Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble {Gluten-Free}

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Gina Marie

Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble | Gluten-Free //So...Let's Hang Out

When you have a friend (who happens to be a chef) and he’s in town cooking an awesome feast, you hop in your car and make your way to where he is. Immediately. This is a rule. It doesn’t hurt if the location of this get together is right on a river. Things tend to taste better with a view. Total rule.

When you have a friend (who happens to be a chef) and he trusts you to bring a dessert to said feast, it’s OK to use more than a stick of butter in your dessert recipe. This is also a rule. Go with it.

Is it time for a photo montage? Why not.

Here we have Peter carrying our sixty pound Golden Retriever up two flights of stairs. She was scared to climb them because she could see through the wooden slats. Next up is a picture of myself right next to a picture of sangria. Is this a coincidence? Probably not. Sangria was imbibed. It’s rather relaxing to have a glass (real talk: four glasses) of sangria by the river. Believe it.

We took Emma down to the river dock. She really wanted to swim, but there was no way for her to climb back up if she were to jump in. So, instead, she stared longingly into the water. Sad face. Lastly, we have a photo of what were referred to as “Cry Babies.” This, my friends, was because they made a grown man literally cry. No joke. I don’t know why these particular jalapenos were so dang hot, but tears were shed, hiccups were had, and milk was consumed straight from the carton. It got pretty real. Also, if I may share a brief lesson with you from personal past experience: do not chop up jalapenos and then touch your eyes. Holy FIREBALLS. Your eyes cannot drink milk.

Check out that view! You could totally see that from the deck where we were grilling. See that tall dude in the kitchen? That there is Steve. He’s the one I’ve been referring to as “Chef Friend.” He knows how to cook some serious food. I would like him to be my neighbor.

And finally…grilling. Grilling. Crumble. Food. Hanging around. Handsome husband. Dinner. CHOMP! Completely accurate synopsis.

Sheesh…that was a montage. Let me catch my breath. Alright. LET’S GET READY TO CRUUUUUMMMMBLEEE!!! First up we have a mixture of gluten-free flour, oats, spices and brown sugar.

Butter is added. We stick our hands in. It gets a little dirty. We knead things and they get crumbly. You can totally be smarter than me and remove your jewelry beforehand.

After things get nice and crumbly, your mixture is going to chill out in the freezer while you get your chop on.

There is going to be chopping. We’re going to chop up some rhubarb and a bunch of strawberries. See that butter hanging out? Foreshadowing.

Okay. It’s getting increasingly more real.

Oh wow. Sugar. Butter. Berries. Rhubarb.

Stir it all together. It’s gonna get glossy. Is it weird that I want to wear it? Yes? Forget I said that.

Your berry mixture is going to go down into a pan and your chilled crumble mixture is going to live right on top.

Pat it down with a fork. Resist the urge to start eating it now. It’s only going to get better.

Bake it. The crumble will brown on top, and the strawberry and rhubarb mixture becomes something syrupy and delicious. I baked mine before I brought it up to the river, but I would almost advise against it. If I were to do it over again, I would have brought the chilled oat and flour mixture separately and assembled it about thirty to forty minutes before serving dessert. My crumble absorbed a lot of the juice and got a little bit soupy upon the second heating. Granted, it was still delicious, but I might do it a little differently if I did it over again.

By the time dessert rolled around, we were all completely filled with steak, sangria, and more than a little bit of garlic bread. I heated up the crisp and we served it casually in mugs with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Not glamorous, but super comforting.

Before I had a chance to really photograph it properly (who are we kidding, I was hopped up on sangria and just wanted to eat this mug posthaste) the dessert was totally gone. I told you. It’s a crowd pleaser. New Friends + River + Steak + Sangria + Butter-filled dessert = Success! Life rule.

Gluten-Free Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Strawberry & Rhubarb Filling:

2 tbs unsalted butter, softened
6 large stalks of rhubarb, chopped
3 cups of strawberries, chopped
1 1/4 cup superfine sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
Butter a baking dish and set aside
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine your oats, gluten-free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon & cardamom. Stir together.
Add in your tiny cubes of butter. Using your hands, work the mixture until a coarse crumble forms.
Place your mixture into the freezer for 20 minutes while you work on your other ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine your rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, butter, lemon juice & vanilla and stir until all of the ingredients are mixed together. You should not be able to see chunks of butter in your mixture.
Once your filling has come together, pour it into the bottom of your buttered pan.
Remove the topping from the freezer and fluff it up with a fork so it becomes crumbly again.
Pour your crumble evenly over your fruit mixture until it has been completely covered. Pat it down with a fork.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top becomes crispy and golden brown.
Allow your crumble to cool for 15 minutes, and then serve. I highly recommend pairing it with vanilla ice cream!
Enjoy!

