Saturday, August 2, 2014

Gluten Free Flourless Monster Cookie Bars

This is one monster of a cookie!  There is absolutely no flour in these Gluten Free Flourless Monster Cookie bars, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are lacking...they are certainly packed with lots of other goodies! Crunchy peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips and monster sized M&M's make up this amazing cookie bar.  You can certainly use regular sized M&M's or even mini ones, but I found these monster sized ones and thought they were fitting for a monster of a gluten free cookie bar!  You can also makes these into individual sized cookies, but it is so much easier to make a big tray of it.  These Gluten Free Monster Cookie Bars are so great to take to picnics and pot lucks as they make a large tray of bars.
Gluten Free Flourless Monster Cookie Bars

I love making flourless recipes, because I know not everyone can find, or wants to buy, all the gluten free flours and starches it takes to make a good gluten free dessert.  These Gluten Free Flourless Monster Cookie Bars are easy to put together and to bake...and even easier to eat!  These bars have a nice chew to them with little bits of crunchy peanuts throughout from the peanut butter...and they certainly aren't lacking in melted chocolate thanks to the chocolate chips in the dough and the M&M's on top!  You will love this gluten free treat.

FLOURLESS MONSTER COOKIE BARS
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Barefeet in the Kitchen
click here for Printable Recipe

2/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (16 oz. jar) chunky peanut butter
6 cups gluten free old fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 M&M's candies for topping (I used mega M&M's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Beat together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs, vanilla and baking soda.  Stir in the peanut butter.  Add the oats and stir again until well combined.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

Press the dough onto the bottom of a parchment lined large baking sheet, or jelly roll pan.  Top with the M&M's and lightly press them into the dough.  Bake for 16-17 minutes, until the bars are lightly browned and just past looking wet on top.  They will not be firm, but they will set up as they cool.

Flourless Monster Cookie Bars

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Gluten Free One Pot Toffee Fudge Brownies

Chocolate?  I'm in!  Rich, fudgy chocolate topped with crunchy toffee bits?  I'm doubly in!  These Gluten Free One Pot Toffee Fudge Brownies are a decadent escape from reality...at least for me.  All the ingredients are made together in one pot which is also a plus to me.  I really do love these brownies.  This is one of the many recipes that no one can believe is gluten free.
Gluten Free One Pot Toffee Fudge Brownies

The toffee bits on top and throughout the brownie really up their yum factor (yes, there is such a thing as a yum factor, trust me).  I am finding that adding toffee bits to desserts makes me a happy camper...and makes happy campers to the people I serve them to.  I served these Gluten Free One Pot Toffee Fudge Brownies recently and the whole plate of them was gone!  I was hoping that maybe I'd take home a few to pass around to my neighbors, but nope, they were devoured...sorry neighbors!

Make a plate for yourself and your neighbors..I promise you, they will thank you.

GLUTEN FREE ONE POT TOFFEE FUDGE BROWNIES
Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Originally from:  Barefeet in the Kitchen
Yield:  16-24 servings
click here for Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter
2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup toffee bits, reserve 1/4 cup for topping (I use Heath bits that are covered in chocolate)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper or line it with foil and grease it very well with butter.  Melt the butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat.  When the butter has melted, add the chocolate chips ans stir with a whisk until they have melted.  Remove from the heat, add the sugars and whisk until smooth.

Add the vanilla and then whisk in the eggs, one at a time.  When the mixture is smooth and shiny, slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture in the saucepan.  Stir to combine thoroughly.  Add 3/4 cup toffee bits.

Spread the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and them sprinkle the top with the reserved toffee bits.  Bake for 28-32 minutes just until a inserted toothpick shows moist crumbs (I like to under-cook mine a bit so they are gooey).  Let the bars cool completely before slicing.


Look at those chunks of toffee on top!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Gluten Free Banana Peanut Butter Cup Muffins

These fluffy, moist muffins are turned up a notch with chunks of  peanut butter cups throughout the muffin.  They make a great breakfast or even dessert and look ever so dapper topped with more chunks of  peanut butter cups, chocolate chips and nuts.
Gluten Free Banana Peanut Butter Cup
Muffins

Am I the only one who always has some over ripe bananas sitting around the kitchen?  I'm thinking I'm not.  I can't stand wasting food, so we eat a lot of banana muffins around my house.  I needed to do something different with them, even though I love my chocolate chip banana muffins.  Thus, the Gluten Free Banana Peanut Butter Cup Muffin was born.  I usually add chocolate chips to my banana muffins, but since bananas, chocolate and peanut butter go so well together, I thought I'd try it out in one of my muffins!  I think Elvis would be proud...and you know I live to please Elvis (oh, that's right, he's no longer with us...bummer).

