Announcements

Carol's latest book, Gluten-Free Cooking for Two, is now available. Designed for small households, each perfectly-proportioned recipe serves two people. You will eliminate unwanted leftovers and reduce waste when you cook right-size meals with the 125 recipes in this book. Enjoy!! Celebrate with me!!! Gluten-Free Cooking for Two has won two awards: named one of ten "Best Gluten-Free Cooking Books in 2017" by Healthline.com and won a Silver Medal in the 2017 Living Now Book Awards in the "Natural, Nutrition, Organic, Vegetarian" category.
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Where in the World is Carol?

Carol's in the kitchen, cooking up recipes for her next cookbook and www.CarolFenster.com

Watch for Carol on "Creative Living with Sheryl Borden," a PBS-TV show airing on your local PBS station during 2017-2018.

Join Carol at the National Western Complex, Expo Hall level 2 in Denver on April 21,10:30 am during the GFAF Expo Conference. See you there!

Cranberry Shortbread Bars

They’re back! Every holiday season, I walk into Starbucks and crave the cranberry bars in the display case. They contain a set of ingredients that I absolutely love.

Cranberry Shortbread Bars from Carol Fenster

Gluten-free Cranberry Shortbread Bars

Since I can’t even try them (they are definitely not gluten-free!), I rely on descriptions from family and friends to guide me in the kitchen. These bars call out to me every year, so I just had to develop my own version and it appears in my book 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes. I named them “Cranberry Shortbread Bars” since they’re based on a shortbread crust. Enjoy!

CRANBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS
Adapted with permission from 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008)

These bars contain all the flavors I love: cranberries, ginger, white chocolate, and orange, so it’s no secret that I covet them every year when I see them at Starbucks.  For each dairy-laden ingredient, I offer a substitute so these bars are GF and DF. Make a pan and share with a friend!

CRUST
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter or buttery spread (Earth Balance)
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup Carol’s Flour Blend (see below)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon very finely chopped candied ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
¼ cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
¼ cup GF white chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate chunks (King David brand is lactose-free)

FROSTING
1 small package (3 ounces) low-calorie cream cheese or cream cheese alternative (Tofutti or Daiya), room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped dried sweetened cranberries

DRIZZLE
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon canola oil and enough water to form thin frosting

Per bar: 140 calories; 1g protein; 6g total fat; 1g fiber; 4g saturated fat; 21g carbohydrates; 25 mgs cholesterol; 101 mgs sodium

[1] Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease 9-inch nonstick pan (gray, not black).

[2] Make the crust: In food processor, combine butter, brown sugar, orange zest, and vanilla and process until smooth. Add flour blend, xanthan gum, ginger, salt, and yolk and process until well blended. Scrape down sides with spatula. Add cranberries and white chocolate chips and process until blended again. With wet spatula, press batter evenly into pan.

[3] Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or just until edges start to brown. Cool bars 10 minutes in pan on wire rack.

[4] Make frosting: Blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange and vanilla extracts, and lemon juice until smooth. With spatula, spread frosting evenly over crust and immediately sprinkle with chopped cranberries. Chill bars at least 2 hours.

[5] Make drizzle: Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, canola oil, and enough water to form thin frosting. Drizzle frosting in thin line back and forth across bars. Chill again 2 hours before serving. Makes 16 small bars.

Carol’s Flour Blend
1 ½ cups sorghum flour or brown rice flour
1 ½ cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour/starch
Whisk together all ingredients thoroughly and store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place.