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(Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon)

Giant Sunbutter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Gluten-Free & Paleo}

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Gina Marie

Giant Sunbutter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies | So....Let's Hang Out

After a week of intense recipe failures one needs to bake cookies.

I think this is a rule. It feels like it should be a rule. Let’s call it a rule.

In between my lemon bar attempt and operation ”OMG, is that supposed to be gnocchi!? ”, I managed to get something right. I put some sunflower seeds into a food processor and made some nut butter. I combined it with almond butter. The two did a happy dance. I added in large chunks of dark chocolate, and decided that these cookies should be GIANTS. Instead of making a recipe that would yield a sensible dozen, I decided to instead make you six cookies. Big cookies. Forget about your kitchen failures cookies. Are you surprised that I didn’t just make one big cookie and take a fork to it? Yeah, me too.

Giant Sunbutter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies | So....Let's Hang Out

Look at those chocolate chunks. Mmmmm. Did I mention that these cookies are totally paleo? Yup!

Although I completed my 30 days of paleo, and have since dipped my hungry little hands into the world of certain carbs, I can say I felt really good for most of those 30 days. I will most likely still incorporate a lot of paleo recipes on this site and continue to eat that way most of the time. It really wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was going to be. There was a day where I wanted to eat a wheel of cheese and had to resist the urge, but that is normal. Cheese is a naughty temptress. That is a weird sentence. I will not erase it. It’s going to live here.

Giant Sunbutter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies | So....Let's Hang Out

On another note, we recently hit five hundred likes on Facebook! You people are rad. Thank you so much for hanging out with me and letting me personify cheese in sultry ways, or indulging me when I use the term “nut milk” too liberally. Seriously. You punch me in the face with your awesomeness. If you haven’t subscribed to get So…Let’s Hang Out posts sent to your inbox, you can totally do that too! Just enter your email address into the box under where it says “Subscribe to So…Let’s Hang Out” (psst…it’s on the right.) and we will be hanging out in no time. Thanks, Friends! xo

I hope your week is chugging along awesomely! Either way… giant cookies. Do it.

Giant Sunbutter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Adapted from PaleOMG

Ingredients

1/2 cup sunflower seed butter (you can either buy this pre-made, or you can make your own by processing 2 cups of sunflower seeds in a food processor until it is smooth and creamy like almond butter)
1/2 cup almond butter
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped into chunks.
Coarse sea salt, to sprinkle on top (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of your ingredients except the chocolate chunks until they come together and mixed thoroughly.
Once the batter comes together, fold in your chocolate chunks.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop your batter onto the baking sheet to form six cookies.
If you like a little sea salt on the top of your cookies, sprinkle a little onto each cookie before putting it in the oven.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
Allow to cool, then enjoy cookie-monster style!

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Salted Peanut Butter Cookies {Two Ways} | Gluten Free

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Gina Marie

Here are a few things that make me happy:

Peanut butter. Chocolate with peanut butter (so much so, that this was our wedding cake flavor combo). Peanut butter and bananas. Peanut butter cups. Giving my dog peanut butter and watching her try to lick the stickiness off of her palate for a full five minutes. It’s the simple things.

These cookies are TOTALLY simple. We’re talking five-ingredients-simple. Sure, they are a little sticky and you might get the batter all over your sleeves and maybe in your hair…but that’s just something that happens. You might not even realize that you still have peanut butter cookie batter all over your forearms before you go to answer e-mails and your arms stick firmly to the top of your desk. Peanut butter is sticky. That is a true story. I probably should have titled my blog “Wait… Do I have food on my face?” to which the answer is almost always a firm YES. I write to you as if you have my same problems. I shouldn’t do this. You probably have way less food on your face and in your hair on a daily basis. I admire you.

