Blog - Gluten-Free Baking

Gluten-Free Tomato Pie

If you have a gluten-free pie crust in the freezer, this tomato and ricotta pie takes only minutes to make. If you don’t have a pie crust on hand, make one. This pie is worth it!

Gluten-Free Tomato Pie: The Crust

A pie is only as good as its crust.

Elizabeth Barbone

A good pie crust is a thing of beauty. All those flaky layers holding a delicious filling. I mean, I love pie crust so much, I make “cookies” from the darn thing.

For this pie, use a standard pie crust. You don’t need anything fancy. (Here’s my guide on how to make gluten-free pie crust. I used the recipe for a single crust at the bottom of the page.)

If you have a favorite gluten-free pie crust mix, go ahead and use it. You can even pick up a premade frozen gluten-free pie crust at some grocery stores.

No matter what recipe you use, you want to blind bake the crust. This step keeps the crust nice and flaky since the filling for a tomato pie is somewhat wet.

Some methods for blind baking pie crusts call for lining the crust with foil and then filling it with beans.

You don’t need to do this. I find filling the crust with beans can make a gluten-free crust heavy. Just prick the crust a few times with a fork and you’re good to go.

Gluten-Free Tomato Pie: The Filling

Apologies to my dairy-free friends, this gluten-free tomato pie can’t be made dairy-free. (I’m sorry!) It uses three cheeses: ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella. (Yes. Three cheeses. 🙂 )

While that sounds like it might be heavy, I promise it isn’t. Thanks to two eggs, the filling bakes up as light and creamy.

Let me tell you, it’s really easy to eat two slices of this pie. Really easy.

Gluten-Free Tomato Pie: The Tomatoes

Before you make this recipe, you need to promise me one thing: you will only use vine-ripened, summer tomatoes. The entire success of the recipe depends on it.

No hard-as-rocks supermarket tomatoes.

No white-inside tomatoes.

You want flavorful, summer tomatoes. If you grow your own, great! If you don’t, pick up some at the local farmers’ market. If they have heirloom tomatoes, get some. Those are always extra delicious!

The other ingredient that makes a big impact is fresh basil. If you don’t grown your own, pick some up at the store. It’s totally worth it.

Gluten-Free Tomato Pie: Putting It All Together

This tomato pie comes together in only a few minutes. While the crust bakes, I mix together the filling and slice my tomatoes.

After the crust bakes, all you need to do is spread the filling into the pie, top with tomatoes, and bake. In about 20 minutes, you’ll have a perfect summer tomato pie that’s begging to be finished with a sprinkle of fresh basil.

I like to serve this with a large salad and a glass of something bubbly while I enjoy the waning days of summer.

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Mixing Bowls
Gluten-Free Pie Mix
Pie Pan
Cooling Rack

Gluten-Free Tomato Pie

Be sure to use ripe summer tomatoes in this gluten-free tomato and ricotta pie. Without flavorful tomatoes, the pie just isn't the same.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

1 9-inch single gluten-free pie crust rolled out and in the pan
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (8 ounces; 227 grams)
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
2 large eggs (about 3 ounces; 100 grams)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup grated mozzarella, plus 2 tablespoons more for topping, if desired (2 ounces; 57 grams)
2 large tomatoes cut into 1/4-inch thick slices OR one cup grape tomatoes, halved (about 1 pound; 453 grams)
5-6 leaves fresh basil

Instructions

Prepare the Crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times. Chill crust for 15 minutes.
Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Make the filling: Stir together the ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, and basil until smooth.
Place the crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Spread the filling into the crust. Top with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella. Place tomatoes onto the cheese, pressing down lightly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, if desired.
Bake until set and bubbling, about 20 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Store wrapped leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

Gluten-free zucchini bread is one of the best parts of summer! This recipe makes two spicy and moist loaves. Eat one now and freeze one for later—or share one with a friend, if you can bring yourself to part with it.

Thank goodness for flops! They make success so much sweeter! Take this zucchini bread, for example. The first time I tried the recipe, I used a commercial gluten-free flour blend. The loaves came out of the oven looking great. I couldn’t wait to cut a a slice.

Then I cut a slice.

My heart sank. The interior was gummy. Really, really gummy. Have you ever had that happen with gluten-free baked goods? They look great but the texture is off? This was one of those times.

Normally I don’t toss a flopped recipe. This one was so bad that it had to hit the bin. I knew what was wrong: the blend contained too much xanthan gum–and probably too much tapioca starch. See, zucchini contains a ton of moisture. And xanthan gum holds on to moisture like nobody’s business. When the loaf baked, the moisture got trapped in the loaf, leaving me with a gummy loaf of zucchini bread.

There was a simple solution for this problem: control the amount of xanthan gum in the recipe. I mixed up a simple blend of white rice flour and cornstarch with just enough xanthan gum to hold everything together. The result was AMAZING. I joked on Facebook that I planned to post the recipe with this intro: Oh.my.god. This is SO FRIGGIN’ GOOD. Actually, no, that’s not right. I’m sorry. This bread is GREAT. Go make it. Now.

The loaf turned out spicy and moist but not gummy at all. It’s one of those recipes you’d never guess was gluten-free.

(BTW, Just to be clear, I don’t hate all gluten-free flour blends. In fact, I really like Bob’s Gluten-Free Baking flour. I’ve used it for a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe and gluten-free blueberry muffins. It’s just that in some cases, like this one, an all-purpose flour blend struggles to produce something with really good texture. If I’m going to spend my time baking, I want an awesome result.)

Here’s how I made it!

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread: Step-by-Step

Start by grating two small-to-medium zucchini. (You need one pound of zucchini.) Try to avoid using a huge zucchini because the seeds in those are big and bitter. If all you have are giant zucchini from your garden, cut it in half, and scrape out the seeds before using.

Since zucchini contains so much water, it’s best to wring it out before using it in zucchini bread. If the zucchini is too wet, you risk getting a soggy or gummy loaf of bread, even if everything else in the recipe is perfect.

After grating your zucchini, put it on a clean towel. Wrap the towel around the zucchini and squeeze out the liquid. You’ll be surprised how much comes out! Let the grated zucchini sit while you mix up the batter.

Inspired by the simple flour blend used in my gluten-free pumpkin bread, I used a blend of white rice flour and cornstarch for this bread. If you want a whole grain flour, try my whole grain gluten-free zucchini bread recipe or replace the white rice flour with sorghum flour. And if corn doesn’t work for you, go ahead and use potato starch in the recipe. I recommend staying away from tapioca starch for this one since it might turn things gummy when combined with the moisture-rich zucchini.

Since zucchini bread should be a spicy affair, I also added ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to the flour blend. Oh my goodness! The kitchen smelled so good!

In went the eggs, oil, and apple juice. Confession: I mixed this batter by hand. Unless you are looking for a workout, I don’t recommend it. The recipe makes two loaves and about halfway through, I wished I’d pulled out the electric hand mixer.

The star of show: the zucchini. Even though you’ve wrung it out to remove excess moisture, you’ll notice when you stir in the zucchini, the batter loosens right away. It’s kind of neat!

I like my zucchini bread plain. If you want to add raisins or chopped nuts (or both!) this would be the time to stir them in. Some folks even add chocolate chips to their zucchini bread. Now that I think about it, that sounds kind of awesome. Hmmm…

Divide evenly (or as evenly as you can by eyeballing) between two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans. (Actually, the pans I use are 8.5 x 4.5 but 9×5 work just fine.)

I have to say that I’m in love with my Chicago Metallic Pans.(affiliate link) The sides are nice and straight; so loaves come out looking really nice. Good bakeware is the best!

Bake. This is the best/worst part. The loaves take about an hour to bake and the house smells so good that it’s hard to wait for them to finish baking. It’s worth it, though. I promise!

