Sweet Vanilla Blueberry Scones Recipe (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

Blueberries are the essence of summer. In North Carolina blueberries are one of the first fruits of the season. Ripened and ready for picking at the end of May through the hot, humid days of July, fresh plump blueberries will show up in pies, muffins, cakes, sauces, jams, jellies, and even over ice cream.

In Eastern North Carolina our locally grown blueberries have been available at small farmer’s markets, roadside stands, and even at our local Piggly Wiggly. Blueberries do not need to be cooked to be enjoyed. My favorite way to eat them is straight from the bush or right out of the container at the farmer’s market! I often buy a pint of blueberries just to keep in the fridge so that I can take a few out for a snack whenever I need something sweet. Blueberries are of course naturally sweet and have an abundance of heart healthy benefits, especially from the antioxidant rich dye in the skin.

I created the following recipe for vanilla blueberry scones when I received information on a blog recipe contest sponsored by the US Highbush Blueberry Council. I have to admit as much as I would love to be a savory chef, I am a baker at heart… so I decided to create a gluten free, casein free, and soy free scone with blueberries. I chose to use almond flour as my main gluten free flour in this recipe because it is lower in simple carbohydrates than most gluten free flours. If you have not used almond flour in your gluten free baking, I highly recommend it. While it is more expensive than most flours, it’s healthier for you, holds up incredibly well in baking, and is an easy replacement for wheat flour.

I am very pleased with this recipe and I hope you will enjoy it. If you are fond of blueberries please give this recipe a try and cross your fingers that the folks at the US Highbush Blueberry Council will enjoy these scones as well!





Sweet Vanilla Blueberry Scones
Originally created by: Carrie @ Ginger Lemon Girl
(Free of gluten, soy, and casein)


Dry Ingredients
3 cups almond flour
¾ cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup *Spectrum shortening

Wet Ingredients
1 egg, slightly whisked
2/3 cup non-dairy *milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if you use frozen DO NOT defrost them!!)
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” cake pan with parchment paper and spritz with non-stick cooking spray. Set parchment lined pan aside. In a large bowl whisk together almond flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Using a fork and knife or a pastry cutter, cut Spectrum shortening evenly into the flour mixture until it resembles small peas. Set aside. In a small bowl mix together the whisked egg, non-dairy milk, and vanilla extract. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients until thoroughly incorporated. Lastly add blueberries and mix. Batter will be thick. Pour batter into the parchment lined cake pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 25-30 minutes until edges of the round scone are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean with few crumbs. ** (See notes below on why this baking method is used for these scones.)** When scone is done, remove from oven and set aside to cool for several minutes. Cut round scone into 8 triangular scones. Serve warm with your favorite vanilla glaze.


Carrie’s Recipe Notes:

*I used Spectrum shortening in this recipe because it is casein (dairy) free and soy free. Feel free to use another type of shortening or butter in this recipe if you choose to do so!

*I used hemp milk in this recipe, because it is my favorite non-dairy soy-free milk. Feel free to use regular milk or the non-dairy milk of your choice.

*Almond flour - I purchase almond flour directly from Honeyville Food Products. Different brands of almond flour can vary in consistency and quality and the Honeyville brand is the best I have found so far and has the best baking results. It is also the least expensive in quantity and shipping than I have found elsewhere. For more recipes using Honeyville almond flour, visit Elana's Pantry, where I first learned about this fantastic product.

*Traditional scones are created and baked in triangles. This particular scone batter made with almond flour will not bake well in the free form of a triangle on a baking sheet; therefore the batter is made as a large cake and then cut into scone triangles upon cooling.

*Glaze – I made a simple vanilla glaze mixing powdered sugar, hemp milk, and vanilla extract until I had the consistency needed for drizzling.


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Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

When I was a little girl “snickerdoodles” were one of the first cookies I learned how to make. Deliciously simple vanilla cookies with a coating of cinnamon and sugar! I often made snickerdoodles for youth gatherings at church, for my teachers at school, and just for fun.

I’m always looking for ways to make baking gluten free easier and less time consuming. Last week I needed a dessert for a small dinner party and I decided to come up with a recipe for Snickerdoodles using my favorite gluten free master baking mix.

These cookies come together quickly and are a true crowd pleaser! By the end of our gathering last week not one cookie was left! It’s such an easy cookie to make that I’ll be adding them to my list of super easy gluten free desserts! You could add endless additions to these cookies: nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, raisins, you name it!

Healthy? Well, not particularly… but they are really delicious, kid-friendly gluten free cookies!

Perfect for lunch boxes, office gatherings, or just because, these cookies will be sure to please anyone who tries them!


Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
(gluten free, soy free, *casein free)

½ cup Spectrum shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups Gluten Free Master Baking Mix, or GF/CF Homemade Master Baking Mix (or other leavened gluten free baking mix)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mixture for dipping cookies in:
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening with sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in Gluten Free Master Baking Mix. (You can chill dough to make it easier to work with at this point, but it is not necessary!) Roll dough into 1” balls. In a small bowl mix together cinnamon and sugar. Roll cookie balls in mixture and place 2” apart on a greased baking sheet (or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat mat). Flatten cookies by using the bottom of a heavy cup or glass that has been covered in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. (Cookies will not spread while baking, so it’s important to flatten them with the bottom of a glass or with a fork!) Bake for 8-10 minutes in 350 degree oven until cookies are golden brown on the edges. Let cool on cookie sheets for several minutes before moving to cooling rack. Store in an airtight container on the counter.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

(Printer-friendly recipe.)


