Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge - Gluten Free

This is the best fudge I have ever eaten.  It is also the easiest fudge to make.  I love the combo of peppermint and chocolate.  This Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge will definitely be one of my baking gifts this Christmas.  Thank you to Barefeet in the Kitchen for this wonderful recipe!

Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge

We just watched A Christmas Story, which is one of my favorite Christmas movies.  If you have seen it, you know the part when Ralph is helping his Dad change the tire and knocks all the bolts out in the dark snow and he says, "oh, fudge!"  Well, every time I eat this Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge it makes me say, "Oh, fudge"  but in a good way!  Watch your favorite Christmas movie and enjoy some Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge too!

PEPPERMINT MARSHMALLOW FUDGE
Recipe from: Barefeet in the Kitchen
Recreated by: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
click here for Printable Recipe

2 cups semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1/8 tsp. peppermint extract
2 cups mini marshmallows
6 miniature candy canes or 1 large, crushed

Combine the sweetened condensed milk, the chocolate and butter in a medium size glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 90 seconds.  Stir to combine and heat another 15 seconds if needed.

Stir until smooth.  Stir in the extract (careful not to pour more than the 1/8 tsp., as it will be too minty).  Pour into well-greased pan (8x10 is what was used).  Top with crushed candy canes.  Chill until ready to serve.  Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle

 This Gluten Free Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle has a moist and tasty gingerbread cake that starts with a gluten free cake mix.  You could even just make the cake and frost it with a cream cheese frosting and it would be nice, but the pumpkin filling and toffee that nestles between each piece of cake should not be missed! It's presentation is a real crowd pleaser too!

If you are going to attend or give a Christmas party, I hope you try this out!

Gluten Free Gingerbread Pumpkin Triffle

GLUTEN FREE GINGERBREAD PUMPKIN TRIFLE
Recipe by: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
click here for Printable Recipe

Cake:
2 boxes of Betty Crocker Gluten free Yellow Cake Mix
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon plus 1/3 tsp. for pudding
1/4 tsp. each ground cloves and ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
12 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup molasses
1 Tbsp. vinegar
6 large eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 (5.1 ounce) package cook and serve vanilla pudding mix (make sure it is gluten free)
1 (30 ounce) can pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
16 oz. (1 pint) whipping cream
1/3 cup sugar
2-3 Heath Toffee bars, broken in bits


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.  Whisk together the cake mix, spices, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl beat the butter with half the cake mix/spices.  Beat in the molasses, vinegar, and one of the eggs.  Add the remaining eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the buttermilk alternately with the remaining dry mix, one third of each at a time.  Beat until smooth, scraping the bowl after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake the gingerbread for 45-50 minutes, until it's brown and firm on top and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.  It will be very high and full.  Remove the cake from the oven, and cool it on a rack.

Meanwhile, while cake is cooking, prepare the pudding and set to cool.  Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar and cinnamon into the pudding. Whip the whipping cream on high speed with electric mixer or stand mixer.  When a soft peak starts to form, pour in the 1/3 cup sugar until a hard peak forms.

Crumble a layer of gingerbread cake on bottom of triffle dish or punch bowl, pour 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, then top with a layer of whipped cream, and then a tablespoon or so of toffee.  Repeat layers until bowl is full, ending with whipped cream and sprinkle top with toffee bits.

Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne

Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne

One of my daughter's favorite pastas I make is my Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne.  The sausage is sliced and caramelized in light olive oil, with onions and garlic, then topped with tangy goat cheese. When I made the gluten free version of this pasta, she loved it too!

 For me, the two main things I thought I would have to give up when I found out I was gluten intolerant was bread and pasta; two of the things I really love to eat (beside dessert, of course).  I quickly found out, though, that there are a lot of really good gluten free pastas out there.  A lot of them can be found in regular grocery stores, too.

 The first gluten free pasta I tried when making a gluten free version of this Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne was Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne.  This is a very good pasta, but if you cook it too long it gets pretty soggy, so you have to really watch it and test it as you go.  I soon found there was a whole slew of gluten free pastas out there.  Even Barilla has a gluten free pasta (their pasta is made with a combination of corn and rice) that is also good.  Honestly, I have tried more brands of gluten free pasta than I can recall (I see one I haven't tried, and I have to try it out.  You are welcome gluten free pasta companies).  Almost all of them were good.  I did find that I preferred either an all brown rice pasta or a combo of corn and rice. as opposed to a corn only pasta. I found a brand at Walmart that I have been using , that I do like, called Pasta Joy by Tinkyada.  It is a brown rice pasta.

 This time I made my Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne with yet another brand of gluten free pasta that had a combo of rice, corn and quinoa.  I found it at Fresh & Easy, and the brand was Garofalo.  It was probably the best gluten free penne I have used up until now.  I use Aidells Chicken & Apple sausage, as it has no msg or nitrates, which I also have an allergy to.  Aidells also makes a Chicken & Mango sausage which I have used in this recipe in the past, and it is very good also.  This is a quick and easy stove top recipe that is served up nice with a side salad (a little gluten free bread on the side doesn't hurt either!).

This Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne is a simple dinner that would be great on a hot summer night!  I hope you try it out.  Let me know in the comments section below if you do try it, and how you liked it!

