Category Archives: Gluten-free

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free)

March 3, 2012 – 6:00 am

In my last post, I shared this recipe for Coconut Whoopie Pies with Coconut Cream Filling that I am very proud of as well as a great product from Bob’s Red Mill. I told you all about how great coconut flour is and that it is a wonderful gluten-free flour, but the recipe that I shared was not gluten-free. So I also wanted to share a recipe using coconut flour that those who are gluten intolerant could enjoy as well. These Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies are so moist and coconutty that they remind me of a macaroon but are as simple to make as any other chocolate chip cookie.

When making these cookies, they don’t brown very much, so just lightly touch them to feel if they are firm to determine if they are finished baking. I think walnuts would also be a great addition.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free)

Keywords: bake dessert snack gluten-free chocolate coconut cookie

Ingredients (24 cookies)

8 Tbsp butter, melted
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, cream melted butter and sugar together.

Add eggs and milk and beat to combine.

Add shredded coconut, flour and salt and beat to combine. Add chocolate chips and mix in.

Drop heaping tablespoon onto baking sheets and flatten slightly.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until edges feel firm to touch.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Ala Mel

combine melted butter and sugar

mix in eggs and milk

add flour and salt and mix to combine

fold in chocolate chips, drop onto baking sheet and bake

And don’t forget to come on over here to enter for your chance to win a great product pack with Coconut Flour and Shredded Coconut from Bob’s Red Mill!

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Superfood Smoothie

February 3, 2012 – 6:00 am

Even though I am not a person who makes New Year’s resolutions, I do always find myself thinking of the things I can do better or new things that I wan tot try when January comes around. One conscious change I have been trying to make this year is to eat more fruits and vegetables. I love almost all produce, I just don’t feel like I know how to get enough of them everyday in my diet.

One way I have been trying to remedy this is by drinking “superfood” smoothies. It is a simple way for me to efficiently get an extra 3-4 servings of fruits and veggies in 1 smoothie and the rest of my daily servings I can easily get in with my meals.

All I do is load up my Vitamix with 8 ounces of water (you could also use milk and or a splash of juice), a cup of fresh or frozen mixed berries, one banana and 2 cups of spinach and blend away. Other great options to add are greek yogurt, kale and any other fruits and vegetables of your choice.

And no need to be scared off by incorporating greens into your smoothie. All you taste is the wonderful freshness of the berries and bananas!

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Quinoa Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)

January 19, 2012 – 8:00 am

Say that three times fast!

Sometimes I need to reign in my enthusiasm for experimentation in the kitchen. I am sure that you have noticed that I like to try new ingredients, techniques and recipes. This usually works out fine for me. Often I will find an ingredient that can help to make baking or cooking a bit healthier. Or one that simply makes a treat more beautiful or appetizing . The only problem that comes from this desire for investigation is when I can’t just settle for 1 new ingredient per recipe. The reason this can present a problem is that when my final product tastes funny or just off, I have a difficult time determining which of the novel ingredients caused the odd taste or texture!

For example, I have seen a few recipes for cookies with quinoa in them. So, when I was cleaning out the pantry at the lake cabin last weekend and came across a box of quinoa flakes that had a cookie recipe on the back and an expiration date that was approaching in a few months, I knew that my date with quinoa cookies would happen as soon as I got home. The recipe was for a gluten-free cookie and called for brown rice flour which I happened to have at home but had never used before. Also, I received a butter substitute called Melt that I have been dying to try baking with, so I threw that into the mix too! Why not?? (A full review and information about Melt to come!)

What did I think about my first quinoa cookie experience? Well I usually love cookies hot off the pan and when I tasted one of these cookies fresh from the oven, I thought there was a funny taste. Almost florally. I know that sounds weird. Again, this is the challenge with using 3 new ingredients in one recipe. Lesson learned. However, after a bit of patience and some cooling, I could taste the nutty saltiness from the peanut butter, the richness from the chocolate chips and I enjoyed the nice subtle crunch from the quinoa flakes. My husband is always the true critic. He is not afraid to turn up his nose and say “you put what in these cookies?” So, when I caught him reaching for his 3rd cookie in a row, my suspicion about quinoa in cookies being tasty was true.

