After an excessively long hiatus, I’m finally back!  Granted, the kitchen still isn’t completely done, but it’s close.  We had a bit of delay waiting for lights.  I had to cancel our original order and get them elsewhere.  They are being installed on Friday.  Some additional finishing touches will finally get done then too.  Then the only major thing left to do will be the back-splash.  Oh – and paint the whole place!  I’ll get some more pictures up once we get those lights in.

I’ve been enjoying my brand new range.  It has a convection oven, which I’ve never used before, and beginning to experiment with.  I’m thinking it will help with some gluten-free baking projects.  And it is unbelievably wonderful to have more than 2 feet of counter space!

So back to blogging.  Today I just have a product review. 

Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I followed the instructions on the box exactly – just add one stick of butter, one egg, and one teaspoon vanilla; then mix.  Can’t get any easier than that!  I then baked them on parchment paper using the convection setting of my oven. 

They are really soft (to the point of falling apart) when they come out of the oven, but after letting them cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet, they firm up a bit, and can be transferred to a cooling rack.  They stay fairly chewy on the inside with a little bit of crispness on the bottom. 

I was impressed with the taste and the chewiness.   And you really can’t get any easier.  It is a lot of butter, but since when are cookies healthy?  I won’t count that against them. 

(non-gluten-free) Husband’s comment:  “They tasted pretty much glutenous.”  (translation – they tasted “normal.”)

It’s still day one, so the jury is still out on how well they hold up after a day or two.  However, initial score = A

Day 2 impression – the cookies do tend to crumble a bit.  Still taste good though.  Overall score = A-

The July Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

We were given the option of making either cookie or both. Neither my husband nor I am fond of marshmellows, so I just made the Milan cookies. I’m not quite sure where I went wrong. Mine spread too much and every which way. To make them presentable, I took a cookie cutter to them after they came out of the oven and cooled a bit. I think the butter was too cold and did not get mixed in well enough.

While they weren’t the prettiest cookies, they did taste really good.  I took most of them to work, and they were gobbled up in no time. 

Here’s the basic recipe (I used Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten-free flour plus a dash of xanthan gum):

Milan Cookies with Orange Chocolate Filling

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.
     • 12 tablespoons (6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
     • 2 1/2 cups (11.02 oz) powdered sugar

2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
     • 7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
     • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
     • 2 tablespoons lemon extract

3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.
     • 1 1/2 cups (6.61 oz) all purpose gluten-free flour

4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

* * * * *

6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.
     • 1/2 cup heavy cream

7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.
     • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
     • 1 orange, zested

8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.

10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

I think I will have to try these again paying  a bit more attention to technique.

Liz Lovely Gluten Free Cookies

“Lovely” does not even began to describe these cookies. They are awesome. We all know how difficult it is to perfect gluten-free cookies, or vegan cookies, but gluten-free AND vegan? These people are geniuses. They are also certified organic and fair-trade certified. So while you are indulging your sweet tooth, you can feel good about yourself! (Until you eat a few too many, which is easy to do.)  You can read all about their mission statement and ingredients on the site here.  While they are not a gluten-free dedicated bakery, they bake on different days and they lab-test their gluten free recipes at Bia Diagnostics, an international leader in food testing located in Vermont. Each test-batch received a separate “Certificate of Analysis” that it contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten.

My local store only one package left of the gluten-free cookies, and they were stale – very disappointing.  So I got three different flavors straight from the bakery.  When they arrived, they were still soft, moist and chewy.  Almost like they were fresh from the oven. Yum.

First I tried the Gluten Free Chocolate Fudge.  For breakfast.  It was fudgy and full of chocolate chips – perfect.   And for those of you who think $3.99 is expensive for 2 cookies – it’s really not for these cookies.  They are huge!  With great self-restraint I was able to eat just half a cookie at a time.

Next were the Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies.  If you like ginger, you will love these.  They are a cross between a ginger snap cookie and good old fashioned gingerbread, and then topped with candied ginger. 

Finally, I had the Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake Cookie.  Think of a wonderful piece of German Chocolate Cake, with all that chocolate, coconut, and walnuts, and magically transform it into a cookie.  That’s what this is. 

Other flavors of Gluten Free cookies include chocolate chip, peanut butter, and snickerdoodle.  All of them are vegan and certified organic.  And for those of you who are not gluten free but are vegan, they make even more flavors.  You can order from their online store, or check for a store near you.

That’s right, I’m GIVING AWAY a prize pack of the new
BETTY CROCKER GLUTEN FREE DESSERT MIXES.

This is what was waiting for me when I got home for work today.  I was SO excited that I literally danced around the house.  I don’t have anything baking yet, but will before the night is through.

The best part is that I have a second, identical prize pack to give away to one lucky reader.  To make it fun, I decided to have a little contest.

