handling the heat wave

If you hadn't noticed, lately I've been very into making "no-bake" recipes. I know it sounds a little crazy, but for someone who is as baking crazed as I am, the summertime can be hard. Not only is it totally treacherous to stand in front of my 350 degree oven as it wafts hot air in my direction, but the heat totally messes with ingredients as well.  When baking blondies a few weeks ago, they became chocolate swirl blondies instead of chocolate chip blondies because the chips were melted into the batter even before they went into the oven! Overheating and cooling can be problematic when baking in the summer, plus sometimes it is just plain uncomfortable.

That being said, I'd never let a little 93 degree heat wave come between me and my dessert creations. While it might be hot, I still want to make delicious things, and I know you guys do too. I came up with this recipe after seeing similar recipes popping up on other food blogs. They looked delicious, and I'm a sucker for anything with chocolate and peanut butter. Plus, these are naturally gluten free, which is something that can be hard to come by. Best of all, they're no bake, thus continuing my quest for cooler baking experiences in my little kitchen.

These cookies had a 2 fold purpose: first, I made them to bring in and share with my co-workers for a birthday celebration. They went over incredibly well, and since you can make many in a batch, the other half of these bad boys were supposed to go camping with me this weekend. While camping didn't happen (hello?! did you see the weather forecast?), and I was super bummed not to get to make smores, I just had more of these to myself. They are easy to make, (somewhat) healthy, and incredibly delicious. You can pull them together quickly, and I will definitely be making them again. You could certainly add in other nuts, dried fruit, and different kinds of chips to change them up a little --or even another kind of nut butter. They were the perfect combo of salty and sweet, and I'm still enjoying them days later. Keep them in the fridge and you'll have bite-sized treats for days!


no bake peanut butter-chocolate granola balls

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (I used gluten free rolled oats- make sure the bag is marked as such!)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

before

and after!

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing well with your hands until all ingredients are combined
Chill in your fridge for 30 minutes
Remove from fridge and form into small balls with your hands (they should be around the size of a ping pong ball)
Keep in an airtight container in your fridge and enjoy for days!

the hunt for the perfect cookie

There is just nothing like a warm, gooey chocolate cookie to put a smile on my face. And I'm not talking Chips Ahoy. I've never been so into store bought chocolate chip cookies, but put some homemade yummies in front of my face, and I will go to town. I love a sweet and salty cookie, with rich buttery flavor, and delicious chocolate chunks to top off a meal (or you know, just in the afternoon or something). 

I've had my fair share of mouth watering chocolate chip cookies over the years, but recently, I've made it a personal goal to make a deliciously perfect (or as close to perfect as possible) chocolate chip cookie. Not as easy as it looks. Some cookies are too hard, and some fall apart. Lets be honest, who doesn't want a cookie that's slightly undercooked chewy on the inside with a slightly crispy outside? To make matters worse, as my gluten free friends out there can tell you, gluten free baking is no picnic --the finicky flour, the confusing xanthum gum, the tricky ratios...the list goes on. Needless to say, I've certainly burdened myself with a weighty task. 

This batch of cookies was incredibly delicious. The flavors were spot on, and they had a surprisingly wonderful texture, which is not always achieved with gluten free baking. They were a hit with my friends, who assured me that they "didn't even taste gluten free!" (Success or what?!) The two and a half dozen that I made were eaten within about 48 hours, leaving only the memories (and some beautiful pictures) of these tasty treats.

Though these cookies were delicious, the quest for the perfect cookie continues. There are definitely things that can be improved in this recipe, and I assure you, this will not be the last you hear from the beloved chocolate chip cookie. Over the next few months, you will have the pleasure of reading about my ongoing hunt for perfection. I have to say though, I'm off to a delicious start. These cookies got rave reviews, but they're only going to get better from here.

look at that cookie

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups gf flour

¾ tsp xanthum gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts toasted and chopped

buttery, chocolatey dough

fresh out of the oven

the perfect bite.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees

Cut the cold butter into small 1/4 inch cubes

Beat together both the regular and brown sugars with the butter until well mixed and smooth

With your mixer on medium speed, mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthum gum, and salt

Once combined, add slowly into the wet ingredients in the mixer

Toast walnuts in your oven or on your stove for a few minutes until toasted nicely