Yum! The loaf bakes up nice and dense but not heavy or gummy. If you like spice cake, you’ll love this loaf!

5 from 3 votes

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

Loaded with spices, this recipe gluten-free zucchini bread makes two loaves. Enjoy one now and put one in the freezer for later! Or share one with a friend!
Ty to select small to medium zucchini for this loaf. If all you have on hand is a large, overgrown zucchini, split it in half and scrape out the seeds before grating. The seeds in large zucchini tend to be tough and bitter.

Course quick bread

Cuisine Gluten-Free

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 2 8x4 inch loaves

Author Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

Gluten-free non-stick cooking spray
1 pound (2 small-medium) zucchini, grated (3 to 4 cups) (see note above)
300 grams (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
283 grams (2 1/2 cups) white rice flour
57 grams (1/2 cup) cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup apple juice or water
1 cup raisins, optional
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9x5-inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Place grated zucchini on a clean dishtowel. Fold towel around zucchini and twist to remove excess liquid. Set zucchini aside.
Whisk together sugar, white rice flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, ginger, and cloves in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil, and apple juice. Blend until smooth with a handheld mixer or whisk. Batter will be thick. Add zucchini. Fold in with a spatula. Add raisins and nuts, if using. Stir just to combine.
Divide evenly between prepared pans.
Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf should come out clean.
Remove pans from the oven and place on a wire rack. After five minutes, remove bread from pans and place directly on the wire rack to cool.
Store bread wrapped tightly in plastic wrap on the counter for up to four days. Freeze bread, wrapped first in plastic wrap and again in aluminum foil, for up to three months. Allow bread to thaw on the counter.

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar: Step-by-Step with Recipe

You only need three things to make corn-free powdered sugar: granulated sugar, tapioca starch, and a high-powered blender.

Corn sneaks into all sorts of unexpected things, like powdered sugar. If you have a corn allergy or are avoiding grains, this comes as decidedly unsweet news.

The reason powdered sugar contains cornstarch is simple: it keeps the sugar from caking. There are a few brands of corn-free powdered sugar on the market but they can be hard to find.

Thankfully, as with paleo baking powder, it’s easy to make at home. From start to finish, it’ll take about one minute. One minute. Not bad, eh?

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar: Step-by-Step

To make powdered sugar at home, you really need a high-powered blender or food processor. If your blender struggles with ice and frozen fruit, it probably won’t work. I use my to make powdered sugar. I’m sure a Vitamix would also work. (I’m not familiar with other brands.)

First up, sugar. Regular granulated sugar is all we need. Nothing special. (Note: if you have a plastic jar on your blender or food processor, granulated sugar might scratch during blending.)

Next up: tapioca starch! Like cornstarch, tapioca starch will keep our powdered sugar from caking. And, I think, makes for a better powdered sugar.

Tapioca starch absorbs liquids faster, and a lower temperature, than cornstarch. This means that it makes smooth and silky icings and buttercream. And, in my opinion, I think it tastes less chalky than cornstarch-based powdered sugar. But that’s just a personal taste-thing. When you try it, let me know what you think.

Since tapioca starch absorbs liquids so quickly, it’s prone to clumping after it has sat around a bit. So be prepared to sift corn-free powdered sugar before using.

Place the granulated sugar and tapioca starch in your blender. Blend the sugar and tapioca starch together until powdery, about 30 seconds.

Seriously. That took 30 seconds!

How pretty is that? (True confession: it’s hard to get that sugar off the lid and into the bowl. I don’t even bother. I just rinse it off when cleaning. )

Sift to remove any clumps.

Done!

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar: Best Uses and What to Avoid

Thanks to our friend tapioca starch, corn-free powdered sugar makes excellent icing and buttercream. The smooth tapioca starch granules swell and make for a really smooth icing. In fact, it’s my favorite powdered sugar to use in buttercream icings.

That’s the upside.

Now the downside! Since tapioca starch loves to suck up moisture so much, it will dissolve quickly when dusted onto cakes, desserts, and berries. How quick? Under ten minutes.

If you want to dust something with corn-free powdered sugar, do so right before serving and expect the sugar to dissolve pretty fast.

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5 from 2 votes

Corn-Free Powdered Sugar

I recommend using superfine sugar to make homemade powdered sugar. If you can't find it, use traditional granulated sugar and blend it longer.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

1 cup super-fine sugar or tradtional granulated sugar (7 ounces; 198 grams)
1 tablespoon tapioca starch (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)

Instructions

Combine sugar and tapioca starch in a high-powered blender. Starting at low speed, increase the power until you reach the blender’s highest speed. Blend until the sugar is powder-fine, about 30 seconds. Sift to remove any remaining lumps.
Store powdered sugar in an airtight container. Sift before using.

Whipped Coconut Cream

Whipped coconut cream was one of those “easy” recipes that tripped me up. Lots of people talked about how easy it was to make. You just scooped the coconut cream from the top of a can of full-fat coconut milk and whipped it up. That’s it. No problem, right?

Wrong!

Each time I tried, I somehow ended up with a can of coconut milk that did not get the nice, firm layer of coconut cream on top. after chilling. It drove me bonkers. BONKERS!

As they say, ingredients matter, especially in a recipe as simple as this one, so I switched brands of coconut milk. That did the trick. When I opened up the can and saw the prized hard layer of coconut cream, I did a little happy dance. Ever since then, I’ve had no problem making whipped coconut cream. And, I have to say, folks were right. This recipe is really easy to make! (As long as your coconut milk cooperates!)

Whipped Coconut Cream: Whipping It Up

Throw your can in the fridge overnight to firm up the fatty coconut cream. If the coconut milk doesn’t turn solid when chilled, I suggest looking for a different brand. (My favorite is Golden Star brand. It only contains two ingredients: coconut and water.)

Scoop the chilled coconut cream into a bowl. If you’re using full-fat coconut milk, there might be a little watery coconut milk under the coconut cream. Don’t use this. It waters down the coconut cream, making it harder to whip. (You don’t need to ditch the coconut milk. Add it to a smoothie or drink as-is. The coconut milk is tasty stuff!)

It’s up to you whether or not to sweeten the coconut cream. I prefer it with some sweetness. If you follow a grain-free diet, use a grain-free powdered sugar. (Either homemade paleo powdered sugar or a grain-free store bought brand.) If you aren’t grain-free, traditional powdered sugar works just fine.

I suggest adding a splash of vanilla. It takes the whipped coconut cream from “Oh! This is good!” to “Ohhhhhhh….this is goooooooood. I want more!”

Whip the coconut cream until thick. You can use a handheld whisk or electric mixer. Be patient with it. Coconut cream takes a little longer to whip up than whipped cream.

That’s it!

Use it right away or store in the fridge. When you store it, the coconut cream firms up quite a bit. Whip it a little before serving and allow it to come to room temperature for the best flavor and texture.

5 from 2 votes

Whipped Coconut Cream

For whipped coconut cream, be sure to use coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk. And remember to chill before whipping!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

1 (13.5 ounces) can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar (1 ounce; 28 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Place the can in the refrigerator. Chill overnight.
Open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the hard coconut cream. (If after an overnight chill, there isn’t a layer of hard coconut cream, you can’t make whipped coconut with that brand of coconut milk.)
Place the coconut cream in a small mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer and whip until light and fluffy. (Sometimes it looks a little gray. This is normal.) In a slow and steady steam, pour in the sugar and vanilla extract. Whip until combined.
Serve. Whipped coconut cream lasts about two days in the refrigerator. Rewhip before serving.

How to Make the World’s Easiest Cookies

Hi Lovelies! How’s summer treating you? Hot? Humid? Dry? Yeah. Same here.

Yesterday, I appeared on my local news station to talk about…cookies. (Did you really think I was going to say politics or something?)

I brought the “World’s Easiest Cookies” with me. I love these cookies!

