Gluten-Free Recipes

Gluten-Free Recipes for Dessert

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread, a holiday classic! Use this gluten-free recipe, courtesy of our friends at the Gluten-Free Palate, to make celiac-safe gingerbread houses and gingerbread people. Decorating the cookies will be almost as enjoyable as eating them!

Ingredients

Gingerbread dough

• 3 cups 1 to 1 gluten-free flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup butter, room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together.
3. Add in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract. Cream until smooth.
4. Add in half the flour mixture and mix until combined.
5. Add in the remaining flour mixture and continue to mix until combine.
6. Shape dough into a ball and divide in half.
7. On a piece of parchment paper, pat the dough down into a 1-inch disk. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
8. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or until cold and firm.
9. Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and place a piece of wax paper on top. Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to ¼ inch thickness.
10. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
11. Remove the wax paper from the top of the dough. Using cookie cutters, cut shapes into the dough. Use a spoon or butter knife to remove the extra dough from around the shapes. Roll extra dough back into a ball, and place the wax paper back on top, and roll into ¼ inch thickness. Repeat until all dough is used.
12. Transfer the parchment paper with the gingerbread cookies onto a baking sheet.
13. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the centers are set. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
14. Make the icing: mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Spoon icing into a piping bag with a small tip.
15. Decorate cooled cookies with icing and, if you have them, gluten-free sprinkles or candies.
16. Let the icing set for a couple of hours before storing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Quesillo (Flan)

From Maria Luci, Beyond Celiac Director of Research Engagement

This recipe is from my Cuban mother, Ana, who doesn’t always love to cook but when she does she always puts a lot of love into it. She shared this and other family recipes with me when I got married. I treasure the recipe book she made me.

Gluten-Free Cuban Quesillo

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of condensed milk
• 2 cans of evaporated milk
• 8 eggs
• 8 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. In a small cookie can* make caramel by mixing the 8 Tbs of sugar with 3 Tbs of water over medium heat. Stir continuously until it turns light brown, then remove from heat.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla. Once it’s thoroughly combined, put it in the cookie can on top of the caramel.
4. Cook in the oven at 375°F for about an hour, until you can get a toothpick to come out clean from the middle.
5. Remove from oven and let cool.
6. When the can is cool, place it in the refrigerator. Leave it there until you’re ready to serve.
7. About 20 minutes before serving, boil a pot of water.
8. Once boiling, hold the can carefully so the bottom is in the water. This will melt the caramel.
9. Turn the can upside down over a large dish. Cut into pie slices or squares.

* Editor’s note: this is my mother’s wording, but I’ve seen her use spring form pans or flan molds like this one from Amazon (affiliate link).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe earned an honorable mention in the 2021 Beyond Celiac Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe Contest!

Recipe by Katie Blauser

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins by Katie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oil (coconut or olive)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups Josie’s Best Muffins & More Gluten-Free Mix
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 cup gluten-free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line a muffin tin.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together well.
3. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until there’s no lumps. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
5. Bake for 22–24 minutes.

Pizzelles

This recipe was the grand prize winner of the 2021 Beyond Celiac Gluten-Free Holiday Recipe Contest!

Recipe by Deb Graham

Gluten-Free Pizzelles by Deb

• 2 cups gluten-free baking mix (flour)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free vanilla extract

• Anise pizzelles: 2 tablespoons anise extract and 2 tablespoons anise seeds
• Orange pizzelles: 2 tablespoons gluten-free orange extract (or Grand Marnier) and 2 tablespoons orange zest
• Coconut pizzelles: 2 tablespoons coconut extract and 2 tablespoons lemon or orange zest
• Chocolate orange pizzelles: add ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons orange zest

Directions:

1. Add the vanilla (or other flavored extract) to the melted butter and set aside.
2. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl until well-combined.
3. Add the melted butter and vanilla in a slow, steady stream while continuing to whisk until well-blended.
4. Add the baking mix and various spices or seeds, orange zest, etc., and using a rubber spatula stir everything together until just combined, but don’t over mix.
5. Important—let the batter sit for 10 minutes before baking. This will create a better texture.
6. Drop a rounded teaspoonful of batter into the center of a pizzelle iron.* Close lid and bake for 60–75 seconds, depending on your pizzelle iron. Check for doneness often.
7. Let cool on a wire rack.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Recipe courtesy of our sponsor Schär

These mouth-watering Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes will delight your friends and family. We top them with Cream Cheese Icing so they look and taste just like the classic cinnamon rolls of your dreams!

