I hate it when I read the words, "There really are no words to describe…" My reaction is always, "Really? Really Ms. Writer? No words? That is your job. Go and find the words. When you do, report back to the rest of us. Thanks!"

Well, when I took my first bite of these whoopie pies, I heard myself saying, "Oh my! There are no words." A snack cake rendering me speechless? You know that is one amazing snack cake. I'll try to describe this luscious cake with the admonition: Once you've read the description you must, you must(!), go and bake a pan for yourself.

This is a classic whoopie pie. It's made up of two moist, flavorful, chocolately cakey-cookies held together with sweet, cloud-light icing. If you've never seen a Whoopie Pie (they are popular in the Northeast, especially Maine.) they look like an Oreo Cakester. However, an Oreo-cakester would take one look at these whoopie pies and hide itself in shame. An Oreo-Cakester is a pale, pale imitation of a Whoopie Pie.

The cake recipe contains brown sugar. I know that is a bit surprising. I don't often think of the earthy flavor of molasses as a complement to chocolate. Yet, it works. The molasses flavor fades into the background, adding just a base note and, somehow, amping up the chocolate flavor. You could eat these cakes on their own. But why would you want to? The icing, lovingly, borrowed from the Twinkie Recipe in my cookbook, puts this recipe over the top. WAY over the top. It is sweet and soft with just the slightest hint of vanilla.

Not only are these Whoopie Pies swoon-worthy, they are also easy to make. So, what are you waiting for? Go and find the ingredients and make some Whoopie (Pie)! . . . keep reading

Several months ago I was listening to NPR (National Public Radio). An author was being interviewed who, I thought, had written a book entitled, "Indemnity Slays the Dragon." I could not get my mind around how the heck "indemnity" could slay anyone. I was intrigued.

After a few minutes, I realized the host had said the title was "Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon." Ah! That made sense. Of course an Aunt Dimity could slay a dragon. But indemnity? Now that was crazy!

I kept thinking about the book and, finally, found it at my local bookstore. Turns out "Aunt Dimity" is a series of books written by Nancy T. Atherton. So, instead of starting with "Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon", I picked up the first book in the series, "Aunt Dimity's Death."

Throughout the book (which was a really fun read) oatmeal cookies are mentioned. I won't tell you why but let's just say that I wanted these cookies! Tucked away on the last page was "Beth's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies." (To find out who Beth is and why she made cookies, you will have to read the book.) This recipe just begged me to make it gluten-free! . . . keep reading

Overview/Review Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes

As I sit down to write this overview of the Betty Crocker mixes, I find I am filled with mixed emotions. When I heard that General Mills would be launching a line of Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes, I was excited! What a great way, I thought, to introduce gluten-free baking to those who might be nervous about tackling it.

And who better than Betty Crocker to do it? I must admit something here, folks. I grew up eating Betty Crocker cakes mixes (Duncan Hines, too!). While my mom baked almost everything from scratch, she used mixes for cakes. If I close my eyes, I can almost taste those cakes. Fragrant and damp. The taste and texture of a box cake mix is really unlike any other. Therefore, I was excited to see if Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free Cake mixes would taste like their traditional, wheat-based mixes.

But before we get to the taste test, I need to talk a little about my own expectations and reactions to the mixes. . . . keep reading

Twelve years ago (gosh, has it been that long?), while I was a student at the Culinary Institute of America, I met Michele. She was taking a bread class from one of my favorite instructors and I was assisting the students in the class. We were instant friends.

Over the years, much has changed in the landscape of our lives but one thing has remained a constant, Michele and I love teaching people how to cook delicious food at home.

This spring, for the first time, we taught a joint class. Michele handled the main course and I taught desserts. It was a delight to teach with Michele. And the food, her food, was delicious.

During the class she shared a recipe for "Pasta with Asparagus, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto." This pasta dish has quickly become one of my favorites. It is remarkably easy to make--you even cook the asparagus in the pasta water--and takes advantage of the lovely flavors of summer.

Make this pasta when you are in the mood for something "a little special" but don't feel like spending oodles of time in the kitchen. This recipe is like a warm hug from a friend: tender, soft and always just what you need. . . . keep reading

Occasionally a recipe wildly exceeds my expectations. This Lemon Chiffon cake is one of those recipes. Chiffon cakes, if you've never tried one, are a cousin to angel food cakes. (Unlike Angel food cakes, Chiffon cakes use egg yolks along with whipped egg whites.) A good chiffon cake should moist and ethereally tender.

This recipe, if I do say so myself, is all of those things and more. It produces a cake that is fair better than any gluten-filled chiffon cake I've ever eaten. The cake is so wonderfully tender and flavorful! My husband said, "It is as light as a cloud." To which I replied, "I don't think clouds are this light. It is lighter than a cloud."

When one starts comparing a recipe to clouds, you know they are in love. . . . keep reading

I live in what feels like the heart of apple country. We are surrounded by fantastic apple orchards. My husband (who seems to live out the "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" adage) and I head out to a farm stand/apple orchard every few weeks to stock up on yummy apples. This farm stand also sells Old Fashioned doughnuts and Apple Cider Doughnuts.

One day while wandering around the farm stand the smell of freshly made doughnuts almost did me in! I headed home determined to make a great batch of gluten-free doughnuts. Well, the perfect Old Fashioned doughnut alluded me! I kept trying. And I kept producing doughnut that were either heavy or bland or, worse yet, heavy AND bland.

