Here’s my latest recipe for the Food Network’s Healthy Eats Blog! This time I’m cooking up a classic with a twist. I’m always looking for low-maintenance, one-pot meals that my family loves—and that will hit the dinner table fast. This one more than satisfies with juicy chicken baked on top of flavorful tomato rice. It’s just as easy as it sounds!

What’s your family’s favorite gluten-free one-pot meal?

For the recipe and cooking tips, please go check out the Healthy Eats blog!

The most requested weekend breakfast item in my house in the past few weeks has undoubtedly been waffles. After months of not pulling out the waffle irons (I have a standard and a Belgian), I craved the crunchy edges only a waffle can deliver. Turns out the kids craved it, too! This recipe is a family favorite. I remember when I was photographing the waffles, I had to hold back the family from grabbing them. I don’t blame them. You definitely want to eat these hot out of the waffle iron when the cheese is still warm and gooey. You may even want to have enough ingredients on hand for a double batch. These savory waffles make for great sandwich bread, too, especially if you cook them in a standard waffle iron.

So where did the idea of putting the flavors of jalapeño poppers in my waffles come from? That’s easy. I’ve had an addiction ever since I bit into my first jalapeño popper at college-town diner in New Paltz. To get that crunchy coating, I just sprinkle the batter with rice cereal crumbs before closing the waffle iron. In just minutes, I get the subtle spice from the jalapeños and melty pockets of cheese.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Jalapeño Popper Waffles
For this recipe, I use my pancake mix in my book Cooking for Isaiah on page 15, but you can use your favorite one.  

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Makes: 6 Belgian waffles

1 1/3 cups store-bought or homemade gluten-free pancake mix
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups milk or dairy-free milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
4 ounces cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese, cut or torn into small pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or dairy-free cheddar-style cheese, plus more for sprinkling
3 medium jalapeños, seeded and chopped
1 cup gluten-free rice cereal, finely crushed, for sprinkling

1. Generously grease a Belgian waffle iron with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the pancake mix, salt, milk, oil, egg and cream cheese. Fold in ½ cup of the cheddar cheese and the jalapeño; stir until blended.
2. Preheat a Belgian waffle iron to medium-high heat. Pour a heaping 1/3 cup batter into each waffle iron square. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon cereal crumbs and cook until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, cheese and cereal crumbs.

 

My kids are more pancake than waffle lovers—until recently, that is. We’ve been mixing up waffle batters full of ingredients like fruit, nutella (my dairy-free version) and nut butters. But somehow, we keep coming back to these more plain brown sugar waffles that are featured in the latest issue of my gluten-free magazine, Easy Eats. (Don’t miss our amazing Girl Scout cookie knockoff recipes!)

My kids may have taught me that sometimes simpler can be better. If you’re more like me, you’ll want to top off these waffles with my sticky bun-flavored toasted pecan brown sugar syrup. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself licking your fingers.

Sticky Bun Belgian Waffles with Toasted Pecan Brown Sugar Syrup

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 4 min

1¼ cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1¾ cups Silvana’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups milk or nondairy milk
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of the brown sugar, the cinnamon, pecans, maple syrup and 1 cup water to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce until thickened, about 10 minutes; keep warm.
2. Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla and milk; add to the flour blend mixture and stir until just combined.
3. Grease the waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Pour a heaping 1/3 cup batter into each waffle iron square; close and cook until crisp, about 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. To serve, top the waffles with the pecan syrup and whipped cream, if using.

For most people, chocolate chip cookies make their way onto the most-wanted desserts list. In my house, it’s doughnuts. And, in particular, these banana doughnuts with banana frosting—one of the first gluten-free, dairy-free recipes I ever developed.

It’s funny how those things happen.

But, the best part of baking these is that my kids are more involved than ever in mixing the batter and frosting the cooled doughnuts. That’s something I can’t ever seem to get enough of—spending time with my kids. Recently I asked Isaiah what we do for fun and he answered: “Well, you know, eating is the primary thing we do in our house.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Banana Doughnuts with Banana Frosting
This recipe (along with the chocolate doughnut and sugar-and-spice doughnut pictured above) are in my first cookbook, Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals.

