A Sweet Gluten Free Holiday

Researched and Written by Natalie of Gluten a Go Go.

This holiday season share love and joy with a bounty of gluten free sweets and treats. Our Alternative Gluten Free Daring Bakers have a wealth of baked goods to make your every holiday event wonderful. There are cookies and bars for a holiday cookie exchange or cakes and pies for your special gatherings or breads for your morning breakfast.

Bars

Esther from The Lilac Kitchen has some exquisite Brazil Nut and Coconut Financiers (Bankers Cake) that would be perfect for tea. You could bake up a batch of Natalie’s Chocolate Chestnut Biscotti to enjoy with your morning coffee or wrap up as a gift for your friends. Tristator, Karen and Cheryl have some family pleasers with Fudgy Teff Brownies, Millionaire Bars and the Canadian favorite – Nanaimo Bars.

With the citrus season coming up, Trishtator’s Orange Bars would make a delightfully fresh addition to your menu. Although, your friends and family would be thrilled with twists on classic bars, such as Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheescake Bars from Celiac Teen or Peanut Butter Bars from Gluten Free in SLC.

Jillelise at Hey That Tastes Good, has a recipe for colorful Seven Layer Cookies that will be the hit of your party. Although the kids will be running off with her S’more Bars and Twinkies.

Cookies

Our gluten free bakers have an incredible collection of cookies that will fit your every cookie desire. How about a different recipe for each day of December? You could start with Cheryl’s Easy Almond Cookies or Jillelise’s Chocolate Crinkles. How about something unique like Mary’s Coconut Wafers?

You could try crispy Forgotten Meringues from Karen or Cheryl’s candy filled Hazelnut Heath Meringues. Then there are Betty’s zippy Ginger Snaps and Natalie’s delicate Cream Cheese Cookies. You could stack and wrap these cookies up for a delightful holiday present.

There are classic cookies like Ischl Tarts from Gluten Free Sox Fan or Celiac Teen’s Maple Snickerdoodles and even Molasses Softies from Hey That Tastes Good.

Then there are the odes to oats, like Natalie’s Oat Flakes and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies or Betty’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Tristator’s Oatmeal Ranger Cookies.

You could try out a twist on the classic sugar cookie with Betty’s Sour Cream version or a Sunflower Butter version from Art & Lemons of the classic peanut butter cookie.

Then there are some delightful cookies that would be appreciated by children of all ages, such as Esther’s Viennese Fancies and Natalie’s Little Devil & Panda Cookies.

Cakes

Are you having guests over for a holiday brunch or an open house? These cakes will be a addition to your holiday sideboard. A citrus cake would be a wonderful addition to a menu featuring seafood or Mexican food. Mary at Beans and Caviar has a Lime Chiffon Cake and a Lemon Olive Oil Cake or you would try a Matcha Tea & Honey Angel Cake from Art and Lemons.

You could try a Cinnamon Marble Cake from Celiac Teen, a Sweet Potato Cake from Gluten A Go Go or a dense Vanilla Pound Cake from Hey That Tastes Good.

Or you could serve cake for breakfast or brunch with beautifully round Rice Cake from Beans & Caviar or a lovely Blueberry Almond Cake from Celiac Teen. Or you could serve a Swedish Kronans Kaka from Gluten A Go Go.

Are you looking for a beautifully iced creation? Cheryl has a lovely Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Jillelise has a sweet and tart Lemon Layer Cake and Betty has a classic southern Red Velvet Cake.

Then you could try a cake from one of our Daring Baker monthly challenges, such as Jen’s Dobos Torta, or Esther’s Light Opera Cake and Lauren’s Macadamia Gateau with Praline Buttercream.

For a casual lunch, an open house or a children’s holiday party, you could try out Pumpkin Cupcakes from CeliacTeen or Caramel Cupcakes from Beans & Caviar.

Cheesecake

You could try out a tried and true favorite with cheesecake. Betty has a Crustless Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce and Karen has a deep old fashioned style Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake and a decadent Triple Chocolate Cheesecake.

Crisps, Pastries, Pies & Tarts

Pies, Tarts, Pastries and Crisps are traditional favorites of the holiday season. You could serve Jen’s Apple Strudel or Cheryl’s Harvest Apple Crisp for breakfast or brunch.

Then there are the classic pies such as CeliacTeen’s Blueberry Pie or Cheryl’s Pecan Pie. Jillelise has a delightful Liquor Pie, Esther has mini Bostini Cream Pies and Betty has an Impossible Pumpkin Pie.

If you prefer tarts, you could try Jen’s Bakewell Tart or Karen’s Peach and Mascarpone Tart. Mary has an Apple Bavarian Torte and a Pear Tart that are cousins to each other. Jillelise has a Lemon Lime Tart served with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Breads

Holiday breads are perfect for gift giving. Karen has a beautiful Pumpkin Bread and Lauren has a lovely Zucchini Bread. Slip either of these loaves into a cellophane bag and a bright ribbon makes a perfect gift for someone special.

For your holiday dinner you could make Esther’s Master Muffins for both sweet and savory or her Yorkshire Pud. Portuguese Sweet Bread from Gluten Free Sox Fan would make a delightful accompaniment to lunch or dinner.

You could try making a traditional holiday bread, such as Natalie’s Stollen or Gugelhopf Crown. They are wonderful served for breakfast with a strong cup of espresso. When the loaves are a couple of days old, they can easily be made into a rich slice of French toast.

Candy

Candy is an easy gift to make. With some beautiful packaging, these candies will make an outstanding gift. Or you could set out bowls or candy dishes filled with these confections for your guests. Tristator made colorful Gummy Cars that would be perfect for a child.

Cheryl made Chocolate Covered Pomegranate Seeds and Pumpkin Seed Brittle, perfect gifts or your guests to nibble on. Jillelise made Salt Caramels that would be beautiful in any type of packaging and the unique Bacon Candy that might never get past the cook’s kitchen. Or you could make Natalie’s box of New Orleans style Pecan Pralines.