Gluten Free Strawberry Tartelettes

I wanted to be able to eat everything at Little Miss' party. So I baked everything at Little Miss' party. Gluten-free of course.

Gluten free tartelettes:
The dough tastes wonderful. It is relatively easy to handle, and very easy to bake. It is adapted from this Smitten Kitchen recipe. (Just add this gluten free flour mix instead of regular flour. Oh, and don't forget to add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum too.)


I rolled out chilled dough to about 1/4 of an inch thick, punched out circles with a cookie cutter, and then pushed them into mini muffin tins. To get the circles into the concave muffin mold, I made a Pac-Man of sorts. Join the "mouth" edges, and push that little guy (who is now like a cone) into the mold. Press down on all sides, and presto, fast and easy, tartelette crust.

I just used a traditional pastry cream recipe and used gluten-free flour again, for regular flour. I almost forgot that real vanilla beans truly are heaven.

Fill that tartelette crust with a bit of cream, top it with a fresh strawberry and pop it in your mouth, only to remember you forgot to take a picture of it. Good thing I made 47 more.

Gluten-free petit fours

This was an interesting experiment. Not because of the taste, but because of the talent. I felt all elbows making these. It was as if all my years of fondant experience had melted away like candy sugar in hot water, and there I was as green as the day I started baking cakes.

Although these turned out a bit wonky looking, they tasted pretty darn great. (I am eating a left over as I write this up.)

My gluten-free secrets...
I used the betty crocker yellow cake mix. The back of the box says to mix everything at once. Don't do it I tell you. Make sure your butter is extra soft. Add it and a bit of the mix to a bowl and beat it well. Add room temperature eggs one at a time and incorporate them well. Add the vanilla and mix well. Then add the rest of the cake flour mix alternately with the water. (First flour, then water, then flour, then the rest of the water and then the rest of the flour.) Beat on high for 3 minutes or so, until the entire thing is very, very, very smooth.


I used 11X17 jelly roll pans, buttered, lined with parchment, and then buttered again. I spread the cake batter, super thin, like 1/4 of an inch or less onto the parchment with an off set spatula. Make sure there aren't lumps or bumps.

Bake it at 350 for about 10 minutes. Check it after 8 minutes though. It should be very slightly brown around the edges, and set in the middle. Don't bake it too long! It will dry out and be crumbly.

Invert the cake onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment and let it cool completely.

I cut each 11X17 rectangle in half to get four layers (that would be 11X8 1/2 inch rectangles.)

Cake done.

Then I followed this poured fondant recipe. Very very good instruction. Except, she left one very important part out. DON'T touch the sugar when you are dipping the cakes. It is SO Hot!! I kept an ice pack handy because I was the stupid one. Seriously, 150 degree sugar versus my finger tips...whose gonna win?

Okay. I added almond extract, which is clear and doesn't change the color of the fondant, and I forgot about the marzapan. I added like 1/2 teaspoon of almond, just enough for that hint of flavor.

These were a hit. The product: well worth the effort. The sugar dried onto everything cleans up easily in some warm soapy water. And, I just hope my dentist doesn't find out.

Gluten-Free Linzer Cookies!

Finally, some headway in this gluten-free kitchen!

This linzer cookie recipe is adapted to be gluten-free. (It also is nut free as linzer heart cookies typically have almond flour in them and these do not.) These cookies are crisp and they stay crisp. The dough is super floppy and needs to be very well chilled before rolling out and cutting. But for someone who can never again eat the real thing, these are pretty good. 

I like mine with tea.

Gluten Free Linzer Cookies

Whisk together:

2 1/2 C gluten-free flour mix (recipe below.)

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t xanthan gum

1/4 t salt

Beat on medium speed in stand mixer with paddle attachment until well blended:

6 T unsalted butter, softened

3/4 C packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

Add and beat until well combined:

1/2 C light corn syrup

2 t vanilla extract

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended and smooth. Dough will be rather stiff. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic and chill for 1 hour or more. 

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. 

Lightly dust parchment paper cut to size of cookie tray, or a silapad with gluten-free flour mix and roll out chilled dough to 1/4". Cut with cutters, and cut smaller window shapes in half of the cookies. Peel away the surrounding dough to leave the cut outs remain on the paper or pad. Slide paper or pad onto cookie tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. Slide paper or pad off tray and let cookies cool on paper or pad on a wire rack.  Roll out and cut remaining dough, dusting lightly with gluten-free flour to prevent sticking and returning dough to the refrigerator as needed if the mixture becomes too soft for cutting.

Assemble cookies when they are completely cooled. 

1/4 C strawberry jelly

10x sugar (optional)

Warm strawberry jelly in microwave for 10 seconds or until just warm. Mix with spoon or spatula until all lumps dissolve and mixture is smooth. Apply to large round cookie and top with "window" cookie so that the jam peeks through. Dust lightly with 10x sugar (powdered sugar) if desired. 

Makes...don't know...about 2 doz or so...depends on how large you make them. Store in air tight container for up to three days at room temperature.

Flour mixture is from Living Without:
Whisk together:
2 1/4 C brown rice flour
1/4 C potato starch
2/3 C tapioca starch
3/4 C sweet rice flour
1/3 C cornstarch