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Cheese Snack Crackers

November 3, 2009 By 1 Comment

A long beloved cheese cracker recipe from the New England Butt’ry Shelf Cookbook needed a gluten free makeover so I could enjoy it again. I figured the basic recipe of cheese, butter, and flour really only needed a good GF flour blend to make it come together. I went to my new “go to” cookbook for gluten free conversions, Bake Deliciously! Gluten and Dairy Free Cookbook by Jean Duane and found a cracker recipe with a likely looking flour blend. I was able to combine the two recipes to come up with a wonderful, crisp and flavorful cheese crackers recipe.

(The Bake Deliciously cookbook, by the way, has a quite a few great looking recipes for gluten free crackers, something I haven’t seen much of in other GF cookbooks. )

Gluten free cheese crackers

Gluten free cheese crackers

If you are looking for a “cheese it” cracker recipe – these crackers taste something like them, but a little richer – and I think – a lot better. The dough can be rolled into logs and refrigerated until you want them, then you can just slice them, pop them on a cookie sheet and bake. It’s nice you can bake them just a few minutes before company arrives so they are fresh and warm, but the reality is that they are pretty dangerous to have sitting around in the fridge. Just a bit too temping if you know what I mean…

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers
preheat oven to 375º

  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 1/4 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/4 cup potato starch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 TBSP (or more) water
  • pinch of cayenne pepper – (optional)

Mix flours, starch, salt, cayenne (if desired) and shredded cheese, pour melted butter and 1 Tbsp. water over and mix. I find that kneading it with my hands works to fully incorporate the cheese. Sprinkle in just as much more water as needed to make a pliable dough. Carefully roll into 1 inch logs and wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm. With a sharp knife, slice in thin, (a little less than 1/4″) even slices and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for about 15 – 18 minutes or until the crackers get light golden brown around the edges. Do not overbake. Crackers will crisp as they cool.

If you’re like me and can’t wait for the logs to chill to make a sheet of crackers, I find than rolling the dough into little balls and flattening with my hand on the cookie sheet gets me to snack time a lot faster, though the crackers are not as pretty. I do think they gain something extra from the time spent in the fridge.

The rice flour gives these a nice crisp crunch, but I realize that some people dislike the “grittiness” of rice flour. I tried these with potato flour (not starch), sorghum flour and cornstarch (1/4 cup each) and got a slightly softer, more delicate cracker with a nice light potato-y taste behind the cheese. I like the crispy rice better, but I’m going to guess that you could substitute your favorite GF flour blend and have these come out good. Just be aware that different flours will change the amount of water needed, and also time in the oven. Watch them closely.

Do you have a yummy gluten free cracker recipe? Love to hear it – leave it here or a link to the recipe on your site!

Filed Under: GF Crackers, Gluten Free Recipes Tagged With: ,

Sweet Potato or Yam? Soup anyone?

October 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

When I was a kid, I didn’t care what you called them, and no amount of brown sugar or marshmallows was going to make me eat them. Now I love them (hold the marshmallow) but I still can’t find anyone who is not a little bit confused about what is what in the tuber section of the grocery store.  A little internet research reveals that everything at the store (unless you’re at an international market) is probably a sweet potato, no matter what the color of the skin or flesh, and that when the deep colored varieties were introduced in stores, they were often labeled “yams” – an African native tuber they resemble – to differentiate them from the paler varieties. Even though I now know the answer to the question, “yam or sweet potato?” I still sometimes call my favorite dark redish sweet potatoes “yams” because it is good to be able to identify one from the other, and because, well, yam just sounds yummy, doesn’t it?

Dairy free sweet potato curry coup

Dairy free sweet potato curry coup

Autumn soups, like pumpkin soup also sound good to me this time of year, and I’ve found that “yams” make a wonderful, and somewhat similar soup. This take on creamy pumpkin soup – using sweet potatoes instead – integrates the warm taste of curry, the sweet creaminess of coconut milk and the juicy acid of lime for a truly satisfying taste.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup
gluten free – dairy free

2 medium red sweet potatoes (yams)
2 cups organic chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegan)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsps fresh peeled ginger
3/4 tsp madras curry powder
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice (to taste)

Cut yam or sweet potato into 1/2 inch pieces. Add to a saucepan and cover with chicken broth. Peel and chop ginger and garlic and add to broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until yam is very tender.

Set aside until lukewarm and pour into blender. Blend and return to saucepan. Or you can use a hand blender directly in the pot (if you have one, which I don’t, yet. Santa – please note).

Add the spices, coconut milk and lime juice. Taste and adjust. If it seems too sweet, add another squeeze of lime to bring the soup into balance. Heat until just hot, do not boil. Serve, if desired, with a dollop of whipped coconut milk  a sprinkle of chopped cashews, and a sprig of cilantro.

For a vegan version of this dish, simply use vegetable broth or stock instead of chicken.

Filed Under: Soups and Side Dishes

Buckwheat Almond Cookies

October 18, 2009 By 12 Comments
GF buckwheat almond butter cookies

GF buckwheat almond cookies

A small bakery here in town teased me with some amazing buckwheat almond cookies at a time when it seemed there was nowhere but my own kitchen where I could get a wheat free treat. (Buckwheat, despite it’s name contains no wheat and is not related to cereal grains of grasses.) I gobbled those cookies with a complete lack of self restraint and then they stopped making them (there is little call for GF in my small town). I have been searching for a recipe like theirs ever since. No luck.

So I found a buckwheat butter cookie recipe online that was adapted from Alice Medrich’s book- Pure Dessert which was the closet thing I could find to what I imagined went into those cookies. I made some changes to get my craved gluten-free almond buckwheat cookie recipe!

Though this is crisp and the original was a bit chewy, my flavor craving is satisfied! This is a lovely cookie. Buttery and nutty with a delicate crunch – it is rich and delicious. It is also an egg free cookie, as well as being gluten free, which is somewhat rare. For those avoiding dairy (casein) this would also work well replacing the butter with organic coconut oil, or for a more neutral flavor – spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening. This would result in a gluten free, casein free, egg free cookie.

Enjoy!

Buckwheat Almond Cookies
Preheat oven to 350º

  • 1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
  • 1 Cup Tapioca Flour
  • 2/3 Cup finely ground Almonds or Almond Flour
  • 1 tsp Xanthan Gum
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Butter – softened
  • 2/3 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp GF Almond Extract

In a medium bowl, mix  the dry ingredients except for sugar (flours through salt) with a wire whisk.

In a large bowl mix the softened butter with the sugar until creamy, add the almond extract.

Mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until well incorporated. Use your hands if necessary and knead a few times to make a soft dough.

Pinch off small rounds of dough and roll into balls, or use a small cookie scoop and place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with your hand or with a small glass dipped in sugar.

Bake for 11 – 14 minutes or until edges are just starting to lightly brown. (This is hard to judge with a dark flour like buckwheat, but if you smell the butter browning, these are probably ready to come out!) Let sit a minute before removing from cookie sheet to a cooling rack. They are very delicate when they first come out of the oven.

Makes  about 48 – 2 1/2″ cookies.

Filed Under: GF Cookies, Gluten Free Recipes Tagged With: , , ,
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