Did you know that May is Celiac Disease Awareness month? The University of Maryland’s School of Medicine Center for Celiac Research recently discovered that on a molecular level celiac disease and gluten intolerance are different and the response it elicits from the immune system. Gluten intolerance is on the rise especially in seniors and the numbers are growing astronomically. Proof is seeing what major food manufacturers and restaurant chains are doing to accommodate those with either.
Another barometer on the growth of gluten intolerance and celiac disease are the number of bakeries that are popping up. Chef Erin McKenna was the forerunner with her BabyCakes bakery in 2005 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan geared to those with food intolerances to gluten, dairy and other dietary restrictions. Since then McKenna has open stores in downtown Los Angeles and Disney World in Florida. Just out, hot out of the oven, BabyCakes Covers the Classics is the second cookbook from McKenna whose first endeavor was BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery.
BabyCakes Covers the Classics (recipes below)
BabyCakes Covers the Classics – Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles does just that focusing on everyone’s nostalgic favorites the likes S’Mores, Whoopie Pies, Thin Mints (recipe below), Donuts, Nilla Wafers, Black and Whites (recipe below), Bread Pudding, Square Pan Pizza and more. Having a cookbook like this at your ready is perfect for those who prepare food for friends and family who suffer with food intolerances.
Don’t worry the book has a simple primer of the baking basics and helpful section on substitutions and the most frequently asked questions to dispel confusion and to ensure the best results.
Recipes and excerpts from BabyCakes Covers the Classics are courtesy of Ms. McKenna and her publisher Clarkson Potter
BLACK-AND-WHITE COOKIES©
For the longest time, I might have been the only person in the tristate area completely oblivious to the beautiful oversize black-and-white cookies found in every bodega from Brooklyn to the Bronx. Have you had one? Me, I was never allowed because of my food sensitivities, of course. So when I went to the kitchen and started brainstorming ideas for iconic cookies, this was one of the first ones I tackled. Prepare to be bathed in the sweet comfort of vanilla-chocolate overload.
1¼ cups white or brown rice flour
½ cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
¹⁄³ cup vegan sugar
½ cup arrowroot
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil
¹⁄³ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
¹⁄³ cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Vanilla Sugar Glaze (below)
Sugar-Sweetened Chocolate Dipping Sauce (below)
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, agave nectar, and vanilla and stir with a rubber spatula until the batter is smooth.
Using a 1/4 -cup ice-cream scoop or measure, drop the dough onto the baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Using the bottom of the measuring cup, press the dough to 1⁄2-inch thickness. Bake for 6 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 4 minutes more. Let stand on the baking sheets for
20 minutes. Using a palette knife, spread chocolate sauce on one half of each of the -cookies. Spread vanilla glaze on the other half of each cookie and let set for 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 12
SUGAR-SWEETENED CHOCOLATE DIPPING SAUCE©
This recipe is extremely easy and can be ready in a jiff. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can make this in the oven or the microwave. Be warned: Your bowl or saucepan must be bone dry before you put the chips in or the sauce will break—a not-exactly technical term for separating into a lumpy mess. If, after you’re finished dipping your donut, you have a little extra, simply cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store at room temperature. As a rule of thumb, this recipe will keep for 5 days. The sauce is shown here topping a Plain Cake Donut (page 120) with stripes of Vanilla Icing (page 127).
1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips or your favorite chocolate bar, chopped
2 tablespoons melted refined coconut oil or canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the double boiler Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water, set it over low heat, and bring the water to a gentle simmer. Add the chips and when they start to become shiny, stir until they are completely melted. Remove from the heat, add the coconut oil and salt, and stir until thoroughly combined.
For the microwave Place the chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat at 50 percent power for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue heating and stirring in 15-second intervals until the chips are melted. Add the coconut oil and salt and stir until thoroughly combined.
For the oven Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the chips in a small -stainless-steel bowl and place in the oven for 5 minutes, or until they are shiny. Remove from the oven and stir until the chips are completely melted. Add the coconut oil and salt and continue stirring until thoroughly combined.
Makes about 1 cup
THIN MINTS©
I’m Catholic by birth. Winter to us means Lent, which, to be honest, is about all I remember beyond the school uniforms. Anytime winter/Lent rolled around, the only thing we could count on was the house-wide hostility that would mount as we spent several weeks avoiding sweets and desserts in all their overindulgent forms. The colder months, you might recall, make up Girl Scout cookie season. In a unique show of torture, rather than simply not placing an order with the Scouts, our family bought a bunch, tossed them into the freezer, and stored them until Easter—about two months later. This recipe is for all you lifetime gluten-free folks who have never been able to enjoy a -winter of Girl Scout Thin Mints—and for all you weak-willed kids who can’t help but break the Lenten period of atonement. Bless your hearts!
1½ cups Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
1 cup vegan sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup arrowroot
1½ teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup melted refined coconut oil or canola oil
¹⁄³ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegan gluten-free chocolate chips
3 tablespoons mint extract
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, arrowroot, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Add the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla and mix with a rubber spatula until a thick dough forms.
Drop the dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets about 1½ inches apart. Gently flatten each mound of dough, smoothing the edges with your fingers. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the baking sheets, and bake for 7 minutes more. Let stand on the baking sheets for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and mint extract in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the chips are just melted. Do not overcook. Remove from the heat. Dunk the top of each cookie into the melted chocolate and place in a single layer on a platter. Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate sets.
Makes 30
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