I saw this idea for making candy cane sugar cookies that were rolled in sugar before baking, and I  wanted to adjust it to work with a delicious gluten-free sugar cookie dough. I really love how this particular sugar cookie dough ends up tasting - and it worked even better than I had anticipated with this dough. You can easily pipe the dough, chill just a bit, then twist the dough colors together and dip in sugar. Then you just shape it into the cute candy cane shapes as you pop it on the pan. So easy and festive! Enjoy! 

Candy Cane Vanilla Sugar Cookies - just out of the oven! 

Cute Candy Cane Vanilla Sugar Cookies

Makes several dozen candy cane cookies, or 2-4 dozen small circle cookies and ~2-4 dozen candy cane cookies

In a large bowl, whisk together: (it's important to mix dry ingredients separately in GF baking to avoid lumps)
2 cups Kristin's Gluten Free Flour Mix
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a mixer, cream together:
1 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup white sugar

Add and mix in, scraping down a few times:
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Add the dry ingredients in, and mix just until combined.  

If making some round cookies, do the following: 

Scoop 1 Tbsp scoops for round cookies onto parchment-lined pans.  Use a flat glass, wrapped in plastic wrap.  Dip it briefly in water and flatten each cookie.  Dip between every 1-2 cookies to keep it from sticking to the dough. These do spread just a bit, but not too much, so if I keep the cookies small, I find I can just fit 24 to a tray. Make one or two trays of round cookies. Bake each tray of flattened cookies at 350 F for 7-9 minutes, until light browned on edges. Remove from oven and let rest a few minutes before moving the cookies to a wire rack to fully cool. You can frost with my favorite marshmallow frosting recipe - which works great for coloring and piping or spread with the recipe on this other gluten-free sugar cookies recipe. 

Flattened round cookies, ready for baking.

Round cookies, out of the oven. For a crispier cookie, let them get a bit more browned than these ones were. Just depends on personal preference. 

Divide remaining cookie batter and put 1/2 the white batter into a medium freezer ziploc.  Mix in red food coloring paste to desired red color.  Place the red batter into a separate medium freezer ziploc. 

Snip a small corner ~1/4" of each ziploc bag.  On a parchment-lined baking pan, pipe thin stripes of one color lines on the pan. This is the lenght of your candy cane cookie, so keep in mind how large or small you'll want the candy cane cookie once you bend it to make it into the proper shape. Pipe the other color on top of the first color, so you have a large pan covered with red and white sticks of cookie batter.  Place in the refrigerator for ~20 minutes to chill. 

Thin strips of red and white piped together, then chilled. This method was easy and quick! No rolling needed.

On a large plate, place: 

~3-4 Tbsp granulated sugar, add more, as needed

Pick up each candy cane stick and twist to combine the colors. Gently roll in the sugar.  Place on a fresh baking tray lined with parchment paper, curving into the candy cane shape.  Repeat until you have a tray of candy cane cookies, ready for baking.  Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.  Baking until lightly browned edges will give you a more crispy cookie, which we love, but you can choose how soft/crispy you prefer.    Repeat with your dough until you have all your cookies prepared and rolled and baked!  

Let any baked cookies rest at least 5 minutes on the pan before removing to wire rack to fully cool.  

You can see the stripes have been picked up, twisted, dipped in sugar, then placed in shape on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Ready for baking! Make sure to leave a bit of room for them to spread.

Fresh from the oven!

If you have extra batter, you can pipe it onto a parchment-lined pan and bake. We made hearts with the extra colored batter - which were then eaten immediately. 

Hearts haphazardly piped with the leftover cookie batter. They baked quickly, but with the nicely browned edges they were flaky and crispy to eat fresh from the oven.

Store candy canes in a well-sealed tupperware or similar container at room temperature for up to a few days. ***Store the frosted sugar cookies separately from the candy canes, or the candy cane biscuits will lose their crispness.*** 

For the round sugar cookies, my girls and I decorated them with my favorite marshmallow frosting recipe - which works great for coloring and piping. I think my favorite were the gnomes! 

We just popped the different colors of frosting into medium freezer ziplocs and snipped tiny corners. Then piped and added sprinkles when we were inspired.

My favorites are definitely the gnomes. Will make those again. 

They had SO much fun. 

Gluten Free Candy Cane Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 I have so many different sandwich breads, and really I like them all, but I'm constantly tweaking and adjusting things to change textures, simplify the baking process, and play around with how the bread turns out.  This variation on a white loaf is a lovely addition to my bread repertoire. One batch makes three large loaves, which means there's plenty to cool, slice and freeze to eat later. This bread is versatile and works well for things like grilled cheese. Combine with an easy tomato soup for a quick meal. It will work well for a baked french toast, too, which is perfect over the holidays for a crowd. Enjoy!

