Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies!

Bob's Red Mill - "Wheat-Free Rolled Oats"

Woohoo!!  I've been craving oatmeal cookies for weeks and finally got around to making them.

Please keep in mind that in Canada, oats are not allowed to be labeled "gluten-free" as this would be against regulations.  The problem with oats is that commercial brands are cross-contaminated with gluten through the fields and processing facilities. Look for oats labeled "pure and uncontaminated" and wheat-free Elisa certified, such as Bob's Red Mill (pictured to the right).

You can read the Canadian Celiac Association's position on including pure oats in a gluten-free diet here.

Here is the recipe I used, based on the suggestion of Kim Clark on my Facebook page, but with a few minor changes :) (Thanks, Kim!)

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies!

Makes 3 - 4 dozen large chewy cookies

1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup natural cashew butter (no sugar added)
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup Jax's Gluten-Free Flour Blend (ingredients below)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (labeled "wheat-free" Elisa tested in Canada)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl.

Add in the cashew butter, water, egg and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

In a smaller separate bowl, mix the flour, xanthan gum and baking soda together.  Add this mix to the wet ingredients and stir well.

Fold in oats and chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 14 minutes.

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Jax's Gluten-Free Flour Blend

2 cups brown rice flour
1 cup white rice flour
1 1/2 tapioca flour/starch
1/2 cup corn starch

I keep a big jar of these flours mixed together in my cupboard.  I use this blend for just about everything!  It's very versatile.  The trick is to add xanthan gum to varying degrees, depending on what you are making.

Italpasta Giveaway!

A while back I wrote about Italpasta gluten-free pasta being one of my favourites.

Italpasta is a fantastic company that makes gluten-free pasta that will rival your favourite gluten-filled pasta. Plus, it's non-GMO!  Made with rice and corn, this pasta will surely become a staple in your household.

I am proud to welcome this company as one of my new sponsors!

May is Celiac Awareness month and we get to celebrate with a pasta giveaway!

If you are the winner of this wonderful prize, you will receive a prize basket containing:

2 jars Vitale Primavera sauce
2 jars Italpasta Tomato Basil sauce
6 boxes of Italpasta Gluten Free – 3 penne & 3 spaghetti
4 bags of Misura GF – 2 fusilli & 2 penne
1 Italpasta apron

Valued at $60!


Enter the giveaway below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweets from the Earth - Focaccia Review!

Focaccia is fun to say and even yummier to eat!!

At Gluten Free Garage over the weekend I picked up focaccia from Sweets from the Earth.  Sweets from the Earth is a Toronto-based vegan company with a dedicated gluten-free facility. (They also have a nut-free facility that uses gluten so make sure you're picking up gluten-free products in stores).

I was excited to try out the focaccia and scoured the internet for ideas on what to top it with.

I love rosemary and I was debating just trying it out without anything added but decided on a recipe from King Arthur called Mackinac Focaccia.

How could you go wrong?!  Zucchini, tomato, cheese and onion - yum!  I wanted to get my hands on more focaccia.

I called Sweets from the Earth to find out where I could purchase more of this product and to let you guys know where it is available... but it turns out, it's not actually available in stores yet :( It is currently only available when they attend trade shows showcasing the gluten-free products.  (I didn't know this prior to posting the picture/teaser on Facebook the other day.)

Maybe if we pester Sweets from the Earth to package this product, they will listen to our demands and get it in stores?! :)

Check out Sweets from the Earth on Facebook!