Gluten Free Banana Muffins

I hadn’t had a banana muffin for over six months.  I was sad.  I used to make pretty healthy whole grain ones all the time.  The boys love them and I loved them.  So I decided I needed to make some gluten free, refined sugar free ones.  I think these turned out great!  As soon as I have some more overripe bananas, I will be making them again, sorry boys, these are mine.

This recipe made 14 muffins.  You could probably fill 12 each a little fuller and not have the extra two, but 14 worked for me.  I used coconut oil instead of butter and coconut sugar with a little molasses instead of brown sugar.  I might have baked them a couple minutes too long, but I loved the crusty outside and they were still perfectly moist inside.  I used my newly favorite Premium Gold Gluten Free Ancient Grains Flour.  I wrote about it here in this post for Individual Microwave Chewy Brownies.  Ooh, brownies……wait, I must finish telling you about the muffins first.  (Sorry, it doesn’t take me much to get off track.)

Gluten Free Banana Muffins (Refined Sugar Free), by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

3/4 cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon molasses

1/4 cup coconut oil

3 medium, overripe bananas, mashed (I like to puree them in a food processor)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups gluten free flour (I used Premium Gold Ancient Grains Flour Blend)

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/3 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush  muffin cups with coconut oil.  (I just use my fingers, you could use a pastry brush though.)  In a medium sized bowl, combine the coconut sugar and molasses and mix together with a fork.  Add the coconut oil and stir until combined.  Stir in the bananas, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until well combined.  Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until well mixed.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  (This can all be done with a wooden spoon.)  Using a cookie scoop, fill each muffin cup with batter until 2/3-3/4 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Makes 12-14 muffins.

The number of muffins I ate the day I made them shall remain untold on the grounds it might make a glutton out of me.  There’s nothing quite like warm muffins fresh from the oven……….except maybe brownies.  hehe

Almond Joy Fudge Bars, Two Ways—Gluten Free or Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free

Almond Joy Fudge Bars with gluten free oats

I’ve been meaning to get these posted because they are SO good.  I’ve made them twice in one week.  The first time I made them with gluten free oats.  As I ate them and loved them, I decided they don’t really even need the oats in them, so they can also easily be made without any oats/grain.

These are really easy to make, the hardest part is waiting while they chill in the fridge for an hour.

Almond Joy Fudge Bars with gluten free oats, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup (128 grams) almond butter (I use homemade)

1/3 cup (120 grams) raw honey

1/4 cup (56 grams) organic coconut oil

3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) refined sugar free chocolate chips (Equal Exchange or Enjoy Life, etc)

1 cup minus 3 tablespoons gluten free oats

3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes (toasted, optional)

1/3 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil (or coat with coconut oil).

In a saucepan, heat together over medium heat until all combined the almond butter, honey and coconut oil.  Turn heat off and add the chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Stir in the oats, coconut and almonds.  Pour and spread evenly into pan.  Chill in refrigerator for an hour.  Remove bars from pan using foil edges and cut into squares.  Store in refrigerator.

adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

While eating and loving these, I couldn’t help but think they would be really good without the oats (grain) and how kicked up they would be with more coconut and almonds, so I made them again replacing some of the oats with more coconut and almonds.  Delicious!  Can’t decide which I like better.  You decide.  When I made them without the oats, I toasted the coconut.  I’ll probably toast it every time now.

Almond Joy Fudge Bars, grain free, refined sugar free

Almond Joy Fudge Bars, grain free and refined sugar free, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup (128 grams) almond butter (I used homemade)

1/3 cup (120 grams) raw honey

1/4 cup (56 grams) coconut oil

3/4 cup (4 1/2 ounces) refined sugar free chocolate chips (Equal Exchange or Enjoy Life, etc)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted lightly (350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes)

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped (350 degree oven for 10 minutes)

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil (or coat with coconut oil).