Quinoa Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake dessert snack gluten-free healthy vegan chocolate peanut butter cookie

Ingredients (18-20 cookies)

1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (or butter substitute), room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
3/4 cup quinoa flakes
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if using gluten-free flour)
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, beat honey, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter and vanilla until combined.

In an small bowl, combine flour, quinoa, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum (if using).

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix to combine.

Add chocolate chips.

Drop batter onto cookie sheets using cookie scoop or large spoon and bake for 12 minutes.

Cool cookies completely on pan.

combine honey, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter and vanilla

combine dry ingredients

add dry ingredients to wet and mix to combine

add chocolate chips and mix

drop onto cookies sheets and bake

Will you try baking with quinoa?

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Tags Chocolate, peanut butter, quinoa | Comments (20)

7th Day of Christmas: Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

December 20, 2011 – 8:51 am

On the 7th Day of Christmas, my sweet tooth gave to me Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

I think that this would be the most difficult time of the year to have a restricted diet. There are so many temptations around and if you have a food allergy or intolerance, you know that you will pay the price if you give in. So I wanted to make a treat for the people in our lives who have a gluten intolerance. There are so many gluten-free prepackaged foods, but nothing says you care like a homemade treat.

I made 14 of these mini loaves (9 regular and 5 gluten-free) and gave them to co-workers as a way of saying “Merry Christmas”. I don’t have a lot of experience with tasting different gluten-free items but one of the gentlemen I work has gluten intolerance and when I brought in chocolate chip cookies that I had made out of the Babycakes cookbook, he said they were the best he had ever tasted. So I was anxious to try another recipe and I hope he likes this bread just as well.

This recipe could also be made vegan if you simply substitute vegan chocolate chips.

To me, giving a gift from my kitchen is a way of showing love and appreciation to those people that bring joy to my life.

Are you making any special treats to accommodate anyone with different dietary needs this holiday season?

Also, my Triple Chocolate Mint Fudgies are in a cookie contest over at The Family Kitchen and I would greatly appreciate your vote! All you need to do is leave a comment at the end of the post saying that you vote for “Triple Chocolate Mint Fudgies”! Thank you!

VOTE FOR TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MINT FUDGIES HERE!

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

by adapted from Babycakes

Keywords: bake bread breakfast snack gluten-free vegan chocolate fruit

Fragrant and moist gluten-free banana bread with a special chocolate surprise!

Ingredients (5 mini loaves or 1-2 regular loaves)

2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease loaf pans.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl and with an electric mixer, combine the oil, agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Add mashed bananas and chocolate chips (if using) and mix to incorporate.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pans to fill halfway and bake for 35 minutes for regular sized pans and 23 minutes for miniature pans.

Loaves are done baking when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool loaves in pans and then slide a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the bread.

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Tags Chocolate, Fruit | Comment (1)

Crock pot Apple Butter

November 22, 2011 – 8:00 am

I know, I know. You do not need one more thing to do or make before Thanksgiving.

But what if that thing is super easy, not labor intensive, involves minimal cleanup and will have your Thanksgiving dinner guests remembering how fabulous you are long after the tryptophan has worn off? What if you had an adorable, bow-adorned jar of this Apple Butter sitting at each guest’s place setting for them to take away with their turkey coma?

I bet you would be the talk of the ‘hood, the toast of the town, the host(ess) with the most(est)!! And I am telling you the truth (as usual): this will not interfere with your other mealtime responsibilities because it cooks itself in the crock pot! You can just set your pot, let it go and come back to warm, comforting, velvety apple butter! Oh, and it gets bonus points for making your home smell exquisite which will get everyone excited about all of the other fall treats you have in store for them.

Some apple butter facts and tips:

-Apple butter as well as other fruit butters actually contain no butter at all and are actually quite healthy

-When making this Crock Pot Apple Butter, please spray your crock pot insert with nonstick cooking spray to make for easy breezy clean up

-How to serve apple butter: on toast, english muffins, bagels (you get my drift), out of a spoon, on meat, in yogurt, or my favorite way: over vanilla ice cream with walnuts and oatmeal sprinkled on top! I know I have an amazing way of making a somewhat healthy snack naughty, don’t I?

Apple Butter