Gluten-Free Recipes for Dessert

Almond Macaroons

From Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

You can use different nut flours for this recipe. Different brands and fineness of the almond flour/almond meal change the macaroon. My friend uses Trader Joe’s almond meal (meaning ground with skin left on so ‘freckly’) and I use Costco’s own almond flour (blanched, white colored as without skin, aka ground almonds in England) both labeled gluten free. I kept decreasing the amount of almond flour to get the chewiness I wanted, similar to ones my friend made.  When I used her cup measures with almond flour, they were dense and not chewy. This is a very simple recipe, quick to make, and a small enough quantity to find out if you like them.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (2+1/2 oz) almond flour (or 1 cup Trader Joe’s almond meal) 
• 1/3 cup (2+1/2 oz) sugar 
• ½ tsp gluten-free almond extract for extra almond flavor 
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup chopped, flaked almonds 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350* and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix almond flour and sugar in a 4 cup bowl.
3. Break up egg with a fork, add egg and almond extract to flour mix, and stir until mix forms a soft, moist paste.
4. I use a #60 / one tablespoon cookie scoop (number should be engraved on inside metal ring that releases cookie dough)
5. Put chopped almonds in a cereal bowl. Scrape cookie scoop against side of bowl to cut off excess mix. Drop a scoop of dough into almonds and shake the bowl to cover the ball in almonds.  It’s easier to do one at a time. Lift soft ball onto cookie sheet leaving about one inch between balls.  I have tried just covering the top of the ball in almonds, but the macaroons tend to stick to parchment paper without chopped almonds on bottom.  Flatten all balls slightly.

6. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, macaroons should be lightly golden brown, firm but still soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Drizzle with chocolate, sandwich with chocolate ganache or buttercream and raspberry jam. Bake until harder and use it as a substitute for Amaretti cookies in recipes.

Lemon Snowballs

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

No, this isn’t a Girl Scout cookie lookalike recipe. These lemon snowballs actually came from a 1997 Lithuanian Heritage magazine. They were originally made with wheat, and I made them gluten-free. These are delicious and easy to make!

Gluten-Free Lemon Snowballs
Makes 20

Ingredients:

• ¼ c powdered/icing/confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp gluten-free cornstarch in one cup measure, add
• 5 oz (140 g) King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour blend to fill one cup. (this blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or baking powder. Adding cornstarch is a way of softening the flour blend, more melt in the mouth and tender, and a substitute for cake flour.)
• ½ c finely chopped, toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts. Bake nuts for 10-15 minutes in 350 oven, watch they don’t burn. Let them cool before you add them to dough. 
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ – ½ tsp xanthan gum. 
• powdered sugar to finish
• Zest or orange or lemon for flavor, optional

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. Beat 1/4 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla (and zest) together until light and fluffy.
3. Add flour with cornstarch, xanthan gum, chopped nuts and salt and gently mix until soft dough forms.
4. Shape into 1 inch balls.  I use small pampered chef cookie scoop about 1+1/4 inch diameter, 1 Tbsp quantity.  Number 60 should be carved onto circle that cleans cookie dough from scoop. Scoop, clean against side of bowl and drop cookie onto ungreased cookie sheet, two inches apart. I like to line cookie sheet with parchment paper.   I don’t bother to roll cookie into ball shape. They flatten slightly on baking, refrigerating before baking doesn’t keep the ball shape.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until light golden brown on the outside, still almost white in the body of the cookie but set to the touch.  Don’t cook until brown all over, tastes disgusting. This is meant to be like a melt in your mouth shortbread.
6. Remove from oven, remove from cookie sheets, cool slightly and heavily dust with sieved powdered sugar. I find when hot they are far too fragile to pick up. Cool completely.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Over Christmas, we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. The menu had a flourless chocolate cake with macerated strawberries (sliced strawberries with sugar and liqueur usually) plus strawberry sauce and whipped cream. The waitress confirmed it was gluten-free, but don’t just trust a description of flourless to mean it’s safely gluten-free. We bought one to bring home and share. The cake part was a bit bigger than standard cupcake size but only tasted of bitter cocoa. Just cocoa doesn’t meet my criteria for a chocolate cake. So I made this version instead to satisfy our craving…