A yummy slice of the white sandwich bread. 

Lovely White Sandwich Bread

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 3 large bread pans with parchment paper. Set aside. 

In a large mixer combine: 

2 1/2 cup brown rice flour

3/4 cup sorghum flour (or extra brown rice flour)

2/3 cup arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1 1/2 Tbsp xanthan gum

2 Tbsp rapid/quick-rise yeast

2 tsp salt

Add and mix in: 

2 cups warm water

6 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup oil (I usually use olive oil)

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup cottage cheese (optional, but you can add if you'd like to add a bit of extra protein. I find it works well and doesn't affect the texture negatively)

Beat for ~ 4 minutes, scraping occasionally until nice and light and fluffy.  Divide into the three parchment paper-lined bread pans (usually end up being filled ~2/3 each).  Set under an inverted cookie sheet (I usually play around until I can balance the pan on a couple of the bread pan handles).  Let rise in a warm location about 45 minutes, until nicely risen/nearly doubled. 

I forgot to snap a before photo, but here the loaves are risen and ready to bake!

Bake at 375 F for 50-60 minutes.  Let cool a few minutes before removing from pans to fully cool on a wire rack.  Once cool, slice and enjoy!  I have found if you've let it cool at least 20-30 minutes, you can usually slice it pretty decently to use right away.  The best is if you can let it fully cool, then you can get more accurate slicing.  Slice and freeze any leftovers in a ziploc. Pop them in a toaster to reheat. Enjoy! 

Fresh from the oven. Resting a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Yum! Makes the house smell so good.

Lovely White Sandwich Bread Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 Yep, we eat a lot of pumpkin and squash around here in the fall. And these delicious pumpkin oatmeal sandwich cookies (whoopie-pie like) are a delicious treat to make with fresh pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin. Enjoy!

Delicious, fresh pumpkin oatmeal sandwich cookies!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line pans with parchment paper. 

Makes ~24 small sized sandwiched cookies, or fewer if you make larger sandwiched cookies.

Mix together in a large bowl, and set aside: 

1 cup gluten-free oats

1 1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 - 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice blend

1/2 tsp salt

Cream together in a mixer: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 brown sugar

Add in: 

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Scoop 1 or 2 Tbsp scoops onto a parchment lined pan. Flatten gently with fingers. (you can dip them in a small bowl of water to help avoid sticking, if you prefer)

Bake at 350 F for 10 - 11 minutes for the 1 Tbsp scoops and 13 - 14 minutes for the 2 Tbsp scoops.  

Let rest a few minutes before removing to cooling racks to fully cool. 

Prepare the cream cheese frosting filling.  

Mix or beat together (beating til fluffy makes for a lighter overall frosting, which I prefer): 

2 Tbsp butter, softened

3 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tsp milk, add 1 tsp at a time and beat, then add more to desired consistency

Pipe from a ziploc bag or scoop frosting onto cookies and sandwich. These sandwich cookies freeze well, too! Enjoy!

I like to use about this much cream cheese frosting in each sandwich cookie.

A mixture of large and smaller pumpkin oatmeal sandwich cookies. Yum!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

A delicious pumpkin cake, with low refined-sugar and some extra eggs and cottage cheese (or sour cream) for a bit of extra protein. Is it still a cake? Yes. But it's less sweet than my usual pumpkin spice layer cake. We like having a slice for breakfast, too.  Enjoy! 

A yummy slice of pumpkin cake

Low Refined-Sugar Pumpkin Cake!

Preheat oven to 350 F. If desired, line 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Or butter lightly. 

Note* You can halve this recipe and still bake in a 9 x 13 pan. It works perfectly, and just bakes in about 30-35 minutes instead of 50.

In a bowl, whisk the dry ingredients: 

3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1 - 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl, mix together or blend to smooth it out a bit (you can use a stick blender to smooth, or mix the wet ingredients together in a blender):

2 cups pumpkin puree (homemade or canned 100% pumpkin)

6 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese OR 1 cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup maple syrup OR agave syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

Mix together the dry and wet ingredients, just until combined.  Spread in a 9" x 13" pan lined with parchment paper.  

Batter, ready to pop in the pan.

Ready to bake!

