When researching g-free cookbooks at our local library, the selection was minimal - 2 cookbooks. I like to borrow a book before making a decision about purchasing. So, I requested Babycakes by Erin McKenna based solely on the book jacket. I have to admit I thought the title was cute, the cover photo even cuter. I waited for the book to arrive and headed to the library as soon as I got the call that it had arrived! Immediately, I scanned the book which has delightful retro-style images. But, as I scanned the ingredients in multiple recipes, I quickly became discouraged. Although I'm an "avid" baker, I tend to use boxes and mixes that I happily and confidently modify. I was scanning ingredients such as spelt flour(which is not gluten-free), coconut oil, fava bean flour, agave nectar, brown rice flour, coconut flour and dry soy milk powder! At first glance I was overwhelmed, closed the book and thought - forget it. But it sat on my kitchen counter not due back at the library for another two weeks, with that cute cover beckoning me. So, I opened to the forward and began reading the author's story. She acknowledges the somewhat daunting list of ingredients, so, I thought, "Well, ok at least she gets that this could be overwhelming".
Now, to find these unusual ingredients. I checked with my preferred supermarket(25 miles away) for these ingredients with NO LUCK:( I checked the "local" (20 miles away) organic supermarket. I was in luck - they had the coconut oil ($8.79 for a 14oz jar) and the fava flour ($5.59 for 1 1/2 pounds).
I decided to start with the Raspberry Scone Recipe. Unfortunately, it's not a g-free recipe so I had to substitute Bobs Red Mill All Purpose Flour for the Spelt Flour. This was my first foray using coconut oil and using Agave Nectar as anything other than pancake syrup.
The recipe was painless - actually it was fun! The baking scones smelled delicious, looked beautiful and tasted (in the words of my 9 year old) "Scrumptious"!
Yum!
