The Gluten Free Canteen is a baking blog filled with sweet and savory treats, including lots of holiday favorites. In our Canteen kitchen, December brings on a flurry of baking.

Like many holidays, baking can be a challenge for those of us eating a gluten-free diet. It isn’t easy locating traditional holiday baked goods that are gluten-free, tasty and affordable. With these recipes, not only can you enjoy favorites all through the holidays and after, but you can serve them to everyone. We all want holiday goodies that are both festive and taste great.

Each of these recipes can also be prepared as homemade gifts from your kitchen. Tis the season!

GFC_Nov13_MoravianSpiceCookiesMoravian Molasses Spice Cookies are like those that you might remember seeing in a certain kitchen store where they show up every holiday. We used to love eating those cookies with a pot of tea, and these GF clones are even tastier. They get better with age and make great homemade gifts. They store well in a tin, not plastic.

 


GFC_Nov13_PeppermintBarkCookiesPeppermint Bark Cookies are another cookie that is very popular during the holidays and can be found in many specialty shops. These are super easy to make and much less expensive so you have plenty to save for yourself and give away.

 

 

GFC_Nov13_SnowballMeltawayCookiesSnowball Meltaways are also known as Russian Tea Cakes, snowballs or Kourambiethes, melting moments and sand tarts. These are the cookies made from ground nuts and rolled in powdered sugar. You can also press them into thumbprints and fill with jam. Whichever way you prepare them, they are the quintessential holiday cookie and will make anyone getting some very happy.

 

GFC_Nov13_StarCookiesTwinkle Star Sugar Cookies are a really versatile holiday favorite. These are cut into tiny stars and dusted with holiday sugar. You could easily use the recipe for other holidays, like Valentine’s Day and cut out little hearts. These cookies can be decorated with coarse sugar, sprinkles or even royal icing.

 

GFC_Nov13_EggNogCupcakeNoggy Cupcakes are a simple vanilla cupcake loaded with nog and tons of nutmeg. They’re a family favorite and we like to use nondairy nog so the whole thing is dairy-free. Top them with more ground nutmeg for a special holiday look.

 

 

Tim-and-Lisa-Photo_150x150Lisa Stander-Horel and Tim Horel are the writing and photography team behind the blog Gluten Free Canteen. They have been experimenting with gluten-free baking for over a decade after promising that no recipe would be left behind and whenever possible, use chocolate. They are the authors of the newly released book Nosh on This: Gluten Free Baking from a Jewish-American Kitchen, published by The Experiment.