Bake at 350 F for ~50 minutes, until nicely browned.  (If you've halved the recipe - or want divide this and to bake two thinner pans of cake, bake for ~30-35 minutes)

Cool on cooling rack. You can remove from the pan using the parchment paper to support once it's cooled 15-20 minutes.  Let the cake fully cool before frosting.  If you're impatient, you can eat it while warm and just add a dollop of frosting onto each piece before serving.

Beat the following by hand OR in a mixer until nice and smooth:
2 Tbsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 - 2 cups powdered sugar  (I find you can just adjust how much milk is added depending on the amount of powdered sugar being used, and it ends up being quite nice either way)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract
1-2 tsp milk, added slowly, until desired thickness

Spread the top with the cream cheese frosting. Serve and enjoy!  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. 

A yummy healthy pumpkin cake, ready to eat!

Healthy-style Pumpkin Cake Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 After tasting some delicious gluten-free pumpkin scones at a bakery down in the US, it was time to do some experimenting to create some at home. We've all been very happy eating the results of my experimenting. These yummy scones are soft and fluffy and just delicious. Enjoy! 

A delicious light and fluffy pumpkin scone - these with a bit more of a "glaze' than I'd normally go for, but my daughter was working with me and wanted a generous amount of cream cheese glaze on these ones.  Other glaze options are listed below!

Fresh from the oven!

Pumpkin Scones

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, mix together: 

2 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pumpkin spice blend

Chop in with a pastry blender until the butter is small pea-sized pieces or smaller throughout: 

1/2 cup butter, chilled (not softened)

In a small bowl, whisk together (you'll use ~1/2 for the dough and the rest for brushing the tops of your scones):

1 egg

1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream

Mix into your flour mixture: 

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)

~ 1/2 of the egg/cream mixture (If your pumpkin puree is very wet, you can use less of this mixture - if your pumpkin puree is on the drier side, you'll want to use more. You'll use the rest of the egg/cream mixture for brushing the tops of your scones)

Work quickly, and knead the dough a few times.  Most people like to flatten their dough and cut out the pieces, but I find with this dough it's best to quickly scoop using a large cookie scoop and flatten or shape by hand, as desired, on a parchment-lined pan.  

You can easily and quickly shape this dough into triangles, if you prefer those for your scones. Personally, I find being able to scoop and flatten quickly works well for me! Especially while cooking with my daughter - who took many of these photos as we baked these.

Brush the top of the scones with:

leftover egg/cream mixture

Brushing the tops with the leftover egg + cream mixture. (Exciting moment here - I'm actually in a photo!)

Sprinkle the tops with a bit of coarse sugar or a bit of extra brown or white sugar.

Sprinkled with sugar and ready for baking!

Bake at 425 F for 17 - 20 minutes, until nicely browned.   

Let rest for a few minutes before removing scones to a cooling rack. 

Cooked and cooling. You can glaze while warm and eat them immediately, if you prefer. 

Whisk together a quick glaze to drizzle on top of your pumpkin scones. There are a few options: 

1) 1 Tbsp butter, softened + 1.5 oz cream cheese, softened + 1 cup powdered sugar + 1-2 tsp milk (or a little more to desired consistency)

OR 

2) 1 Tbsp maple syrup + powdered sugar to desired consistency

OR

2) 2 tsp milk + 1 tsp vanilla extract + powdered sugar to desired consistency

You can drizzle it with a spoon, or scoop your drizzle into a ziploc baggie, snip the corner, and neatly drizzle over your scones.  

These ones are obviously with the cream cheese glaze - and a very generous amount of it.  Which glaze you use depends on your preference and mood at the time. ;) 

Pumpkin Scones Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 Fun and easy gluten-free pigs in a blanket! The dough is based off my naan bread recipe, which remains one of our favorite breads and pizza crusts to make.  By piping the dough onto a bit of cornstarch, you can use a nice soft dough to end up with a soft breading around your pigs in a blanket, which is so delicious! I find that you need a much wetter batter when making gluten-free breads, which can make the dough difficult to work with and shape.  This method worked great! My girls love helping make these. Enjoy!

Fresh, homemade pigs in a blanket

Brushing them with butter before rising and baking. 

Pigs In A Blanket

Makes 20 pigs in a blanket, plus any extra stuffed cheese balls or pizza crust you'd like to make with excess batter. 

Preheat oven to 425 - 450 F. Line a pan with parchment paper. 

Slice in half and set aside: 

1 package hot dogs (I like to use no nitrate ones)

Typically 10 hot dogs are in a package, so you'll end up with 20 half hot dogs to roll up for your pigs in a blanket. 

