Super Easy, Gluten-Free Christmas Treats

Super Easy, Gluten-Free Christmas Treats, originally uploaded by Kate Chan.

Phew! We’re done! I think we are done, anyway. We’ve mailed off Christmas cards to our friends and family and have been baking and cooking this week to finish up gifts.

My Love’s office has a cookie exchange every year and we always end up with several dozen cookies that I can’t eat and my Love doesn’t eat sweets. So, this morning I made cookies plates for my neighbors with these treats and several others that we had made to share with our neighbors.

I cannot believe that we are “done”. I feel so… umm… organized! It’s amazing! 🙂

If you are in the midst of Merry-making madness, then you know that a few good Holiday recipes are all you need in order to feel like you are part of the Merriment and not merely an observer.

My first gluten-free Christmas was a bit of a bumpy road. While I could find the super-sealed, shelf-permanent gluten-free bread; none of it was tasty. And the French Pie that my mom always made was made with a gluten-free crust that we made together… however the recipe called for over one and a half cups of oil PLUS a quarter cup of butter (!!!). We almost choked when we read the recipe and were quite repulsed while baking. Now there’s a holiday memory NOT worth repeating.

So I wised up. I made gluten-free Christmas the easy way: au natural. After all, what’s more gluten-free AND delicious than fresh fruit, vegetables and organic meats? We made rustic meals and loved every minute of it. And then the cookie-exchange parties hit and I felt a little left out of the holiday sugar-high.

Enter stage left: Gluten-free Holiday Cookies.

Are you here looking for a Gluten Free Christmas Cookies or Candy recipes?
Try one of these:

• Gluten Free Roll Out Cookies (Cut-Out Cookies)
• Ginger Cookies
• Dark Chocolate Cookies with Cocoa Nibs and Salt
• Chocolate-coated Toffee
• Layered Peppermint Bark (or see below for a miniature version for sharing)
• Powdered Sugar Cookies
• Hazelnut and Chocolate Biscotti
• Hot Air Candy – (Chocolate covered)
• Oatmeal Cookies

I was on the phone chatting with my sister while planning our recent cookie exchange baking session when we both mentioned Buckeye Balls through murmurs of mmmmmmmmms that were escaping our lips. And they are easy to make too! I just didn’t make them because we were already set to make the Layered Peppermint Bark Bites – also another easy treat to make.

Next week I’m making Mexican Wedding Cookies (otherwise known as Russian Tea Cookies). Have you had those? My mom used to make them when we were kids. I swear I could eat them like popcorn! So I intend to make my cookies smaller than normal this Holiday season. Since my Love doesn’t munch on cookies, I will make some to share with friends when we go out for dinner and to a couple Holiday parties.

What are you making to share this season?

Here is the recipe for our Peppermint Bark Bites. This recipe makes 100 pieces – a tad more than 8 dozen. (Perfect for tasting, if you ask me!)

Layered Peppermint Bark Bites
Ingredients:
3 – 16 oz. bags of dark chocolate chips
3 – 16 oz. bags of white chocolate chips
12 peppermint candy canes, crushed
2 – 3 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 Tablespoon butter
100 mini-muffin paper liners

Directions:

1. Fill a saucepan with 2-3 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, lay out/spread out the 100 mini-muffin liners on to cookie sheets on a work surface. Be sure to have them all ready to go before you begin to melt the chocolate.
3. Set a metal serving bowl over the edge/on top, but not touching the water.
4. Dump in the three bags of dark chocolate chips and add the butter. Melt together while stirring constantly until the chocolate is smooth.
5. Add the 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract (or a little more, if you prefer).
6. Remove the bowl from the water/heat. Using a tablespoon, drizzle dark chocolate into each muffin liner until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick or a little more. Continue until all muffin cups have dark chocolate on the bottom.
7. Clean the bowl completely and dry completely before continuing.
8. *NOTE* White chocolate will seize and not melt to a smooth consistency if any moisture or oil are in the bowl. Be sure to dry the bowl and the spatula/stir utensil completely before proceeding.
9. In a clean/dry bowl over the simmering water, dump the white chocolate chips. Stir constantly until they melt to a smooth consistency.
10. Remove from the heat. Use a tablespoon to drizzle or drop white chocolate on to each dark chocolate-lined muffin cup. Continue until all muffin cups have white chocolate.
11. Sprinkle each muffin cup with crushed peppermint and push the peppermint in to the chocolate slightly.
12. Allow pans of muffin cups to cool completely before trying to pack up for your cookie exchange or add to gift jars. (Or cool by sliding the trays in to your refrigerator.)

I hope your Holiday preparations are joy-filled and relaxing!
-Kate

PS. And those easy other treats in the picture? Those are a snap too – and stinkin’ addictive when you eat them – so LOOOK OUT! Just take a gluten-free pretzel, top it with a chocolate kiss or a Rolo (chocolate covered caramel) and pop them in a warm oven until the kiss becomes soft (about 3-4 minutes at 325F). Take them out and push in an M&M candy.

PPS. Wondering what to do for your Holiday Gifts? Consider giving your treats or a gift to your local school (read this article by a teacher to get her suggestions), your local Food Bank or Oxfam – give the gift of livestock or comfort.