Gluten Free Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

Confession: I fully realize it would have been much more beneficial to you if I posted this recipe before Thanksgiving, but life has been a little busy of late. I don't know if I've told you, but there have been some pretty exciting changes in my life over the past few months. In early September I quit my full-time job as a PR manager at a branding agency to... drum roll please... go to culinary school! I'm currently enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Manhattan, and am doing a dual program, taking Culinary Management and Culinary Arts classes. Basically I'm learning all about the business side of the food industry, as well as further developing my cooking skills (and trust me, there is a lot more developing to be done). It's been an incredible experience so far, and I have already learned so, so much and met some amazing people. I hope to share my experiences with you here over the next six months (both programs end in April, and then it's time to find this girl a job). 

But enough about me. Let's talk about these cookies. Personally, I love and can't get enough of them. And I think my friends, who I forced to be taste testers, would agree. I've probably made these at least a half dozen times since I perfected the recipe (it took about three tries to get it right).

I often find that gluten-free cookies can be really dry (depending on where you get them and who bakes them), and I hate that. Why should we have to suffer? I wholeheartedly feel that gluten-free baking can be just as good as gluten-full baking as long as you have and use the right combination of ingredients. And it may mean almost overcompensating with moist ingredients sometimes (in this recipe, the pumpkin puree adds a ton of moisture, but in other recipes I sometimes double the amount of eggs or add applesauce). Regardless, I love these oatmeal pumpkin cookies, full of fall flavors like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and hope you do too. And hey, even though we're past Thanksgiving, who says you can't bring these to your annual holiday cookie exchange, or bake them for your favorite family and friends?

Gluten Free Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies

Time: 40 minutes total, 25 minutes active

Servings: 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter, slightly softened but still cold

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon xantham gum 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Quick Cooking Oats 

Preheat oven to 350º.
Combine flour mixture in medium mixing bowl and set aside.
In large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and with hand or stand mixer, blend until smooth.
Slowly add pumpkin puree, then vanilla extract.
Slowly add flour mixture into sugar mixture and blend until fully combined.
Using a small spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop out clementine-sized balls of dough.
Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (makes cleanup much easier), and line three to a row. Cookies will not expand much.
Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden and slightly crispy on top. If unsure, stick a toothpick through the center of a cookie to test doneness. If it comes out clean, the cookies are done.

Pumpkin Soup

Happy Halloween! What a Halloween to remember. Due to Hurricane Sandy my roommates and I have been trapped in Brooklyn since Sunday night. It's been interesting. We're incredibly fortunate to have power, hot water, and cell service, unlike most of our friends who live in downtown Manhattan, Hoboken, and Jersey City. So what do we do when we don't have work? Eat and drink, of course. Fortunately everyone in our neighborhood seems to be up for a good time, and most of the bars and restaurants have been open.

We've been drinking lots of "fall-mosas" (champagne and apple cider) and Bloody Marys. I mean, what else are we going to do?

Oh. Make pumpkin soup! This is an easy, delicious recipe and a great way to end what has been a very  memorable Halloween.

All you need to do is throw it on the stove and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Another one to add to the rotation! And both of my roommates approve, so you know it's got to be good.

They also want me to stop cooking because we've been getting little to no physical activity (save for a quick trip to our local gym).

Pumpkin Soup

Serves 8

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin (1 large can)
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
4 taplespoons cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the pumpkin. Slowly add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the cinnamon, cream, brown sugar, and parsley. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

I will say that I added a lot of cinnamon, but it made the soup incredibly flavorful. If you want to make a healthier version you can probably skip the cream and brown sugar (although I really didn't use that much).

Enjoy! And Happy Hurricane Sandy Halloween!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

Remember how I made those amazingly delicious Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins last week? Well, you're in luck, because they can easily be turned into gluten-free pumpkin cupcakes, and they're even better.

I've got pumpkin on the brain. What can I say? Pumpkin recipes are everywhere. And you don't see this girl complaining.

The muffins were so good that I thought, why not turn these into dessert with a little buttercream icing? Side note: I love buttercream icing. I mean like love love. When I was younger I used to make a batch and just eat it right out of the bowl. Gross, I know, but hopefully you get my point. Anyway, I decided that plain buttercream icing might not match the pumpkin flavor perfectly, but cinnamon sure would. So why not just make the icing, throw in some cinnamon, and see what happens?

What happened? The icing almost didn't make it on the cupcakes. Because I couldn't stop eating it. Straight out of the bowl, with a spoon. I can feel you judging me. But you would've done the same! And if you make these cupcakes, you will do the same. That I can promise you.

So what are you waiting for? Get to it! 