Moving on…

The peanut butter cookie is not something that requires flour. The peanut butter and the egg do a fine job of binding everything together. I used coconut sugar in this recipe to try and keep it a little lower on the glycemic index (granted, there is a whole CUP of it in here). Despite the cup of sugar, these cookies are not alarmingly sweet. Remember the peanut butter pretzel days? I used to love those. You bite into a pretzel and there is sweet peanut butter right there on the inside. That is what these cookies remind me of. The sea salt that we sprinkle on the top makes them a nice balance of sweet and salty.

Salted Peanut Butter Cookie | So...Let's Hang Out

I was feeling kind of adventurous so I decided that I was going to make half a batch of plain and salty cookies, and half a batch with chocolate chips and crushed up banana chips tossed into the batter. When adding some mix-ins to your cookie batter make sure that you do not add in too much. You want to make sure that there is still enough of the peanut butter mixture to bind everything together. If there are too many chocolate chips or too many banana chips in the mix, your cookies will fall apart. Scoop ‘em, and squish ‘em down with a fork. Isn’t that the best part? Sprinkle some course sea salt over the top. Yum. Salted Peanut Butter Cookie | So...Let's Hang Out

Imagine all of the combinations that you could make? You could crunch up some gluten free pretzels and add them to the mix. Marshmallows or marshmallow fluff would be decadent. Don’t even get me started with Nutella. You know how I feel about Nutella. Let your imagination run wild. I will tell you that the traditional cookies without any mix-ins are possibly my favorite. I will warn you though, since they are not super sweet they are easy to eat. You could mindlessly snack on these REAL easy. Don’t ask how I know this. Just trust me.

Salted Peanut Butter Cookies | So...Let's Hang Out

Go forth and cookie.

Salted Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup coconut sugar (to make them sweeter you can use 1 cup of granulated sugar or 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
Course sea salt, to top
Mix-ins of your choosing. I used semi sweet chocolate chips and banana chips.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a baking sheet and set it aside.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add your peanut butter and your sugar and mix until they are completely combined.
Beat your egg and your vanilla together and add them to the peanut butter mixture. Stir together until they are completely combined.
If you want to add anything additional to your batter, like chocolate chips, you can fold them in now. Remember not to add too many or your batter will not stick together. I would start with a 1/4 cup at a time and gauge if there is still enough dough to add more. Be cautious.
Scoop batter, by the tablespoon-full, onto your greased baking sheet.
Using a fork, smash the cookie down gently, leaving the imprint of your fork on the top of each cookie.
Sprinkle the tops of your cookies with course sea salt.
Put the cookies into the oven for 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Make sure to check your cookies half way through and flip your pan around so that all the cookies bake evenly. When your cookies are done, the edges will be golden, but they will not appear to be completely set up. They will harden quite a bit as they cool. Don't worry.
Allow your cookies to cool for fifteen minutes or so before trying to remove them from your baking sheet with a spatula.
Enjoy!

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(Adapted from And Then We Saved)

Homemade Nutella | Gluten & Dairy Free

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Gina Marie

Dear Nutella,

I want to put you on everything ever. You make me think that midnight snacks are a good idea. I’ve eaten too much toast in the past couple of days, mostly because it’s a vehicle to get you in my mouth. You also really shine paired with apples. Is it too forward to tell you that I actually ate a straight spoonful of you one afternoon? Forget it, I don’t care who knows it. I love you. Let’s make-out.

Faithfully yours,

Gina

Do you think I am coming on too strong? Maybe.

Well, Friends…HAPPY WORLD NUTELLA DAY! Yes, that’s a thing. I only learned about it this morning. If you want we can just ignore that this is purely dumb luck and high-five instead.

Dumb luck or not, this recipe is a gem. I’ve been wanting to make a simple homemade Nutella recipe for some time. When I came across this recipe over at the Spunky Coconut, I knew I had to try it. It was made dairy-free by using coconut milk and the super sweet milk chocolate was subbed out for sexy dark chocolate. If you haven’t noticed I am a sucker for dark chocolate and coconut together. I’ve made a tart, some donuts and some totally loaded oatmeal cookies that all have this fancy pairing. Did I mention my chocolate chia pudding? Yup. I am a fan of this flavor marriage. As soon as I found this recipe I got to work and made some Nutella magic happen.

