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Holiday
Cookies, Tarts & Cakes
Christmas
at our house would not be the same without pies, cookies, cakes
and other sweet treats. When my mom was diagnosed with Celiac
disease, almost 3 years ago, we thought that some of the sweetness
had been taken away. The first gluten-free baked goods we tried
were less than desirable. Finally after the mourning period was
over and we decided to tackle the situation with a more positive
attitude, we stumbled upon some quite delicious Christmas desserts
and cookies.
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Christmas
Cookies
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I
am not one to back down from a cooking challenge, so the first
year I made some absolutely wonderful gluten-free Christmas
cookies that even those not on a gluten-free diet
loved! These cookies are light, buttery sugar cookies with a hint
of lemon. Using some different sized cookie cutters, some tasty
preserves and some royal icing you can easily create not only
a beautiful cookie but one that will have people talking for months
(or in my mom’s case — years!)
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Gingerbread
House
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Gingerbread
cookies
are also a favorite this time of year. Particularly if you have
children. It’s great fun to involve the kids in decorating
the gingerbread men or teddy bears or whatever you choose. Our
gingerbread recipe is truly delicious and quite true to the traditional
gluten version. The Lemon
Poppy Stars & Moons are another fun one for
the kids — they love the shapes and because the cookies are
not incredibly sweet, they can eat a few without getting wild
on a sugar rush! And don’t forget the wonderful Gingerbread
house. A perfect activity for those snowed in days
during the holidays. Your kids will love to decorate the house
with gf candies and icing.
If
you are looking for desserts rather than cookies, try a fabulous
Apple
Cranberry Polenta Tart. This tart combines the
nice contrast between sweet and tart. This delicious dessert also
takes advantage of naturally gluten-free polenta that provides
a nice texture to the crust and topping.
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Christmas
Cake
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In
my husbands family, Christmas would not be the same without my
mother-in-law’s
Christmas
Cake. Basically this cake is a yellow bundt cake
with swirls of cinnamon and sugar topped with a fluffy white frosting
reminiscent of marshmallows. I thought it would be fun to try
to make this cake gluten-free. The cake turned out delightfully
moist and flavorful. Place this cake on a footed cake pedestal
and garnish with holly.
Happy
Holidays!
–
Glutenfreeda
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