I want you to Name My Business.

Here are the rules, regulations, and so forth:  (by the way, I’m doing this because my husband had suggested for a catering business – hors d’oeuvres-osaurus rex.)

Contest is underway so get your entries in!  You can’t win if you don’t enter!

• This business does not yet exist, but will be a personal chef service specializing in gluten-free and other special dietary needs. Also offered will be gluten-free birthday cakes, and possibly some limited catering of small events (less than say, 30 people).
• The business will be located in Chattanooga, TN, aka “The Scenic City”, aka “River City”.
• My name is Karen Wilson, which may or may not be used in the business name.
• Anything else is fair game.  Be creative.  Include a tag-line or further description if you want.
•  Post your submission as a comment to this post or email me at kieferwilson_at_comcast_dot_net.  Each person is allowed to suggest up to three names.
• Submissions are due no later than 12:00 noon, EDT, on Sunday, July 12, 2009.
• I will post the winning entry Sunday evening, the 12th (or Monday at the latest). I will then need the winner’s mailing information to give to Betty Crocker’s PR company, who will send the prize pack directly.

I am the sole judge of the winning entry.  I do not guarantee that it will actually be used as my business name.  If I do use your suggested name, you have no royalty or naming rights in it.  You just get lots of prestige and bragging rights.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Otherwise, GOOD LUCK!

I tried.  I really did.  I just didn’t quite succeed. But I get an “A” for effort, right?

This month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Baking Soda and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf.  They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

“Traditionally, tuiles are thin, crisp almond cookies that are gently molded over a rolling pin or arched form while they are still warm. Once set, their shape resembles the curved French roofing tiles for which they’re named.”

First, I think because these are such a light, delicate cookie, they don’t lend themselves well to being gluten-free. Hopefully one of the other gluten-free daring bakers can prove me wrong, but…

Second, I did not spread the first batch thin enough.

Then I was having trouble with the cooking time.

(By the way, I failed even more miserably with the nougatine recipe. Not sure what is up this month!)

To go with my cookies, I made a Blackberry Sorbet, based on a recipe from the New York Times, found here.  That was by far the easiest part of this whole process!  I got one cookie to look relatively pretty, so I quickly took the above photo.   Okay, so they really weren’t that bad, but they weren’t exactly a success.

TUILES
Here is the recipe as given to us Daring Bakers (the demo was really pretty butterflies):

Recipe:
Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

We leave for Australia in a week, and I’ve been stressing about everything that needs to get done before we leave. That doesn’t even take into account all that I have to do at work before I leave for three weeks. I’m just trying not to think about that. I’m more concerned with things like getting the dog a booster shot so she can get boarded at the kennel; getting all the presents together that we are taking with us; cleaning the house at least a little (I hate coming back to a messy house); figuring out all the food that I can take on the plane with me to feed me for over 24 hours of travel; etc., etc., etc.So why am I baking cookies??? Because it’s Christmas, and that’s what I do at Christmas. I did not decorate my house this year (other than a wreath on the front door), so I needed to do something to get into the spirit. And I find baking to be soothing.

Millionaire’s Shortbread Bars
(Joyofbaking.com)

Ingredients:

Shortbread:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/8 teaspoon salt

Caramel filling:
1 – 14 ounce can Dulce de Leche or sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate topping:
6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease with butter (or use a cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch pan.

For Shortbread:
- Cream the butter and sugar until just light and fluffy (do not overbeat). Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, xanthan gum, and salt and beat until the dough just comes together.
- Press onto the bottom of your greased pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until pale golden in color.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

For Caramel Filling:
- If using Dulce de Leche then simply warm the caramel in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
- If using sweetened condensed milk, pour the milk into a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 to 60 minutes or until the milk has thickened and has turned a light caramel color.
- Remove from heat and beat until smooth.
- Pour the caramel over the baked shortbread and leave to set.

Note: You can also do this step in a microwave oven. Place the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on medium power for about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Reduce the powder to medium-low and continue to cook for another 8 to 12 minutes, or until the milk has thicken and has turned a light caramel color. Remove from microwave and beat until smooth. (This is what I did.)

For Topping:
- Melt the chocolate and butter either in the microwave oven or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
- Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the caramel and leave to set.
- Cut the shortbread into pieces using a sharp knife.
- Store the shortbread in the refrigerator to keep the chocolate nice and firm.

Note: Cut shortbread after the chocolate has time to set but before putting in the refrigerator as cold chocolate does not cut well.

(I used the same flour blend for these cookies that I used for my Ischl Tart cookies. You can find the blend there. It has a bit of almond flour in it. I ended up just grinding almonds in the blender then sifting that with the rest of the flour. It worked just fine.)