Gluten Free All Purpose Flour mix

When you start going down the gluten-free road you quickly realize that baking can be very expensive if you only buy pre-made all purpose flours.  Then you can easily become overwhelmed trying to figure out how to use all the different kinds of individual flours or how to blend them yourself.  I have gone through website after website and too many cookbooks to count (along with hours in the aisle at Barnes  and Noble!).  After all of that I've tried several different blends and have come up with what I like to use best.  It is a variation of the blend made by Silvana Nardone in her book Cooking for Isaiah.  But I have found that by adding the xanthan gum into the mix a head of time there is less consistency in the finished product.  Even if you shake up the flour every time before you measure it out, you are not in the position to know what ratio of xanthan gum you have put into each cup of flour.  Because of that you can not possible keep every batch consistent.  So although I use the flours in the blend she came up with, I leave out the xanthan gum and add it to each recipe separately.  By doing that I have nearly eliminated all inconsistency issues.  It is such a relief to know that I can expect certain results instead of being so anxious each time I open the oven to find out if everything "worked out" ok.

Since I have a little OCD it seems that I do things the harder way sometimes.  But it also makes sure that everything gets really blended that way too.  First I add all the flours into one big bowl and then scoop it into a gallon zip top bag in two batches.  That way I can shake it all together and make sure that it all gets evenly mixed.  After each bag has been thoroughly shaken it is put into my permanent container.  Each time I use it I shake it up again just to be sure also.

After all of that you might be wondering how to figure out how much xanthan gum to add.  That's a great question because it took me forever to get that answer.  After all the research and more math than I've done in quite a while I came up with a number that works for me - most of the time.  I use .6 tsp for each cup.  If you don't weigh your ingredients then it would be a slightly rounded half tsp.  By weight it is somewhere between 2-3 grams.  The scale I use only breaks down grams in whole numbers so I'd have to get a better scale in order to be exact.  The only problem is that like I said, this works for me most of the time.  It is a good all purpose number to start with but there is an art to it.  If you have a drier recipe it might take a bit more and if you have a looser, more "liquidy" recipe it might take less.  And therein lies the reason there are so many recipes, brands, books, etc that offer their own flour blends!  I recently came across a blend that utilizes sweet rice flour as a component and since I'm doing some Christmas baking I thought I'd give it a try.  But for the majority of my everyday baking, this blend is a great mix to have on hand:

gluten free Pie Crust

It really makes me happy when I become "known" for some kind of baking product.  I mean when my extended family looks forward to a certain pastry that I make because mine tastes better than they can find in any store or commercial bakery.  One of those items is my pie, primarily because of my crust.  Pie crust is a finicky bugger - it needs to be flaky and light but dense enough to hold together.  For me, it needs to create a solid bottom that soaks up some of the juices from whatever filling has been put into it.  I have an old family recipe that has been a tried and true friend to me, but it is very high gluten being made up of mostly regular all purpose flour.  I looked up several recipes online but decided to see what happened if I just used my gluten free flour mix instead.  Then I went a little crazy and thought about the "fat" too.  So I tried three different varieties: 1) using regular Crisco shortening 2) using coconut oil and 3) using half butter/half coconut oil.

left to right: butter, coconut, shortening

Mixing all three pretty much went the same except the coconut oil variety needed to be kneaded a lot more than the others.  The half/half mixture was also a bit crumbly and had to be worked more.  With gluten filled flours it is best to let the crust rest for an hour or so in the fridge and I don't think that's really the case for these ones, but I did it anyway just in case.  Although I don't know if I'd do it again because it really took a long time to bring the coconut oil back to room temperature so that I could manipulate it.

Shortening

coconut oil

half coconut oil/half butter

That's actually the first problem with gluten free pie crust - it doesn't hold together nearly as well as the regular stuff and you have to handle it with tender fingers and add the right amount of xanthan gum too.  At least once you want to shape it, but before

Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies converted to Gluten Free

Well by golly I've done it!  Ok, that statement might prove that I've overdone myself watching all the seasons of Downton Abbey while I've been unpacking boxes lately.  But, none the less, I really have done it!  I wanted to bake something, anything really and after looking in my recipe box I decided that I wanted some peanut butter oatmeal cookies.  However, because it's been so long since I've made any kind of cookie at all, I threw in some chocolate chips too in order to make Craig happy too.

I have a recipe that I've used many times in the past and I knew it was a good one, but I wanted to make it gluten free.