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Ingredients

• 10 slices Schär Gluten-Free Artisan Baker White Bread
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• 2 tsp divided vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cream cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp butter, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Make the Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grease a 12-cup nonstick muffin/cupcake pan.
• Trim crusts from bread. Arrange bread slices on large cutting board.
• Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
• Spread each bread slice with butter.
• Evenly sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of buttered bread slices.
• Stack 2 bread slices together with cinnamon-sugar sides facing each other. Repeat to make a total of 5 sandwiches.
• Using a serrated knife, gently cut each bread stack into 8 to 10 strips, then cut each strip crosswise in half.
• Carefully line the muffin cups with the strips, in a circular pattern, dividing the slices evenly to fill all 12 cups.
• Place the eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and the half & half in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend.
• Use a small measuring cup to pour the egg mixture over the bread strips, dividing the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until cupcakes spring back to the touch. Cool pan on wire rack for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Use a knife to loosen the edges of the cupcakes, and then carefully invert muffin pan to release cupcakes onto a platter.

Make the Cream Cheese Icing:

• Combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.
• Spread 1 teaspoon icing evenly on top of each cupcake.
• Serve warm!

Apple Walnut Streusel Dessert Pizza

Recipe courtesy of our sponsor Schär

No-Bake Red, White and Blue Lemon Cheesecake Mousse

Recipe courtesy of Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

This is not a baked custard cheesecake. It is a gelatin-set cheesecake that I first made in England and continue to make. There is no baking (apart from the crust, which some prefer cooked but it is not necessary), no worrying if you’ve overcooked the custard, no cracking of cheesecake, no overnight cooling, etc. It is very popular with my students and clients and you can vary the flavors with different chocolates and liqueurs. It is stiff when you remove it from the fridge but softens to more of a mousse consistency when it’s been out of the fridge for half an hour. Gelatin stops it from melting in the heat. “Lite” cream cheese makes a softer-set cheesecake than 100% cream cheese, but I’ve used lite cream cheese for years.

I added my homemade, microwave-cooked lemon curd to cream cheese mix. Homemade lemon curd (made of butter, sugar, lemon, and eggs and can be used to top scones, cakes, bagels, etc) is delicious. Yes, you could substitute store-bought lemon curd, but the brands I’ve seen use lemon oil, pectin to thicken, palm oil, lemon concentrate, cornflour, citric acid, acetic acid, sodium citrate, color, egg powder, water and then call it authentic. Not in my book!

I’ve made variations of this cheesecake for years, from when I lived in London, including versions with Kahlúa coffee, chocolate peanut butter, white chocolate raspberry, dark chocolate orange, margarita, and white chocolate hazelnut praline. Play with flavor variations using these quantities as a guide.

Gluten-Free No-Bake Cheesecake Mousse

Ingredients:

• Crushed crumbs of gluten-free graham cracker, cookies, or shortbread crust. Schar gluten-free shortbread cookies, 7 oz bag, makes a generous crust
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1 packet of powdered gelatin. An orange box of Knox gelatin in the grocery store is 2 and 1/4 tsp (11g)
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 lb room temperature cream cheese
• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup, roughly 8 oz lemon curd
• 1 cup of liquid heavy or whipping cream
• ½ cup cream with 2 tbsp sugar (whip these together to make whipped cream for decorating)
• More lemon curd, if you like your cheesecake tangy
• Fresh blueberries and/or fresh strawberries

Directions:

