gluten-free crêpes

Saturday breakfast was suddenly interrupted.

There we were, lazily rolling crêpes with maple syrup, and then maybe with bakeapple syrup or Saskatoon berry syrup. We were piling warm raspberries and blueberries on top. We were cutting the bacon and sailing it through the extra syrup.

And then –

I really try not to let taking photos get in the way of good, hot meals, but I was just struck by the fact that I hadn't shared my gluten-free crêpe recipe with you yet.

And that needed to be rectified before they were all eaten.

It was almost like a commercial break.

I think I had the photos done in about 30 seconds, and we were back to the rolling and syrup pouring.

I'd like to thank my dad for the original recipe, which had wheat flour. Dad would make these crêpes Sundays for lunch out of the cookbooks that contained all his breakfast specialities, like waffles and pancakes and a deep Swedish pancake.

These crêpes are lovely weekend morning food, because they're quick and roll up perfectly with just about any syrup you can think of.  

Now: back to breakfast.

one year ago: korean food in jasper
two years ago: eating out in vancouver, vancouver island and edmonton
three years ago: turnip puff to the rescue!
four years ago: olympic nanaimo bars

gluten-free crêpes*
makes about 15 9-inch crêpes
serves 4

35 g. chickpea and garbanzo bean flour
15 g. sorghum flour
35 g. brown rice flour
35 g. tapioca starch
35 g. potato starch
4 eggs
1 1/3 c. milk
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
butter to cook the crêpes

Heat a cast iron skillet or your crêpe maker to medium or 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk the flours and starches together. Set aside. 

In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk and oil together. Add the flour slowly and blend well. Whisk in the salt and vanilla. 

Melt a pat of butter and spread it around your pan. Ladle in enough batter that you can tip the pan and swirl it to cover (that's about 1/4 cup for my 9-inch skillet). After a minute or two, the crêpe should look cohesive and slightly drier. Wiggle your flipper under and edge and turn it over. Let it cook another 30 seconds to one minute, and remove to a plate to keep warm. 

Repeat with the butter and make your next crêpe. And so on until you're out of batter. Serve.

*If you'd like to make this recipe with regular wheat flour, just substitute 1 cup (140 g.) wheat flour for the gluten-free flours.

chocolate coconut macaroons

I am very picky when it comes to macaroons.

In fact, I often won't even try them because when I do, I find that the coconut is too dry and the whole cookie is too meh to fill the cookie-shaped hole in my stomach.

My poor husband has to eat them all the time because they're often the only gluten-free cookie he can get at a coffee shop or bakery. While I'm happy he has a cookie option, I'm sorry they're macaroons.

Which is why you could now knock me over with a feather, because all I can think about is when I can reasonably make another batch of these macaroons. I even bought an extra can of condensed milk and two bags of flaked coconut at the grocery store last weekend so that I'd be ready.

It all started when my friends Corey and Gina brought some over for a little party celebrating Scott's 40th. I didn't get to try any that night, but I stashed a few before I sent them home. After all, I had never eaten anything Corey baked that wasn't amazing.

The next morning, I thought I'd try one. It was so good that I ate another.

That was before noon. I ate another one right after lunch and then cut myself off.

The macaroons were fudgy and intensely chocolate-y. In fact, it was almost like eating a really good chocolate that was chewy and the size of cookie. You can see why I fell hard.

I begged Corey for the recipe and made them as soon as I could. So should you.

This is a macaroon I can whole-heartedly recommend. I would never feel sorry for anyone who had to eat this macaroon.

In fact, I would ask him to share it.

P.S. It's dollop of cream's four-year anniversary! I am going to make more macaroons to celebrate.

one year ago: chocolate ginger cookies and dutch babies
two years ago: gumdrop cake
three years ago: whisky marmalade and bacon-wrapped dates with almonds and olives
four years ago: muesli, lemon loaf and olympic nanaimo bars

chocolate coconut macaroons
adapted from diana rattray
bakes about 30 cookies

1 can (398 g./14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 c. (72 g./2.5 oz.) cocoa powder
2 tbsp. vegetable shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
2 2/3 c. (227 g./8 oz.) flaked coconut*
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a handful of chocolate chips to top the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Stir condensed milk, cocoa, shortening and salt together in the top of a double boiler, or bowl suspended over boiling water. Stir often until it's all melted together. Take it off the heat.

Mix the coconut and vanilla in well.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 2.5 cm or 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Press about 3 chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie.

Bake for about 12 – 14 minutes, until the cookies look set. Let cool on a wire rack.

*I'm really into flaked coconut right now because I like the texture so much better than shredded coconut. But I'm sure shredded would also work. Flaked should be right next to the shredded at your grocery store.