Gluten-Free Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Gluten-Free Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is perfect for cakes and cookies. Simple one-bowl recipe.

Does buttercream frosting contain gluten?

The answer might surprise you!

Yes. Some frostings contain gluten.

There’s a classic buttercream recipe that calls for a wheat-milk paste and some national brands of canned frosting include gluten-containing ingredients.

Gah! What’s a baker to do? Make her own buttercream, that’s what.

This recipe comes together in only minutes. And it makes a buttercream frosting that’s perfect for gluten-free cakes and cookies.

How to Make Gluten-Free Buttercream Frosting

Start with Room Temperature Butter. If the butter is too cold, it won’t whip up light and fluffy. If it’s too soft, it can make a greasy frosting.
Sift the Powdered Sugar. After measuring, or opening a one pound box, sift the powdered sugar for a smooth, lump-free frosting.
Beat Until Light and Fluffy. Beat the frosting for a minute or two, this makes for a light and fluffy frosting. If you stop the mixer too soon, the frosting will taste great but it will have a heavy texture.

5 from 7 votes

Gluten-Free Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Simple vanilla buttercream frosting. Perfect for cakes and cookies.

Servings 2 cups frosting

Ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened (8 ounces; 226 grams)
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted (16 ounces; 170 grams)
4 tablespoons milk (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cream butter until smooth in a medium mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix, on low speed, until smooth. Use as directed.

Gluten-Free Italian Easter Bread

Gluten-Free Italian Easter Bread is rich and lightly sweet. Scented with anise seeds, this is a classic recipe for your Easter celebration.

A few months ago, a recipe request appeared in my inbox. That’s not unusual. What was unusual was that this recipe, for a classic Italian anise Easter bread, called for 12 cups of flour. This wasn’t just any recipe. It was a family heirloom.

Take a look:

2 dozen brown eggs, room temperature
3 cups sugar
21 teaspoons Crisco, melted and cooled
10 teaspoons anise seed, crushed between palms of hands to release flavor
1 shot whiskey
1 yeast, cake style, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water. I used my hands to dissolve/crush the yeast, sprinkled it with sugar and let stand for 5 minutes to proof
12 cups Robin Hood flour, plus one cup more

Elana wrote that she’d attempted the recipe with gluten-free flour and that the taste was great but the texture was off. The loaf didn’t rise.

After glancing at the recipe, I could see why. Although the bread called for two dozen eggs, it contained no liquid. There wasn’t any water or milk in the recipe, even for wheat-based doughs, this is unusual.

I set out to both fix and convert the recipe. I must admit, I thought I had a bit of a leg up on this one. I’m Italian and this style of Easter bread often graced our table, along with ricotta cheesecake each year. But when I tried to remember the bread, my memory failed. I couldn’t remember for the life of me what the bread tasted like. Was it like brioche? Or was it more like challah? I couldn’t remember. I’m guessing that child-Elizabeth spent most of Easter eating candy, not chowing down on anise-scented bread.

Instead of relying on childhood taste memory, I leaned heavily into my baking knowledge. Here’s the thing: I know yeast bread. Not just gluten-free yeast bread, all yeast bread. While in culinary school, I adored learning about yeast-based breads. Those were my favorite classes. Cakes, candies, and pastry making were fine but yeast bread I loved. So much so, in fact, I spent time on Saturdays in a baking club. We cranked out dozens of loaves. These mornings were some of the happiest times I spent at school.

After years of baking gluten-free, I also know that gluten-free yeast recipes represent the hardest part of gluten-free baking. Are the results similar? In my opinion, no. They aren’t. I can eat a chocolate chip cookie and not know that it’s gluten-free. Same goes for cake or brownies. Give me a piece of gluten-free bread, even the best gluten-free bread ever and I still know that it’s not made with wheat. That doesn’t mean it’s bad. I just meant that it’s different.

Knowing that gluten-free yeast bread isn’t ever 100% on, provides an interesting challenge when attempting to convert a beloved holiday bread. I want to get it right. Or as close to right as gluten-free yeast bread allows.

The first thing I did was to honor the recipe. It’s a sweet, enriched dough, similar to a brioche or challah. This isn’t a lean recipe or a hearty whole grain bread. The next thing I did was honor the best way to make this bread gluten-free. My final result, I think, succeeds at both.

Converting Italian Easter Bread to Gluten-Free: What I Replaced and What I Added

The Flour

The original recipe called for 12 cups of Robin Hood Flour*. This flour, mostly sold in Canada, has a slightly higher protein content than traditional all-purpose wheat flour. It’s great for breads and pizza. To mimic this flour, I selected a variety of flours and starches that would provide good structure but, flavor-wise, fall into the background, allowing the eggs and anise to shine. This wasn’t an easy task. In fact, the flour blend I settled on, calls for four different flours and starches. Is that a lot? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

*The recipe used traditional Robin Hood wheat flour. The brand makes a gluten-free flour blend, which was not used in the original recipe.

The blend of rice flours (there’s three) and tapioca starch lend a soft, light texture to the bread. But without xanthan gum, the flour blend on it’s own wasn’t enough to give the bread the structure it needed. As with all my yeast bread recipes, I use as little xanthan gum as possible. I’m not a believer any type of set ratio for xanthan gum. No “one teaspoon per one cup of flour.” In some recipes, I don’t use xanthan gum at all. In others, like this one, I use the enough to give the bread structure but not so much that it gets gummy. I hate that weird, gummy texture that you find in some gluten-free breads.

The last thing I did was reduce the recipe to make one loaf of bread; the original recipe made four loaves. If you want to make multiple loaves, don’t multiply the recipe. Instead make as many individual recipes as you need loaves of bread. 12 cups of gluten-free flour, plus all the other ingredients, is too much for a home mixer, even a stand mixer like a KitchenAid, to handle. You’ll get much better results if you take the time to mix it multiple times.

Baking Powder

Here’s something I added that might surprise you: baking powder. This is a little trick I learned while developing my gluten-free sandwich bread recipe. Double acting baking powder, the most common style of baking powder sold in the United States, rises twice: first in the bowl when combined with a liquid and again when it hits the oven and gets hot.

Since gluten-free bread lacks the rubber band structure that gluten brings, the baking powder gives it a little help. Basically, it lifts the dough, giving the yeast room to do its thing.

What I Left Alone (for the most part)

The Yeast

The original recipe called for cake yeast. This is live, fresh yeast. For home bakers, it tends to be incredibly unreliable. I used active dry yeast, which, unlike fresh yeast, is really reliable. Just be sure to use a gluten-free active dry yeast.

The Eggs, Oil, Sugar, and Salt

For the most part, I left these ingredients alone. I swapped liquid vegetable oil for the melted Crisco because I think it gives the loaf a better texture. If you prefer melted shortening, go ahead and use it. I would not, however, use melted coconut oil. Not only will this oil affect the flavor of the finished loaf, it will affect the texture. Coconut oil is a hard fat and gives this loaf an almost tough bite.

