Product Review: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, this weekend, I'll be heading out to Sunset Beach, NC for a friend's bachelorette party.  This friend is ALSO gluten free, so I wanted to make some goodies that we could enjoy while we're soaking up some sun and celebrating.  I made some pineapple orange gluten free cupcakes (to be written in another post) from scratch, but decided to go with a box mix for some chocolate chip cookies.  Betty Crocker makes a line of gluten free products that have gotten pretty good reviews from other gluten free blogs I've read, so I decided to give their mix a try.

The mix requires a stick of softened butter, vanilla, and one egg.  I would recommend a few extra chocolate chips if you like a lot of chocolate or chunks (I like a very chippy cookie).  All that's required is to mix the butter, vanilla, and egg first, then add the mix.  The dough that results is very crumbly.  I found mixing it with a wooden spoon was pretty futile so I just dove in there with clean hands and squeezed the dough, which resulted in something a bit more compact.  The texture after using my hands was a lot more like what you would get with a "place and bake" cookie from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  I formed the dough into balls, placed two inches apart (fit 6 cookies to a sheet) and baked. The resulting cookies are very good.  Generally, I like a buttery chocolate chip cookie, which is pretty flat and has a little bit of a crispy edge to it.  These cookies actually come pretty close to what I would normally bake with all purpose flour.  I definitely prefer these cookies to the Bob's Red Mill that I've made before.  Bob's Red Mill was not unpleasant, but had a beany aftertaste to it that I didn't like that well.  These don't have that aftertaste, and they're about as close as I've eaten to the scratch made, gluten-filled toll house cookies I've been making for years.

I would recommend these to anyone, and they're definitely user friendly.  If you're not gluten free and want to bake for someone who is, this is a really easy way to make something that your gluten free friend will be happy with.  If you are gluten free, you can bake these up, take them to a party, and no one would notice that they're a gluten free cookie.

Ginger Rice

I love ginger.  It's fresh and bright, but has a great bite to it.  People that go gluten free become really well acquainted with rice.  I use it frequently as a side dish.  But, plain rice gets boring quickly.  So, I decided to do a ginger rice one day.  It's one of my husband's favorites.  I keep ginger root in my freezer, because it's easier to grate that way, and I always have some on hand.

1 T. butter
2 T. fresh ginger, grated
1 c. rice (you can substitute quinoa if you like)
1 1/2 c. low sodium, fat free chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt


Melt butter in medium sized sauce pan.  Add rice and coat, followed by ginger and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat slightly, cover and simmer.  That's it.  It's nothing spectacular, it's just a way to brighten up something you eat all the time.  It makes a really great dinner side or a base for a stir fry.  I always make extra because I know that I'm going to want leftovers the next day.

Pizza Product Reviews!

Pizza.  One of my truest loves.  I have only ever encountered one truly inedible pizza in my life and I made it myself.  But, most gluten free pizza products out there aren't too bad.  Here's some of what I've found since the last time I posted:

Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix:

I gave this mix a try a couple of months ago.  One of the biggest adjustments to making gluten free boxed or homemade pizza doughs is the texture of the dough before it's baked.  These doughs are often extremely sticky, and aren't so much rolled out like a typical dough as they are spread onto an oiled pan.  That is definitely the case with this mix.  It's very sticky, and pretty difficult to spread.  The results left me feeling unsatisfied.  It was edible, but not enjoyable.  The pizza I made with this mix left a lot to be desired in terms of both taste and texture.  I probably won't make it again.

Gluten Free Bisquick Pizza Recipe

I gave this a try last night.  There's a recipe on the side panel of this mix for pizza crust.  I decided to add some typical seasonings to the crust like garlic, onion, and oregano.  The result was a pizza on a sort of okay tasting biscuit.  The taste of the crust wasn't bad, but the texture wasn't like a pizza.  This is the real trap of most gluten free pizzas I've had.  If the end result is a pizza with a fluffy crust, the texture is likely to be "off" somehow.  However, if the end result is a thinner crust, the texture tends to be less objectionable.  In this case, the texture wasn't terrible, but it's not necessarily what you expect when you think pizza.  I WOULD make this again, but only if I was dying for a pizza and didn't have any other options.  

