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Gluten Free Techniques

Bacon, Mushroom and Toasted Brown Rice Soup with Aromatic Vegetables

By Denise Pare-Watson

I love reading cookbooks and food magazines so much – they are like novels to me. Some of the most enjoyable aspects of this hobby is reading the narrative behind how each recipe or article is inspired.  I have a lot of  ‘ah-hah’ moments as I read through a vintage cookbook or modern cookbooks.  The new techniques that have been developed or the old tried and true methods that have long been forgotten are exciting tidbits to incorporate into my day-to-day cooking or baking. This is precisely what happened the other day when I was researching gluten-free thickening techniques. I came across this recipe, which has a very unique technique.  I have rewritten the recipe to simplify it (reducing the number of pots and pans used) and I also added bacon and aromatic vegetables.  I think that you will find this recipe for Bacon, Mushroom and Toasted Brown Rice Soup with Aromatic Vegetables to be a hearty, flavourful and very satisfying soup.

close up of Bacon Mushroom and Brown Rice Soup
Bacon, Mushroom and Toasted Brown Rice Soup with Aromatic Vegetables

Experience from my culinary training and working in a high volume restaurant environment has taught me to read a recipe from beginning to end before I start.  This is a process that I emphasized to my apprentices as it serves several purposes. You should be asking yourself a number of questions:

  1. Does the recipe make sense as you read it through to the end?   
  2. Do the steps in the method flow easily from the ingredient list?  I often find that the ingredients are out of order from the steps in the instructions.
  3. Do I have all of the ingredients before I start?  
  4. What is the yield of the recipe?  How many servings/portions?
  5. What is the amount of time required to make it (in my work, it often meant starting certain components of a dessert two or three days ahead).   
  6. Can I make any part of this recipe ahead?  
  7. Do all the steps in the method/instructions make sense?  
Bacon, Mushroom and Toasted Brown Rice Soup

This particular recipe is a prime example of why you need to ask these important questions.  You will note as you read the recipe that this soup uses brown rice in two ways – firstly, as a wholesome soup ingredient and secondly, as a toasted pulverized rice powder (See Method – Step 1 below and Chef Talk).  The toasted rice powder is added as a natural thickening agent to the rich broth as it simmers. 

Cremini Mushrooms | urbnspice.com
Cremini Mushrooms have a pleasant meaty flavour
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Filed Under: Cooking Techniques, Dairy Free Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Preservative Free, Soups and Chowders Tagged With: Cremini Mushrooms, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques, Mushrooms, rice, Soups, Vegetarian

Gluten Free Pate Brisee

By Denise Pare-Watson

As a pastry chef, Pâte Brisée became one my favourite go-to pastry recipe because of its buttery, flaky texture.  I use this pastry to make all types of pies and tarts. This pastry adapts well to gluten-free, hence my sharing of this Gluten-Free Pate Brisee. You can prepare this pastry using an electric mixer, or by hand using a pastry cutter.  One of the benefits of making this pastry is that you can use it right away – not the usual case for typical pastry doughs because most need to be refrigerated before you can use them. You will find that the results are excellent as the pastry holds up and browns well in the oven, which is commonly an issue with many gluten-free pastries.

Gluten Free Pate Brisee tarts | urbnspice.com

Gluten Free Pate Brisee Mini Pickle Pie

 

Refer to my links for creative ways to use this gluten-free pâte brisée such as Pickle Pies or Australian Meat Pies, or even the Ultimate Maple Butter Tarts. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour for my gluten-free baking….

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Filed Under: Baking Techniques, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes, Pastry Tagged With: Baking, Baking Tips, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques, Pastry

The Ultimate Blended Burger – A Blenditarian Recipe

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes.  To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.”  This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the May is “National Burger Month” Blenditarian Challenge.” The challenge is to create a blended burger by incorporating The Blend (mushrooms + ground meat).” For this reason, I have developed a recipe called The Ultimate Blended Burger.Blenditarian Logo | urbnspice.com

This burger is unique in that it not only incorporates minced mushrooms into a beef/pork mixture; it also contains rehydrated dried vegetable flakes, contributing even more flavour to the burger. Barbeque season is just around the corner – give these burgers a try. They are delicious!

The Ultimate Blended Burger | urbnspice.com

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms:  X 
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Filed Under: Blenditarian Challenge, Blenditarian Recipes, Main Dishes or Entree Options, My Recipes Tagged With: Beef Dishes, Blenditarian Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques, Hamburgers, Ultimate Recipe Series

Twice Baked Nutty Meringue Cookie Crisps

By Denise Pare-Watson

These Twice Baked Nutty Meringue Cookie Crisps will be unlike any cookie you have ever baked.  It is a biscotti style cookie, meaning it is baked one more time after it is sliced to create a crispy flavourful cookie.

