Hello! Happy Christmas week, dear friends. Today was cooky day at the beach...omg, another disaster. It's my own fault, I had forgotten the ghastly gluten free snowflake sugar cookies from last year. "He who fails to remember the past is destined to repeat his errors.". Um, yeah, so not laughing.
It started out so well, a chilly grey day, a gale blowing. Perfect for baking. I am not crazy about cooking but I love to bake.
I decided this year I'd make my mother's Snowball cookies. In my mind I was thinking, Fast, easy, smallish recipe. Always come out great, last a long time.
I've been making this recipe since I was ten years old.
Here's where things went wrong. Due to current dietary fads the cookies needed to be gluten free, lactose free, soy free. Possibly Paleo, Keto, and Vegan. Mediterranean! A challenge! I found lovely pecan bits and, most important, almond flour [gluten-free] , at Trader Joe's.
Instead of butter I used a vegan butter substitute spread, along the lines of margarine, but fancied up for the current food correct posse. [It has soy! But I was told it is okay. Well. Okay, then.]
Coconut sugar in the dough. Only 4 Tablespoons so it wasn't too important that coconut sugar is not sweet.
Mo and I sat and rolled up a couple dozen little bite sized balls.
It didn't take long. Two big cooky sheets. Pop in the oven.
Uh oh. Now the thing is, baking is a form of chemistry. You have to measure, you cannot estimate, guess or sub. And the word GLUTEN must hark back to the word GLUE, because without wheat flour containing gluten, recipes that normally bake up holding shape and form slowly ooooooze into formless flat blobs. We watched in dismay.
I went ahead and did the two layers of powdered sugar. I used pure cane sugar, there is just no reasonable sub, once a year, for real confectioners sugar. Even on crumbly blobs.
Maybe I'll experiment with a cake baked in my Swedish Dala horse mold [red, below]? I'm imagining the batter flowing over the sides of the mold, like lava. The mold, from IKEA, has no instructions or volume info. LOL.
I hope the market has nice mini cannolis
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
PS Mo is on the naughty list! He was briefly unsupervised and he went in the kitchen, got the trash cabinet door [bungeed shut] off its hinges! He couldn't get the trash bin out, so he reached in and got all the garbage, spread it ALL OVER the entire kitchen floor. Thankfully nothing harmful was there for him to eat! This is new, he is hungry because he's on a diet? or bored?
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Oh mygosh--I also hate those new eating "fads"--I know, I know.."...you should try it Mom.." well, just nope--too old, butter is Too good....
ReplyDeleteanyway..my least favorite baking is cookies--my favorite is pies--juicy, yummy-- apple tops the list...hmmm if my back hadn't gone ka-flooey I'd be running (hah) into the kitchen getting the corer...and it's all your fault..(just kidding here) despite the odd ingredients they look good...
So Mo is getting antsy--just like My Marvelous Hubster does...that's trouble for sure Lol
Hope the rest of your baking goes swimmingly..(beach--get it??? G R O A N)
Hugs, sitting, resting, fuming Julierose
So how did they taste? I had a flub, tho my hubby likes it. I tried making toffee, and the recipe was online and so easy! It never mentioned a candy thermometer and I cooked it for the correct time but I think it got too hot and tastes burnt. Plus it's chewy. Not trying that again...lol I will get mine at the grocery store. :) Kit
ReplyDeleteSo sad your cookie experiment didn't work! I've seen 'egg' instructions using flax seed or chia seed, maybe that would help hold the shape? You are much more patient that I am, I'd just bake GOOD cookies and buy something they'd eat! Or maybe search online for a recipe - I keep seeing keto desserts on Pinterest.
ReplyDeleteOh, Mo, you bad boy! Maybe it was something in the air because Spook decided to drag my ALMOST FINISHED baby blanket around - pulled the yarn in a couple places. I can fix it, just is so annoying!
You could measure volume in the cake pan by filling a measuring cup with water and then filling the pan - could compare with a regular baking pan that way. What kind of cake is a Swedish horse cake? I saw a recipe for an apple cake that looked wonderful.... Not sure anyone would eat it though. *sigh*
They may not have looked good, but how did they taste?
ReplyDeleteMO! Glad there wasn't anything serious in there to make him sick.
That contrite photo of Mo had me in stitches. Oh dear, he just has an enquiring nature!
ReplyDeleteThe cookies look wonderfully handmade on your Christmas plate.
I make almond macaroons for gluten intolerant friends. Penny
Ugh, I get so annoyed when I try to bake/cook something and it all goes south. Such a waste of time and ingredients. Do tell though, how did they taste? I just burned a couple cups of almonds I was toasting to use in biscotti.
ReplyDeleteOh Mo, whatever will you do with him ;)
Kel