As diligently as I follow a gluten free diet (and I am diligent – I never, EVER knowingly and willingly cheat) sometimes it happens – I get glutenized!

Such was the case sometime Saturday. I woke up Sunday with my typical signs, a migraine headache and a mysterious, unrelenting itchiness.

Unfortunately, ingesting gluten does nothing to dampen my appetite. No matter how icky I feel, I still need to eat. And at that point I want “comfort food”.

For me, Shepherd’s Pie is pure comfort. My mother made it often when I was growing up, usually using leftovers. I loved it more that whatever the original dinner was.

So I scrounged around my kitchen to see what I could find to put together for a quick and effortless Shepherd’s Pie. I had half a rotisserie chicken in the fridge, a large sweet potato in my veggie bowl and a freezer stocked with a variety of Kettle Cuisine gluten free soups – they are all made with the highest quality ingredients and are made by actual people in an actual kitchen!  The ingredients are prepared the way I would prepare them at home if I were making soup – they are hand peeled, and cut and treated with care and that’s why I LOVE Kettle Cuisine’s soups.

I chose their Roasted Vegetable Soup, not just gluten-free but dairy-free also, and in about 25 minutes I made a dinner for two that was simple but didn’t taste like it, with its rich, complex flavors. This made 2 large, grown up servings, you can easily double or even triple this recipe if need be.

This is seriously one of the easiest gluten free recipes I have ever made. Perfect for a time when you feel like “cooked-all-day comfort food” but don’t have the time or energy to cook all day.

If you find yourself accidentally glutenized, you are not alone. Pop over to this blog post of Shirley’s and see how some of the top gluten free bloggers deal with the occasional gluten poisoning.

Gluten Free Autumn Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

3 cups diced sweet potatoes (from 1 large or two medium, about 1 ½ pounds) – cut into 1 inch dice
1 package Kettle Cuisine Roasted Vegetable Soup
2 cups cooked chicken (about half a chicken) – shredded or diced
2 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other dairy free butter substitute)
¼ cup rice milk
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the sweet potatoes into a pan with heavily salted cold water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, microwave the soup for 3 – 4 minutes or until hot. Stir and pour into a mixing bowl. Add the chicken and stir to combine. Divide the mixture between 2 oven safe bowls or ramekins (my ramekins hold 18 ounces).

When the sweet potatoes are done, drain them and then return them to the hot pot. Put back on the fire and cook for another 30 seconds or so to evaporate any excess liquid. Turn off the heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher then add the Earth Balance, rice milk, salt and pepper. Mash together until fairly smooth. Divide the potato mixture between the ramekins on top of the chicken mixture. Spread all the way to the edges of the ramekins. With the tines of a fork, rake the top of the potatoes to create little ridges. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. If you want the top of the potatoes a little more browned, turn on the broiler and broil for a minute but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-autumn-shepherds-pie-recipe.html

Today is supposed to be a very lucky day – 11/11/11.  And personally, I am inclined to believe it.  It was lucky for me and I think lucky for you.  I had a gluten free bread baking recipe breakthrough.

As a person who spends most of her time creating gluten free recipes you can imagine that I get my fair share of emails asking if I have a really good recipe for gluten free bread. Before going gluten free I made a few loaves of bread (with varying degrees of success) but I was by no means a bread baker. When I get these emails I think “Why ask me? Why not ask a bread baking expert?

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I am probably the perfect person to ask. Why? Because:

1. I went for probably 15 years without eating bread so I know I can live without it – I would rather not eat bread than eat yucky, grainy, crumbly bread.

2. I love great food but I am also kind of lazy so I am always looking for the easiest way to make something.

3. I am not a person who finds it “relaxing” to knead dough by hand for 15 minutes. I wish I was that kind of person, but sadly when I do menial tasks for any period of time, my mind starts to wonder and that is never a good thing!

4. I am success driven, persistent and some might even say a little OCD – I will keep at something until I get it right.

So, I decided to put my mind to making great gluten free breads. I decided to start with French Bread. I did my homework, I studied first the traditional French Bread recipes and methods, then I looked at gluten free ingredients and studied how to make them work better and finally, I baked and baked and baked!