Perhaps you’ve seen me talk about them before? I mentioned them when the World’s Easiest Paleo Baking book came out. Nom-Nom Paleo blogged about them (and dipped them in chocolate. Wise woman!) And I shared the recipe on TheKitchn.

If you haven’t seen these cookies before, you are in for a treat! With only four ingredients, they come together in minutes! Minutes! The best part? They are grain-free, dairy-free, and egg-free. So unless an almond or maple allergy is a problem, these cookies fit into most diets. Yay!

Here’s the recipe for the Paleo Almond Cookies (aka World’s Easiest Cookies). It includes a photo step-by-step. So you don’t have to watch a video to make the recipe.

Enjoy!

Elizabeth

Paleo Baking Powder

Did you know that most commercial baking powder contains cornstarch? Thankfully, it’s easy to make your own!

Paleo Baking Powder: The Basics

It’s easy to make paleo baking powder! Simply combine two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda. However, that combination is prone to clumping. So I like to add a little tapioca starch to the mix. That said, when it’s really humid out, the mixture still might clump. If you find that your paleo baking powder has clumped, either stir it with a fork or run it through a sieve to break up the clumps.

Paleo Baking Powder vs. Commercial Baking Powder: Double Acting vs. Single Acting

Pick up a can most baking powders and you’ll notice the words, “double acting.” Sounds a little like a high school drama club, doesn’t it?

Double acting baking powder contains two types of acids: one that reacts to liquid and one that reacts to heat. This means that commercial baking powder releases some bubbles (carbon dioxide, actually) when you add liquid to the batter. It can be any liquid, water, dairy-free milk, eggs, etc. Then when you slide the pan into the oven and the batter gets warm, it releases more bubbles.

For the baker, double acting baking powder behaves like an insurance policy. If you leave the batter on your counter for too long, you get a second chance when it goes into the oven.

Homemade baking powder isn’t double acting. It only reacts in the bowl. If you leave your bowl of batter sitting around for too long, those bubbles can pop and leave you with a flat finished baked good. No one wants that! The insurance policy for using homemade (single acting) baking powder is a simple one: don’t forget to preheat your oven.

That’s it.

With a preheated oven, you mix your batter, pop it into the pan, and bake. The bubbles in your batter won’t have a chance to pop and break. This isn’t something to stress about. You just want to be aware that your cakes and muffins and other goodies won’t rise in the oven.

Paleo Baking Powder: Mixing It Up

To make the baking powder, combine the cream of tartar, baking soda, and tapioca starch in a small bowl. Whisk everything together. If you want, you can sift everything together. (I have to admit, I usually don’t sift!) Unless you are baking a lot, I recommend making about a 1/3 cup of baking powder, no more. Since homemade baking powder is prone to clumping, I prefer making several small batches than making one large batch only to have it get clumpy as it ages.

Store the baking powder in a sealed container in your pantry.

Paleo Baking Powder

If your baking powder clumps during storage, sift it before using.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

1/4 cup cream of tartar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon tapioca starch this keeps the baking powder from clumping.

Instructions

Whisk together cream of tartar, baking soda, and tapioca starch in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Gluten-Free Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

In my not-so-humble opinion, there’s few summer foods better than the holy trinity of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. This combination, when made with flavorful homegrown or local tomatoes, is perfect served as a salad with a light drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. But why stop there? All summer long I put it on pasta, pizza, and sandwiches. (Heck, I even add bacon and call it a Waffle BLT.) Right now, however, gluten-free pasta with fresh tomatoes and basil has my heart.

Why am I smitten with it? Because…I made it for dinner last night and the taste is fresh in my memory. 🙂 If I’d just eaten a tomato, basil, mozzarella salad, I’d probably be proclaiming that to be my favorite. I’m sure you understand!

While you could make a tasty pasta dish in under 15 minutes by simply combining freshly cooked pasta with olive oil, tomatoes, mozzarella, and garlic. I’m going to suggest that you add about 30 minutes of unattended cooking time to make it an even better dish.

Let me explain.

Magic happens when you stir together tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, olives, and a splash of olive brine and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. (Magic as defined by tasty culinary happenings.) The garlic and basil infuse the oil with flavor and the salt from the olive brine draws some liquid out of the tomatoes. This leaves you with a really tasty, fresh pasta sauce.

When I make this recipe, I prepare the tomato-basil mixture and let it sit for 15 minutes before I bring the water to a boil for the pasta. (Here’s how to cook gluten-free pasta.) This timing means my tomatoes macerate for about 45 minutes, which I find to be just right. As with most things in life, you can have too much of a good thing. If the tomatoes sit for longer than an hour, they tend to get mushy. Who wants mushy tomatoes? No one. That’s who!

Ingredient and Preparation Notes

Olive brine adds a salty-acidic tang to the pasta. If you don’t have two tablespoons of brine handy, replace it with two teaspoons of red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt. Add this to the tomato mixture. Adjust with more vinegar and salt as your tastes dictate.
Fresh mozzarella or fresh-style mozzarella is really a must for this dish. Dense, low moisture mozzarella, which is great on pizza, doesn’t have the taste or texture to compliment the tomatoes and basil. Look for freshly made mozzarella or buy a ball or BelGioioso or equivalent.
Kalamata olives are recommended but most olives (with the exception of canned black olives) work well in this dish.
To cut the basil, stack four or five basil leaves (face down, vein side up.) Roll the leaves into a tight roll (like you are rolling a cigar). Hold the roll together and carefully cut them into thin ribbons. Gently toss to separate the slices.
For this recipe, I used Ronzoni gluten-free pasta. Jovial also works great. That said, use whatever you love. (Including fresh gluten-free pasta.)
Reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid. If the pasta seems dry after you toss it with the tomatoes, add a splash of the hot pasta cooking liquid. The starch in the water coats the pasta and prevents it from sticking. (Don’t do this with tap water or you will have a pasta blob on your hands.)

Gluten-Free Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil.

5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free Pasta with Tomatoes and Basil

If you don't have olive brine on hand, replace it with two teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Adjust to taste as needed.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com (Elizabeth Barbone)

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
10 basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
1/4 cup kalmata olives, halved
2 tablespoons olive brine see note above
12 ounces gluten-free spaghetti
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces
salt and pepper

Instructions

Combine the olive oil and minced garlic in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add the tomatoes, basil, olives, and olive brine. Stir to combine. Allow to stand for 30 minutes to one hour. This allows the flavors to mingle.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Add the spaghetti. Stir during the first few minutes of cooking to prevent the pasta from sticking. (Do not add oil to the pasta water.) Cook until tender.
Carefully ladle out about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pot. Add the tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Toss to combine. You want the mozzarella to soften slightly. If the pasta seems dry, add a little of the pasta cooking water. Adjust as needed.
Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed. Serve.

Red, White, and Blue Gluten-Free Cupcakes

Making a slightly over-the-top dessert is always fun for the Fourth of July. I mean, why should the fireworks be the only one to shine?

These pretty tie-dyed cupcakes take only a few minutes to make and kids love to help dye the batter.

First, you need cake batter! I used Betty Crocker’s Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix. Use whatever cake mix or recipe you love. Of course, you need white or yellow cake for this recipe to work. Chocolate cake doesn’t play well with food colors.

Line baking cups with paper liners. If you don’t have paper liners, spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Just be sure it’s gluten-free spray.

Divide batter it between three bowls.

You might notice that the third bowl is missing from this picture. And that the picture size is weird. Here is where I win the bad blogger award. I *forgot* to snap a picture of this step. The above photo? It’s from when I made tie-dye cupcakes. But the point is the same: Divide the batter and color it. One bowl red, one bowl blue, and leave the other bowl untouched.

Drop a little of each color batter into prepared muffin cups. Don’t swirl the batter! If you do, the batter turns a weird purplish color! The key here is not to stress about this.