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

Makes 12 cupcakes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

For the cupcakes, I simply used my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffin recipe. It's perfect for this. Then you can start on the icing while they're cooling. 

Cinnamon Icing

Cooking time:

1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup organic butter

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix all of the ingredients together with an electric beater until completely smooth. Add extra cinnamon if you want more flavor.

Wait until the cupcakes are completely cooled, then frost them.

I have a feeling both you and I will be making these again and again throughout the fall... 

Pumpkin Butter

You're in luck! Two recipes in one morning. I know, I'm being generous. But they go hand-in-hand, so I had to. This is another recipe I borrowed from Skinnytaste. It's the first time I've attempted to make pumpkin butter and if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty darn well. So thanks for the recipe, Skinnytaste.

This is something you can make and keep in your refrigerator and eat with anything. On gluten-free crackers, a gluten-free scone, with gluten-free granola, or in Gluten-Free Pumpkin Overnight Oats.

Pumpkin Butter

Makes 3 3/4 cups
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, or 1 can
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup apple cider
1 cup packed brown sugar
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

Instructions:

Combine pureed pumpkin, vanilla, apple juice, spices, cinnamon sticks and sugar in a large saucepan. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to taste.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Overnight Oats

Hi there. It's been a while, I know. Sorry for the lack of posts last week. Somehow I got caught up with everything else going on in my life! One of my big projects is re-designing the blog, which I couldn't be more excited about. I just finalized the logo last week and should hopefully be able to share it with you soon. In the meantime, I'm back this morning and will be posting at least one new recipe every day this week.

This morning I have a great recipe to share, one which I adapted from the fabulous (but non-gluten-free) blog Skinnytaste. Many of the recipes can easily be made gluten-free, and they're all healthy and calorie-conscious. Hence the name Skinnytaste.

For the past month or so my breakfast has been Fresh Figs with Greek Yogurt and Honey, and this weekend I decided I was finally ready for a change. I was craving something a little more fall-ish. Fortunately I've been keeping this recipe in my back pocket for the past few weeks, so I didn't have to search high and low for something new.

The best part about this is that you make it the night before, throw it in the fridge, let it sit overnight, and it's ready to be eaten. No cooking required! Well, that and it's pretty delicious.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Overnight Oats

1 serving
Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup quick oats (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats)
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons pumpkin butter
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 sliced banana (freeze the rest for smoothies)

Instructions:

Combine the oats and almond milk in a jar. Stir in the pumpkin butter and cinnamon. Add banana, cover jar, shake and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning take it out of the refrigerator, let sit for about 30 minutes (or pop it in the microwave for a few seconds), and enjoy.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Let's play a little game of word association. When I say "fall" (as in the season) what comes to mind? I immediately think of changing leaves, sweaters, and pumpkin baked goods. Oh how I love pumpkin baked goods. Before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease I would make loaves and loaves of pumpkin bread every year. In college my roommates would devour a loaf within minutes. 

Since I've been gluten-free, I haven't eaten any pumpkin bread. None. And every year when fall comes around I'm always upset that I can't make it. Or, I can't eat it. But, as you've probably noticed, so far this fall I've been on a major gluten-free baking kick. 

Ever since I made those Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins a few weeks ago I've been wanting to use Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix in another recipe. I've been dying to make pumpkin bread, so I figured why not use the mix and see how it works.

Sadly enough I couldn't find my original pumpkin bread recipe from college, so I ended up amending the Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin recipe and making pumpkin muffins. I really couldn't have been happier with the result. Not only were they delicious, you would never be able to tell they were gluten-free (and I have testament from one of my college roommates, who ate a muffin last night). From now on I'm going to be an evangelist for Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix. Every gluten-free baker (or at least beginner baker) should have a package of this in their pantry. I bought mine at Whole Foods.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1 & 3/4 cup Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
1/4 cup organic melted butter 
1/2 cup almond milk 
1/2 cup organic white sugar 
1 organic egg
1 cup pure pumpkin (I used Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions: 

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl and blend together (I used an electric hand mixer). Gently scoop the batter into cupcake liners in the muffin tin. Fill batter almost to the top leaving a little space for the muffins to rise. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to test with a knife or a toothpick to make sure they are cooked through. 

You could easily make a loaf of bread instead of muffins using this exact same recipe, although the cooking time may be slightly different. 

I can assure you my apartment will be filled with the delicious smell of pumpkin muffins or bread throughout the entire fall. It's been three years, people! 

Two more things. First, I forgot to wish you a happy National Celiac Awareness Day last Thursday. And second, I have to share this picture I took at the Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg yesterday. Love it.