Gluten Free Christmas Sugar Cookies - 4 Ways from 1 Recipe!

 

 

It's not always easy baking with kids, but I these gluten free spritz cookies are fast and simple enough that you can whip up a few dozen in enough time to keep a preschooler engaged. If you're doing this alone, it will go even faster! 

A good, basic sugar cookie recipe can go a long way to making a variety of colours and styles of sugar cookies, and really create that wow factor for holiday gift giving. My basic spritz cookie recipe is simply divided into four and decorated differently.

 

My newly turned 4 year old helped me squeeze the cookie press and decorate. Granted, there was some licking of icing and devouring of sprinkles in the process, and he wandered off a couple of times, but over all, it was a successful baking venture. 

Read on to find out how we did it! 

Historical Romance Novels (FREE or On Sale) in time for the holidays!

 

 

Holiday greetings, everyone! It's been a busy year here, what with releasing a second edition of the first novel in my Ancient Egyptian Romances series, publishing another book in the series, The Cinnamon Garden, as well as a FREE book for my mailing list subscribers. All that said, things are settling here, and I'm hoping to blog more in the new year, so stay tuned :)

This brings me to the whole point of this post! I've teamed up with some other authors to bring my readers some great promotions in time for the holidays. Click through to find a whole bunch of FREE historical romance novels  as well as a collection of great historical romance novels on sale. 

 

 

 And don't forget, of course, that now is the perfect time to pick up one of my cookbooks so you can find some delicious gluten free, allergy-free recipes in the New Year! 

 

 

  

 

Gluten Free Yule Log Recipe / Chocolate Jelly Roll

This post was first shared in 2016, but I'm reposting it because it's still one of my favourite holiday recipes! 

 
 

Jelly rolls used to mystify me. They seemed like the sort of thing that would forever elude me.

Until now. I had no idea how easy it could be, once you have a decent recipe.

Two years ago my mother-in-law (who is incredibly accommodating of my food allergies and an excellent cook) made a gorgeous gluten free yule log, complete with frosting and meringue mushrooms. She used a cake mix, which was very good.

But you know me. I prefer to bang my head against the wall a few times until I can make it myself.

I tried to make a gluten free jelly roll last year, and it was a total fail. I did, however, end up using the failed attempts to make both Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Balls and Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Pudding Pie .

As you can see, this year's attempt did not fail.

Oh no. This year's attempt was a spectacular success. And then I added chocolate leaves and it was even more spectacular.

I also wanted it to be a not-too-sweet, frosting-free Yule log, so it turned out more of a chocolate jelly roll. Which, as it turns out, is awesome.

So here it is, My Gluten Free Chocolate Jelly Roll Yule Cake recipe.

FREE Balcony Gardening Workshop

 

Hi all, I just want to let you know that I'll be running a FREE workshop to help get you started growing vegetables on your balcony! You can register here. I hope to see you there :)

Scarlet Runner Bean Update - Flowers but no beans and how to hand-pollinate

Earlier this month I shared a post on how I accidentally grew scarlet runner beans inside this spring. About two weeks ago, when the weather warmed up, I moved them outside and they've continued to thrive.

However, I've discovered a problem.

Once the flowers that first blossomed inside started to wither and drop off, no beans were forthcoming. I had plenty of runner bean flowers, but no beans!

So I did some research and found some answers! And now I have a bean...

Danielle and the Beanstalk (Growing Scarlet Runner Beans Inside, by accident!)

I'm going to be upfront with you. This was a total accident. I never intended to grow Scarlet Runner Beans on my windowsill. But it was a hilarious, happy accident. 

If you've ever wondered if you can grow runner beans inside, and if they'll actually flower inside... Read on.

Seriously, I have hard evidence below that runner beans will flower inside!! I think this would be an amazing experiment to do with kids, too, as the beans grow like wildfire once the days grow longer, even if it's still cold outside!!

Vegan and Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes with Sunflower Icing (and natural food coloring)

Following quickly on the heels of my Bunny Pull Apart Cupcake Cake, I just had to share these gorgeous (and easy!) gluten free and vegan sunflower cupcakes. I think of these bright little cupcakes as little bombs of sunshine. They make me stupidly happy to see them when I open the fridge (which is where you'll want to store them).

I'm confident that if you show up at Easter dinner with these, the recipients will reward you with big smiles.

And don't let the icing daunt you! Though the buttercream sunflowers look complex, I only had to do one tester cupcake before I felt confident enough to work more quickly. In the end, I couldn't tell which was the tester.

Even if the petals don't seem perfect as you're piping them, never fear. Nature isn't always perfect and symmetrical either!

Vegan and Gluten Free Bunny Pull Apart Cake

Hi everyone! I know it's been a million years since I shared a new post, and I apologize. Life has gotten in the way of blogging lately.

That said, I just had to share this latest baking adventure with you all!! Because this little experiment made me so happy, and I love opening my fridge right now, as there is a smiling bunny face looking up at me.

And I thought you all might like to know how you can turn these gluten free and vegan cupcakes into an easy pull apart cake just in time for Easter. Seriously, the cake is super easy, and I say this as someone who generally sucks at decorating. That's why I did this all as a trial the week before Easter. Turns out it's not hard at all!

Gluten Free Easter Treats and Baked Goods

Easter is just around the corner, and I thought I'd share a little roundup of some of my favourite gluten free Easter treat recipes from the blog.

Some of these are traditional Easter foods, like my GF German Easter bread (a.k.a. Osterkranz), Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns, and Gluten Free Apple Dumplings, while others, like my lavender sugar cookies and vegan, GF parsnip cake, are a little less conventional but just as tasty!

I've also included one of my go-to Spring decoration tutorials that is incredibly cheap and easy (hint, it's a way to use up old tin cans, too).

How to Make and Can Crab Apple Jelly - A Step by Step Guide

I'm reposting this recipe from last year around this time, as it's that time of year for cooking up and canning crabapples!


I've been helping my mom make crabapple jelly for as long as I can remember. We used to have a big tree in our backyard and every year we'd pick a whole bunch of them and make tons of jelly, some of which was gifted to friends and family throughout the year.

Crabapple jelly is one of the easiest jellies to make, and the colour - depending on your apples - is absolutely stunning! But like all jelly-making and canning, it's just a bit time-consuming.  However, I'm going to show you how I do it (with pictures) as quick and easy as possible!

Also, if you're in the canning mood, you  might want to check out my tut on how to make dill pickle cucumbers, it's another canning recipe I've been doing since a little girl!