Or so says comedian John Pinette. I generally try to not take standup comedy as gospel, but I’m kind of inclined to agree with him on that count. If you read this blog with any regularity, you know my feelings on gluten-free baking. I’m certain that if I had to go gluten-free, I’d lose 20 pounds within the first month, easy.
But…remember the coworker who asked if I could find a good gluten-free corn bread recipe for her? (“A very corn-y joke“) Evidently my baking didn’t kill her, and she decided she had to get more of what I had to offer. *snerk* “Here’s my Christmas wish,” she began as she appeared at my desk one morning, and spread out a recipe clipped from the newspaper.
“Pumpkin-almond cookies?” I read. The ingredient list seemed fairly straightforward, except for the almond butter and – oh, crap! – having to spend an hour reducing pumpkin purée before baking.
“But gluten-free.” Of course. She went on to say that she had a big jar of almond butter at home, all-natural, from Costco, that she wasn’t using, and I could have the whole thing. How can you refuse an offer/request like that?
When I went to the bulk store for gluten-free flour, the little information slips attached to the bin recommended adding xanthan gum for best results. Of course, they didn’t sell xanthan gum in bulk, only in huge bags, so that necessitated a trip to another store to get a smaller package. (At 1/4 tsp per cup of flour for cookies, a 100 gram bag will last me forever.) Ingredients procured, I got a-baking yesterday:
I have to say, they’re not half-bad. Maybe adding xanthan gum really does make a difference! I think part of the reason these worked is because the moisture in the pumpkin helps counteract the dry crumbliness that usually befalls GF baking…that hour spent reducing it was worth it, by the way.
My mom says that it’s the best gluten-free baking she’s ever had, and certainly the best that I’ve ever made – high praise, from someone who can eat the plain old glutenous version with impunity.
Now I just have to wait and see if my coworker thinks they were worth the wait. I’ll be bringing a tin of them in for her tomorrow for a Monday surprise!
The Witty Child 