The ingredients are simple. A can of coconut milk, 10 ounces of dark chocolate, and salt. We use coconut sugar in this recipe which is much lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar and does not spike your blood sugar as easily. And, of course, let’s not forget our hazelnuts!

These beauties are put into the oven to roast and then after they are all nice and toasty, you taken them our and remove their skins. Take a clean kitchen towel and make it slightly damp. Place all of your hazelnuts into the cloth and gently rub until all of the skins start to come off. It takes a few minutes to remove all of the skins. If you are like me you will set this towel aside and forget that it contains lots and lots of hazelnut skins. When you pick it up all of those hazelnut skins will fall all over your kitchen floor and counters. Don’t be like me.

Coconut milk and coconut sugar become one when you heat them up together. Chocolate gets melted down in a double boiler. All of these ingredients go into a food processor. Magic happens. If you are like me you will miss the mark just a little bit while pouring your chocolate into the food processor. You will have a slick of chocolate on your counter tops You will let it dry a little bit so that it gets into your grout. When you go to clean if up it will get on your arms and somehow into your hair and on your face. This can all be avoided if you do not get distracted by episodes of MTV’s Catfish in the background while trying to expertly pour melted chocolate into a food processor. Once again, don’t be like me. However, can we all just talk about Catfish for a minute?! Are you obsessed with it? I am. I could really get carried away and talk about it for a long time…However, I will respect that you came here to hear about Nutella.

Once it’s all blended together you can bottle it up! My yield was approximately 1.5 pints! And yes, I did manage to make another unsightly mess as I was putting my Nutella into mason jars. If you are a coordinated person, you might be able to get your Nutella cleanly from the food processor and into a jar. If you are me, you got a lot of it on the counters, some of it on your sweater and a healthy blob of it on your cell phone. Why was my cell phone in the kitchen? Good question. I got carried away and tried to make a 6 second video of this whole Nutella process on Vine. The artistic value of that video (low) was not worth having to scrape chocolate and hazelnut spread off of my protective screen. Lesson learned. I am sure I will learn this lesson again. I tend to do that. So, here is an insider tip: if you get to this part of the Nutella process and you cannot be trusted to freely pour your Nutella from the food processor into a jar and you do not happen to have a wide mouth canning funnel on hand, make sure to transfer your Nutella into a large measuring cup or something with a spout that will pour cleanly into a jar. You are welcome.

Once it is done, I suggest that you eat it in large quantities with everything…or you know, in moderation. Whatever you’re into.

Wishing you the best darn World Nutella Day ever. Chocolate covered high fives all around!

Homemade Nutella | Gluten & Dairy Free

Yield: 1.5 Pints

Ingredients

2 cups of raw hazelnuts
1 can of light coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar (if you don't have coconut sugar you can sub regular sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
10 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70 % dark chocolate)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Put your raw hazelnuts on a baking sheet and spread them out evenly. Allow them to toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. They are done when the shells are lightly toasted and they become fragrant.
While your hazelnuts are toasting take out a medium sized pot and heat up the coconut milk, coconut sugar and salt. Stir over medium heat until the coconut sugar has fully dissolved into the coconut milk. Set aside.
In a double boiler melt your dark chocolate. If you do not have a double boiled you can make your own with two pots that fit cleanly into one another. Once your chocolate is totally melted, set aside.
After your hazelnuts are done, remove them from the oven.Dampen a clean dish towel and place your toasted hazelnuts inside.
Gently rub the hazelnuts to remove as much of the skin as possible. This may take a couple of minutes.
Once you have removed as much of the hazelnut skins as possible, add your hazelnuts to your food processor.
Process your hazelnuts until they become a very fine meal.
Add your melted chocolate and process again until it becomes smooth.
Once your chocolate is incorporated, add in your coconut milk and sugar mixture and process again until it is completely smooth and the texture of Nutella.
You can now bottle it up and keep it in the refrigerator!

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(Recipe Adapted from The Spunky Coconut)

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Gina Marie

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free // So...Let's Hang Out

Let me start off this post by openly acknowledging I’m a hot mess.