In a saucepan, heat together over medium heat until all combined the almond butter, honey and coconut oil.  Turn heat off and add the chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Stir in the coconut and almonds.  Pour and spread evenly into pan.  Chill in refrigerator for an hour.  Remove bars from pan using foil edges and cut into squares.  Store in refrigerator.

adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

You’ve got to try these!

“Real Deal” Chocolate Chip Cookies—Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free

I recently made Danielle’s Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  She’s the author and brains behind the blog and cookbook, Against All Grain.  These ARE a great grain free, refined sugar free chocolate chip cookie. 

They are made with almond flour and a little coconut flour.  To sweeten them up, they have coconut palm sugar and a little honey.  I will definitely make these again and probably again…..

The only difference to her recipe, which called for either palm shortening or grassfed butter was that I didn’t use grassfed butter, but I did use butter and a good brand at that.  A little funny here, but I didn’t realize butter can be fed anything.

If you’re like me and cutting out or back on grains and refined sugar, these are a great cookie to try, so go now to Danielle’s blog and make them ASAP.  I was lucky and blessed to buy her book, Against All Grain, with a wonderful gift card my parents sent for Christmas.  Thanks, Mom and Dad! 

Why did I put “Real Deal” in quotes, you wonder?  Since I didn’t use grassfed butter, I don’t want you to think I copied her recipe completely, but that is the only change I made. 

Individual Microwave Chewy Brownie, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free

Sometimes, you just have to have a treat, a real, honest-to-goodness treat.  I’m talking about chocolate.  I’m talking about a brownie.  Yes, I’ve made and tried many different brownies and cookies, some are grain free, some gluten free, all refined sugar free.  I haven’t found my very favorite yet.  This time, I just wanted my own little treat and I wanted it fast. 

I looked online and found too many, so I ended up just putting together my own concoction and YUM!  I’m so happy.  A food blogger’s job is so hard.  We have to make and eat food all for our readers’ benefit.  I know, such tough stuff.  You’re welcome.  Happy to be of assistance.  Even happier to have this fun, super quick chocolaty treat pretty much anytime I want.  I can make it, bake it (microwave) and be eating it in all of about five minutes.  You can, too!

I was going to hurry and blog this the night I made it, but realized it’s my duty to make sure it really was good more than once, so I took one for the team (YOU!) and made it again, you know, just to make sure.  I love how chewy it is. (Don’t over cook it!)  I love that I used an ancient whole grain gluten free flour (Premium Gold brand) that I found for a great price for five pounds at Costco.  And I LOVE that as a gluten free flour blend, it doesn’t have potato starch.  Most do.  I am not eating potatoes anymore and decided to include any form of the potato in that decision.  Lo and behold, almost every gluten free flour blend seems to have potato starch.  Not this one!   (Yes, I’ve made my own blend a few times, but this was too good to pass up.)  The ingredients in this flour are rice flour, ground flaxseed, quinoa flour, buckwheat flour, amaranth flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour and xanthan gum.  I love whole grains and this is GMO free.  I can’t wait to make other things with it.  So far, I’ve only used it for these brownies. 

Individual Microwave Chewy Brownie, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

2 tablespoons Premium Gold Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (or any flour of your choice)

2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon egg white powder

1 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa

pinch of salt

1  1/2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

1  1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*optional mix-ins—1 tablespoon Enjoy Life or Sunspire Chocolate Chips

*1 tablespoon pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, egg white powder, cocoa and salt.  Whisk together.  In another small bowl, mix the almond milk and coconut oil, microwave for 15 seconds if the coconut oil isn’t melted.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until all combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and/or pecans.  Save some of the chocolate chips for the top of the brownie if you’d like.  Lightly grease a 6 oz. ramekin with coconut oil.  Pour the batter into the ramekin and spread evenly.  Microwave on about 75% power for 45 seconds.  If you saved some chocolate chips, sprinkle them over the top.  Once they are melty, you can spread them over the top of the brownie or just leave them whole.  Eat the brownie warm!  Mmm.

