Raspberry Sweet Rolls

Remember my cinnamon rolls? Well, you can make other sweet rolls with the dough, too.  I made these raspberry sweet rolls ages ago and am finally getting around to posting about it. Enjoy!

Raspberry Sweet Rolls

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon quick rise yeast

1/2 cup sugar, separated

1/4 cup dairy-free margarine

2 eggs

3 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup margarine, melted

~1/3 cup raspberry freezer jam (enough to spread across the dough)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease an 9X13 pan and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Allow the mixture to proof for about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the remaining sugar and the margarine.  Add in the eggs and then the yeast mixture.  Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on high for about 2 minutes.

Dust a long sheet of parchment paper with gluten free flour and spread the dough out onto it.  Place a second parchment paper on top of the dough, and roll it out to a nice long rectangle about 1/4"-1/2" thick.  Remove the top parchment paper and brush the dough with the melted margarine from edge to edge.  Spread the jam evenly over the butter, covering from edge to edge.  Pick up the short end of the parchment paper and begin to carefully roll the dough over itself, while peeling off the parchment paper.

Cut the roll into 1-1 1/2" piece and gently place them into the prepared baking dish.  Let the rolls rise for 30-40 minutes.

Bake and 375F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip out onto a plate and top with the vanilla glaze.

Vanilla Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 Tablespoons dairy-free milk

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and pour generously over sweet rolls.

This post was shared on Gluten-Free & DIY Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, and Gluten Free Friday.

Cinnamon Rolls

Want some incredible cinnamon rolls that are also incredibly easy to make?  This recipe is it!  I used this recipe and modified it slightly to meet our needs, and used my flour blend in place of the mix...they came out amazing!

Seriously look and how well they rose and how fluffy they got!

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon quick rise yeast

1/2 cup sugar, separated

1/4 cup dairy-free margarine

2 eggs

3 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup margarine, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease an 8x8 pan and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the warm water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Allow the mixture to proof for about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the remaining sugar and the margarine.  Add in the eggs and then the yeast mixture.  Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on high for about 2 minutes.

Dust a long sheet of parchment paper with gluten free flour and spread the dough out onto it.  Place a second parchment paper on top of the dough, and roll it out to a nice long rectangle about 1/4"-1/2" thick.  Remove the top parchment paper and brush the dough with the melted margarine from edge to edge.  Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the mixture over the melted butter, covering from edge to edge.  Pick up the short end of the parchment paper and begin to carefully roll the dough over itself, while peeling off the parchment paper.

Cut the roll into 1-1 1/2" piece and gently place them into the prepared baking dish.  Let the rolls rise for 30-40 minutes.

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Bake and 375F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and flip out onto a plate and top with the vanilla glaze.

Vanilla Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 Tablespoons dairy-free milk

Directions

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and pour generously over cinnamon rolls.

This post was shared on Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Whole Food Fridays, and Gluten Free Fridays.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars with Penuche Frosting

I know it's been ages since I've posted a recipe.  Thank you for your patience.  I have been enjoying my break from recipe testing and have kept myself more than busy with teaching and empowering people on how to live a healthier life.  I love and I mean LOVE doing this and meeting new people, hearing their stories and actually helping them heal.  It's an incredible feeling to know that by small means on my part, I can change a person's life for the better. If you want to know more about what I do, click here.

Anyway, on to the recipe.  I've had this stewing in my mind for a couple of weeks, and finally had a chance to make it. My boys absolutely loved it!

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars with Penuche Frosting

2 cups mashed bananas (~4 or so bananas)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar (or coconut sugar)
2/3 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
1 cup oil of choice (canola or coconut oil)
2 cups GF flour blend
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon (if you want it really cinnamon-y try 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a half sheet pan (13x18x1) and set aside.

Mix together the banana, eggs, sugar, and oil.

In a separate bowl, combine flour blend, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

Fold in chocolate chips and pour the batter into the greased pan.

Cook at 350F for 30 minutes.  Cool completely before frosting (recipe below).

