Corn-free Marshmallows -- no thermometer needed!

I've made this recipe a couple of times and have been very pleased with it, especially since my candy thermometer broke.  I found it here: http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-marshmallows-no-corn-syrup-384069

2 tablespoons gelatin (I buy mine in bulk at the health food store, sorry it's not really vegan)
8 tablespoons cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 Dust an 8- or 9-inch square pan with powdered sugar. Set aside.
2 In a small bowl, soak gelatin in 8 tbsp cold water. Set aside.
3 Combine granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a large heavy saucepan.
4 Cook and stir over medium heat until dissolved.
5 Add gelatin and bring to a boil.
6 Remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and let stand until partially cool.
7 Add salt and vanilla extract.
8 Beat with an electric mixer until soft and double in volume. About 10-15 minutes.
9 Pour into prepared pan to about 1/2 inch thick.
10 Set to cool until it will not stick to your finger.
11 Cut into 1.5 inch pieces and roll in powdered sugar.
12 Variation: toasted coconut can be substituted for powdered sugar.
13 Variation: other flavorings can be substituted for vanilla extract.

Gluten-free gingerbread for houses

This is adapted from a recipe found at recipezaar.com I like it because you don't have to chill it before you roll it out. I increased the recipe by half as much again and it easily made three small houses. I personally like the A-frame design because it is much more stable. We used two 1/4" dowels to help roll out the dough the correct thickness. We used home-made powdered sugar to make buttercream frosting to glue everything together. We used organic, corn-free candies to decorate our houses. My notes begin with (*

By: LUv 2 BaKE
Dec 24, 2005

This dough is very easy to work with. We use this gingerbread to make our annual gingerbread houses. One recipe makes 3 fair sized gingerbread houses. This is also works excellent for gingerbread people. From Good Housekeeping Dec 94


Ingredients

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup molasses
* 2 1/4 teaspoons ginger
* 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
* 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
* 3 teaspoons baking soda
* 3/4 cup margarine (*2/3 c oil)
* 1 1/2 eggs, beaten (*1/2 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 Tbsp tapioca)
* 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (*gf blend)

Directions

1.In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, molasses, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves to boiling, stirring occasionally.
2.Remove from heat; stir in soda (it will foam up).
3.Stir in margarine till melted.
4.With a fork, stir in egg, then flour.
5.On a floured surface, knead dough till mixed. Divide dough in half, wrap half with plastic wrap; set aside.
6.Roll half the dough, with a rolling pin, slightly thinner than 1/4 inch.
7.Cut with cutters.
8.Bake at 325F on a cookie sheet for 12 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
9.Makes about 3 dozen 3" gingerbread people.
10.NOTE: We make houses by cutting out our house design (the 2 sides of the roof, two sides, a front and a back of the house) on graph paper, and then placing the graph paper shapes on the dough and cutting the dough shapes out with a knife.



http://www.recipezaar.com/Gingerbread-For-Cookies-or-a-Gingerbread-House-149257

Here is a link to various gingerbread patterns http://christmas.lovetoknow.com/Gingerbread_House_Patterns

Piping Marshmallows

I know gelatin isn't exactly vegan, but it's an option. I put these in a gallon bag with the corner cut out and make small blobs or shapes. You can create different colored marshmallows by using pomegranate or some other juice. We've also boiled spinach in a small amount of water, made a paste, and used that to dye them green and shape them into trees. You can add 1/2 tsp vanilla or 1/4 vanilla and 1/4 peppermint flavoring. This came from the Martha Stewart website. She uses it for making peeps.

1) In an electric mixing bowl, sprinkle
1 envelope (2 1/2 tsp) gelatin over
1/3 cup water
let soften for 5 min
2) In a small saucepan, combine
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
stir over med high
Heat until sugar is dissolved. STOP stirring, brush down any crystals on side of pan.
Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat.
With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.
Generously dust an 8 x 12-inch glass baking pan with confectioners' sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out.


http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=28f9e6baefa0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

These are surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) good


Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Covered-Peppermint-Patties/Detail.aspx

Submitted by: Wendy MacLeod
Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Ready In: 8 Hours 50 Minutes Yields: 48 servings
"These cool peppermint patties are made with mashed potatoes."
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter (vegan margarine)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
8 cups confectioners' sugar
8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate (vegan)
2 tablespoons shortening (vegan)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, salt, butter, and peppermint extract. Gradually mix in confectioners' sugar; mix in enough to make a workable dough, between 6 and 8 cups.
2. Knead slightly, and roll into cherry-size balls. Flatten balls to form patties. Arrange on sheets of wax paper, and allow to dry overnight.
3. Place chocolate and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Dip patties in melted chocolate, and let cool on wax paper.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2005 Allrecipes.com
Printed from Allrecipes.com 12/22/2006

Chocolate Loaf cake

This is the first recipe I ever created when we first started GFCF

Chocolate Loaf
Stir together:
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup gf flour blend
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4-1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (I use 1/4)
0-1/4 tsp guar gum
Combine and add to dry ingredients
1 to 6 Tablespoons oil/applesauce
1 egg or substitute
~1/4 cup rice milk
Spoon batter into muffin cups or 9X5 loaf pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees, check for doneness and cook longer if needed.
Icing: Heat 1/4 cup rice milk to almost boiling. Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips and whisk or stir until melted and smooth. Icing thickens as it cools.

Sugar Drop Cookies with Oil

Joy of Cooking Sugar Drop Cookies with Oil

Sift together:
2 1/2 cups flour (GF blend)
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon or 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
Combine:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I use non-GE canola)
Add to this mixture and beat well after each addition:
2 eggs*
1 tsp vanilla**
Preheat oven to 375. Add the flour mixture all at once and beat well. Shape the dough into 1/2-inch balls. Dip the balls in Granulated sugar or, flatten the balls as thin as you can between very lightly floured hands. To give a corrugated effect, score them in parallel lines with a fork dipped in flour and sprinkle with granulated sugar Bake about 10-12 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

*Replace two eggs with 1/2 Tbsp tapioca starch dissolved and boiled in 1/2 cup water till clear and thick.
** To turn into lemon drop cookies, omit cinnamon and replace vanilla with lemon extract. Roll into small balls and flatten slightly.**To turn into chocolate chip cookies, omit cinnamon and add about 1 cup mini chocolate chips