Makes: 12
Prep Time: 20 min
Bake Time: 15 min

For the banana doughnuts:
1¼ cups Silvana’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (page 15 of Cooking for Isaiah) or
 your favorite gluten-free flour blend, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1¼ cups mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil

For the banana frosting:
¼ cup shortening, at room temperature
2½ cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup mashed ripe banana (about ½ banana)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. To make the doughnuts: Preheat the oven to 350° and grease two nonstick 6-doughnut pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, mashed bananas, vanilla and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Spoon the batter about ¾ full into the prepared pan. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out dry, about 12 minutes; let cool completely on a rack.
2. To make the banana frosting: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine together the shortening and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Beat in the banana, cinnamon, vanilla and the lemon juice. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Evenly spread the frosting over each cooled doughnut.

 

Here’s my latest recipe for the Food Network’s Healthy Eats Blog! This time I’m talking meatballs. Why do they have to contain gluten? When you think of what the soaked bread is technically there to do—give the meatball a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness—there are definitely easier, healthier, non-gluten ways to get there.

Even better? You have options. For this recipe, I use crushed brown rice cereal. I’ve also used crushed tortilla chips, unsweetened corn flakes and plain instant oatmeal. They all perform the same function: They absorb liquid.

The other trick is to add ingredients that release liquid. Here I’ve used kale. You can swap in any green leafy veggie or if you prefer, finely chopped mushrooms or grated zucchini. The combination will give you a meatball your grandma would be proud of.

For the recipe and more tips, please go check out the Healthy Eats blog!

 

Balance.

Seems easy enough. But, somehow it’s hard to find. I’m a mom. I’m a wife. I’m a magazine editor. I’m a cookbook author. I’m a… The list goes on. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You walk in my shoes every day.

This year, I’ve made a decision to be more present and more green—in what my family eats and in our daily routine. Today, that means lentils with spinach. Instead of running to the grocery store to grab ingredients, I am training myself to cook (and bake) from my pantry. First, I see what I already have. Then, I supplement that with fresh meats, fish, vegetables and fruits. Turns out, I have plenty of ingredients right at my fingertips. I just wasn’t looking closely enough.

I’m happy to announce that my friends and fellow gluten-free bloggers Amy Green and Maggie Savage have launched a new website called The Balanced Platter—a place you can go for balanced, healthy gluten-free living with recipes, tips, how-to’s and product reviews.

To kick off their launch, we’re all celebrating with a month’s worth of recipes and tips as part of the Balanced, Healthy, & Gluten-Free in 2012 blogger event. Check out their website for more details and to enter the Balanced Platter Baking Gift Pack giveaway on February 1!

Until then, please join me and my family for a cup of lentil soup.

Smoky Lentil Soup with Spinach and Mushrooms

Serves: 6

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, 1 clove finely chopped
 and 2 cloves smashed
1½ cups dried French lentils
5 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup strained tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine (or more broth or water)
1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste (optional)
2 whole chipotles in adobo sauce, or to taste (optional)
Salt, to taste
One 3.5 ounce container of maitake mushrooms (also known as hen of the woods) or your favorite mushroom variety, loosely chopped
2 handfuls of baby spinach
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot; cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils, broth, strained tomatoes and wine; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Season with the cumin and chipotles, if using, and salt.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until you’ve reached your desired consistency. If needed, you can thin the soup with more broth or water, then season with more salt. Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, top with the mushrooms and a squeeze of lemon.

 

This time of year, we are reminded to change ourselves everywhere we turn. Why would I want to change who I am? Why would anyone want to change? I’ve always argued that it’s not how much I weigh on a scale, but how I feel—in my own skin. Am I sluggish? Easily annoyed? Having a bout of insomnia? Feeling stuffed? If I can answer “yes” to any of these questions, I know I’m feeding myself all the wrong things, which I typically define as foods that satisfies me in the moment, then make me crash minutes later.

