Holiday Mulling Mix, Apple Pie Spice Mix and Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix–all Gluten-Free
You know that I bake a lot and, for the holidays, I bake even more! Did you know that New Years Day is just 10 weeks from today? That seems like a long time but to me it just flies by. There are a couple of things I put together to have available on my pantry or in my freezer to make all this possible and easier. A couple of these things are the mixes of spices that I use when entertaining or baking. I’d love to share these with you.
First, I make the Mulling Mix because it can be used in mulled wine but also in mulled apple cider. I keep jugs of the cider (or good apple juice) in the pantry. I put the spices and juice in the crockpot to simmer. Couldn’t be easier and the house smells divine! I’ll probably have this simmering while the kids are trick-or-treating next week. It is so good to come home to a warm cup of mulled cider! I always have this on for Thanksgiving. Since I make it non-alcoholic, all I have to be concerned about is the calories!
Then, I put together the Apple Pie Spice and Pumpkin Pie Spice mixes, each in its own bottle, to have them available as I get ready to bake for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You would be surprised how many recipes use these spices–and I have them ready on the shelf! Plus, I know they are gluten-free since I’ve made them myself, and tested them on my family. This takes some of the stress out of my baking.
Next, I prepare one recipe of the gluten-free baking mix (recipe posted June 29, 2015) and one recipe of the gluten-free graham crackers (recipe posted August 21, 2015). Once these are in the pantry, I feel I’m ready for anything!
I hope you will give some of these mixes a try. I think that having them ready makes staying healthy and gluten-free easier. I will be posting the recipes that I use these mixes in and hope you try them too! Happy gluten-free baking!
- 8 1/- inch pieces of cinnamon sticks
- 8 cardamon pods
- 8 peppercorns
- 6 whole allspice berries
- 6 star anise pods
- 4 teaspoons dried orange peel (Peel from 3-4 large organic Navel oranges)
- Wash and carefully peel 3-4 organic Navel oranges. These are best because they don't have pesticides. Also they have a thick pith so you can get a thin strip of the orange skin, and leave most of the white pith (which is bitter). Cut the orange peel into thin strips and then crosswise into ½-inch pieces of orange peel. Place the peel on a parchment lined baking sheet and dehydrate in a 200 degree oven for 3 hours. Sir and check occasionally as you don't want to burn the peel. After 3 hours, turn the oven off and leave the orange peel in the warm oven overnight. Done.
- Combine the rest of the spices and the dried orange peel in an airtight glass container.
- To use, take about ½ of the mix and place it in a heavy plastic bag. Crush the spices with a mallet. Put the crushed mix into a cheesecloth square (I double the cheesecloth) and tie to make a pillow of spices. Place in 2 quarts of apple juice or apple cider and warm slowly. For mulled wine prepare the spice pillow and place in pot with 2 bottles of a good red wine and warm slowly. Makes about 1 cup of mix.
- 8 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons ground all spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- Mix all spices together in a bowl. Store in an airtight glass container. Makes about ½ cup of mix.
- 7 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground all spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1 teaspoon ground mace
- Mix all the spices together in a bowl. Store in an airtight glass container. Makes about ½ cup of mix.