I played around with flours and baking times and methods until I got a gluten free French Bread recipe that was crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, beautifully browned, tastes like what French Bread should taste like and was easy to make. I threw away a lot of bread, enlisted everyone I came across (including a good number of whom are regular gluten-eaters) in blind taste testing and finally, I am pleased to say, came up with a recipe I am happy with!  And I think YOU will love!

And you want to hear the very best thing? It is actually EASIER to make gluten free French Bread than it is to make the gluten-filled kind! Yes, you heard right – EASIER! No kneading, no double rising (I tried, better without) no hours until bread is ready. You can actually have lovely, perfect gluten free French Bread in about an hour and a half, start to finish!

Ok… so here are some tips I discovered:

Equipment
You are going to need a mixer – it is going to do pretty much all the work for you. (Don’t have a mixer? Head over HERE to enter to win a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer!) You also need a French bread pan – gluten free bread needs support when it is rising and baking. Fortunately you can get one for under $20.00 – considering the cost of decent gluten free bread, an investment so worth it! The pans come either perforated or solid, I used both in testing and it didn’t make a huge difference but I did like the results from the perforated pans slightly more. And finally, unless you are dead certain your oven is totally accurate, run over to the hardware or grocery store and grab an oven thermometer for about 4 bucks – you should have one anyway!

Kneading

Remember when the internet was all abuzz about no-knead bread? Ha! That’s old news to us gluten free bakers! 3 minutes in the mixer and that’s pretty much it, no kneading what-so-ever!

Yeast

I got the best result from Dry Active Yeast. It needs to be “active” so if you have had a jar sitting in your fridge since you can’t remember when, go get a new one – it lasts about 6 months refrigerated, after that it may not be good any longer. If you do store your yeast in the fridge then it will take longer for the yeast to “proof”. You want the yeast mixture to pretty much double in size and be all foamy.




Flours




After testing all sorts of different flour combinations, what worked best was a simple combo of white rice flour, sweet rice flour (also called glutinous flour) and tapioca starch. I used all Asian flours (Erawan Brand) which are more finely milled and cost a fraction of the flours you get in the health food store. I also tested this recipe using my own flour and it came out really great (well…dahaaa!) and the dough was a tad easier to work with.

Gum and Fat
I found that mixing the xanthan gum with the fat (olive oil) before adding it to the batter made it work better. I wish I could tell you why, just trust me on this.


Prep

Get all your ingredients out, mix your yeast, blend the xanthan gum with the oil and lightly beat your eggs before you start to mix, it makes it easier. Do the steps in order as I give you in the recipe.


The Dough

If you were used to bread making in a former pre-gluten-free life you will think there is not enough flour in the dough because it has a consistency more like a thick batter than dough. Resist with every fiber of your being from adding more flour! This is just the way gluten free bread dough is. You need to spoon the dough into the pans and shape it with a spatula – it won’t magically turn into pretty ovals unless you do this.


Slashing the Dough

Cutting 3 or 4 diagonal slashes into the top of the dough will help the steam escape while it is baking giving you a lovely, tender texture.

Prepping the Pans

Either spray your French Bread pans with gluten-free, non-stick cooking spray or brush with oil before putting the dough into the pans to rise. For a really authentic bottom, sprinkle a teaspoon of cornmeal on the bottom of the pans after you oil them up. It isn’t completely necessary but it does add that certain je ne se qua (fancy French term for “a certain something”). If using the perforated pans, place them on top of a baking sheet to oil and dust with cornmeal or you will have a mess to clean. Do not bake the bread on the baking sheet however, just put the French bread pan right on the oven rack.

Browning

I tested everything I could think of to get the perfect brown on the French Bread and what I found gave the best color came from brushing the loaves with melted butter just before baking. The good news is that they also came out beautifully browned with a brushing of melted Earth Balance as well – keeping the bread totally dairy free if need be.

Humidity

To get that crunchy crust and tender inside so characteristic of good French Bread it should bake in a humid environment. This is easily created by putting a pan of hot water into the oven while it preheats and just leaving it there while the bread is baking. You can also spritz the oven occasionally with water from a spray bottle but then you have to remember to do it whereas the pan of water just sits there and does its job.




