Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Brownies (made egg free and butter free too!)
I recently attended the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. I was lucky enough to participate in a gluten-free cake decorating contest sponsored by General Mills and emceed by Keegan Gerhard of the Food Network’s Food Network Challenge. It was a lot of fun but unfortunately I could not participate in eating the Betty Crocker cakes or cupcakes because they contained butter and eggs. When I got home I decided to experiment with the Betty Crocker gluten-free brownie mix to see if I could make a good-tasting egg-free, butter-free, gluten-free brownie. The results were yummy and my gluten-eating son and husband loved them too.

Here’s what I used…

1/4 cup corn oil in place of the butter
1 cup applesauce in place of the eggs

If you visit the Betty Crocker website you will find “no butter directions” for the gluten-free mixes. If you eat eggs these recipes should work for you. For directions go to http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free/gluten-free-no-butter.htm.

Gluten-Free, Milk-Free No-Bake Cookies
When I was a kid I loved no-bake cookies. I recently decided to adapt my mom’s recipe, substituting oil for butter and soy milk for cow’s milk. If you have kids, this is a great recipe to make with them. This recipe calls for cashew butter but you can certainly use peanut butter.

To make these cookies, you will need
1 cup turbinado sugar
¼ cup soy milk
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
¼ cup corn oil
Salt (just a dash)
¼ cup cashew butter
1 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats

In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar, soy milk, cocoa, salt, and oil to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil mixture for about 1 minute (keep stirring!). Remove saucepan from heat and add cashew butter and oats. Stir to combine and drop by rounded spoonfuls onto wax paper. Allow cookies to harden. If you have any to store, use an air-tight container. This recipe makes about 12 cookies.

Shabtai Gourmet
Recently, I was sent samples of many products from Shabtai Gourmet gluten-free bakery (http://shabtai-gourmet.com). Oh my goodness—what a feast for the eyes. I have never seen packaged gluten-free products look this good. Products arriving in the mail included Ring Ting Cupcakes, Devil’s Food Seven Layer Cake, Mini Black and White Cookies, Rainbow Cookie Squares, and Florentine Lace Cookies. These treats did not last long because they were gobbled up by my son and husband who usually are not the biggest fans of packaged gluten-free baked goods. Based on their reaction, these treats must taste as good as they look. Unfortunately, the only Shabtai Gourmet product I can eat is the Florentine Lace Cookies (the rest have eggs in them). I am saving these cookies to take to a gluten-free luncheon and can’t wait to try them. 

Copyright © by Tricia Thompson, MS, RD

Also available at:
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Treats for Your Gluten-Free Sweet Tooth