Monday, January 25, 2010

Yummy Allergen-free cookies!

Okay, since I put in a pitch for Girl Scout Cookies, and that left out a chunk of our society that cannot eat them, here is my balancing plug. Gluten-free cookies have become fairly plentiful. In both the major grocery stores where I shop, there is now a gluten-free section that includes breads, pastas, and yes, COOKIES! Certainly, I find a greater selection in Whole Foods or Central market, but HEB and Randalls are steadily catching up.
For the past couple months, I have been trying to follow a gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free diet (long story, but not for weight issues.) I absolutely LOVE baking, and needless to say, skipping wheat flour and dairy limits my standard recipes!
Cheers to Leslie Hammond, author of "Enjoy Life's Cookies for Everyone!" This cookbook is designed to avoid the eight major food allergens: gluten, wheat, dairy, egg, soy, tree nut and peanuts. No small task! As you flip through the book, beautiful pictures have you drooling and dying to make these delicious treats. Leslie does a nice job, too, of letting you know how to stock your pantry (and where to buy these ingredients.)
I am a tough critic on cookbooks, and I will confess the first cookie I made looked spectacular, tasted very good, but was hard as a rock. (I will say, though, I'm going to try it again because it has such potential ;0) The second cookie, however, the "Chompin' Choco Chip Banana Bars" were so good that they disappeared immediately, despite my protests to the rest of the family that these were MY cookies!
BOTTOM LINE: Check out "Enjoy Life's Cookies for Everyone" to make homemade allergen-free treats!

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