The finished cupcakes! Aren’t they neat?

Frost with vanilla icing and top with multicolored sprinkles.

Red, White, and Blue Gluten-Free Cupcakes

These bright gluten-free cupcakes are perfect for the Fourth of July.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

Cupcake liners Red, white and blue, optional
1 cake mix, prepared according to package or recipe directions
Red and blue food color
White buttercream icing homemade or gluten-free canned icing
Red white and blue sprinkles, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven according to package or recipe directions. Line muffin pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Divide batter evenly among three bowls. Color one bowl red and one blue.
Drop each color batter into prepared muffin pan with a spoon. Fill cups about 2/3 full.
Bake until cake springs back to the touch.
Remove cupcakes from pan. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Ice cooled cupcakes with white icing and sprinkle tops with red, white, and blue sprinkles if you want.
Yield varies depending on cake mix or recipe

Paleo Almond Cookies Recipe (aka The World’s Easiest Cookies.)

These quick paleo almond cookies come together in minutes. You simply combine almond flour, maple syrup, baking powder, and vanilla. That’s it!

Let’s make them! They only take minutes. I promise!

Paleo Almond Cookies: Mixing and Baking

First, we start with almond flour. You want a really finely ground almond flour. I really like Honeyville’s almond flour. However, you have to order it online. If you don’t want to do this, pick up a bag of Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s. (note: Trader Joe’s almond flour isn’t blanched. So the cookies will be darker.)

Next up, maple syrup. Select the darkest grade of maple syrup you can find for the best flavor. The darker the syrup, the more impurities it contains. Now, I know, that impurities sounds like a bad thing. For syrup, it isn’t. It just means the syrup is more flavorful. For years, this syrup was called “Grade B”. Now, it’s usually called “Grade A Dark.” The name Grade B was phased out because the name “grade B” lead some people to think that it was of lesser quality than “grade A” syrups.

If you can’t find a dark syrup, go ahead and use a lighter syrup. The recipe will work. However, the maple flavor won’t take a staring role.

If you are following a strict grain-free diet or have a corn allergy, you are going to want to make your own paleo baking powder. (Most traditional baking powder contains corn starch to prevent it from clumping.) If you are okay with a smidgen of baking powder, go ahead and use the store bought stuff.

Vanilla is the last ingredient in the cookies. (Yep, these almond cookies only have four ingredients. I know! Crazy, right?) You use a generous amount of vanilla extract! Two teaspoons. However, since the almond and maple bring such strong, lovely flavors to the table, the vanilla extract needs a little boost to get noticed. If you don’t love vanilla, reduce it to one teaspoon or omit completely. (If you omit, add two additional teaspoons of maple syrup to the recipe.)

Stir everything together with a wooden spoon. That’s right, you don’t even have to use a stand mixer. (Of course, you can use an electric mixer if that’s more comfortable for you.) As you stir the dough, the almond flour releases some oil and the dough comes together easily.

Scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You can make these cookies large (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons) or petite (2 teaspoons). I like ’em petite. Whatever the size, scoop them onto a cookie sheet. For soft cookies, don’t press them down. For crispy cookies, press them down. Easy-peasy!

Bake. And….done! That’s it! Really.

Store the almond cookies in an airtight container for up to one week. If it’s really humid in your area, they will get soft. If it’s really dry, they’ll get a little crisp. (Since these cookies contain no eggs or dairy, the maple sugar in them makes them susceptible to weather changes.)

Paleo Almond Cookies: Variations

Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies. Add half cup of mini chocolate chips to the dough.
Cranberry-Orange Almond Cookies: Add half cup of dried cranberries and the zest of one lemon to the dough.
Chocolate Dipped Almond Cookies. Dip baked cookies into melted chocolate. (See Nom-Nom Paleo’s Post for a step-by-step.)
Bacon Almond Cookies. Crumble two cooked slices of bacon into the dough.

World's easiest almond cookies on white plate.

5 from 6 votes

Paleo Almond Cookies Recipe (aka The World's Easiest Cookies.)

Made with almond flour, baking powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. These paleo almond cookies come together in minutes!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Servings 20 cookies

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

2 cups finely ground almond flour (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1/2 teaspoon paleo baking powder
1/3 cup dark maple syrup (3 1/2 ounces;100 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the almond flour and baking powder together in a medium mixing bowl. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Stir until a sticky dough forms and holds together.
Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about one inch apart. For crisp cookies, press down the dough lightly with the flat bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup. (If the glass sticks to the dough, dip the bottom in water.) For softer cookies, don't press down the dough.
Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool baking sheet between batches.

7 Gluten-Free Doughnut Recipes to Help You Celebrate National Doughnut Day

June 3rd is National Doughnut Day! Folks, it’s our national duty to celebrate. Let’s do this!

Gluten-Free Doughnut Holes

Inspired by Dunkin Donuts’ munchkins, these are irresistible!

Get the recipe for gluten-free doughnut holes here.

Gluten-Free Apple Fritter Bites

Apple fritter bites are so.easy.to.eat. SO EASY!

Get the recipe for gluten-free apple fritter bites here.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Doughnuts

Chocolate + Doughnut + Glaze = MY LIFE IS HAPPY!

Get the gluten-free chocolate doughnut recipe here. (These are baked, not fried. Easy Peasy!)

Old Fashioned Gluten-Free Doughnut

A classic cake doughnut coated in cinnamon-sugar? Someone, pass me a coffee. NOW.

Get the recipe for old fashioned gluten-free doughnuts here.

Paleo Doughnuts

Following a grain-free diet? Still want a doughnut? These paleo doughnuts are for you (yes, you!), my friend!

Get the recipe for paleo doughnuts here.

Vegan Apple Cider Doughnuts

Vegan recipes often work great for multiple food allergies. These tasty apple cider doughnuts are made without eggs, dairy, or gluten! But they are loaded with flavor. (Note: these are vegan, not paleo.)

Get the recipe for vegan apple cider doughnuts here.

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

I know. I know. It’s not fall. But…pumpkin is pretty awesome. And it’s sold in cans at the store. So, if you want a taste of pumpkin spice, do yourself a favor and make a batch of these pumpkin doughnuts. Your belly with thank you.

Get the recipe for gluten-free baked pumpkin doughnuts here.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can whip up a batch of these gluten-free chocolate chip cookies in the time it takes for the oven to preheat. They’re that easy! What makes them so easy? Melted butter! You don’t need to cream the butter and sugar together for this recipe. To make these cookies, simply whisk together all the dry ingredients (there are only three) and combine with the butter-sugar-egg mixture. Of course, a generous amount of vanilla and chocolate chips are added to make these the perfect–and perfectly easy–gluten-free chocolate chip cookies!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Ingredients and Mixing

Ah, I love a simple recipe, don’t you? And I REALLY love chocolate chip cookies–I mean, I made a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe for two for those times when I need cookies right.now. Then there were brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Oh, and we can’t forget gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars.

So I’m really saying something when I tell you that this simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies already climbed to the top of my favorites list.

For this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. (Don’t confuse this with their all-purpose gluten-free flour. The two don’t work the same at all!) To the flour blend, you need to add a little baking soda and salt. Whisk these three ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl before adding them to the recipe.

Why bothering whisking those ingredients together? Good question! You whisk the dry ingredients to ensure that the baking soda and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour. It’s an extra step but it’s worth it, I promise.

Once you’ve done that, combine the melted butter (yes, melted!), the sugars, egg, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Mix this together until it’s thick. To me, the mixture kind of resembles a light caramel sauce. It’s so yummy looking!

Then, add the dry ingredients, mix everything until a cookie dough forms, stir in the chocolate chips and you’re done. That’s it! If you want, you can even mix this recipe by hand. No handheld mixer needed!

