapes. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden-brown and aromatic, about 12 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. Be sure to allow the baking sheet to cool between batches to prevent the cookies from spreading.
Cool Cookies. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Decorate as desired. Store cookies in a covered container for up to one week.