Domino's Gluten Free Pizza

Gluten free pizza at a national chain. . . sort of.  Like the disclaimer says, the pizza is prepared in a kitchen with all the delicious gluteny goodness.  So, Domino's doesn't guarantee that it's not going to cause a reaction.  So, what have I learned?  That I need to order it takeout from the store over near campus.  College campuses tend to have a lot more people that are gluten free, and/or employees that know about gluten sensitivities or Celiac, etc.  The several times I've ordered the gluten free pizza from that store I've been fine, and have not had a reaction to the pizza.  The one time I ordered from the store that delivers to my house?  Probably the worst I've felt in months.  Seriously.  Honestly, I've not been back to Domino's since then, but not because I wouldn't go back, but because I've found a better option.  However, I'd be happy to order another Domino's gluten free pizza.  I know I'm taking a risk, but it is tasty.  It's one of the better one's out there, and really. . . convenience does it for me.  The texture of the thin crust is good, and the taste of the crust, the toppings, and the cheese are all to my liking, so this is up there on my list.

Mellow Mushroom

Back when I was able to eat gluten, I LOVED Mellow Mushroom.  The pretzels.  Oh my God, the pretzels. I loved it.  The chewy texture of the crust, and the awesome toppings.  It was always a good time, if not a little pricey.  The same is true for their gluten free pizza.  The crust has a pleasant taste (although I've had a bit of a beany after taste one or two times) and the texture is good as well.  It's a solid piece of pizza that you could pick up and enjoy eating with your hands.  The crusts are prepackaged, so the staff aren't actually making these in the kitchen with the other pizzas.  They're essentially unwrapping them, oiling a pan and cooking it.  But, they do use designated pans and utensils for the gluten free products.  But, because it's a prepackaged crust, no luck on any delicious gluten free pretzels.  Despite that, I'd eat Mellow Mushroom's gluten free pizza any time.  Taste and texture wise, it's worth the money.

Slices

I don't have a picture of Slices by Tony's gluten free pizza.  Tony is an awesome dude who my friend Gianna knows.  He's Italian and she babysits his newborn.  Tony makes the BEST gluten free pizza in the world HANDS DOWN.  My husband, who tries all of my gluten free pizza products, but generally hates all the homemade ones, and says the chain products are just "passable" absolutely LOVES Slices' gluten free pizza.  He said not only is it the best gluten free pizza he's had, but he rates it very highly on his list of all time good tasting pizzas.  I have no idea what Tony puts in it.  I don't know how he does it, but I know that I never, ever want him to go out of business.  I will cry.  I will be the saddest person in the world when I have to leave Greensboro and leave this pizza behind me.  Slices' gluten free is worth every single penny that I pay for it, and I will pay it over and over again.

As always, I'm still going to be experimenting with pizza crusts here in my home.  I'm eager to do a cauliflower crust, and there's a brown rice crust that my friend Spencer suggested months ago, that I really need to experiment with!

Sweet Cornmeal Pancakes

I haven't posted in awhile.  Blah, blah, grad school, blah.  I cooked yesterday.  It wasn't the first time I've cooked since the last time I've posted, but it was one of the first times I cooked something that I thought was worthy of putting on the blog. 

I like brinner.  I was never really a big fan of eggs growing up, and I still won't eat them any other way but scrambled, or as the coating for french toast.  But, in the adult years that I embraced eggs, I would scramble some up, get some lightly buttered toast, and drizzle some ketchup on that business and go to town.  But, gluten free bread is expensive, and I don't treat myself to eating it very often.  So, I thought maybe we'd have pancakes yesterday.  I like cornmeal pancakes.  I particularly like savory cornmeal pancakes, because there's a natural saltiness to cornmeal that I think is pretty delicious.  But I decided to go in the other direction with these pancakes, and made them sweet instead.  I found my batter to be VERY thick, and I probably could have thinned it out with a little milk if I'd not used all the milk to make the batter initially.  Feel free to add more as you choose to get the consistency that you like.  My batter was so thick that I had to take a butter knife to spread the pancakes in my pan after scooping them out.  Really though?  I wouldn't have changed it.  I like really thick, fluffy, vow you're going to do 20 extra minutes of cardio to not feel like the goodyear blimp pancakes every now and again.