My desk is usually a sea of papers. Most of these papers are recipes either printed out or crudely scrawled with a sharpie onto the backs of envelopes or pieces of junk mail (you never know when inspiration will strike, right?). There are composition books filled with ideas and more than likely at least four drawings of polar bears in pant suits. I am constantly cleaning up the mess and thinning down the horde, but it always seems to come right on back. I will call this my process. It’s a messy process, but it gets you Cheesy Cauliflower Bakes and Peppermint Patty Brownies. I vow to myself at least once a week to get it together and type my recipes directly into a very organized folder on my desktop. This doesn’t happen. It’s not as much fun. It’s so much harder to doodle cupcakes and pandas in the margins of the page of a Word document. It’s all part of my flow.

This morning, I woke up hell-bent on sharing this cookie recipe with you. I’ve been sitting on it for a few weeks and I figured it was just time. Fridays are the time to start dreaming about chewy-gooey cookies. It’s a fact.

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free // So...Let's Hang Out

I put on my slippers, grabbed a green juice, and headed over to my desk. Uh oh. It was clean. The only thing on my desk was my camera, some pens and a crudely drawn rendering of a puppy dog wearing an afro wig. Where did I put my recipes again?

I searched my files. Nothing. I searched cabinets. Nothing. I searched binders. Nothing. I found my recipe for cheesy biscuits, but where was my cookie recipe?! I got wild eyes and started to tear apart the office. Emma, our golden retriever, looked at me and sighed loudly as if to say, “Mom. Get it together.” She is hardly amused by my antics.

Now, for the final act, I decided to go through the trashcans. That is right. I really wanted to bring you these cookies. I reached my hands into the trash and started to root on through. Early morning dumpster diving at home. Lovely. I found a lot of things in there that I won’t mention because, EW. I did not find the recipe.

Finally I went into my kitchen and sat on the floor in frustration. I lay down next to my dog, sulking. There was drama. Life was pretty much over. As I looked up at the microwave to my right, I saw a stack of papers making their home neatly right on top.

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free // So...Let's Hang Out

I found it.

The moral of the story is, I am a hot mess. My dog thinks I am dramatic, and I love you enough to root through trash to bring you a recipe for cookies.

These cookies are loaded with every delicious thing I could find in my pantry. The base is a chewy oatmeal cookie sweetened by brown sugar and maple syrup then made gooey and rich with butter. I took this oatmeal cookie and pumped it full of chocolate, cranberries, coconut and walnuts. It’s a full house of deliciousness. Totally loaded. My husband took the remainder of the uneaten cookies to work with him and they disappeared quickly.

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free // So...Let's Hang Out

Look at those imperfectly perfect little beauties! Perhaps I should have left a little more space between each cookie… I got impatient.

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free // So...Let's Hang Out

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup almond meal
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut sugar (you can use granulated sugar if you don't have coconut sugar on hand)
2 large eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned uncooked oatmeal
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, xanthan gum, almond meal, salt, and cinnamon. Set it aside.
In your electric mixer bowl combine your butter, brown sugar and coconut sugar. Mix on medium speed until it is thoroughly combined. Once the mixture appears slightly fluffy (about 3 to five minutes in), stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.
Add in your eggs one at a time, running your mixer for a minute in between the addition of each new egg. Add in your vanilla extract, and maple syrup and beat until both are completely mixed in.
Once your egg and butter mixture is completely combined, add in your flour mixture and beat until it all comes together.
Once it is completely combined fold in your oats, cranberries, coconut flakes, chocolate chips and walnut pieces by hand. Stir until it is all thoroughly mixed throughout the batter.
Spoon the batter by the heaping tablespoonful onto your parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until your cookies are a beautiful golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

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After that… all bets are off. Let the cookie feasting begin.

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free // So...Let's Hang Out

(Adapted from Joy The Baker)

Peppermint Patty Brownies With Dark Chocolate Ganache | Gluten Free

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Gina Marie

What do you do when the world just doesn’t make sense?

Because, Friends, It really doesn’t. Not even close.

My heart breaks for the all of the families in Connecticut. Tears roll down my cheeks and I try to make sense of this horrifying news. No sense can be made. I extend my arms and my love and everything healing out to everyone and anyone affected by this tragedy. To all of the families that feel broken and scared and unimaginably heavy, I wish you everything. I wish you peace.

I honestly don’t know what to do in times of tragedy. I always want to fix things. I want to rescue the problem. This is rarely if never possible.