Gluten-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 oz soft butter or melted coconut oil 
• 2 oz gluten-free, semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz sugar 
• 4 oz gluten-free almond flour
• 3 large eggs 
• 2 tbsp gluten-free cocoa 
• 1 tsp gluten-free almond extract 
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder 
• pinch of salt 

Directions:

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray 1 x 9” springform pan, line base with parchment paper and dust with cocoa. For individual portions, use either regular cupcake liners in cupcake pan or larger Texas muffins for indulgence. Melt chocolate and butter/coconut oil together until the chocolate is totally smooth.
2. Put rest of cake ingredients in 8 cup bowl, add melted chocolate mix and beat for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. 
3. Spread mix in springform pan or divide up between cupcake liners. Bake in 350 oven for about 30 minutes for cake, 18-20 for cupcakes depending on the size chosen. Cake will still be soft but a knife in the middle of the cake will be clean.
4. Remove from oven, let cake cool for about 10 minutes then turn onto a cooling rack. Allow cupcakes to cool completely then when ready to serve, remove from paper liners.

Strawberry topping and liquor sauce:

Wash and slice strawberries, sprinkle with sugar and leave for a few hours for sugar to produce juices. You can add 1-2 tbsp brandy, rum, amaretto, orange liqueur to strawberries. 

1 cup of cream with 2 tbsp sugar and 1-2 Tbsp liqueur, whipped until stiff.

For individual cakes, I spoon some of the strawberries on top of upside-down cake per plate, pour off some of the juices from strawberries in tub and puree remaining strawberries and juice.  You can add back in juice if sauce is too thick, but you can’t easily add to a thin sauce. Puddle the cake with pureed sauce and pipe with cream. (see photo). Also try fresh raspberries with frozen raspberry and raspberry jam sauce, canned peaches. 

For after Christmas neighborhood party, I made 9-inch cake, cut into wedges.  I added water, brown sugar and rum to can of cut up sliced pineapple and thickened slightly.  I poured sauce into bowl in center of plate of sliced cake. (see photo).

Coffee Walnut Cake

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

This is the same almond flour base I made in wheat flour days. Almond flour cakes are very common in Europe and naturally gluten-free. 

Gluten-Free Cake with Coffee & Walnuts

• Cake – single 8″ cake layer about 3/4 inch deep, with coffee butter frosting. 
• 6 tbsp (3 oz, 84g) very soft butter or coconut oil. I use coconut oil as my butter substitute in baking and prefer it to margarine style subs.
• 1+1/4 cup (4oz, 112g)  almond flour – almonds ground without skin (Trader Joe’s on line state that their almond flour -white – and almond meal – freckly – are gluten free and only $4.99/lb compared to other national brands except for Costco $4/lb for 3 lb bag, labeled gluten-free)
• 1/3 c (2oz, 56 g) toasted, chopped walnuts. I toast contents of a bag of chopped walnuts in 350 oven for about 10 minutes and then store them, ready to use. Toasting nuts really does make a difference, just don’t let them burn.
• 3/4 c, (6 oz, 180 g) sugar  
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tbsp (15ml) water – regular Folger’s
• pinch of salt
• 1+1/2 tsp (8 ml) gluten-free baking powder 
• no xanthan gum needed
• 3 eggs  
• Frosting/Buttercream:
• 1/2 cup/1 stick (4 oz, 112g) soft butter or butter substitute you like
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 2 tsp water. 
• 2 c (8 oz, 224g) powdered (icing, confectioners) sugar

More toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of frosting. 

