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Recipe of the Week: Gluten-free goodies

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Baking with gluten-free flours has gotten a lot easier than it used to be.

Many companies offer their own blends of gluten-free flours designed to be used in everyday recipes. But everyone who has eaten baked goods made with alternative flours knows the texture and flavor aren’t always what we are used to.

A friend who made gluten-free brownies using the recipe that appeared two weeks ago in this column in the Bucks County Herald said she was pleased with the result. You couldn’t tell the difference between them and those made with wheat flour.

That comes as no surprise since brownies don’t use as much flour as cake or cookie recipes. More dependent on sugar, cocoa and butter for their texture, it is an easy recipe to adapt.

Oatmeal cookies are another recipe that adapts well to using alternative flours. It also is a recipe that is less dependent on flour than on other ingredients, with the main one being oats. Following the classic Quaker Oats cookie recipe, the proportions are three cups of oats and one cup of flour. Clearly the oats dominate this treat.

A dear friend who has been diagnosed with celiac disease doesn’t like most recipes made with alternative flours because the taste and texture are different. For her I make this allrecipes.com recipe for meringues, which are naturally flour-free cookies. Most of the year I don’t include the crushed candy canes, since they are not available and the meringues taste great without them. During the winter holidays I sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top.

These cookies also are well-received by anyone who has difficulty swallowing. They melt in your mouth and add a little sweetness to your day.

Meringues

2 egg whites

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup white sugar

2 peppermint candy canes,

crushed (if using)

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil.

In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks. Drop by spoonfuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candy over the cookies (if using).

Bake for 1 ½ hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the inside. Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven. Keep oven door ajar, and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.


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