To The Rescue-Honey A Must-Have In Gluten-Free Holiday Recipes

(NAPS)—’Tis the season for eating! Who doesn’t love the delicious feasts that come with the holidays? It’s a time for roasting, broiling, sautéing, frying—and especially baking! But getting through the holidays gluten-free can be tough. Most traditional holiday recipes, like stuffing, gravy and side dishes, often contain gluten. However, don’t lose hope if you eat gluten-free. You can still enjoy delicious holiday fare with a little planning and the help of one versatile pantry item—honey.

A must-have for cooking and baking this holiday season is pure and natural honey, an ingredient that can be found in every pantry. Honey not only adds moisture to gluten-free recipes, it also masks “off” or bitter flavors often found in whole grains and gluten-free flours. This ideal ingredient is not just a simple sweetener—with more than 300 varietals in the United States, honey adds its own special flavor to recipes and, in particular, baked goods. In general, lighter colored honeys are milder in flavor, while darker honeys are more robust. And besides giving a touch of sweetness to every bite, honey also adds an appealing golden color to baked goods for an eye-catching, mouth-watering treat.

“When it comes to gluten-free recipes, it can be challenging to incorporate substitutes for popular ingredients and still get the taste and texture of counterparts containing gluten,” says Catherine Barry, director of marketing for the National Honey Board. “Honey is the perfect sweetener for gluten-free recipes, especially baked goods like cookies.”

Get an early taste of the holidays with these Gluten-free Pumpkin Honey Spice Cookies developed by the National Honey Board. They’re sure to be a hit with both adults and kids—and they’re perfect to bring to cookie exchanges or office and home celebrations during the holidays. For more information about honey and for more honey recipes, visit www.honey.com.

Gluten-free Pumpkin Honey Spice Cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour blend*
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon guar gum powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 350° F. Grease or line with parchment paper 3 cookie sheets. In a bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. On a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together honey and butter. Beat in pumpkin and egg (mixture will look curdled but will smooth out when dry ingredients are added). On low speed, mix in dry ingredients until blended; mix in pecans and cranberries. Drop tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between them. Bake 15 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool on pan 5 minutes; with spatula, transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

*Use a store-bought blend or make your own blend by combining equal parts white rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch or cornstarch.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 cookie): 109 calories; 5 g fat; 13 mg cholesterol; 84 mg sodium; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g protein

Gluten-free Pumpkin Honey Spice Cookies are a delicious treat.