Let’s talk about that melted butter for a second. Most cookie recipes tell you NOT to melt the butter. In fact, for most cookie recipes you want the butter softened but not melted because melted butter can cause cookies to spread and flatten when baked.

Not in this recipe! The melted butter gives the cookies a soft and tender texture. It does causes the cookies to spread a little but that’s not a bad thing! The flour blend, complete with xanthan gum, helps the cookies hold on to their shape for “just the right” thickness.

Not only do I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the texture and flavor of these cookies, I love that I don’t have to worry about softening a stick of butter when I’m ready to bake. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m in the mood for cookies, my butter is usually sitting in the fridge as a hard as a rock. For this recipe, I just microwave the butter until it melts. Done!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Shaping, Baking, Cooling, and Storing

Since this is a “mix and bake” cookie recipe, you don’t need to chill the dough before baking. WOOT!

However, I must mention that you can chill this dough! In fact, if you age the dough for a few days, it takes on a lovely caramel-like flavor. When the dough is aged in the refrigerator for several days it won’t spread as much during baking. This is good to keep in mind because instead of pretty chocolate chip cookies, you get lovely little chocolate chip cookie blobs. But the blobs taste good!

To age your cookie dough, mix the dough as directed and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the dough. This prevents the dough from drying out. Chill for up to one week. (Baker’s Tip: I usually transfer my dough from the mixing bowl into a smaller bowl to save space in the fridge.) When you are ready to bake, allow it to sit on the counter for about ten minutes before scooping or it will be too firm to scoop. Bake as directed.

Whether you age the dough or not, you need to shape it before you bake it. For this task, I suggest using a cookie scoop. This ensures that all of your cookies are the exact same size. When cookies are the same size, they take the same amount of time to bake. Scoop the dough from the bowl onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You don’t need to form the dough into a ball, the scoop will do that for you.

If you don’t own a cookie scoop, measure out about two tablespoons of dough and roll the dough into a ball before placing on the cookie sheet. If you don’t roll the dough into a ball, you’ll get weird ameba-shaped chocolate chip cookies.

Since these cookies spread, don’t crowd them onto the pan or you’ll end up with one giant cookie. (Actually, that doesn’t sound too bad! In another post, we’ll have to make giant chocolate chip cookies.) Space the cookies about two inches apart on your baking sheet–I do three rows of three.

Bake the cookies until the edges are just golden brown. In my oven, this takes about ten minutes. When they are done, allow them to cool on the pan for about five minutes and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store the cookies at room temperature for up to four days (good luck making them last that long!) or freeze for up to three months.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies: Variations

Triple Chocolate Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Use ⅓ cup each dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Add ½ cup toasted walnuts to the recipes. (Allow the walnuts to cool before adding them to the dough.)

4.5 from 6 votes

Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe Note: For best results, use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 22

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly (3 ounces; 85 grams)
½ cup packed dark brown sugar (3 ¾ ounces; 106 grams)
¼ cup granulated sugar (1 ¾ ounces; 50 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips (6 ounces; 170 grams)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Add the egg and mix until combined. The mixture should look like thick caramel sauce. Stop the mixer and add the gluten-free flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until a thick dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and stir until incorporated.
Drop dough, about two tablespoons each, onto prepared cookie sheet. (A cookie scoop makes this easy.) Space cookies about 2 inches apart.
Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking.
Allow the cookies to cool for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Repeat with remaining dough, allowing cookie sheet to cool between each batch.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze cooled cookies for up to three months.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

This recipe for gluten-free peanut butter cookie bars combines two of America’s favorite cookies into one easy-to-make bar. If you are peanut-free, replace the peanut butter with almond butter. And if you really love chocolate, double the amount of chocolate chips, for an over-the-top treat.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars: Mixing

You know what I love? Chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and cookie bars. So…I put ’em together. These peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars are the best of all cookie worlds. You get the sweet-salty flavor of the peanut butter, the chocolate and molasses from chocolate chip cookies, and the ease of a cookie bar.

To make this recipe, you’ll need some basic gluten-free flours. You know I don’t use a premade flour blend. However, if you do, go ahead and use it in this recipe. Just be sure it doesn’t contain any gums. This recipe doesn’t need it.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and set the bowl aside. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter (or a solid dairy-free margarine) and your favorite creamy peanut butter with the dark brown sugar and vanilla extract. The dark brown sugar adds a nice molasses flavor. If you only keep light brown sugar in the house, do yourself a favor and pick up a box of dark brown sugar the next time you’re at the store. The flavor is top-notch. If all you have in the house is light brown sugar, go ahead and use it.

Cream the room temperature butter together with the peanut butter and dark brown sugar. To test if your butter is at room temperature, poke it. I’m not kidding. Poke the butter gently. Your finger should leave a gentle little indent in the butter.

You don’t want your butter melted or too cold. Basically, you need to turn into Goldilocks and make sure that your butter is “just right.”

Why is this important? If the butter is too soft, the bars come out dense. If the butter is too cold, it won’t mix evenly with the peanut butter and butter. So give your butter a poke.

Then add the eggs one at a time. Allow the first egg to incorporate into the mixture before adding the next. Once both eggs have been added, stop the mixer and give the bowl a scrape. You’ll be surprised how much butter-sugar mixture sticks to the bottom of the bowl with nary a drop of egg in it. Once you scrape the bottom of the bowl, mix the butter-sugar-egg mixture for another few seconds.

Stop the mixer and add the whisked dry ingredients. Then, starting at a low speed and increasing slowly to medium speed, mix until a thick batter forms. Again, stop the mixer. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for another few seconds. Then add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars: Baking

To prevent the bars from sticking, you can line your baking pan with aluminum foil. I have to admit, this is a “do as I say, not as a I do” statement. For some reason, I lack the skills that allow a person to line a pan with foil without ripping the foil. Instead of foiling lining, I give my pan a generous coating of cooking spray and call it a day.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. This is key. The batter for these peanut butter chocolate chip cookie bars is thick. This means that as you spread it, the batter might not want to go evenly into the corners of the pan. Make sure that it does. If not, the bars will either burn or be overdone at the edges. And no one wants that.

Bake until golden brown and aromatic. In my oven this takes about 35 minutes. When the bars are done, remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan. If you lined your pan with foil, go ahead and lift the bars out of the pan using the foil. If you didn’t line your pan with foil, (high five) cut the bars in the pan (take care not to scratch your pan as you cut).

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars: Storing

Go ahead and store these bars right on the counter for up to four days. If you don’t think you’ll eat them all by then, freeze the the bars. First allow the bars to cool, then wrap in plastic wrap. Place the bars in a freezer and you’re good for up to three months!

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars: Variations

Like most cookie bar recipes, these peanut butter chocolate chip bars are easy to modify.

Peanut-Free: Swap the peanut butter with a peanut-free spread, like sunbutter.affiliate link. NOTE: sunbutter tends to turn baked goods that contain baking powder bright green as they cool. It looks weird but it’s totally normal.

Almond Butter Bars: Replace the peanut butter with an equal amount of almond butter.

Double Chocolate: Add one cup of milk chocolate chips to the batter along with the dark chocolate chips.

Peanut-Plus: Add one cup of chopped peanuts. (Check to make sure your peanuts don’t contain any flavorings like onion or garlic powder. Some brands do and that would taste awful in these bars.)

Gluten-free chocolate chip peanut butter bars in a pan.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 12

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice flour (3 3/4 ounces; 106 grams)
1/3 cup potato starch (1 1/3 ounces; 36 grams)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (use dairy-free solid spread if desired) (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter or peanut-free spread (4 3/4 ounces; 135 grams)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (6 ounces; 170 grams)
2 large eggs (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
1 cup chocolate chips (6 ounces; 170 grams)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 8x8x2-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In small bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy, about one minute. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well between each addition. Stop mixer and scrape down bottom and sides of bowl. Turn mixer back on and continue to beat until mixture is light, fluffy, and almost white. Turn off mixer. Add dry ingredients, turn mixer to low and blend to combine. Add chocolate chips. Mix until just combined.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake until bars are puffy, golden brown, and a cake tester interested into the center of the bars comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 35 minutes. Place pan on wire rack to cool. When cooled, cut into 12 bars.