Carved Basketball Birthday cake

 It has been so long since I've been able to bake anything, that I didn't even realize I hadn't posted all of the cakes I did this summer!  It has been a very full year in our home - a lot of travel, I mean a lot - as well as getting our oldest graduated from college and started out on her own with her first job and apartment, getting our youngest off to her sophomore year of college at her dream school which is 2500 miles from home, my husband getting a promotion, selling our house and moving across the state.  I think that about covers it :) I love to keep all of my baking adventures here and not muddle it up too much with other stuff so I decided to start a sister blog called Glitter and Green Beans that goes into all of those adventures here if you want to check it out.  I will have a lot to say about nutrition over there, as well as home improvement projects, family life, my pets, and pretty much anything else that happens to pop up in life.  

But here, it's about my cakes and this one I made for our youngest cousin as she hit her teen years.  She is a superstar on the basketball court and so fun to watch.  She is also just hitting her girly stride

Quick Zebra cake

This is a quick little cake that I did for a great little girl turning 10.  Her mom said that she liked animal prints of all kinds so I went with both zebra and leopard.  I used caramel for the leopard spots and it worked out great expect caramel has different melting point than chocolate butter cream.  It was a hot day when I delivered it and I had to make sure it sat (in the closed box) down on the floorboards of the car with the air conditioning blasting!  My feet were freezing but the cake made it just like it needed to!

Buttercream Transfer tutorial

I've never actually posted a tutorial.  I usually don't get enough pictures for that, but this time I purposefully tried to make it happen.  I needed to do a Madagascar cake for little girl and at first thought I would just get a few little toppers and keep it simple.  But I couldn't find any when I went out looking and had to turn to plan B.

I've done buttercream transfers before and they can be a lot of fun if they turn out well.  They can be very frustrating however, if they don't turn out well!  But that's how it goes with a lot of cake decorating doesn't it?  If you've never tried to make a transfer I hope I can do a good job of explaining them so you can go for it and give it a try!

Cupcake Cake

It's been a crazy summer.  So much to do in such a short amount of time created a crunch around Audrey's birthday.  She had just come home from college and was eagerly anticipating a letter to come announcing if she'd gotten in to the college she has been wanting to go to for the last several years.  Her birthday was almost too much to consider in the midst of it all.  Which really says something because up until this year she has always, I mean always, had an idea of what she wanted to do with all the plans thought out.  So I couldn't just let it pass too quietly.  I needed to put something together that was easy, but represented her well.

Our new gluten-free diet programs also contributed to this decision.  I decided to go with cupcakes but didn't want to just make them regular.  Making them into the numbers was a fun idea and I think it came out really well.  Putting the edging decorations and the flowers just gave it that little bit extra that it needed.  The zebra cupcake liners were a hit too.

Audrey had asked if I could make a chai-tea flavor, which I tried to but had to modify when I got started and realized I didn't have the tea in the cupboard like I thought!  Oops.  I did use a black tea with some extra spices to try to mimic the chai flavor.  I didn't get there completely but they turned out well anyway with a light hint of spicy.  I was worried they'd be overpowering, but they were a good balance.  Then I used a cinnamon buttercream on top, and of course - edible glitter!

She received the letter of acceptance a few days later too!! 

Batman Cake

Sometimes the cakes that are the simplest turn out to be so much fun!  I really loved the way this cake turned out.  I especially liked the board with the fun messages on it.  I had that in my mind to do when I was planning the cake and was going to just freehand it, but a couple days before I was at Williams-Sonoma and found these great cookie cutters that can make Spiderman comic cookies and the action bubbles in that kit worked perfectly for this project.

layered "firework" cupcakes

In case you are as busy as I am - a while back it was 4th of July :)  Time just flies by!  

I recently decided to try the new Wilton product that allows you to separate the batter in cupcake liners in order to make colorful centers.  Of course because I can never do things the easy way, or apparently practice before I share, I went ahead and tried to layer 2 colors of batter in the center to take to our friends' home for dinner and fireworks.  It's hard to see in the picture but they were obviously red, white and blue.  

These were vanilla gluten free "firework" cupcakes.  I thought they were yummy and I did receive many complements so it must not have been just my opinion :)

I found the batter separator to be great at keeping the batter from mixing together and becoming "muddy".  However, once you take the separator out of the first row and try to move it to another row, the batter drips and if you try to do what I did with 2 colors it can get really difficult to keep it all clean.  

You just have to work slow and careful but overall the device is helpful and fun to use.

