I always get excited when I open the mailbox and see my Food Network magazine laying there. It’s usually my inspiration for testing out new gluten free treats. This month was especially good because it highlighted raspberries & peanut butter in most of their recipes. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be married to the magnificent man I call my husband if it weren’t for my love of peanut butter. He has told me on numerous occasions that if I didn’t like peanut butter it would have been a deal breaker. Well, good thing I do!
Actually, a month ago my mother-in-law asked me what I would do if our future children have a peanut allergy. I told her I’d give them away. Of course I’m kidding, but I really don’t think God would pull a mean trick like that on me. Anyways, to all the peanut-allergic out there, I sincerely hope that it has been since birth so you don’t know what you’re missing…
Anyways. Ladyfingers. Because that was the original point of this post.
But before making ladyfingers entered my brain, there was peanut butter. Peanut butter & jelly tiramisu no less. How brilliant is that? I like tiramisu, but the hubs hates coffee…so when a saw a PB one, it was most certainly a win-win. Maybe a double win for me.
I was a little nervous to make ladyfingers. As all you gluten-free baking experts know, it’s hard to get a delicate and at the same time, crispy, gluten free anything. It’s just always soft. So I wondered, would the soft texture of a gluten-free ladyfinger actually work? Would it absorb all the liquid goodness?
Well, friends. Happy to say it does. Ohhhh it does.
Here’s the recipe for the ladyfingers:
Ingredients
- 1 scant cup of gluten free all-purpose mix
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 4 eggs, separated
- 2/3 c. organic cane sugar, divided
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift flour and baking powder into a small bowl. (To make all-purpose mix from scratch, I used 1/2 c. brown rice flour, 1/4 c. potato starch, 1/4 c. tapioca starch & 1/2 t. xanthan gum). Remove about 1-2 T. (This will give you your “scant” cup).
- In the base of a stand mixer, beat egg whites on high until frothy.
- Once eggs are frothy, add 2 T. of the sugar to the eggs and continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining sugar.
- Fold 1/2 of the egg whites into the egg mixture. Then fold in the flour, followed by the rest of the egg whites.
- Gently scoop batter into a piping bag. Cut a slit at the bottom of the bag (about 1/2″) and pipe batter into 5″ sticks.
- Bake for 8 minutes, or until just lightly golden.