The Flavors

Anise seed and whiskey bring flavor to this bread. During most of my test, I didn’t include the whiskey. Why? Because you don’t need it. If you have a bottle on hand, include it. But there’s no need to buy a bottle of whisky just to make this bread. Simply replace it with two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

As for the anise, it’s a flavor I really like. Not everyone shares that opinion. If you’re looking for an Italian Easter bread but don’t like anise, skip it. Replace the anise with a little vanilla or the zest of a lemon and orange.

How to Bake Italian Gluten-Free Easter Bread

After adjusting the ingredients, I set out to work on the method. The original recipe calls for an overnight rise and then the individual loaves are baked on a pan.

I tested the recipe with both the overnight rise and a traditional two hour rise. I found I liked the results from a shorter rise better. All the tested loaves rose higher than those made with dough that had been allowed to rise overnight in the refrigerator.

The biggest change I made, however, wasn’t replacing the overnight rise. It was how the loaves were baked. When gluten is present, the elastic dough holds itself together rather well. Gluten-free dough doesn’t. When I baked a loaf on a sheet pan, the loaf turned out rather flat. So I decided to force a bit of structure and bake the loaf in an 8-inch springform pan. Not only does the pan hold the loaf in a beautiful shape, it helps the edges brown, something that didn’t happen as well on the sheet pan.

The rise and texture came out great. Did it look like a traditional Italian Easter bread? It did not. Instead, it looked more like an Irish soda bread. This is one area where adjusting expectations helps. The bread tastes great; it just looks different.

The original baking temperature called for a 250 degree F oven. Yikes! This is a really low temperature for yeast bread. For my recipe, I went with the more traditional 350 degrees F.

The finished loaf turned out beautifully. Dotted with anise seeds and rich with eggs, this loaf makes a welcome addition to an Easter table.

I did make one small change to the recipe. I added a simple glaze. To make this, combine powdered sugar with a little water or milk until thick. If you like a little lemon tang, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Many Italian Easter bread recipes finish the loaf with a sprinkle of nonpareils. I did’t have any in the house. If I had, you know I would a added a generous sprinkle to this loaf.

Gluten-Free Italian Easter Bread

Classic Gluten-Free Italian Easter Bread is a rich, slightly sweet yeast bread.

Servings 12

Ingredients

1 tablespoons instant, active dry yeast (see note)
1 1/4 cups warm water, plus additional as needed
1 cup white rice flour (5 3/4 ounces; 165 grams)
1 cup brown rice flour (5 ounces; 145 grams)
1 cup sweet rice flour (5 ounces; 145 grams)
3/4 cup tapioca starch (3 /14 ounces; 90 grams)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon anise seeds, optional (see note)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, whisked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons whiskey, optional (see note)

Glaze

1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons water, plus more as needed
nonpareils, optional

Instructions

Whisk together the yeast and warm water in a small bowl. Allow to stand for five minutes.
Combine rice flours, tapioca starch, sugar, xanthan gum, anise seed, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk to combine. Fit the mixer with the flat paddle attachment.
Add the yeast mixture, eggs, vegetable oil, and whiskey. Mix until a thick batter forms. It should not form a dough ball. Think of it as thick cake batter. If the dough looks dry, add 1/4 cup more water.
Grease a medium bowl. Place the dough into the bowl. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and a dry kitchen towel.
Allow to rise until doubled in size, about one hour.
Stir the dough with a spatula to deflate.
Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. Spread the dough evenly into the pan. Cover the pan with greased plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Bake bread until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees. If the top browns before the center of the bread reaches 205 degrees F. cover the pan lightly with a piece of foil. Remove the pan from the oven. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for five minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and water. Stir until smooth. If glaze seems too thick, add additional water to thin. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with nonpareils if desired.

Recipe Notes

Recipe Note: Anise and Whiskey

The original recipe calls for anise seeds and whiskey. If you don't like the flavor of anise, replace it with the zest of one lemon and one orange.

If you don't want to use whiskey, replace it with two teaspoons vanilla extract.

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Muffins

Gluten-Free Sour Cream muffins are dense and tender with a slight tang from the sour cream. These classic muffins are perfect served with a cup of coffee or tea.

I doubt many people are searching for a recipe for gluten-free sour cream muffins. I mean a recipe for gluten-free blueberry muffins or gluten-free corn muffins, yes. But sour cream muffins? If you searched for this, welcome. You are my people.

This recipe happened after I wrote about gluten-free corn muffins. I mentioned that Grand Union corn muffins and sour cream muffins were my favorite treat as a kid. As I typed that, I little voice popped up and said, “Oh. Sour cream muffins! I’d forgotten about those! I should make them”

So I did.

These are not fancy muffins. These are not streusel-topped muffins. They aren’t loaded with fruit or studded with nuts or chocolate chips. These are plain muffins. And that’s what makes them wonderful.

If you’ve eaten a sour cream muffin before, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat.

Plain doesn’t equal boring. Thanks to the sour cream, the muffins have a slight tang. And, thanks to dense, not crumbly texture, you can eat them as-is or split them and toast.

How to Make Gluten-Free Sour Cream Muffins

This recipe starts with butter. Cream together room temperature butter with granulated sugar until a thick paste forms. For this recipe, don’t beat the butter and sugar until it gets airy. Overbeating can cause the muffins to get unevenly airy.

Then add eggs, one at a time. You’ll notice that as you add the eggs a thick paste of butter and sugar form on the side of the bowl. If you don’t do something about this paste, it can cause all sorts of problems, like creating greasy pockets in the muffins. Yuck. After you beat in the last egg, stop your mixer. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix again until everything is combined.

Next add half the flour mixture (I’m using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour) and mix. Add half the sour cream and, you guessed it, mix. Then repeat this until all the flour and sour cream have been added. The batter will look a little thick. This is totally normal.

Scoop the batter into prepared muffin tins and bake until golden brown. After the muffins have cooled, I like to sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top. This is totally optional but a really lovely touch.

5 from 5 votes

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Muffins

Gluten-Free Sour Cream Muffins. Perfectly plain muffins with a slight tang from the sour cream. Easy to Make.

Servings 15 muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces/ 100 grams)
1 stick butter, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
2 large eggs
2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

Line 15 standard muffin cavities with paper liners or grease with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until a thick paste forms. Add the eggs, one at a time. Mix until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until blended. Batter will be very thick. Stop mixer. Add sour cream and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown. A cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean, about 18 minutes. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Store muffins, wrapped, on the counter for up to three days or freeze for up to two months.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars are so easy to make! Soft and tender, they taste just like Lofthouse cookie bars.

I’ve got a question for you: why are sugar cookie so darn irresistible to me? I love gluten-free sugar cookies. The cute little shapes are the best. Then there’s soft gluten-free sugar cookies. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? They’re soft, taste like vanilla and are frosted with buttercream. Perfection. And, my goodness, I can’t forget gluten-free sugar cookies with M&Ms pressed into them. When I worked at a bakery, I made thousands of those cookies. And I still love them!

Here’s the thing, though, I’m able to walk by a plate of most sugar cookies without always grabbing one to eat. (Most of the time. I mean, hey, I’m not a saint or anything.)

But a plate of sugar cookie bars? Trouble. And, my god, the ways I lie to myself about how many I’m eating.

Here’s what usually happens.