Toss the chocolate chips and walnuts into the batter and mix (you might want to mix by hand, or on low, as the mixer may break up the chips and walnuts down)

With your hands, roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 3-4 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet

Bake the cookies for 17 minutes or until they just start to brown. If using two cookie sheets at once, switch the cookies from the top shelf to the bottom (and vice versa) so that they cook evenly

enjoy- and be sure to snag one right out of the oven, it will be totally worth it!!

a personal accomplishment

For one reason or another, meringues have given me more trouble than I'd like to admit. Every year on passover, my mom and I attempt the seemingly simple 5 ingredient cookie, and every year something goes wrong --the egg whites don't peak, the cookies never finish cooking, they are mushy on the inside...the troubles go on. No matter what we seem to do, what recipe we seem to try, it just never works out. And it's not just on passover. I know that not everyone likes them, but I truly love meringues, plus, they're naturally gluten free!

And so, I made it my mission to master the meringue. A simple task, perhaps for some, but a small baking Everest for myself. This weekend, filled with confidence brought on by my cookie making rampage (see the previous post). With scientific calculations (looking at many recipes and figuring out what would work best for me), I finally came up with a fool proof (I know, they all say they're fool proof) recipe for meringues. These meringues turned out perfectly crisp and delicious, and while they are just plain vanilla meringues, I am incredibly proud of myself. In the future, I promise more interesting meringue variations, but for now, please enjoy these!

A word to the wise, be sure to add the ingredients in order and mix as directed! This will really help ensure the perfect peaking egg whites and the deliciously sweet and crispy meringues (follow the picture montage below!)

Beauties!!!

Vanilla Meringues

3 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees

Beat (with a whisk attachment) eggs, vanilla and salt in your mixing bowl on high until foamy

Slowly add the sugar (1 tbsp at a time until it is all added) in while continuing to mix on medium-high

Once all of the sugar is added, whip mixture until stiff peaks form (see pictures!)

With a spoon, dollop tablespoon sized meringues onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (they will keep the shape that you place them in, and will not expand)

Bake the cookies for 1hr 30 min before allowing to cool on the cookie sheet

enjoy!

egg whites

the peaks begin

almost there

perfectly peaked!!

into the oven

the finished product

enjoy!

crazy for cookies

Okay, lets be honest- who isn't?! Cookies are a magical invention of deliciousness, all wrapped up in a neat little hand held package. You can eat them on the go or on the couch, you can even eat them with ice cream in the middle (just wait till summer time...it's happening). When there's a cookie around, everyone is happy. The wonderful thing about cookies, is that not only are they easy to transport and easy to eat wherever you like, they're also a crowd pleaser no matter who is eating them. Babies love them, grandmas always seem to be making them, and mom always puts a smile on your face when you open up your lunch and find that she's packed you a cookie.

With a sweet tooth like mine, I am obviously not an exception to the rule. Cookies are so simple, I have been known to make multiple batches in one day. In fact, this weekend, that is exactly what I did. To say I went a little overboard might be accurate, however all of my friends who I have happily shared my sugary little creations with would agree that all three were definitely delicious (and therefore obviously necessary that I baked them all).

I started out with one of my classic gf favorites, a peanut butter cookie, decided, why not add chocolate to that, and then ended by attacking the meringue (post to follow shortly). I honestly think all three turned out awesomely (thank goodness after the last cookie catastrophe), but you'll have to ask my harshest critics, my friends, about that. For now, enjoy the scrumptiousness of not one, but two peanut butter cookies. These cookies are "naturally" gluten free, aka no weirdo substitutions. And I bet that you have most of the ingredients sitting in your kitchen now. The first is a classic peanut butter, and the second, a peanut butter chocolate cookie, because, well why not?

Peanut Butter Cookies

¾ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

for all the peanut butter fans out there

ready for the oven!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients together by hand in a large mixing bowl

For the peanut butter, grease the inside of your measuring cup and the spoon you use to scoop out the peanut butter (Non-stick cooking spray works well for this)- I promise, it will help you out a lot!

