Gluten Free Saints' Days- St. Nicholas

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

St Nick's day is a favorite at our house. Our celebration is a patchwork of family and borrowed traditions.

The kids ask for the dear St. Nicholas' intercession the night before during their bedtime prayers. They ask that he help them prepare their hearts for the coming of Our Little Lord.

In the morning they come down to find the advent wreath already lit with cookie boys and girls hanging on red strings. Our special wooden bowl is full of candy "crosiers", golden coins or balls and oranges- the first oranges of the year for us we only eat them during this season. This year I used the little craft from the Saint Nicholas center for turning chocolate Santas in to Saints.

There is always at least one onion tucked into the bowl as a warning for naughty children (and imperfect parents too!)

A new St. Nicholas book for our collection sits on the table and a little figure I made sits in the middle of the bowl.

Our stockings have appeared and hang empty near by. They will be filled throughout the rest of Advent with straw as each night the children ask if they have tried their best to prepare their hearts for Christ.

Christmas Eve the straw will be placed in empty mangers and perhaps in the morning the mangers will have a little Christ and a full stocking filled by St. Nicholas is thanks for our hard work for the Newborn King. We have not yet had to fill a stocking with an onion thank goodness!

Finding a recipe for our first gluten free season proved to be very difficult.

I wanted to get these posted up before today but after several disastrous recipes I got one to work at ten last night!

I have included two recipes the first is the one you see in the pics. Smells right, tastes alright and is a bit hard.

The second was tasty enough but too delicate-more like slightly spicy sugar cookies than gingerbread and crumbled easily.
It wouldn't have held up for hanging.

Tasty and hot from the oven!


The full bowl.


The Advent wreath!


Waiting Stockings.


Recipes:

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies 1

This recipe was adapted to our family's taste from a recipe at Pamela's.

1 bag Pamela's Wheat Free Bread Mix (Do not use enclosed yeast packet)
1/4teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest (optional for taste)
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup mild or light molasses for lighter cookies or dark molasses for darker cookies
1 water

Use heavy duty stand mixer, dough is heavy.

In a medium bowl, combine Pamela's Wheat Free Bread Mix with salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk together thoroughly. Do not use the enclosed yeast packet in this recipe.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter (or margarine) with sugar. Add egg, mix to incorporate. Add molasses (and lemon zest), mix to incorporate. Add dry ingredients, mix to incorporate. Add water. Continue mixing gently together until dough comes together. If needed, add an additional tablespoon of water.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling out.

Roll dough between two layers of parchment paper. Cookies can be rolled thick for chewy or thin for a crisp cookie. Cut into desired shapes on parchment-lined baking sheets, and pull away excess dough. Leave room for a little spread.Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on size of cookie, until edges begin to brown.
Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

This dough is stiff and a bit difficult to roll out - I got dh to help.

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies 2

This recipe was easy to mix by hand and rolled out easily enough.

1-¾ cups gluten-free flour mix
2 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup very cold butter grated (on a cheese grater)
1-½ teaspoon xantham gum
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg (cold)
1teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup gluten-free molasses

Combine the rice flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, xantham gum, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix well. Cut in the butter until the mixture is in crumbs .

In a small bowl beat the sugar, egg, and molasses together. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides. Form the dough into a flat ball shape and refrigerate for one hour.
Dust some freezer or parchment paper (not wax paper) with gluten-free flour or confectioners sugar. Put the dough on paper and sprinkle with flour or confectioners sugar or top with another sheet of paper. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick and cut out shapes as desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Happy Baking!