Gluten Free Holiday Baking

  in Blog

Delicious holiday treats should be for everyone, even if you can’t tolerate wheat. So try one of these gluten-free recipes to enjoy this holiday season. 

Cinnamon Stars

Makes 45 cookies

2  1/2 cups confectioners’s sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting
4 cups almond meal
1  1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
finely grated zest from one lemon

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  
  2. In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, cinnamon and lemon zest with a whisk.
  3. Whip egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Continue whipping and gradually add sifted confectioner’s sugar. Whites should be thick, creamy, and somewhat stiff. Set aside 2/3 cup of mixture for tops of cookies.
  4. Gently fold egg mixture into almond mixture. Dough will be stiff.
  5. Lay a sheet of parchment paper or waxed paper on a flat work surface. Spoon dough onto paper. Flatten dough with your hands and lightly sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Cover dough with another sheet of paper.
  6. Roll dough between papers to 1/4-inch thickness. Flip dough over. Gently peel off the top sheet of paper. Sprinkle on a little confectioner’s sugar, place the paper back onto the dough and flip again. Peel other sheet of paper so that the dough is not stuck to either sheet of paper.
  7. Using a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies and place on prepared baking sheets. Dip cutter in confectioner’s sugar to keep dough from sticking to cutter. Gather and reroll dough as needed.
  8. Use a small metal spatula or small spoon to spread remaining meringue mixture over the top of each cookie. Don’t allow the meringue to drip over the sides. Bake 15 minutes. Let cool and store in airtight containers. Layer in containers carefully so as not to crush cookies.

Hazelnut Macaroons

2 large egg whites
Pinch sea salt
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 cups ground hazelnuts
whole hazelnuts for decoration

  1. Heat oven to 275°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Whip the egg whites and salt until stiff. Add the sugar gradually, continuing to mix until shiny.
  3. Fold in the ground hazelnuts until incorporated.
  4. Scoop walnut-sized balls onto the prepared sheets and press a hazelnut into the middle of each.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and block open the door slightly. Leave cookies in the oven for 30 minutes. Separate the cookies from the paper with a metal spatula and allow to cool completely.

Gluten Free Gingerbread with Lemon Icing

1 package Bob’s Redmill almond meal (1 lb)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses

Lemon icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with butter. In a large bowl whisk together the almond meal, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses until smooth. Gradually beat in the almond mixture until combined.
  3. Press dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool.
  4. While bread is cooling, mix the confectioners sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle icing over cool bread.

Good For You Cookies

1 1/4 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup oat or rice bran
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup amaranth flour
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon flax seeds
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

  1. Mix the oats, bran, raisins, flour, sesame seeds and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, combine the water and flaxseeds. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened to the consistency of unbeaten egg whites. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.
  3. Pour the liquid mixture into the oats and stir well. Refrigerate for about an hour to firm the dough. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto parchment covered or greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cookies get firmer as they cool. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Raw Chocolate Brownies

Adapted from Rawtarian

1 cup pecans (you can use walnuts in a pinch, but pecans are much better!)
1 cup dates
5 tablespoons raw cacao (cocoa) powder
4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

  1. Place pecans in food processor and process until small and crumbly.
  2. Add dates and process again until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and process again until the mixture turns a lovely dark chocolatey brown. Stop processing before it gets too buttery. (There should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.)
  4. Dump the mixture into a brownie dish or small cake pan and press down firmly using your clean hands. Refrigerate to chill an hour or so to firm up. Frost with raw chocolate icing if desired.
  5. Store in the refrigerator.

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

From elanaspantry.com

2½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal) 
¼ teaspoon sea salt 
¼ teaspoon baking soda 
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
5 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
½ cup salted butter or palm shortening, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and pecans.
  2. In a small bowl, mix honey, butter, and vanilla.
  3. Mix wet ingredients into dry.
  4. Place dough in center of a piece of parchment paper. Form into a log approximately 2½-inches in diameter.
  5. Place in freezer for one hour, until firm, unwrap and cut into ⅛-inch thick slices.
  6. Place slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 350°F until lightly golden, 7-10 minutes. Cool for 1 hour.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (natural, with no additives)
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup almond flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  1. Heat oven to 325°F.
  2. Cream butter until soft.  Add eggs, peanut butter, vanilla, and honey, and mix thoroughly. 
  3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
  4. Drop rounded teaspoons on greased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork or your fingers. Bake about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.

From Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall (Specific Carbohydrate Diet)

Mini Cherry Clafoutis

1 10 oz. bag frozen organic dark cherries, thawed
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
softened butter for greasing muffin pan

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin pan thoroughly with butter.
  2. Place 3 cherries in each muffin cup.
  3. In a blender, blend the eggs, milk, almond flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and salt until smooth. Pour batter over berries.
  4. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife. Invert the pan onto a clean cutting board, smacking the pan to dislodge the clafoutis. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Coconut Almond Snack Balls

1 cup packed pitted dates
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

  1. Pulse the dates in a food processor until finely chopped. Scrape chopped dates into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. Add the walnuts, almond flour, coconut flour, and sea salt to the bowl. Pulse until mixture resembles a fine meal. Add the chopped dates, vanilla and coconut extracts and coconut oil and pulse until combined.
  3. Dump the mixture into the mixing bowl. Scoop out heaping tablespoons  and roll compactly into balls about the size of walnuts. Place balls on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet.
  4. Melt the chocolate chips over low heat on the stove or in a glass bowl in the microwave. Drizzle chocolate over the balls or dip balls into chocolate. Chill until the chocolate hardens.
  5. Enjoy right away or keep chilled.