Normal Cookies

[MallysMama]

I just can't get over the fact that there are so many different kinds of flours and starches! Why bother using all of them? I don't have enough pantry space! I've always just substituted regular white rice flour and xanthan gum instead of wheat flours. It makes things turn out really similiar. (I'm not that great of a cook - but my mom makes gluten-free things and normal things look almost identical!) Take a normal chocolate chip cookie recipe and just use rice flour - but make sure the cups are level (or even scooped kind of low) and then add 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum to every 1 cup of flour. You can do the same for a homemade brownie recipe. Cupcakes are heavenly! Pancakes are yummy that way too (buttermilk recipe). I just made zucchini bread that was to die for - by only substituting rice flour! It's so easy!! I think all the different flours and starches are just making our lives more complicated than they have to be (and more gritty and nasty!!!!). If you need all the recipes I've grown up with (and only have to buy good, smooth, fine rice flour for)....let me know - I'd be happy to type them all down for ya!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Heck, if you put'em all into a book, I'd be willing to BUY it! And I bet lots of others would, too. I gotta go find white rice flour!

[jerseyangel]

I'm off grains now, but I always had good luck with using rice flour, too. I would take a cup of the rice flour, take out about 2 tbsp. of the flour, and replace with potato starch. Add 1 tsp. xanthan gum, and that was it.

[chrissy]

mallysmomma---i'd love to see those recipes! we've had really good success using our old favorite recipes, but we do mix flours. i like to use more than just white rice flour because some of the others are a little more nutritious.

christine

[plantime]

And then you have people like me, who are very allergic to rice. Before I knew rice was one of my problems, I tried it in my baking. The results were very gritty, and not at all light and fluffy. I prefer my blends of other flours.

[DingoGirl]

This is good news.....I don't care about nutrition if I'm going to make my mom's choc. chip cookies.....just some semblance of that heavenly morsel would be fabulous.....

I bought some sweet rice flour from Trader Joe's - will that work?

Thanks -

susan

[key]

THanks for the hint. I have not tried this yet. I have tried bean flours, that taste beany and everything falls apart. Amaranth and Millet for pie crusts, but would be gritty for anything else. My problem seems to be that nothing lasts. They get stale really quick.

What brand of Rice flour do you buy? Just curious, because I figured some is more fine then others.

Monica

[chrissy]

susan, i made our old favorite choc chip cookie recipe and used bette hagman's featherlight mix and some sorghum flour, and a little bit of potato flour and xanthan gum-----they turned out really good---almost like "before". i don't remember the exact amounts----i was winging it.

christine

[Guest Robbin]

There is a big difference between the sweet rice flour and regular rice flour. You must use the fine sweet rice flour? I know I said it on another thread, but if you have any problem with rice the cookbook that I bought a week or so ago, "The Gluten Free Kitchen" by Roben Ryberg - uses potato starch and cornstarch and the recipes are so easy. Those two flours are all she uses in her recipes. The ratio is about 1/2 and 1/2. So if you have a recipe calling for 1 cup flour, use a scant 1/2 c. potato starch and 1/2 c. cornstarch. Now, I need to qualify this by saying that I have only tried two of her recipes, but have read the entire book and none of them are hard or have fancy mixes and a trillion ingredients. I calculated the ratio from looking at the recipes and from what Betty Hagman's cookbooks state regarding substitutions. I have had to give up most grains for awhile, but have a picky 13 year old I need to convince to try this, so I am anxious for any experience any of you may have had with the flours. I saw a recipe calling for navy bean flour--you just grind up dried navy beans in coffee grinder. I think I saw it on Recipezaar. Has anyone tried that? If it is good that would be sooooo cheap. A pound of dried navy beans are like, what, fifty cents? Thanks Oh, and p.s. Mollysmama please, please, please--we need all the help you could offer --recipes always welcome!!

[MallysMama]

I can't help when it comes to using any other flour besides regular white rice flour. I've never ever used anything else - stuck in a rut, I guess! I'm an incredibly picky eater. My mom used to make bread from rice flour - and it would be good right when it came out of the oven with plenty of butter on it - but then it was horrible! I finally just asked her to stop making it. But everything else she made for me was perfect! But you also have to remember I have really Never been able to eat the "real" stuff (besides tiny bites when I'd cheat)....so I don't know any different.

I'd love to share a million recipes with ya! We'll see how many I can type, though, while my daughter is napping!

My zucchini bread and brownie recipe is on the thread for the best rice flour that I posted a few days ago. By the way - the rice flour I use....I have no idea the name of it. It's japanese - all the red writing on the clear bags is in japanese...so I can't read it. My parents started buying it in Salt Lake City, Utah when I was just tiny...and they buy it by the case....still to this day if they ever get it for me (like they might be doing today) the owners of the store remember my dad and know exacty what he's coming in for. So - my suggestion would be to find a japanese food store (in an oriental market) and ask for white rice flour... and hopefully it'll be as good as mine!

Here we go!

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

1 cube margarine (melted)

2 Tbsp Cocoa (add to marg.)

Beat 4 eggs and add.

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. rice flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp xanthan gum

Mix everything and drop onto heated waffle iron. Bake about 1 minute.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cube butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c. rice flour plus 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

chocolate chips

Mix all and bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 c. shortening

3 c rice flour (scoop a little low)

1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 pkg choco chips

Combine eggs, vanilla, sugar, soda, salt - mix. Add brown sugar and shortening - mix. Add flour, etc. - mix. Add choco chips - mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Pumpkin Cake Roll (time consuming - but worth every bite!)

