Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler with Vegan option

Does this look good enough to eat, or what?!

So many peaches... so little time! Peaches are at their prime, and I simply can't get enough of them. I've been buying the Organic Frog Hollow peaches at Whole Foods - expensive, but oh so good! They will be gone before you know it, so I'm taking full advantage of them while I can.

The good news is this cobbler can be made with just about any fruit! I have made it with blueberries, and with nectarines, and even a combination of blueberries and nectarines. As fall comes, I plan on trying it with pears, and cranberries, and who knows what else?

I adapted this recipe from this blog, reducing the sugar, and modifying a few other quantities and ingredients. I have made it both Vegan and non-Vegan, and it comes out fabulous either way. I have also made it replacing some of the sugar with Erythritol, which worked just fine. (Erythritol is a wonderful substitute sweetener, however because of it's wildly high price, I don't use it very often.)

It's a simple recipe to make - no mixer needed. Use any seasonal fruit that makes you happy, and use plenty of it. I found that many fruits cook down so much during the baking process, by the time you cut into it, you can barely see the fruit (but oh, you can most definitely taste it).

I used about 5 lbs of peaches, cut into good-sized wedges, and double layered in the baking pan. (Don't they look yummy!)



The batter then gets spread over the peaches - it doesn't have to be spread perfectly evenly, and it's OK if some of the peaches peek out. It will cover the peaches as it bakes. The crumb topping is sprinkled on top of the batter, and into the oven it goes.



45 minutes later, out of the oven it comes! Must.Wait.For.It.To.Cool.....



So there you have it. I know you're going to run out and buy some fruit and immediately make one of your own.

Gluten-free Peach Cobbler (with Vegan option)

Ingredients for 8" Square Baking Pan:

• Approximately 5 lbs of Peaches or other seasonal fruit (less will work as well. For example, 2-3 cups of Blueberries)

Batter Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Rice Flour
• 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
• 1/2 cup Sorghum Flour
• 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/8 cup Sugar (or sugar substitute; I think this would also work with Splenda)
• 1/4 cup Butter, COLD (or butter substitute for Vegan. I used Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup Almond Milk (or regular Milk or another Milk substitute)

Crumble Topping Ingredients:

• 1/8 - 1/4 cup Sugar (how sweet do you like it?)
• 1/8 - 1/4 cup light brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Sorghum flour
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup rolled Oats, Optional (Gluten-free, if necessary)
• 3 Tbs Butter, COLD, or Butter substitute

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8" by 8" baking pan (use butter, or butter substitute for Vegan).

1. In a bowl, mix the batter dry ingredients together - Rice flour, Tapioca flour, Sorghum flour, Xanthan Gum, Baking Powder, Salt, and Sugar.
2. Cut the cold butter or butter substitute into small pieces and work it into the dry ingredients with your hands until the texture becomes like damp sand - slightly moist and crumbly. Patience grasshopper. It takes a few minutes - so just keeping working it until the butter is completely incorporated and there are no big lumps of it. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the crumble topping - Sugars, Sorghum flour, & Cinnamon.
4. Once again, cut the Butter into small pieces and work into the dry ingredients.
5. If you're using peaches or other skinned fruit, carefully peel and cut into wedges (I get about 6 wedges out of a single peach) (If you're using fruit like blueberries, gently wash and pat dry).
6. Line the greased pan with 1-2 layers (or more!) of peaches.
7. Take your first bowl - the batter - and add the Almond Milk, mixing with a spoon until combined.
8. Spoon the batter over the peaches, gently spreading to cover most of the peaches
9. Take the second bowl - the Crumble mixture - and crumble it over the batter with your hands.
10. Pop the pan into the oven for approximately 45 minutes, and enjoy the aromas that fill your house

This is best and easiest to cut once it's cooled to room temperature. Serve by itself, or with a big scoop of of Vanilla frozen Yogurt. Make some tea. Invite some friends over.

When I made this yesterday, and it cooled enough to cut and serve, I almost put a message on Facebook inviting you all over to have some..... almost....

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Do you Snickerdoodle?

Almond Snickerdoodle, that is. And gluten-free. And reduced-sugar, if you like it that way. Personally, I was never much of a snickerdoodle fan (I mean really... where's the chocolate??). Until I made these. Now I can't stop eating them. It's bad.... very bad.

It took me 5 tries to get this cookie the way I wanted it. It's a balancing act with the flours and the almond meal to get it to a texture that I really like. This is a very light, soft (almost cake-like) cookie. It's hard to eat just one.

I have really enjoyed incorporating almond meal/flour into recipes. Almond meal and almond flour are not the same, although they can sometimes be used interchangeably. Almond meal usually is not as finely ground, and is usually not blanched. Almond flour is finer, and blanched, and considerably more expensive.

Which is better to use for baking? It's really personal preference. For me, when I'm baking cookies - I like to use almond meal. It seems to give cookies more substance than the finer almond flour. This Snickerdoodle is probably the lightest cookie I've ever made using almond meal. I get my almond meal at Trader Joe's ($3.99/lb bag). Almond flour, on the other hand, I like for cakes where a light, fluffy texture is preferable. You can find almond meal at Whole Foods or online, where the price starts at about $7.50 lb. and goes up from there. If you do a lot of baking, it can add up quickly!

This recipe is very easy to make, so have at it!

Gluten-free Almond Snickerdoodles
Makes about 20 - 3/4 oz cookies. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/8 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Splenda (or use just regular sugar)
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (or Almond Extract for a more intense almond flavor)
• 1/2 cup Almond Meal
• 1/2 cup Rice Flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
• pinch of Salt

Coating Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Splenda
• 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

1. In a very small bowl, mix together the coating ingredients. I usually mix it with a small whisk, and then put it through a strainer to make it fine. It looks nicer on the cookie that way (but you may not care how it looks, as long as it tastes good!). Set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix together the almond meal, rice flour, potato starch, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar, and xanthan gum with a whisk and set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and white & brown sugars together until light and fluffy. Then add the Splenda and beat to incorporate.
4. Add the egg and beat.
5. Add the vanilla extract and beat.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients (at low speed) and mix until completely blended.
7. Scoop generous tablespoons of batter onto your parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches in between (they do spread!) (or, if you're a bit obsessive like me, you can weigh each one. I make them either 3/4 oz or 1/2 oz).
8. When you have your cookie sheet full, gently roll each into a ball, and then roll the ball in the sugar-cinnamon coating.
9. When each cookie has been coated, press them down lightly with the ball of your hand to make a circle, about 1/4" high.
10. Bake for about 10 minutes.
11. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Makes about 16 - 3 1/2" cookies. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you need more.

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