Gluten Free French Bread



Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dry Active Yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

1½ cups warm water (it should be pretty warm to the touch but not hot)

3 teaspoons xanthan gum

2 tablespoons olive oil

*1½ cups super fine or Asian white rice flour

*½ cup superfine or Asian sweet rice flour

*1 cup tapioca starch

1½ teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons cornmeal – optional

2 tablespoons butter or Earth Balance, melted

*in place of the flours and starch you can use 3 cups of a good, pastry quality gluten free flour blend




Directions

Combine the yeast, sugar and warm water in a bowl about twice the size of the mixture and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Let sit for 5 -6 minutes (10 if the yeast has been in the fridge) or until it is foamy and doubled in size.

In a small bowl stir the xanthan gum with the olive oil until the xanthan gum is dissolved.

Combine the flours, tapioca starch (or gluten free flour blend) and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or just the regular beaters – don’t use a dough hook) and mix to combine. Add the yeast mixture, xanthan gum mixture, eggs and vinegar and mix on low to combine. Scrap down the sides of the bowl once. Turn the mixer to high and mix for 3 minutes.

Spray a French bread pan (with 2 forms) with gluten-free, non-stick cooking spray or brush with more olive oil and sprinkle a teaspoon of cornmeal onto the bottom of each pan.

Spoon the batter into the forms and shape into an oval with a spatula. Using a razor blade or sharp knife cut 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on top of each loaf. Cover the loaves with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm, draft-free place to rise. Let rise for 30 minutes or until the loaves have doubled in size.

Place a baking pan on the floor of your oven (or on the bottom shelf) and fill it with about an inch of really hot water. Position the rack you are baking the bread on in the middle of the oven. Turn the oven on and preheat to 400 degrees.


Brush the top of the loaves with the melted butter or Earth Balance and bake for 40 – 45 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.



You can also make crusty rolls by scooping the dough into 2 standard sized muffin tins, letting them rise 30 minutes and baking for about 20 minutes.



A gluten free recipe that makes 2 loaves of French Bread or 24 Crusty Rolls.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com




Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-french-bread-recipe-easy-easy-easy.html

I know that at this time of the year many of you are scouring the internet for gluten free recipes for Thanksgiving or other upcoming holidays. But may I just point out that Thanksgiving is only one meal in a whole month of dinners! Yes, the truth is that we do need to eat every day, even when those days are getting more hectic by the second. And the reality is that if we have children, we are sort of obligated to feed them!

This is a quick recipe you can throw together in less than half an hour that is also tasty and even a little sophisticated. It also contains items that are always in my pantry such as Panko Style Gluten Free Bread Crumbs from Kinnikinnick and canned salmon – yet another demonstration of how having a well stocked pantry can be a life saver.  OK – maybe not a “life saver” but certainly a dinner saver!

I made two quick sauces for these salmon cakes, one a sour cream dill sauce and the other a dairy free quick tartar sauce. I think nothing goes as well with salmon than dill and the hubby is a staunch tartar sauce supporter – so yes… two sauces.

As with any recipe, you have the freedom to change it up to your liking; add some chopped bell peppers and chilies for a Mexican spin or toss in some cooked potatoes for potato fish cakes or…well you get the idea.

Gluten Free Salmon Cakes

Ingredients

1 – 15 ounce can salmon, undrained
1 cup Kinnikinnick panko style gluten free bread crumbs
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 – 2.5 ounce can sliced black olives
3 scallions (green onions) green and white part, thinly sliced
2 heaping teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (if you don’t have Old Bay Seasoning, than season with salt, pepper, paprika and a few dashes of hot sauce)
3 -4 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, flake the salmon with a fork. Add the bread crumbs, eggs, Old Bay seasoning, olives, corn and green onions. Mix well and form into eight patties, each about ½ inch thick, compacting firmly.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry the patties in batches (do not over crowd the pan) for 3 – 4 minutes per side or until nicely browned.

Quick Dill Sauce

Ingredients

6 ounces Greek yogurt (full, low or non-fat)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
1 small clove garlic, minced or grated
juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper

Directions

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or store, covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Quick Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
¼ heaping cup of sweet pickle relish
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-salmon-cakes-recipe-with-two-quick-sauces.html

There are three things about this gluten free recipe I would like to mention. In no particular order, here I go:

Figs

They are in season now, they are tender, sweet, plump and jammy. While most of the other fall fruits are crisp and cold, these babies are kind of contrary with their soft, warm, downright sexy lusciousness. I can’t get enough of them. So head on out to the market and grab some of the beauties while they’re still in season.   Seriously.  Don’t dawdle.