Skip to My Recipe

Twice Baked Meringue Cookie Crisps closeup | urbnspice.com

Twice Baked Meringue Cookie Crisps

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms:  X 
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License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Dessert Garnish, Gluten Free Recipes, My Recipes Tagged With: Baking, Baking Tips, Cookies, Dairy Free Recipes, Dessert Garnish, Food Fun, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques

How to Make a Meringue Nest

By Denise Pare-Watson

I learned how to make a meringue nest early in my pastry chef career.  It is an excellent idea in the pastry kitchen to have a repertoire of recipes that use an abundance of egg whites.  The reason for that is because there are so many egg yolks utilized in the kitchen for crème brûlée, custards, sauces, Hollandaise and Béarnaise sauce, to name a few.  We often had buckets of egg whites within a day or two of kitchen activities. Since there are only so many egg white omelettes you can make for the spa menu, using egg whites in cookies or desserts was popular – and fun!  I had quite a repertoire of recipes available to use these extra egg whites and I will share some ideas with you to use in your own kitchen.

How to Make a Meringue Nest: Blackberry Lime Curd in Crispy Meringue Nests | urbnspice.com

Blackberry Lime Curd in Crispy Meringue Nests 

In this article, I will give you some ideas how you can use extra egg whites as well giving you as a recipe for meringue nests.  On this blog, you will find recipes for Italian Almond Macaroons, Rice Flour Tuile Cookies, Earl Grey Chiffon Mini Cakes, Colourful Meringue Cookies, Chocolate Financier Cookies and many more.  Making meringues are another way to use egg whites to create all kinds of excellent dessert options.

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Original content here is published under these license terms:  X 
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License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Custards and Puddings, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, Individual Desserts, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, My Recipes, Urb'n'Spice Tips and Techniques Series Tagged With: Desserts, Egg Whites, Gluten Free Desserts, Gluten Free Techniques, Individual Desserts, Meringue

Vanilla Bean Poppers

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urb’n’Spice Series

This is a recipe that I had so much fun creating. My challenge was first, to come up with a cookie using cream cheese, and second, a cookie that could also be made gluten-free, if necessary, without any difference in appearance or quality. Cream cheese makes any baked item very tender and rich tasting, so I knew that this was going to be a good cookie. I also liked the idea of making cookies so tiny that they could be mistaken for candy drops. Eureka! Success! Everything I wanted to achieve in my little cookie challenge became a reality – my little cookies became so popular that I was confident entering my recipe into a competition for edible gifts. I call the cookies Vanilla Bean Poppers because they are delightful delicate little cookies that are so irresistible you will keep popping them in your mouth – literally!

These cookies are lots of fun to make with children. Even very young children will love helping you roll the dough into long rope-like snakes before you cut them into small pillows or balls. The little ones will love giving these cookies to their teachers.  I also make tons of these teeny, tiny cookies during the holiday season and put them in pretty jars or beribboned cellophane bags to give away as hostess gifts.  And, for further food fun, I made variations of the same cookies: Urb’n’Spice Rainbow Poppers and Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Version.

Urbnspice Vanilla Bean Poppers | urbnspice.com

Urbnspice Vanilla Bean Poppers

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms:  X 
License Type: Commercial
License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Cookies, Food Fun, Gluten Free Recipes, Holiday Baking, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Kids in the Kitchen, My Recipes Tagged With: Baking, Cookies, Family Recipes, Food Fun, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Techniques, Kids in the Kitchen, Sweets

Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series by UrbnSpice

By Denise Pare-Watson

Hello, there!  Did you know that Urb’n’Spice has written four books called the Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series?  The books are all about Chocolate Desserts and have just about every dessert imaginable.

Book One – Cakes

Book Two – Cookies, Brownies and Squares

Book Three – Pies and Tarts

Book Four – Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts

Here is a more detailed information about the series, “Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious.”  I am quite proud of these books – it was a bucket list goal to write a cookbook after slowing down a bit from an amazing career as a pastry chef and chef.

Chocolate Desserts from the Cookbook Series | urbnspice.com

A few photos from Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious Cookbook Series | urbnspice.com

These recipes have been created, collected and treasured from my career. They have been lovingly tested and retested until they were perfect – for you, my reader.  I have a group of special folks that I call my taste testers – they enjoyed their ‘work’ throughout my cookbook process of baking, testing, tasting and writing these books.