Scene

Kitchen. Early morning.

Elizabeth wants to eat “healthy” today. It will be all green smoothies and other virtuous foods. She sees the a plate of gluten-free sugar cookie bars that were baked yesterday.

A sensible voice in Elizabeth’s head says, “Don’t have one. It’s 9:00 am. Keep walking. You can have a kale smoothie. It’s like a milkshake”

Other not-so sensible, cookie bar-loving voice chimes in: “Yeah. A sad milkshake. Made from kale and sadness. Dude. There’s sugar cookie bars. And they’re sitting right there! You should totally have one.”

Sensible voice, “No! You don’t want a sugar cookie bars at nine frickin’ o’clock in the morning! Keep walking! Kale smoothie. Kale Smoothie!”

Cookie voice, “Oh! They’re frosted! And are those…sprinkles? They are! Sprinkles are the best!”

Sensible voice, ‘You know what else is the best? Fitting into pants.”

Cookie voice, “Two words: yoga pants.”

Sensible voice: ::huffs::

Cookie voice: “Hey! I have an idea! Grab a knife. Cut a sliver—just a sliver of the bar. For a taste. You deserve a taste! I mean, it’s not like you ate a doughnut for breakfast. What if the bars got stale in the middle of the night. You don’t want Greg or your mother to accidentally eat a stale cookie.”

Sensible voice: “You kiddin’ me right now?”

Cookie voice: hands Elizabeth the knife

Elizabeth slices a thin piece off the bar. Eats it. Repeats the motion. Before exiting the kitchen, Elizabeth eats an entire bar–sliced into four small slivers

End scene.

Does something like this ever happen to you? (I’m going to pretend you said yes.) I rarely pick up an entire bar to eat. That would be bonkers. I just…you know, slice one up a few times and eat those slices. There’s less calories that way. Right? Right?

And not only are sugar cookie bars one of my favorite things to eat, they’re also one of my favorite things to bake.

To make a batch, all you need is some gluten-free all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. Okay. That’s not all. There’s also some baking powder, salt, and vanilla thrown in for good measure. But seriously, these bars are all about butter, sugar, and eggs. They’re classic soft sugar cookies, like Lofthouse or Cheryl’s cookies, made into bars.

You press the dough into a 9×13 inch pan. (I recommend lining the pan with a piece of parchment paper. This makes the bars easy to remove. You just grab the paper and lift.)

Once the bars are cool, I frost them with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream. Yes. I said thin layer. Now, hear me out. This isn’t cake. So I don’t like mounds of frosting on the bars. If you prefer more frosting, double the recipe.

Finish the gluten-free sugar cookie bars with a light sprinkle of colored sugar or jimmies. Or, you could leave them plain. If you’re anything like me, you don’t care what they look like, you just want to enjoy them. One sliver at a time.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars: Recipe Notes

The Flour: I developed this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. It works great. If you swap this flour for another blend, the results might change. Be sure to use a flour that includes xanthan gum. If your blend does not, add 1/2 teaspoon to the recipe.

The Butter: If you’re dairy-free, substitute the butter with a dairy-free alternative. Something like Smart Balance works better than coconut oil or shortening in this recipe.

The Sugar: This recipe does not work with a sugar replacement.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars

Easy gluten-free sugar cookie bars. Soft and buttery, these taste like a Lofthouse sugar cookie bar. Frosted with a simple buttercream.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 20 bars

Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients

2 sticks softened butter 8 ounces/ 226 grams
1 cup granulated sugar 7 ounces/ 198 grams
2 large eggs about 4 ounces/ 113 grams out of shell
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour 13.75 ounces/ 390 grams
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

6 tablespoons softened butter (3 ounces/ 85 grams)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted (4 ounces/ 113 grams)
2 teaspoons milk, plus additional as needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and overhang the sides. About 17-inches long and 9-inches wide.
Mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth, about one minute on medium speed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and allow them to incorporate after each addition. After you add the second egg, mix for one minute.
Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix for 20 seconds.
Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a dough forms.
Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. (If the dough sticks to your hands, dust them lightly with gluten-free flour.)
Bake until the edges of the bars are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan. Lift the bars out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper.
Frost the top of the bars. (recipe below) Sprinkle with colored sugar or gluten-free sprinkles. Cut into 15 bars. Store wrapped bars on the counter for up to four days.

For the Frosting

Mix together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix until fluffy. If frosting seems too thick, add additional milk, one teaspoon at a time. Spread on cooled bars.

How to Make 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.

In a season full of two of my favorite cookies (sugar cookies and gingerbread men), I sometimes forget about Sprtiz cookies. Which, let’s be frank, is silly. These crispy, buttery cookies are a classic for a reason. They’re good. A perfect ratio of butter, flour, and sugar, these not-too-sweet cookies are worth the trouble of getting a cookie press.

How to Make Gluten-Free Spritz Cookies

Make the dough. It’s a simple dough of gluten-free flour, eggs, and butter.
Load a cookie press.
Squeeze dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle with colored sugar. (optional)
Bake.

That’s it. But…as with anything you bake, there’s a lot included in each step. Let’s take a look at the little things that make these simple cookies so sublime.

Gluten-Free Sprtiz Cookies: Making the Dough

While sprtiz cookies might taste a little like gluten-free sugar cookies, the dough is different. It’s softer than sugar cookie dough, making it easy to press through a cookie press. The dough also doesn’t contain any baking powder or soda. This helps the cookies hold onto their shape as they bake.

Over the years I’ve played around with several versions of spritz cookies. And, I have to say, I think this one might be my favorite. For the flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. The blend, which contains rice flours, sorghum flour, tapioca and potato starch, has just enough xanthan gum to hold the cookies together but no so much that the cookies end up soft.

To make the cookies, cream together butter and sugar until a thick paste forms. Then add the egg and flavoring. (I usually use vanilla or almond extract but you can use any extract.)

Mix the butter and sugar until it gets nice and fluffy. Believe it or not, this mixture acts a leavener. The paste hold onto air bubbles which gives the cookies a nice light texture when baked. Once the mixture looks light, about two minutes of mixing on medium-high speed, stop the mixer and add the egg.

After the egg is incorporated into the mixture, STOP THE MIXER AND SCRAPE THE BOWL. Yes. Yes. I’m yelling about this. It’s that important. When you cream butter, sugar, and egg(s), a thin layer of butter and sugar clings to the side of the bowl. As soon as the flour gets added to the mix, this butter and sugar is still hanging out on the side of the bowl. If it doesn’t get mixed into the dough, the can cause more than a few greasy cookies that spread. So, stop that mixer, scrape the bowl, and then add the flour. It’s worth it.

Then add the flour and salt, mix until a dough forms, and you’re ready to bake. There’s no need to chill this dough.

Gluten-Free Sprtiz Cookies: Using the Cookie Press

Unless you are a pro with a pastry bag and tip, these cookies require a cookie press. The quality of the cookie press matters. If you don’t own one, I suggest that you invest in a metal cookie press, not a plastic one. My favorite is the Marcato Atlas. It’s a little spendy but it’s a cookie press that you’ll have forEVER.