These bars take about an hour to make, 15 minutes or so to prep the batter and about 35 minutes to bake. Allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes before servings. (That’s a long 20 minutes, let me tell you!)

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

Looking for a sweet version of Irish Soda bread? Look no further! This recipe for gluten-free Irish soda bread tastes more like a cake than a dry savory bread. It’s made with butter, sugar, eggs, and raisins. And it’s so good, no one will guess that it’s gluten-free!

Okay. Let’s get this out of the way before we even begin: Yes, I know this isn’t a traditional Irish soda bread recipe. True Irish soda bread is usually made with wholemeal (whole wheat) flour, baking soda, buttermilk, and salt. That’s it!

But…I grew up in the United States with an Italian-American mother who loved American-style soda bread that was sweet and dotted with caraway seeds and raisins. Now I could tell you a story about how each year she made a loaf from scratch, blah blah blah.

What really happened is that around St.Patrick’s Day, she’d bring home a loaf from the Grand Union supermarket, cut into it, and offer me a slice. She’d almost always complain that there were not enough caraway seeds in the loaf. This usually happened around the time that I’d scrunch up my nose at the mere presence of any caraway seeds and leave my slice uneaten.

Over the years, I came around to loving American-style Irish soda bread. (spoiler: I still hate caraway seeds in the bread.) So that’s the style recipe that I’ve recreated for my gluten-free Irish Soda Bread. Next year, I’m going to try my hand at a traditional Irish Soda. Until then, this is what I have to offer.

Let’s make it!

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread: Putting It Together

Before we even talk about how to mix up the batter for this gluten-free Irish soda bread, I need you to know that the recipe requires a 9-inch springform pan. If you don’t have a 9-inch springform pan, go ahead and use a 9-inch cake pan. Just be sure it’s 3-inches deep. Most are only 2-inches deep.

Now that we’ve got the special equipment out of the way, let’s talk about the batter. Yes. Batter. While it’s called “Irish Soda Bread“, it’s nothing like gluten-free sandwich bread. This is more like making a giant scone.

You’ll start by whisking together white rice flour, sweet rice flour, and potato starch. Then add some caraway seeds (omit if you hate them) a generous amount of baking powder, table salt, and a little baking soda. This is unusual—even for a non-traditional soda bread recipe. Most recipes call for all baking soda. However, during testing, I found that when made with baking powder, instead of soda, the bread had a more consistent rise and better texture than one made with all baking soda.

Then whisk in some xanthan gum. This half teaspoon of xanthan gum holds everything together without making the bread gummy at all. Without the xanthan gum, this gluten-free Irish soda bread doesn’t rise as high and the texture suffers. So don’t omit the xanthan gum.

Once all your dry ingredients are combined, cream together butter and granulated sugar until a thick paste forms. Don’t worry about this mixture getting light and fluffy. We aren’t relying on butter-sugar mixture to leaven this recipe. The baking powder and soda take care of that. We just want the butter and sugar to combine until thick.

Then add the eggs one at a time It’s a good idea to stop the mixer and scrape down your bowl after you add each egg. It’s amazing how much of the butter-sugar mixture won’t get any egg to incorporate if you don’t stop the mixer and scrape it down. This is especially true if you are using a KitchenAid mixer. I love those things but, man, there’s always a thick layer of butter-sugar that the egg can’t seem to penetrate unless you scrape everything together.

Once the butter-sugar-egg mixture has mixed, add half the dry ingredients. Mix to combine. The batter will look dry. This is totally normal. Then add half the buttermilk. By adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk in stages, you’ll get a nice batter that won’t break. Repeat until you’ve used all the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix until your batter is smooth and thick.

If you like raisins, go ahead and add them. Spread the batter into a prepared 9-inch springform pan and bake until golden brown. In my oven, this takes about an hour and twenty minutes.

When the bread is done, place the bread, still in the pan, on a wire rack to cool. After about ten minutes, remove the ring from the pan and allow the bread to cool completely.

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread: Storing and Enjoying

Even with the addition of eggs, butter, and sugar, this bread stales pretty quickly. After about two days it turns dry and crumbly. If a nine-inch loaf is too much for you, bake the bread in muffin cups. This way you can eat your fill and freeze the rest! The baking time for muffins is shorter than for the whole loaf. Keep your eye on the first pan (check it after 20 minutes) and adjust your timing from there.

No matter how you make this recipe, with caraway seeds or without, in a loaf or in individual muffins, you’ll have a great soda bread. Just not a traditional Irish one, of course!

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread: Special Ingredients and Tools

The following links are affiliate links. GlutenFreeBaking.com earns a commission on sales made through these links.
9-inch springform pan
KitchenAid Mixer
Mini-Angled Spatula
Caraway Seeds

Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings 1 9-inch loaf

Author Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

non-stick cooking spray
14 ounces (3 1/2 cups) white rice flour
2 3/4 ounces (1/2 cup) sweet rice flour
2 ounces (1/2 cup) potato starch
4 tablespoons caraway seeds
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter
2 large eggs
7 ounces (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups raisins

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to center position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, sweet rice flour, potato starch, caraway seeds, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum. Set aside.
In bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until a thick paste forms, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl.
Add half the dry ingredients. Turn mixer on to low speed. Mix until incorporated, about 20 seconds.
Add half the buttermilk. Mix until thoroughly combined. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk. After adding buttermilk, mix until batter is thick and fluffy, about 45 seconds. Add raisins, mix until incorporated.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake bread until golden brown, about 80 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center of the bread should come out clean.
Allow bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Unmold bread and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store on the counter for up to two days or freeze for up to two months.

Gluten-Free Fish Fry Recipe

This gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free recipe makes a crispy gluten-free fish fry. If you can’t find gluten-free beer, use plain seltzer water.

When most people think of food from Wisconsin, they think cheese or beer. While living in Milwaukee ten years ago, I found out that fish fry should also make this list.

Each Friday night, many Milwaukee area restaurants offer a fish fry specials. For a reasonable price, you get a plate of beer battered fish, a couple of potato pancakes and, often, a slice of rye bread. The fish fry tends to be “all you care to eat.” I never asked for more fish but, I have to admit, there were a few times when I was tempted! The batter that coated the fish was so light and so crispy. It would have been easy for me to ignore my full stomach just to enjoy a bite or two more.

Now that I’m back in New York and need to eat gluten-free, popping out to a restaurant is no longer an option. Thankfully, I live with a fish fry expert! My Wisconsin-born husband worked in a Milwaukee restaurant that served upwards of 500 fish fry dinners each Friday night. The biggest challenge in converting his recipe to gluten-free? Paring it down. His original recipe made 10 gallons of batter.

Since the original recipe contained about half cornstarch, converting it to gluten-free was easy. White rice flour replaced the wheat flour to produce a super-crisp, light batter for the fish. The best part? It’s also egg and dairy-free!

Gluten-Free Fish Fry: How to Make It At Home

Making the batter is as easy as whipping together pancake batter, and you can make it ahead of time. Greg remembers, “We were so busy at the restaurant, I made the fish fry batter hours before service started. If I hadn’t, we would have been in the weeds all night.”

To make the batter, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the gluten-free beer. (If you don’t want to use beer, go ahead and use plain seltzer.) You want the consistency of the batter to resemble heavy cream. It should flow easily from a spoon. If the batter seems too thick, add a little more beer or seltzer.