Not necessarily the prettiest dessert and I’m going to have to not just make them late at night so I can get a better picture, but it sure tastes good, especially when you’ve been deprived of real brownies for so long and you just need something chocolaty.  Perfecto.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread

Since going gluten free and refined sugar free last June, I have hardly had any bread (made a couple gluten free loaves before months ago) and I have been really craving bread!  Sometimes I just want a sandwich—peanut butter and honey or jam to be specific.  I couldn’t even wait to take a bite before getting a picture.

Just kidding.  I did get a few pictures, but I bit right into this slice as soon as I could.

This bread is perfect for toast.  Though even Kevin, who doesn’t eat gluten free, had a slice untoasted with some jam and said it was pretty good.  I just can’t tell you how happy I am to eat toast!

I received the Apricot Jam from a friend for Christmas.  She purposely made some with agave instead of sugar so I could eat it.  So nice.  And the jam is so good.  Tastes like fresh, slightly tart apricots.  Thanks, Jackie!

I got a bread machine cookbook from our friend, Bob, for Christmas and it has a couple gluten free bread recipes in it.  I took one of the recipes and totally changed it up, then didn’t bake it in my bread machine, so here’s my take on a gluten free bread.

I’ve noticed in the few times I’ve made gluten free bread, it doesn’t come out the prettiest and rise as nice and high as regular bread, but it tastes great.

Gluten Free Buttermilk Bread, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly melted

3 tablespoons raw honey

4 large egg whites, beaten until frothy

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup whole grain sorghum flour

1  1/2 cups brown rice flour

3/4 cup arrowroot powder

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Put the buttermilk and water in a microwave safe dish and heat until warm, about 25-40 seconds on half power.  Add the vinegar, slightly melted butter and honey with the buttermilk and water and whisk to combine.  Whisk the egg whites until frothy in a separate bowl.  Add to the wet ingredients and whisk together.  Pour into a stand mixer (of course, you can do it all by hand) and add the yeast.  In another bowl, combine the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot, tapioca flour and xanthan gum and whisk together.  With the dough hook attached to the mixer and set at low speed, add half a cup of the dry ingredients at a time.  Add more as it mixes until all combined.  Cover the bowl and let sit in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.  Stir mixture with a wooden spoon, then put it into a greased 9x5 inch bread pan (I used coconut oil).  Let rise for about 30 minutes, just until it starts to come up over the pan.  During the last rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on the top.  Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.  Remove from pan (it took a little prying with a knife, but it really wasn’t stuck anywhere.)  Cool on a wire rack.

Happy me!  Now if I could just get over this nasty cold that is knocking me for a loop.  Welcome to winter, happy new year!

Grain Free Gingerbread Blondies with Chocolate Chips (also refined sugar free)

Probably the last thing I’m able to get posted before Christmas, sure wish I could get to posting more often like I used to.  Someday.  I’ve missed it.  But here we are, the last week of December, Christmas Eve tomorrow and the year is gone.  2013, not my favorite year, we’ve sure had our fair share of trials in our family.  Bring on 2014!  I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a great coming new year as well!

I haven’t been making as many treats as I’d like.  Just haven’t had the energy to do so.  Bums me out!  But I did make a few things worthy of getting posted, so here’s one.  I took a few ideas and recipes that were grain free, refined sugar free and made these blondies.  I’ve been craving gingerbread like crazy and these have really hit the spot.  I do like gingerbread without chocolate, but for some reason I prefer it WITH chocolate—go figure.

These are simply made with almond butter and coconut sugar for the sweetener.  There is a little coconut flour in them as well as some molasses and those wonderful spices that make gingerbread so good.  I have really enjoyed them slightly heated up with a few more chocolate chips on top—they get all melty and add a nice topping.  They are just find without the extra chocolate.