Once ingredients are well mixed together (make sure all sugar is incorporated), roll the dough into small balls and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

With a fork, create a criss-cross pattern and sprinkle the top of the cookie with brown sugar (optional)

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, taking them out, even if they don't look quite done 

Let cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring over to a cooling rack

enjoy!

cooling...it takes a lot of will power to let them sit there

yum!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

¾ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

Chocolately goodness

Follow the same steps as the cookies above, but for a reminder: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Mix all ingredients together by hand in a large mixing bowl

Once ingredients are well mixed together roll the dough into small balls and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

With a fork, create a criss-cross pattern and sprinkle the top of the cookie with brown sugar (optional)

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, taking them out, even if they don't look quite done 

Let cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring over to a cooling rack

enjoy!

Chocolate and Peanut butter, what's not to love?

...I think next time, there will definitely be chocolate chips going into these bad boys

can't win them all

The downside of gluten free baking, is that unfortunately, not all regular recipes translate perfectly into gluten free. Because of the mixing of flours, the addition of xanthum gum, things can get tricky, and unfortunately, things don't always turn out the way you want them to. I was very excited to make these cookies- I've been wanting to make shortbread, and when I found a recipe for brown butter, brown sugar shortbread cookies, I was very excited to make them. Unfortunately, as with most recipes, it was not gluten free. Despite this, I was eager to make a few substitutions, a few additions, and make the recipe my own. The dough itself was outstanding, so delicious, so the flavors were all there. Upon baking however, these cookies did everything in their power to drive me insane, but specifically- they did not hold their consistency. They spread out when baking, and turned out to be thin, and not at all the way that I imagined. While my friends actually enjoyed the cookies a lot (and ate a ton of them), they simply were not the texture that I desired, and not at all "shortbready" like I had hoped. None the less, I definitely encourage my non-gluten free friends to bake this recipe using regular flour (and no xanthum gum). I dream of these cookies, and one day, when I am less frustrated with them, I will attempt them again and hopefully prevail (promise gluten free friends!)

Brown Sugar, Brown Butter Shortbread


1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (cubed)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups of gf flour mix
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1/4 tsp salt
Sugar in the raw


To make the brown butter, place butter into a small saucepan over medium heat and cook for around 6 minutes, stirring frequently (scraping down the sides and bottom as well). The butter should have a nutty smell to it. Pour the butter into a bowl and chill for an hour (should begin to firm up).

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar on high until it is light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla then the flour and salt at a lower speed until it has just combined (be careful to not over beat). Pour dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and form into a log, about 12 inches long and an inch a and a half wide. Chill dough in the fridge for about an hour.

scrumptious dough

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once dough is firm and chilled, remove from wax paper and roll it in the coarse sugar. Pressing the dough into the sugar so that it sticks. Slice the dough into 1/4 inch thick and arrange 1 1/2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10-12 until edges of the cookies start to brown. Let sit on the sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

enjoy!

Disclaimer: these cookies did not turn out so well for me. I think that because of the flour substitution, the cookies were just not having it...so it goes in the land of gluten free baking.

round, yummy, and rolled in sugar...

thin and crumbly, ugh.

*My wonderful (and creative) roommate urged me to include that, despite their failure as true cookies, these yummy treats create a delicious crumble --which is specifically delicious atop vanilla ice cream!

chocolate chubsters, for the fat kid in you

These cookies, are out of this world. But let's back up for a minute. Valentine's day has come around again, and once again the flurry of pink, hearts, and cheesy cards seems to cloud everyone's Valentine's day experience. But for me, Valentine's day has always been about the chocolate. When I was in elementary school, each year we would make valentine's mail boxes out of empty orange juice cartons, or old shoe boxes. I loved nothing more than handing out my hand made valentines to all of my classmates, and sorting through my mailbox after all had been passed out. Though I appreciated them all, truth be told, the valentine's I cared about were those that came with candy, specifically chocolate. Ever since, my love of chocolate has grown, as has my love for chocolate on Valentine's day. Now, I'm a firm believer that Valentine's day is kind of a made up holiday, but hey-- when chocolate is involved, I'm not complaining.

This year, I baked for all of my lovely work valentines, and a few friends as well. I started off thinking I was going to make sugar cookies, or something pink, but let's be honest--what girl doesn't just want good old fashion chocolate? So this recipe was created. It's kind of a mix between cookies, brownies, and meringues, but whatever you call them, they're delicious.