I brought these muffins to a meeting this week and they were a hit!  Several people at the meeting ate gluten free, and they loved these gluten Free Banana Peanut Butter Cup Muffins. They were so happy to have a gluten free dessert to choose from (as well as some Toffee Fudge Brownies, recipe coming soon).  I am always pleased when I see someone get excited to get to have dessert because it's gluten free!

One thing I have found with these muffins, though, is the sour cream in the batter will curdle if you use too overly ripe bananas and the batter gets all frothy and weird.

Let me know in the comments if you make these and how they come out for you!  Don't forget you have the option to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss a recipe.  You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram as Goodies Gone Gluten Free!
GLUTEN FREE BANANA PEANUT BUTTER CUP MUFFINS
Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Barefeet in the Kitchen

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup potato starch
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. salt
3 small very ripe bananas, about 1 cup mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
25 Miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped and roughly chopped (save some for topping)
2/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)
semi-sweet chocolate chips for top of muffins


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease or paper line muffin tins.  Combine the butter and sugars in a
 bowl and beat until smooth.  Add the vanilla and eggs and beat again on low speed until creamy.
 Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined.

Stir in the bananas, peanut butter cups and sour cream, then the nuts.  Pour into the prepared pans
 and  top with reserved peanut butter cups, nuts and chocolate chips.  Bake the muffins for
 18-22 minutes,  or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

What a treat my family had this morning!  You are just not going to believe how incredible these Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls are.  The first time I made them, I did my happy jump-n-clap-I-can't-believe-it's-gluten-free-dance...and I did it again this morning.  I mmmed and yummed my way through every bite of this deliciously moist and gooey cinnamon bun.  I think my family got sick of hearing me say how good it was!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

It's funny how becoming gluten intolerant has driven me to make things I wouldn't normally make, so I could still eat my favorite treats and not feel left out.  Although I baked a lot, and loved it, if I could make something that wasn't from scratch and still tasted good, I would.  Therefore all my cinnamon rolls in the past came from a nice convenient can.  These homemade Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls beat a can any day.  Boy was I missing out (and the funny thing is, you would think I would be missing out now since I'm gluten intolerant).  I was thinking that maybe a lot of you have your cinnamon rolls from a can too and might feel intimidated to make these Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls on your own, so I have included step-by-step pictures for making these amazing treats.  I hope all the pics help instead of irritate you to have to scroll through it all!

Put on a pot of coffee, because you are going to want a cup to go with these cinnamon rolls.  Now get to baking!



Here is the rolled out dough covered with the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. Make sure your space is well floured with a gluten free flour so you can easily roll it up. You can see on the short, right edge I have started to roll it up.


After is is rolled, you will cut the roll in half.


You will then cut the two halves in half.


Finally, you will cut each cut log in half, making eight separate rolls.


Put the cut sides down in a greased 9-inch cake pan, spaced as shown.  Cover with a dish towel and let them slightly rise by the warming oven for about 15 minutes.  You will not see much difference in looks at this point.


Look at those babies hot out of the oven.  They puff up and rise while cooking and meet up, snuggled all nice and close together.  See all the brown sugar and cinnamon on top?  Yumm!


Here is the final product iced right out of the oven and ready to eat, all warm and gooey!

GLUTEN FREE CINNAMON ROLLS
Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Slightly Adapted from: Lauren's Latest
Yields:  8 rolls
click for Printable Recipe

Dough:

1 cup warm milk
1 1/2 tsp. quick-rise yeast
2 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose four blend (I used Mamas Gluten Free Almond Flour Blend)
1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (if your flour mix doesn't contain it)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Filling:

1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup packed brown sugar

Frosting:

1 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp. corn syrup
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the dough, stir yeast into warm milk with a pinch of sugar and set aside to proof.  In a large bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until combined.  Cut cold butter into dry ingredients until butter pieces are very small (the size of small peas).  Pour in warm milk mixture and stir until dough comes together.  Pour dough out onto floured work surface.  Roll dough out to be a 16 x 11 (approximately) inch rectangle.  Spread melted butter over top of dough and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Roll up gently but tightly, starting at short end.  Cut off uneven ends.  Cut roll into 2, then cut those two in half, to make 4, then cut all those in half to make 8.  Each roll should be about 1/2 - 2 inches.  Place rolls into greased 9-inch cake pan, starting around the edge of the pan. Place the rolls cut side down (they will almost be touching, except for the one in the middle), and ending with last piece in the middle (I even fit the little cut off pieces in there somewhere).  Cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set pan on top of oven to rise slightly for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Remove towel and bake 15-20 minutes until rolls have grown and the tops have browned.

For the frosting, place all ingredients into a large bowl and whip until smooth.  Spread frosting over warm rolls and serve!