Grain Free Gingerbread Blondies with Chocolate Chips, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1 cup almond butter (I made my own with almonds I roasted)

2 tablespoons unsulphured blackstrap molasses (It doesn’t have to be blackstrap)

2 large eggs

2/3 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/3 cup Organic Fair Trade chocolate chips, more for topping if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil (or grease with coconut oil).  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the almond butter, molasses, eggs and coconut sugar.  Whisk together until well mixed.  (This can all be done by hand or with an electric mixer.)  In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Spread the mixture evenly into the baking pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool then remove from pan by lifting the edges of the foil and cut into squares. 

Put those few extra chocolate chips on top of a piece of the blondies and  warm it up for 15-20 seconds.  Then let it sit for a minute.  The chocolate will melt a little, then just spread it over the top, it wasn’t all that pretty when I did it that way late one night, so I don’t have a photo, but it sure tasted great!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!  So grateful for all who read my little ol’ blog.

Raspberry Hot Cereal with Driscoll Raspberries

So the wonderful folks at Driscoll's sent me some more coupons for berries.  Happy Dance!  Thanks, Driscoll’s.  They didn’t ask me to do a post or anything, I’m just doing it because I wanted to tell you about my favorite breakfast as of late.  I was having smoothies everyday, but it’s just been too cold and I don’t want smoothies right now.  Since deciding to eat gluten free, I found some Gluten Free Hot Cereal that I’ve been using for my morning breakfasts. 
I don’t really have an exact recipe, but this is so delicious, you could try it with oats, too.  In fact, I usually do a couple tablespoons of the dry hot cereal and a couple tablespoons of gluten free quick oats.  I put them in a small saucepan with some almond milk.  Of course, you could use any milk or even water, but I definitely prefer my hot cereal made with milk.  I add a pinch of salt and then I add some washed raspberries, probably about half a cup.  Let it all start cooking away over medium-low heat.

Stir it a bit.  The raspberries will start to break down (ha, I almost typed break dance!).  Stir occasionally and if it starts to bubble and boil too much, turn the heat down.

It needs to cook for a good 5-10 minutes.  When the milk is all absorbed into the cereal, it will be ready.

Doesn’t that look good?  That would be fine as is, but I can’t ever seem to leave certain things out of my food—like chocolate and peanut butter.  After putting the hot cereal into a bowl, I always sprinkle it with some Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips and add a spoonful of natural peanut butter.  While eating this wonderful warm breakfast, I swirl the peanut butter and chocolate around so there is some of the melty deliciousness in each bite.  Looks so decadent—but it’s actually pretty darn healthy!  Try it.  And as your momma always told you not to, go ahead—play with your food!   What’s your favorite thing to add to hot cereal/oatmeal? 

I had been also drizzling the cereal with a little agave nectar, sometimes honey or you could even do some maple syrup, but lately I’ve not been adding any of those and I still think the cereal is sweet enough without any of those.  Speaking of this delicious raspberry hot cereal breakfast, it’s that time right now.  And I know just what I’m going to make!

Orange Agave Chocolate Chip Cookies, Plus Two More(All Gluten Free and Vegan)—Secret Recipe Club

I get to share three different cookies with you today for Secret Recipe Club.  I only picked one recipe from my assigned blog, Love & Flour, but I liked this Orange Agave Chocolate Chip Cookie so much that I played around with it and made three different versions using the basics of this recipe.  Of course, I love that they are made with agave for the sweetener.   Then I just made them gluten free with an all purpose gluten free pastry flour.

I love the texture of these cookies, they are almost a little sandy shortbread-like.  Oh, they are also vegan, I like that, too.  People who eat vegan are on to something—you can safely eat all cookie dough!  Instead of using canola oil, which was called for in the recipe, I used coconut oil.  And I used Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips.  These are so easy to whip up in one bowl (without a mixer), especially since I halved Leandra’s recipe, that I decided to try a couple other versions of the cookie.  All three are really good to me!

