Gluten Free Parmesan Sesame Breadsticks

These soft Gluten Free Parmesan Sesame Breadsticks are my new gluten free bread passion.  They are so amazing and so easy to whip up.  I have been using Pamela's Gluten Free All-Purpose Artisan Flour for a lot of recipes lately, including these breadsticks, and all  the recipes have come out great.  I have made these breadsticks using the all-purpose gluten free flour blend on the blog too and they came out good that way also.  It was a little more fluffy with the Pamela's though. You could leave out the Parmesan and sesame seeds if you'd like, but they really add to the breadstick. Serve them with a nice bowl of gluten free spaghetti, and you'll thank me!

Gluten Free Parmesan Sesame Breadsticks
Goodies Gone Gluten FreeEnjoy!

GLUTEN FREE PARMESAN SESAME BREADSTICKS
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from:  Taste of Home
click here for Printable Recipe

1 1/4 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (I used Pamela's)
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum if your flour does not contain it
2/3 cup milk (with an added 1/4 cup if needed)
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. sesame seeds
1/4 cup Parmesan

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, xanthan (if using) and salt.  Gradually add milk and stir to form a soft dough.  If the dough is too dry, add a couple of tablespoons more of milk until the dough comes together ( it could take up to a 1/4 cup).  It will still be a bit wet, not  a totally dry dough.  Turn dough onto a surface heavily sprinkled with gluten free flour.  Sprinkle a little gluten free flour on top of dough and pat dough out with your hands into about a 6 inch rectangle.  You don't want it too thin.  With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 breadsticks.  They will look a bit flat, so I roll each one a little on your floured surface to give it more of a round breadstick shape.  Melt butter in microwave and brush over each breadstick with a pastry brush.  I brush the bottoms and the tops.  Sprinkle the tops of each breadstick with sesame seeds and Parmesan cheese and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Heart Cookie

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and I can't begin to tell you how many cute and delicious looking recipes I've found from various sources.  This giant Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Heart Cookie got a trial run last night and got rave reviews from all who tried it.  A gooey chocolate chip cookie is topped with sweetened cream cheese, strawberries and a chocolate drizzle.  Chocolate dipped strawberries are the finishing touch to this chewy cookie.  Although I have made a giant chocolate chip cookie for years with my heart pan, I got some new and creative gluten free ideas for this giant cookie from some other gluten free blogs I like.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Heart Cookie
Goodies Gone Gluten Free

I have found the ultimate gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe on a great gluten free site I follow, My Gluten-Free Kitchen. This recipe for cookie dough is the star of this giant heart cookieM and I hope you try making these cookies one day as individual scooped cookies too! I used a Wilton large heart pan to make this cookie, but you could certainly use little cookie molds or even just make individual scooped cookies, but I was going for a Valentine theme and used the heart pan.  The idea for the design of this cookie came from another great site I have found, Faithfully Gluten Free.

Coming tomorrow on the blog, Chocolate Drizzled Heart Shaped homemade marshmallows! Both of these Valentine inspired recipes were so fun to make and looked and tasted amazing!  Enjoy.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP HEART COOKIE
Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Cookie Dough Recipe from: My gluten-free kitchen
click here for Printable Recipe

Cookie Dough:

• 2 1/4 cups (~282 grams) good all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Pamelas)
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (omit if gf flour blend has xanthan or guar gum already)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temp
• 3/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks (room temp)
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Topping:

1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 lb. strawberries (set aside desired amount to dip for the garnish and chop the rest)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for dipping

To make the cookie:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, xanthan (unless flour blend already has xanthan or guar gum), baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, place the cream cheese, then pour melted butter over it. Add brown sugar and sugar and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. (I use the paddle attachment on my mixer.)
3. Add vanilla extract and egg yolks (one at a time) mixing on low-medium speed until well mixed.
4. Add the flour mixture that you set aside earlier, beating on low until just combined.
5. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low or by hand, just until mixed thoroughly.
6. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple of hours and up to 4 days.
7. When you are ready too bake, remove from refrigerator and let sit for about 5 minutes to soften enough for easier scooping.
8. Preheat oven to 375°.
9. Cut out parchment in the shape of the heart pan and place in the bottom of the pan.  
10. spray the sides of the pan with cooking spray to ensure the cookie won't stick as it rises.
11. Press cookie dough evenly into heart pan.
12. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are browned and the middle is lightly browned.  The middle won't be as done as the sides, but this lends to a nice chewy cookie once it sets.
13. When cookie is done, cool in pan on a wire rack until set and fully cooled.  Invert cookie onto a platter, remove parchment paper and carefully turn cookie back over.
14. With hand mixer, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread over cooled cookie, leaving edges exposed (the edges kind of curl up, making the middle a nice space for the cream cheese to sit in.
15. Evenly top cream cheese with chopped strawberries.  Heat chocolate chips in a bowl in the  microwave at 30 second increments until melted and dip reserved whole strawberries.   Lay them on a parchment paper and let them set up in the fridge.   Drizzle remaining melted chocolate over top of chopped strawberries and adorn with chocolate dipped strawberries, once set.
16. Keep cookie in fridge until serving (I cut mine into squares to serve).

Italian Chicken - Gluten Free

How is your new year going?  I've been a busy girl.  I have been cooking and baking up a storm, and have catered desserts to a couple of parties.  I decided I should have a whole house set up, complete with a bed, tv and couch, in the kitchen!  On those days I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen, I just want a tried and true dish to make for dinner that night.  This Italian Chicken is one of those dishes.  It's pretty easy and doesn't require me to look up measurements in a cookbook and I love that.  It has been a family favorite since I was first married, and is often requested as the "birthday meal."  The browned cheese on top of the tomato and crispy chicken is so good.  The spinach on the bottom cooks down in the chicken juices, giving it great flavor.  Such a winning combo.

Italian Chicken - Gluten Free
Goodies Gone Gluten Free

When I first attempted to make a gluten free version of this Italian Chicken, it didn't turn out so well.  It was actually a soggy mess.  The chicken is breaded, lightly browned in olive oil, topped with tomato and cheese and set atop a bed of fresh spinach and then put in the oven to finish off cooking.  The gluten free bread crumbs I used just turned into mush in the oven.  The next time I tried a gluten free panko style bread crumb and that did the trick.  No mush.  I have had good success using Ian's Gluten Free Panko Style bread crumbs and Kinnikinnick Panko Style Bread crumbs.  I mix the bread crumbs with a little Italian herbs and  seasoning salt before dredging the chicken in them.

I hope you try this dish out and maybe it will become your family's "birthday meal" too!

ITALIAN CHICKEN - GLUTEN FREE
Recipe From:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
click here for Printable Recipe

4-5 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium bag fresh spinach leaves
1 medium tomato sliced in 4-5 slices
4-5 slices of mozzarella or jack cheese
Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
Gluten Free Panko style bread crumbs, approximately 1 cup
Olive Oil for frying

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Empty bag of spinach into a 13x9 inch baking dish.  It will look like a lot of spinach, but it will cook down considerably.  Pour olive oil approximately a quarter of the way up in a skillet and heat on medium heat.  In the meantime, dip chicken in egg and then bread crumbs (if your gluten free panko crumbs are not seasoned you can season with a 1/4 tsp of Italian herbs and 1/4 tsp. of seasoning salt or salt of choice).  Once oil is hot enough that a few crumbs dropped in the hot oil sizzle, place chicken in skillet and brown on both sides, a couple at a time.  Place browned chicken on top of spinach and top each breast with a slice of tomato, a sprinkle of Parmesan and a piece of sliced cheese.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned and the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Serves 4-5 people