1. Melt butter in the microwave in 15 second intervals and then add to cookie crumbs when liquid.
2. Press the butter and crumb mixture evenly into a 9” pie plate or springform pan and either bake for 10 minutes or just refrigerate. With current temps being 100°F, I microwave cookie crumbs and butter in a microwave-safe bowl for about a minute or two, then press into the pan and refrigerate.
3. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water, stir in and leave to stand for 2–3 minutes. The gelatin will set in a rubbery lump but will dissolve with microwaving.
4. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon curd. Beat for a few minutes, until light and fluffy.
5. Melt gelatin mix in the microwave for about 15 seconds. It will stay the same light brown color but should have melted, no granules left. It is important to melt it thoroughly otherwise it will set into little nuggets of gelatin.
6. Beat gelatin mix into the cream cheese mix.
7. Beat 1 cup of cream until stiff and gently beat into the cream cheese mix.
8. Pour mix into pan, over the crust, and refrigerate for several hours.
9. Once chilled, run a thin plastic spatula or knife around edge between cheesecake and pan, release springform and remove. Leave in pie plate or brownie pan.
10. Cut a tiny sliver of set cheesecake and taste it to see if it’s lemony enough. You can hide the absent sliver with whipped cream before serving. I often spread more lemon curd on top of the cheesecake to make it really tangy. Whipping cream and adding 50% lemon curd folded in is also delicious for a topping or on it’s own with fresh fruit.
11. Pipe whipped cream rosettes around top edge of cheesecake, and top with fresh blueberries and strawberries.

You can also make this in 8×8 brownie pan, then arrange blueberries and strawberries in flag pattern.

About Chef Oonagh Williams

I have written a monthly recipe column for Beyond Celiac since January 2011. I have a Culinary Arts degree as well as celiac disease and other food allergies, so I know food and live this way daily. Remember that most real food is naturally gluten-free until manufacturers mess around with it, and only baking really needs changing. Real food is now being called clean eating.

Talks and appearances are currently canceled, but you can connect with me on Facebook at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh or on LinkedIn. I’ve just filmed recipes at home for New Hampshire’s ABC WMUR’s Cooks Corner and they are being aired. I am also being included in the nationwide library database of online presenters.

For new recipes and lots of advice, my e-cookbook Delicious Gluten-Free Cooking is only $20 and available to download on my website. It has tips, full-color photos, and recipes like grandma’s comfort soup, shrimp and crab bisque, English trifle, buffalo chicken, tiramisu, dinner party fare, and more. Follow the link to see the table of contents and thumbnail photos of the full-size photos in the e-book.

Glazed Donut Holes

Recipe courtesy of our sponsor Schär

You asked, we delivered. Glazed, soft, easy-to-make donut holes for every donut-lover in the family.

Schär Gluten-Free Glazed Donut Holes
Serves 12

Corn Puff Toffee Treat

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

I personally call this recipe “Christmas Crack” due to it being so addictive! The original recipe used Kix puff corn. I had searched for Kix but my local market didn’t carry it. I searched online but too many people had said they reacted to Kix; it was also not labeled gluten-free. Ingredients are simply puffed corn, oil and salt-baked to a very light, crispy, quite boring cereal.  In previous years, I had bought a huge red bag of caramel corn drizzled with white and dark chocolate from Costco but this is seasonal and not easily found throughout the year. 

So this is my easily prepared, homemade version. Spoil your Valentine or family during February! It will last a few weeks if stored in Ziploc bags.

In my experience, it gets eaten within a week. It’s so addicting!

Preparation

• 1 bag of puffed corn of your choosing. Kix puffed corn is popular but it isn’t certified gluten-free. 
• 1 cup (8 oz) butter
• 1 and 1/4 cups light brown sugar – I didn’t pack the sugar so it was (we thought) less sweet than a commercial bag of caramel corn and we preferred it.
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup – corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. In the UK, I would use Lyle’s Golden Syrup which is what we always used for toffee, steamed puddings etc. It’s tasty and not made from corn, but cane sugar. It is available in some regular grocery stores.
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ to 1 cup of chopped pecans -optional
• Chocolate chips – optional

How to Cook

1. Combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan. (I used an 8-quart stock pan as it makes a lot and needs space to stir in the corn.)  Heat till melted. 
2. Add in baking soda, I whisked it in so no lumps of baking soda, mixture foam up.
3. I added puffed corn with pecans to a large stockpot containing butter mix. Stir really well, there’s a lot, the sauce is sticky and uncooperative. 
4. I lined the jelly roll pan with foil, others recommended using a turkey roaster.  Place in a 250° oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  A turkey roasting pan would be far easier to stir as it’s deep compared to a jelly roll pan, but persevere. It stays soft until almost the end of cooking and really crisps up when cold. Let cool, then break apart and enjoy!!  My husband remarked on how crispy it was.  
5. I sprinkled white chocolate chips and some heath bar chocolate chips on top. You can also melt and drizzle white and semi-sweet chocolate over the top.