Penuche Frosting

3/4 cup dairy-free margarine (1 1/2 sticks)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (or coconut sugar)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk (almond or coconut milk)

3- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan, add in the brown sugar and heat for about 2 minutes.  Add in the milk and cook until the mixture boils.  Remove from heat and let the mixture cool until it is lukewarm (I'm not patient, so I stuck it in the fridge for a few minutes...just don't forget about it).

Once cooled to lukewarm, gradually whisk (I used an electric mixer) in the powdered sugar, until the desired consistency is reached.

This post was shared on Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Waste Not, Want Not Wednesdays, and Gluten Free Fridays.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I actually have a recipe going up today, yay!!  This little gem requires no flour and is quick and easy to throw together.  The cookies come out nice and chewy, and taste amazing!

For those of you that just read my recipe posts, please know that I won't be posting recipes every week like I have in the past.  My focus has changed a bit in my life.  I still love developing recipes and will do so in my spare time, but I will be very busy this year teaching classes on essential oils (which have changed my life and my family's life, physically, mentally and emotionally) and heading up the local GF group.  Please continue to read my posts and enjoy my blog, even if they are few and far between.  I love my readers and I do appreciate you reading my blog.

Okay, now on to the recipe....

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup palm oil shortening
1 3/4 cups coconut sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups Gluten Free rolled oats
1 1/2 cups Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels or other dairy-free chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped nuts (peanuts or walnuts)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. With a stand mixing, cream together the peanut butter, shortening, coconut sugar and honey. Add in the baking powder and baking soda and mix until combined.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.  Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Drop by spoonfuls until an ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes.  Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes on the tray, then transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

This post was shared on Gluten Free Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, and Whole Food Fridays.

Pumpkin Hand Pies

It's officially fall.  The leaves are changing colors, there's a crispness in the air, and everyone is making pumpkin recipes.  And I'm one of them. :)  These little hand pies are delicate and delicious...and they happen to be free of the top 8 allergens and refined sugar!

 Pumpkin Hand Pies
1 double batch of basic double pie crust (recipe below)
1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F and grease or line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix together the pumpkin, coconut sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and vanilla.  Set aside.

Split the pie crust dough into manageable amounts and roll out on a piece of parchment paper until about 1/8" thick. Using a round 3-3 1/2" cookie cutter, cut the dough and transfer half the rounds to the baking sheets.  Top the rounds with ~1 tablespoon of the pumpkin filling.  Top with the remaining round and gently press along the edges to seal it, then with a fork crimp the edges together. Use a toothpick or a fork to poke holes in the top for stream release. 

Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, then cool on cooling racks.  They can be eaten warm or cool and should be good for a couple of days if stored in an airtight container.  Yield: 20-24 hand pies.

Basic Double Pie Crust

2 cups GF flour blend

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup palm oil shortening

6-8 tablespoons ice water

Directions

Mix together the flour blend and salt.  Cut in the shortening until pieces are pea-size.  Add in the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork to moisten the dough.  Keep adding the water until a nice ball can be formed without breaking apart. Have enough water to make a soft dough and is almost sticky, but not quite. (So, the dough doesn't stick to your hand, but if any more was added, it definitely would.)

Use this recipe for any pie recipe, following the directions for baking in those recipes.  Or use as outlined above, in the pumpkin hand pies recipe.

Please note that this is a delicate dough, and can break apart easily, so be patient and careful with it.

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, Whole Food Fridays, and Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Allergy Friendly Ice Cream Sandwiches

One thing my boys have missed since our diet change, has been ice cream sandwiches.  So, I finally made some and they LOVED them.  My older son usually turns his nose up to dairy-free ice cream, but he absolutely loves this ice cream...it's the base for my Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream and my Caramel Cashew Ice Cream.  The cookies are a modification of my graham crackers, so they aren't overly sweet, but they pair perfectly with the very sweet ice cream.

Allergy Friendly Ice cream Sandwiches
3/4 cup GF flour blend
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla

ice cream of choice (we used the base of this one)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.  In a saucepan melt together the coconut oil, coconut sugar and honey.  Once the sugar is dissolved into the oil, add in the water and vanilla and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix together with a spoon, then knead with your hands until the dough is nice and smooth.

Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper (makes for easier clean up) to 1/8" thickness and cut out your cookies with a pizza cutter or a cookie cutter.  Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet and poke them with a fork.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

Once the cookies have cooled, top half of them with a scoop of ice cream, then cover with another cookie.  Wrap them in paper or aluminum foil and freeze until ice cream is set.  (The cookies soften to just the right consistency when they've had time to sit in the freezer with the ice cream).

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Gluten Free Friday, and Whole Food Fridays.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These bars require a glass of milk (or almond milk), they are rich and delicious.  My little one said, mom this are just like brownies, but like cookies.  I think that's the perfect description...they have the texture of a brownie, but taste like a rich chocolate chip cookie.  They really are divine!  I made 2 batches in less than 24 hours, because we went through them so fast!  I'm positive you'll love these.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
2 cups coconut sugar
2/3 cup palm oil shortening
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups GF flour blend
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life mini chips)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the sugar and shortening together in a mixing bowl.  Add in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour blend, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture into the sugar mixture.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Grease a 9x13 pan.  Spread/press dough into the pan with greased hands (the dough is more like a very thick brownie batter, it's sticky!).  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the bars to cool before cutting and enjoying.

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten Free Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays and Whole Food Fridays.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

My older son is having tummy troubles, I'm working a crazy busy schedule at work, and my heart is aching for those affected by the tragedy in Boston.  So, I just didn't have the energy to test recipes like I usually do. I do need to update my peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, though, so here's my latest revision of my family's favorite cookie.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup palm oil shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup coconut sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup GF flour blend
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used a combination of Enjoy Life mini chips and mega chunks)

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening, peanut butter, and coconut sugar.  Add egg and vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Roll into 1-1 1/2 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown on edges and just set in middle.  Cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing and placing on wire rack.

This post was shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Lunchbox, Gluten Free Fridays, and Whole Food Fridays.

Sugar Cookies (new version)

So, I really wasn't planning on making any sweets for Valentine's day this year.  I know, I'm lame, well, more accurately, I'm tired and really busy.  Well, my sitter asked if I happened to be making sugar cookies for Valentine's, which meant, they were decorating sugar cookies for Valentine's day and my little one would need some.  So, no matter how tired or busy I am, sugar cookies for my boy comes first. :)  I didn't have yogurt in the fridge (my yogurt maker is broker, and I haven't forked over the dough for a new one), which is a main ingredient in my original sugar cookies. So, I decided to peruse the web and find the common theme in sugar cookies...which really are quite basic.  So, here's a very basic sugar cookie, that's super easy to make and yields incredibly soft, scrumptious cookies.

Sugar Cookies 

(converted and adapted from here)

1 cup dairy-free margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups gluten-free flour blend

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Cream together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in egg and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour blend and the baking powder, add the flour mixture slowly into the sugar mixture.  Mix well, I get in and mix it with my hands to fully incorporate the flour.

Place the dough in a large ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Working with half the dough at a time (keeping the other half chilled), place dough on a lightly floured surface (I put mine on parchment paper) and cover with another piece of parchment paper.  Roll to desired thickness.  Cut out with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with the other half of dough.

Cook at 350F for 8-10 minutes, or until just set...I pull them out before they start browning, so watch them close.

Allow cookies to cool before frosting with your favorite frosting.  We used buttercream.

This post is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Friendly Friday, and Gluten Free Fridays.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

I love fruit crisps, apple, peach, raspberry peach, well, basically any type of fruit that can be cooked, I've probably put in a crisp.  They are easy and definitely a comfort food.  I already have a recipe on the blog for raspberry peach crisp and I use that basic recipe for all of my fruit crisps by changing up the fruit.  I've decided to post the crisp recipe again, with a strawberry rhubarb mixture this time.  I did add some additional sugar to the fruit mixture (which I don't usually do with crisps, but between the rhubarb and my strawberries, which weren't quite ripe, I decided I needed to sweeten it a little), also if you don't want the crisp runny when it's hot out of the oven add a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to the fruit prior to topping it with the crisp.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved (if large)  
2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar, separated
1/2 cup gf oat flour (or brown rice flour, if you don't have oat flour)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup gf rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup dairy free margarine

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Arrange fruit in 8 x 8-inch baking dish and toss with 1/4 cup sugar.
2. Combine the remaining sugar, flours, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl; mix well.  Cut in margarine until crumbly.
3. Sprinkle crumbs over fruit. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until fruit is tender.

