Today I’m sharing these gluten-free Butterscotch Tassies from Chrystal Carver’s new cookbook, Sweet & Simple Gluten-Free Baking: Irresistible Classics in 10 Ingredients or Less. We’ve all heard of tassies and I used to love those bite-sized confections, but I’ve never heard of Butterscotch Tassies before.
And Chrystal’s Butterscotch Tassies recipe also includes chocolate! Don’t you love this recipe already?
Before we get to the recipe though, let’s talk about Chrystal, her style of baking and her cookbook. Chrystal introduced herself and her blog and told me about her upcoming cookbook.
She also told me her motivation for creating her recipes, her blog, and her cookbook—both of her daughters are gluten intolerant and one is also dairy intolerant.
Like many of us, Chrystal and her family initially went the route of spending lots of money on ready-made gluten-free products … and then throwing them away because of the unsatisfactory taste and texture. She decided she’d rather make her own baked goods, ones that met her family’s standards. Initially, she tried others’ recipes, but still was not satisfied, so she started experimenting with family favorites and eventually figured out to create outstanding recipes that are just as good as her old gluten-full recipes.
Plus, her recipes were simple and easy for real, unlike so many of the recipes she’d been trying. She admits that her “transition” wasn’t as hard as she expected, but she did have to learn the properties of different ingredients and how they worked together in baking.
Chrystal Carver Making Lemon Blackberry Tarts
Chrystal is my kind of baker. She creates recipes that look and taste like the recipes we all freely enjoyed before going gluten free. Recipes like Red Velvet Cake, Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Pecan Pie, Angel Food Cake, Gingersnaps, Fudge Brownies, and Lemon Bars.
All of Chrystal’s recipes are gluten free and many are dairy free as well. Most of the recipes in this cookbook are simply gluten free as written, but as she explains at the beginning of her book, simple dairy-free substitutions usually work in her recipes.
She actually tested the majority of these recipes using those dairy-free substitutions and she notes substitution info right below the recipe ingredients if they will work. She also tells you how and when you can substitute for eggs, plus she shares lots of other simple tips to create outstanding recipes when baking gluten free.
Chrystal’s book includes two flour mix recipes—one that’s bean-four based and the other that’s rice-flour based. While she personally prefers the bean-flour based mix for its protein content and says you cannot taste the bean component in her recipes, she says that you can use either flour mix in her recipes.
I’m fairly certain that any gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that you’re happy with will work in Chrystal’s recipes. In fact, she notes in today’s recipe that you can use your preferred gluten-free flour blend if you prefer.
Chrystal also points out that neither of her blends includes xanthan gum, guar gum, or any other binder. That’s because not all of her recipes need a binder. As she says, “in a good portion of the recipes in this cookbook, the combination and ratio of ingredients are strong enough to hold the baked goods together.” If a recipe does require a binder of some sort, it’s simply included in the recipe versus the flour mix.
I even took Chrystal’s cookbook with me on vacation to Little Cayman to read and share with some others in our travel group. That group included a friend who is gluten free and some others who were interested in the benefits of a gluten-free diet for other health conditions. I wasn’t surprised that Chrystal’s Colossal Cookies (which feature oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips) caught the eye of one male friend after a day of diving!
Today I’m sharing Chrystal’s delicious—and cute—Butterscotch Tassies (bite-sized tassies are always cute, right?), but there are so many other recipes in her cookbook that appeal to me, too! Turtle Bars, Russian Tea Cakes, Chocolate Shortbread Tarts (shown on the cover above), Donut Muffins, and Carrot Cake are just a few of them.
But you might immediately choose her Lemon Blackberry Tarts, Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes, and/or Peach Cobbler. Or how about Oatmeal Jam Bars?
More Gluten-Free Butterscotch and “Caramelized” Recipes
~ Caramel Squares (No Caramel Sauce or Wrapped Caramels Needed)
~ Easy Crustless Caramel Apple Pie (No Caramel Sauce or Wrapped Caramels Needed)
Gluten-Free Butterscotch Tassies Recipe
Butterscotch Tassies from Sweet and Simple Gluten-Free Baking by Chrystal Carver (photo by Mary Bersen, reprinted with permission of Inkwater Press)
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.