1. Preheat oven to 350*F/170*C. Lightly grease and bottom line 8”  pan with parchment paper circle, dust with rice flour. 
2. Place all the cake ingredients in a 4 cup, 1-litre bowl and beat for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Color will lighten slightly but will still be coffee-colored.
3. Spoon raw batter into prepared pan and smooth out. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until cake has risen, softly firm is dark golden brown  If you use almond meal/natural almond flour (almonds ground with skin still on) then cake will be even darker.
5. Remove from oven, cool in pan for about 3 minutes, then turn out onto cake serving plate, remove paper lining and then turn right side up.

Frosting/Buttercream:

6. I like to sieve the powdered sugar as it is often lumpy and it’s easier to sift first then try and beat little white lumps out of frosting.
7. Slowly add powdered sugar to very soft butter and coffee. Be careful, the sugar has a tendency to explode up. Once all sugar is added, beat well for 1-2 minutes to make fluffy.
8. This quantity of frosting is enough to generously top cake and pipe around edges. Then sprinkle with more toasted walnuts.

Variations:

1. Whipped Cream. Whip 1 cup of cream with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of Kahlua or rum until stiff.  This can be used to frost cake instead of buttercream frosting. Or just serve on the side.
2. Regular chocolate ganache with Kahlua or rum added. 

1 c (8 oz, 240 ml) heavy or whipping cream

1 c (6oz, 168g)) Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips -labeled gluten-free.

2-4 tbsp (30-60ml)  Kahlua or rum. Depending on the alcohol content of the chosen liqueur, this can taste quite strong.

Heat 1 cup of whipping or heavy cream to nearly boiling, add chocolate chips and stir. Let stand for a few minutes, then stir and microwave more if necessary until a totally smooth sauce is formed (looks like thick chocolate syrup). You can also use an immersion blender to make the sauce totally smooth.

Add alcohol and refrigerate for several hours until stiffer than set jello pudding.

I like to lightly whisk half of chilled ganache and gently persuade over top of cake and it will start drizzling down the sides. Then whisk remaining ganache and pipe on top of cake. Ganache is very soft if served immediately, piped chocolate will set up stiffer with refrigeration.  

3. Fruit. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, add slices of fresh or canned pineapple and gently fry until starting to brown on edges.  Pour 2 tablespoons of rum into a measuring cup, then pour into skillet, allow to heat for about 20 seconds and use gas grill lighter to ignite the alcohol fumes. Make sure there are no children or animals around.  Do not lean over pan, keep hair out of the way. Allow flames to die down and serve on side of cake. In the summer just grill some pineapple slices.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cobbler

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A tasty fall dessert, perfect for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin base:

• 2 eggs
• 1 x 15 ounce can pumpkin 
• 1 c (8 fl oz, 240 ml) evaporated milk 
• ½ cup (120 ml) granulated sugar
• 1/4 c (60ml) packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp (10 ml) pumpkin pie spice or more to your taste
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Snickerdoodle Topping:

• ¼ c (2oz, 56g) butter, softened
• ⅓ c (2+1/2 oz)  sugar
• 2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ c (2+1/2 oz, 70g) King Arthur all-purpose gluten-free flour. 
• 1/8 tsp xanthan gum

To roll snickerdoodles:

• ¼ c (60 ml), granulated sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8×8” pan (2-quart baking dish) with gluten-free cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a 4 cup bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour into prepared baking dish.
3. Combine the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the cinnamon. Shape chilled Snickerdoodle Topping into 16 balls. I used a one tablespoon scoop and can make just 16 balls. Roll balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Press balls to slightly flatten to 1+ 3/4-inch-diameter rounds. Place in 4 x 4 rows over pumpkin filling.
4. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until filling is set, edges begin to pull away from dish, snickerdoodles will have spread across custard, and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm and, if desired, with whipped cream.

Snickerdoodle Topping:

1. In a medium bowl beat all topping ingredients together for 2-3 minutes until soft and fluffy.  This is a very soft mix, not stiff cookie dough. Cover and chill dough 1 hour or until easier to handle, then scoop immediately into cinnamon sugar, roll into a ball in sugar, slightly flatten, and gently place on custard.  They might look as if they are sinking a little into custard. Snickerdoodle topping bakes up like soft, fluffy cake, snickerdoodles cooked on their own on cookie sheet, are thin and crispy.

