McClure Family Blog

Gluten Free Organic Sugar Cookies: {healthy post monday} …

Hi there! I’ve been working hard in my kitchen to make a special treat for you …

Special organic gluten free treats for Valentine’s Day!

“Gluten free,” you say … “is THAT a yummy treat?” you ask …

My mommy’s gluten free and organic cookies are a VERY, YUMMY. MMM-MMM …

MMMM! A very yummmeeee treat!

Would you like me to share them with you?

This one looks good, right here …

I will pour you some tea too …

Now, take a bite … do you like it?

Ohhhh, Haley does! See her face? My mommy says that is her sugar-coma face.

Now, for the true test of the yum-yum factor … my baby brother will try one out.

Take a BIG bite, Bubby!

Hmmmmm …

I think he likes it! He really likes it!

Here Daddy! I will share one with you …

‘Cuz you’re my REAL Valentine. :)

Yep. My gluten free organic sugar cookie treats are the best! My mommy will share her recipe with you at the end of this post. :)

Melissa speaking: These are MY Valentines. My Love Bugs. My True Loves.

Tomorrow I will share the finished project I made with the rest of the photos from this photo shoot and another I did last Saturday.  :)

GLUTEN FREE SUGAR COOKIES

(adapted from EASY GLUTEN FREE BAKING cookbook found here)

Dry Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of white rice flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup of sweet rice flour

1/2 cup of tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar (I used coconut sugar)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup water, as needed

Icing (optional) I googled Martha Stewarts Royal Icing recipe

1. In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

2. In large bowl, cream (on medium speed) butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add dry ingredients and vanilla, alternating a little at a time; blend until a dough forms. (If a sandy mass forms instead of a dough all, add 1/4 cup water and mix for 30 seconds. If dough comes together on its own, omit the water from recipe).

3 .Divide the dough in half. Pat dough into rounds, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for 4 hours or overnight. (I usually put 1/2 of dough in the freezer for another time, wrapping tightly).

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Get ready to work your arm muscles. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. Generously dust a clean, dry work surface with rice flour. Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick. This is a great stress reliever and arm workout. Take a few deep breaths, do a few neck rolls, then beat that baby down to submission, until she rolls out a smooth, even cutting surface. See link posted below for an easy tip ensuring evenly rolled out cookies at 1/4 inch thick. Using assorted cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. Place cookies on prepared sheets.

6. Put baking sheets in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. This ensures they keep their shape while baking.

7. Bake first sheet of cookies until lightly golden brown. (Baking time will vary depending on size of cookie and oven. Mine bake for 11 minutes).

8. Remove cookie sheet from oven and cool on wire racks, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer cookies directly onto racks to cool completely. While first sheet is cooling, bake second sheet of cookies.

9. Ice cooked cookies, if desired.

For the cheater’s short version of how to put royal icing on the cookies, see this post. 

ENJOY! :)

3 INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE {healthy post monday} …

With Valentine’s Day tomorrow, my girl and I decided to make some sweet treats to pass out to her teachers along with her Valentine cards we made together. We found this awesome recipe on the cutest blog ever. It is definitely now my go to resource for healthy, vegan desserts. We also tried her Melty Pizza Hummus recipe, which my kids LOVED with their raw veggies!

Did you know coconut oil is a GREAT skin conditioner? AND Dr. Oz says coconut oil is the best natural lip balm. And for a mom whose girl LOVES lip balm/gloss, this is great news. She literally eats the stuff. Yuck. Have you read the ingredients in regular children’s lip gloss? Or where is it made? Double yuck.

With just the right amount, it makes your skin silky smooth and not greasy. 

Now I had perfect little, smooth and conditioned hands to help measure out all the ingredients . . 

Yum … lots of chocolate … I had SUCH a great helper!

I’m not quite sure I made it right. On this blog, she makes it sound like you can pour the mixture like syrup. Um … my consistency wasn’t like syrup. We ended up using a scraper to flatten the chocolate mixture into the little heart shape molds we used. They still turned out yummy!

Mmmmm, like little Dove chocolates, they melt in your mouth.

I will give this warning  … you have to keep these in the fridge or freezer or they literally turn to mush. I kept them in a fridge at church until we were ready to deliver them. I told each of the recipients this info and they promptly opted to eat them right away, instead of saving them for later. Of course! Who would want to let these sit for too long? 

My girl had so much fun passing these out to her teachers on Sunday! The fun will continue on Tuesday when we pass out more to her Bible Study teachers and make a run to the dance studio to share some love with Miss Kara and Miss Kathy!

Post-post addition …

I made another batch of these this afternoon and 3 times a charm, I guess! Instead of melting the oil in a pan over the stove into a clear liquid, I melted it a few seconds in the microwave in a glass bowl. The consistency was thicker, mushier, and it was a white color. Once I added the other two ingredients, it became like syrup you pour over hot fudge sundaes! Yummmmmeeeeee! :) Oh, and I tried adding one square of Baker’s Chocolate thinking it might harden the chocolates more so they wouldn’t have to be kept in the fridge or freezer … yeah, that didn’t work. It still turned out yummy, but they need to be kept cold. :) Enjoy!

I FEEL FAMOUS?! {Valentine Printables}

“We interrupt regular scheduled programming blogging to make a special announcement!” My work has now been published! Well, on a blog other than my own, that is … a PROFESSIONAL blog! Lol. This is so fun and flattering for me … I feel so giddy about it. :) After posting these pics on this Facebook Page, a home office employee contacted me to actually join their admin team to create similar hybrid projects to promote their products. How could I refuse!?! I mean, I’ve been using their products now for, let me see now, ummmm, 21 years! What an honor! Well, yesterday they posted my projects and instructions how to make the templates using SBC 4.0 software that you can actually print yourself. Their pics are WAY better than mine, but here are a few I took. You can visit this site to see their professional pics. 

I made these using Creative Memories new Be My Valentine Digital Kit with SBC 4.0 software. I printed them on white card stock and used them as treat bag toppers, lollipop tags, and mini Valentine cards. You could also use the circle labels as cupcake or cake ball toppers. I used this tool to punch out the circles. Be sure and check out this blog for instructions on how to create your own project templates so you can custom make tags, labels, and treat bag toppers for any occasion!  All you have to do is print them on 8.5x11 white card stock from your home computer!