Perfect Wine Pairings For 5 Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes

When the leaves turn from green to orange and begin to crinkle beneath your feet, it’s time to stock up on essential fall ingredients and incorporate their flavors into every desert imaginable. From pecans to pumpkins, fresh figs to cranberries, and most importantly apples to apples, authentic autumn indulgences don’t have to be sacrificed among those living gluten-free. And since this is a holiday, there is no better pairing for these desserts than a delicious glass of wine. Whip up one of these wonderful desserts, pour yourself a nice glass of vino and have a very thankful Thanksgiving.

Cranberry, Pistachio, and Slivered Almond Granola Crumble & Amarone 

Ingredients: 

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan, combine honey, maple syrup and vanilla. Heat until the liquid begins to bubble and then turn off the heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, slivered almonds, shelled pistachios, dried cranberries, chia seeds and flax seeds. Mix VERY well so the oats are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
3. Pour the heated liquid from the saucepan over the mixture in the large bowl. Mix very well.
4. Once mixed, pour the granola crumble onto a pan or into a tin covered with parchment paper; any size will do. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours as the liquid mixed into the granola will need to set.
5. After 12 hours or until ready to serve, place a heaping scoop of granola over ice cream, yogurt, frozen yogurt, even fresh fruit such as mixed seasonal berries. Or, simply snack on the crumble alone.
6. To store, place in sealed Tupperware or a covered mason jar and leave in the refrigerator. Granola will stay fresh for a few weeks, but I promise, it will be long gone after a day 🙂

Individual Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Gluten-Free Ginger Crust & Riesling

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3 ounces store-bought ginger cookies (my favorite cookies to use are Tate’s Gluten Free Ginger Zinger Cookies) **If gluten-free ginger cookies are unavailable, gluten- free sugar cookies or graham crackers will work as well. If not using ginger cookies, add a tablespoon of ground ginger to the crust mixture**
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• One pinch kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I like to use coconut sugar for a richer, darker taste but any sugar works well)

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

• 12 ounces cream cheese
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

OPTIONAL Whipped Cream:

• Heavy cream
• Whipped vanilla and sugar to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
2. Place all ingredients for the crust into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is mixed together and a crumbly consistency.
3. Evenly divide the crust mixture among the 12 muffin liners. Make sure to pat down the layer of crust mixture in each muffin liner after it has been distributed so it is compact at the bottom of the tin and will bake evenly.
4. Place the crust in the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
5. While the crust is baking, make the pumpkin cheesecake mixture! Place all ingredients into the food processor and process until ingredients are fully combined.
6. When the crusts are finished baking for 10 minutes, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes so when the cheesecake mixture is placed on top, the heat from the crust will not melt the cheesecake mixture or make it runny.
7. Once the crusts have cooled, evenly distribute the cheesecake mixture among the crusts. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheesecake has completely set. The cheesecakes should be set but still jiggle a bit when the pan is shaken. 
8. Allow the cheesecakes to COMPLETELY cool  to room temperature before removing them from the muffin tin. I recommend placing the cheesecakes in the refrigerator for an hour before serving to allow them to set further once they have cooled to room temperature. If not serving right away, place the cheesecakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
9. To serve, unwrap the individual cheesecakes from the muffin liners and serve as is, or add a dollop of whipped cream on top as well as a sprinkle of shaved dark chocolate or cocoa powder. 

Gluten-Free Coffee Cake with Pecan Brown Sugar Crumble & Chardonnay

Ingredients:

Cake Batter:

• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten-free flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt works as well. If using vanilla Greek yogurt, do not add the vanilla extract)

Pecan Topping:

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

Directions: 

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer.
2. Add the eggs into the creamed butter/sugar mixture and beat very well. Add vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine gluten-free flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until well incorporated.
4. In small, alternating increments, add the flour mixture and Greek yogurt into the bowl containing the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Still using the electric mixer, mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter and no flour or Greek yogurt can be seen.
5. Pour batter into a greased bundt pan or 8-inch square pan. Set aside.
6. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans. Make sure the pecans are chopped into at least halves because large pieces of pecans will make serving the cake difficult once it has baked.
7. Evenly distribute the pecan mixture over the top of the batter in the pan. *VERY IMPORTANT: Using your hands, lightly press the pecan mixture into the top of the cake until it is semi-submerged yet still very visible. This is very important because if the pecans are not embedded within the top of the cake when put into the oven, they will fall off the baked cake when it is cut.
8. Place the cake in the oven. It should need about 45 minutes until completely cooked through; check by poking a toothpick into the center of the cake and when the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is perfectly cooked.
9. Once cooked, take out of the oven and set aside to cool. DO NOT TAKE THE CAKE OUT OF THE PAN YET. Cool the cake for at least 20 minutes before cutting into or taking out of the pan. I recommend further cooling the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve. This makes it much easier to cut clean slices out of the cake.

Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze & Gewürztraminer

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Scone Batter:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• a sprinkle of sea salt
• 1 stick butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 low fat Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• a sprinkle of ground cloves
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée

Maple Glaze:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons almond/soy milk (vanilla)
• 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the parchment paper lightly in oil; I suggest coconut or sun flower oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the ground cinnamon, ground cloves and pumpkin purée. Using an electric hand mixer or standing electric mixer, thoroughly mix the batter until the ingredients are evenly distributed. However, be careful not to over-mix; you do not want the batter to become tough.
3. Add the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and pumpkin purée to the scone batter and mix again.
4. Using an ice cream scooper (or a utensil of a similar size), scoop the batter onto the baking sheet. The batter should be fluffy yet dense and have some give to it that makes it very easy to scoop onto the baking sheet. The scoops should be a few inches apart from one another, as they do spread out while baking but not an extraordinary amount. I like to leave the scoops very rounded, the way they come out of the ice-cream scooper, but you may want to lightly tap down the top of the scoop a little bit for a flat-topped final product.
5. Place the scones in the oven. Bake until the bottoms begin to brown, for about 15-20 minutes. For a more well-done scone, allow the tops to begin to brown as well before taking them out of the oven.
6. Place the scones aside to cool.
7. Once the scones are COMPLETELY cool, create the brown sugar maple glaze (the best part!!!!).
8. In a saucepan on low heat, stir together all ingredients for the glaze until they are fully dissolved. Then, turn the heat down to a simmer and pour heaping spoonfuls of the delicious glaze over each scone. (Don’t be afraid to over-glaze — over-glazing is simply unheard of :-))
9. Enjoy the pumpkin scones right away or, once the glaze has set, transfer them to a container or plate. I suggest keeping the scones in a sealed container in the refrigerator if they are to be savored over the course of a few cool autumn evenings by the fire with a glass a wine.

Fig Jam Cookies – Gluten-Free Edition & Sangiovese

Adapted from “Run Fast. Eat Slow” Written by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky

Ingredients:

Fig Jam Filling:

• 2 cups dried black mission figs (I recommend soaking the figs in hot water for about 10 minutes before using them. This way, they are softer and easier to blend into a jam texture)
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Gluten-Free Dough:  

• 1 1/2 gluten-free flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• a sprinkle of sea salt
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Due to the gluten-free flour, your dough will be more crumbly than if it were made with regular flour. Since this is the case, a tablespoon of honey is necessary for the dough to bind together and be shaped without difficulty.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Coat the parchment paper with a thin layer of coconut or sunflower oil.
2. Make the fig jam filling.  In a food processor, combine the figs (preferably soaked in hot water beforehand for about 10 minutes), tahini, water and cinnamon. Purée this mixture until it is smooth. Every few seconds, stop the food processor and mix the jam to make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed. Once completely blended, set the jam aside.
3. Next make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, sesame seeds and sea salt. Set this mixture aside.
4. Melt the coconut oil in a separate bowl. Once melted, stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Add the honey to this mixture as well.
5. Pour the oil/maple syrup/vanilla/honey mixture into the flour mixture and mix until a dough forms.
6. Form the cookies!! First, divide the dough into 3 balls. Roll each ball out onto a surface sprinkled with gluten-free flour. Shape each rolled-out ball into even rectangles using your hands.
7. Divide the fig jam into thirds and shape into 1-inch-wide logs using your hands. Place one log centered on each piece of dough.
8. Fold the edges of the dough over the fig jam to overlap slightly in the middle and press gently to seal. Seal any small cracks with your fingers.
9. Slice each log into 8 cookies and place on the baking sheet.
10. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the dough is lightly golden. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
11. Once cooked, take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool before gobbling up their figgy-deliciousness!!!