Orange Agave Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten Free and Vegan), by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Love & Flour

1/3 cup agave nectar

5 tablespoons (70 grams) coconut oil

1/2 tablespoon ground flax

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

zest of 1 mandarin orange (or 1-2 teaspoons orange zest)

1  1/2 cups gluten free pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Cream together in a bowl the agave and coconut oil until well combined.  Add the flax, extracts, and zest and stir together.  Then add the flour (you can use regular all purpose flour and not make these gluten free), xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.  Stir together until well mixed into a cookie dough.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Roll dough into 1-inch sized balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes 12-15 cookies.

*Raspberry Version.  Leave out the orange extract and add 1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries.

See, you know you want to just eat the dough.  The second time I made them, I left out the orange extract and zest and just added some freeze dried raspberries to the dough.  Delicious!  I love the combination of raspberry and chocolate.

Then I had the thought yesterday to try the cookies with honey instead of agave and replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder—double chocolate.  I really couldn’t tell you which of these I like the most. Here’s the quick recipe for the double chocolate cookies, since I changed the recipe a bit.

Double Chocolate Chip Gluten Free Vegan Cookies, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/3 cup raw honey

5 tablespoons (70 grams) coconut oil

1/2 tablespoon ground flax

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup gluten free pastry flour

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup organic semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Cream together in a bowl the honey and coconut oil until well combined.  Add the flax and vanilla and stir together.  Then add the flour (you can use regular all purpose flour and not make these gluten free, if you do, you don’t need the xanthan gum), xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir together until well mixed into a cookie dough.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Roll dough into 1-inch sized balls and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes 12-15 cookies.

I think I liked the dough for these double chocolate cookies the best, at least I think I tasted it the most. ; )  I forgot to take a picture of the dough for these.

I sure enjoyed “snooping around” Leandra’s blog, Love & Flour for Secret Recipe Club this month.  So many great recipes on all these wonderful blogs.  Really enjoying being a part of Secret Recipe Club.  Check out all the other good stuff people have made this month.

 

 

Grain Free No Bake Gingerbread Cookie Balls, also Gluten Free, Vegan and Refined Sugar Free

Yesterday I made two batches of cookies and some Gingerbread Cookie Bars (I mentioned them on Facebook, they are from Six Sisters’ Stuff).  I love baking.  But I am SO happy to know that I can still have yummy, much-healthier treats, too, even though I am  no longer eating gluten or refined sugars.  Here’s the link for the Salted Caramel Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies I posted recently.  I made two kinds of them, some had white chocolate chips and coconut and some had semi sweet chocolate chips and M&M’s, the caramel is the sticky star of these cookies, and the flavor and texture from the cream cheese in the cookie dough. 

These Grain Free No Bake Gingerbread Cookie Balls from Beth at Tasty Yummies hit the spot and are delicious!  They are super easy to make, have just a few ingredients and those delicious holiday spices that I was going crazy over smelling while I made the Gingerbread Cookie Bars. 

Simple and great and they do not even any oven time, I didn’t change a thing from Beth’s recipe—so go there now and make these.  They are a perfect treat for when you’re in the kitchen baking away other goodies for people and wish you could have just a little something.  They would also be great to give away to others.  I love all the no-bake treats out there, especially the ones like these with no refined sugars! 

That MIGHT be enough for me to snack on for a few days.  They are made with nuts and dates, a little molasses (unsulphured organic) and yummy spices.  They are rolled in unsweetened coconut, but they wouldn’t need to be and I think I’ll leave them “plain” next time I make them (in a few days).  One more photo, since you need to see them again and since I’m not posting the recipe.  Go to the link above for Beth’s recipe.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello, Friends.  I know, it’s been over two weeks since I blogged anything.  I’m sorry.  I’m lame.  I’ve been busy.  I haven’t felt that great.  But you totally need a cookie.  Tis the season.  So cookies it is!