 

Here is how you can get more information about my Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series cookbooks:

  1. Click on the links provided below to get detailed information (affiliate link). The books link to my Amazon (Canada) page.

If you purchase a copy – well, I thank you!  This will enable me to continue to share recipes and information with you on this blog.   I appreciate your support very much.  I am hoping to self-publish my books one day when funds will allow.  At this time, my books are available as e-books on Amazon.ca.  All four books have received very good reviews, which you can read when you click on the links provided.

Thanks for visiting – I am so glad that you did.  If you have made one of the recipes from my books, kindly leave me a comment. Even better, please leave a review on Amazon.ca.  You can read the reviews on Amazon.com – they do not carry over to Amazon.ca.   I would love to hear what you think of my books.

Book One:

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Cakes

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious - Cakes | urbnspice.com

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Cakes!

Book Two:

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Cookies, Brownies and Squares

Chocolate Desserts - Cookies, Brownies & Squares | urbnspice.com

Book Three: 

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Pies and Tarts

Chocolate Desserts - Pies and Tarts | urbnspice.com

Book Four:

Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious – Gluten-Free Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate Gluten Free Desserts | urbnspice.com

Or just CLICK on any of the book covers on my blog page www.urbnspice.com  (to the right side of this post).  This will take you directly to the Amazon site where you can read the reviews from folks who have purchased my book as well as introductions of my books from my colleagues.

That is all about my Chocolate Desserts Cookbook Series.  Thanks for visiting – I am really glad you did!  The photo below shows one of the most popular recipes in the series – Quadruple Chocolate Brownies.  They are so popular that I re-engineered the recipe to also be included in Book Four – Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts.  Looks yummy, right?

Quadruple Chocolate Brownie | urbnspice.com

Quadruple Chocolate Brownie – this award-winning Recipe is included in Book 2 – Cookies, Brownies and Squares as well as Book 4 – Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts 

A Pastry Chef’s Mantra:

“Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it.

Autograph your work with excellence.”

Unknown

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise  Paré-Watson

The  Urbnspice  Chef

 

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and check out what’s happening on Pinterest

Here are the links:

Email:        urbnspice@gmail.com

Website:        Urbnspice

Author Page:  Denise’s Author Page

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Urbnspice

Twitter:     https://twitter.com/urbnspice

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/urbnspice/

About me:  http://about.me/urbnspice/#

Facebook:  I Love Chocolate page

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms:  X 
License Type: Commercial
License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: My EBooks Tagged With: Brownies, Cakes, Cheesecakes, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Flourless, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Techniques, Pastries, Pies, Squares, Sweets, Tarts

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

By Denise Pare-Watson

Here is the story behind these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers:  one of my daughters recently discovered that she had to temporarily adopt a gluten-free lifestyle due to some serious digestive and blood sugar issues. That can be quite challenging for some people to deal with. My work as a chef often touches on developing gluten-free recipes; however, concentrating on adapting familiar recipes that our family frequently made together became paramount to help our girl. She was getting tired of eating salads.

Rock Star Veggie Burgers | urbnspice.com

Rock Star Veggie Burgers made for Kid of a Chef – Gluten Free Rock Star

One of the first recipes she wanted to adapt was Dad’s famous hamburger into a vegetarian version that would provide the protein and vegetables she required yet still give her the same satisfying feeling of satiety that his burgers gave her. And so, our family came up with these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers.

I have to say that this is by far the best vegetarian burger I have ever had. They are a delicious and flavourful burger. I needed something that would hold the burgers together as a binding agent. Moistened gluten-free bread is always an option; however, why not step up the flavour component if you can?

In this gluten-free version of veggie burgers, I used rehydrated dried vegetable flakes.  After rehydrating the vegetable flakes, I pureed them to make a paste and folded them into the vegetable burger mixture. As a flavour booster, it was amazing! So much so that we have used this technique in other gluten-free dishes. After trying them in the vegetarian version we now used them in regular hamburger mixture, meatloaf and meatball mixtures.

Dehydrated Vegetable Flakes | urbnspice.com

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

NOTE: Dried vegetable flakes can be found in your grocer’s bulk food section.  They usually contain a mixture of carrots, onions, celery, leeks and garlic, and occasionally bell peppers, potatoes, and cabbage.  They are useful for many recipes, such as soups, stews, and these veggie burgers.