Today, I’m taking part of my friend Hallie Klecker’s New Year, New You month-long blog event. She’s the author of Daily Bites and she’s co-hosting the event with Lexie from Lexie’s Kitchen. The event is about inspiring all of us to make and sustain healthy changes by taking small, but meaningful steps.

This week’s theme is Snack Smart. I’m blogging along with fellow writers Alisa Fleming of Alisa Cooks and Go Dairy Free, and Kim Maes of Cook It Allergy Free (For the complete list of themes and bloggers for the month of January, please check out Hallie’s site.) Plus, there are giveaways each week of pretty cool stuff that’ll help you sustain your positive changes well into the new year.

The idea of making small changes with big impact inspired me to do a special Feel-Good Issue of my new magazine, Easy Eats. To me, it’s not about dieting. It’s about feeling good and that comes only by living a healthy—and happy—gluten-free life. It’s like I wrote in my editor’s letter, “Healthy eating is dependent on the understanding that food is our friend, not our enemy. In order to be truly “healthy,” we must learn to accept, and love, ourselves for who we are. We’re all together on this gluten-free path, with a common desire to feel good. And we’ll get there by changing what we put into our bodies—and relying on what’s already inside.”

So, how do I flip the switch and start fresh for the new year? I make small changes, a little at a time. This year, I want to increase my greens and decrease my meats. I’m throwing kale and spinach into everything from smoothies to scrambled eggs to soups. I’ve even taken a liking to broccoli—totally unusual for me. I’m also a known sugaraholic, something I need to learn how to control—so it doesn’t control me. Dairy-free bittersweet chocolate squares have been my cure-all. As for reducing my meat consumption, I developed one heck of a meaty veggie burger, which made this issue’s cover. For more feel-good recipes, check out Easy Eats.

 

 

There are many advantages to living gluten free. If you’re reading this blog, you already know what the life-changing ones are, especially if you’ve been searching for months or even years for answers to why you weren’t feeling well. What a difference a diagnosis makes.

But did you also know that baking without gluten has advantages, too? After years of owning a gluten-full Italian bakery, writing gluten-full recipes for magazines or baking off loaf after loaf of gluten-full bread, believe me, the advantages have been liberating. It took me months to realize that gluten-free baked goods meant I didn’t have to worry about over-mixing or letting dough rest so it wouldn’t play tug-of-war with me. No more patience was needed to pull off the perfect texture.

“It took me months to re-train my brain, but it was worth every second. No gluten = huge timesaver.”

For these biscuits, I didn’t have to worry about developing gluten to yield a buttery, flaky biscuit. Before I would have folded and rolled the dough, let it rest, folded and rolled the dough again, let it rest again and finally cut it into rounds or squares before baking. Not anymore. All I needed to do was freeze the butter, then process it with my fingertips or a food processor into coarse crumbs so that the bits of butter would evenly distribute throughout the dough, resulting in pockets of buttery flakiness.

My friends and I are playing with ratios again as part of the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally. What’s the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally? We’re a group of food bloggers and cookbook authors committed to baking with ratios. This month’s assignment: biscuits. Thanks, Gretchen, from Kumquat, for being our host! Please check Gretchen’s site (or below) for the complete list of bloggers with links to their biscuit recipes.

Me and my ratio: After playing around in the kitchen with various ratios, this one made me (and my family) the happiest. It’s easy to remember, too. Feel free to have fun with the ratios. It will depend ever so slightly on the ratio of grains and starches in your gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Also, just in case, I’ve included cup and spoon measurements if that’s what you’re more comfortable with.

3.25 parts flour
2 parts liquid
1 part fat

Gluten-Free Sausage-n-Cheddar Bialy Biscuits
The unbaked biscuits can be frozen in a single layer, then placed in a resealable plastic bag for up to 1 month. Just thaw before baking.