In all seriousness, I want to bring you lots of yummy things this month—the holidays are coming!  I made these cookies weeks ago and you need to know about them.  I take no credit for them—that’s how I seem to roll these days.  Have you been to Krista’s blog, Budget Gourmet Mom?  Well, shame on you if you haven’t.  How could you not love the blog of a mom with four boys, just saying.  AND, how lame is it that Krista recently moved to the same city in Utah that I live in and we haven’t met yet.  We could blame those eight boys!

I made these cookies and I think one boy and one husband ate one or two and I gave the rest away to a number of wonderful neighbors who recently helped us out making us dinner when life was crazy.  I didn’t taste the cookies, but I heard from more than just my family that they were delicious.  Besides that, I think they look GREAT!  So, if you’re looking for something just a little different from plain ol’ chocolate chip cookies, try these.  You can’t go wrong with caramel AND cheesecake.  I made a few ever-so-slight changes to Krista’s recipe.  I added some salt to the cookie dough and I made a different caramel swirl.  Therefore, I think you should try both to see which you like better.   You need to add these to your holiday cookies.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys! from Krista at Budget Gourmet Mom

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used the 1/3 less fat kind)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt

12 ounces (2 cups) semi sweet chocolate chips

Caramel Swirl

4 ounces caramel (I have a BIG block of caramel and measured out 4 ounces, you could use the caramels that need unwrapped)

3 tablespoons heavy cream

sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In the bowl of a mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat until combined.  Scrape sides of bowl and add both sugars.  Beat to combine well.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.  Scrape sides of bowl again.  In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture and beat just until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Scoop dough onto baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes.  Let cookies sit on baking sheets for a few minutes.  Remove to cooling racks. 

Make the caramel swirl by putting the caramel in a microwave safe bowl.  Add the cream to the bowl and microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring each time, until the caramel and cream have combined well and are smooth.  The consistency will be like a caramel ice cream sauce.  Let it cool slightly (10 minutes or so).  Pour the caramel into a plastic zip top bag, seal it, removing any excess air, then snip off a tiny corner of the bag and drizzle the caramel over the cookies.   Sprinkle sea salt over the tops of the cookies. 

You know you want to make these.  Get your holiday baking started!  I think I’m going to make them again for a shindig on Friday.

Grain Free Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache—National Bundt Day and It’s My Birthday!

It’s my birthday!  It’s my birthday!  And if some will recall, my birthday is also National Bundt Day, so for the last few years, I’ve been making a bundt cake for my birthday.  Today is no exception.  However, in the last few months, I have started eating gluten free and refined sugar free—which posed as more of a problem finding just the right kind of treats.  Never fear—this bundt cake I made is just as delicious as any other chocolate bundt cake you’ve had and is not only gluten free, it’s grain free!  And has no refined sugar, it’s made with maple syrup. 

You cannot tell.  I love it.  I’m so happy with how it turned out.  Especially since I took a few other recipes I’ve seen and made it up.  Make this cake for your gluten free/grain free friends.  It’s practically health food.

It isn’t quite Paleo, if some are hoping for that, but could be if you leave the ganache off or using something else for the ganache.  I used a combination of 70% dark chocolate and 85% dark chocolate with a little heavy cream—that’s the only thing not Paleo about it.  I wish I’d baked it just a few minutes less, but it’s still super good and moist enough.

Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup arrowroot powder

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 cup almond flour/meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup natural cocoa powder

1 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup Enjoy life mini chocolate chips (optional)

For the ganache--

1 oz. 85% dark chocolate, chopped

1  1/2 oz. 70% dark chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread coconut oil evenly (with your fingers) throughout the bundt pan, making sure to get in all the crevices, then sprinkle with cocoa powder and tap out the extra.  Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the arrowroot powder, coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Whisk together.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, then add the maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine well.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  (I did 25 and wish I’d checked it at 20.)  Remove from oven and let sit on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Turn cake in pan upside down and carefully tap around the pan to release the cake.  It should pop right out.  Let cool completely.

