Sunday, May 13, 2012

Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cookies: Egg-Free Also!



This isn't my first chocolate chip cookie.  Shawn and I both think it's one of my very best though.

This is another great "base" recipe.  It will take a bit of abuse with substitutions and variants in flours and sugars as well as add-ins like nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, etc.  Being both egg-free and gluten-free as well as easily converted to dairy-free using something like EarthBalance instead of butter.

These freeze easily in dough form for easy cooking later on.  Just pre-shape dough into small cookie portions and freeze not touching each other.  (once frozen they can touch)  Pull them out as needed and bake at slightly longer cooking times.

Ingredients


  • 1 cup sweet rice flour (or brown rice flour)
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 3/4 cup unsalted sweet cream butter (softened)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons golden flaxseed meal
  • 6 tablespoons hot water
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • chocolate chips (1/2 - 1 cup your choice)
  • walnuts (1/2 - 1 cup your choice)


Step 1:
Whisk the flours, starches, almond meal, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly in a separate bowl and set this aside.

Step 2: 
Stir together the golden flaxseed meal, extra virgin olive oil, and the hot water and set this aside to get "goopy"

Step 3:
Cream together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and the flaxseed mixture.

Step 4:
Thoroughly blend in the flour mixture, then add the walnuts and chocolate chips.


Step 5:
Cover the dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes or so.  (Beyond 30 minutes there is no wrong length of time to chill it. Overnight is OK.)

Step 6:
Spray a cookie sheet lightly with your favorite gluten free cooking spray.  Drop spoonfulls of the chilled dough onto the sheet allowing about 2 inches between each for spread.

Step 7:
Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 11 minutes. Remove and let set in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Step 8:
Carefully remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Gluten Free Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes with almond and flax crust


Chocolate!   mmmMMMmmm

Shawn doesn't care for cheesecake and I love it!  Every time I make cheesecake I gain a few pounds because I don't want it to go to waste so I eat it like The Golden Girls did.  Too much, too often. =]

I know Shawn will eat anything chocolate so this was my compromise.  Chocolate cheesecake.

These disappeared so fast I thought we had hungry gremlins living in the fridge.  Definitely a big hit with the chocolate lovers.  I took a few to work and my coworkers were literally fighting over them.  Don't take my word for it try one for yourself.

Ingredients


  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 packages of softened neufchatel cheese (it's 1/3 less fat than cream cheese)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons golden flaxseed meal
  • 1 small bag of your favorite GF chocolate drop candies.  (you'll need about 18)


Step 1:
whisk together in a separate bowl the golden flaxseed meal, the brown sugar and 1/2 cup of the almond meal.  This is the crust.

Step 2:
In your stand mixer bowl, cream together the softened cheese, egg whites, sugar, vanilla, sweet rice flour, and the remaining 1/4 cup almond meal.

Step 3:
Line your cupcake pan with paper liners and spray them with a gluten free non-stick cooking spray for easier release.  Put 1 teaspoon of the crust mixture in each cupcake liner, then 1/4 cup of the cheesecake batter.  Top with 1 chocolate drop in the center.

Step 4:
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Step 5:
Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.  Eat now or refrigerate and enjoy later.

These were just mouthwateringly delicious.
Enjoy!

  


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Gluten Free Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze


I've been wanting to make a lemon loaf cake for awhile now but, I just never seemed to get around to it.

I have to admit, it's not one of Shawn's favorite things to snack on, and I can't honestly say a lemon cake is very high on my list of desired desserts.  

Nevertheless, I bought some lemons and made a delicious, super moist and spongy, gluten free lemon loaf cake with a lemon icing glaze.  After taste testing, Shawn and I agreed, this will be made more often.  Yummy!

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
  • 1/4 cup almond meal
  • 1/4 cup sweet white sorghum flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 2 tablespoons golden flax seed meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 stick of butter (softened)
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 1/3 cup almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 and 1/2 cup powdered sugar


Step 1:
Whisk together the flours, starches, golden flaxseed meal, almond meal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder thoroughly in a separate bowl and set this aside.

Step 2:
Wash your lemons, then zest them both.


Step 3:
In your stand mixer bowl, cream the sugar, egg whites, soft butter,almond milk, the lemon zest from both lemons, and vanilla together thoroughly. It will be a bit soupy looking.

Step 4:
Mix the bowl of flours into the stand mixer bowl and mix together thoroughly.  It will get thicker the longer you mix.

Step 5:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 4x8 loaf pan with your favorite nonstick cooking spray.  Fill the loaf pan with the batter.  

Step 6:
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Let cool briefly in the pan. 

Step 7:
Run a knife around the edges of the pan then turn out the loaf onto a platter.

Step 8:
Mix the icing glaze by putting the powdered sugar in a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Being careful not to get seeds in the bowl, juice the two lemons into the bowl.  Whisk together until smooth.



Step 9:
Pour the glaze over the loaf and allow to set up.  Slice, serve, and enjoy!



Enjoy!