Gluten Free Baking Week

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By Chef/Nurse Diane

Holiday baking should be accessible for everyone.  Some people have food allergies that may prevent them from enjoying the holiday goodies.  One of these allergies causes Celiac Disease, an allergy to Gluten.  Gluten is a protein that is found on grains such as flour, wheat, bran and other grains.  Awareness about this disease has become more pronounced lately, there are even grocery aisle that contain gluten free products.  There are many cookbooks and recipe sites online that will teach you how to make the delicious holiday treats that will not affect your allergy to gluten.

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This week is Gluten Free Baking week.  Yesterday I told you about cookie cutters, so today I found a recipe on julesglutenfree.com for gluten free holiday cut out cookies that you can enjoy with your family.  So, no more excuses...get out and bake!

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Allergen-Friendly Sugar Cut-Out Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening (Earth Balance® Shortening Sticks)
• 1 cup granulated cane sugar (Wholesome Sweeteners) or palm sugar
• 1 egg or egg substitute (e.g. Ener-G Egg® Replacer or whisk together: 1 Tbs. milk powder or DariFree Milk Powder + 1 Tbs. cornstarch + 2 Tbs. warm water)
• 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, gluten-free
• Food coloring (optional)
• 2 1/4 cups Jules Gluten FreeTM All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Gluten-free sprinkles or colored sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Cream shortening and sugar until very fluffy
2. Add egg (or egg replacer), vanilla extract, milk, and food coloring, beating until integrated. Add the dry ingredients last, mixing until evenly blended. Form the dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze until cold and no longer sticky, at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375ºF (static) or 350ºF (convection).
4. Lightly flour the rolling surface, rolling pin and cookie cutters with Jules Gluten FreeTM All Purpose Flour. Roll the dough to approximately 1/8-inch thickness and cut shapes, re-rolling dough to utilize all the dough.
5. Place cut-out cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired. Bake approximately 8–10 minutes, but remove before they begin to brown at the edges. When baked and cooled, frost with Easy Cookie Icing, if desired.

Easy Cookie Icing

Ingredients

• 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, gluten-free
• Milk (dairy or nondairy), as needed
• Liquid food coloring (optional) – Select is a natural & gluten-free food coloring option

Directions

1. Whisk together sugar, vanilla, and milk, adding 1 only tablespoon at time until a spreading consistency is achieved.
2. Add food coloring, if desired.
3. Store any leftover icing in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator until the milk’s expiration date.

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