Cut your fish into individual pieces, about five-inch each. Of course this is a personal preference. If you to cut the fish into smaller pieces, go for it. I find pieces larger than five inches unwieldy to fry but that’s just me.

To help the batter stick to the fish, pat it dry, and then coat it in a white rice flour-cornstarch mixture. You don’t want too much flour, so give the fish a gentle shake after coating it. Then dip the fish into the batter. Hold the fish above the bowl for a second or two. This allows excess batter to drip off. Then gently place the fish into the hot oil. you don’t want to hold the fish high above the oil and drop it in. That’s a recipe for splatter and possible burns! Get the fish very close to the surface of the oil and gently guide it in. Depending on your fryer, you can fry up to three pieces at one time. If you fry too much fish (or anything for that matter) at one time, the temperature of the oil drops and the coating of the fish gets oily.

If you don’t want to serve your fish in batches, place the freshly fried fish onto a paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in a 250 degree F. oven.

When having a fish fry, I like to serve it with French fries because…why not? 🙂 In our house, coleslaw and tartar sauce are also a must!

Gluten-Free Crispy Beer-Battered Fish Fry.

5 from 10 votes

Gluten-Free Beer Battered Fish

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 28 minutes

Servings 4

Author Elizabeth Barbone GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Batter

3/4 cup cornstarch (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1/2 cup white rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1/4 cup sweet rice flour (1 ounce; 28 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup gluten-free beer, more as needed

For the Fish

1 1/2 pounds skinless fillets (cod, flounder, or haddock), cut into six pieces
2 ounces 1/2 cup white rice flour (2 ounces; 56 grams)
2 ounces 1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)

For Frying

2 quarts vegetable oil

Instructions

In medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, white rice flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, and black pepper. Add gluten-free beer. Whisk until batter forms. Batter should flow easily from a spoon, slightly thicker than the consistency of heavy cream. If it's too thick, add an additional tablespoon beer. Set aside. In large bowl or pie plate, whisk together remaining white rice flour and cornstarch.
Preheat oven to 250°F. In heavy bottomed Dutch oven, heat oil to 375°F. Coat (dredge) cod, one piece at a time, into the white rice flour-cornstarch mixture. Shake off excess. Dip cod, one piece at a time, into batter. Allow excess batter to drop off. Carefully lower fish into hot oil. Cook until batter sets, about three minutes. Turn fish and cook until batter turns golden brown, about another three to five minutes. (Frying time varies depending in the size of the cod pieces.) Fry cod in batches, about two to three pieces at a time depending on the size of your fryer.
Drain fish on paper towel-lined plate. Serve at once or transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in preheated oven for up to twenty minutes.

Paleo Marble Pancakes

For these pancakes, you’ll need a small plastic squeeze bottle for this recipe, which you can pick up at any local kitchen or cake decorating supply store.
Recipe from "World's Easiest Paleo Baking" by Elizabeth Barbone (Lake Isle Press, 2016)

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 12 four-inch pancakes

Author Elizabeth Barbone GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups finely ground almond flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
1/2 cup tapioca starch (2 ounces; 57 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, homemade or grain-free store-bought
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs (about 5 ounces; 150 grams out of the shell)
3 tablespoons milk, dairy-free or traditional
2 tablespoons dark maple syrup (1 1/3 ounces; 36 grams)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process (1/4 ounces; 5.5 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Whisk the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs, 2 tablespoons of the milk, and the maple syrup and whisk until smooth.
Pour about 1⁄2 cup of the batter into a small mixing bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and the remaining 1 tablespoon milk until smooth. Pour the chocolate batter into a small squeeze bottle with a wide tip opening.
Whisk the vanilla into the remaining batter.
Heat a nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Lightly grease it with nonstick cooking spray or brush lightly with melted coconut oil.
Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the vanilla batter per pancake onto the griddle. You want the batter to sizzle as it hits the griddle. Using the squeeze bottle, drizzle some chocolate batter on each pancake. Make whatever type of design you want—a swirl, polka dots, a smiley face, or hearts are fun to do. Cook the pancakes until the edges are set, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook an additional minute or so, until lightly golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter.* Enjoy right away.
Leftover pancakes freeze well. Allow the pancakes to cool. Stack them with pieces of parchment or waxed paper in between. Slide the stack into a freezer bag, seal, and freeze for up to 6 weeks. When you are in the mood for pancakes, thaw in 30–second intervals in the microwave until warm.
* At the end, you might have a little chocolate batter leftover. I cook this up and call the chocolate pancake a cook’s treat!

World’s Easiest Cookies Bake Around and Giveaway!

Need a cookie NOW? Then these are for you! With only four ingredients, these cookies come together in the time it takes to preheat the oven. Made with almond flour, maple syrup, and vanilla, the cookies bake up crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. {grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and refined sugar free!}

(for more about this recipe, including a video and giveaway, scroll down.)

World's Easiest Cookies

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Servings 16 cookies

Author Elizabeth Barbone GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

2 cups finely ground almond flour (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder homemade or grain-free store-bought
1/3 cups dark maple syrup (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350oF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the almond flour and baking powder together in a medium mixing bowl. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Stir until a sticky dough holds together.
Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. For crisp cookies, press down the dough lightly with the flat bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup. (If the glass sticks to the dough, dip the bottom in tapioca starch.) For softer cookies, don’t press down the dough.
Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Allow the baking sheet to cool, and repeat with the remaining dough.

World’s Easiest Cookies

You know what’s awesome? Cookies! You know what’s awesome-r? Friends!

When my new baking book came out, I wanted to share my joy–and some cookies–with my friends. Small problem: many of them live on the other side of my computer screen. Argh! But I won’t complain about this because, as I’m reminded each time I have a video call, we are living in the future! Sadly, the future does not yet allow us to beam baked goods into our friends homes. Blerg. And while I could have baked cookies and popped them in the mail, I wanted to bake with my friends, not just send them cookies.

So I asked them to bake with me to celebrate the release of my third cookbook, The World’s Easiest Paleo Baking. Like everyone, my friends are busy folks. So I knew immediately which recipe from the new book I wanted to share with them: The World’s Easiest Cookies. With only four ingredients and a twelve minute bake time, this recipe would allow my friends to sit down and enjoy a cookie in less time it would take to run to the store and buy cookies.

I mean, these are the easiest cookies EVER to make.

How easy? You take ground almond flour and whisk in a little baking powder. Then you add maple syrup (I like to use dark maple syrup but any kind will do) and a generous amount of vanilla. Stir the whole thing together with a wooden spoon. After a few seconds, the almond flour releases a little of its oil and the dough holds together. It’s amazing how a dough that’s made without eggs or butter looks so much like traditional sugar cookie dough.

Drop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. (I like to use a cookie scoop but that’s just because I’m obsessive about all my cookies being the same size. Plus I find using a cookie scoop easier than futzing with two spoons. Anything that makes life easier=yay in my book.)

You bake the cookies for about 12 minutes and, BOOM, done!

Hard to believe, right? I know! I mean I created the recipe and I still can’t believe how easy it is!

Here, watch this!

That’s all it takes to make these cookies. Can you believe it? No dairy! No eggs! No stand mixer! Just a few ingredients and a few minutes.

Now you understand why I wanted to share this recipe with my friends!

They all made cookies. (Which means they all ate cookies. Which makes me happy!) And in the spirit of sharing, they’ve posted about it!

Friends, meet some of my other friends. I know you’ll love them!

Jeni, from PirateJeni.com, is one of those cooks that always seems to be making something AMAZING. Pressure Cooker Short Ribs? Yup. Homemade Velveeta-style cheese? Jeni’s done it. So even though she doesn’t follow a gluten-free diet, Jeni was up for making cookies! At first, she wasn’t sure about the cookies, Totally fine with me! We all have different tastes. A day after baking, the texture softened slightly and she liked them. YAY! Check out her feelings on the World’s Easiest cookies HERE.