In a mixer, combine: 

3 1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

2 tsp xanthan gum (there is some in the flour mix, but you'll want a little extra)

1 Tbsp rapid-rise/quick yeast

2 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp dried onion flakes (optional)

1/2 - 1 tsp red chili pepper flakes (optional)

1 tsp freeze-dried or dried cilantro (optional)

Add, and beat 2-3 minutes, until nice and smooth: 

2 1/4 cup milk, a little warmer than room temperature (lactose-free works well)

2 eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

Scoop the batter into a large freezer ziploc bag. Cut off ~1/2" from the corner.  

To make your pigs in a blanket, have arranged on the counter your parchment-lined baking sheet, one or two pieces of plastic wrap, and the plate with cornstarch, below. 

On a plate put: 

~1/2 cup cornstarch

They love making these. 

Pipe dollops of dough onto the cornstarch. Press a hot dog piece down into the middle of a dollop of dough. Gently fold the dough up and around the hot dog, using a bit of cornstarch on the dough to avoid sticking.  Lift your pig in a blanket onto the piece of plastic wrap, and gently roll back and forth to smooth it a bit and remove a bit of excess cornstarch.  Place seam side down on the parchment-lined pan.  Repeat with the remaining hot dog halves until you have a full pan of pigs in a blanket. 

After piping a dollop of dough, press the hot dog into the center.

Gently pull up, using a bit of cornstarch, to avoid sticking.

Place on a piece of plastic wrap (helps make for easier clean-up)

Roll gently to smooth out the dough.

Place your pigs in a blanket on a parchment-lined baking pan. 

They did a great job!

Brush the rolled pigs in a blanket with:

1/4 cup melted butter

Happily brushing with melted butter. 

Ah, now she's happily brushing with melted butter.

If you have extra dough, you have a couple fun options to do with the excess: 

1. You can spread the dough on a parchment-lined pan and bake to make a pizza crust. Bake immediately or let rise and bake ~10-12 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.

2. You can pipe dough onto the cornstarch and then fill with chunks of cheese instead of hot dog, then fully wrap the dough around the cheese, placing seam-side down on the pan. Rise and bake like the hot dogs. Some may leak cheese, but we find they're a delicious treat.

Here's a few cheese-filled rolls made with extra dough. Also brushed with butter prior to rising.

Let the pigs in a blanket rest to rise for ~15 minutes.  Bake at 425 - 450 F for ~17 - 20 minutes, until a deep golden brown.  Remove from oven and place your hot dog filled rolls on a wire rack to cool. 

Resting to rise 15 minutes prior to baking.

Fresh from the oven. 

These can be served right away! We like to put whatever your preferred hot dog toppings directly onto the plate and dip the pigs in a blanket into them.  Cooled leftovers can be placed in a ziploc bag and frozen. My girls love taking these for school lunches with a little container of ketchup. They're defrosted by lunch and they can warm them briefly in the microwave at school. Fun! Enjoy! 

Cooling after baking. Ready to eat!

Pigs In A Blanket Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

GF Light & Fluffy Lemon & Blueberry Muffins

 We seem to go through a lot of muffins around here. They're a favorite. Everyone loves muffins for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack-time. These lovely lemon and blueberry muffins are based off one of my favorite light and fluffy lemon or lemon-poppyseed muffins.  Quite a lot of the time, the types of muffins I end up making are directly influenced by what fruits and vegetables I happen to have in the refrigerator needing to be used. In this case - some lemons and blueberries. Enjoy! 

Lemon & Blueberry Muffins, fresh from the oven. Yum!

Light & Fluffy Lemon & Blueberry Muffins

Makes 24 muffins

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line tins with paper liners.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together:
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 c + 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch OR cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

Add and beat 2-3 minutes until nice and smooth:
4 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar 
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp packed lemon zest (and/or 5 drops lemon essential oil)

Mix into batter:

1 - 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Batter ready to put into muffin tins!

Divide batter into prepared muffin cups.

I like to use a really large size cookie scoop to divide up the batter.

Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with: 

~1 Tbsp granulated sugar

I fine this adds just a touch of caramelized sweetness 

Bake muffins at 350 F for 18-20 minutes until golden brown on top.  Let rest in tins a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.  These are wonderful hot or cooled on the day of baking. I like to put leave a handful of muffins in a tupperware on the counter for any that will be eaten within a day and reheat 15 second in the microwave before serving.  The remaining I put in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze for later. Enjoy! 

This recipe made 24 muffins. 

GF Light & Fluffy Lemon & Blueberry Muffins Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!