Soft Oatmeal Cookies

I've been trying recipes and it seems like one thing or another always goes wrong, and I didn't want to post anything without being certain that I've fixed those problems. But this one turned out just fine!

I used this oatmeal cookie recipe, and they came out delicious. As always, I used Jules Gluten-Free flour for the substitution, and since this recipe calls for oats, I used Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. It's important that you use a certified gluten-free brand of oats, because cross contamination makes most oats inedible to people that have celiac. The original recipe I used called for quick cook oats, and with the steel cut I found I had to soak the oats in water for about an hour and a half to make them good in the cookies. Also, the directions say that the dough should be about the size of a walnut when you place them on the baking sheet, but when they come out of the oven they're going to be a little smaller than your hand. It doesn't affect how well they cook, but if you don't like cookies that large, make the dough-balls smaller.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour (with 1:1 substitution)
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 cups Steel Cut Oats

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour oats into a bowl and fill bowl until oats are covered. Set aside for an hour and a half and let soak.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets, even if using a non-stick. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten each cookie with a large fork dipped in sugar.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes in oven. Cookies should be removed from sheet while still soft, but it's important they're firm enough to keep their shape.

Appetite For Awareness

Last night was the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness's cooking spree in Philadelphia. The spree, called Appetite for Awareness, has major restaurants from Philadelphia and the surrounding area compete to make the best gluten free dish. Attendees can go around sampling gourmet food from over 20 restaurants. Also, at the door, people are given Wegman's reusable grocery bags to fill up with goodies from vendors also participating in the event.

The restaurants included The Capital Grille, Maggiano's, Pasta Pomodoro, and Casona. Some of the vendors were Boar's Head, French Meadow Bakery, Schar, Gluten Free Dreams, and Gluten Free Naturals. And these aren't all of them, only the ones I can remember off the top of my head!

The event was great. I know my Aunt promised to take me to at least one of the more expensive restaurants because she was absolutely in love with the food. They had everything from simple pasta dishes, to duck, to ribs, to a "risotto falafel," to my favorite: chili. I also got to try the food from vendors that I would normally have to mail order products. French Meadow Bakery's products, for example, aren't carried in any of the stores in my area. I read online that they had great gluten free tortillas, and I also saw that they had white sandwich bread, which I tried at Appetite for Awareness. I'm definitely going to buy one of each after tasting their sandwich bread.

The Foundation itself deals with all aspects of Celiac disease. Besides the cooking sprees in various cities (the one in San Fransisco is on October 30th by the way), the NFCA holds workshops for doctors so they can better watch out for an diagnose people with Celiac disease, and they also have a restaurant training program where they train the staff of restaurants how to cook and maintain a gluten free kitchen. The NFCA also puts out a monthly newsletter, as well as a "recipe of the week." Their website also has a ton of reliable resources.

Oh and, cooking sprees are hosted annually, so make sure if you miss this year, to check it out next!