APPLE AND CRAISIN BREAD PUDDING

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A warm, fall-themed dessert to keep you feeling cozy as the nights start to turn cold!

Ingredients:

• 2 gluten-free plain bagels cut into small cubes.  Don’t use soft white bread, it cooks up too mushy.  I’ve made this with Udi’s and Canyon Bakehouse plain bagels. 
• 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces, like shredded cheese. Large chunks will make pudding fall apart when cooked.
• ¾ c brown sugar
•  ½ stick (2 oz, 60 ml)  butter
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie or apple pie spice or 1 tsp cinnamon plus ½ tsp powdered ginger plus ½ tsp ground nutmeg.
• ½ c craisins
• 2 tsp gluten-free vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp rum – optional, but gives lovely flavor
• 2 cups half and half or whole milk
• 5 large eggs
• brown sugar for top

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a 6 cup saucepan, add apples, sugar and spices and cook over gentle heat until the apples are nicely soft without becoming apple sauce.  They don’t really cook much more in the bread pudding. I also mix this and cook in microwave in m/w safe bowl, add rest of ingredients and then refrigerate covered. 
2. Add craisins, vanilla and rum to pan, stir in bread cubes.  Adding bread cubes should be sufficient to cool the mix to add eggs and milk.
3. Beat eggs and milk together – I tend to use my immersion blender so I don’t have ‘threads’ of egg still showing. Gently mix into bread mix.  
4. Pour into greased 8 x 8 brownie pan or equivalent sized pan and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.  The large quantity of liquid should be absorbed leaving a small quantity of excess liquid around the edges.  Insufficient liquid will leave the bread hard and dry in places.
5. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar for a crusty topping. Place on a baking sheet in case of spills as it is a very full baking dish.
6. Bake in a preheated 350* oven for about 45 minutes. The bread pudding will have risen up, the top will be set, crusty and light brown and if you dig into the center it should be soft and moist but not wet with loose liquid. If you’re cooking it cold from the fridge, it will probably need 
7. Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes before serving with caramel sauce. Reheats well.

Caramel sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp butter 
• 2 tbsp rum – optional

1. Put sugar in an 8” skillet with water. Cook, covered, over low heat until sugar dissolves.  Covering pan while dissolving sugar stops formation of sugar crystals on side of pan.
2. Remove lid, increase heat and cook until syrup turns a deep gold color, swirling pan will mix light and dark syrup.  You will notice burnt sugar smell and a smoke above pan if overcooked. Undercooked is tasteless. Be very careful as boiling sugar gives a nasty burn. Don’t stir mix as it will crystallize.
3. Remove from heat, carefully add cream and butter, it will spit and bubble and harden. Return to low heat and stir until sauce is smooth again. Add rum if wanted.  Thickens slightly on cooling.

Cauldron Cakes for Halloween

CRÊPES

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

A recipe for soft, delicious gluten-free crepes, which can be layered with any sauce or flavoring.

Ingredients:  

• 3 large eggs
• ½ c half and half 
• ½ c fat-free milk  I used ¾ c fat-free milk and ¼ c heavy cream – use coffee creamer instead of cream for sweet crêpes or 1 c whole milk
• 1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract 
• ¾ c  cornstarch, I use Argo labeled gluten-free, Non-GMO and aluminum-free. You can add a little more cornstarch for a stronger crêpe.
• Salt
• 1 tbsp sugar for sweetness