Fill your cookie press with dough and give it a few clicks. Doing this moves the dough from the barrel of the gun into the plate.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and press the cookies right onto the baking sheet. If the cookie dough sticks to the paper, hold the paper down with your hand as you press the dough onto the sheet.

If you feel like it, sprinkle some colored sugar onto the dough before baking. The sugar sticks to the dough during baking–no need to brush the dough with water or anything.

Gluten-Free Sprtiz Cookies: Baking and Cooling

Bake in a preheated oven the cookies until the edges are just golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Repeat this process. Until all the dough is used. Be sure to allow your cookie sheet to cool between batches. If you squeeze the dough onto a hot sheet, the cookies will spread. (Baker’s tip: If you love to bake, invest in three rimmed baking sheets. They are inexpensive and really handy.)

Gluten-Free Sprtiz Cookies: Troubleshooting

As simple as gluten-free sprtiz cookies are to make, they sometimes cause a little trouble. Thankfully, it’s easy to fix this dough.

The dough won’t release from the press.

Okay! This one tends to happen to gluten-free sprtiz cookies. Often, the first batch presses out just fine and then the next batch? Not so much.

Our friend xanthan gum is to blame. It grabs the liquid from dough and soaks it up. If this happens to you, the solution is simple: add water. Take the remaining dough and stir in 1-3 teaspoons of water. You want the dough soft and squishy—not firm. Repeat this as needed.

The dough isn’t sticking to the pan.

See above. This is often caused by the same problem. The dough gets a little stiff and won’t release from the press.

The dough is the right texture and still won’t come out of the press.

This problem might be caused by the press itself. My favorite cookie press is made of metal, not plastic. Sometimes the plastic cookie presses are just plain hard to work with. If you’ve tried everything, take a look at your cookie press.

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Spritz Cookie Press
Rimmed Baking Sheet
Parchment Paper
Cooling Rack

4.87 from 23 votes

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.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter softened (8 ounces; 225 grams)
⅔ cup granulated sugar (5 ounces; 142 grams)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour* (10 ounces; 283 grams)
½ teaspoon salt
Colored sanding sugar for decorating optional
1-3 teaspoons water

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375℉. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg. Mix until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Mix for 15 seconds. Turn mixer off and add the flour and salt. Tun the mixer to medium-low. Mix until a dough forms.
Fill a cookie press according to the manufacturer’s directions. Press cookies onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
Bake until cookies are edges are golden brown, about ten minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about three minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Repeat with remaining dough. (If the dough won't release from the press during the second batch of cookies, stir in a little water, about 1-3 teaspoons. Sometimes the dough stiffens between batches. Adding water solves the problem.) Allow baking sheet to cool between batches or the cookies will spread.
Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Recipe Notes

* Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Flour was used to test this recipe. If you don't have this flour, replace it with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum OR with 1 ¼ cups white rice flour, ½ cup sweet rice flour, ¼ cup potato starch, ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Whisk ingredients together and then use as directed in the recipe.

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin pie is possible! This recipe makes a traditional pumpkin pie but without any eggs or dairy. The filling is similar to a creamy pudding. Perfect for Thanksgiving!

If you or someone you love follows a diet that’s egg-free, dairy-free, AND gluten-free, you know how tough it can be. And on Thanksgiving one recipe is a little tougher than others to make: pumpkin pie.

When I set out to create a pumpkin pie without eggs or dairy, I knew it would be tough. For a long time, this recipe stumped me.

Here’s what I wanted in my egg-free, dairy-free pumpkin pie:

a pie that was easy to make
a pie that tasted like a classic pumpkin pie
a pie that everyone–even those not a special diet–would enjoy

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

I knew that creating a dairy-free pumpkin pie filling would be relatively easy. I could swap the evaporated milk with a dairy-free milk. tBut instead of using a dairy-free milk substitute, I wondered if full fat coconut milk would be a better choice.

If you’ve ever had coconut-pumpkin soup, you know that these flavors work incredibly well together. The coconut coaxes more flavor out of the pumpkin, making this the most pumpkin-y pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten. However, if you are allergic to coconut (or just dislike the flavor) feel free to replace it with an equal amount of gluten-free, dairy-free milk.

Egg-Free Pumpkin Pie

With the dairy conundrum solved, I focused on the eggs. Eggs play an important role in custard, providing texture and lending a delicate flavor. I knew the coconut milk would more than make up for the missing flavor of the eggs, so I focused on the texture. Without eggs to set up the custard, the filling would not require baking. But if you go the totally no-bake route, using gelatin to set the filling, the result is more like a pudding pie than a true custard. Not only did I dislike this texture for the filling but I realized that if I got rid of the gelatin, the filling would be vegan, making the pie even more accessible to those on special diets.

So instead of a no-bake filling, try a stove-top cooked filling using cornstarch as the thickener. The cooked and cooled “custard” has a smooth texture, somewhere between pudding and, surprisingly, a soft custard. While the filling requires no baking, it does need to chill overnight; so be sure to make it the day before Thanksgiving.

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie: How to Make It

Bake and cool your pie crust. (Want a classic gluten-free pie crust? Here’s a recipe.)
Heat the coconut milk with sugar.
Add the cornstarch. Whisk.
Bring the mixture to a boil. This thickens it.
Add the spices and pumpkin. Stir.
Spoon into the pie crust.
Chill overnight.
Serve with whipped coconut cream.

Egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free pumpkin pie on plate with whipped cream.

4.95 from 17 votes

Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

Easy to make Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe. Perfect for Thanksgiving. Filling tastes like classic pumpkin pie with the texture of pudding (or soft custard).

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 10 people

Calories 249 kcal

Ingredients

1 9-inch gluten-free pie crust, baked and cooled
1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk, divided (unsweetened)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15 ounces) can pure pumpkin

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and granulated sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk. Whisk cornstarch mixture into hot coconut-sugar mixture.
Continue whisking and cook until filling boils and thickens. Add pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk to combine. Reduce heat to low. Add pumpkin. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Spoon filling into prepared pie crust. Press plastic wrap onto the top of the pie or a skin will form. Chill pie overnight before serving.

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Cooking Schedule

Planning a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal? Here’s a day-by-day prep guide. This planner makes a classic Thanksgiving menu that no one would guess is gluten-free. (a printable guide is included at the bottom of this post!)

Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Menu

(click on the recipe name for the full recipe.)

Nibbles

Gluten-Free Crackers, Cheese, Olives, Raw Vegetables, and Dip.

Appetizer

Sweet Potato Soup

Main Course

Turkey
Gluten-Free Stuffing
Gluten-Free Green Bean Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Cranberry-Orange Relish
Mixed Green Salad with Figs and Walnuts
Gluten-Free Cheddar Biscuits

Dessert

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie OR Sweet Potato Pie

Saturday

Do your shopping. (Wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to buy salad greens.)
Make the gluten-free pie dough. Pie dough freezes really well; so even if you plan on using a gluten-free pie dough mix, make the dough today. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and freeze.
Make and freeze the gluten-free gravy. You can add the turkey drippings on Thanksgiving day for a flavorful gravy.
Prep the flour for the Cheddar Biscuits. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Place in a ziplock bag and label.