Sweet Cornmeal Pancakes

1 1/3 c. gluten free flour mix (I used Namaste AP GF flour)

2/3 c. cornmeal

2 tbsp. brown sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

1 1/3 c. milk

1/4 c. oil (canola oil, vegetable oil, whatever oil)

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 tsp. orange extract

1. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder)

2. In another bowl whisk together wet ingredients (eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, and orange extract)

3.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

4.  Pour by 1/3 cup fulls into hot, buttered griddle or fry pan.  If the batter is thick, either thin it with additional milk, or spread the cakes with a butter knife (like I did).  

These were thick and tasty.  I slathered on a bit of salted butter and syrup and ate my heart out.  I wasn't sad this morning when I realized: a. I was out of milk so couldn't eat cereal, and b. there was still leftover batter in the fridge.  

Van's Waffles

For Valentine's Day, my very sweet husband went on a gluten-free shopping spree.  He purchased all kinds of goodies for me that I would never get.  It's not that I want to deprive myself of food that I love, it's that I don't want to spend the money for expensive stuff, and I don't have a lot of time to bake right now.  The food items that he purchased are things that I don't need to eat.  I know that a lot of folks that end up going gluten free eat a lot of whole foods.  I can honestly say that I eat more fruits and vegetables now than I ever did before, and it's not a bad thing.  There are worse things in the world to eat than broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, beans, apples, strawberries, dates, oranges and bananas.  The fact that my diet is filled with that, and lean proteins like chicken, pork, and extra lean ground beef is fantastic, and I know that for the most part, I'm putting good stuff in my body.

But sometimes, you just want a waffle.  The college that I went to for my undergrad used to have make your own belgian waffle stations.  They'd have all sorts of delicious toppings like strawberries and whipped cream, bananas, chocolate, etc.  Even when I was first living out on my own, I'd buy frozen waffles, and put some syrup, or smear peanut butter on one on my way out the door to work in the morning.  Sometimes, when it's very early in the morning, milk upsets my stomach.  So, this was a perfect breakfast.  I have some gluten-free Bisquick that I'd like to use but, I don't have a waffle maker in my house.  It's one of those appliances that some people have, and some people love and use regularly.  But, a lot of people have sort of banished it to some cupboard, or into storage in the basement, because they just don't use it that often.  I live in a small townhouse with a TINY kitchen (my oven is not even full sized, as in, I can't fit a regular sized cookie sheet into it), so extra appliances are a no go.

But, one of the products that my husband bought for me during his spree were Van's Gluten-Free waffles.

And they are very, very, good.  Just like any other frozen waffle, you can toast them in the toaster oven or a regular toaster.  I toasted them in my toaster oven.  You have to cook them for at least 2 minutes, and then go from there based on how you like your waffle.  To me, they taste EXACTLY like any other frozen waffle.  The texture is very similar, although that sort of rubbery feeling that you can get with a regular frozen waffle is not there.  But, these waffles have a light, satisfying crisp on the outer layer, and dare I say, a slight chew in the interior.  I was so happy to remember that I had these in the freezer this morning.  I just didn't feel like cold cereal and milk.  These would hold up well also to a peanut butter or cream cheese smear if that's how you like them.  

I have no idea how much these cost, because I didn't buy them.  I just know they're tasty and I would definitely get this brand again.  For those of you who read this blog because I post links on facebook, you may have noticed that I've been a little angry at the food world lately. I haven't had as much time to cook meals at home, and I miss the ability to just pick something up anywhere I go.  The Jimmy John's dude walked through the building I work in the other day and was handing out free samples.  My coworkers were happy to munch on their delicious, chewy, crusty, bread sandwiches, and the guy apologized that he didn't have any unwich samples with him, because it's just not as big a market, and they don't travel well.  It's not his fault.  It's not my coworker's fault.  It's no one's fault that I can't eat bread. But, despite the existence of some really good, convenient food, a diverse repertoire of quick stuff that most places have readily available just doesn't exist.  And the monotony of eating the same things over and over when you don't have time to prepare something different can make you a little cranky.  

