Tastes |

An Adventure with Peanut Butter Cookies, Gluten Free

Flour-based cookies seem to be my gluten free nemesis. I’ve never gotten sugar cookies right, and my chocolate chip ones just turn into a flat melty mess unless I bake them in a bowl to become a mini cookie cake - sometimes, one has to get creative and work with the failures

But these I am determined to convert, and convert with resounding success. I started working on the recepe development to adapt a family recipe for peanut butter cookies. It’s been, well, let’s just say it’s been educational.

It took six. Six batches. Yes, it took six different trials of baking cookies – mixing together dough, carefully rolling out each rounded cookie, smashing them down with a fork oh so gently, slipping into the oven and saying a little prayer to the gluten free gods. And with each new batch, the disappointment intensified. I tried different flours, different ratios, different cooking times. And I ended up with a giant bowl full of all the crumbled memories of peanut butter cookie failures, each begging me not to end their fleeting existence with a trip to the rubbish bin (don’t worry, they didn’t, the ended up on top of ice cream instead). But, by the time I got through to batch #6, I had cookies. Rich, softish peanut buttery goodness, gluten free. And the disappointments from all the previous failures turned into pure joy They are not quite as awesome as my dad’s grandmother’s famous cookies (well, famous in our family), but they are close. Oh they are so close.

Continue reading An Adventure with Peanut Butter Cookies, Gluten Free

Cashew Butter Cookies

I’m not sharing a recipe with you today. I’m sharing an idea, and that idea is cashew butter. Ok, so it’s not an idea, it’s an ingredient. I’m not sharing with you a recipe because this is one I want to adapt to be gluten free first. This is my dad’s grandmother’s peanut butter cookie recipe, and it’s totally glutenicious. I’m pretty sure that’s one of the main reasons why these are so delectably soft compared to traditional flourless peanut butter cookies, and I want to be able to present to you the same quality of awesomeness that comes with the original recipe.

The last time I made similar cookies (Almond Butter Cookies) I got lucky when I added in flour and they happened to work. This time I don’t want to get lucky. I want to get it right and know exactly why it works. And when I do I will share with you her secret family recipe, GF style

Continue reading Cashew Butter Cookies

S is for Summer. And Strawberries.

Last week I discovered something awesome – there is a farmer’s market I can access during my lunch hour at work! I cannot describe to you with words the satisfaction of my lunch (and by lunch I mean snack that lasted all afternoon) that day….fresh baked bread on which I spread chèvre d’olive, and an entire quart of gorgeously fresh Swiss strawberries. I was ecstatic to find such awesome fruit, and allowed myself to enjoy every minute of it.

No, the pic up top is not from last week, but from a farmer’s market trip back in grad school – my mom was staying with me during my crazy tendinitis incident, and this particular Saturday that June I was able to hobble around enough to enjoy the local farmer’s market. These strawberries were from that trip, almost 2 years ago. They lasted maybe 10 minutes after this photo was taken, we devoured them like candy – because that’s exactly what they were, candy – sweet, natural, red juice dripping down your face leaving you to ponder exactly how anyone could want to eat anything else in the world, all your cares melting dissolving away as you take bite after succulent bite.

While I didn’t photograph the gorgeous strawberries I had last week, their incredible sweetness reminded me of that trip the farmer’s market with my mom, and reminded me that I wanted to share with you all my love if this little red fruit. If you like strawberries (and really, who doesn’t?), now is the time to indulge and create every strawberry dish you can! I am all about using fruits in season because at the peak of their season fruits are at their most flavorful. This is the height of strawberry time – June is the month for strawberries, at least for me en Suisse and for many areas Stateside where I’ve lived.

Right now, it’s worth taking advantage of this time to enjoy them as best you can! I find that their flavor is actually quite versatile – there are so many more things you can do besides just make strawberry shortcake (though that is tasty too…), and also in some savory recipes too! I use them all the time, even if it’s just something simple such as garnishing my breakfast or elegant dessert – they can be incorporated into so many dishes. I decided that now, mid-June, was the perfect time to collect my strawberry ideas together and share them with you in one easy to find location.

So this weekend, I charge you all with going out and enjoying some fresh local strawberries – be creative, play! You may just find that some of the best candy can’t be packaged in a bar, but rather is a delightful gift from Mother Nature herself

Continue reading S is for Summer. And Strawberries.

Copyright © 2008-2010 by Jenn Cuisine, All Rights Reserved. Do NOT use original graphics or written content without requesting and then receiving explicit permission. Please contact Jenn for all requests.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a licensed medical professional NOR am I a certified nutritionist. This site is NOT meant to be used in place of medical advice. You are responsible for your own consumption of foods. Consult a licensed medical professional before making any dietary changes. Contact manufacturer to inquire about allergy risks in specific food products.