So, I cook.

It’s just something that we do in our family.

We tie up our aprons, roll up our sleeves and put things in pots and bring them to a simmer. We cream some butter, throw some batter in a pan and bake at 350.

I can’t fix it, but I can feed you. I can nourish you. I can care about you. I can put as much love and care and spice into this food as I know how. This is what I know how to do.

So, this weekend, that is exactly what I did. I spent most of it in the kitchen cooking. Granted, I could not cook for the people who needed it most, but I was able to nourish and love on my own little family. Hold them close and appreciate our time together.

There was a stew, there was a salad, there were cocktails, there was this decadent dessert.

It might sound like stress-eating. I am going to go with nurturing my soul.

These brownies are not my original creation, but rather the sugary, chocolaty, peppermint infused love child of Jessica at How Sweet It Is. From the moment I saw her Peppermint Pattie Brownie recipe I knew I needed to make them gluten-free.

Lucky for me, during my leisurely Saturday visit to the grocery store (where I purchased entirely too many ~~brussels sprouts~~ almond toffee chocolates) they were selling a gluten-free brownie mix. Eureka! Some might call this lazy, I call this destiny. Gluten-free brownie mix is usually a home-run. It rarely ever disappoints It’s not like the finicky gluten-free vanilla cake mixes that you have to overload with boxes of pudding in order to make palatable Nope. It’s usually just chewy chocolaty goodness. Plus, it’s rarely in our gluten-free lives that we get a break while baking. Just take a break. Buy the mix. Or, get fancy on me. Either way I respect you. You are the best.

Here is what you will need…

Brownie Layer Ingredients:

1 Package Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Brownie Mix (Or, any other mix you choose. If you are using a different mix, follow directions on your box and omit the rest of the ingredients listed here. Or make them from scratch. Do your worst.)

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Peppermint Patty Layer:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tbs butter, softened

3 tbs evaporated milk

1/4 tsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

4 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped

3 tbs heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Add your gluten-free brownie mix to a large mixing bowl. Add in your egg, oil, water and mix with electric beaters until everything is combined.

Fold in your chocolate chips.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean when inserted into the center of the pan.

Set them aside to cool.

While your brownies are cooling, you can start on your peppermint layer. Place all of your peppermint layer ingredients into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until smooth.

Once brownies are cooled, layer the peppermint mixture on top of your brownies. Place the pan in the refrigerator for thirty minutes, or until the mixture has completely set.

After your peppermint layer has set, it’s time to make your ganache.

Heat up your heavy cream in a small pot. Once it’s hot, add in your chopped up dark chocolate, and stir until the two have completely melted into each other.

Layer the dark chocolate onto the peppermint layer. You can spread it over the whole pan, or spoon it on to each individual brownie.

What you get is a gooey, decadent, sugary-hug of a dessert.

Take the fork to the pan. I won’t judge you.

Be well, Friends! Hugs to all.

(Adapted Slightly from How Sweet It Is)

Beet and Parsnip Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Gina Marie

It’s good to have creative friends.

My friend Becca over at The Dabblist posted a recipe for Chocolate Almond Molten Beet Cakes. I died. They looked so gooey and wonderful. The color of red velvet. Oh, and they are made with beets. No big deal. When I saw that post I got really fired up. I wanted to bake with my beets. I wanted to beet it. Does that sound dirty? Stop it. Get your mind out of the gutter. I immediately went to my pantry and surveyed my ingredients. I didn’t have all of the things that I needed to make her exact cakes. I did a quick google search. No, I didn’t google search “Beet It”. I suggest you don’t either. Or do. Tell me what you find.

I came across a recipe from Elana over at Elana’s pantry. For all of you gluten-free paleo loving honeys out there, she is quite simply one of the best. Her site has changed the way I bake gluten-free. Her use of almond flour and coconut flour produces such moist and wonderful products! I cannot recommend her recipes enough. I found a recipe on her site for a cake that used beets. I surveyed my pantry again… I did not have all of those ingredients either. Looks like I was on my own on this one. No matter… nothing could put out this fire. I came up with an adapted version based on what I DID have in my fridge. The result was kind of magical. Did I mention there is no flour in this cake? Impressed? Totally.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized beets

3-4 parsnips

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup agave

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 eggs

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tbs vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Wash your beets and your parsnips thoroughly making sure to scrub the skins well. Dry them off. Cut them into small manageable pieces and place them into a medium saucepan.

