Better Batter

This has been the best thing to happen to our kitchen in two years!!  It makes the best cookies.  I have had friends that have made bread dough with it and it works out great....that is my goal for next week.

Better Batter
2 C brown rice flour
2 C white rice flour
1 C tapioca flour
¼ C potato flour
¼ C xanthan gum
1/8 C fruit pectin

Mix well and store in an air tight container.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

All right, it is for real this time!  We have made a cooking breakthrough in the GF world.  I have been given a new flour blend that works miracles!  It's a variation of the Better Batter Flour Mix.  I used it in my old cookie recipe that I have grown up with and they turned out fabulous.  Thick, chunky, chewy, soft...need I say more?  No grit, no after taste, no complaints! Yeah!! 

Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cubes butter or 1 C shortening
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 eggs
3 C Better Batter Flour Mix
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix first 4 ingredients really well. Add remaining ingredients. Bake 7-8 minutes (or until golden brown) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place on cooling rack. Store in air tight container.

This next set of cookies is a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie...This recipe comes from Allrecipes.com.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Better Batter Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely

Sweetheart Jell-O Treats

2 pkgs. (6 ounces) Cherry Gelatin

2 C boiling Water

1 C cold Milk

1 pkg (3.4 ounces) Instant Vanilla Pudding

In a bowl dissolve gelatin in the boiling water, then let sit until cooled.  In another bowl, whisk the milk and pudding mix until smooth. Combine with gelatin and mix well.  Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 dish lightly coated with nonstick spray.  Put in the refrigerator until set.  Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make sweet treats for your family and friends.

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

If you are worried about sugar, fat and calories...this recipe is not for you!  I came across this recipe on a blog called Picky Palate.  Her recipe is NOT GF, but I knew I could convert it to be GF.  They were a hit!

4 C GF flour

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C Shortening

1 C Sour Cream

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

 2 Eggs

2 tsp Xanthan Gum

Butter

Brown Sugar

Cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream sugar, shortening, sour cream and eggs.  Add remaining ingredients until well blended.  Chill for at least one hour.  Divide dough into three portions.  Roll out first one on a floured surface. 

For the filling:

Lightly spread some butter over dough and then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough and then cut or slice through (I used dental floss).  Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from baking sheet to a cooking rack and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Don't you love a pleasant surprise?  This was one of those recipes.  It was liked by all!

Quinoa and Black Beans
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

**This makes a TON... Half a recipe was still more than enough for our family of five.