CAFE Talks Podcast

Jul 28, 2024, 10:18

Dried Fruit Cookies by Chef Adam Weiner

Note: This recipe works well with any chopped dried fruit. If using raisins or dried cranberries you can just use them as is. If using other dried fruit you have to dice them up into the size of a raisin and measure them AFTER dicing.

Yield: About 96 cookies (depending on size)

Gluten Free Snickerdoodles by Chef Adam Weiner

Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 12 min
Level: Easy
Yield: about 20 cookies

Ingredients
2 ¾ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour or similar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup shortening
½ pound unsalted butter, softened
1.5 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat a regular oven to 350 degrees F. or convection oven to 300 degrees.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together the shortening and butter. Add the 1.5 cups sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.

Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon in a small tray. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Spray cooking sheets with PAM Spray. Flatten the balls into 1/2-inch thick disks, spacing them evenly on unlined cookie sheets. Space the cookies about two inches apart.

Bake until light brown, but still slightly moist in the center, for a total of around 8 to 10 minutes. Check cookies after about six minutes, and rotate them in the oven. Cool on a rack.

Gluten Free Scones with Fresh Fruit by Chef Adam Weiner

Yield 16 Scones (approximate)

3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour or similar
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 ½ to 2 cups diced fruit well drained (I suggest mangos or papayas to make this a truly interesting scone)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 egg, beaten

Preheat convection oven to 350 degrees, regular oven to 400 degrees.

Stir Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour, Xanthan gum, soda, and cream of tartar into medium size bowl. Work in butter a little at a time with your fingers or using two butter knives in crisscross motion until you have the consistency of sand. Add sugar and blend thoroughly. Add in fresh fruit and just mix enough to combine. Over mixing will break up the fruit.

Combine milk and water in a separate bowl and then stir into the flour mixture. Press dough lightly into a 10 inch by 8 inch rectangle on a lightly floured cutting board. Cut into 1 inch by 3 inch triangles. You should have around 16 pieces.

Place on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet about two inches apart and brush the tops of each with the beaten egg.

Bake for about 10 minutes and check for doneness. Scones are done when lightly brown. If they are not done, then rotate the pan and change shelves and check in 5 minutes.