Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I love cookies! and this recipe has become my favorite. It is adapted from Rachel Carlyle-Gauthier's book 'Gluten Free Mama's Best Baking Recipes', I did not come up with this wonder! I just changed a few things to make it work for me :) I strongly suggest trying her flours, mixes and heck go buy her book!

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1 ¾ cups GF Flour (I use Gluten Free Mama Almond blend)
1/3 cocoa powder
1 ½ to 2 tsp Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum (cheaper and it’s the same as Xanthan)
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

½ cup butter, room temp
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs

Add as many Chocolate chips as you like :) I probably use more than I should….

Cream the butter and peanut butter together, then add sugar and vanilla, beat it all up, add the eggs. Combine the dry ingredients and mix them up, once the wet ingredients are combined slowing add the dry ingredients. Add in the Chocolate chips. The dough looks odd, like it’s too dry but it is fine. Make small to medium sized balls, flatten a little bit and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 mins.
*if you have a GF flour you already use and it has xanthan or guar or some other thickener in it you don’t need to add the xanthan/guar gum again.

New Gluten Free Items Database!

http://www.zeer.com/
Zeer.com is an online database for gluten free food items, it tells you if the item is GF, thought to GF(by the ingredients) or if the product is unsafe. It boasts having 30,000+ items and it looks cool! you can search by category(i.e 'Soy Sauce') or by brand.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Super Tasty!
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
• 2 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding (I use instant pudding mix)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (12 ounce) package chocolate chips
• 1 cup nuts (optional)
***I added a 2 tablespoons of Dutch cocoa for a little bit of flavor and color. I also threw in some white chocolate chips.*****
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Mix flour with baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugars and pudding mix.
4. Beat until smooth and creamy.
5. Beat in eggs and vanilla; gradually add flour mixture.
6. Stir in chips and nuts.
7. Roll into balls and flatten slightly or drop by teaspoon full on a non greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes.
9. Note: You may use instant chocolate pudding instead of vanilla pudding for a chocolate chocolate chip cookie.

Hamburger Buns!

Gluten Free Mama’s Hamburger Buns!
**This recipes belongs to the Gluten Free Mama, I was just lucky enough to make it :) **
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (105º-115º)
1 Tbsp. yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 cups GFM’s Rice Almond Blend Flour
1½ tsp. xanthan gum
¼ cup powdered instant milk
(or dairy free alternative)
¾ tsp. salt
1 egg
¼ cup honey
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. cider vinegar
(optional)
*egg white and 1 Tbsp. milk
*sesame seeds
*minced onion (for dried minced onion,
soak in 3 Tbsp. of water for 5 min.)]
Prepare baking pan by spraying with non-stick spray. In a liquid measuring cup mix together warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes until foamy.
In a stand mixer bowl combine flour, xanthan gum, instant milk and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Break egg in bowl and measure out honey. Melt butter in microwave safe bowl covered with waxed paper for 15 seconds. Measure vinegar and add to butter.
With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour yeast mixture into dry ingredients. Pour in honey, butter and egg. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Beating 3 minutes will allow buns to develop a texture similar to regular hamburger buns.
Scoop ⅓ cup dough onto cookie sheet or bun pan, forming a 4 inch circle. Smooth out tops. Gently cover with a light weight towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours, or until doubled.
For a shiny crust, lightly brush egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon milk over tops of buns. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or onions. Bake in preheated 375º oven just above center rack for 15-18 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Super Tasty! No Bake Cheesecake :)

My friend Katie gave this one to me, it was very easy and very tasty!

No Bake Cheesecake

1 package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 container cool whip
1 can your choice fruit pie filling (optional)
(recipe for crust following)

1. beat cream cheese till smooth
2. add sugar, blend in sour cream and vanilla
3. fold in cool whip
4. blend well
5. spoon into crust
6. chill at least 4 hours
7. top with fruit if desired


Cookie Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups crushed lucys cinnamin cookies (or gf graham crackers)-I used Pamela’s Ginger Cookies. Very Yummy!
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter

1. mix cookie crumbs and sugar
2. add butter and mix with fork till completely moistened
3. press mix into bottom of pie pan and 1/3 sides
4. in fridge one hour before filling

Gluten Free on Good Morning America!

Hey all!
Elisabeth Hasselbeck talked about being gluten free this morning, it was pretty cool! they did keep referring to it as an allergy which was a little off but hey its good to get the word out. She is also coming out with a book.

Here is a link to the video!
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7496178

A new product I love!

Bliss Coconut Ice Cream! They have a lot of different flavors and are completely Dairy and Gluten Free! Most health food stores have them, I know a lot of my fellow gluten haters also can't have dairy so this is a welcome treat :)

http://www.coconutbliss.com/

Crunchy Lo Mein/Chow Mein Noodles!

I had this moment of insanity or brilliance, I'm not sure which. But the result was a gluten free version of those little crunchy noodles that are normally with Chinese dishes.
I cooked rice spaghetti noodles(I broke them up into short pieces), don't let them get over cooked, and then sprinkled them out on a cookie sheet, lightly covered them in peanut oil, Sprinkle a little salt on them, and bake them at 350 for about 10 mins(watch them), once they were brown I pulled them out and yummy!
For the noodles I used Tinkyada, I love them and they are the best brand I've found.

