Gluten Free Living this Holiday Season

Shelia Cafferty of Gluten Free Living Now  shows you how to have a Gluten Free Holiday. www.glutenfreelivingnow.org

                              Gluten Free Gingerbread Cookies
1 cup of potato starch flour
1 cup of Sorghum flour
1 cup of white rice flour
¼ cup of tapioca starch flour
½ tsp of xanthan gum
¾ tsp of baking soda
1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter (softened)
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg at room temperature
½ cup of unsulfured molasses
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
Directions: Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl wisk together dry ingredients.
Cream butter with a mixer and add sugar, beat until fluffy. Mix in egg and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture, continue combining on a low speed until all the flour is well incorporated and the dough comes together. Divide Dough into thirds, roll out each piece of dough sprinkled with potato starch flour between two sheets parchment paper,  cut into desired shapes, peel away excess dough and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes then promptly place into the oven.
When baking make sure you leave the bottom piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet, this will prevent your cookies from sticking to the cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 until crisp but not darkened for about 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes then use a flat spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack. Wait until cookies are cooled completely before decorating. Decorate with royal icing and/or chocolate ganache.

GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN BREAD

Ingredients

¾ cup Brown Rice Flour
½ cup Sorghum Flour
½ cup Potato Starch Flour
1 ½ cup Sugar
1 cup of Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Ground Cloves
½ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
2 Large Eggs
½ cup Vegetable Oil
1/3 cup Water
½ cup Chopped Pecans (optional)
½ cup Raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together dry ingredients – flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt & spices.

3. In separate bowl cream together sugar and oil then add eggs, pumpkin puree and water.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to batter and continue mixing until well blended then stir in raisins and nuts.

5. Put mixture in Silicon loaf pan or regular loaf pan lined with parchment paper.  Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let sit in pan for about 5 minutes then cool on a wire rack.

This recipe can be used to make pumpkin muffins instead of a loaf but the bake time will be shorter.