Carrie's Notes:

• Make sure to try out my revised gluten free/casein free master baking mix! 
• I have not tried these cookies with agave nectar, but I think it would work with only 1/3 cup of agave in cookie dough. 
• For a different flavor basic cookie, try using almond extract or lemon extract instead of the vanilla called for!

Top Ten Gluten Free 4th of July Recipes

Here are my Top Ten gluten free recipes for the 4th of July!!
Happy Gluten Free Summer Eating!!

• Red Potato Salad

• Fresh Strawberry Pie

• Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Cherry Fluff Cheesecake (not casein free)

• Simple Salsa Salad

• Homemade Caesar Salad

• Summer Vegetable Scramble

• Simple Strata Salad

• Apple Mint Salad

• Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

What are your favorite recipes for the 4th of July??

Simple Fresh Homemade Lemonade Recipe (gluten free)

Summer is the time for lemonade. Fresh squeezed lemons, cold water, and sugar or the sweetener of your choice... that's all it takes to make your own lemonade!

Every week during the summer season I make a batch of homemade lemonade. There is something soothing during the process. It's almost like baking homemade bread. The actions of slicing the lemons in half, squeezing them, straining the juice, and adding it to fresh, crisp, cold water and mixing it with agave nectar and stevia. Then to drink the first glass of lemonade over ice. It makes you smile. It tastes like summer and it makes me want to be outside.

This Fourth of July make your own lemonade at home! It's refreshing, cool, and surprisingly good for you! Just watch out, because making your own will probably become a habit! ;-)

You can choose to make the lemonade with plain sugar, agave nectar, stevia, splenda... choose what you like best. I used to make my lemonade with sugar, but since I am having to watch my sugar intake I now make my lemonade with a mixture of liquid stevia and a small amount of agave nectar.


Simple, Fresh Homemade Lemonade

3-4 lemons, freshly squeezed and strained (-OR- about 1/3 cup of lemon juice)
2 quarts fresh, cold water
**1/2 cup simple sugar syrup (or the sweetener of your choice) + more to taste

If you are using fresh lemons: cut them in half, juice/squeeze them, and then place a plastic strainer over a 2 qt. pitcher. Pour the squeezed lemon juice over the strainer to remove pulp and seeds. I like to add a little bit of lemon pulp back in my fresh lemonade. Add 2 quarts of cold water and the simple syrup or sweetener of your choice. Refrigerate and serve cold over ice!

Happy Gluten Free Forth of July!!

Jennifer's Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce (Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

My co-worker and friend Jennifer won't claim to be a "chef" or a "cook"... but I think she's quite good as both! She's made many accomplishments over the past year including losing over 60 lbs. by changing her diet and exercising. I am very, very proud of her!

One thing she has learned in the past year is how to cook more things from scratch. I think now she secretly enjoys spending time in the kitchen!

She recently shared this super easy and delicious recipe with me and I had to brag on her. It's too delicious and simple to keep all to myself. Jennifer's family is 100% pure Italian. She grew up eating Italian for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Pasta, pasta, pasta, and a huge vat of spaghetti/tomato sauce were always in the kitchen.

Since Jennifer has followed Weight Watchers to learn about portion control, healthy foods, and how to eat for good health, she's learned new ways to make recipes. Her recipe for an easy marinara sauce is simple, delicious, and packed with real Italian flavor. Jennifer said that the best tomatoes to use for this sauce are imported from Italy and have a natural sweetness that really makes the sauce special.

Jennifer's Easy Marinara Sauce
(Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

1 (28 oz) can cooked whole peeled roma tomatoes with basil
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely minced

In a medium sized saucepan heat oil to sizzling. Add garlic and onions and saute until golden. Pour in can of tomatoes with liquid. As tomatoes heat through, take a potato masher and crush tomotoes until they are the consistancy you desire for a sauce. I prefer them chunky and thick. If you want your sauce more smooth you could certainly use an immersion blender or add the sauce to your counter blender and blend until smooth. Simmer sauce for 30 minutes or more before serving. This is also great in the crock pot for an all day simmer.

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Just in case you were wondering about those meatballs in the picture above... here is my go-to recipe for gluten free meatballs!! I generally use Tinkyada pasta or spaghetti squash for my "spaghetti and meatballs" base.

Enjoy!

Carrie's Emeril-Inspired Baked Meatballs
(Gluten Free, Casein Free, Soy Free)

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
1/2 sweet onion, very finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, very finely minced
1 egg
1/4 cup almond meal
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dried sweet basil
1 1/2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, and roll into shape with hands into about 15-20 medium sized meatballs.
Place in a greased glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
Add baked meatballs to heated sauce of your choice and serve over glutenfree pasta or spaghetti squash.

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My husband and I are in Florida for the week, so forgive me for not adding printer-friendly PDF's of these recipes! I will add them as soon as we return home! Pray for good weather, as we will hopefullly be watching the the launching of the Space Shuttle Endeavour at 5:40am Wednesday morning!!