(Gluten Free) Brownie Mix + Cereal = Fun Cookies

The other day, I was browsing the Betty Crocker website and I found this cookie recipe that sounded fun to make.  They are brownie cookies with Cinnamon Chex in them, and the combination of chocolate and cinnamon flavor is surprisingly delicious.  I was hoping the cereal would add a nice crisp crunch to the cookies, but it added more of a chewy crunch which wasn't my absolute favorite, but I would definitely still make these again.  Plus my boyfriend, the recipient of most of this batch, liked them so perhaps yours will too...

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 box Betty Crocker gluten free brownie mix
• 3 cups Cinnamon Chex cereal
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
• 1/4 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chip

Glaze Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I did 1/4 because I love cinnamon)
• 3 teaspoons milk

Cookie Directions:

• Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease cookie sheets.
• In large bowl, mix cookie ingredients with spoon until blended.
• Drop dough onto cookie sheets by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set.
• Cool 2 minutes then remove from cookie sheet.  Cool 10 minutes before glazing.

Glaze Directions:

• In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and cinnamon.
• Stir in milk until smooth.  If necessary, add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze reaches drizzling consistency.
• Drizzle cookies with glaze.

I enjoy these cookies because the glaze makes them look a little bit fancy while the ingredients are fun and unusual.  Could these cookies be a metaphor for my life?  Yes, yes they could.

Happy baking!
xoxo
Laura

(Gluten-Free) Pumpkin Cookies

Fall has always been my favorite time of year, and one of the reasons why is all the yummy food.  (Two words: Halloween, Thanksgiving.  Enough said.)  Every fall, for as long as I can remember, my mom has baked her homemade pumpkin cookies and I love them with all of my heart.  Today, I decided to try to make them myself!



That is a picture of my mom's recipe.  It changed slightly a few years ago when I found out that I couldn't eat gluten anymore, but all my mom did was replace the flour with a gluten-free flour mix.  If you are a gluten eater and you would like to make this recipe, regular flour will still work great.



Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 3/4 cups gluten-free flour mix (make sure it includes either xanthan gum or guar gum for texture)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions:                                                                                                                          

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in egg, orange extract, and vanilla.
• Stir in pumpkin.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
• Add flour mixture to egg mixture, mixing well.
• Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes.

Today's batch turned out delicious, and now the house smells great.

I'm calling it a success.
xoxo
Laura