Gluten Free Food Fest in Portland, OR. Reviews :)

*** I just got back from the gluten free food fest in Portland, OR. It was awesome! I wrote reviews from the notes I took on products, a lot are local places to Oregon but most of the good places have websites you can order from!***
Angeline’s
www.angelinesbakery.com
I tasted the white bread and it was awesome! Very light! And it had a nice flavor. Her table was flooded with people the whole time so that is a good sign :D

The Mississippi Pizza Bar
In Portland I believe….
Awesome GF Pizza!

So Delicious
Not so Delicious…

Laurels Sweets
http://www.glutenfreemixes.com/
YUM!

Black Horse Sauces
www.blackhorsesauces.com
Very Good!

New traditions Baking
Out of Portland, OR 503-887-5991 NTBaking@q.com
Cheesecake, I think that says it all. Ok maybe more is needed…Pretty awesome Cheesecake. The plain cheesecake was ok, but the chocolate cheesecake almost make me pass out it was so divine!

Options Baking Company, Inc. Keizer, OR
Why do people think that if they slap gluten free on something people won’t care how it tastes and just buy it? I give them an F for freaking crap!

Bavarian Mills
Dry, I choked lol.

Arbonne cosmetics
www.arbonne.com
Lots of selection, was very aware of gluten issues with skin care. $$$$$ Pricey!

Allergaroo
Packaged, ready to eat/microwavable kids snack packs! Like spaghetti-o’s

The Organic Bistro
www.theorganicbistro.com
This pissed me off! The woman was telling everyone “Our frozen dinners are completely gluten free!” So I asked her ‘Do you have a dedicated factory?’ her answer…”what do you mean?” so I clarified…”Do you make stuff with gluten in it on the same equipment as the gluten free items.” Her answer….”Welll um If I’m understanding you correctly….uh well of course we make other products with wheat in them in the building….sometimes on the same equipment…” Priceless.

Nickanedit-Nut Snack Bars
www.nickanedit.com
If you enjoy dirt, this product is for you.

PaPa G’s
www.papagees.com
Flavored Tofu was out for tasting! They are a deli and have some gluten free items. The tofu was very good :P

CCP Bakery
Gross, Gross, Gross. Maybe if you have been gluten free for 15 years and have only eaten stale rice and beans…..

Andina Restaurant in Portland Oregon
www.andinarestaurant.com
Expensive, but to die for! Dishes range from $17-$28 each….but they have a large selection of gluten free items :D

Gloria’s Delicious Gluten Free Deserts
Spunky old lady selling her cookbook, nothing super new but everything was simple and looked to die for! I tasted a lemon thingie, very yummy!

And finally Corbett/Hawthorn Fish House, There were not at the event but I went there for lunch :P

Corbett/Hawthorn Fish House
http://www.corbettfishhouse.com
Two locations in Portland, both are COMPLETELY gluten free! I had fish and chips :D they use rice flour as their breaded and it was delicious!

"Granola" Bars!

I made Granola Bars this week and they turned out awesome! They fell apart a little bit but they were very tasty and filling! they held me over through my classes :) I used crunchy brown rice cereal for the granola part and dried cranberries for the fruit.
I got my recipe from http://glutenfree.wordpress.com/recipe-archives/
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) or almond butter (if you want to make almond granola bars)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups granola base
2 cups nuts/seeds
1 cup dried fruit
GRANOLA BASE could be any of the following :)
• Gluten free oats (toasted)
• Gluten free cereal (like Maple Buckwheat Flakes OR Nutty Flax, etc)
• 1.5 cups gluten free oats/cereal + 1/2 cup shredded coconut
NUTS/SEED combinations could be any combination of the following:
• Pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
• Almonds
• Pine nuts
• Pecans
• Walnuts
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Flax seeds
DRIED FRUIT can be any combination (or single fruit) of the following:
• Dried cherries
• Dried blueberries
• Dried cranberries (like Craisins, if you want sweet ones)
• Dried apricots (chopped into small pieces)
• Dried dates (chopped into small pieces)
• Dried figs (chopped into small pieces)
• Raisins
• Prunes (chopped)
Directions
1. Butter an 8 X 10 inch pan generously OR line it with parchment paper than also comes up the sides of the pan about 1/2 of an inch.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F.
3. Toast your nuts/seeds in the oven for a few minutes until slightly golden. While you are doing this, make your “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce.
4. To make the “granola glue” or peanut butter sauce, combine honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until the brown sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes until evenly foamy/bubbly on top. Remove from the heat. Add one teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir (it will steam a bit). Add peanut butter and stir briskly until lumps are gone and the consistency is uniform.
5. Mix granola base (oats or cereal) with your toasted nuts/seeds. Pour peanut butter mixture over the top and stir until evenly distributed. Add dried fruit and stir again to distribute.
6. Pour mixture into pan (on to parchment paper). Spread evenly and then press down in to the bottom of the pan. Press the granola together firmly.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely (it will firm up as it cools) before cutting.
9. Cut into bars (1″ wide and 4″ long). Wrap bars in cling wrap or wax paper and store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container on the counter until consumed. (I’ve store mine up to 10 days, but it depends on the weather.) These can be refrigerated.