Then one day, while making buttermilk pancakes, I thought, "What would happen if I used buttermilk in my doughnut recipe?" Well, it made all the difference in the world. The doughnuts were moist and tender. Perfect really!

As soon as they come out of the fryer, roll them in cinnamon sugar. Heaven! I really believe that little tastes as wonderful as a freshly made doughnut.

Now, I will be honest with you, the next day these doughnuts aren't as ethereal. I've found that popping them into the microwave for 10 seconds bring them right back. Although, they really are still delicious cold! . . . keep reading

The box of "Glutino Gluten Free Vegetable Crackers" had been sitting on my desk for some time. For some reason, I wasn't moved to tear into the box. Perhaps it was the three tomatoes pictures on the front cover. Tomato-flavored crackers? Hmmm, I wasn't sure if they would be any good. So on my desk they sat.

Finally, I opened the box. . . . keep reading

This recipe is for Kyle. After I posted Laurie's Almond Poppy Seed Bread recipe, Kyle asked me for a recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin. He told me that Lemon Poppy Seed muffins were his favorite breakfast treat prior to his diagnosis.

This recipe makes wonderfully moist, sweet muffins with a "pop" of lemon flavor. Kyle has already tried the recipe and loves it! I hope you do too! . . . keep reading

As I've mentioned before, my baking is inspired by many different things. This recipe was inspired by my desire to create a small batch recipe for cupcakes. I realize that cupcake recipes that yield 24 cupcakes might be too large for some members.

And I didn't want to stop there. Sure a small batch is fine but, remember, I wrote the book on Easy Gluten-Free Baking (bad pun. sorry!). So not only did I want the recipe to be small; I wanted it to be easy. And it doesn't get much easier than this recipe. "How easy is it Elizabeth?" I hear you asking. This recipe is so easy that it doesn't even require an eclectic mixer. That's right! You can dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together with a wooden spoon.

Now I don't want you to think these cupcakes are only for folks, like me, who don't have big families. These cupcakes are for everyone who loves cupcakes. They are delicate with a fantastic vanilla flavor.

And if you have a big family, you can always double the recipe!

By the way, my husband loves these cupcakes iced with chocolate icing. What icing do you like on vanilla cupcakes? Let's talk about it in the discussion forum. . . . keep reading

It might seem odd that I am posting a recipe for Brown Sugar Maple Cupcake Bites in March. Many people associate the flavor of maple with fall. Not me. Maple is one of those flavors that I love all year long. In fact, I find myself thinking about maple in the spring more than any other season.

As I drive around my community, I see lots of Sugar Maple Trees with plastic tubes and buckets attached to their bases. Why? People are collecting sap! It is a wonderful sign of spring. While I have never collected sap myself, my husband and I had a chance to see sap running the other day. During a walk, we heard "drip, drip, drip." Now it hadn't rained for days. As the sound grew louder we both spied a tree dripping sap from a broken limb. (Sadly we had a terrible ice storm this year that destroyed lots of beautiful trees.)

After that walk, the thought of maple was fresh in my mind. It is amazing to me how clear sap becomes wonderfully sticky, fragrant syrup. I decided that I wanted to create a recipe to honor this time of the year.

I headed into the kitchen and made delightful brown sugar cupcake bites with a maple brown sugar glaze. The cake is so tender; it almost melts in your mouth. I'll admit these cupcakes don't pack a huge maple punch. More like a whisper of maple. I guess this is like the fresh sap that runs in March , not yet full bodied but just enough to delightfully carry you along. . . . keep reading

I thought it was time that gluten-free eaters got in on the fun! So, for the next week, I am celebrating "Cupcake Days" at GlutenFreeBaking.com. I'll be bringing you new, easy and delicious gluten-free cupcakes.

I'm kicking off "Cupcake Days" with a light spring-themed cupcake: Lemon Cupcakes with Lime Icing. The cupcakes are really easy to make. Simply whisk together the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and, boom, you've got a cupcake!

The icing is a nice change of pace from plain vanilla buttercream. I've used lime flavoring (you can use lime juice if you have it on hand) to create a "sweet tart" icing. Just for fun, I added a few drops of green food coloring. Of course, you don't have to do this! Either way, these cupcakes will look and taste delicious!

. . . keep reading

And, for me, even more so. This was one of my favorite desserts from childhood. Whenever my mom made it, I would sneak to the refrigerator for a "taste."

As much as I loved this dessert as a kid, it had been years since I enjoyed it last. Then my birthday arrived. We weren't celebrating on my actual birthday because of family commitments. And, really, who wants to celebrate on a Wednesday night? Since it was my birthday, I decided I wanted to make myself something special for dessert.

As I thought about it, I mentally rejected several dessert options. Cake? We'd have it on Sunday night at my party. Cookies? Didn't feel festive enough. Pie? See cookies.

Then I thought about Rice Custard Pudding. Oh my goodness! How could I have forgotten about my beloved childhood dessert? I asked my mom for the recipe. After making a few changes (I didn't like how the original recipe made the custard.) I popped the custard into the oven right before dinner.

When dinner was over, my husband and I enjoyed warm rice-custard pudding. Heaven! Happy birthday to me! . . . keep reading