Holiday Baking has begun....Recipe 1: Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

So the baking has begun and seeing as I have a few "gluten" free friends, I have decided to take a gluten free recipe and make it not only gluten free but also WLS friendly.

You will need:

1 Large Egg
3/4 Splenda (or Sugar)
1tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter - typically I use organic but all I had today was Jif

1/2 tsp Gluten free Vanilla (does not have to be gluten free if making WLS version)

1/3 cup Chocolate Chips (Nestle Brand is Gluten Free) WLS may want to omit for use Sugar Free Chocolate chips or cut up 2 small SF chocolate bars into small pieces

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with wax paper. It makes for easier cleanup.

Mix together egg, vanilla, sugar, and baking soda with paddle attachment on your mixer or electric hand beater.  Add peanut butter and mix well, scraping down the sides at least once. Add chocolate chips if using.

Drop mix on cookie sheet by the teaspoon. Dip fork in hot water and lighting press down the top of each cookie before popping in the oven. 

I only cook mine for about 7 minutes. Bake until lightly set on top. Remove from oven. Let sit 2min and then move to a cooling rack. 

These little treats are pretty good for being both Gluten Free and WLS friendly.  

Tomorrow (hopefully) is my blog on Spritz cookies which are currently frozen in my freezer. Everyone says they are so easy and the dough is, so maybe my cookie press is faulty. Also coming soon are decorated sugar cookies, Peppermint Bark, and a few others...

If you need any holiday recipe ideas, I literally have hundreds of cookie and dessert recipes. Leave me a comment or your email and I can shoot you some of my favorites!

Happy Baking!

Jenn

Christmas Baking Begins!

Well the Christmas baking begins this weekend. I have almost all of my ingredients and just need a few last minute decor items to round off my list. Oh and about 6 cookie sheets!

Some of my 2009 Holiday Cookies

This year I am not only shipping cookies to loved ones but I am taking on the task of also provided my mum with baked goods for about 16 people at her work.

Here is the list on what I plan on making:
Sugar Cookies - cut and fully decorated in holiday shapes. This year I am thinking of sticking to 6 shapes only. Last year it got out of hand!

Peppermint Bark- mine is almost as good as the William Sonoma ( www.williamsonoma.com ) brand

Chocolate Chip Cookies- always a favorite and I have recipes for about 20 versions!

Gingerbread Boys and Girls

Peppermint Patty Holiday Cookies with crushed peppermint candies - so easy you won't believe it!

Spritz Cookies- a long time holiday classic

I might add one or two more types but I think the above should be a good enough variety. I also plan on trying my hand at my first ever Busch de Noel.

All that being said over the next 3 weeks there will be random posts of recipes of all of the above with photos and some step by step info.  I may also post some recipes that didn't make the chopping block this year but are favorites of mine, minus pictures.

Seeing as baking is starting either tomorrow or Sunday I shall return with some yummy treats!

In the meantime, if you are in need of any special recipes let me know! I have tons in my arsenal for all experience levels and I am always happy to make suggestions if you are stuck on what to make.

Happy Holiday Baking!
Jenn

Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies for Lia Sophia

So recently I attended a Lia Sophia party, dead set on not buying anything. Well that didn't happen. But I was able to impress the other guests with a semi diet friendly version of my Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies. The "SuperTaster" Jmac swears she could taste the Splenda...I think she is silly.
If you want to switch out splenda for sugar, the conversions are below.

You will need:
2-1/4" Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 sticks of room temp butter
1/2 cup Splenda (or sugar)
1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar( or 1 cup light brown sugar)
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp good vanilla
2 large eggs at room temp
A mixer- I love my Kitchen Aid

In your mixer cream the splendas (or sugars) with the butter until smooth and creamy.
Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add Vanilla.

Add in baking soda, salt, and flour mixture slowly. Save a little of the flour mixture to coat the chocolate chips before dumping those in. I usually do about a 1/4 cup of the flour mixture mixed with my chocolate chips so they spread out well in the batter. Once everything is just combined you are ready to bake.

I measure mine with a very small ice cream scoop meant for cookies.

In a 350 pre heated oven bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes. $5 bucks at Walmart. My oven is insane so sometimes it is 7 minutes sometimes it is 12. Go figure.

My Splenda cookies are delish and around these holidays when all we do is eat goodies, it's not a bad recipe to try...if you are dairy free, just buy dairy free chocolate chips. If you are gluten free, just switch out the flour and play with the recipe a little.  You can also add in nuts, dried fruit, etc. Go crazy! A recipe is just a starting base...so go forth and make it your own.

Happy Baking!
Jenn