Some of the best GF desserts barely need any specialty ingredients at all.
Meringues. Egg whites and sugar. Naturally GF. You can fold in chocolate chips or crushed freeze-dried fruit if you want to get fancy.
Some cookies. I've done a bunch with almond flour recently, but there are so many easy ways to make gf cookies.
What simple desserts do you do?
Homemade almost always tastes better. That's my baseline. But time is real, and I've made peace with the fact that some store-bought options are worth keeping around.
GF breadcrumbs were the first thing I stopped buying. The homemade version takes ten minutes and tastes completely different. GF pasta was the last thing I gave up on making myself. The store stuff has gotten good enough that the hour it saves me on a Tuesday is worth the tradeoff.
What's in your never-buying-again column?
What's your go-to recipe for picky kids right now? I can't keep doing blueberries and cottage cheese.
I use lemon curd in so many desserts. Its part of the lemon cheesecake recipe, but it's also really good on ice cream or pancakes. Recipe at Gluten-Free Palate.
A recent report from Karmatic showed that first-person posts tend to perform better than third-person posts. I'm seeing this, too.
Does anyone have a favorite brand of gf pasta? I've tried jovial (whole foods), brailla (basically everywhere), and banza (in bulk at costco).
Made a gluten-free blueberry cheesecake!
The crust is crushed GF graham crackers (or shortbread if you want something richer), powdered sugar, and melted butter. Bakes into a firm, slightly crisp base. Classic graham cracker flavor or a more buttery version depending on which you use. I linked to a brand comparison in the full recipe if you're not sure which to grab.
Filling is full-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, eggs, sour cream, lemon juice, and gluten-free vanilla extract. Room temp eggs make a real difference here. No lumps, smooth batter.
The blueberry topping is the easy part. Fresh or frozen blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, and water. Cooks into a glossy sauce that sets on the cheesecake without running everywhere.
Full recipe with amounts and timing: https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/blueberry-cheesecake/
Happy to answer questions if anything's unclear.
I'll throw a few out there. First: Bob's and KA flours are both fine, but neither is universal. Cookie blends and bread blends are different.
Second: GF oreos are totally fine. They're also a fun add-on if you crumble them and use them for crusts or garnish.
Anybody else a waffle fan? I like to make my own mix, so we can make fresh waffles whenever. (Just keep the wet ingredients out until you're ready to make them).
This is my second batch of bagels from The Art of Gluten Free Bread and I’m obsessed. They are so good. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a bagel but from memory they are just as good.