This post is featured on Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Allergy-Free Wednesday and Ingredient Challenge Monday.



Oh Henry Bars

I've had this treat since I was little, and I'm not sure why we called it Oh Henry Bars, because they aren't really like the candy bar (I haven't had the candy bar in ages, maybe it does have similar flavors, I don't remember). Other people call these scotcheroos, so whatever you call them, it's a fantastic way to make rice crispy treats.

Oh Henry Bars
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups gluten free crisp rice cereal
1 1/2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips

Directions:

Grease a 9X13 pan and set aside. Place corn syrup and sugar into large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Boil one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into pan. Set aside.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and spread evenly over the cereal mixture. Let the chocolate cool and firm up before cutting.

Graham Crackers

What if I told you that graham crackers are one of the easiest things to make?  Would you believe me?  Well, they are!  I have made them two nights in a row to give you two options for your sugar and both ways are easy and quite tasty.  In fact we used them to make smores last night and they were absolutely fantastic! 

Now, I love my honey, so the first version uses straight honey as the sweetener.  For those of you that are not huge into honey, I have a second version that uses equal parts brown sugar and honey to tone down the honey taste just a little, but still give it that Honey Graham taste that I love.

Honey Graham Crackers (Refined Sugar-Free Version)

1 cup GF flour blend

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

1/4 cup honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.  In a saucepan melt together the margarine and honey.  Pour the honey into the dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon, then knead with your hands until the dough is nice and smooth.

Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper (makes for easier clean up) to 1/8" thickness and cut out your crackers with a pizza cutter.  Place the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet and poke them with a fork.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

Graham Crackers (Brown Sugar and Honey Version)

1 cup GF flour blend

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients.  In a saucepan melt together the margarine, brown sugar and honey.  Pour the wet ingredients (including the tablespoon of water) into the dry ingredients and mix together with a spoon, then knead with your hands until the dough is nice and smooth.

Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper (makes for easier clean up) to 1/8" thickness and cut out your crackers with a pizza cutter.  Place the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet and poke them with a fork.

Bake at 375F for 10 minutes.  Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

Max's Earthworm Cake

I am so stinkin excited for this month's 'Go Ahead Honey, It's Gluten-Free' event...it's fictional food.  Z from Z's cup of tea is hosting it and I love her theme! So fictional food would basically be all the food we read about in books, specifically children's stories.  Oh, the possibilities are endless!

I decided I wanted to make something that would be special to my boys, so Harry Potter and the Hunger Games were out--they aren't old enough to care about those yet. There was really one book that stood out to me and I knew I had to use it as my inspiration: Bunny Cakes.

Now, for those of you that don't know Bunny Cakes, I'm sorry. :)  My boys have grown up on Max and Ruby books and this one is their favorite.  Max and Ruby make birthday cakes for their Grandma...Ruby's is an Angel Surprise Cake with Raspberry Fluff Frosting, and Max makes her an Earthworm cake with Caterpiller Icing, topped with Red Hot Marshmallow Squirters.  Now, I have boys, so you can guess which cake they wanted me to make, right?  So, obviously, we made an edible version of Max's cake...chocolate cake covered in chocolate frosting, cookie crumbs, peppermint glaze and of course, gummy worms and for the marshmallow squirters we used fruit gushers. Enjoy!

Max's Earthworm Cake (i.e. chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and peppermint glaze)
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups GF flour blend
1 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup dairy-free yogurt (I use my homemade yogurt)**
1/2 cup dairy-free milk**
2/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups hot water

1/2 package Kinnikinnick Chocolate Sandwich cookies
~6 gummy worms
1-2 individual packages of red fruit gushers

Chocolate Frosting:
Combine the following in a bowl and set aside:
1/2 C dairy-free margarine
1/4 C dairy-free milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 16 oz package powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa

Pepperimint Glaze:
Combine the following a bowl and set aside:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 T dairy-free milk
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
green food coloring

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease two 9-inch pans and lightly dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour blend, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add in eggs, yogurt, milk, canola oil, and vanilla.  Slowly add in the hot water and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.