French Dips! Also Dinner Rolls!

Hi all,

This is a great recipe for rolls! very fast and easy. I made French dips which turned out beautiful and very tasty! Pictures at the bottom :)

Easy Italian Dinner Rolls

This recipes is from Gluten Free Mama’s: Best Baking Recipes by Rachel Caryle-Gauthier and Billie McCrea.

Dry

1 ½ cups Gluten Free Mama’s Rice Almond Blend

1 tsp Xanthan gum or Guar Gum

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Italian Seasoning

½ tsp Garlic Powder

Wet

½ cup Buttermilk, milk or soy/almond

2 eggs lightly beaten

¼ cup butter, melted

2 tbsp honey

½ tsp cider vinegar

¼ cup chopped onion (optional)

Preheat oven to 400, for about 12-15 mins or until the top looks golden.

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients in the mixer or bowl and mix for about 20-30 seconds or until well combined. Add dry ingredients slowly if using a mixer, or fold in and stir with a bowl.

For dinner rolls you can use a greased muffin pan and fill about ½ way and bake for 12-14 mins or until golden.

What I did this time was make big rolls for sandwiches. I added a little more flour (about ¼ cup) to the mix to thicken it so I could work with it, I then made 2 big rolls (mounds) on a cookie sheet and baked at 400 until golden on top. They were fabulous! Note: I did not add the onions for the sandwich rolls.

This is an Au Jus recipe I came up with, feel free to use your own! This one is still in the works :)

Au Jus

1 ½ cups beef broth

4 tbsp soy sauce (La Choy is what I use)-Depending on how salty you like it, you may reduce the amount or add too it. This was not to salty for me.

1 tsp Dried Rosemary

1 tsp Dried Thyme

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Combine contents in a pot and heat to a light boil, add roast beef and let simmer for 15 minutes.

A little about the reason I live gluten free...

I have celiac disease, an autoimmune intestinal DISORDER. It is not really a disease, and no, it's not contagious, it is genetic. It's most common in Northern Europeans, so I can probably blame it on my German ancestry. I will have it for the rest of my life, and it will never get any better. If I ingest gluten, my immune system attacks my small intestine. Gluten is the protein in wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro), rye, barley, and triticale.

I can't eat foods containing wheat, rye, barley, triticale or most oats (due to contamination). That means no bread, pizza, pasta, flour tortillas, crackers, hamburger and hot dog buns, beer, breaded & fried foods, crepes, waffles, pancakes, pastries, cookies, brownies, cake, pie, most chips, etc. etc. the list goes on and on. Gluten can be found in almost everything, even things like vitamins and licorice. But as long as I avoid gluten I'm perfectly healthy and normal. It could definitely be worse. There are gluten-free substitutes for most of the items listed above, and some taste better than the ones made with gluten :)

I've never been officially diagnosed as a Celiac, it's not worth being sick again! They have to physically see the damage that gluten is doing to your intestines, or see the antibodies in your blood that are produced by your reaction to gluten.

I probably inherited it from my mother's side, many relatives on that side have had intestinal problems.

I started getting sick when I was 8 and I got sicker and sicker until I went gluten-free during my 2nd semester of college.
DON"T feel sorry for me. I was sick for years without knowing why, and now I am HEALTHY!!! :)...well trying....So be happy for me!

Gluten Free Eclairs

This recipe is based off of a Gale Gand recipe for chocolate eclairs, from www.foodnetwork.com.
The recipe calls for the filling to sit for 2 hours, I put it in the freezer for
30 mins and it was ready to go in the eclairs!
Here are some pictures of how they turned out....

Ingredients

Filling:

• 2 cups whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent fat milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  
• 6 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Pastry:

• 1 cup water or 1 cup milk(adds a little more flavor to the pastry)
  
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup Gluten Free Mama's Almond flour
• 1 1/2 tsp guar gum(or xanthan gum)
  
• 3 eggs, plus 1 extra, if needed

Egg Wash:

• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons water

Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the saucepan. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.

Pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, 1 egg at a time. Stop mixing after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe fat lengths of dough (about the size and shape of a jumbo hot dog) onto the lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them. You should have 8 to 10 lengths.

Egg Wash: In a bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the surface of each eclair with the egg wash. Use your fingers to smooth out any bumps of points of dough that remain on the surface. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet. Fit a medium-size plain pastry tip over your index finger and use it to make a hole in the end of each eclair (or just use your fingertip)**Also you can fill the eclairs by cutting them partially open**. Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip, gently pipe the custard into the eclairs, using only just enough to fill the inside (don't stuff them full).

Glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils. Immediately turn off the heat. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside and keep warm. The glaze can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and rewarm in a microwave or over hot water when ready to use.

Dip the tops of the eclairs in the warm chocolate glaze and set on a sheet pan. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour to set the glaze. Serve chilled.