3 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

1 c. sugar

1 tsp ginger

2/3 cup pumpkin

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c. rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Beat eggs high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Mix dry ingredients separately and then fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour into well greased and floured (rice, of course) 15x10x1 inch baking pan (cookie sheet). Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or till done. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spread thin dish towel on counter top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Turn cookie sheet onto sugared towel till cake comes off. Roll the cake in the towel till cool.

Filling -

1 c. powdered sugar

6 oz cream cheese (softened)

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix and beat till smooth. Unroll cake and spread with filling. Roll again and wrap in plastic wrap then cover in foil. Freeze till ready to serve. Take out of freezer and place in fridge one hour before serving. (or eat frozen - if desired...put back in freezer when done) Slice off desired amount - very yummy with cool whip on top.

Muffins

1 egg

1/2 c milk

1/4 c oil

1 1/2 c rice flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Beat egg, milk and oil. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Then combine together just till dry mixture is moistened - batter should be lumpy - don't over mix. Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minute. Remove immediately. (I'm sure you can add any type of fruit or whatever to this plain muffin recipe)

I cannof find my cupcake recipe If I find it sometime I'll definitely add it (it's one of my favorite things to bake).

Enjoy!!

Oh! I forgot the pancake/waffle recipe!! Can't miss that one!!

Pancakes

Into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup put 2 eggs and add buttermilk to the 2 cup mark. Pour into large bowl and add 2 Tbsp Oil, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder. Wisk really good. Add 1 leveled cup of rice flour and 3/4 tsp xanthan gum. Wisk just till moistened. Cook on griddle and turn when pancakes starte to form bubbles on top! Easy, easy easy!

[chrissy]

where in salt lake do they buy the flour? we are about 3 hours from salt lake, and i have a sister in riverton and another in sandy (i think). since you're from that genreal area----are there any good sources of gluten-free products in logan or ogden? they are even closer. oh yeah, i have a sister in layton, too.

christine

[lonewolf]

I just can't get over the fact that there are so many different kinds of flours and starches! Why bother using all of them? I don't have enough pantry space!

White rice flour might work well if you can use eggs and real milk, but it turns into a gooey mess if you have to substitute for those things too. I make a lot of baked goods with a mix of flours that absolutely won't work with just rice flour. Believe me when I say I wish it was just that simple for me.

[MallysMama]

White rice flour might work well if you can use eggs and real milk, but it turns into a gooey mess if you have to substitute for those things too. I make a lot of baked goods with a mix of flours that absolutely won't work with just rice flour. Believe me when I say I wish it was just that simple for me.

I am sorry... I forget when I make comments like I did, that many people are allergic to more than just gluten. I wish it were easy for you too. Other's with more than one allergy help inspire me....and remind me that my life isn't so hard and to stop feeling sorry for myself. Good luck with using other flours - I'm sure you've found ones that work just right for you!

Chrissy-

I wish I could tell you exactly where to find that store! I can't get ahold of my parents right now... but I'll keep trying. I haven't lived in SLC for a long time (since I was 9)....but my dad has to go up there still for business. My family lives in St. George... but my hubby and I moved to Las Vegas last June. I want to say that I remember it being in South Salt Lake - but I'm really not sure. Maybe try looking in a phone book for oriental markets/japanese food stores and call up a couple to see if they have rice flour? (If you're in a hurry for it.) When I talked to my mom earlier to see if she remembered the "brand" name of the flour... but she just guessed that any oriental market would have fine rice flour (better than any you could find in a health food store).

As for general gluten-free products in that area - I have no clue! My mom always made things from scratch for me. I know that doesn't help you very much - except that I just gave a lot of recipes that I grew up using. The few things she would buy for me - I never liked. That was years ago though - I'm sure they've made gluten-free products better now. (In fact I just went to a store called Wild Oats Market here in Vegas and found some gluten-free stuff to try - and found really good chocolate cookies!!) I'm sure you've read some posts about Tinkyada pasta? I don't care about the nutritional value of gluten-free stuff that I eat - so I only eat their white rice spaghetti (which is hard to find too)....they are the BEST noodles that I have ever tasted!!!! I don't care for all the brown rice pasta which is what they mostly make - but it's edible if I absolutely can't find the white stuff. My suggestion to you : look up health food stores in the yellow pages and call and ask if they have gluten-free products. (Like I discovered today - better call first cause some "health stores" just have vitamins and supplements and stuff like that - but no food.) Make sure you read products carefully - don't just see "wheat free" and assume it's okay. Those products are so very deceiving (I also discovered this today)...they almost always have barley flour in them. Find stuff that says Gluten Free. Good luck - and I'll keep you posted if I find out where that store is located.

[Claire]

HELP! How much is a 'cube' of butter? Not familar with that terminolgy. Claire

[lonewolf]

HELP! How much is a 'cube' of butter? Not familar with that terminolgy. Claire

It's a half cup or a quarter of a pound. If you get a pound of butter divided into 4 little blocks, each block is a cube.

[Claire]

It's a half cup or a quarter of a pound. If you get a pound of butter divided into 4 little blocks, each block is a cube.

Thanks you. Where do you live? I never heard that term before. Claire

[MallysMama]

A cube of butter? When you buy a package of butter...a box... it has 4 individually wrapped cubes in it. And on each wrapped cube it has the tbsp measurements...so one cube = 1/2 cup. Sorry - I thought buying butter this way was common?

Chrissy - update!! My dad doesn't remember the exact address of the store - but here's the general location for you! It's on Redwood Rd... in between 30th and 35th south. It's with a bunch of other stores...a small shopping center type place. Should be easy to spot - so he says! Hope that helps.

[lonewolf]

Thanks you. Where do you live? I never heard that term before. Claire

I live in the Seattle area. I don't think that it's a northwest term though.