Make ganache.   Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl.  Heat cream in microwave safe glass measuring cup just until starting to bubble.  Watch it in 20-25 second intervals.  It can boil over if you’re not watching, but it only took mine less than 45 seconds.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a minute.  Slowly stir the melted chocolate and cream together until a smooth, glossy chocolate appears.  Let sit until cool.  Drizzle over cake.  I like to put it in a plastic zip top bag and cut the corner off and squeeze it over the cake.   

Hello, Delicious Chocolate Bundt Cake!  Try it.  I think if you didn’t tell people, they’d never know it wasn’t just a regular cake.   Happy Bundting!

Check out all of Mary’s bundt cakes at Food Librarian.  She rocks bundt cakes!

Corn Fritters with Green Chile Buttermilk Dip—Cooking from The New Midwestern Table Cookbook

Don’t you hate it when you make something, it’s really good, you snap a few photos for your blog before the family devours it, THEN find out when it’s too late that the photos were pretty bad.  Sigh.  Yep, I hate that.  I did that with this recipe. 

The corn fritters from Amy Thielen’s book, The New Midwestern Table, 200 Heartland Recipes were our groups’ pick for today.  I made them a couple days ago and realized the photos are not good.  Well, it is what it is.  What is really important is that the corn fritters with the spicy buttermilk dip were delicious.  What more, I changed the recipe a bit (okay, quite a bit) and made them gluten free and instead of deep frying them in oil, I fried them in a shallow amount of coconut oil (which is why they are flat and not round like fritters should be).

I’m telling you, if you don’t have this book yet and enjoy collecting cookbook and trying new recipes, you need this one.  It’s great.  Because of my current diet changes, I changed a number of things from the recipe. 

For instance—the recipe called for green banana peppers or poblanos—I used jalapenos.  Instead of regular sugar, I used an organic natural cane sugar (the recipe only had one teaspoon).  I also changed from using basil in the dip and tarragon in the fritters to using cilantro in both.  The recipe called for 3-4 ears of corn, since corn is no longer in season, I used frozen/thawed corn and blended up about 1/4 cup of it to get that corn “milk” that was supposed to be from scraping the corn cobs.  I know, brilliant of me. ;)  I used a gluten free flour rather than all purpose flour.  I used Club Soda instead of light beer.  And finally—I fried the fritters in about 1/2 an inch of organic Spectrum brand coconut oil instead of deep frying them in canola oil.  So there, it’s almost not the same recipe, but it is for the most part.  I never would have done any of this without following the recipe. 

I changed a lot of the recipe, but we as a group decided not to post the recipes so you’ll want go buy Amy’s book.  So do it.  And really, if you want MY recipe as I made it, let me know and I’ll get it to you.  These were very tasty.  I wasn’t even able to fry all the batter, so I poured the rest into a round 8-inch baking pan, poured the remaining coconut oil over the top (which was just a couple tablespoons) and baked it for 15-20 minutes.  It was like one big fritter!  I forgot to take pictures of it, but reheated in the oven it was just as good and crispy as the fried ones and we sliced it like a pizza.  The jalapeno buttermilk dip, which also has sour cream is delicious and would be a great dressing for a salad or a dip for corn chips or even crackers, also as a sauce for tacos, ooh, fish tacos.  I will make the dip again for sure.  Just a few simple ingredients blended up in the blender.

Yes, I hurried and snapped this photo under the lights just as I was serving dinner, so it’s got too much light.  You see, I know my photos stink, but I just don’t have the time I’d like to spend making everything so pretty and perfect.  So there. ;)

I was so happy to be able to taste this since I made it gluten free and used a healthier oil. 

