A Return to the Norm

I'M BACK! Did you miss me?

It's OK, I understand that you hadn't really noticed that I've been gone. Time flies, doesn't it? But I have a good reason. Let me explain. No, let me summarize.

I got sick. Something like what I had when I first was diagnosed as gluten intolerant, but different. Something was very wrong.

I went through the usual battery of tests and ended up at the GI Specialist again. Basically, I'm completely healthy, yet sick. My doctor decided to put me on one of THE most miserable diets ever created. The FODMAP diet. Ever heard of it?

Google it. Better yet, here... read this: http://www.med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/fodmap/

Anyway, I had to go on this diet for 6-8 weeks. It includes a gluten free diet, as well as LOTS of other things. The thought is that a lot of people with gut trouble heal their systems through this diet. About 75% of the people who try it have success!

So, I went on the diet. I hated every minute of it. I whined, I complained, I sulked.

It wasn't pretty.

The trial period ended with me in the GI doctor's office for a consultation. The conclusion?

I'm not one of the 75%.

So, I'm off the diet! Yippee! But I'm still not completely well. Boooo! But, I am back to eating just gluten free. It's amazing how your perspective changes! "Just" gluten free? It seems like a walk in the park now!

So today, in celebration of being back, I have a present for you.

I have THE best gluten free chocolate chip cookie ever. Now, don't get me wrong. You'll find two other GF CCC recipes on my blog. The first is my super-duper-completely-from-scratch-refrigerate-for-an-hour-before-baking cookie recipe. It's the monster recipe of all recipes and it makes a monster sized cookie. The other is a reduced fat cookie that only has 3 tablespoons of butter in the entire recipe. Both recipes rock.

But if you miss Toll House Cookies... if you long to walk down memory lane for a minute... then I have a recipe for you. Now, they aren't low fat. But on the upside, the batter doesn't require refrigeration before baking.

It's all about compromise, right?

Try these. Today. Don't have the secret ingredient in your cupboard? Go today and get it so you can make them tomorrow. Then sit down with a glass of milk... or tea... or coffee... whatever floats your boat... and take a stroll down memory lane.

I promise, you will not be disappointed. Chewy, soft, with melty chocolate. Oh, yes.

PS - The bite out of the cookie below may or may not have been made by me. I may or may not have been able to wait to have one before I finished taking the photo.

PPS - You have no proof it was me.

Best EVER Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie
1 cup room temp butter (if you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp salt to dry ingredients)

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 pkg instant vanilla pudding mix*

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix

1 10-oz. package mini-chocolate chips (I used "Enjoy Life")

*the secret ingredient... shhhhhhhh....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use sil-pats on cookie sheets or non-stick cookie sheets.

With a hand mixer, mix butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Add pudding mix and vanilla extract, mixing until combined completely. Add Pamela's Mix and beat until completely combined. Add chips and beat on low to incorporate throughout the batter.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets and back for 10-12 minutes (I bake for 11 minutes). Cookies will look slightly puffed and maybe a little under-cooked in the center when done. Wait 3-5 minutes before transferring from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Low Fat Chewy Goodness!

Hello, dear Reader. Come, sit. Here... have a cookie and some hot tea.

Pardon? You don't want a cookie? Trying to lose those 5 (*cough* 10) pounds you gained over Christmas? Oh, dear friend... do not fret. For I, Katie, have got your back on this one.

You see... I, too, am in the middle of a diet lifestyle change and am trying to be good. I managed to not gain any weight over the Christmas holiday (a miracle, to be sure!) and don't want to start now! But, dear friend, we both know that sometimes in life... we need a cookie.

Not an Oreo or Fig Newton (though we both know a Fig Newton isn't a cookie, it's fruit and cake)... but a real, homemade, warm cookie. Chocolate Chip, to be precise.