Almond Flatbread

This gluten-free recipe which is also grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan for flatbread crust is a fabulous base for all sorts of ingredient. Really, anything you can imagine can go on to this versatile canvas. For this recipe I add some minced rosemary for a woodsy, herbal undertone that goes great with the figs and rosemary honey but you can add any kind of herbs and spices, garlic, a touch of agave for sweetness – the list goes on. Your imagination and pantry are the only things holding you back. Eggs are not an issue for me personally but I decided to make this egg-free because I love the addition of extra fiber in this high protein dough, but if you prefer you can use 2 large eggs in the recipe instead of the flaxseed meal and warm water. Don’t you just love recipes as versatile as this?

Rosemary Honey

Start with some fabulous honey like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Fair Trade with its caramel, floral notes and gently heat with a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary – the rosemary infuses into the honey and the result is a rich, warm, thick syrup that is not only terrific for pan roasting the figs in this recipe but can be used alone drizzled over fresh figs, apricots or cheese; it is a great addition to your autumn cheese platter. Imagine it drizzled over polenta cake or brushed onto chicken as it roasts. Ah, the sweet possibilities are endless.

Combine all these elements into a flatbread and it is the perfect autumn treat that can be served as an appetizer, dessert or with a salad for a sophisticated weekend lunch. And since it is the weekend, maybe you can add a glass of crisp white wine to go along with that lunch.

To keep this recipe vegan just use Raw Blue Agave instead of the honey and leave out the cheeses; you can substitute the ricotta with some vegan cream cheese or cashew cream like this recipe from my friend Amy.

Gluten Free Honey Fig Ricotta Flatbread

Ingredients

Crust
*2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
6 tablespoons warm water
3 cups almond flour
1 ½ teaspoons kosher or fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
¼ cup olive oil (or any kind of oil you like)

*If you prefer use 2 large eggs instead of the flaxseed meal and 6 tablespoons of warm water.

Toppings
½ cup Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Fair Trade Honey
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 pint fresh figs, stems and tough ends removed – quartered and diced
1 – 15 ounce container part skim or full fat ricotta cheese (or fresh ricotta), at room temperature
1 cup baby arugula
Course sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese – a few shavings as garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl stir together the flax seed and warm water and let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture gels up.

In a large mixing bowl combine the almond flour, 1 ½ teaspoon of salt, baking soda and minced rosemary. Add the flaxseed meal mixture (or eggs) and oil and stir to mix. The dough with be kind of wet and sticky. Dump the dough onto a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover a baking sheet. Top with another piece of parchment and roll until you have a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the crust is lightly brown and firm.

While the crust is baking heat the honey with the rosemary springs over medium heat. Add the figs and stir, continue to cook for 4 -5 minutes or until the figs are warmed and the honey has thickened slightly. Take off heat and reserve. Leave the rosemary spring in to infuse the honey.

When the crust is done, spread with the ricotta and then layer on the arugula. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the figs over the top of the flatbread then drizzle the honey over the figs. Sprinkle with some sea salt and black pepper and a few shavings of Parmesan cheese. Cut or break into pieces and serve.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-honey-fig-ricotta-flatbread.html

Hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen…. the Holidays are right around the corner! The need for quick go-to gluten free recipes for desserts abound with an increase in special family meals, entertaining and pot luck parties. Not to worry, I have your back with this no bake, pumpkin praline cheesecake. Seriously, this cheesecake is so quick and easy that even the busiest, most baking challenged person in the universe has no excuse to skip dessert. Oh, and did I mention that it tastes divine? And that it has the appropriate amount of “WOW factor” required for the Holidays?

If you happen to be a person who has hours upon hours to spend roasting pumpkins, making homemade gluten free graham crackers and churning your own butter then you might want to just skip on to other gluten free recipes. If, however, you are like the rest of the planet who realizes there are times when using great convenience products like Kinnikinnick’s gluten free graham style crumbs (thank you Kinnikinnick) and canned pumpkins are not only OK but necessary (hello… Holidays!) then by all means read on and enjoy!

