Posted Mar 13, 2010
Cookies, cakes and muffins enjoyed fresh from the oven can be some of life’s greatest culinary pleasures — even for people with celiac’s disease.
The autoimmune condition prevents the body from properly processing a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, but with a quick cupboard makeover even gluten-sensitive cooks can create savory baked goods the whole family will enjoy.
Follow these simple steps to remake your recipe box:
Rethink: A diagnosis of celiac’s disease doesn’t have to mean eliminating your favorite foods. Love pancakes? Buy a gluten-free boxed mix at the grocery store or surf the net and learn how to make your own allergen-free version from scratch.
Restock: Popular alternative flours are made from rice, beans, potatoes, tapioca, soy and corn. Buy small packages of a few varieties and experiment. Rice flour is an excellent basic gluten-free baking mix, while potato starch flour is perfect for thickening sauces. Packaged baking mixes that combine multiple gluten-free flours also produce good results.
Replay: Some recipes will flop. Others will not. Make careful notes about what works and what doesn’t. Within a couple of months, you’ll have a collection of go-to recipes you can serve to your allergy-free friends without apology.
Tea Cakes
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons powered vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rice flour
In a food processor add pecans and pulse until finely chopped.
Use a mixer to cream together the butter, shortening and water. Add 1/2 cup powered sugar, vanilla and salt. Cream together until smooth. Mix in rice flour and pecans. Chill dough until firm.
With the cold, firm dough make 1- to 3-inch balls. Place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or tinfoil. Bake in a 350 F oven until lightly browned on the sides. Remove the parchment with cookies on it to a flat surface. Let cookies cool completely.
Place remaining powdered sugar in a large, deep bowl. Roll each cookie in the sugar. Store, covered, up to one week. Makes 40.
– Adapted from “The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook,” by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger
Chocolate Cake
1 box gluten-free devil’s food cake mix from Betty Crocker
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
2 egg yolks
Combine cake mix, pie filling, almond extract, vanilla flavoring and egg yokes. Beat until well mixed, then beat one minute more on medium speed. Pour into greased square or round cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake is set.
Chocolate Frosting
8 ounces powered sugar, plus 1/6 cup
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
1/8 cup milk
Combine sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. Add melted margarine and almond and vanilla flavorings. Stir together.
Spread on cooled cake, adding more milk if needed.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
13/4 cups rice flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup sour cream
Grated rind of one lemon
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup poppy seeds, plus more for sprinkling
12 paper muffin cup liners
Blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into muffin cup liners and sprinkle with additional poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 350 F until firm.
– From “The Kid-Friendly Food Allergy Cookbook,” by Leslie Hammond and Lynne Marie Rominger
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