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

CHEF TALK:  The combination of beans in this recipe is a favourite of mine due to the firmness of the chickpeas and the creaminess of the white beans, making a great texture for the burger mixture. Try making them slider size for a light meal with salad greens.  For small plate sharing,  or for an appetizer, make them Toonie size.  The veggie burgers are gluten free, grain free, sugar-free, nut-free and dairy free.  Note:  for egg-free veggie burgers (if you cannot tolerate eggs or do not want to use the egg), substitute for 3 tablespoons of aquafaba liquid.  

Yield: Approximately 24 slider-sized burgers, or 10 to 12 large burger sized portion.

INGREDIENTS:

Dried Vegetable Flakes ½ cup
White beans (white kidney, Cannellini bean) 1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans) 1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Vegetable Oil 1 – 2 Tbsp.
Green pepper 1 medium, diced fine
Onion, cooking 1 medium, diced fine
Mushrooms ½ cup, chopped fine
Garlic cloves 6 cloves, peeled, mashed finely
Tomato paste 1 Tbsp.
Chili Powder 1 Tbsp.
Ground Cumin 1 teaspoon
Coriander 1 teaspoon
Garlic salt 1 Tbsp.
Sea salt, fine To taste
Pepper, ground To Taste
Eggs (optional, if required) 1
Hot sauce (Tabasco or similar) 1 teaspoon
Lemon juice 1 Tbsp.
Lemon zest 1 teaspoon
Parsley, flat leaf 1/3 cup, chopped

Optional:  Gluten Free Panko Crumbs to coat the burgers

METHOD:

  1. Rehydrate vegetable flakes in 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. The vegetable flakes will soften and absorb the water. Drain and mash or puree the vegetable flakes to a paste.
  2. Mash the beans in a large bowl with a fork (or food processor) until thick and pasty. Set aside.
  3. In a large frying pan, sauté the diced vegetables (pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic) in vegetable oil. (Alternatively, place all of the vegetables in a food processor and process until finely chopped).
  4. Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until caramelized. Add the rehydrated vegetable paste.
  5. Add seasonings and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
  6. Add this mixture to the mashed beans.
  7. Combine together hot sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Stir into the bean-vegetable mixture. If required for binding purposes, you may use an egg, beaten, if desired to achieve the texture you want for shaping the burgers – not too moist or too dry.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Using an ice cream scoop or another measuring tool, portion the mixture into large patties, or smaller slider burger portions, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. I used gluten-free panko crumbs to coat the burgers. CHEF TIP:  The burgers benefit from a quick chill of 30 minutes or so in the refrigerator.  You can also make them ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to complete the recipe.

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted | urbnspice.com

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burger Mix | urbnspice.com

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burger Mix

Rock Star Veggie Burgers are scooped and coated with gluten free panko crumbs | urbnspice.com

Rock Star Veggie Burgers are scooped and coated with gluten-free panko crumbs

To cook the Rock Star Veggie Burgers:

  1. Fry the burgers in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil until golden, or.
  2. Alternatively, in a preheated 350oF oven, bake the prepared veggie burgers on a baking tray until golden, or.
  3. Freeze the uncooked or cooked burgers until firm and store in an airtight container in between layers of parchment paper.

Serve in lettuce cups with slices of avocado and tomato, and cheese (if it is not a dietary restriction).  The photo of the burger uses tiny gluten-free buns.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Gluten-Free Flour Blends
  • Folding
  • Tweaking
    __________

You Might Also Enjoy These Gluten Free Posts:

Gluten Free Rock Star (written by “Kid of a Chef”)

My Inspiration of the Day – Stuffed Whole Cabbage

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques

Going Gluten Free

Gluten for Punishment

Gluten for Punishment, Too! 

“It’s easy to impress me.

I don’t need a fancy party to be happy.

Just good friends, good food, and good laughs.

I’m happy.

I’m satisfied.

I’m content.”

Maria Sharapova

Happy Veggie Burger Making, Rock Stars!

If you give this recipe for Gluten Free Veggie Burgers a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

And lastly, my cookbook called, Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious

Volume Four:  Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts,

recipes created using some of my favourite and cherished recipes from my pastry chef career

and transformed them into gluten-free recipes just for you!

Thanks for your support!

This post is linked to Gluten Free and DIY Tuesday

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License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Beans and Legumes, Dairy Free Recipes, Dietary Restrictions, Egg Free Recipes, Experiments, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Making Sense Series, Nut Free Recipes, Refined Sugar Free Recipes, Vegetables Tagged With: Beans & Legumes, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Techniques

Gluten Free Tips and Techniques

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Confident Kitchen Series

Featuring a recipe for Gluten Free Italian Almond Macaroons

There are many reasons why I am writing a post on Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques.  We all have gatherings of every kind: from book clubs to cookie exchanges, birthday celebrations to holiday open houses and seasonal events. One of the questions I am often asked is “what can I make my gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive guests”?

