Pumpkin Cookies

There have been 2 women on my block diagnosed with celiac in the past year.  Both sweet friends of mine, one of them is named Faith who was just diagnosed recently.  When she posted on facebook of her diagnoses I made this and this for her and took them over.  I wanted to let her know that there are gluten free goodies out there.  Well, recently I took her these pumpkin cookies and at church I promised her that I would post this recipe TODAY.  She wants to make them for Thanksgiving.  Don't worry family, I will be making them too!

Okay, Be prepared.  This recipe makes A TON of cookies.  I also scoop them with a small 1" Tablespoon scooper to get perfectly round balls.  

2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups butter (softened)

2 cups pumpkin

2 eggs

5 cups and 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons cloves

1-1/2 teaspoons xanthum gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix sugar & butter until smooth.  Add pumpkin in until smooth then add the eggs.  Add the flour one cup at a time until it is smooth.  Then add the list of ingredients as you go.  You can mix all the dry ingredients together first, but I'm kind of lazy, I keep the mixer on and add all of the seasonings one by one.  This is what the dough looks like.  

Scoop about a Tablespoon of dough per cookie onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes.  Do not over bake these.  If you bake them just right they will literally melt in your mouth!

 While the cookies are baking and cooling make the glaze.

5 Tablespoons milk

3-1/2 to 4 cups powder sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well so there are no clumps.  You want the glaze to be thick enough to stay on but not a frosting consistency.  So start with adding the 3-1/2 cups and go from there.  It's a personal preference I think.  They are a little messy, but they are good for days and days.  I keep them in an air tight container in the fridge and they last for up to a week if we don't eat them all before that!

Dinner Rolls

So I've been playing around with recipes of mine but I haven't quite made the time to figure out a good dinner roll.  However, I tried these and they are delicious.  The only thing I changed on the recipe was using my own mixture of flour instead of using a bunch of flour I didn't have.  They are very tasty and they will keep in the fridge for a few days, but I do prefer them warm the day of.  I'm picky that way, but Spencer likes them in his lunch the next couple of days so I think it's just me. 

Banana Bread

I  Love banana bread.  Who doesn't?  My son Spencer loves it too.  Nothing better than having warm banana bread for him when he gets home from school.  It's a pretty simple recipe with amazing results.  The first thing you have to do is butter and sugar your bread pan.  If you don't know what I mean than you need to get with the program.  Check it out here.

 So this recipe is for one loaf of banana bread.  I always double and if you do, than just double the recipe.  No other changes necessary.  

BANANA BREAD

1-3/4 cup gluten free flour

1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons xanthum gum

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons Milk

3 soft bananas

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the top dry ingredients in a bowl and put to the side.  Mix shortening and sugar in a mixer until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time and then the milk.  Then alternate adding a little of the flour mixture and bananas until you have used it all.  I never mash my bananas up.  I just throw them in there nice and soft and the mixer does it for me.  If you are using a hand held mixer or your bananas aren't as soft you should mash them first.  Then put your mixture into it's pan of goodness.  It will look like this.  

Your finished product should look like this and taste even better.  Like I said, the recipe I posted is for one loaf of banana bread.  I always double it so there will be some left over for when my Mr. Darcy gets home.  

* I think you could use any other high quality gluten free flour and it will turn out.  Let me know if you try it with another flour.  I'm curious if it works!