Gluten-Free Spiced Date Biscotti with Maple Glaze

Despite the fact that their strange appearance reminds me of the creepy crawly creatures that nest in dark places, and crawl across our floors or walls at the most unexpected times, dates are pretty delicious. Fruity, sticky, chewy, and naturally sweet, dates are pretty much nature's healthy candy.

But, of course, not all of us are date fans.

Some of us prefer chocolate in our desserts, some of us choose cranberries or raisins over other dried fruits, while others just like to keep it simple and nutty. How do you like your biscotti?


I think we can all agree that biscotti is most tasty when its got a good crunch. If it crumbles upon meeting the hot chocolate or dark coffee in our mugs, forget about it! That biscotti is a no-go. I'm more of a tea drinker, but even I hate scraping up the get-away crumbs clinging to the bottom of an otherwise empty cup.

So, to avoid that dilemma, let's choose a biscotti recipe that won't fail us! The one in the recipe card below is reliable, promise. It's based on someone else's scrumptious version, minus the butter and plus a few other ingredients (like the creepy looking dates :).

This gluten-free biscotti recipe will definitely yield dip-worthy treats that won't crumble under pressure! If you don't believe me, give it a whirl!

**Oops! Almost forgot :). Amy over at I am Celiac was sweet enough to feature me on her blog earlier this week! Go check out her blog and say hello!

Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies (Tutorial and Recipe)

I know I promised to post the artisan bread recipe, but I woke up extra early to make linzer cookies this morn' and, by golly, I've just been so excited about them that the mess (that resulted from the baking, mixing, etcing) really didn't take the joy away from the whole experience! See, I'm speaking in run-ons. I. am. excited!

So what's so exciting about waking up at the crack o' dawn to make a batch of gluten-free linzer cookies? The dream becoming a reality, people! What dream? I've been wanting to make linzer cookies forever. Even before going gluten-free. But I just thought they were too pretty for my butterfingers. I thought I'd mess them up and disappoint Martha or Ina, whose shadows haunt me like Marley's ghost when I FAIL. (Except theirs are wearing some kind of perfectly pressed buttoned up pastel shirt with a semi-popped collar.)


But even they might give me at least a teeny-tiny grin for today's attempt. The hours of waiting, stirring, blending (that would be for the filling), jam-smothering, powder-sugar-sprinkling, and baking all paid off! Sure, some are a little ugly (I grounded them from receiving close-up camera time), but they're good. Yep, the husband approves.

One thing I should note, the filling is homemade but not truly jam-like. I made it more gluey because I didn't want to deal with a wet mess. The end result? Sandwich cookies that stuck! Yeah! No water was added to the filling, just strawberries, sugar, a little packet of knox, and a tablespoon of corn starch. Read on for the tutorial, if you wish :).

So that's how you should flatten out the dough before sticking it in the freezer, and how you should sprinkle it with white rice flour before rolling it out. (I like to use aluminum foil when rolling the dough/cutting the cookies, so I can just put the cookies right on the baking sheet without having to move them.) The red stuff is the strawberry filling, before it chilled, it's thick.


Roll out the dough nice and flat, it's a bit thick in the picture. Roll it out to slightly more than 1/4 of an inch. The dough should be easy to work with, making the cookie-cutting experience a fairly painless one :).


Be sure to use "nesting cookie cutters", as pictured on the far left. And... the next picture? What the cookies should look like when you've baked, jammed, and sprinkled them.

I'm lazy, that's why I've been gone.

Gone are the days, at least for now, when I can spend hours in the kitchen baking/cooking and washing dishes/cleaning up... and still have energy left over afterward to do something else. But I've never been happier. Exhaustion has set in; I'm a bum these days, a professional couch potato of sorts. I've even gotten way behind on my blog reading! Tsk tsk. Sure, I still get dressed and cook the occasional meal, which is usually something boring and easy, but things have been pretty mellow 'round here.

Speaking of round, as each day passes, I become a little more round than the day before... and it's not just because I've been eating Snickers and lots of salty refried bean burritos (two big recent cravings). I guess I shouldn't say I haven't been baking, because I'm a 24/7 baker these days.

Truth is, I'm baking the tastiest gluten-free bun! My scrumptious little bundle will not be ready until mid May, though... talk about needing a long time to proof! I'm 9 weeks today. He/she doesn't look like much yet, but he/she does have a heartbeat, eyes and limps now! Woohoo! And he/she can move, even though I can't feel him/her. I really don't care what flavor I get; boy or girl, they'd both be a delicious treat. Don't worry, I don't plan on eating 'em... but baby fat does remind me of bread dough, hence the analogy.

You want to know another reason why I haven't been posting? Because I EAT everything I bake before I actually get to photograph it :P! Terrible, I know I'm bad. I've made some pretty tasty gluten-free blueberry muffins, some delicious angel food cake cupcakes, and gluten-free flour tortillas. So you'll have to bear with me... here's a recipe from this summer. I made them for my dad-in-law's birthday (or Father's Day? Memory fails) & he liked 'em :)... so enjoy!

Gluten Free Coconut Cream Almond Cookies (with Blueberry "Caramel" Sauce?)

There's a reason why I put a question mark at the end of the title. After experimenting with the blueberries we picked this weekend...

...I ended up with something that's a cross between a caramel sauce and syrup/glaze. I really wanted to make this really pretty berry tart that La Bella Cook blogged about, but I don't have a tart or pie pan, so I decided to make cookies since I haven't made them in awhile... but I don't have cookie cutters either! Why am I missing so many baking supplies? Because I'm out of town for the summer (with my husband, for his internship). I'm far from my stocked up kitchen. I didn't let that stop me, I used my sister in law's shot glass to make these semi-mini cookies :). I could only find a mini neon green rolling pin, so I used that to roll out the dough. Here's the evidence:

Thick blueberry 'glaze/caramel' sauce:
1/2 cup blueberries
3 TBSP heavy cream
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
cook on a low/medium boil until thick (stir constantly)
refrigerate for 30 min then
melt for 30 seconds; add
1 1/2 tbsp of melted butter & microwave for 45 more secs.

Thankfully, I still have plenty more blueberries left to make the tart :). Any creative ideas on what I can use in place of a tart pan? One thing I'd like to note: as you can see, the blueberry caramel sauce/syrup ended up a bit thick. I had to remelt it so that I could drizzle/splatter it over the cookies (I did this after I lined them up on a piece of parchment paper, it was a messy job!). It was fun getting Jackson Pollock-y in the kitchen, though :). I really wanted to make a blueberry frosting, maybe next time... This recipe makes a little over 2 dozen small cookies.