Makes: Six 3-inch biscuits
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min

7 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter or buttery sticks, frozen and cut into ¼-inch pieces 
(87g for the 6 tablespoons in the biscuits)
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Salt
2 cups Silvana’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (page 15 of Cooking for Isaiah) or
 your favorite gluten-free flour blend (280g)
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ cup milk or nondairy milk, plus more for brushing
 (165g)
4 breakfast sausage links, such as Jones—chopped, cooked and cooled
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar-style cheese, such as Daiya

1. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 12 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds and a pinch of salt and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in the remaining 6 tablespoons butter until coarse crumbs form. Add the cooled onion mixture, sausage and cheese; stir to coat with the flour mixture. Stir in the milk and combine with a wooden spoon or your hands.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Lightly flour the top and using your fingertips or a rolling pin, press the dough out until about ¾-inch thick; cut into rounds or squares. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Check out more great gluten-free biscuit recipes from my blogger friends:
Amanda from Gluten Free Maui made Classic Biscuits and Gravy
Amie Valpone from The Healthy Apple made Gluten-Free Wasabi Parsley Biscuits
Caleigh from Gluten Free[k] made American Style Biscuits
Caneel from Mama Me Gluten Free made Whole Grain Pecan Drop Biscuits
Charissa from Zest Bakery made Eggnog Biscuits with Grated Nutmeg
Erin Swing from The Sensitive Epicure Scallion made Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
gretchen from kumquat made sweet buttermilk biscuits
Heather from Discovering the Extraordinary made Almond Coconut Tea Biscuits
Jean from Gluten-Free Doctor Recipes made Jammers
Jonathan from The Canary Files made Vegan Sesame Shiso Biscuits
Karen from Cooking Gluten Free! Biscuit Template with Dairy Free Substitutions
Lisa from Gluten Free Canteen made Fluffy Biscuits, Gluten Free
Mary Fran from FrannyCakes Gluten-Free Espresso Orange Biscuits
Mrs. R from Honey From Flinty Rocks made Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping – Gobbler Cobbler lol
Rachel from The Crispy Cook made Hummus in a Biscuit
Silvana Nardone from Silvana’s Kitchen made Gluten-Free Sausage-n-Cheddar Bialy Biscuits
TR from No Ones Likes Crumbley made Cookies Lemon Basil Biscuits

Welcome to Home for the Holidays Gluten-Free Style, a blogging event hosted by Shirley Braden of the popular Gluten Free Easily, aka gfe, blog.For my post, I’m talking about baking my way through the holidays. Growing up in an Italian-Jewish family, there was a lot of cooking—and baking. But, it wasn’t until we lived in Rome, Italy, that the holiday traditions of sweets like panettone, pandoro, panforte, torrone, marrons glacés and all the cookies you could ever imagine became mine. Back in New York City, I lived for years in the Italian neighborhood of Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn. Everywhere I went, pine nut cookies followed. And, I made sure I tried as many of them from local bakeries as I could get my hands on. That was, until Isaiah (and now Chiara) was diagnosed with gluten intolerance.

While pine nut cookies can be naturally gluten free, I realized that wasn’t always true. Starting with the key ingredient—almond paste—I discovered last week that some popular supermarket brands contain gluten. I found a brand online (Love ‘n Bake) and ordered it, but it wasn’t going to make it in time to develop the recipe for this post. So, instead, I decided to make it myself. It was fast, easy and more affordable than the canned or tubed varieties. It made all the difference. I just wish my parents and brother, Bernardo, were in my kitchen to enjoy them with us.

From my family to yours, we wish you and your family the happiest and healthiest of holidays!

