Glutenfree Spitzbuben & an insight on travelling with celiacs

Don't we all love holidays? I do, but everytime we get into the car i realise our holidays are different than those of non-celiacs. Two weeks ago we stepped into our car to drive to beautiful Switzerland and it was filled to the ceiling with stuff. Clothes, toys, shoes, books and so on and in our case also with glutenfree food, our breadmaker, scale, mixer and breadmaking ingredients. A holiday by plane is not an option, we take everything with us. Just to be safe. Not to mention that buying everything on your holiday destination is not always possible or often very expensive as well.

Switzerland is a long haul from Holland, so we made an extra stop in beautiful Lauf in Germany to spend the night. We had had a troublesome long journey and so we stopped at 'mooie Donald' as my youngest calls MacDonalds. In English it would mean pretty Donald. I love MacDonalds for taking my kids intolerance seriously. Not so seriously that they have a glutenfree burger... But... When I ordered a burger without bun the girl behind the counter ran to the kitchen to instruct them properly. And that makes all the difference. And thus made my kids long ass day wonderful.

When we arrived for breakfast in the hotel the next morning people where pointing at me carrying my kids glutenfree bread and crackers and saying: "Look, they have an allergy or something..."  I felt like walking up to them and say: "Yes people, that exists too. Can you please enjoy your own meal instead of making my kids feel like a freak show."

It goes to show how uncommon this autoimmune disease often still is. That also was the case in the village that we stayed. I love it there, it's quiet, beautiful, the people are friendly but allergies and intolerances are still very uncommon and not all can acommedate or even understand it. One day we promised our boys French fries after al long walk at a place where glutenfree French fries weren't a problem. When we checked to be sure (never assume, that is our motto), the waitress told us it was a problem, they did not bake them separately anymore. They used the deep fryer for potato croquesttes as well, and those often contain gluten. We feared we had another glutenfree trauma on our hands again, with two inconsolable kids. The sad kids touched the waitresses heart and she went to check again, with my little card that i always carry with me that lists the most common glutenfree and glutencontaining products and hubby in tow. Thank god there turned out not to be a trauma, the croquettes were glutenfree and the kids could eat their much desired fries. And the restaurant learned a lesson too, on how a small thing can make a difference when it comes to glutenfree. They even copied my card for future reference. 

While the kids ate their own home made glutenfree bread, we bought ours at the local bakery. The first time Thijmen pressed his face against the cookie display and pointed at the local cookies with a smiley on them and said: "I can't have those can i?" When I told him no, he said: "But can you make them?" and I told him: " Yes, at home". And the next day and every following day he would say: "Mom, we will make those at home, right?" And this week we did.

Ingredients:

• 250 g (9 oz) of glutenfree riceflour
• 125 g (4.5 oz) of butter
• 100 g  (3.5 oz) of sugar
• 60 g (2.25 oz) of almond flour
• 1 egg
• 15 grams (0.5 oz) of vanilla sugar
• a pinch of salt
• one teaspoon of xanthan gum
• one teaspoon of fiber husk
• ± ½ a jar of strawberry preserve 
• powdered/icing sugar for dusting the cookies

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 degrees Fahrenheit..
2. Add almond flour, riceflour, sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and egg in a bowl and add the butter (cold, in cubes). Mix to a firm dough.
3. Make a big ball and put it in clingfilm. Leave in the fridge for an hour.
4. Roll out the dough and cut out circles, an even amount. 
5. Put them on a baking tray lined with parchement paper. 
6. Punch out faces from half of the cookies.
7. Put them in the oven for 10 -12 minutes till they are golden brown. Leave to cool.
8. Put a teaspoon of jam on the base cookies and then press on a cookie with a face. 
9. Dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!