Gluten-Free Butterscotch Tassies Recipe
These bite-sized treats are delectable little pies filled with butterscotch and chocolate chips! While you can enjoy these any time, they're especially wonderful for a celebration! For this recipe, Chrystal uses her gluten-free all-purpose rice flour blend. Rather than making a whole batch, you can scale it down to: ½ cup white rice flour + ¼ cup tapioca flour + ¼ cup potato starch. (Shirley’s Note: That formula is 2 parts white rice flour, 1 part tapioca flour, and 1 part potato starch if you wish to make a larger batch to use in future recipes.) Or Chrystal says you can use your preferred gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in this recipe. I used my Two-Ingredient Flour Mix.Butterscotch Tassies
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
For the Filling:
Instructions
For the Pastry:
For the Filling:
Notes
Originally published October 10, 2014; updated November 27, 2022.
Susan says
I love baking gluten free sandwich bread..I need my piece of toast for breakfast..would love to win..I can never have enough cookbooks
Kristen says
The gluten-full recipe that I like is for a cherry coffee cake that my grandmother made, with an almond icing.
Stephanie says
I loved bread for french toast and sandwiches, and I found an amazing bread made with just cashew butter and eggs.
BJMarley says
My favorite gluten-full baking item is brownies. I haven’t found a great gluten-free recipe yet. Probably because my daughter who is also GF also can’t have eggs and dairy. So I don’t bother trying to make GF brownies just for myself. And so far gluten free, dairy free, and egg free brownies that taste delicious have eluded me.
Susan says
I love my mom’s Oatmeal Praline cake. I haven’t tried making a gluten-free version of it. Thanks for the giveaway. Sounds like lots of great GF recipes!
Diana R. says
One of my gluten full favorite is wheat tortillas homemade. I found a great recipe in one of your newsletters a few months back by Art of Gluten free baking– they have made the best tortillas.
Sheryll Ziemer says
Love baking GF! My great niece and I could both use your book! Thank you!
Piggy says
Got a fellah here just licking his lips about the tassies!
Erin says
Cinnamon rolls are my fav and not found a great one yet.
Linda Gilbert says
I make a gluten free coconut pie that my husband and I just love
Erin says
Chocolate chip cookies are my all time favorite baked good– luckily I’ve found a few GF recipes that are ok. I really miss though a good soft sugar cookie with M&M’s:)
Brad G says
Persimmon Pudding, but I just replace the AP Flour with GF Flour and 3/4-1 tsp Xanthan gum and it seems to work just fine.
sandeg says
The one thing I have not been able to make gluten free yet is lady locks….it is one thing I keep working on to get the pastry dough crisp ,with tender layers….The butterscotch tassies will be on my cookie tray this holiday…..
thanks
kelly says
I love the roll out sugar cookies, but have not been successful in making them gluten free.
Janis S says
One of my favorites is mandel bread. Its like a biscotti. My sister found a great gf recipe that I like just as much, or maybe a little more, than the gluten-full recipe.
Stephanie says
This time of year, it has to be persimmon pudding and I’ve not recreated it to the gluten full ones that I remember. This cookbook sounds great!
Gina says
I have found a yummy gf peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip recipe! The one recipe I’m trying to perfect are blueberry muffins. Tackling the gf flours is the challenging part!
Donna says
I love carrot cake, and I found a good gluten free recipe on the Diva’s Can Cook blog!
Jennifer Hicks says
I finally found a good easy bread recipe that even I can make!! I’ve got to make more as I’ve eaten it all, but it was very tasty.
Melissa says
My favorite gluten filled recipe is brownies. I’ve been recently diagnosed with celiac disease and learning how to cook gluten free. I have yet found a yummy substitute for brownies. I would love to have this cookbook! Thanks!
Karen says
I can never have enough gluten-free recipes and this book looks like such a winner. I make GF brownies and cookies constantly! Would love to try Crystal’s!
Grace says
I miss cinnamon rolls and haven’t found a good recipe yet:(
Rebecca says
My favorite cake was a Chocolate Swirl Cake published in a Hershey’s cookbook. It was a yellow cake with 1 cup of Hershey’s syrup folded into reserved batter and then poured on top of the cake. It fell into the cake as it cooked and made a really moist chocolate swirl. After 14 years of GF cooking I haven’t found a cake batter that works with this recipe.
Michelle says
Oh…. my …. goodness! I am so making these TODAY. These look delicious and sound delicious. I have a bakesale I have to provide goodies for tomorrow and these will be included!
Kristen says
Yay! I’m so excited to be a WINNER! Can’t wait to try a bunch of treats from this book. 🙂
Shirley says
Congrats, Kristen! I love enthusiastic winners. 🙂 You’ll have no shortage of treats to try for sure when you get Chrystal’s book. 😉 Enjoy!
Shirley
Gina says
I’m so excited!! I can’t wait to get the book and try some new GF recipes!!
Shirley says
Yay, Gina! You will certainly enjoy Chrystal’s book and all the recipes in it! 🙂
Shirley