Gluten-Free Baked Goods For The Kids
by Hyacynth Worth
With parties and celebrations galore, the holiday season can seem daunting when it comes to food for those who have dietary restrictions as well as those who are preparing food. Read on for some delicious, festive baked goods that are free of two common food allergens/irritants--wheat (wheat-gluten) and dairy--that will absolutely make your mouth water, even if you don't have food restrictions.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies
These rich cookies combine smooth peanut butter with real cocoa and hints of vanilla to make a chewy, decadent treat that will be devoured quickly. Easily whipped together within a 20 minute-time frame, these cookies will surely be the hit of any party and well worth the little work it takes to combine the ingredients and stick them in the fridge to set.
Note: you'll want to pick up Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats at your local Whole Foods or purchase some through Amazon to be sure to avoid cross contamination of wheat gluten in the recipe.
Ingredients:
*3.5 Cups of Whole Oat Oatmeal
*1/2 Cup of Sugar
*1 Cup of Brown Sugar
*1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil
*1/2 Cup of Cocoa
*1/2 Cup of Almond Milk
*1 Cup of natural, no-sugar added Peanut Butter
*1 teaspoon of vanilla
*1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
*a dab of salt
Instructions:
First add all of the dry ingredients into measuring cups so each can be easily added to the pan.
Melt the coconut oil and then add almond milk, followed by cocoa, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Note that adding the coconut oil and milk first makes it easier to mix in other dry ingredients.
Next bring it to a boil for about a minute, while stirring so that all ingredients are mixed well and nothing burns.
Add the peanut butter, vanilla and oats into the cocoa mixture, coating the oats thoroughly.
While still warm, scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture out and form each into a cookie atop a wax-paper-coated cookie sheet.
Let the cookies cool, set in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
Pumpkin Pie in All-Nut Crumb Crust
What comes of a dairy-free pumpkin pie filling slowly baked in all-nut crumb crust? Rave reviews from everyone including the very grandmother who crafts her own homemade pie crusts the old-fashioned way. (This happened at our Thanksgiving celebration – my grandmother actually said the nut crumb crust was better for pumpkin pie than the wheat crust she lovingly kneads with good old fashioned lard.)
The All-Nut Crumb Crust comes courtesy of a Whole Foods market recipe. (You can purchase finely ground Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal, which is gluten free, at your local Super Target or Whole Foods.) Note that you will want to substitute the butter for coconut oil, the Spectrum brand can also be found at Super Target or Whole Foods, in the same proportion.
Pumpkin Pie Filling
This extremely moist and perfectly sweetened and spiced pumpkin pie filling is compliments of a recipe from The Gluten-Free Homemaker. It goes perfectly with the All-Nut Crumb Crust listed above.
White Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow
Puppy Chow, by nature, is very easily made gluten free because the main ingredient--rice or corn cereal like Chex--doesn't contain any wheat gluten. Making it dairy-free also is super simple by just substituting butter for coconut oil and milk chocolate for dairy-free baker's chocolate, both of which are easily found at Super Target, Jewel and Whole Foods. Put a slight spin on the crunchy and sweet treat by adding half of a cup of The Peanut Butter Company's White Chocolate Peanut Butter to the recipe, also conveniently found at Super Target.
Ingredients:
* 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
* 1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter Company White Chocolate Wonderful
* 1 Cup of creamy Peanut Butter
* 4 Bricks of (dairy-free!) Baker's Chocolate
* 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
* 4 Cups of crispy rice cereal like Chex
* 1/2 Cup of Powdered Sugar
Instructions:
A top of a low flame in a steel pan, slowly melt the coconut oil.
Next, add the baker's chocolate (dairy-free, of course, and also found on the shelves of the baking aisle at Super Target!), slowly melting it while mixing it with the coconut oil.
After the chocolate and coconut oil are mixed thoroughly, add both peanut butter mixtures and stir like crazy, allowing it to slowly melt atop the low flame while blending with the chocolate and coconut oil.
After the mixture is thoroughly mixed, add the teaspoon of vanilla.
Turn off the flame, and begin mixing in the cereal one cup at a time, coating the cereal evenly with the wonderfully gooey mixture.
After the cereal is thoroughly coated, add the powdered sugar to a paper bag and then dump the cereal into the bag.
Fold the bag and make a tight seal before shaking to coat the cereal with powered sugar.
Let the puppy chow cool and enjoy.
Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal
Entertaining a crowd Christmas morning calls for breakfast or brunch! With many of the traditional breakfast sweets containing wheat and dairy, it's often difficult to find a truly tasty recipe that doesn't pale in comparison to the other options of coffee cakes and cinnamon rolls. This Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal recipe perfectly fills the rather large brunch void in a scrumptious way. An added bonus is that you make it in your slow cooker the night before and it fills the entire house with delightful scents.
Ingredients:
* 4-5 small apples, peeled and chopped into bite sizes (Galas are perfect, but any crisp, sweet apple will work)
* 1 and 1/4 cups of whole-rolled oats or steel-cut oats
* 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
* 1.5 Tablespoons of coconut oil (butter will work, too, but coconut oil is so much tastier and healthier!)
* 2 Tablespoons of Almond Meal (trust me, you want to invest in this ingredient. Bob's Red Mill has a great almond meal blend.)
* 1/3 Cup of brown sugar
* 2 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed
* 1.75 Cups of original Almond Milk (whatever milk you have is fine, too)
* 1.75 Cups of water
* Sprinkle of sea salt
* Generous sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
First, be sure to grease the inside of the slower cooker and then simply toss everything into the pot, letting it simmer overnight (about six hours) on low.
