If you haven't heard yet, here's the big news, we're giving away $500 and a year's supply of almond flour!! Now that we have your attention, you're probably curious how to win, right? The entry and rules are pretty simple: create a recipe using almond flour and take a photo of your creation, then upload the photo and recipe to our Facebook giveaway page. (To see the all the details and submit your photo and recipe CLICK RIGHT HERE).
However, it may seem a bit difficult to create your own original recipe. We want everybody to have a chance at the cash, so we created a quick guide to help you get started and on your way to $500 and a year's supply of almond flour! Here are 3 key points for creating your own original recipe.
Key Point 1: Nearly All Recipes Have the Same Base Ingredients
Have you noticed that pretty much all recipes start with the same base ingredients? Take chocolate chip cookies for example. For a cookie to be a cookie you have to have flour, sugar, eggs, butter, baking soda or baking powder, and usually vanilla. Some recipes call for white sugar, some for brown sugar, some call for a mixture of both. Other recipes call for a bit more butter or an add-in like oatmeal, chocolate chips, or macadamia nuts. What it all comes down to, however, is those few base ingredients.
Take one of our Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes for example. These cookies are no different. One quick look at the ingredients and you can identify the key ingredients: almond flour, sugar (white and brown), butter, eggs, baking soda, vanilla, and in this case, chocolate chips. This is a pretty basic recipe, but you can easily switch things up a bit to create a whole different cookie. Add 3/4 cups of peanut butter and swap out the chocolate chips for Reece's Pieces and you've got a gooey, creamy, peanut butter cookie.
This rule can be applied to nearly all recipes. Have a favorite almond flour dinner roll recipe and want to use it as a guide to make your own? Identify those base ingredients then simply make a few modifications to make it your own. Maybe it's adding a touch more sugar and some orange zest to create a sweet orange roll! Let your creativity be the guide and feel free to try combining multiple recipes to arrive at one that you can call your own!
Key Point 2: You'll Never Know Until You Try
Cooking and baking should be fun and relaxing. All too often we are rushing or feeling stressed and dinner is a chore that has to be done 30 minutes ago. While life certainly can get in the way, the hustle bustle leaves little room for creativity and stress-free cooking. One of the best things you can do when looking to have fun baking is schedule the time. Maybe it's after the kids are in bed or maybe it's a Sunday afternoon. Find a time that works for you then have fun experimenting.
Not everything you create is destined for success, that's part of the fun! A little trial and error go a long way in our ability to learn and develop in the kitchen. So, start with Key Point 1 and then allow yourself the time and creative space to try, and possibly fail, before totally nailing the perfect recipe!
Key Point 3: Use Technology
There are some fantastic resources out there that can drastically help to cut down on the error side of the trail and error method. From substitution guides to gluten-free baking hacks, there are nearly endless resources available to help guide you. We've included a couple of our favorites below!
- Food52 - 8 Rules for Altering Baking Recipes
- One Green Planet - The Ultimate Gluten-Free Substitution Guide
- The Food Network - Baking Ingredient Guide
We're excited to see what you create and share! We wish you all best in the kitchen!!