So, it's on days like these, after weeks like those that make me really thankful for products like this.

Chipotle Corn Tortillas

I haven't posted recently.  Mostly because school keeps me busy.  I have made meals, and even taken some photos, but I just haven't had a lot of time to post.

My husband and I went to Chipotle on Saturday night because I was disgustingly sick and didn't feel like making food. I was fully prepared to get a chicken bol, which I love and has essentially saved my life.  It is my "go-to" Tuesday meal before my evening class, and it's not a bad calorie expenditure either as it chalks up just under 500 calories.  But, I was surprised to see a sign on the line that advertised their new soft corn tortillas.  I asked the fellow behind the line if they were GF, he checked to make sure, and then changed gloves, washed his hands, and we got down to business.

Delicious chicken soft tacos topped with a bit of cheese, lettuce and guac.  It was awesome, and I enjoyed having soft tacos "out" again.  I can obviously make this any time I want at home, but being able to get this on the go is just convenient, and it makes my life easier.  What's great is that Chipotle is already a super GF friendly restaurant, so this is just one more meal option for me.  When I decided to go GF, I knew that my life would change, and it would seem drastic.  There are still a lot of things that I really miss (and that I won't let myself buy because I'm on a budget), and one of the things that I think devastates most people is feeling like you "can't".

"I can't have that."
"Nope.  Sorry.  I can't eat that either."
"No problem, I'll just get a salad."

Yeah, salads are good for you, but a lot of restaurant/fast food salads can be boring, and if it's the only thing you eat when you're out, you're going to get frustrated.  I have not WILLINGLY glutened myself since making the decision to do this two months ago, and a huge part of that has been having options available to me.  This is just one more.

Image from: Four Pounds Flour

Becky's Pumpkin Dip

This is not my recipe.  This is my FABULOUS friend Becky's recipe.  If you follow that link, you'll see that Becky is multitalented, and she's not only an amazing and talented baker, but she also makes gorgeous floral arrangements (like the ones that she did for my wedding five years ago).  She's a wonderful person, and I love seeing all the pictures of all the happy folks who she's helped with their celebrations.  She shared a recipe years ago for her pumpkin dip, and it is always requested by one of my mother-in-law's brothers whenever I am at a gathering that he will also attend.  It is a snap to prepare, and can be paired with about anything you like.  If you're taking this to a party where there will be non-GF friends, be sure to have two separate bowls (the recipe makes plenty to allow for that) so that you can avoid cross contamination from non-GF items that they might dip.

Becky's Pumpkin Dip
1 can (15 oz.) solid pack pumpkin (or fresh puree if you'd prefer)
1 brick (8 oz.) softened cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (if you don't have this, just use a combo of nutmeg, ginger and allspice)
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. frozen orange juice concentrate (I NEVER have this.  I have omitted it every time, not because I want to be unfaithful to Becky's recipe, but because I'm lazy and I just don't keep OJ concentrate in the house)

1.  Blend the cream cheese and powdered sugar

2.  Gradually add the pumpkin

3.  Mix in the spices and orange juice concentrate

Viola!

This is particularly good with a sweet crisp apple, it is also excellent with graham crackers and ginger snaps.    I recently ate it with hazelnut nut thins, and the saltiness from the cracker was a nice contrast to the spicy sweet of the dip, so if that combo appeals to you, give that a whirl.  Again, with any dip that might have gluten filled goodness going into it, just make sure to have a separate bowl for either yourself, or your other GF friends so that you don't have to worry about cross-contamination.  This makes a lot of dip, so no one will feel deprived by a smaller portion if you divide it equally among two bowls.  I also like to make this the night before and serve slightly chilled.  Enjoy this one!  It'll be a "must have" (like everything Becky makes!)