Sunday

Bake a loaf (or two!) of gluten-free sandwich bread for stuffing. Don’t worry about it getting stale. You’re going to dry it out so that you’ll have the best tasting gluten-free stuffing on Thanksgiving.
Start thawing the turkey. Place it in a pan on the bottom rack of your refrigerator to thaw.

Monday

Cube the gluten-free bread and dry it in the oven. (see recipe for details)

Tuesday

Buy salad greens.
Make the cranberry sauce. It stores very well in the refrigerator and making it early allows the flavors to deepen.
Make salad dressing.
Make the sweet potato soup.
Remove the pie dough from the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Wednesday

Prepare the green bean casserole. Leave the topping off until you heat on Thanksgiving day.
Chop the vegetables for the stuffing. Place in a ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator.
Bake pie(s) and other desserts. (If you prefer to bake your pies on Thanksgiving morning, roll out the pie crust and place it into the pie pan. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the crust and chill overnight in the refrigerator. )
Remove the gravy from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. (If you didn’t make the gravy over the weekend, make a batch tonight.)
Peel and prep the potatoes. Place the peeled potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover. Refrigerate.

Thanksgiving Day

5 Hours Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Prepare and bake the Cheddar biscuits.

4 Hours Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Roast the Turkey: You need about three hours of roasting time for a 15-pound turkey (start roasting earlier if your turkey is larger.) Starting the turkey four hours before you plan on serving allows the turkey to rest before you carve it and frees up oven space for casseroles.
Prepare the stuffing.

3 Hours Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Cook and Mash the Potatoes. Transfer them to a slow cooker to keep warm. If you don’t have a slow cooker, hold off on cooking the mashed potatoes until about an hour before you plan to eat.
Put together the cheese plates or any appetizers you’re serving.

2 Hours Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Whip the heavy cream and pop it into the refrigerator. You can re-whip a little before serving.
Remove the cranberry sauce from the refrigerator. It tastes better at room temperature.
Make the salad. Place a lightly damp paper towel over the salad greens and refrigerate to keep them from wilting before dinner.

1 Hour Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Place the gravy into the saucepan. Add pan drippings for flavor. (Skip the drippings if they burnt.)
Heat the stuffing, green bean casserole and any other side dishes.

Right Before Thanksgiving Dinner

Heat the gravy over low heat. Whisk as it heats to prevent it from burning.
Carve the turkey.

After Thanksgiving Dinner

Put your feet up and encourage your loved ones to do the dishes. 🙂

Download a printable version of the gluten-free Thanksgiving planner.

Spicy Chocolate Chipotle Popcorn

Chocolate popcorn with a spicy kick! This treat is addictive. Once you start munching, it’s hard to stop!

Earlier this fall, I visited a shop that specialized in unique popcorn flavors. I wanted to come home with armfuls of “baked potato popcorn” and “chocolate kettle corn” but every bag carried a “may contain” warning. If you don’t have food allergies or intolerances you might not notice the small “may contain tree nuts” or “may contain wheat” disclaimers on foods that don’t list an allergen as an ingredient but may contain an allergen thanks to cross-contact that occurs during manufacturing.

While the popcorn that enticed me didn’t technically contain any of my allergens, it was off-limits thanks to the “may contain” warning*.

I left the shop empty-handed but with a serious urge for some popcorn. Enter Chocolate Chipotle Bacon Popcorn. Made with allergen-free dark chocolate, this popcorn hits all of my favorite snack buttons: it’s salty, chocolatey, and spicy.

The first few batches I made without bacon. I only added the bacon after I’d perfected the spice level of the popcorn. To be honest, I added the bacon almost as a joke—everything’s better with bacon, right?

Well…this popcorn was better with bacon. The salty/earthy, almost mineral notes of the bacon paired well with the chipotle and, surprisingly, the chocolate. (If chocolate and bacon isn’t your thing, feel free to omit the bacon. The popcorn works just as well without it.)

This piece originally appeared on SeriousEats.com.

Spicy Chocolate Chipotle Popcorn

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 10 cups of popcorn

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle spice add more if you like a really spicy kick
10 cups popcorn, air or oil popped
Kosher salt
2 to 4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and crumbled, optional

Instructions

Melt chocolate in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds on HIGH. Remove chocolate, stir, repeat until chocolate melts. Or place chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Heat water over medium-high heat, stir until chocolate melts.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In small bowl, stir together melted chocolate and spices. Pour chocolate over popcorn. Using a wooden spoon, toss to combine.
Spread mixture on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle popcorn lightly with kosher salt. And, if using, sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top of the popcorn. Allow chocolate to set. Break popcorn into pieces, and serve. (To speed up the setting time, place the pan in the refrigerator for twenty minutes.)

New Gluten-Free Candy Corn from Brach’s!

New gluten-free candy corn from Brach’s!

One of frustrating parts of a gluten-free Halloween is how much candy is off-limits. Sneaky (and not so sneaky) gluten seems to pop up everywhere. It makes Halloween feel more like a trick than a treat.

And candy corn is no exception. For years, Brach’s candy corn has been off limits. Not anymore. Kinda.

This year, they introduced a new line of candy corn called “Brach’s Natural Sources Candy Corn.” It’s gluten-free and is made with natural colors and flavors.

An 11-ounce bag sells for about $3.00.

I haven’t seen this in my local stores yet. When I do, I’ll update this page with my review.

Here’s the ingredients. Please note the “may contain” warning if you have a nut allergy.

I love candy corn. (There, I said it.) So I’m hopeful about this one.

Just remember that the traditional Brach’s candy corn, sold in the orange bags, is NOT considered gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Mini Coffee Cakes

Miss those Drake’s coffee cakes? Then this is the gluten-free recipe for you! These mini-coffee cakes taste just like the ones you’d buy at the store, only better!

For years, before going gluten-free, I enjoyed a secret coffee cake ritual. Whenever I hopped on the train, I’d buy myself a Drake’s cake. (I probably resembled Newman when ripping into that package.) I also bought a cup of tea but, let’s be honest, that wasn’t what got me excited.

Those little cellophane-wrapped cakes were my favorite. Unlike most coffee cakes, which have a dense, heavy crumb, Drake’s is light; the texture similar to a moist sponge cake. And that delicate texture proved the hardest part of creating a gluten-free version of these cakes.

My early recipe attempts were delicious but not Drake’s delicious. At first I made the batter with butter. The result? Coffee cake with a tight crumb. I tried creaming the butter until very light. I tried sour cream. I tinkered with the flours and increased the amount of baking powder. Nothing. The cakes were still too dense. Then I made one easy but critical tweak to the recipe: I got rid of the butter. By replacing the butter with oil, I finally had the result I wanted: the crumb was moist and tender.

With the cake problem solved, there was still one small hurdle to clear. The topping.

Thankfully this was easy to solve. At first I rubbed together brown sugar with a little white rice flour and some softened butter. The “crumbs” melted all over the coffee cakes. By increasing the amount of flour and using half granulated sugar, half brown sugar, and melted butter instead of softened butter, the crumbs didn’t melt during baking.