I don't know about you... but in this house, sweets must still abide, even if in smaller amounts. We have a bowl of dark chocolate in the living room and grant ourselves one piece every day. (Wait, you don't? Don't you know a piece of dark chocolate a day is GOOD FOR YOU? It's true. Read, my friend, and then run immediately to the store and get some Dove Dark Chocolate: http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/6-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate.html#b)

Recently, I've been craving a cookie. The pre-made gluten free cookies in the grocery store, bless them for trying, don't do it for me. They are rather dry and crumbly. I want warm and chewy.

So, sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and make a cookie! Below.... oh yes, below... is a low fat, gluten free CHEWY chocolate chip cookie recipe. I just had one after my lunch and I have to tell you that although I baked them yesterday, they are still moist and chewy today! Another gluten free miracle, right there folks.

If you are in the middle of a diet lifestyle change like I am... be sure to give yourself a little treat now and then. Just a cup of tea and this little cookie and you'll be ready to hit the treadmill with renewed vigor... because yes, my friend, you can have your cookie and still lose weight.

Just don't eat ALL the cookies. That wouldn't be good. Not good at all.





Low Fat Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpats.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, salt, xanthan gum, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the dark brown sugar, white sugar, egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to complete combine. Fold in chocolate chips.

Using a medium sized cookie scoop (a heaping, rounded tablespoon), space cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 minutes until slightly golden around the edges and set in the middle.

Remove from the oven, let sit for 3 minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 18 cookies, depending on your scoop size.

Chocolate, Lickety-Split!

Laundry is threatening to overthrow my room. I’m pretty sure my own house wrote the words “Dust Me” on the TV table. My kids need baths. The kitchen floor is turning everyone’s socks gray. I need to go grocery shopping. The fish tank is looking questionable.

This is the kind of day when my mind should be moving like a locomotive, busting out plans and lists like a mad woman. But alas, it has but one word bouncing around.

Chocolate.

Truthfully, that’s not really a bad thing. Could be much worse, I suppose.

So when I’m having that kind of day, I don’t want to make something that’s going to take loads of time, because frankly, the only loads of anything I should be worrying about are loads of laundry. I have a recipe that is so easy it’s embarrassing. And get this… it’s something the kids can do, too.

It’s sort of a “free form” cookie that isn’t supposed to look very good. It’s easy for kids to help out with, it’s made with everyday pantry ingredients and it only makes about 10 large cookies… so it doesn’t take much time!

Chocolate. In no time.

Sounding pretty good to you? The catch with these is that you need a waffle iron. Yep, a waffle iron. I call this one my Nutella Waffle Cookies.

Chocolate. In no time. Nutella.

Oh, yes.

Little ones can help with the frosting of the cookies, older ones can actually do most of the work themselves with supervision. Heck, go ahead and get your teenager to whip up a batch FOR you!

Chocolate. In no time. Nutella. Made by someone else. Then… make dinner, wash whites, clean questionable fish tank, wash kitchen floor, dust furniture. Bathe kids after dinner. Grocery shop after kids are in bed for the night.

Huh, go figure. My mind seems to be functioning at a higher level since starting this post. I wonder what caused that?

Mmmm…. chocolate………

Gluten Free Nutella Waffle Cookies

½ cup butter, melted

4 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 eggs, slightly beaten

¾ cup sugar

1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur brand)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

Nutella

Preheat your waffle iron (if you have settings on your iron, choose a medium setting).

In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter and cocoa powder. Add eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt and stir to completely combine.

Spray the waffle iron with non-stick spray. Using a large ice cream scoop (I used the largest Pampered Chef scoop), drop one ball of batter into each waffle square. Close lid and bake for 3-4 minutes, checking after 3 minutes.

Using a fork, gently remove cookies from iron and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. Once cooled, frost with Nutella.

Makes (10) 3-inch cookies.

Chocolate Love

What would Valentine's Day be without a little chocolate? OK, lots of chocolate? Alas, for us... most of those lovely red heart boxes filled with a variety of chocolates is a thing of the past. Blast that horrible wheat warning!