This is a question that sometimes makes dinner hosts and event organizers very nervous. This article will focus briefly on some tips and techniques that I have developed during my culinary career regarding gluten-free products and recipes.

Gluten Free Tips and Techniques: Gluten Free, Grain Free chicken & vegetable dinner | urbnspice.com

Gluten Free, Grain Free chicken & vegetable dinner 

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2015-2016 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms:  X 
License Type: Commercial
License Abstract: You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Cookies, Desserts and Sweets, Dietary Restrictions, Gluten Free Recipes, Grain Free Recipes, The Confident Kitchen Series Tagged With: Gluten Free Techniques

Rainbow Poppers

By Denise Pare-Watson

Thinking outside the box is not an unusual past time for me when it comes to creating fun recipes.  In December, the idea for Vanilla Bean Poppers came into my head when Real Women of Philadelphia – Canada announced an intriguing contest for Recipes for Edible Gifts.  Rainbow Poppers is a variation of the recipe I submitted called Vanilla Bean Poppers.

Rainbow Poppers | urbnspice.com

Instead of making ropes and cutting (like gnocchi), I separated the cookie dough into smaller portions, added food colouring (I used Wilton Gel Icing Colours, as I find that the colours stay vibrant once the cookies are baked). I explain this further in the steps of the recipe below.

Rainbow Poppers: cutting the cookie disks | urbnspice.com

In the photo above, you will notice that the technique is just a bit different than making the vanilla bean popper ropes.  In the rainbow poppers recipe, make several coloured ropes and join them together, rolling to smooth them into a colourful cylinder, chill and cut into disks, bake and enjoy.  Follow along step by step in the recipe for Vanilla Bean Poppers provided below.

Rainbow Poppers | urbnspice.com

RAINBOW VANILLA BEAN POPPERS

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 – 8 oz. package Original Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour alternative)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1 dash fine salt
  • 2 cups icing sugar, sifted (for coating the cookies)

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 325oF.
  2. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese and 2/3 cup icing sugar until light and combined.
  3. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
  4. Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt together. With your mixer on low speed, add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix just until they are combined.
  5. Remove equal size pieces of dough from the mixer.  For each individual piece of dough, add food colouring to your taste.   Roll each coloured piece of dough into ‘snakes’ about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.
  6. Once you have all of the colours you want for your rainbow cookies, place the coloured snakes together lengthwise and start to roll them together.  You might have to cut the larger rope into sections in order to get the colourful cylinders of dough to a circumference that will be small enough to cut into 1/2 inch (or less) cookies.  (Remember, these are tiny cookies – the tinier the better). With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/4 to 1/2 inch or smaller coin-sized pieces.
  7. Place these tiny pieces of coin size dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The cookies do not spread, so you can place them fairly close together.
  8. Chill the tray of prepared cookie dough for a few minutes in the refrigerator.  CHEF TIP:  I find that most cookie doughs benefit from a chill in the refrigerator before baking.  It helps the cookies to retain their shape.  Try this the next time you make chocolate chip cookies.  
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes, depending on the size of your tiny pillows or balls (for example, the recipe on the Kraft Canada website indicates baking for 25 to 28 minutes for 1/2 inch cookies). The bottoms of the cookies should just start to turn a very lightly golden and will feel firm.
  10. Place the colourful rainbow cookies in a decorative container or jar, label and decorate with ribbon.  Give them to your favourite someone.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Creaming
  • Oven Temperature Accuracy
  • Vanilla Extract
    __________

Rainbow Poppers | urbnspice.com

More Urb’n’Spice Cookie Fun:

Vanilla Bean Poppers

Vanilla Bean Poppers – Holiday Food Fun Variations

My Dee’s Old Fashioned Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Italian Almond MacGluten-FreeGluten Free Cookie

Urb’n’Spice Chocolate Cookbook Series – Cookies, Brownies and Squares 

As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless!  What shall I create next?

As always, if you give this recipe for Rainbow Vanilla Poppers a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef 

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Filed Under: Cookies, Food Fun, Inspiration of Urbnspice Series, Kids in the Kitchen Tagged With: Baking, Baking with Children, Cookies, Food Fun, Gluten Free Techniques, Sweets

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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