Each day of the event, which runs from November 28 through December 23, a different blogger will be sharing a gluten-free holiday recipe that means home along with exclusive giveaways and the following three Grand Prize Giveaways:

Grand Prize: Vitamix 5200 blender! Plus, a copy of the ebook, Eat Fresh and D-Tox Your Life
Second Prize: A $150 shopping spree at Free From Gluten
Third Prize: Caveman Cookies giveaway package ($89 value)

Here’s what I get to giveaway—one of each of the following great gluten-free cookbooks from my friends and fellow bloggers/cookbook authors:

1) Elana Amsterdam‘s The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook

2) Beth Hillson‘s Gluten-Free Makeovers

3) Robin Ryberg’s Gluten Free in Five Minutes

To enter to win these books (and to be automatically entered into our grand prize drawing):

Leave a comment below, sharing how you will be “baking your way through the holidays.”

My giveaway will be open until Sunday, December 19th at 11:59pm ET. Shirley will be announcing daily winners. (See Shirley’s blog for a complete list of prizes as well as daily/contest winners). All comments left on this post as well as other Home for the Holidays posts by the other participating bloggers will be entered into the Grand Prize Giveaway. The grand prize winners will be announced on glutenfreeeasily.com on Christmas Day!

 

Gluten-Free Pine Nut Cookies
You can make the almond paste ahead of time and keep in the fridge, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

Makes: About 16

For the almond paste:
6 ounces finely ground blanched almond flour, such as Honeyville
4 ounces confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg white

For the cookies:
10 ounces homemade or gluten-free store-bought almond paste
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
1½ cups pine nuts, for topping
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

1. To make the almond paste, place the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar and egg white in a food processor and pulse to combine. Roll into a log and wrap to seal in plastic wrap.
2. To make the cookies, preheat the oven to 325º and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the almond paste, granulated sugar, salt and egg whites in a food processor and pulse to combine. Place the pine nuts in a medium bowl. Using a 1½-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll in the pine nuts to coat; place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Here’s the complete schedule:
Monday, 11/28–Shirley Braden at gfe–gluten free easily
Tuesday, 11/29–Diane Eblin at The Whole Gang
Wednesday, 11/30–Heidi Kelly at Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom
Thursday, 12/1–Ali Segersten at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
Friday, 12/2–Sunny Busby at And Love it, Too!
Saturday, 12/3–Stacy Toth at Paleo Parents
Sunday, 12/4–Maggie Savage at She Let Them Eat Cake
Monday, 12/5–Melissa McLean Jory at Gluten Free For Good
Tuesday, 12/6–Kim Maes at  Cook IT Allergy Free
Wednesday, 12/7–Alexa Croft at Lexie’s Kitchen
Thursday, 12/8–Brittany Angell at  Real Sustenance
Friday, 12/9–Elana Amsterdam at Elana’s Pantry
Saturday, 12/10–Kelly Brozyna at The Spunky Coconut
Sunday, 12/11–Ricki Heller at Diet, Dessert and Dogs
Monday, 12/12–Iris Higgins at  The Daily Dietribe
Tuesday, 12/13–Stephanie Fourie at Gluten Free by Nature
Wednesday, 12/14–Jules Shepard at Jules Speaks Gluten Free
Thursday, 12/15–Silvana Nardone at Silvana’s Kitchen (& Easy Eats)
Friday, 12/16–Heather at  Gluten-Free Cat
Saturday, 12/17–Carol Kicinski at Simply…Gluten Free
Sunday, 12/18–Alisa Fleming at Alisa Cooks
Monday, 12/19–Linda Etherton The Gluten-Free Homemaker
Tuesday, 12/20–Gigi Stewart at Gluten Free Gigi
Wednesday, 12/21–Zoe at Z’s Cup of Tea
Thursday, 12/22–Lillian Medville Lillian’s Test Kitchen
Friday, 12/23—Shirley Braden at gfe—gluten free easily

 

Good habits are hard to break.

I should know because I created one with Isaiah when he was in kindergarten. Some of you won’t believe me when I tell you that every day after school, Isaiah and I would walk to our local Italian bakery. He would stare at all of the beautifully and brightly decorated cookies with amazement—his eyes wide open. And every day—before dinner—he would get to choose five cookies. Yes, five. In retrospect, it was indulgent to say the least.