Tips for Success

This batter likes to stick. Generously grease your muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray prior to baking or use paper muffin cups.
Allow the crumb topping to cool. Before preheating the oven, mix together the crumb topping. Allowing the mixture to cool while the oven preheats and you prepare the batter produces a topping that doesn’t melt during baking but rather remains nice and crumby atop the coffee cakes.
Gently sprinkle the topping over the coffee cakes. Surprisingly this thin batter can hold up a lot of crumb topping. Just take care applying it. Sprinkling the topping gently over the batter in a circular motion, instead of “plopping” it all on at once, ensures the topping won’t sink to the bottom of the coffee cakes.

Allergy-Notes

Corn-Free: To make this recipe corn-free, replace the cornstarch with potato starch.

Dairy-Free: Use a dairy-free milk replacement (gluten-free rice milk or soy milk) instead of the milk.

Egg-Free: This batter relies on the structure and lift the eggs provide. When made egg-free, the cakes didn’t rise well and had a heavy, dense texture. I don’t recommend making this recipe egg-free.

Gluten-Free Coffee Cakes on white platter.

5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free Mini Coffee Cakes

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 43 minutes

Servings 30 mini coffee cakes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Topping

1 cup white rice flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
1/4 cup cornstarch (1 ounce; 28 grams)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounce; 50 grams)
1/4 cup brown sugar (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cake

nonstick cooking spray
2 cups granulated sugar (14 ounces; 396 grams)
1 3/4 cups finely ground white rice flour (7 ounces; 198 grams)
3/4 cup sweet rice flour (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups milk
3 large eggs (about 5 1/4 ounces; 150 grams)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Prepare the topping: In small bowl, stir together white rice flour, cornstarch, sugars, and ground cinnamon. Add melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir until mixture resembles fine crumbs. You don't want too make large crumbs---those can sink to the bottom of the cake during baking. Set aside.
Prepare the cake: Preheat oven to 350 °F;. Spray 24 muffin cavities with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, white rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Batter will be thin.
Fill prepared muffin cups half full. Generously and gently sprinkle prepared topping over each cake, about one tablespoon each. Bake cakes until golden brown. They should spring back to the touch, about 18 minutes.
Remove pan from oven. Allow cakes to cool in pan for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. To remove cakes from the pan, run a metal spatula around the edges of the cake and use the spatula to lift the cake out of the pan. Store cakes in a covered container for up to three days on the counter or freeze cooled cakes for up to one month.

Gluten-Free Croque-Monsieur

When is a sandwich more like a meal? When it’s a croque-monsieur! Made with ham, cheese, and a white sauce, this sandwich is pure comfort food.

Some of my favorite sandwiches are seasonal sandwiches. I eagerly await the first BLT of the summer. Come winter, I can’t wait for a croque-monsieur. Of course, unlike the BLT, there’s nothing really seasonal about this sandwich. Bread, ham, cheese and white sauce are available year-round.

Yet tucking into this hearty sandwich during a warm season just doesn’t appeal to me. (Probably because I am too busy eating BLTs.) Come the cold nights of January? I’m ready for a dressed-up ham and cheese sandwich.

For years I avoided this French sandwich because of the béchamel sauce. Won’t the bread turn unappetizingly soggy? No, I was wrong. Terribly wrong.

After one bite, you know why this sandwich is such a classic. It’s a total comfort food sandwich. Warm cheese, salty ham, and tangy mustard. As for the bread, as long as it’s well toasted, which is key with gluten-free bread, it doesn’t get mushy under the thick sauce.

The sandwich also makes a nice dinner along with a peppery green salad and a gluten-free beer.

Gluten-Free Croque-Monsieur

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

8 slices gluten-free white sandwich bread homemade or store-bought
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ounce; 28 grams)
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
2 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk, warmed (10 ounces; 283 grams)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Gruyère cheese, grated (about 8 ounces; 226 grams)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce; 28 grams)
Dijon mustard
1/2 pound thinly sliced ham

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place the bread on an 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake, flipping once, until the slices begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.
Prepare the sauce: In a small pot, melt the butter. Add the sweet rice flour. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. The paste will turn a light golden brown. In a slow and steady steam, add the milk. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce begins to bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Gruyère and all of the parmesan. Whisk until smooth.
Make the Sandwiches Spread a thin coat of mustard on each piece of bread. Place a few slices of ham and a generous sprinkle of Gruyère on each of 4 bread slices. (Reserve about one-quarter of the cheese.) Top with a second slice of bread, mustard side down. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet. Spoon a generous amount of white sauce onto each sandwich. Divide the remaining Gruyère over the top.
Return the sandwiches to the oven. Bake for 5 minutes to heat.
Turn on the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted, light brown, and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

Vegan gluten-free banana bread muffins fit a variety of special diets–and are so delicious no one will miss the eggs, dairy, or gluten.

Over the past few months, several readers requested gluten-free recipes that also avoid the “top eight.” (The “top eight” in allergy-speak are the eight most common allergens: wheat, milk, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish.) Since multiple food allergies sometimes make breakfast tricky, I decided to make muffins.

My favorite gluten-free banana bread served as the recipe base. The goal? To create an allergen-safe version of the recipe that tasted just like the muffins I’m accustomed to eating—which include butter and eggs.

The recipe converted easily to allergen-free. I replaced the eggs with flax meal and the butter with soy-free shortening (coconut oil also worked). Since I was already playing with the ingredients, I made a few other changes; this time for flavor, not for allergy reasons. I swapped the white rice flour for the more flavorful brown rice flour. Combined, the brown rice flour and flax meal brought an almost graham-like flavor to the muffins that I really liked.

At this point, the muffins were good. The taste and texture mirrored my original recipe. Just for fun, I tried replacing the granulated sugar with dark brown sugar. Unlike the other changes, this one didn’t work well. The recipe made with dark brown sugar produced muffins that were unappealingly moist. When I nibbled on one, the baked muffin seemed to turn to batter in my mouth. While the texture was clearly a problem, I liked the flavor brown sugar added. The next time around I reached for turbinado sugar. Success! It brought a light caramel flavor to the muffins without making them damp.

After all of this tinkering, I think I might like these muffins even better than the original.

This piece originally appeared on SeriousEats.com

Gluten-Free Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 14

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

2/3 cup turbinado sugar (5 ounces; 142 grams)
3 medium ripe bananas
2 tablespoons ground flax meal (about 1 ounce; 28 grams)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon hot water (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1 2/3 cups brown rice flour (9 ounces; 255 grams)
1/3 cup potato starch (1 1/3 ounces; 38 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup soy-free shortening or coconut oil (soften the coconut oil but don't melt it.) (4 ounces; 226 grams)

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 14 standard muffin cups with paper liners or grease with a non-stick cooking spray. Set pans aside
In small bowl, combine mash the bananas with a fork and add the turbinado sugar. In another small bowl, combine flax meal and hot water. Stir to combine. Allow banana mixture and flax mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream shortening until light and fluffy, about 20 seconds. Add flax meal mixture. Cream until smooth. Scrape down bottom and sides of bowl.
Add half dry ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add banana-sugar mixture. Blend until well incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients. Blend batter until smooth, about 20 seconds. Batter will be thick.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake muffins until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to four days or freeze up to one month.

