Amazing Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies! Delicious cookies, fun to decorate! Sugar cookies can be made for a party anytime of the year, since they can be frosted and decorated in many ways.

These (gluten-free) cookies that my sister, Suriyah, makes are a roll-out cookie - that way the surface is flat and easy to frost and decorate. The dough is nice, a pleasure to work with and they stay together well.

Need a little extra somethin' to spice up your party? These are perfect!

Amazing Sugar Cookies
Adapted from 
(Gluten-free, Dairy-free, can be made Corn-free*)

1 cup lard
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder*
2 3/4 cups gluten-free flour (we use fine rice flour)

Cream fat & sugar. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add to the sugar mixture. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut either with cookie cutters into shapes or use a canning jar band (large or small, whatever size you want). Bake at 350 for 7 to 10 minutes.

Notes:
*To make this corn-free, substitute 1 teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon cream of tartar in place of the baking powder.

I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! I did with my family. Today? We're having another party very soon! Friends are coming home, a friend's birthday is today and a 2nd Thanksgiving.

"I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving." Ps. 69:30
"giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. 5:20

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative
Gluten-Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mama

Thanksgiving 2012!

Thanksgiving already? Yep, 2 days! This year we're going to our Grandma's. She's making the meal, but she's not making it allergy-friendly . . . so we have to make a meal for those of us who don't eat that. Which is fine, but it's contamination we're concerned about. Thankfully, we're bringing the desserts so that should make it a bit easier.

We (my sisters and I) made a list of desserts we plan on making:

Super Simple and Good Fudge Brownies - a little chocolate is good at every party, right?
Pumpkin Pie is a yummy classic to the Thanksgiving table, even without a crust. For plenty more pumpkin dessert options, see my Pumpkin Sweets Recipe Round-Up.
Oatmeal Creme Pies are like spiced up oatmeal cookies!
Pear and Apple Pies . . . Sorry no recipe up! Just in case I don't get to posting tomorrow: It's really simple. Basically mix up 1 cup sugar, a few cups of the fruit, a teaspoon or 2 of cinnamon, pour that into an unbaked pie shell and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes. I made some pear pies the other day, didn't really measure (although, probably should've) and they were gone!
Peanut Butter Cookies - more yummy cookies for the party!
Turkey Cookies - Nicole @ Gluten-Free on a Shoestring posted a great idea, and we like it! This can be part of a school project and Thanksgiving!
GAPS variations of pumpkin and apple pies (basically honey instead of sugar, and almond flour for rice flour).

~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-Free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mama & 1 other blog

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Hello! I'm back with a recipe and a new blog design. The blog design is brand new - my sister Suriyah and I just did it today!  The recipe? It's not brand new, but revised from over a year ago.
So, today I have a nice coffee cake (although my family doesn't eat it with coffee). My sister says the nuts "make it".

A sweet cinnamon nut cake . . . whenever I make it, it's usually devoured overnight.

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Adapted from Southern Living, December 2006
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Corn-free

2 cups rice flour
2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup lard
1 cup milk or water
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1. Stir together flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Combine 3/4 cup lard into the flour mixture until crumbly (I find it easiest to wash up and dig in with 2 hands). Press 2 3/4 cups crumb mixture evenly on the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan.

2. Stir together milk, vinegar, egg, and soda; add to remaining crumb mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour over crumb crust in pan. Stir together granulated sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle cinnamon mixture and pecans evenly over the batter in the pan.

3. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.


~ Hanunyah

Link Parties:
Gluten-free Fridays @ Vegetarian Mama & 2 other blogs

Ranch Girl On Facebook!

I recently set up a personal account, then a page for Ranch Girl's Sweets 'N' Treats. I would appreciate it (if you're on Facebook) to come "Like" my page. Thanks a lot!

~ Hanunyah