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GLUTEN FREE CHICKEN & APPLE SAUSAGE PENNE
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Yield: 6-7 servings
click here for Printable Recipe

16 oz. gluten free penne pasta
12 oz. package Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage (or any chicken & apple sausage brand)
Small onion, diced (I like to use a Vidallia, or sweet onion)
1/2 cup light olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, plus a Tbsp. for topping

Boil salted water for pasta, and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large pan and saute onions with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, until they start to soften.  Slice sausage into rounds and add to onions and cook until the sausage is browned and caramelized.  Add garlic and cook for a minute, just until fragrant (you don't want to burn your garlic by cooking too long).

Drain pasta and add to pan of sausage and onions.  Stir to coat.  Add olive oil, salt, pepper and goat cheese and stir until fully coated.  You can drizzle more olive oil if it looks too dry.  Top with extra goat cheese and serve!

Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cookies

You must be very special, because I am sharing with you one of my all-time favorite cookies to make at Christmas... literally.  You are not just getting the recipe, but actually have a chance to have these cookies.  At the end of this post, I explain how you can get them.

Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cookies

  I have made these Chocolate Truffle Cookies for years and always give them as gifts for my Christmas baking.  This year, for the first time, I have made a gluten free version, and I can't tell any difference.  That is probably because these Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cookies only have a 1/2 cup of flour to start with anyway, so replacing that with a gluten free flour blend didn't make a big difference.  Imagine biting into what seems to be a cookie with a bit of a crispy edge, but finding that the inside is very similar to a chocolate truffle, loaded with gooey chocolate chips...but it's still kind of a cookie.  Intrigued? I guess you are going to have to make them too to find out just how amazing these cookies are.  Top them with a dusting of powdered sugar and box or bag them up, and you have a nice gift...that is, if you don't eat them all before you give them away (like we did this year).  I think next time I will make two batches, one for us and one to give! Hey, speaking about giving...how would you like me to make you a batch?

 What are some of your all-time favorite Christmas treats to give or make?  The first person (who lives in the United States) who lets me know their favorite thing to bake at Christmas, will win a batch of these Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cookies.  Just comment below!  Anyone else who comments (once again, who lives in the United States) will be part of a random selection (by a third party) to receive a batch too! Make sure and include your e-mail address in your comment so I can contact the winners. So two batches of Gluten Free Chocolate Truffle Cookies are up for grabs, so get to commenting!  Merry Christmas from Goodies Gone Gluten Free.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE COOKIES
Recipe From: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Slightly Adapted from: Taste of Home
click here for Printable Recipe

4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Confectioner's sugar

In a microwave or double broiler, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of chocolate chips and butter; cool for 10 minutes.  In a mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs for 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla and the chocolate mixture.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; beat into chocolate mixture.  Stir in remaining chocolate chips.  Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.  Remove about 1 cup of dough.  With lightly floured hands (make sure to use gluten free flour), roll into 1-in. balls.  Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10-12 minutes or until lightly puffed and set.  The tops should not look wet, but cookie will still be a bit soft.  Cool on pan 3-4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Gluten Free Muddy Buddy Cookies

It's officially Christmas time!!!  Yea!!  I thought I would kick off the season with these easy to make, yet oh so delicious Gluten Free Muddy Buddy Cookies.  They are just like the Muddy Buddy cereal  snack, but made with peanut butter cookies, and just like Muddy Buddies, they are coated in melted chocolate and peanut butter and tossed with powdered sugar.  You won't believe the explosion in your mouth when you take your first bite of these babies!  Make sure, though, to have a glass of milk in hand when eating these Gluten Free Muddy Buddy Cookies!

Gluten Free Muddy Buddy Cookies

 To make it real easy, I started with a gluten free cookie mix, but you could make your own peanut butter cookies.  I used the Hodgson Mill Gluten Free Cookie Mix and followed the directions on the back to make them into peanut butter cookies.

 I have a real hard time when the stores start displaying Christmas things early (like October), and find myself fighting giving in to it all through November, just because I want it to be special all December long and not feel overdone by the time Christmas comes.  I feel it is official now that December 1st has rolled along to fully give in to the season...and boy have I!  The tree is up, the decorations are out and the baking shall begin!  I have so many wonderful treats to share with you this season, so buckle up we are in for a ride (I won't say it is a bumpy ride, though).

Merry Christmas, friends!  Enjoy!

GLUTEN FREE MUDDY BUDDY COOKIES
Recipe From:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from:  Betty Crocker
Click here for printable recipes

1 box of gluten free peanut butter cookie mix or homemade made according to directions
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz.)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

Make cookies according to package directions for peanut butter cookies.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and place dough 2 inches apart.  Bake as directed, until edges are light golden brown.  Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.  Cool completely.

In small microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, butter and peanut butter uncovered on high 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Place 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a 1-gallon resealable food-storage bag; set aside.  Place 12 cooled cookies in large bowl.  Pour 1/3 of chocolate mixture over cookies in bowl.  Using rubber spatula, toss cookies gently to coat.  Place cookies in bag with powdered sugar; seal bag.  Gently turn bag to coat remaining chocolate mixture; repeat again until all cookies are coated, adding additional powdered sugar to bag as needed.