Directions

1. Put milk and eggs in a bowl, then add rest of ingredients and whisk with an electric hand mixer, immersion blender or put in a blender and run until smooth. If you put cornstarch in bowl first, it tends to be more difficult to blend. 
2. I use a Caphalon crêpe pan that is 8” across the base. Most skillets etc are sold quoting measurement across the top edge not the cooking base, which can make quite a difference to size and quantity of crêpes based on that measurement. Heat pan on medium high heat until you can drip a few drops of water on pan and they ‘dance’ across the surface. Smear with a tiny bit of butter on paper towel. Pour in 2 tbsp batter into the center of the pan and tilt and swirl the batter to cover the base. Try not to get batter up the sides because it makes for less attractive crêpe, plus if you have bolts on the inside of the pan, batter will cook around bolts. Also batter around sides, cooks into a very crisp edge. But once stacked all the crêpes go soft. It does take practice to make visually perfect crêpe, first one is known as cooks perk in England, but they all taste good.
3. Cook until the top is drying and the edges are turning a golden brown.  About 20 seconds. I use a very thin plastic spatula to lift side of crêpe to see color and if cooked, the spatula loosens all the edges, making it easier to flip crêpe.  I flip it with my fingers, you can also use the spatula. Cook for a further 10 seconds. First side of crêpe should look an even golden brown, second side will look ‘freckly’.  If you overcook, it becomes very dry and crisp and difficult to roll or fold.
4. Invert crêpe onto a large plate and repeat with rest of batter. Depending on filling you will use, you can fill crêpes as they are made. Sometimes it is easier to fill them all at one time so you divide filling evenly amongst crêpes. Stir batter with each crêpe as cornstarch will sink to bottom.

For the Fall, after you’ve gone apple picking with the kids, cook some cored and chopped Gala, Fuji, Braeburn or similar apples in butter, add some maple syrup or sugar, apple cider and serve as a sauce over the crêpes.

Candy Corn Mini Muffins

Coconut-Rum Chocolate Pie

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Gluten-Free Coconut-Rum Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup regular sweetened, flaked coconut
• 2 c corn chex or honey nut chex (perhaps try chocolate chex) crushed to make one cup of crumbs. (Crush just in a Ziploc bag with rolling pin, but not to a powder)
• ½ c sliced almonds
• 6 Tbsp butter, earth balance or coconut oil

Filling:

• ½ c cream or Asian style coconut milk or coconut coffee creamer. Check coconut milk ingredients.  Piña Colada style coconut milk is high in sugar, ‘lite’ coconut milks are thickened with ‘gums’ and other ingredients to make thick and creamy.  Dairy coffee creamer or coconut coffee creamer that you use for coffee is easier for a small quantity
• 11-12 oz (~ 2 cups packet) gluten-free semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1-2 tbsp rum or other liquor you can tolerate.  Remember that ordinary rum and brandy should be gluten free, it is normally the flavorings added that can contain gluten.  You don’t have to add alcohol but it does raise the flavor nicely.
• Sliced bananas, fresh pineapple, mango,
• Bought or home made caramel sauce.
• Trader Joe’s make a jar of caramel sauce that is labeled gluten free, but not dairy free. Optional
• Whipped real cream or coconut cream whipped. Optional
• Some toasted coconut or sliced almonds to garnish. Optional.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter, earth balance or coconut oil. Mix together coconut, crushed chex and almonds and add melted butter or coconut oil to bind dry ingredients.
2. Press into base and sides of 9” pie place and bake in preheated 350* oven for 10-20 minutes until looking more golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Heat cream in 4 cup microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Stir in chocolate and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Stir well, microwave a bit more, stir well, microwave until chocolate forms a smooth, thick, shiny mass. I tend to use my immersion blender to get mix smooth. Stir in alcohol.  Depending on cream and chocolate used and whether you added any alcohol, taste the chocolate mix and decide if it needs some sugar.  Remember you might be drizzling it with caramel sauce and adding fresh fruit, all adding to sweetness.
4. Pour chocolate sauce into cool shell and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
5. Remove from fridge. You can arrange fruit on top and drizzle with caramel sauce, or cut into portions and add fruit and sauce to individual plates depending on what people can eat or tolerate.
6. Whip cream with some sugar and rum, pile on top of chocolate or pipe. Scatter toasted coconut or almonds on top of cream.

Note: I read a recipe where the writer whipped cream with powdered hot chocolate mix.  It gives a light, sweet chocolatey taste.