Since the Holidays are jam packed with calories as well as fun festivities, I make my version a bit on the lighter side by using light whipped topping (aka Lite Cool Whip) and low fat cream cheese but if that isn’t an issue then go for it and use real whipped cream and full fat cream cheese.

Gluten Free No Bake Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

Ingredients

Topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Crust:
2 ½ cups gluten free graham style crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter – melted

Filling:
1 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese (low fat or regular) – at room temperature
1 – 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling)
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to medium peaks with 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar OR 1 – 8 ounce container whipped topping (regular, low fat or fat free) – thawed (do not add the 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar if using whipped topping)

Directions

Prepare the topping. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or piece of parchment paper. Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pecans, salt and brown sugar and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour the coated nuts onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and refrigerate until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Spray a 9 inch springform with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Spray the paper with some more cooking spray. Combine the crust ingredients, mix well and press firmly into the prepared springform covering the bottom and going up the sides of the springform.

Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and sugar and beat on medium speed until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl at least once. With a spatula, fold in the whipped cream or whipped topping until no longer streaky. Pour into the crust.

Scrape the nuts off the pan with a spatula and top the cheesecake.

Refrigerate the cheesecake for 3 hours or up to 24 hours. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com
Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/11/gluten-free-no-bake-pumpkin-praline-cheesecake-recipe.html

So, your gluten-free-child’s class is having a Halloween party at school and the thought terrifies you. Halloween is supposed to be a little terrifying but not because you are worried if your child will become ill. So what do you do?

Easy, you send cool treats the whole class can share but you know your child can eat. Not only do you keep your child safe for the day but you teach them an important life lesson – when invited to a party, bring something gluten free that everyone can enjoy! Not only is it polite and appreciated, it just makes good sense.

These gluten free vampire eyeball cookies are perfect for Halloween and are just plain fun! How creepy is it to eat something that can stare back at you?

These are basically a gluten free sugar cookie with a simple butter cream frosting – so far nothing too terrifying. But when you add blood soaked irises (thanks to maraschino cherries) dark pupils (courtesy of a chocolate chip) and some bloody veins (red gel frosting) you have yourself one eerie cookie!  And if you want alternative maraschino cherries, check these out.

Gluten Free Vampire Eyeball Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (or dairy free butter substitute), at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar – use divided
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups pastry quality gluten free flour*
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

Frosting
5 tablespoons unsalted butter or dairy free butter substitute
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pinch kosher or fine sea salt
1 – 1 ½ tablespoons milk or dairy free milk
Several drops maraschino cherry juice (about ¼ teaspoon)

Decorations
18 maraschino cherries – cut in half
36 chocolate chips
2 tubes red cookie decorating gel

• You can make your own gluten free flour blend by whisking together 2 ¼ cups super fine or Asian white rice flour with ¾ cup sweet rice flour, 1 cup potato starch, ½ cup tapioca starch and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum – will make about 4 ½ cups of flour.

Directions

Make the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with silicon baking sheets or parchment paper.

Take ¼ cup of the sugar and put in a small bowl, reserve.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (preferably fitted with a paddle attachment) cream the butter and 1 ¼ cups sugar on medium speed until very light and fluffy – 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.

In a medium mixing whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl well to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.

Form tablespoons of dough into balls into balls (I use a small ice cream scoop for this) and roll in the reserved sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart – the cookies spread quite a bit during baking. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until they are just beginning to brown around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

While the cookies are cooking, pre[are the frosting. Beat the 5 tablespoons of butter with the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add a few drops more of milk if needed – the mixture should be smooth and thick but spreadable. Add a few drops of maraschino cherry juice and blend – you want the mixture just barely pink.

Frost the cookies with about 1 teaspoon of frosting in a circle (to resemble the whites of an eye). Top each cookie with a maraschino cherry half and stick a chocolate chip in the whole of the cherry. Use the decorator gel to make veins. Allow the gel to harden for 30 minutes.

Store cookies in covered container. Can be made 2 -3 days ahead.

A gluten free recipe that makes 36 spooky cookies!

Want to know more about your favorite Gluten Free Recipe or how to avoid being bothered by Celiac with our range of Gluten Free Recipes which are made from Gluten Free raw material feel free to visit us at: http://www.simplygluten-free.com

Article Source: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/10/gluten-free-vampire-eyeball-cookies-recipe.html