Does that mean we have to go without chocolate altogether? No, my friends! NO! This year, I made a dessert that was laughingly called a brownie... but let me tell you now, this is no brownie. This is fudge, masquerading as a brownie. The "cake" is rich and fudgy... yet not heavy. The ganache on top takes the chocolate level through the roof.

You'll see below that you will be using a small 8x8 pan... mostly because this dessert is so rich you'll be able to feed 64 people with that little pan! Small squares... perhaps the size of those lovely little chocolates in the red heart box?... will do just fine. Decadence.

Feeling the love? Good.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies (aka Fudge Squares of Love)

1 cup butter

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup cream cheese (or mascarpone cheese), softened

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)

1/4 tsp salt

GANACHE INGREDIENTS:

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

6 Tbsp heavy cream

3 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 8x8 pan with non-stick spray.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and pour hot butter over chocolate in a medium bowl. Let sit for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.

Add sugar and cocoa powder, stir. Add cream cheese, eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Fold in the flour.

Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 50-55 minutes until baked evenly (especially center).

Remove from oven.

Place ganache chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream and butter to just below a boil. Pour over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Pour ganache over the brownies and spread evenly. Let ganache set for 15 minutes, then refridgerate until set, 1-2 hours.

Christmas Greetings... a little late!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sure, I’m a few weeks behind schedule… but better late than never, right? We had a season of sickness in the house… and then all of a sudden it was the Christmas season. Our days quickly became filled with choir practices, shopping, wrapping and general busyness. Homeschooling stopped, my photography classes stopped… and yes, even the blogging stopped. It’s just been this week that I have felt like things have fallen back into their normal routine… and I thought it was about time I post on my blog!

So, I hope your Christmas and New Year’s celebrations were full of joy, family, friends and fun… and now, on to my post!

As I was doing my usual grocery shopping this past week, I happened to discover that my Wegmans now carries Baker’s Chocolate Chunks… which just happens to be both gluten and peanut free!

Oh joy! Oh glorious day! (Too excited?)

I was overwhelmed with an idea that came upon me all at once. Double Chocolate Chunk cookies. Holy mackerel… this is going to be a good one. So the next day… I got down to business. I looked over other cookie recipes… I calculated… I tweaked… I baked.

I fell in love.

They are chewy, they are deeply chocolaty… and then all throughout are chunks of dark chocolate. Um, can there BE anything better? Well, there is one thing that tops it. Knowing I can give my “allergic to peanuts” son some really yummy treats really sends me over the moon.

By the way… be sure to have milk around. A tall, cold glass of milk. Trust me on this one.

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 cup Gluten Free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur brand)

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

8 oz Baker’s Chocolate Chunks, divided

½ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Melt 4 ounces of chocolate chunks with the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

Put the slightly cooled chocolate/butter mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Gradually mix in the flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop, drop the dough onto parchment or silpat lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Nut Free, Gluten Free… But Certainly NOT Yummy Free!

In our household, we have been challenged with not only gluten intolerance… but a peanut allergy and white potato intolerance as well! The potato intolerance is actually pretty easy to control. Dessert, however, can sometimes be hard to pull off for the combination of gluten intolerance and peanut allergy. Chocolate, for example, is difficult. Hershey Chocolate is safe for my son and his peanut allergy (except for the miniatures), but not safe for my gluten intolerance. Toll House chocolate chips are safe for me, but not for my son! And the list goes on.

Fortunately, I have come across two different brands of chocolate that, for the time being, are safe for both of us! One is a higher quality, one is lower.

My lower quality chocolate comes from Wegmans Market. In fact, the chips are Wegmans store brand! It comes in your typical 12oz bag and is both gluten and peanut free. One bag is usually around $1.99… so I’ll use them for various cookies and bar cookies.

If your grocery store has an organic section, check out Enjoy Life mini-chocolate chips. They are dairy, soy, gluten, casein and peanut free! This is the higher quality chocolate… and the price will reflect that. Around here, they are about $5 for a 10oz bag. I use them when I want to melt chocolate to drizzle over a dessert, as more of a finishing chocolate.