If you missed my first post from this book, check out the Fried Onion Dip with Homemade Potato and Sweet Potato Chips.

Pumpkin Pie Bars-Gluten Free and Cranberry Almond Oat Breakfast Cookies-Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free—Secret Recipe Club

It’s time for this month’s Secret Recipe Club.  Can I just say what a month it’s been?  Phew. 

I loved looking through my assigned blog and had a number of recipes picked out.  Before I knew it, I had less than a week left to make something.  I’ve gotten it done just in the nick of time.  We have had quite the month with my husband’s brother passing away this past week after a very short stint of lung cancer that had spread all over his body (he lived 7 weeks after the diagnosis), to my health issues always making me tired and fatigued, to also dealing with my first grader deciding to have some serious separation anxiety and right now insisting he can’t go to school without one of his parents there.  I have gained the utmost appreciation for teachers!  If anyone has any bright ideas for us to get Sam to decide he will be okay at school we’re up for trying just about anything and feel like we already have tried everything.  We have taken him to a psychologist a few times, but he won’t even talk.  Not giving up.  Not sure how much longer I can go sit with him in class everyday.  Kevin has been great and gone when he can work it out with his schedule.

So, yes, what a month!  My assigned blog this month was Lisa’s blog, Cook Lisa Cook.  I was delighted with all her gluten free recipes to choose from and have on my short list to make soon her A-Maisie-ingly Wonderful Gluten Egg and Dairy Free Bread.

I found a cookie recipe that intrigued me enough to try them and cranked out a half batch of them one evening—they are not only gluten free, but completely sugar free, egg free and dairy free.  These Cranberry Almond Oat Breakfast Cookies turned out great.  I enjoyed all 10 of them in my school lunches (been packing school lunches since I’ve been there with Sam so much) throughout the last week.  These are simply made with gluten free oats, banana, applesauce, cranberries and almonds.  What’s that?  You see some chocolate in the photo?  Okay, okay, I added some Enjoy Life chocolate chips because I just can’t seem to make anything without chocolate. ;)

Cranberry Almond Oat Breakfast Cookies (Gluten Free, dairy free, egg free, sugar free) by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Cook Lisa Cook

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (60 grams) gluten free oats

1 medium sized ripe banana

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

2 tablespoons Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a medium sized bowl or small food processor, puree the banana.  Stir in the applesauce and extracts.  Add the oats, cranberries, almonds and chocolate chips.  Scoop 10 cookies on to baking sheet and flatten slightly.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes then remove them to a wire rack.  Store in an airtight container. 

Not the prettiest cookies, but tasty for a great healthy addition to lunch or for a snack.  I didn’t want that to be the only thing I made from Lisa’s blog, so I also had these Pumpkin Pie Bars on my list and decided I could make them since I had some pumpkin puree in the fridge that I needed to use.  Lisa cooks gluten, dairy and egg free for her daughter, Maisie, who has allergies.  I adapted these bars by using organic pure cane sugar and almond milk instead of soy milk as well as light olive oil instead of vegetable oil.  These turned out like a really moist snack cake.  I think they are a great treat for me!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Bars, (also egg and dairy free), by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Cook Lisa Cook

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

pinch of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons flax seed meal

1  1/2 cups organic pure cane sugar*

2 teaspoons molasses*  Stir the molasses into the sugar with a fork until you have the consistency of brown sugar.

6 tablespoons almond milk

1/2 cup light olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

7.5 ounces pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line an 8 inch square baking pan with nonstick foil or spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine the rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, xanthan gum, spices, baking soda, flax seed and sugar/molasses mixture.  Whisk all together.  Add the milk, oil and lemon juice and mix to combine.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the pumpkin.  Mix until combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let bars cool on a wire rack.  Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream.

Sorry my photos aren’t great—I have barely had time to get things done and it’s been after dark lately, so I can’t seem to get a decent picture (not that mine are ever that great anyway). ;)