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Monday, February 10, 2014

Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies

 

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I had good intentions of painting a table after another snowstorm came through Ohio.  I just forgot to pick up paint brushes!  So, I decided to put some energy, that actually decided to show up, into action by making a Gluten Free Shortbread Cookie mix I picked up a few weeks ago.  I am not a baker, by any means, so I like the convenience of these types of mixes.

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I love Shortbread cookies, plain to some, but they are made with a stick and a half of butter so they do have a buttery taste to them.  I used the Gluten Free Bob’s Red Mill Shortbread Cookie Mix.  I find these mixes convenient and they taste really good.  I made the Gluten Free Cornbread mix and we’ve also used the Gluten Free Pizza Dough mix.  Both are very good.  The pizza dough requires a little work {like the shortbread cookie mix}, but the cornbread mix is very simple.

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I followed the directions on preparing the cookie mix, rolled out the dough as instructed and used a heart shape cookie cutter that I’ve had for years. 

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I know a lot of bloggy buddies have recently had to go gluten free and, believe me, I know how difficult this can be after you’ve eaten “normal” or “regular” food for over 40 years.  Here are some of my favorite gluten free foods that actually taste good.  My “go-to” breads are by Udis.

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Most gluten free breads that are pre-packaged {like a regular loaf of bread} are quite small.  I liken it to having a tea sandwich for lunch.  The Udi’s white bread is the best tasting I have found over the past five years of looking.  The bagels and cheese pizza are also very good.  I toast all the gluten free bread I eat.  It is the only way I can eat it.

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The next brand I like is for breakfast on-the-go and snacks from Glutino.  The pretzels are pretty close to regular ones {and my non-gluten free granddaughter loves them, too}, the breakfast bars {like Nutri-grain bars} and pop tarts.  With the gluten free pop tarts you only get one in a package, which can be a plus if you are doing portion control. 

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With cold Winters, I was really missing soups.  Last year I found soups by Gluten Free CafĂ© by Health Valley.  I find this soup at a local health food store, but I believe I saw Kroger had them recently.

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I love pasta! The best pasta I have had, to date, is Organic Gluten Free by bionaturae.   They have spaghetti, elbows, fusilli, and penne that I have seen and tried.  I use the Udi’s French Bread loaves when I want to add some garlic bread to a pasta meal.

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Of course, there are some companies that are naturally gluten free like the Chex cereals.  I always have a couple of boxes of them in our pantry. 

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You can find a lot of these gluten free foods online, too, but the shipping can be exorbitant, so I stick to local stores.  Thankfully, they are a lot better than they were five years ago.

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Back to the cookies, I went a little too thin on rolling out the dough in some areas and a few of the cookies got a little too brown, but I will still enjoy them.  I got 18-24 cookies out of this and my husband even ate some.

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So while I’m not the best baker in the world, sometimes I have to force myself to try something new, otherwise I won’t get to eat it!

I have not been compensated in any way by the companies listed here.  This is just my honest opinion on food that has had to become a part of my diet from dealing with Celiac Disease.

14 comments:

  1. You too Kathy! I've been making my own baked goods. I just bought GF Cinnamon Raison bread by Canyon Bakehouse. I'm trying to switch my family over to eating like me. Cooking has been difficult always having to make separate meals.
    Your cookies look Yummy!

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  2. Thanks, Kathy. I have been seriously thinking about GF cooking/lifestyle. Those cookies look great! xo Diana

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  3. Hi Kathy,
    Your cookies look great,we love
    shortbread cookies, I am not very
    good with the rolling and cutting stuff tho, but I just might give
    it a try, Loved your lil hearts.
    Nice lil Valentine's present!