Pour batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow the cakes to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes, before removing them from the pan.  Allow the cakes to cool completely before moving on to the next step.

Place the bottom layer onto a large dish or covered cardboard cover the top with chocolate frosting and place the second layer on top.  Take a serrated knife and sculpt the cake to look more domed.  If need take the some of the cut pieces and place them on top to give the cake the domed look. Below is what mine looked like at this point.

 Frost the cake with the chocolate frosting (this is one time it's okay if you get crumbs all over your frosting).

Crush the sandwich cookies (or place them in a food processor and pulse it a few times) and cover the frosted cake with the cookie crumbs. Take about 6 or so gummy worms and roll them in cocoa (this is optional, but not in my house, my boys wanted the worms as realistic as possible!) and place them in various locations on the cake.

Drizzle the top with the peppermint glaze and top it off with the fruit gushers.

**I know that dairy-free yogurt can be expensive, so you can use 1 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice in place of the 3/4 cup yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk

Chocolate Crepes with Lemon Cream Sauce

I love crepes and I love chocolate, so I thought I may as well put them together...it worked amazingly well.  It's basically my regular crepe recipe with a few modifications. I also had a couple of lemons that needed to be used up and whipped up this sauce...this sauce is incredible.  I think it would go great with my lemon poppy seed pancakes, too.

 Chocolate Crepes
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup dairy-free milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and sugar.  Add the eggs.  Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine.  Add the salt and margarine, beat until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly buttered (with dairy-free margarine) 10-12" frying pan over medium high heat.  Pour or scoop the batter into the pan, using just under 1/2 cup or so for each crepe.  Tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is light brown.  Loosen with a spatula, flip and cook the other side.  Serve hot.  This makes about 10-12 crepes.

Lemon Cream Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose gluten free flour blend
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dairy-free milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Directions
1. In a saucepan, stir together sugar, flour, and salt.

2. Slowly whisk in the milk and lemon juice and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.

3. Stir in lemon zest and serve warm or cold over crepes or any dessert or pancakes.

This post is featured on Allergy Friendly Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, and Gluten Free Wednesday.

Do-Si-Dos

It's Girl Scout cookie time.  My niece is a girl scout, so I support her and get a few boxes of cookies for my hubby.  My boys are good sports about it, probably because I make huge batches of cookies for them. :) I made Tagalongs this past weekend...yeah, they didn't even make it a week before they were devoured.

 My boys then noticed their dad eating some do-si-dos and asked what type of cookies they were and if I could make some.  To which I replied, of course I can...and I did.  They turned out amazingly well and are really easy to make.  This does make a lot, so keep that in mind.  I froze half of mine, so we can enjoy them later.

Do-si-dos
1 cup dairy-free margarine
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups GF flour blend
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking gluten free oats

filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup dairy-free margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. With a stand mixer, combine margarine, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour blend, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture.  Stir in the oats.

Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes (8 for smaller cookies, 10 minutes for larger cookies).  Let cool on tray for 5 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a cooling rack.

While cookies cool, make the filling by combine the powdered sugar, peanut butter, margarine and vanilla together until smooth.  Spread on the bottom of one half and sandwich together with another cookie.

Makes about 4 dozen sandwich cookies.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy Friendly Monday.

Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

I was going to post this back around Valentine's Day, in fact, I made it for my hubby on Valentine's Day...but I misplaced my recipe that I had worked weeks on perfecting.  So, I had try to remember and recreate it again.  It was little bit frustrating, but it was totally worth it.  This is the easiest decadent dessert you can make.  Really, it's incredibly easy.  Most molten lava cakes call for melted chocolate, I opted for cocoa, because it's cheaper and always in my cupboard, and it turned out just as well. I added in cinnamon, because I love the combination of chocolate and cinnamon...and my word, molten lava cakes should have a bit of kick to them, shouldn't they?

 

  
I'm adding this as part of the "Go Ahead Honey...It's Gluten Free" event for February.  Gluten-Free Cat is hosting this month and the theme is Hot, Spicy, and/or Heart Shaped.

