Gluten Free Dutch Apple Pancake Recipe

When you want something easy, fast and WARM on a chilly morning...

Bubba and I were in Gatlinburg, TN, one time, and we had the BEST Dutch apple pancake I'd ever eaten.  It was so big, the two of us shared it.  It was light and fluffy and ooooooh soooooo good!  Thankfully, when I asked for the recipe, the server was gracious enough to provide it for me.

Then, in a moment of pure stupidity, it was recycled.  I know.

I have had such a taste for this lately.  A craving.  That feeling of  "I would chew through drywall to get one".  So I did some web searching, and found this recipe for Apple Puff Pancake.  It seemed pretty familiar, and of course, I made my own little tweaks.

SPH Dutch Apple Pancake
inspired by Apple Puff Pancake on allrecipes.com
3 T. butter
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into roughly 1/4" slices
1/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

Put butter into a 9x9 baking pan.  Set it in the oven, and turn the oven on to 425 to preheat.

While butter is melting and oven is preheating, whisk together pancake mix, sugar and cinnamon.  In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, milk and vanilla.  Pour into dry mixture, and whisk until well combined and smooth.

Remove pan from oven when butter has fully melted.  Spread the butter around the pan CAREFULLY with a brush or paper towel, then lay apple slices in the butter.  I put mine in the pan in a pattern.  They will float to the top during baking, and it looks nice when your finished product comes out of the oven.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Pour batter over top of the apples and sugar.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or til tester comes out clean when inserted in center.  Serve warm with powdered sugar, or as Princess suggests, whipped cream.

This looks like a dense cake, but it is really just so light and fluffy.  You'll be really surprised.  Also, it's not too sweet, so if you have someone in your house who prefers thinks on the more plain Jane side, this will suit them just fine.

When I made these, I did not use the cinnamon.  We have people in my house who can't eat it.  However, I LOOOOOOVE it, so if I made this just for me, I would throw it in.  No cinnamon in your house?  Substitute nutmeg (or do half and half cinnamon and nutmeg), apple pie spice, or even pumpkin pie spice.  No apples in the house?  Substitute a can of apple pie filling, and omit the brown sugar.  Or use pears or peaches.  And canned pears or peaches (drained please) would work equally as well.  Dress this up for a brunch by making it in a deep dish pie pan or round cake pan, and slice into wedges before serving. Or for a family gathering, double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13 pan.  Remember to add extra baking time for this, and test the center for doneness.

Fill your home with warm apple-y goodness, and enjoy!

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Cookies Recipe

Made these the other night to take to Bubba's Court of Honor for Boy Scouts.  We have an Assistant Scout Master who also has gluten issues, and I try to be sure that he has something safe for him to enjoy.  So, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day...

SPH Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread Cookies
1 cup butter, softened and at room temperature
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
1/2 cup currants or raisins (more or less to taste - optional)

Glaze
1/4 cup Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Frosting
water, milk or cream

Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine.  Stir in baking mix until well mixed.  Fold in currants.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets (I used my cookie scooper).  Using your fingers or the bottom of a glass, flatten into round discs.  Be sure to try to make them all about the same thickness.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool before glazing or frosting, and taste them first to decide which you'd rather do.

To make the glaze, put frosting in a small mixing bowl.  Add water, milk or cream a little bit at a time.  Whisk until frosting is loosened up and somewhat liquid.  For me, this was about 2-3 teaspoons.  Go slow - if your glaze gets too thin, you can either add more frosting, or you can also try adding some powdered sugar.  Try not to get it too thin, though.  To glaze your cookies, using a soup spoon, drizzle a little glaze in the center of the cookie.  In a circular motion, start here and work your way toward the edge of the cookie.  I left a little space at the edges so the glaze wouldn't drip off.  At least that was my intention.  Gravity and glaze often decide differently.

These are sooooo buttery and rich tasting, but still having that little hint of salt that really good soda bread has.  Use currants or raisins if that's what you like - I like mine with currants, but either regular or golden raisins would be just as good.  Same with the glazing.  You can also just frost them with plain white frosting. You be the judge - they will be insanely delicious no matter what you decide.

By the way, that Assistant Scout Master with the gluten issues took 5 or 6 of these home for a snack on Tuesday night.  He said they were delicious.  He's a Boy Scout - you can trust him!

Enjoy!