Triple Chocolate Chubsters

8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix

1/8 tsp xanthum gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place a glass or metal bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water

Place butter in bowl. Once melted, add chocolate, cocoa, and oil--remove and let cool for 5 minutes once melted

Whip eggs in a bowl with a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment on medium. Once the eggs are foamy and thickened, add sugar and vanilla, increasing speed of mixer. Whip aprox. 3 minutes, until eggs are very thick and pale yellow

Reduce speed to medium and add chocolate mixture

Change to paddle attachment and add flour, xanthum gum, baking powder, and salt

Remove from mixer and add chocolate chips and walnuts--mix with a wooden spoon

Use an icecream scooper (or a soup spoon if you don't have one) and portion the batter onto pans lined with parchment paper. Place cookies 1-2 inches apart, they will not expand too much

Bake 17 minutes, until edges release easily

It is okay if the center is underdone slightly--I promise, it is better this way!

enjoy!! 

 

super bowl sweets

Even as a little girl, I always loved football. Nothing was better than curling up on a Sunday, and watching a game with my dad. I can't tell you what it was about the game, but I was always fascinated and entertained. I told my dad that I wanted to grow up and be a quarterback (though, I wanted to be a lot of things when I grew up). Needless to say, while my middle school football team had one or two girls on the team, I was not one of them. I quickly realized that not only did I lack the athletic talent to be a pro-sports player, but there was no way I wanted to have a 300lb defensive tackle headed in my direction.

Despite not pursing my NFL dreams, I still love watching football, and love Superbowl Sunday. For me, Superbowl snacks definitely trump the commercials. While everyone else looks forward to the newest Budwiser or Kia commercial, I look forward to the menu. There's nothing better than coming to a Superbowl party armed with delicious snacks for hungry (slightly drunken) fans. The Superbowl is always a good excuse for me to bake more than I could possibly eat alone, and share these goodies with friends. This year, was no exception.

Since I have a problem with over cooking, and making more than I could possibly need, I decided to go with both a cookie and a brownie for my boyfriend's Superbowl party. Both were new recipes, and both were delicious. They were devoured by hungry fans, and finished up by my wonderful co-workers the next day (I swear, someone is paying them to compliment me on my baked goods). The highest compliment a gluten free chef can get, is one from those who don't know a cookie is gluten free, and are not forced to eat gluten free. These recipes were in high demand after my friends ate them, so here you go!

I made monster cookies and double chocolate chip brownies. I made them gluten free, however you certainly could use regular all purpose flour and regular oats. The cookies are chunky and delicious- they would be great with nuts, peanut butter chips, or any other yummy you might want to add. The brownies are chocolate, moist, and frankly out of this world. Make them at your own risk, you will want to be sure you have people to share them with, or you will find yourself with a belly full of brownies in a short amount of time.

Monster Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp corn syrup

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

4 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup plain M&Ms

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both brown and regular sugars. Add one egg at a time, continuing to mix in between

Add vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda, and peanut butter. Mix on medium high until smooth

Add oats and mix well--Once you think you're done mixing, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again

Add the chocolate chips and M&M's (Mix these by hand! Otherwise your electric mixer will massacre your M&M's)

Place dough in the fridge for 30 minutes (This will help it firm up before baking)

Roll dough into balls, 1 tablespoon each, placing 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper*

Bake until edges are golden brown, or about 10 minutes

Let cool on baking sheets for two minutes, and then transfer to cooling racks

enjoy!!

Monsterlicious

*These cookies WILL expand, stick to smaller cookies, and be sure they are spaced out at least two inches, or else you will end up with cookie cake!

Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

1.5 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

½ cup canola oil
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (or chips)

½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso powder (Coffee grinds will work here too!)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 cup gluten free flour

¼ tsp xanthum gum

½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Place a glass or metal bowl over a sauce pan with an inch of simmering water

Add the butter, chocolate, cocoa powder, oil, and espresso powder to the bowl. Once fully melted, stir to combine and remove from heat. Let the chocolate mixture cool for 5 minutes

Combine the brown sugar and white sugar with the eggs in an electric mixer

Once fully combined at the vanilla extract, flour, and xanthum gum--mix until fully combined

Add melted chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. Once mixed, add chocolate chips

Pour batter into a 9x13 baking ban lined with parchment paper (butter paper as well for easy removal)

Smooth out with spatula to ensure even baking

Bake for 25 minutes

Let cool completely and cut to enjoy! 

Cooling in the fridge may help make cutting easier

Ooey, Gooey, delicious.