Autumn, Fall, the changing of the seasons; the time of year when you can feel the weather transformation and you can smell the familiar smells of what welcomes the chill in the air. For me, when the crisp air enters so does another chance to revisit some of our tried and true family favorites. We all have certain recipes or foods that we tend to prepare during certain times of the year or even hold onto comfort foods that instantly whisk us back to a certain memory. With our family trying to stay gluten free, this means a brand new way to cherish those beloved consoling cuisines in a new light. With the welcoming of a new season, I am happy to share a few of our family recipes modified in an easy, gluten free fashion.

Caramel Apple Crostini 

An individual pick up & go version of a caramel apple. Sure, it’s great to have a caramel apple but it’s also fun to be able to bring it with you, to share and to reinvent a recipe that is tasty to begin with.

Ingredients:

• Glutino Cinnamon & Sugar Bagel Chips
• Chocolate Chips
• Spray oil of your choicet)
• Apple of your choice (cleaned, skinned & chopped fine)
• Popcorn Butter spray oil
• Glutino Salted Caramel Covered Pretzels (crushed)

Directions:

1. Place desired number of bagel chips onto flat surface lined with parchment paper.
2. Heat the chocolate with a squirt of oil, then layer one side of the bagel chip completely with the melted chocolate. Top with some chopped apple. Set it aside.
3. Using a low heat setting, spray the popcorn butter spray and add the crushed Caramel Covered Pretzels, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir until caramel is melted. Spoon melted pretzels on top of the bagel chips and cool completely.

Remember that dessert that Grandma always brought to dinner? Yes, we have remade that as well! Not to mention that the preparation time is minimal compared to the original time it took to wait for this recipe to be complete. Surprise your family and make your Grandmother jealous when you show her how delicious this recipe is and how much less time you spent in the kitchen putting it together.

Dessert Salad

Ingredients:

• Jello or Jello alternative
• Pineapple, crushed & chopped
• Strawberries, crushed & chopped
• Glutino Pretzel Sticks, chopped
• Dairy free yogurt

Directions:

1. This can be made as an individual serving or in a larger dessert dish for multiple people. The original version has at least two layers but that is not necessary.
2. Simply layer as follows:   jello (or) jello alternative, pineapple, strawberries, pretzel sticks and yogurt.
3. Do not prepare more than a few hours ahead of serving as the pretzels will begin to mush.

The other thing that our family always thinks of when it’s hot cider-sipping time is doughnuts. When you are cooking gluten free, it’s nearly impossible to find doughnuts at your local food stores. Now, you don’t have too- may I present a fast and budget-friendly way to feed your doughnut craving and make sure your products are never wasted. Yes, crullers can be in your family’s near future as well.

Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Crullers

Ingredients:

• Spray oil of your choice
• Glutino Cinnamon Raisin Bread
• Pureed pumpkin (2 teaspoons per slice of bread)
• Cinnamon & sugar mixture (usually one part cinnamon to two parts sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with oil. Set it aside.
2. Taking a slice of bread, spread the pumpkin onto the slice and then smoosh it into a cruller form. It may take a few minutes and the bread may begin to break apart, but continue to form it. Spray with spray oil (I recommend sunflower or coconut as they are more of a mild taste) and finish molding the shape. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and place onto the lined baking sheet.
3. Bake for five minutes. Turn the cruller over, sprinkle with more cinnamon and sugar and bake another five minutes. Allow to cool on parchment paper.
4. These will be very soft and cakey crullers and are best served while still warm. You may keep them store in an airtight container, then reheat and add additional cinnamon and sugar.

Cooking should never be something that is anything less than a new experience in your kitchen. There is always a reason to cook but there should also always be a reason to enjoy what you are cooking. The best part is always the tasting!

This original article is made possible by Glutino. As a pioneer in the gluten-free industry since 1983, Glutino is committed to creating the best tasting gluten-free foods and gluten-free snacks for you and your family that are not only safe but delicious. Whether it’s a gluten-free recipe, support resource, wellness event, Glutino coupon, or a new way to look at the world around you, we hope to help and inspire you be at your very best. Live gluten free. Live fully!