 

Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

1/2 cup Coconut Oil (solid)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup applesauce

1/3 cup GF flour blend

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup cocoa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 4-6 ramekins (I used 1/2 cup sized ones) with dairy-free margarine. 

With a mixer, beat together the coconut oil and the sugar.  Add in the eggs and applesauce. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour blend, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine.  

Fill the ramekins ~3/4 full or a little more, in 1/2 cup sized ones it fills 4 ramekins perfectly. 

Bake at 400F for 14-18 minutes for the 1/2 cup sized ramekins, depending on how done you like it.  I cooked mine for 15 1/2 minutes.  You want the outside done, but the middle a sauce. 

Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.  Eat it straight out of the ramekin or flip it over onto a plate to serve.  Top with powdered sugar, ice cream, or anything else your heart desires.

This post is also featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy Friendly Friday.

Baked Yeast Doughnuts

A few weeks ago I posted this recipe for Yeast Doughnuts. They are awesome, but they are fried.  So, I decided to try these baked to see how they'd turn out.  We had them last night for dinner (we have breakfast for dinner every Thursday night in my house) and it was a huge hit.  We almost ate the entire dozen I made.  My boys loved these more than the fried ones, so I will definitely bake them again.  A note on the rising, if you aren't sticking the dough into the fridge like me (it's my way of prepping beforehand), you probably could get away with one rise for 30-45 minutes, or when the dough doubles.  If you do it this away, just make sure to shape the doughnuts first.

We topped our doughnuts with either a sugar glaze or dipping them in melted margarine and then in cinnamon sugar (I think that one was the best).

Baked Yeast Doughnuts
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, separated
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dairy-free margarine, cut up
Canola Oil for frying
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Sugar Glaze
melted margarine (1/4-1/2 cup)
Cinnamon Sugar (1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon)

Directions:
The night before you want donuts do the following:

In a small bowl, whisk together yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

In a food processor or stand mixer, combine flour, milk, egg, egg yolk, salt, yeast mixture, and remaining sugar. Cover and process until combined. Add margarine; cover and process until combined (dough will be sticky, of course).

Place dough in lightly greased bowl; cover and chill in refrigerator overnight (8 to 12 hours).

In the morning, do the following:

Divide up the dough into doughnut pans (enough to make 12 full size doughnuts) and smooth out the tops using wet fingers.  Cover the dough and allow it to rise for at least 45 minutes, or until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375F. Bake doughnuts for about 10 minutes, or when they start to turn golden brown.  Remove from pan immediately, allow to cool for a couple of minutes then top as desired. Either dip each donut in melted margarine, then cinnamon sugar to coat, or in the glaze...depending on your preference.

This post was featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Biscuits and Gravy...Chocolate Gravy

I'm on a chocolate kick.  I love chocolate and I love that Valentine's Day is coming up, because that gives me the excuse to eat more chocolate. I saw this recipe on pinterest and knew I had to convert it, I wanted to make a biscuit recipe anyway, and topping it with chocolate gravy sounded even better...and it was, it was heavenly, I think I want this for breakfast every morning.  Probably won't happen, but I'll definitely have it every once in a while. :)  The biscuits are excellent on their own, so they are a quick and easy side for dinners, so I definitely will be making these a lot. I also entered this into the Fork and Beans Bake-off contest. :)

 

Biscuits
2 cups GF flour blend
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) dairy-free margarine
~1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Add lemon juice to the coconut milk and set aside. Mix together flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.  Add margarine and cut into the flour with a pastry blender (or a fork) until pea-sized crumbs form.  Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the soured milk (start with 3/4 cup of the milk).  Mix with a rubber spatula until ingredients are combined (if your dough is too stiff, add 1-2 more tbsp. buttermilk).  The dough should be sticky, but you should still be able to work with it, so not too sticky.  Turn the sticky dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Smooth the dough out and pat it out until it's to 1" thickness.

Cut out biscuits with a sharp biscuit cutter. And place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 -20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the biscuit tops with melted margarine.  Serve warm, topped with chocolate gravy.

