Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Well, here in good ole' California, it's been hot...real hot for us, and my house has been real hot, and I have put off baking...and well, it's been driving me crazy not baking.  So I strapped on my ice packs, hauled a fan into the kitchen and sucked it up and made these delicious Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars.  These bars are like a pecan pie with sweet and crunchy pecans in a gooey filling, with the big bonus of chocolate chunks on top!  The crust on these bars is the best I've made yet for a gluten free bar cookie.  I've made these Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars for years, and have been wanting to revamp them into a gluten free version for awhile.

Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

I'm happy to report that it was worth braving the heat for these bars.  I will be serving them tonight for our family night dessert topped with a nice ice cold scoop of ice cream.  Sound good?  Of course it does.  Really, I'm just chomping at the bit to feel fall weather so I can start making the slew of pumpkin desserts I have recipes for.  I'm just not feeling it now.  I feel like I should be by a pool with an ice cold drink in my hand, instead.

 I realize how much my baking is tied in with the weather, and the season.  Thanksgiving time and Christmas just drive me to bake, bake, bake.  It makes me feel cozy, homey and that everything is good and right in the world when I bake during those seasons.  Anyone else like that, or am I just weird?  Do you think if I start baking pumpkin things, it just might usher in the cooler weather?  Maybe I'll give it a try, but until then, these Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars will do nicely.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BARS
Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
click here for printable recipe

Crust

1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. xanthan gum (if your all-purpose flour does not contain it)
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling

3 large eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (11.5 ounce pack) Semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 13x9 inch baking pan.

For Crust
Beat butter and brown sugar in a mixer until light and fluffly.  Add flour, xanthan gum and salt, a little at a time and continue to mix until batter clings together.  Press into the prepared baking pan evenly and place pan in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes or until dough is firm.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

For Filling
Beat eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a medium bowl with wire whisk.  Stir in chunks and nuts.  Pour evenly over baked crust.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Cut into bars.

Gluten Free Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Flourless Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies

In the mood for something extra chocolaty and gooey inside and crispy on the edges...and super easy to make with no special flours to buy?  If your answer is yes, you have come to the right blog site!  These Flourless Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies, made with Special Dark cacao powder and semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips are such a treat.  I love making flourless desserts, and this recipe is an easy one to put together (I love easy  almost as much as I love chocolate!).

Flourless Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies

I used Hershey's Special Dark 100% cacao for this recipe, and it really made these cookies rich and tasty (and pretty dark looking), but I have used regular cocoa powder too and they were really good.  I really love dark chocolate, but if dark chocolate is not your thing, go ahead and make these Flourless Dark Choclate Brownie Cookies to your liking (although, I guess you would have to drop the word "dark" in the title if you made them with regular cocoa powder.  That's okay, because whatever you name them, they are delicious).

It has been super hot here, and it is hard for me to turn on that oven and add to the heat in the house, but these cookies were worth it!  I put the batter in the fridge for awhile before baking them since it is so hot and I didn't want them to spread too much.  Let me know in the comments below if you give them a try, okay?  Now turn on your air conditioner and get to baking!

FLOURLESS DARK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES
From:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Yammies Gluten Freedom
click here for Printable Recipe

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Special Dark baking powder (or regular baking powder)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the butter and sugars.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.  Mix together the soda, salt, and cocoa and add to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.  Refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes.  Use a cookie scoop or roll into balls and bake for about 10 minutes.

Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Bars

These were one of my favorite dessert bars to make before I had to go gluten free.  Another great recipe handed down from my Mom that I thought I might not eat again.  Guess what?  I set it free from gluten and Chocolate Raspberry Bars are back on the menu, just a gluten free version instead!

Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Bars

 These Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Bars are a great combo of fudgy chocolate, raspberry jam and chocolate chips with dollops of a nutty crust-like dough on top.  These bars were always a hit when I would make them, and I wanted to make sure this gluten free version was as well received, so I passed them around to my neighbors (don't you wish you were my neighbor?) and I still got rave reviews, so I thought I would share the recipe with you (so I guess you kind of get to be my neighbor too, since I'm still sharing with you).

For this recipe you can use a store bought gluten free all-purpose flour (I recommend finding one that uses a combo of brown rice flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch), but this time I found a recipe for a gluten free all-purpose flour mix that can be used for any gluten free recipe.  I mixed up a big batch of this flour and have used it several times.  I will put the recipe below the Gluten Free Chocolate Raspberry Bar recipe in case you'd like to make yourself a batch too.  Now get to baking!

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GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BARS
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Mom's handed down recipe from Madaline Bodeau
click here for Printable Recipe

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
2 1/4 cups gluten free all purpose flour plus 1/4 cup more for topping
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. xanthan gum (if you are using a mix that does not contain it)
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

Heat  oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 13x9 pan.  Beat butter in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Add xanthan to flour, if using.   Beat in flour, sugar and salt.  With gluten free floured fingers, press 1 3/4 cups of dough into the bottom of prepared pan; reserve remaining mixture.  Bake to 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are starting to brown (crust will look very wet). Let crust cool a bit so it sets up a little. Combine 1 cup of chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave until chips melt, about 1 minute.  Mix until smooth.  Pour over crust.  Stir nuts and 1/4 cup of gluten free flour into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over chocolate filling.  Drop teaspoonfuls of raspberry jam over crust.  Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  Store left overs in fridge.


