Pamela's Gluten Free Cookies

We have tried several different brands of gluten free cookie mixes.  Most of them have been quite bad.  I love good chocolate chip cookies, I barely think that any other cookie exists beyond chocolate chip, so we have really been craving cookies that the whole group can enjoy.

Recently we tried the Pamela's brand and it is WONDERFUL!  Not exactly a glutenful cookie, but they are fluffy and good and chocolatey.  The fluffy part is nice for us.  We live at an altitude and any prepackaged cookies I make are usually flat as pancakes.

The kiddo seems to like them, so that is a good sign.  He's pretty picky.  MMMM good cookies!


*I was not paid to write this post by Pamela's.  Just really like the products.

Gluten Free Strawberry Pie

Happy Easter!  I made a gluten free strawberry pie that turned out pretty well.  It was my first time making it so I think there would be some adjustments but overall, really good.

I made a cookie crumb crust out of some pre-made Pamela's mini chocolate chip cookies.  I pulverized about a cup and a half of cookies in the food processor.  Mix with 3 T butter and press into a pie pan along the bottom and up the sides.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cool completely before adding strawberries.

For the glace:
1 cup strawberries
2/3 c water

Blend until smooth in a food processor or blender.

In a medium saucepan add in;

Strawberry mixture from above
2/3 cup sugar
2 T Cornstarch

Stir well, let come to a boil, stirring often until mixture is thickened.  Let stand to cool before adding to pie. 

To the prepared pie crust add about 8 cups of strawberries.  I like to mostly have mine whole, but you can cut them up as much as you want.  Pour glace over strawberries.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with some whip cream or ice cream and you have a fresh, gluten free pie.

Gluten Free Cupcakes

For our Birthday Celebration I made lots of cake, cupcakes to take to preschool, cupcakes for the party for non-gluten-free people (which is everyone) and gluten-free cupcakes for the boy.  I have found that the BEST gluten-free products out there are Pamela's.  Her cakes and brownie mixes are excellent and taste like "normal" baked goods.  Her bread mix is really awesome too.  It is heavier and grainier than regular bread, but it is pretty tasty.

For the kiddos cupcakes I used the chocolate cake mix and followed the recipe on the bag.  For the frosting I make a butter cream, but instead of using real butter that seems to upset his belly - given that it is dairy, completely understandable - I used Smart Balance light and powdered sugar.  I didn't even need to add milk because the Smart Balance has a little more liquid in it.  The frosting turned out so yummy and creamy and light.  I really liked it.

If interested about the bread, for some reason the recipe on the back says two cups of liquid which is WAY too much.  I follow the directions on the bag except that I only add 3/4 cup of water or soy milk and I add some honey for sweetness.  It really makes the bread a lot better.