Another round of Graduation cupcakes

In our family we are very girl-centered.  My husband and I have 2 daughters and Craig's brother and his wife have 2 daughters as well.  The funny part is that the older girls are only 3 months apart in age and the younger girls are only 2 months apart!  My nieces hold the oldest and youngest ages and it was finally time for our last high school graduation.  As it turns out the older girls are 4 years ahead in school and they both had their college graduations too.  

Our daughter, Sydney, actually finished a semester early and we had a party at Christmas time when she was home so we had a lot of Christmas treats and cake pops at that time.

Happy 4th of July!!

It may sound a little crazy - but my 2 favorite holidays are Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. I could go on and on about Thanksgiving so I'll just stick to the 4th today. I love the nostalgia of it, the patriotism, it's summer (!) and of course the desserts. It isn't so much even the taste of them particularly but how festive they are. 

It's a perfect blend of being able to decorate with food!  I love it. I was actually a little overwhelmed at all the recipes I wanted to try because of too much time spent on Pinterest lately - but it is so much fun. This drink is non- alcoholic and was supposed to be fully layered - I started to get it right but I need more practice with it. I don't think all the drinks were quite cold enough either but I still think it turned out cute. It is just cranberry juice, piña colada Sobe and G2 blue Gatorade. I wouldn't normally drink the Sobe or Gatorade but it was a special occasion. 

I think I am going to try a few more things later today but for now - Happy 4th of July!  I hope you have a great day and can take some time to remember that you can celebrate in whatever way you like because of the freedoms we have been granted in the foundations of this great country!! 

Mermaid Barbie Cake

This mermaid cake came as a result of the Cinderella cake that I made at Ronald McDonald house.  A short time after that cake there was another little lady with a birthday and she wanted a similar cake.  This one ended up being pretty fun though because the birthday girl and another housemate watched me as I decorated.  Then they couldn't take it too much longer and asked if they could help.  How could I possibly say no!  So the three of us put on the swirls and the flowers and made it just how it needed to be.   The girls were a delight and I think they were quite helpful!

Gumpaste Shoe and bow

Each month for the last 4 years I have been providing a cake for the women's mission.  Knowing that I'd be moving soon I wasn't sure how many more I'd be able to make so I decided to put a few extra touches on this one.  It was also helpful to practice for a show cake that I was preparing for a week or so later.

I love making bows too.  There's just a certain satisfaction watching it all come together and look so beautiful.  I of course have to add a few sparkles to make it complete.

After some airbrushing, I think it came together nicely and all the ladies at the mission seemed pretty happy when they saw it too.

Cinderella Barbie Cake

 It's been such a long time since I've been able to get anything up but that doesn't mean it's been quiet in the kitchen, however!  I've been trying to keep up with my baking but there's been a few curve balls thrown our way lately.  First - my husband was offered a new territory in his job and that means we need to move.  It wasn't necessarily a choice in the "offer" but it is a step up and a really good move for his career.  So we are headed further west - while at the same time our oldest daughter, Sydney, has settled into her first job in Tampa, FL.  And of course our youngest, Audrey, is trying to transfer colleges to go to school in Nashville, TN.  It is a little unsettling to have my whole family scattering all over - but we trust that the plan for our lives is in His good hands.

We have been in our house for 13 years and it was a "project" to begin with.  It has been more than a little challenging to finish all of the little improvements we had started over the years not to mention the bigger issues that needed dealt with.  For the last several months we've been working day and night getting everything ready.  It's almost finished and then we'll get it on the market and wait to see what happens.  In the meantime - I'm trying to get as much baking as I can in before the kitchen has to stay pristine.

This cute Cinderella cake was for a beautiful little girl at the Ronald McDonald House.  It really warms the heart to see the joy on a child's face when you make a special cake for them, but it is even more special when that little one is bald and battling cancer.  The cake itself was strawberry with a vanilla buttercream frosting.  And of course a little sparkle too!

Chocolate Mini Donuts and 100 posts!

This is my 100th post!  I was really surprised when I saw that it was coming up - I kind of froze up a bit too because I started overthinking what I would do to celebrate it.  I decided in the end that I needed to just keep doing what I have been doing and keep baking :)

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have purchased a few new cookbooks on gluten free baking.  It seems that every one of them felt the need to tempt me with wonderful looking chocolate donuts.  I finally broke down and bought a mini donut pan so that I could give these little gems a try.  They did not disappoint!  They were perfectly cake-like with a light airy texture and rich dark chocolate

Cupcakes for Two

Now that my girls are both out on their own - one at college and the other navigating the challenges of her first job after college - there are times that we still need some dessert.  After all, I am a cake decorator, so cake is important to me.  I was ecstatic to find a recipe for just two cupcakes recently.  I've tried it twice so far.  The first time it was St. Patricks Day and my husband really wanted a Guinness to celebrate and I really wanted to try to make a Guinness cupcake.  So when I found out it only took a few tablespoons of a bottle he was opening anyway. . . well, it was like it was meant to be!  I could do this every night frankly.  I didn't try to use my gluten free flour, however, I mean, really what was the point when the Guinness already ruined it.  So these were just for experience - pain to deal with later.

