What Unexpected Opportunities Does God Have in Store for You?

Posted on Aug 16, 2018 Topic : Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Tami Dillon

Origin stories are all the rage these days in popular culture. Just look to your latest, blockbuster comic book movie. So, we were beyond thrilled to share how one of our wildest dreams of writing and publishing a cookbook became a reality!

It started when my mom, sister, and I organized one of those painting parties where an artist shows you how to paint the picture you pick. We decided to bring a snack as well and my mom offered to make some gluten-free desserts so I could enjoy with everyone else. My mom outdid herself for the party and brought two different desserts—one tried-and-true gluten-free treat and a second she’d never made before. Being our mom, it wasn’t hard to guess that she’d completely made up the second dessert based on whatever ingredients she had available. That’s one of her amazing talents: figuring out what goes together to make the most incredible things.

The guests we’d invited to the party didn’t know my mom’s hidden talent and were floored. By the end of the night everyone was raving about the Salted Caramel Shortbread and blown away that it was gluten-free. It turned out my mom had made so much that we sent some home with a few of the guests. From then on it was a requested dessert at just about any gathering. This dessert was eventually delighting enough people that when a local publisher was looking for authors to write a gluten-free cookbook, our names came up.

Honestly, we couldn’t believe it when we started working on this together. And we’re continually amazed at the opportunities God opened up from jumping into this adventure. Now that we’re at full circle, we hope you enjoy these amazing bar cookies as the Lord leads you to unexpected opportunities as well!

Salted Caramel Shortbread (serves 18 to 24)

[Bonnie, Tami's mom] Talk about a crowd-pleaser. People love this simple dessert. Even better, they're shocked to find out it is gluten-free. Instead of caramel apple dip, you could also make the caramel from scratch or unwrap 50 baking caramels and melt them over low heat with milk or cream. We like the dip for ease—and it tastes just as good.

Crust

2½ cups (5 sticks) butter, room temperature

1½ cups C&H Baker's Sugar

2¼ cups powdered sugar

3 T. vanilla

6 cups (750 grams) gluten-free 1-to-1 flour blend

Filling

1 (16 oz.) container caramel apple dip

1 T. coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment page.

Combine the butter, sugars, and vanilla, and then add the flour. Mix in one cup at a time. Once combined, press half the dough into the bottom of the cookie sheet. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or until pale brown. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Spread the caramel dip on top of the cooled crust and sprinkle with salt. Crumble the remaining dough on top of the caramel layer. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Note: The first time we made this recipe, we used a gluten-free baking mix, and it came out a little difficult to cut. Now we make it with a good 1-to-1 flour blend, which means it's formulated for baking to be an equal substitute to 1 cup of wheat flour. We like Bob's Red Mill products, but make sure you check the labels.

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Are you looking for more gluten-free creations?