Add your maple syrup and agave mixture. Sprinkle your cinnamon on top. Allow the beets, parsnips, agave, maple syrup and cinnamon to come to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. The beets and parsnips will start to break down and become soft.

Once your beets and parsnips are soft, you are going to transfer your mixture into a high powered blender. Blend it on high until your mixture is smooth and liquid.

Add in your eggs, oil, vanilla and amond extracts as well as your cocoa powder and salt. Process on high until it is fully combined with your beet and parsnip mixture.

Transfer your mixture into a bowl and fold in one cup of chocolate chips.

Grease your 9 inch baking dish.

Pour the batter into the dish and pop it into the oven.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. You will know it is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let it cool.

Serve naked or with whipped cream.

Take that, flour! I call that beeting the odds. Yup. Can’t stop.

(Adapted from Elana’s Pantry)

Apple Pie Cheesecakes | Gluten Free

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Gina Marie

It’s Friday. We’ve pretty much made it. The weekend is only hours away. You know what you need? (Besides the obvious cocktail and maybe a nap.) You need one (but in all honesty, three) of these mini cheesecakes in your face. You really do. Your thighs might disagree, and I get it, my thighs tend to be of the disagreeable sort… but, tell your thighs to can it. You can eat kale tomorrow. Today is for cheesecake.

When I came across this recipe from the lovely Tracy at Shutterbean, I knew I had to make it. The only challenge was to make it gluten-free…But, that was not going to dissuade me from making these beauties. I replaced the graham crackers in the crust with gluten-free gingersnaps. I also modified a few ingredients based on what I had in my pantry at home. But really, other than a few minor tweaks, I stayed pretty true to the original.

My husband tells me it is one of the best deserts he has had in a long time. This is coming from a man who has a pretty big sweet tooth. I once saw him eat an Abba-Zaba and chase it with a Dr. Pepper in under a minute. We all have our talents. It was simultaneously shocking, concerning and impressive. Even more impressive, he didn’t suffer from heart palpitations or sugar sweats afterwards. He just went about his day as per usual. He is an extreme mammal and I love him for it. So, as you can imagine he knows his desserts, and this one was at the top of his husband approved two thumbs up list of epic yumminess.

Lets get to it. Waste no time.

Ingredients:

~For the Crust~

1 1/4 cups gluten-free gingersnaps (I used the kind from Trader Joes)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 tablespoons unsalted melted butter

~For the Filling~

1 package 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 cup Honey Apple Butter (also from Trader Joes)

~For the Topping~

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small apples, peeled & chopped
1/3 cup chopped peacans
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line your muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners.

In a food processor, pulse together your gluten-free gingersnaps, pecans, sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter. Pulse together until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

Divide gingersnap mixture between your cupcake liners. Press it into the bottom and up the sides of the liner, packing it tightly.

Bake until crusts are lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool off completely.

In a medium bowl, using an electric hand-mixer, beat the cream cheese on high until it becomes fluffy (3 minutes or so) .

Add the confectioner’s sugar, apple butter, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.

In another medium bowl, with clean beaters, beat the heavy cream on high until it forms stiff peaks.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the apple butter cream cheese mixture a little bit at a time.

Divide the mixture among the cooled crusts and refrigerate until set. This will take at least an hour, but you can let them set up to overnight.

While cheesecakes are setting, you can start to make your apple pie topping!

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add your apples, pecans, sugar & cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally until apples are just soft, about 4-5 minutes. Finish with a pinch of salt, Let your topping cool. When ready to serve, place a tablespoon of the apple pecan topping on each mini cheesecake!

Try to eat just one. I dare you.

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND, FREINDS! xo

(Adapted from Shutterbean)

So…Let's Hang Out

Tag Archives: dessert

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Giant Sunbutter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Gluten-Free & Paleo}

Homemade Nutella | Gluten & Dairy Free

Totally Loaded Oatmeal Cookies | Gluten Free

Peppermint Patty Brownies With Dark Chocolate Ganache | Gluten Free

Beet and Parsnip Chocolate Cake | Gluten Free

Apple Pie Cheesecakes | Gluten Free