All of that changed in 5th grade when Isaiah was diagnosed with gluten and dairy intolerance. What would we do for snack? Where would we go?

The answer was simple: Home.

In my nearly five years of trading in my gluten-full flour for gluten free, I have focused on recreating Isaiah’s (and now Chiara’s) favorite gluten-full foods, including this cookie.

Just when you think you’ll never eat something ever again, think again. It really is within your reach. Go ahead. It’s yours for the taking.

My friends and I are playing with ratios again as part of the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally. What’s the Gluten-Free Ratio Rally? We’re a group of food bloggers and cookbook authors committed to baking with ratios. This month’s assignment: cookies, of course! Thanks, Caroline, from The G-Spot Revolution, for being our host! Please check below for the complete list of bloggers with links to their cookie recipes.

Me and my ratio: After playing around in the kitchen with various ratios, this one made me (and my family) the happiest. It’s easy to remember, too. Feel free to have fun with the ratios. It will depend ever so slightly on the ratio of grains and starches in your gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Also, just in case, I’ve included cup and spoon measurements if that’s what you’re more comfortable with.

5.5 parts flour (includes the ground hazelnuts)
3.5 parts fat
1 part egg

Gluten-Free Old-School Italian Jam-Filled Hazelnut Cookies

Makes: About 3 dozen cookies

1½ cups (210g) Silvana’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (page 15 of Cooking for Isaiah) or your favorite gluten-free flour blend
1¼ cups finely ground blanched hazelnuts (114g; about 1 cup whole hazelnuts)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup unsalted butter or buttery sticks (205g; 14 tablespoons), at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 large egg (58g), at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup seedless raspberry jam, warmed, for sandwiching
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted with 1 tablespoon canola oil, coconut oil or shortening, for dipping

1. Preheat the oven to 325º. Add the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and salt to a food processor and pulse until well blended.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the egg and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
3. Fit a cookie press with the desired disc and fill the press with dough. Press directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until just golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
4. Sandwich 1 teaspoon warmed jam between 2 cookies. Let set.
5. Dip the cookie tips into the melted chocolate mixture and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet until set.

Check out more great gluten-free cookie recipes from my blogger friends:
Amanda | Gluten Free Maui | Simple Shortbread
Amie Valpone | The Healthy Apple | Grapefruit Sugar Cookies
Brooke | B & the boy! | Candy Cane Shortbread
Caleigh | Gluten Free[k] | Mulled Spice Cookies
Caneel | Mama Me Gluten Free | Cardamom Date Cookies
Charissa | zest bakery | Coconut Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Caroline | The G-Spot | Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
Claire | Gluten Freedom | Chai Latte Cashew Cookies
Erin | The Sensitive Epicure | Spritz Cookies with Jam
Gretchen | kumquat | Classic Sugar Cookies
Irvin | Eat the Love | Apple Brown Butter Bay Leaf Spice Cookies
Jean | Gluten Free Doctor Recipes | Reindeer Cookies
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine | Basler Brunsli
Jonathan| The Canary Files | Vegan Salted Oatmeal Cherry Cookies
Karen | Cooking Gluten Free! | Mexican Wedding Cakes
Lisa from Gluten Free Canteen | Molasses Rum Raisin Cookies
Mary Fran | frannycakes | Pinwheel Cookies
Meaghan | The Wicked Good Vegan | Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Meredith | Gluten Free Betty | Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Morri | Meals With Morri| Stevia Sweetened & Grain-Free Thumbprint Cookies with Apricot Preserves
Pete & Kelli | No Gluten, No Problem| Belgian Speculaas Cookies
Rachel | The Crispy Cook | Melomakarona
Shauna Ahern | Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef | Gluten-Free Soft Molasses Cookies
Silvana Nardone | Silvana’s Kitchen | Old-School Italian Jam-Filled Hazelnut Cookies
T.R. | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies | Cinnamon Lemon Cookies
Tara | A Baking Life | Walnut Shortbread