Next up is Steve. He blogs at the Grateful Celiac. We have to talk about Steve. When he got his hands on the recipe, he decided to add crumbled bacon to the dough. Let me repeat that: HE ADDED BACON. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this addition. It’s like the BEST ADDITION EVER! EVER! Take a look at his bacon-studded cookies HERE! And while you’re there, check out his recipe for yeast rolls. They’re on my “to bake” list!

Christina, a food allergy mama, who blogs at FromScratchClub.com started making LOTS of things from scratch when her son was diagnosed with severe food allergies. At her blog, you can learn how to make everything from chocolate coconut popcorn to pork rillettes. She made a batch (or two!) of the cookies and you have to see what she did with them!

Christy started blogging at Eat Clean Live Simple in 2015 and I’m so glad she did! (ahem she makes burgers and puts bacon *and* avocado on them! Check.it.out.) Her blog focuses on clean eating and organization tips. 1. I love both. 2. Do you think she’ll mind if we eat cookies while we organize? Check out her take on the cookies HERE.

Jenny blogs at CreativeCookingGF.wordpress.com and is a Registered Dietitian. I know! A Registered Dietitian with celiac disease, awesome, right? We met in person a few years ago at the Gluten-Free and Allergen Expo and have kept in touch online since. (Thank you Facebook!) Jenny’s always doing something nifty like making gluten-free pho. Check out her cookie post and follow her on Instagram. She posts *the best* pics!

Becca over at Crumbs and Chaos says, “as the mother of 4 children, I’m constantly feeding someone.” Ha! I love it. (I don’t have kids and I feel like I’m always feeding someone; so I can’t imagine how busy her kitchen must be!) Her recipes are so easy and SO GOOD. I made the pineapple vanilla smoothie right before I wrote this post. (nom nom nom). It tastes like summer in a glass which I really need in the middle of Feb! Check out her cookie post, right HERE.

Marci at My Heavenly Recipes is one of my non-gluten-free friends! (Don’t you love non-gluten-free friends who are willing to try gluten-free baking. So.much.love!) She posted about the cookies even though her life is crazy-wonderfully busy. Marci’s blog isn’t a dedicated gluten-free blog but I know you’ll find recipes there that you’ll love–like her recipe for buckeyes which is SO GOOD. SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!

As you can see, it was so fun to make cookies with friends scattered around the country! A HUGE! HUGE! HUGE thanks to my friends who took the time to make cookies to celebrate the release of the World’s Easiest Paleo Baking. I appreciate it so very much.

I want you to make cookies too (And I want you to make cakes and doughnuts and pies!) So I’m giving away FIVE signed copies of my book!

To enter, tell me what you love to bake! (You can also get bonus entries by “liking” GlutenFreeBaking.com on FB, and following me on twitter.

Good luck! And happy cookie baking!

–E.

PS–I’d love it if you ordered a copy of the World’s Easiest Paleo Baking. This book has my heart and I think you’ll love it–even if you don’t follow a paleo diet.

PPS–As a thank to you my friends, my publisher is sending them each a copy of my cookbook. They offered this after I asked folks to bake cookies with me which I thought was so lovely!

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9 Gluten-Free Pancake Recipes for Fat Tuesday

Ready to celebrate Fat Tuesday with a plate of pancakes? Here are nine recipes sure to please every pancake-lover.

Apple Cider Doughnut Pancakes

Torn between a doughnut or a stack of pancakes? Have both with these apple cider doughnut pancakes!

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Apple Cider Doughnuts HERE.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes

Looking for a flavorful and light whole grain gluten-free pancake? Look no further! Made with sorghum and millet flours and sweetened with a touch of brown sugar, these fluffy pancakes dispel the myth that whole grain equals heavy!

Get the recipe for Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes HERE.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes

How about a pancake version of everyone’s favorite cookie?

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes HERE.

Cream Cheese Pancakes

Warm bits of cream cheese dot these vanilla scented pancakes! If you have any blueberries on hand, throw them into the batter!

Get the recipe for Cream Cheese Gluten-Free Pancakes HERE.

Whole Grain Banana Pancakes

Got a couple of past-their-prime bananas on the counter? Time to make pancakes!

Get the recipe for Whole Grain Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes HERE.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

Studded with blueberries and dots of creamy ricotta, these pancakes taste like summer on a plate. Since it isn’t summer, use frozen blueberries in place of fresh and enjoy a taste of summer in the middle of February!

Get the recipe for Blueberry and Ricotta Pancakes HERE.

Dutch Apple Pancakes

Okay…this isn’t a classic pancake. (ahem) But if you want a dessert that has pancake in the name, make this recipe RIGHT NOW! Your tastebuds and friends will thank you! (And no one will complain that it’s not a traditional pancake, I promise!)

Get the recipe for Gluten-Free Dutch Apple Pancake

Corn-Scallion Pancakes

Pancakes on the dinner table? YES! Corn-Scallion pancakes go great with salad, roasted chicken, and almost anything else. (Well, maybe not pasta. Don’t serve these with pasta.) 🙂

Get the recipe for Corn-Scallion Pancakes HERE.

Classic Gluten-Free Pancakes

There’s nothing like a stack of light and fluffy pancakes. Here’s an easy recipe that doesn’t require buttermilk!

Get the recipe for Classic Gluten-Free Pancakes HERE.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes

Light and fluffy, these gluten-free pancakes are made from whole grains. Sorghum flour and millet combine to give a robust flavor to the pancakes while a generous amount of baking powder keep them light. To save time on a weekend morning, mix up the dry ingredients the night before you plan to make a batch.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes

I love pancakes. LOVE THEM. In fact, I think I could write a gluten-free pancake cookbook.

Often on Sunday mornings, I change up my favorite pancake recipe, swapping ingredients as my mood and taste dictate. When I found myself returning again and again to one variation to tweak it, I knew I’d hit on my new “favorite” (for now) pancake recipe.

Based on my classic pancake recipe, these pancakes use whole grains but remain just as light and fluffy as the original recipe. Sorghum and millet flour replace the white and sweet rice flours, and potato starch steps in for cornstarch, making this recipe great for anyone who needs to avoid rice and corn. To enhance the nutty grain-flavor, I added a little ground flax meal. If you don’t have ground flax meal on hand, go ahead and leave it out. The recipe works with it or without.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes: Allergy Variations

Dairy-Free.

If you’re dairy-free, a non-dairy milk works well in this recipe. Simply replace the milk with an equal amount of liquid non-dairy milk, like soy or almond milk.

Egg-Free

To make the pancakes without eggs, follow this a minor adjustment to the recipe: In a small bowl, combine the ground flax called for in the recipe with 1/4 cup hot water. Stir to combine. Allow mixture to stand until it thickens and cools. Add flax to recipe as you would eggs. If pancake batter is too thick, add an additional tablespoon or two of milk to the batter. Pancakes made without eggs are slightly denser than pancakes made with eggs, but almost indistinguishable in flavor.

Fluffy Gluten-Free Whole Grain Pancakes.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes

Total Time 19 minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

3/4 cup sorghum flour (3 ounces; 85 grams)
3/4 cup millet flour (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1/2 cup potato starch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar (2 ounces; 56 grams)
3 tablespoons ground flax meal (1 ounce; 26 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 cups milk (12 ounces; 340 grams)
2 large eggs (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
vegetable oil for greasing pan

Instructions

In medium bowl, whisk together sorghum flour, millet, potato starch, brown sugar, ground flax meal, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. In small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Lightly oil flat griddle pan with vegetable oil. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Pour batter, approximately 1/4 cup per pancake, onto griddle. (Batter should sizzle when it hits the pan. )
Cook for approximately three minutes. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and begin to pop. The pancake should begin to look almost dry. Flip and cook another 1-1 1/2 minutes.