A baking morning I think is needed today, so first I am off to the kitchen to make some Cookies. The biscuit cupboard is looking a bit bare and I am wanting to use some [amazon_textlink asin=’B004Z4PJJO’ text=’gluten free flour’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’wwwlovetobake-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’454d1012-9885-11e7-a978-41b53bac49c4′] to make these cookies just to see if there is any difference between cookies made with two types of flour. I am not going to tell my family which cookies are which or that I have used a different flour just to see if they can taste anything different. I don’t think that there will be any difference myself as I have looked at other gluten free cookies recipes and the cookies look similar. I have never tasted gluten free cookies before but I am assuming there is no affect on the flavour as I will still be using the other ingredients for a shortbread recipe for the cookies and filling them with buttercream.
Also, today is going to be a “finishing off of the recipe book” kind of day then I need to prepare for my webshop bakes which I have orders for thanks to my Facebook boost which I started yesterday. I am quite pleased with the results from the boost and would be tempted to have another boost sometime in the future. On Friday, [amazon_textlink asin=’1520798024′ text=’my first recipe book’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’wwwlovetobake-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’1c5dac35-9886-11e7-9649-cbb6f9fbd3e7′] is going to be free for the weekend. My “[amazon_textlink asin=’B071K2YJCN’ text=’Summer Picnic recipe book’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’wwwlovetobake-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’f9c2933b-9885-11e7-be19-e5b61a65d756′]” is on offer right now at 99p until the 16th September. Some bargain book offers at the moment for you to grab.
Now, last night dinner was a big hit but the best part was it was so easy to prepare. I decided to save on the washing up and put all the ingredients in one roasting tin. So I chopped up 4 potatoes and 1 sweet potato into wedges leaving the skin on but washing them thoroughly. To this I added 1 chopped onion, 1 red pepper, a pack of sausages and a pack of bacon. Next I mixed some honey, mustard powder and water together (just a tablespoon of each) and I poured this over the top along with seasoning. The tray of food was cooked in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes until the potatoes were soft but crispy and the sausages/bacon were browned and crispy. The smell from the kitchen was divine and the family wolfed it down. This will be a meal which I make again and is ideal for the autumn nights drawing in – a nice, homely meal which is perfect with crusty homemade bread.
My cookies are baking as I write and I can’t wait to try them. I have used a standard gluten free plain flour to replace the plain flour which I normally use when I make shortbread. I decided to make a shortbread as it is so easy to make and there is very little which can go wrong with it. I have read that the flavour can be altered slightly but I have used coffee in some of the shortbread to mask the flavour of the flour if I find that is the case. Also, in the plain shortbread cookies I am adding jam to the recipe to see if that will hide any aftertaste.
The cookies are baked and iced ready for my husband to come in and try with his lunch. I haven’t told him about the change in ingredient as I am just waiting to see if he picks up any difference. I have tried them already but the addition of coffee buttercream and blackcurrant jam to the different cookies does hide any taste change which may be there but if there is a difference I can’t tell. To me the cookies look slightly flatter but just as crisp and crunchy as the shortbread cookies made with standard flour. I like the smell of the coffee cookies but I prefer the taste of the jam cookies. I added coffee into the shortbread dough before I baked the cookies to intensify the coffee flavour. I will share the recipe tomorrow with a lot of pros and cons on gluten free baking.