Update: Andrea is our lucky winner! Please contact me so that I can ship your winnings! (Winner selected using random.org)

As many of you may have discovered, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix is now available from Betty Crocker at your local grocery store. As an added bonus you can print coupons on the Betty Crocker website for great gluten free mixes.I made these cookies according to the package directions and found them to be chewy (even days later) with plenty of chocolate chips. However, I did find that there was a slightly gritty mouthfeel. I made my next batch according to the directions, but with the addition of 1/2 cup of almond butter. This seemed to eliminate the gritty mouthfeel. Other nut butters could be substituted as well. I would love to know if you have tinkered with enhancing this cookie mix (or other GF cookie mix).

I cannot recommend the Beef Stroganoff version unless you prefer a VERY mild stroganoff more reminiscent of alfredo sauce. I had to add worcestershire powder, soy sauce, pepper, rice vinegar and a touch of salt (not to mention mushrooms and sour cream) before it began to be reminiscent of a stroganoff. I would have found it easier to start from scratch. But, two out of the three is not too bad at all.

Cherrybrook Farms has made a very good version of sugar cookies in their Cherrybrook Farms Gluten Free Sugar Cookie Mix. Even if you choose to follow the instructions to a “T,” you will end up with a very credible gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, egg-free sugar cookie. The back of the box instructs you to add 1/2 cup melted margarine (or butter), 1/4 cup rice milk (or soy or dairy milk), 2 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla, and the contents of the mix. The final product will look a little different from traditional sugar cookies in that this cookie bakes up more like a mounded tea cookie. I will detail the substitutions and techniques I used to achieve the familiar flattened and sugar-coated treat I like best.I added 1/2 cup ground almonds to the batter to eliminate the slight grittiness that I detected in the final product. If you have nut issues or are worried about the extra fat/calories, feel free to leave it out. I also tried substituting vegetable oil during one of the trials for the margarine/butter with success. Next, I formed balls with about a tablespoon of dough and rolled them between my hands. I added about a 1/4 cup sugar into the bag the mix came in and tossed my rolled balls in one at a time for a brief coating in sugar. Next I placed about 1 dozen sugar coated balls on my cookie sheet and pressed each with the bottom of a drinking glass. Press these flatter than you normally press cookies, because these cookies do not spread while baking, although they will puff slightly.Enjoy these cookies just as they are or slather with homemade or purchased gluten free frosting or glaze. You could also add cinnamon to your sugar coating and turn these into snicker-doodles. They keep well when stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days (if they last that long : ).  These cookies pack up well as lunch bag delights.

I am still in love with the idea of this affordable convenient brownie mix…so I shall have to get to work on a version that mutes the intensity of the chocolate slightly. Any brilliant ideas on doing that?

Udi Gluten-Free Bread Review 

“This is good bread,” I told my husband. “And, I had wheat bread yesterday.”

“You had gluten yesterday. You didn’t tell me?” he asked.

“So, it’s not like I’ve lost my sense of what good bread tastes like,” I pretended to ignore him.

“You could have told me you had gluten yesterday,” he said now looking at the floor. “I feel like, I dunno, like a bond between us has been severed. It’s like I’ve been…deceived.”

“I have gluten almost every day,” I told him. Now he was shuffling his feet. “But, this is Good Bread!”

“Yeah, this bread is really good!,” he finally agreed.  “And,” smiling graciously he added, “I forgive you,” which was the endplay to our verbal teasing.

Every experience with Udi bread since our first taste, usually includes a comment such as, “This is really good bread” or “This is a good or better than any store-bought wheat bread I have ever tasted.” Notice, not “good gluten free bread,” “good bread.” Period.

The name of my website boasts an audacious claim. As such, I strive to earn your trust. You can take this one to the store:

Udi bakes really good bread! Tell me how much you liked it.

~Jean Ann

Luscious, moist carrot cake…is there anything better? And there is nothing wrong with a little bit of convenience too. I tested Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix using the carrot cake version offered on the Betty Crocker website. Would you like a bite?      

I loaded all the batter into one 9 inch cake pan. However, after it cooled out of the oven, I sliced the cake into two layers, I wanted a more traditional layer cake look. It was moist, delicious, and best of all easy.

I love the look of the batter flecked with grated carrots. The carrots seem to ensure that the cake stays moist and beautifully textured.

This is even better than the delicious banana bread I grew up on. The only thing I might add next time is finely chopped pecans. Certainly you might be inspired to add rum soaked raisins, coconut, or chocolate chips etc. For a decadent dessert you might add a couple scoops of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Yum! (Or should I say Eureka!)

Gluten Free Zucchini Snack Cake Recipe Version

What a marvelous world we live in when you can purchase reasonably priced gluten free mixes at the local grocery store. No extra trip needed to the health food store or specialty market! An added bonus are the additional recipes using the gluten free mixes on the Betty Crocker site. The Zucchini Devils Food Snack Cake recipe was tested here. Tis the season for a garden full to bursting with the beautiful bounty of summer squash.

I found the snack cake recipe to be absolutely delightful. Because the recipe has a crumble topping it does not need frosting. Like many gluten free recipes this cake benefits from a 24 hour rest on the counter under a cake dome or other container. After a day the cake tastes even more moist and supple and the crumble topping becomes sticky and rich. I might add a little more sugar to the cake itself next time or I might leave off the crumble topping and frost it as a cake.

The test ktichen used a round 9 inch pan although the recipe also gave the option of an 8 or 9 inch square pan. I also left the spices out of the recipe, so the chocolate taste could shine. I would love to hear what kind of variations you have tried with the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devils Food Cake Mix.