    Thanks for this post, cause I have
    been eating gluten free as well, in fact, I am waiting for a Celiac test to come back in the next week or so.
    I have used some of the Red Mill
    products too, especially the rice
    flour. I am not a big baker either especially since my hubby was diagnosed with Heart disease 8 yrs. ago, but I decided one day to see if I could turn a normal recipe into a gluten free using
    rice flour and I did and the results were great. If you would
    like to see the recipe you can go
    here. http://nelliescozyplace.blogspot.com/search?q=gluten+free+cookies

    It is for gluten free choc. chip
    oatmeal cookies.
    From time to time I put Heart healthy and gluten free products
    on my blog to that I enjoy. If you happen to live where there is
    a Publix grocery store, I buy a bread and it doesn't call itself
    gluten free but it doesn't have any extra wheat gluten added to it
    and doesn't seem to bother me, and it is delicious. It is made by the Publix bakery and is called
    "Italian five grain bread", they also have a wheat 5 grain italian bread, not the correct one... so check the name and ingredient label carefully, cause I have almost picked it up by mistake.
    I really do not like any of the
    gluten free breads, but this bread
    is awesome and doesn't seem to bother me or give me symptoms.

    I would love to be able to pick your brain for some ideas for breakfast and lunch especially if my celiac test comes back positive. I am new to this in the passed 6 mos. or so........I decided to try
    GF because of a friends suggestion
    who knows the issues I deal with and she has a friend who had issues like mine, and as long as he eats GF he is fine. So have tried it and altho I am not totally GF I have seen quite a bit of improvement.

    Sorry didn't mean to write a book,
    just nice to hear ideas from someone else who is doing this.

    Blessings for a good week,
    Nellie

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  4. Hi Again,
    when I went back to my blog I just
    saw another post I did about some
    gluten free products. It is a
    Thankful Thursday post, but those
    products were on my thankful list
    and there are pics of them.
    Just thought you might like to know. Here is the link http://nelliescozyplace.blogspot.com/2013/08/welcome-to-thankful-thursday-august.html

    and I have tried a few of the glutino products and which they were easier to find, cause they are really good. They have been
    in business for 30 yrs or more I think it is........so imagine they
    have perfected things!!

    Anyway, have a good day,
    Blessings,Nellie

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  5. Great tips, Kathy. I have a friend who suffers from Celiac Disease. The cookies look delish.

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  6. The cookies look very yummy, especially with the white topping. You're too funny about the bread, having to toast it. Despite some limitations you seem to have done really well finding lots of good food to eat. I should probably bake something for my kids for V-day, but at the rate things are going I'll probably be visiting the bakery section of the grocery store!

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  7. The cookies look great, Kathy. I always have a hard time with gf baking. My goodies never seem to look done, and I overcook them. Thanks for the gf resources. I use several of them, but some are new to me and I look forward to trying them.

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  8. They look great Kathy..I don't know anything about GF diets...Who knows ?? Maybe I should learn..

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  9. Thank you, Kathy, for all the gluten free sources. I have more friends eating gluten free now. I know it has been a difficult road because there was so little to choose from over the past few years. I'm excited to learn about these options! Your cookies are so pretty and look very yummy!

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  10. Hi Kath,

    I am learning about this through a very good friend who has it - had no idea there were even products out there - awesome to know!

    Glad your pretty heart cookies turned out, too!

    BTW: I mentioned you in my post today.

    Hugs. ♥

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  11. mmm I love shortbread cookies and yours look really yummy:) I like the cute heart shape, beautiful presentation in the pretty red transferware! Have a wonderful week! Hugs, Poppy

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  12. My adult daughter has to have gluten free. She can not have dairy , nuts, tomatoes,. So when you read the label it will tell you if it is baked around nut products. She has two places where she can dine out. They keep everything allergy free in the kitchen for her. When we all go out with her, she eats at home, eats later, or sometimes takes in a plastic container her meal. The eateries do not have a problem with that. When she travels she has to put all her items she needs for cooking in a separate suitcase. Sometimes she has to cook some items and bag when it is a short flight because the hotel is only got a microwave in the rm. It gets costly to have a kitchen rental on a trip.

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  13. Hi, Kathy. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE shortbread! You provided such helpful info in this post! I've passed it on!

    Thanks for stopping by my Winter Picnic post...you bet I did it in a hurry! Brrrr! And record lows again tonight! Boy, will I be happy when we have warm weather! :) ~Zuni

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  14. Those look wonderful Kathy! Gluten free has really come a long way with so many people being diagnosed with Celiac they have made eating a lot better and without compromising the taste.

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I always enjoy reading your comments! Kathy