Gluten-Free Spice Cupcakes

Gluten-Free spice cupcakes are filled with flavor thanks to the abundance of spices and the cream cheese frosting.

It’s clear by now that cupcakes are here to stay—and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. Not only are easy to eat (and cute), they’re great for gluten-free bakers–especially if you live alone or in a small household. Cupcakes are easy to freeze. You can make a batch, eat a few, and then freeze the rest. Then when the cake-mood strikes (or you get invited to a birthday party), you can reach for an emergency cupcake in the freezer.

Even after the pumpkin breads of the fall and gingerbread of the holiday season, I still crave a spicy cake. And this one does not disappoint. As written, this recipe makes a tender spice cake with a slight buttermilk tang.

You might notice that the ingredient list is long. I tried whittling the recipe down. When I did, the cake suffered. Measuring the ingredients is the most labor-intensive part of making the cake. After the ingredients are measured, you just stir everything together and bake. Once baked, allow the cupcakes to cool before icing. I like cream cheese icing on these cupcakes. To freeze, just pop them into a freezer-safe plastic container.

Gluten-Free Spice Cupcake frosted with cream cheese frosting.

5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free Spice Cupcakes

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 20 cupcakes

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice flour (3 3/4 ounces; 106 grams)
3/4 cup finely ground white rice flour (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (3 3/4 ounces; 106 grams)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1/4 cup tapioca starch (1 ounce; 28 gram)
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (10 ounces; 283 grams)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams, out of shell)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened (1 ounce; 28 grams)
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1 1/2 tablespoons milk (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 20 muffin cavities with paper liners or grease with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together brown rice flour, white rice flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, tapioca starch, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, xanthan gum, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, and eggs. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients. Whisk, using an electric mixer or handheld whisk, until a smooth batter forms, about two minutes.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake cupcakes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Remove cupcakes from pan. Place on wire rack to cool. While cupcakes are cooling, prepare icing.
Make the Frosting: In a bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Cream until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Cream until smooth. Icing should be spreadable. If needed, add an additional 1/2 tablespoon milk. Spread icing on cooled cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored for up to three days at room temperature or frozen for one month.

Gluten-Free Saltines

Homemade gluten-free saltines are fun and easy to make. They’re perfect with soup, spread with peanut butter, or eaten alone.

A person new to the gluten-free diet recently said to me, “You know what I really miss? Saltines. I’d give anything for a good cracker. Since going gluten-free I eat potato chips instead of crackers and it’s just not the same.” I understood her longing. Before going gluten-free, the humble saltine was my go-to snack.

When I went gluten-free, however, I soon realized that gluten-free saltines were not commercially available. Being without saltines was not an option, so I created a recipe for them.

We’ve made crackers before in this column. The technique for making saltines is similar to that of gluten-free graham crackers and gluten-free whole grain crackers: fat (either butter or dairy-free shortening) is cut into a gluten-free flour mixture. You can do this by hand or with a food processor. After adding the cold water, the dough should be firm but workable. If the dough is dry, add a splash more water. (I usually need to add about a tablespoon more water when I make these crackers with shortening instead of butter. Start with the amount of water the recipe calls for and go from there. You don’t want any dry flour at the bottom of the bowl.)

While the dough comes together quickly, it takes a few minutes to roll it out to the appropriate thickness. This is time well spent. Thin dough ensures a nice, crisp cracker. You want the dough about 1/16 inch thick. To make this easy, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper.

this piece first appeared on SeriousEats.com

5 from 6 votes

Gluten-Free Saltines

Don't skip the butter or dairy-free shortening in this recipe. The fat makes the gluten-free saltines nice and flaky!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 30 crackers

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com Elizabeth Barbone

Ingredients

1 cup white rice flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
1/2 cup brown rice flour (2 1/4 ounces; 63 grams)
1/2 cup cornstarch (2 ounces; 56 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
6 tablespoons cold butter or dairy-free shortening, cut into small pieces (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1/2 cup cold water plus more if needed (4 ounces; 113 grams)
Kosher salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Center oven racks in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F.
Whisk together white rice flour, brown rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum in large mixing bowl or bowl of food processor. Whisk or pulse food processor to combine.
Add cold butter or shortening. Cut butter into flour until butter is the size of baby peas. If the butter is too incorporated, the crackers won’t be as flaky. Add water. Stir or pulse food processor until a dough forms. Dough will be firm. If dough is dry, add an additional tablespoon of water.
Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper. (Parchment should be about 12 x 16-inches.)
Roll dough about 1/16-inch. Remove top piece of parchment paper. Slide dough onto rimmed baking sheet. Prick dough all over with a fork. Using a pizza wheel, cut dough into cracker-size pieces. Generously sprinkle kosher salt all over the top of the dough.
Bake until crackers are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove pan from the oven and allow crackers to cool. Once cool, break crackers apart, if needed. (Crackers usually break apart while baking.)

White Chocolate Apple Pie Popcorn

This apple pie-inspired white chocolate popcorn is dangerously addictive.

It happens every September. I want a little taste of fall but I’m not ready for serious fall baking. Happily I am always in the mood to pop popcorn. (And even happier: Popcorn is naturally gluten-free.) One day I decided to toss popcorn with white chocolate, dried apples, and some spices. Success! I had a little taste of fall and I didn’t have to turn on the oven.

There are only two ingredient notes for this recipe. I use air-popped popcorn because its plain flavor really allows the white chocolate and spices to shine. And I found peanut-free dried apple slices. If you are peanut-free, you know how challenging it can be to find safe dried fruit.

White chocolate popcorn with cranberries in a bowl.

Apple Pie White Chocolate Popcorn

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 10 cups

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

1 (12 to 16 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 cups popcorn, air or oil-popped
1 cup chopped dried apple slices
2/3 cup dried cranberries, optional

Instructions

Melt chocolate in large bowl set over pot of simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Add cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir to combine. Add popcorn and toss using two wooden spoons until well coated, about 30 seconds. Add apples and cranberries and stir to combine..
Transfer mixture to to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet, using back of spoon to spread evenly over entire surface. Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour. Using hands, break into small pieces and serve. Store for up to 3 days in covered container.

Gluten-Free Poutine

Ever heard of poutine? It’s made with French fries, cheese curds and gravy. And it’s just as good as it sounds! This gluten-free poutine is just like the real thing. Maybe better!

Most of the time poutine is annoyingly gluten-filled. You wouldn’t think so since it’s just fries, gravy, and cheese curds. But there are usually one or two gluten culprits at play; either the gravy contains wheat flour or the fries are made in fryers shared with gluten-containing foods. Sometimes it’s both.

So when a poutine craving hit, I headed into my kitchen instead of a restaurant. (What restaurant is going to serve gluten-free poutine?)

Two of three poutine elements, french fries and cheese curds, weren’t a problem plus the homemade fries tasted better than many of the soggy, greasy fries served in many a restaurant. It was the gravy that provided the challenge.

Poutine gravy is a thick brown gravy with black pepper and vinegar notes. For the first batch of gravy, I used all beef broth. The resulting gravy was too beefy, overtaking the dish, like it should be poured over pot roast and not poutine. After a little research, I learned that many poutine recipes use chicken stock, not beef.