This recipe almost filled 2 large Ziploc bags. It makes a lot!

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh on Facebook, LinkedIn or her website. Chef Oonagh has a culinary arts degree, celiac disease and other food allergies. Remember most real food is naturally gluten-free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing.

Snickerdoodle, Ginger or Chocolate Chip Crisps

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Last year at this time, I adapted a wheat flour pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler from Better Homes and Gardens, changing pumpkin filling and snickerdoodle topping. I discovered that some leftover dough cooked on a cookie sheet was lovely, light and crispy.

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodle, Ginger or Chocolate Chip Crisps
Makes about 18 x 2+1/2″ cookies 

Ingredients:

• ¼ c (2oz,56g) soft butter
• ¼ c (2oz, 56g) granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) light/soft brown sugar
• ½ tsp (3 ml) gf baking powder
• 1 tsp (5ml) gf vanilla extract. Use a different extract, almond, lemon, maple etc, to change flavor.
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2c + 2 tbsp (2+1/2 oz, 70g) rice flour – I use imported, Asian white rice flour – Erawan, three elephant logo brand. Very fine, not gritty. Widely available in Asian stores, reasonable price.  I also use it for greasing and flouring cake pans and crispy batter for fish. Picture on Amazon but less expensive in Asian market. amazon.com/Thai-Rice-Flour-16-Basic/dp/B000EYC096
• NO xanthan gum

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. I like to line cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Beat ingredients together until mix is lovely and soft and fluffy.
3. For snickerdoodles. Using one tablespoon/# 60 scoop, drop cookie mix into bowl of sugar and cinnamon, one at a time, shake bowl gently to cover complete ball, then carefully scoop out onto cookie sheet. You can refrigerate cookie mix but it is then quite hard to scoop. Leave cookies about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet, they will spread and flatten.
4. For ginger or chocolate chip. Stir in chocolate chips or ginger, use 1 tbsp scoop and drop onto cookie sheet.
5. Bake in 350 oven for 15-18-20 minutes. Do not use black surface cookie sheet. Bake on middle shelf. Baking on a lower shelf, darkens the bottoms too much. Bake until ginger or chocolate chip cookies are a nice golden brown. They will still be soft and crisp up on cooling.  Snickerdoodles, the cinnamon sugar prevents you seeing obvious color.
6. Remove from oven, let cool, remove to cooling rack. Store in airtight container when totally cool.

Snickerdoodles:

I like to mix 1 tbsp (15ml) sugar and 2 tsp (10m) cinnamon for outside of cookie.

Ginger:

1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) crystallized ginger chips by gingerpeople.com.  Package has crossed through wheat symbol. Add one teaspoon ground ginger for even spicier. You can roll scoop in regular sugar for crunchier surface.

Chocolate chip:

You know how much chocolate you like, 1-2 tbsp.  I had a chocolate chip cookie made with milk chocolate and it was delicious and not too sweet.  I did use cheese grater for some milk chocolate but chocolate was much too fine. Size of Tollhouse mini semi sweet chocolate chips is best size.

Remember I have a Culinary Arts degree as well as celiac disease and other food allergies so I know food and live this way daily.

Obviously talks and appearances are currently canceled, but you can connect with me on FB at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh. I’ve just filmed recipes at home for NH’s ABC WMUR’s Cooks Corner  and they are being aired.   I am also being included in nationwide library data base of on line presenters.

You can find Chef Oonagh Williams at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh on FB, web or LinkedIn. Remember most real food is naturally gluten free until manufacturers ‘mess’ around with it and only baking really needs changing. Real food is now being called clean eating.

For new recipes and lots of advice, my Delicious Gluten Free ecookbook only $20 available to download at wwwglutenfreecookingwithoonagh.com , tips, recipes ranging from Grandma’s comfort soup to dinner party fare, full color photos, follow link for list of contents and thumbnail photos of full size photos in ebook.