They turned out great and it was a fun holiday time.  The next time

Magic Bars

For some reason I wanted to make a blondie type brownie really bad!  It was one of those things that I got in my head and it just wouldn't go away.  I was so excited when I found this recipe in one of my new gluten free cookbooks!  I've spent quite a bit of time going over recipes lately; in the store, online and in my own recipe box.  Trying to figure out how to rework what I already have into gluten free options and learning new recipes that have already been reworked by others.  This one comes from "Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, quick & easy" by Nicole Hunn. 

First, of course, I got all of my supplies ready - including the AP Flour mix that I made from Silvana Nardone's book "Cooking for Isaiah".

 

After that it pretty much worked out just like any other recipe or brownie style batter. 

Gluten Free Flour

One of the biggest challenges that I found when I first started baking gluten free was that everyone seems to have a different opinion about what flour to use. I looked at countless websites and spent hours in the cookbook isle at Barnes & Noble. The main thing I learned is that everyone seems to come up with their own formula. I really think that it comes down to personal preference and that depends on what you like in your end product. If you like things a little denser or lighter; if you've grown fond of the taste of certain flavors, etc.

Realizing that I was going to have to gather several different kinds of flours the obvious next question came up - how do you store all of them? I looked into some nice containers but I wasn't sure what sizes I would need and the nice containers (and let's be honest - the cute ones) are kind of expensive. Then I remembered that I had a bunch of mason jars in my craft room in various sizes and decided to use those.

After all that research I decided that for an all purpose mix I would go with Sylvana's recipe from her book Cooking for Isaiah.  It has been working great so far.  I'll have some of those results in upcoming posts :) 

Banana Pancakes

Sometimes there are just some things that have to be made - this was one of them!  I don't normally make pancakes, at least I'm not the one to do the cooking of them.  I get annoyed by how long it takes and then everyone always wants to eat them right off the griddle while I'm still making them.  And then when I finally want one I get the cold ones.  I solved this problem by allowing my husband the privilege of making them :)  He has become the pancake king to our youngest daughter and even though she is 18 and off to college, when she comes home and wants pancakes she expects them to be "Daddy's" pancakes.  Which includes a full amount of chocolate chips as well. 

Because Craig has been traveling a lot lately, a LOT, and Audrey is off to college - we haven't had pancakes in a very long time.  I actually missed them. 

Chocolate Banana freeze

It has been a new challenge learning to make things gluten-free.  It has already proven to be helpful but it is much more time consuming at this point.  Starting with the planning as well as the execution.  There are tons of websites and blogs on the subject and I'm researching as many of them as I can.  I like a challenge and I like to learn new skills so all of this is definitely something that has me excited.  Not to mention the health benefits! 

This dessert is one of those that came to mind from all of the web browsing that I was doing.  So many recipes "out there" talk about using frozen bananas and making some kind of ice cream or frozen dessert.  At the grocery store I found some coconut flavored dessert tofu.  I decided that it needed to be tried and this was the time to use it.  It tastes pretty well on its own actually which surprised me.  I didn't really have a recipe so to speak for this - I just tried to put things together that sounded good and I was craving some kind of ice cream like substance :)

I also didn't want to take too much time so I used the blender, then put it into a covered plastic container and into the freezer for a half hour or so. 

The coconut tofu was separated into 2 "wells" I guess you could call it within the package and I used about half of one of them.  Then I added 1 frozen banana, sliced up, 2 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and coconut milk.  The milk was just enough to nearly cover the bananas in the blender.  Then I let it all come together fully.  It was a bit runnier than I expected so I might have added a bit too much of the milk.  But once it froze it was delicious.  It had a good amount of chocolate, however, I might add a little more next time.  The banana flavor was very strong and the coconut flavor seemed to come mostly from the milk.  I think the tofu was so light and mild that it added some thickening but not a lot of flavor. 

All in all, I like this and would make it again - I think it would be good as a popsicle in the summer!