And for brownies. It would be a crime to use the lower quality chips! What are we usually trying to accomplish when making brownies? We want a big pan of fudgy, rich chocolate goodness. To use a lower quality chocolate really does make a difference. Don’t deny your inner chocoholic the satisfaction of really, really good brownies.

No worries if you can’t find them at your local grocery store… check out this link and get yourself some great chocolate! http://www.amazon.com/Enjoy-Life-Semi-Sweet-Chocolate-10-Ounce/dp/B000HDJZWO/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1313511776&sr=1-2

Once you get your lovely new chocolate chips, you might be tempted to just sit and stare at the wonder that is really good gluten free chocolate. Don’t. Get in the kitchen ASAP and make these brownies. They are chewy, they are rich, they are ridiculous. You’ll be in love!

Brownie tip for the day… use a plastic knife to cut your cooled brownies! No more globs of brownie stuck to your knife. Although that also means no globs of brownie to swipe off the knife and “sample”. Let’s say it this way… if you are serving brownies to guests, use a plastic knife for clean cuts. If you are cutting a brownie for your family, use a regular knife and swipe away!

Gluten Free Brownies

½ cup rice flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

28oz gluten free semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

4 Tbsp butter

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11x7 baking pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, combine the rice flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.

In a medium microwavable bowl, melt 16oz of chocolate chips and the butter, stirring regularly until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Place the bowl over a simmer pot of water (do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl, only need an inch or so of water… just be sure the bowl is a little larger than the pot so it rests on top yet leaves a gap between its bottom and the water). Continually whisk the egg mixture over the simmering water until it is just slightly warm. Remove bowl from the pan and add the chocolate mixture. Whisk together until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir to completely combine.

Quickly fold in the remaining 12oz of chips and pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting with a plastic knife.

A Very Happy Gluten Free Birthday!

Today is my daughter's 7th birthday! I know it's not a milestone birthday, but I'm still in amazement at how fast the last 7 years have gone. I'm concerned I'll blink my eyes and the next 7 years will be gone... and heaven forbid I blink again!

So today's post is in celebration of my girl. She's a beauty. She's funny, smart, very silly, an amazing reader and has an artistic ability that has already surpassed her mommy's ability (not like that's saying much, but you get the point). She's a joy to have in my life and I consider myself blessed to be able to be home with her as we journey through the world of homeschooling together.

Now let's face it, no one wants to spend too much time in the kitchen on such an important day! I have no problem admitting that I didn't created today's recipe. I have an amazing cookbook called "The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free" by Anne Byrn (Workman Publishing) and this recipe is soooo good. (Interested in purchasing? Just click here: http://www.amazon.com/Cake-Mix-Doctor-Bakes-Gluten-Free/dp/0761161074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310676883&sr=8-1)

In honor of my Hannah Banana, I made Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with my own "less sweet" buttercream frosting.

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

1 package GF chocolate cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray 2 cupcake pans with non-stick spray or line the cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

Mix cake mix, bananas, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl for 30 seconds with an electric mixer on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and then mix on medium for 1-2 minutes.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Frost with your favorite frosting or dust with powdered sugar.

When Only a Ridiculous Amount of Chocolate Intensity in Your Mouth Will Do

Let’s face it. There are times in life when you just need something to eat that bursts with richness, decadence and CHOCOLATE. It could be a milestone birthday, a family reunion, a yearly get-together with your old college roommates… or a Tuesday. Hang on. Hear me out.

Tuesday is a wonderful day of the week that is completely overlooked between Good-Grief-the-Weekend-Is-Over Monday and By-Jing-We’ve-Made-It-Halfway Wednesday. Let’s raise a glass… and have some chocolate… in honor of it!

I can justify anything.

So, if you are looking for an intense chocolate experience, look no further. But listen, my friend. Whatever you do, do NOT over bake this one. To waste this celebratory delight because you popped on the phone and forgot all about it would be a crime. Baby it, coddle it, give it your full attention. It will reward your diligence by remaining almost fudgy.

I would like to introduce you to my good friend, the Flourless Chocolate Cake.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

1 pound bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 pound (2 sticks) of butter

1/4 cup sugar

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 cup coffee

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch cake or spring form pan. If using a spring form pan, cover the outside of the pan with foil.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low. Add chocolate chips 1/4 of a bag at a time to the melted butter. Reheat the mixture until the chocolate chips are melted, being careful not to burn the chocolate. Remove from heat and set aside.

Beat the 6 eggs with the sugar until frothy and light yellow in color. Slowly whisk a small spoonful of chocolate into the egg mixture. Repeat the last step several times. (Do NOT dump all of the chocolate into the egg mixture or it will cook the egg). You don’t want scrambled eggs in your cake!

Once you’ve whisked in several spoons of the chocolate mixture, it is safe to pour the remaining chocolate into the egg mixture. Mix in the salt vanilla and coffee.

Pour batter into your prepared pan and place that pan into a large rectangular baking pan Pour an inch or so of hot water in the larger rectangular baking pan (called a water bath).

Bake for 45 minutes until the center seems set (no jiggling!). Cool on the counter for 10-15 minutes and then place cake in the refrigerator.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 8 to 12. Thin slices, this is rich.

NOTE: To bump it up ANOTHER notch, omit the powdered sugar, place a ¼ cup of seedless raspberry jam in a small saucepan and heat until loose. Pour over cooled cake and refrigerate until chilled and set. Wow.

A little bit of chocolate goes a long way

I don’t know about you, but when I found out I had a gluten intolerance in August of 2010 I went into shock. My mom describes the time after the diagnosis as a time of grieving. Apparently I would walk into the kitchen, open the cupboard doors, stare at the contents, quietly close the doors and walk away, usually shaking my head and letting out a little sigh.

You see, I love to cook. I love to bake. A little bit of this mixed with some of that and - VOILA – yumminess. How was I going to do that? Figuring out when to use which flour or starch, checking ingredient labels, contacting companies for allergen info. It all just seemed so… overwhelming.

In our little family of four, three of us have food allergies. My 7-year-old daughter has a white potato intolerance (ever heard of that one?), my almost-3-year-old has a peanut allergy and I have the gluten intolerance. I want you to take a moment to imagine making dinner for my family. Understand now why I was at a loss?

It was my sweet husband, Tim, who snapped me out of the funk. After weeks of eating apples and cheese (because I didn’t know what else to do) I was grumbling and complaining of missing the complex flavors I loved. I missed taking a bite of something and tasting different layers of flavor and spice. Tim took it upon himself to research and find a recipe he could make that would be safe for his food allergy-stricken family.

He’s a saint, I tell you.

It was that delicious dinner that made me think I just might be able to cook again. Maybe. And so began the mind scrambling game of researching information on a gluten free life. Wow.

(FYI… my advice for newly diagnosed gluten allergy folks who aren’t sure where to start… meet with someone who is in the same boat, bring a notebook and write down every word they say. Trust me.)

I decided that above all – I needed to come up with one recipe that would be my “coping” recipe… the thing that would make me say, “I can live a gluten free life.”

And so – I found a recipe for the one thing that I knew would have that impact. I tweaked it. Then I tweaked it again. And probably another four or five times. A little excessive, I know.

I give you – the best Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie I have ever had. Actually, it might be the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had, period. Gluten or no gluten.

No need to thank me. I understand the importance of a little chocolate now and again. ;o)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes about 2 dozen big cookies)

2 sticks butter

2 cups brown rice flour

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp tapioca starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

¼ cup white sugar

1 ¼ cups light brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp milk

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer (w/ paddle attachment).

In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flours, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda.

Add both sugars to the butter and cream together on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Cover and chill the dough until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Shape the dough into large balls (approx 2-3 Tbsp, I use the largest scoop from Pampered Chef) and place on Silpats or parchment paper, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes on the middle rack, rotating the pans after 7 minutes for even baking.

Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes. Move to wire racks and cool completely.