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!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the first desserts I tried to master was the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  Who doesn't want one of these when they walk thru the door?  This isn't a great picture, it was taken from my phone, but they are great cookies.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 sticks soften salted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 small eggs

1 ts. vanilla

3-3/4 cup Gluten free flour

3/4 ts. baking soda

1-1/4 ts. xantham gum

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the soften butter, sugar, & brown sugar.  Add eggs & vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix gluten free flour, baking soda, xantham gum.  Add dry ingredients to the sugar mixture.  Once it is fully mixed then add a bag of chocolate chips and mix for a second.  Use a cookie scooper and go to town.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  You want to pull them out when they look a little underdone.  Then let them cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes then on a wire rack.  SERIOUSLY SO GOOD!  You can thank me later;)

Gluten free oreo goodness

So have I mentioned my husband's family has a lot of people with celiac?  He is #3 out of 9 kids.  Four of the nine have it and a few refuse to be tested.  I have my opinions about that, but they have already heard them.  Anyhow, back to business of the ubber delicious oreos.  My brother-in-law (who refuses to get tested) is usually a wee bit annoyed by the gluten free food at family gatherings.  However, when I made these little suckers, he couldn't keep his hands off of them.

Oreo Goodness

1 cup butter softened 

2 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 ts vanilla

2-1/2 cup gluten free flour

3/4 cup coco

1 ts baking soda

1/2 ts salt

1-1/4 ts xanthum gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the dry ingredients together.  In a separate bowl cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix.  Next, add the dry ingredients.  Once mixed, I usually use my 1 TBS cookie scooper and scoop 12 onto a cookie sheet, I cut them in half and roll them into balls with my hand.  Bake for 8-9 minutes.  When you take them out they will look a little underdone, but don't keep baking them.  They are much better when they are soft.  Let them cool on a cookie sheet for a few minutes and then place them on a cooling rack. 

Once they have cooled frost them with this fantastic frosting.

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1-1/2 cups powder sugar

1/2 ts vanilla

1/8 ts salt

Cream butter then add cream cheese.  Add powder sugar, mix and then add vanilla and salt. If for some reason the mixture seems to runny then you can add a little more powder sugar.  Prepare yourself: you may just have to run on the treadmill an extra hour or two to burn off what you ate.