Batch number two was better but still not right. While the chicken stock didn’t overpower the fries and cheese, it lacked the salty-mineraly depth that beef imparts.The next time, I used half chicken stock and half beef broth. Perfection! (For a vegetarian poutine, use vegetable stock. Just be sure it’s gluten-free.)

While tinkering with the flavor, I also adjusted the consistency of the gravy. Since many restaurants told me that poutine gravy contained wheat, I assumed the wheat was from a roux. To thicken the gravy, I first doubled the amount of sweet rice flour roux used in traditional gravy—this was a mistake. You could have cut that batch of gravy with a knife. Poutine, instead, should have the sheen of a cornstarch-thickened sauce. Could using both a roux and cornstarch work? Yes! The roux flavors the gravy nicely while the cornstarch adds additional thickness without making the gravy too pasty or thick.

The finished poutine was indistinguishable from the gluten-filled poutines served at restaurants. The biggest difference? Time. Depending on the method you use to fry your french fries, this recipe takes at least two hours to complete.

this recipe first appeared on SeriousEats.com

Gluten-Free Poutine

Made with French fries, cheese curds, and gravy, this gluten-free poutine is rich and wonderful.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free chicken stock, divided, warm (8 ounces; 226 grams)
3 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 ounces; 42 grams)
3 tablespoons sweet rice flour (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
1 cup gluten-free beef broth, warm (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (1/4 ounce; 7 grams)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces cheese curds
Gluten-Free French Fries for four

Instructions

Prepare Gravy: Just before frying french fries, prepare gravy. Reserve one tablespoon chicken stock. Set aside. In medium pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add sweet rice flour and whisk to combine. A thick paste will form. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture turns lightly golden brown, about three minutes. Whisking constantly, add remaining chicken stock and all beef broth in a slow and steady stream. Cook until gravy thickens, about four minutes. Combine cornstarch and reserved chicken stock. Whisk with a fork until smooth. Add to gravy. Continue whisking and bring gravy to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk gravy occasionally while you prepare the french fries.
Put together the Poutine: Remove cheese curds from refrigerator. Set aside. Fry french fries as directed in recipe. Divide cooked french fries between four bowls. Top with cheese curds and gravy. Serve immediately.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes

Want to add a pop to gluten-free blueberry pancakes? Make the batter with whole grain flours. (And, if you want to really go all the way, add a sprinkle of chocolate chips to the pancakes. They make for a wonderful summer treat.)

Lately, I can’t stop tinkering with my gluten-free pancake recipe. There’s nothing wrong with the original recipe. Just the opposite, actually. I love the pancakes so much that it’s fun to see how different ingredients affect the recipe.

So when I craved multigrain pancakes, I replaced the rice flours and cornstarch in the original recipe with three of my favorite whole-grain, gluten-free flours: corn, sorghum, and oat. I hoped the pancakes would be flavorful, but not dense or gritty—two common problems with multigrain pancakes whether they’re gluten-free or not. The combination of flours worked. As with the original recipe, the pancakes were tender and incredibly light, but now they were really flavorful too. Dare I say it, I think I prefer them to the original.

And while I love the pancakes plain, I love them even more with blueberries. Sprinkle some washed berries on the pancakes right after you pour the batter onto a hot griddle. You can also throw some chocolate chips onto the cooking pancakes along with the berries. Not too many, just enough to surprise you every few bites. I think I’m done tinkering with the recipe…at least for now.

Gluten-Free Whole Grain Pancakes with Chocolate Chips and Blueberries.

Whole Grain Gluten-Free Pancakes

Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancakes taste fabulous when made with whole grain flours. A sprinkle of chocolate chips makes them even more special.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

1 cup gluten-free corn flour (4 ounces; 113 grams)
1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour (1 1/3 ounces; 45 grams)
1/2 cup sorghum flour (2 1/2 ounces; 70 grams)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 large eggs (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams, out of shell)
1 cup milk (8 ounces; 226 grams)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for griddle (1 3/4 ounces; 50 grams)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries washed and dried (optional)
1/4 cup chocolate chips, optional
Butter, for serving
Maple syrup, for serving

Instructions

Whisk together corn flour, oat flour, sorghum flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum in medium bowl. Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract Whisk until smooth.
Lightly oil flat non-stick griddle pan. Heat griddle over medium-high heat until oil shimmers but does not smoke. Drop batter, approximately 1/4 cup, onto griddle. Batter should sizzle as it hits the pan.If desired sprinkle blueberries and chocolate chips evenly over each pancake.
Cook until edges of pancakes set and small bubbles appear all over the surface, approximately 3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until set, about one minute. Serve with butter and syrup, if desired. Repeat with remaining batter.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Small batch gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. Easy to make. Moist and delicious.

After creating a recipe for gluten-free vanilla layer cake, two things came to mind: cake is awesome and I should bake more cake.

My husband’s birthday gave me the perfect excuse to bake more cake! (Although, honestly, did I really need a reason?) I thought I’d try a dairy-free chocolate version of the yellow cake I recently made. So I replaced the butter with liquid vegetable oil, reduced the amount of potato starch, and added cocoa powder. Finally, I swapped the milk for coffee.

The results worked really well. Like the original, the batter came together quickly and the cake baked up high with a delicate crumb. The coffee adds a depth of flavor without turning it into a mocha cake. If you don’t like coffee, the cake works well made with water or a dairy-free milk. (Of course, if dairy isn’t an issue for you, just use milk.)

Since this is a small-batch recipe, it’s a perfect recipe to make whenever because…cake.

Gluten-free chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting and shredded coconut.

5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 16

Author GlutenFreeBaking.com

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

Gluten-free non-stick cooking spray or 16 paper cupcake liners
1 1/4 cups white rice flour (5 ounces; 142 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (7 1/2 ounces; 212 grams)
1/4 cup potato starch (1 ounce; 28 grams)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (3/4 ounce; 22 grams)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup vegetable oil (3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)
2/3 cup coffee or water (5 1/3 ounces; 152 grams)
3 large eggs (5 1/4 ounces; 148 grams)

For the Fluffy Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened (1/2 cup; 4 ounces; 113 grams)
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (3 ounces; 85 grams)
1 (7 1/2 ounce) jar marshmallow crème (I used Marshmallow Fluff)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded coconut, optional

Instructions

Make the Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 16 standard cupcake cavities with paper liners. Set pan(s) aside.
In large mixing bowl, whisk together white rice flour, granulated sugar, potato starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. Add vegetable oil, coffee, and eggs. Using a handheld mixer, mix until a thick batter forms, about one minute. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan or spoon into cupcake cups. Fill each cavity about 2/3 full. Bake until cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Cool cake on a wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan after five minutes.
Make the Buttercream: In medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. (Use high speed on a handheld mixer or medium-high speed on a stand mixer.) Add marshmallow crème and vanilla. Mix until fluffy. Spread on cooled cake or cupcakes.
Frost when cool. If desired sprinkle coconut over cake or dip tops of iced cupcakes into coconut.