We’re in the holiday spirit and wanted to share a gluten free recipe using Gluten Free Things All Purpose Flour Mix, a must-have on the pantry shelf for any gluten free kitchen.
Now coconut isn’t for everyone, but those of us who do love the rich buttery taste of coconut infused goodies are CRAZY for Macaroons. The same goes for cranberries. I suppose its because of the health benefits that I enjoy cranberries. Cranberries are considered a super food:
WebMD.com says “cranberries have vitamin C and fiber, and are only 45 calories per cup. In disease-fighting antioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable–including strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries. One cup of whole cranberries has 8,983 total antioxidant capacity. ” Combining such a wonderful berry with the rich taste of coconut and gluten free all purpose flour, is well worth the simple efforts to prepare these lovely morsels during the holiday season.
I’m sure a few of you might be thinking about another ingredient along the same lines as I have, as I write this blog.
What about the sweetened condensed milk? Does use of this canned ingredient sort of diminish the benefits of the beautiful little red cranberry? I did use the canned sweetened condensed milk for my recipe. I just read, however, that Bisphenol-A (BPA) is used in lining the cans, which can be a deal breaker for many. In the case of sweetened condensed milk in my household, I’ve purchased only this one can recently (probably haven’t had it in my pantry for years). But spread among 40+
macaroons, sharing with others…. not a big issue considering other more sinister elements I may unknowingly ingest. However, in a simple search online, there are plenty of recipes available for homemade sweetened condensed milk and with some planning, I think I would probably go that route if future recipes call for sweetened condensed milk.
Now what about macaroons in general. Have you kicked macaroons to the curb because of the requirement for flour as the binding agent? Hey listen up. We’re hear to spread the news that you can put those delicious tidbits back on your favorites list.
Light and delicious Gluten Free Cranberry Coconut Macaroons represent our first recipe in a series we’re kicking off and calling Fun Flour Mix Recipes.
From All Purpose Flour Mix to other dry flour mix varieties, Gluten Free Things has conducted all the research and development for the perfect balance of ingredients in the convenient dry flour mixes we offer. Using Gluten Free Things quality dry flour mixes will save you the expense and hassle of experimenting on your own with all the different ingredients needed to create the right balance of texture and flavor. Just order online or pick up at our Arvada CO bakery to store in your pantry for anytime baking and to create new recipes and meal ideas. The shelf life of our dry flour mixes is ample and are mixed fresh right in our dedicated gluten free facility.
For our macaroons recipe we’ll focus on the Gluten Free Things All Purpose Flour Mix. Now you can now have your Macaroons and eat them too!
To make our Cranberry Coconut Macaroons, we started with a bag of fresh cranberries on hand and checked the pantry for the balance of necessary ingredients to make homemade Cranberry Macaroons.
In addition to the cranberries, we had the coconut, the sweetened condensed milk , salt, vanilla and of course the Gluten Free Things All Purpose Flour Mix. Bingo! We’re ready to create and enjoy a seasonal holiday treat.
For the recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup rinsed and finely chopped fresh cranberries.
- 2/3 cup Gluten Free Things All Purpose Flour Mix
- 1- 14 ounce bag of shredded sweetened coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1-14oz can sweetened condensed milk
- (1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
I didn’t hand chop my cranberries. I placed them in the food processor with cutting blade and pulsed a few times and then a few more. I didn’t want the cranberries pulverized, but the Ninja did pulse a nice even chop.
Next, I moved the chopped cranberries to a good size bowl and tossed in the flour mix, stirring to coat. Adding the remaining ingredients, I stirred the mixture well until all particles were moist and evenly distributed.
I do love semi sweet chocolate chips and decided to add the chocolate chips to my batter. Again, they’re optional and you’ll know if you want them or not. The chocolate chips did add a lovely flavor to macaroon without being overpowering. My vote is to include the chips.
When I bake cookies, I always turn the baking sheet over so that whatever kind of cookie I bake, gets an even amount of heat. Somewhere in my baking history I read about that technique, but I’m not sure exactly the advantage. It just made sense to me that my cookies would bake more evenly if they were exposed on all sides.
I cut a sheet of wax paper to lay the batter on, and drop by teaspoonfuls on the pan. These macaroons will not grow larger or expand, so I recommend placing enough on the pan in rows where they don’t touch, but will get your baking done more quickly. I think I baked 2 cookie sheets full and that used up all the batter. I ended up with approximately 42 macaroons.
Bake these little morsels for about 20 minutes in the middle rack, or until you can see the glow of golden brown beginning to show around the based edges.
Remove from the baking sheet to cool on racks or a cool surface. Store in airtight container.
This is an easy, quick recipe to pull together if you have friends coming over or you just want to offer the family a nice little vitamin C injected treat – Gluten Free of course.
Add Gluten Free Things All Purpose Flour Mix to your pantry shelf for substituting flour in your recipe with a quality, free gluten free alternative.
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