GLUTEN FREE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
Recipe from: Gluten-Free Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond by Linda J. Amendt
click here for Printable Recipe

4 cups finely ground or stone-ground white rice flour
2 cups stone-ground brown rice flour
2 cups tapioca flour or tapioca starch
1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)

In an extra-large bowl or container, combine the rice flours, tapioca flour, and potato starch.  Whisk together until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.  Use a large spoon to bring the flour from the bottom of the bowl up to the top and whisk again.  Repeat a few times to make sure the flours are evenly distributed throughout the entire mixture.

Store the flour in an airtight container or zip-top storage bag at room temperature for up to 1 month.  For longer storage, keep the flour in the refrigerator or freezer.  Allow the flour to come up to room temperature before using.

Lightly stir the flour before measuring, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off the top with a straight-edged utensil, such as the back of a knife.

Gluten Free S'more Brownie Cheesecake Parfait

I have been wanting to try this recipe for some time now, and I was not disappointed! Gluten free brownie chunks are layered with a cream cheese, marshmallow cream and yogurt mixture, chocolate ganache and gluten free graham cracker crumbs...oh yum!  You can make one bowl of parfait, or little single serving ones.  I used jelly jars and it was super cute.

As you know, I love recipes that can cut some time by using a mix.  I used the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix for these Gluten Free S'more Brownie Cheesecake Parfaits.  Although I have made some amazing gluten free brownies from scratch, I have to say, this box mix was just as good for this recipe.  We couldn't wait to eat these sweet little parfaits as soon as they were assembled, and they were so rich and decadent with a nice tang from the yogurt and cream cheese, and a bit of crunch from the graham cracker crumbs, but I have to say, after refrigerating them and going in for another round the next day, I really liked the parfaits set up.  The cheesecake mixture became more like cheesecake, instead of a cream, and the ganache turned fudgy.  It was quite amazing!

Gluten Free S'more Brownie Cheesecake Parait

So if you are mourning the end of summer, you can keep it alive by imagining you are by the fireside, having a s'more, as you eat your Gluten Free S'more Brownie Cheesecake Parfait.

GLUTEN FREE S'MORE BROWNIE CHEESECAKE PARFAIT
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Betty Crocker
Yields: 4-8 single serving parfaits
click here for Printable Recipe

1 box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix or a gluten free mix of choice (or homemade)
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt
1 cup marshmallow creme
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup gluten free graham cracker crumbs (I used Kinnikinnick S'moreables Gluten Free Grahams)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

Make and bake brownies as directed on box.  Cool completely.  Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth.  Beat in yogurt, marshmallow creme and sugar.

Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl.  Heat whipping cream in the microwave on high 1 minute or until hot and steaming.  Pour hot cream over chocolate; stir until a smooth and glossy ganache forms.

In a small bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs and melted coconut oil until combined. In 4 to 8 cups or jars, layer cracker mixture, cream cheese mixture, brownie cubes and ganache.  Garnish with a dollop of marshmallow creme or cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with graham crumbs.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for a more cheesecake-like consistency.

Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

I don't know why I never realized what a wonderful pair bacon and macaroni and cheese are...but I finally figured that out.  My family has always loved my macaroni and cheese with a crumb topping, but this Gluten Free version with the addition of Bacon has made this dish an off the charts super star dish.  Gluten free elbow pasta becomes a creamy, cheesy delight, mingled with bites of bacon and a crispy, gluten free crumb topping.  This dish was really comfort food at it's best!

Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

I used a brown rice elbow pasta, which I watched closely so it was cooked to perfection.  If you cook brown rice pasta too long it turns to mush, so you don't want to leave this unattended for too long.  If cooked just right, you won't even tell the difference in this dish from semolina pasta.  I actually found a great gluten free bread crumb mix that had Parmesan cheese in it and Italian seasonings, and it was the perfect topping to this Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese.  If you can't find a gluten free seasoned bread crumb, just make your own by toasting a piece of gluten free bread really well, then grind it to crumbs in a food processor and mix with Italian seasoning, salt and if you wish, some grated Parmesan cheese.

GLUTEN FREE BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Taste of Home
Yield: 6 servings
click here for Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups uncooked gluten free elbow macaroni
5 Tbsp., butter divided
3 Tbsp. gluten free all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cup milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 ounces process American cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4-5 slices of bacon (I like to use no Nitrate bacon) chopped or torn into pieces
2 Tbsp. dry gluten free bread crumbs (Italian Style, seasoned)

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain; set aside.  In a saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add milk; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes; reduce heat.  Stir in cheeses, salt and pepper until cheese is melted.  Pour over macaroni; mix well.  Stir in bacon.  Melt the remaining butter; add the bread crumbs; Sprinkle over casserole.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese