“Dairy” I Try Gluten-Free Baking?

Last month, I invited a friend to dinner at a local Indian place, only to cancel on him two hours before the meal. My stomach had contracted an oh-so-lovely 24-hour bug, which left my lying pitifully on the couch all night, the remote dangling from one hand and a glass of Sprite in the other.

 

As an apology, I wanted to bake him some sort of tasty treat. At our rain-checked dinner three days later, I finally dragged it out of him: he’s a sucker for a good peanut butter cookie. Perfect! Easy as pie cookies, right?

 

Not so fast… Turns out he’s allergic to both dairy and gluten. I checked around my kitchen: white, whole wheat, and cake flour sat in the pantry, while butter and milk chilled in the fridge. Oops.  

 

 

Thank goodness the store is only a quarter mile away! I hunted around and found Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten free baking flour, and during my walk home, I crossed my fingers that an oil-for-butter substitution would still taste normal. With those minor modifications, I transformed one of my favorite recipes into a cookie safe for my dairy- and gluten-intolerant friend to enjoy.

 

Not bad for my first second gluten-free dessert!

 

 

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

modified from The Best Light Recipe

makes about 3 dozen

If you don’t have gluten intolerance, feel free to substitute all-purpose flour instead. Serve with a cold glass of milk for dunking!

1¼ c. Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose baking flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 c. packed dark brown sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter and sugar, smearing any lumps against the side of the bowl. Stir in the flour mixture. (If a little dry, add a teaspoon or two of water.) If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 min.
3. Shape one tablespoon of dough into a ball, place on the prepared sheet, and flatten into a circle using your fingers or the bottom of a glass. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake at 350° for 11-13 min or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

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