Chocolate Gravy
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons GF flour blend
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups So Delcious Coconut milk
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) dairy-free margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan whisk together the dry ingredients.  Pour in the milk and whisk vigorously to combine.  Heat over medium-high until the mixture bubbles.  Turn heat down to medium and stir until mixture has thickened to a gravy consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Let cool slightly then transfer to a gravy boat. Serve warm over biscuits, or over ice cream, or brownies, or well, anything for that matter.

This post is featured on Allergy Friendly Friday.

Yeast Doughnuts

I love doughnuts (or donuts, however you want to spell it), and I'm really happy that I can buy some pretty good ones, like the kinnikinnick ones, but I miss yeast raised doughnuts, a classic glazed one, or a jelly filled one, ones rolled in sugar...um, I could go on and on.  So I set out to make my one, and I failed at least once, but today I succeeded and I have eaten way to many of these little gems, but I don't care. :) I based my recipe on this one and modified it for our diet.

Yeast Doughnuts
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, separated
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm So Delicious Original Coconut Milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dairy-free margarine, cut up
Canola Oil for frying
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Sugar Glaze
1/2-3/4 cup jam or jelly, optional

Directions:
The night before you want donuts do the following:

In a small bowl, whisk together yeast, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

In a food processor or stand mixer, combine flour, milk, egg, egg yolk, salt, yeast mixture, and remaining sugar. Cover and process until combined. Add margarine; cover and process until combined (dough will be sticky, of course).

Place dough in lightly greased bowl; cover and chill in refrigerator overnight (8 to 12 hours).

In the morning, do the following:

On a well-floured surface, roll (or pat, that's what I do) dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, cut dough. Reroll as necessary. Arrange dough rounds on parchment paper. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes or until nearly double in size.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan to 365 degrees F. In a bowl, place 1/3 cup sugar; set aside. Prepare the sugar glaze or any other toppings for the doughnuts and set aside. Place the jelly in a decorating bag fitted with a long thin tip; set aside.

Fry doughnuts, three at a time, in the oil about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (I found it is easiest to place the donuts in the oil by using the parchment paper it is already on...you turn the paper over right over the oil and the doughnuts drop right in.) Remove doughnuts using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. While warm, dip each donut in sugar to coat, or in the glaze...depending on your preference.

For jelly filled doughnuts:

Holding each doughnut, poke a hole in one side of doughnut. Pipe the jelly through the opening. Repeat on opposite side of doughnut. Serve warm. Makes about 12-14 doughnuts.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Chocolate Soup topped with Raspberry Whipped Cream

So, there's this contest that is happening over at Fork and Beans that's all about Valentine's Day.  The recipes need to be gluten-free and vegan, the more allergy-friendly the better...that's easy-peasy for me. :)  So, here's my submission...Chocolate Soup.  I've also listed one topping idea to add to the soup, Raspberry Whipped Cream, and it was divine, and I ate way too much of it, and no, I don't regret it. :)

 

Can I just say, holy cow!  It turned out amazing.  It's thicker and richer than Hot Chocolate, hence the soup name.  And it's exactly what I needed, or at least, what I think I needed. ;)  This would be awesome for a dessert party or get together of some sort.  Everyone can bring a topping or mix-in to share, line all the toppings up and you have a Chocolate Soup Bar...he he, doesn't that just sound delicious?

Chocolate Soup
5 cups So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Beverage
1 (10 oz) package Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate mini chips
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup tapioca starch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

Directions:
Combine the coconut milk, chocolate chips and sugar in a saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and just begins to come to a boil.  Add in the vanilla and the tapioca starch slurry.  Stir until the mixture thickens and is smooth.  Remove from heat and ladle into bowls.  The fun part is to add the mix-ins and toppings.  Top with fresh fruit, crushed gluten-free cookies, chocolate chips, homemade vegan marshmallows, chopped nuts, if tolerated, or Raspberry Whipped Cream (recipe below, if nuts are tolerated).



Raspberry Whipped Cream

Mimic Creme Healthy Top Whipping Cream, whipped according to package directions
10 oz raspberries, mashed

Directions:
Fold mashed raspberries into the whipped cream until combined, add a generous dollop to the top of the chocolate soup.

This post is also featured on Allergy Friendly Friday.