gluten-free chocolate chip cookies

It will be 3 years in July that the celiac diagnosis came and I had to go completely gluten-free. I truly believe if you can do 2 weeks gluten-free, you can do it for life. I found 2 weeks-worth of GF meals our family would eat. Then, wrote a little list of items to learn how to make...pizza crust, muffins, scones, doughnuts, chocolate cake, and chocolate chip cookies. You know, the essentials. Taking gluten out of the American diet is not exactly cake. It has taken many recipe-fails before finding GF replacements.

Chocolate chip cookies have been the hardest for me to figure out. I have tried various recipes, and some of them were itty-gritty messes. Others were fine. But nothing like these. I'm pretty sure the Hallelujah Chorus was playing when these came out of the oven. 

So because I care about you, I share. Everyone needs a homemade chocolate chip cookie in their life, even if it has to be gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1 1/4 cup GF flour blend*

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
*GF Flour Blend: I use a blend of 4 cups brown rice flour, 1 1/3 cup potato starch, 2/3 cup tapioca starch

With an electric mixer, mix the softened butter and peanut butter together until thoroughly blended. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Then mix in the egg, honey, vanilla, and sour cream until combined. Add the GF flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Beat on low until just combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or the freezer for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once ready to bake, roll dough into 1" balls and place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn a light golden brown and crisp up around the edges. Do not overbake! They will firm up a bit more. After removing from oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. I like to sprinkle the cookies with sea salt. Transfer to a plate to cool.
{Cue the Holla-lujah Chorus}

 

And hey, it's March!! Time flies and my husband now has a beard.
Where have we been? Well, you probably know...

I miss writing here more regularly. This last year may have been less about recording memories, but it has abounded with opportunities to make and live them. We are so very thankful for those who grace our days. For boys who still ask us to play. For this journey with my love, come what may. 

...but honestly? the only words that really matter?

are the ones I live.
Ann Voskamp 

This has been a truly precious season. Not that we have it all together. Many days I still feel so amateur. The constant tug of balance and priorities. Figuring out what and how to let go. But we're living it. Not escaping, but facing it hard and head on. As loud and messy and crazy as it may be, today is such a gift. And we can trust the Giver. Sometimes all it takes is a step outside to realize.

The heavens tell of the glory of God. 

The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. 

Day after day they continue to speak; 
night after night they make Him known. 
Psalm 19.1-2

flourless nutella cake

There are truffles to make, gifts to wrap, banners to sew, a glue gun to find...  But, consider this my Christmas gift to you.  The recipe for our new favorite dessert.  Flourless nutella chocolate cake.  I am finding that it's pretty much guaranteed you'll be asked for the recipe if you ever mention those 4 words together.  

flourless nutella chocolate cake
Note: This recipe is in grams.  Between pão de queijo and this, I use my $8 Wal-Mart gram scale all the time now.  If you don't have a gram scale,  you can convert the grams in this recipe to ounces with Google. 
200g unsalted butter, cut into chunks
100g dark chocolate (I used Ghiradelli chocolate chips)
200g Nutella
100g white sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 t. instant coffee 

optional, but highly suggested:  whipping cream and more nutella to top

Butter and lightly coat a 9″ springform pan with cocoa powder. Preheat the oven to 350F, and move your baking rack to the lowest place in the oven.
Cut the butter into chunks and the dark chocolate as well, and melt in a double boiler until smooth.  Remove from heat and add the Nutella to the still-warm chocolate mix and mix well, until incorporated completely with a small whisk or fork. Add the instant coffee as well and mix.  Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate bowls. Add the white sugar to the yolks and beat for a minute or two with a hand mixer or a whisk.  Add the chocolate mixture to the egg yolks and mix thoroughly.  In the bowl where the egg whites are separated out, whisk/beat them until stiff peaks form.  Add the beaten egg whites back to the chocolate mixture, mixing by hand until fully incorporated (this may take a few minutes) with a whisk.  Pour the mixture into the springform pan and place into the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes (mine was done closer to 30 minutes). Test after 20 minutes how jiggly the center of the cake still is – you don’t want the cake to be completely solid when finished but the center should not sway when moved. Stick a toothpick in a few places to make sure it’s cooked through and the toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool (the cake will probably deflate quite a bit) at least 30 minutes before serving, and garnish with chopped hazelnuts or hazelnut halves.

OR

What I did:  Whip up some whipping cream and fold in nutella until it's a light brown (refer to the below picture).  This is almost like a mousse topping and gives the cake a delicious lightness to it.  

Source:  adapted from this recipe  

But truly, all credit goes to the world-reknown culinary extraordinaire, MARINA, for introducing me to this!

So, Merry Christmas to you!!!

And a most-happy birthday to grandma Becky!  

Of all the birthdays we have wished happy from afar, it was so sad that our camera battery died after this pic.  As best as we could, we etched the memories in our hearts as we celebrated this special day together. 

For continued unwrapping of Christmas:

- a must-read

- a good-watch

- a great-inspiration

Let every heart prepare Him room...

5 things

I hope you don’t mind if we return to the land of food blog for a bit.  Nothing like 6 inches of snow or boys home sick from school nudges me into the kitchen to try out some new recipes.  'Cuz some days digging out the car for a trip to the store feels far more cumbersome than digging in the pantry and pulling together what you’ve got.  

Here's 5 of my kitchen favorites from the week: 

1.  Diana Krall {Holiday} on Pandora, non-stop.  

{Yes, that is a turkey in a football uniform hanging on the fridge and a Bionicle dancing to Harry Connick Jr…those are some of my favorites too.}

2.  Jalapeño-Goat Cheese-Prosciutto-Cream Cheese Dip…need I say more?  

Ok.  Yes, I do...

Roast 5-7 jalapenos (cut in half, take the seeds out, drizzle with olive oil, roast at 400 for 15 minutes.) Chop them well.
Blend jalapenos with 4 oz. goat cheese, 8 oz. cream cheese (softened).
Place in baking dish.
Top with 2 oz. prosciutto ham, chopped.
Bake at 350 until prosciutto is crisp (15-20 minutes).
Serve with tortilla chips.

3.  Homemade Hot Chocolate 
This is one of those recipes I came across in desperation after promising boys playing in the snow hot chocolate when they came in…only to realize we were out of the powdered mix.  So because I would rather google and make than bundle and scrape...  {Edit: Thanks LKL for pointing out the irony of having prosciutto on hand, but not hot chocolate mix :) Confession: We're a little obsessed with that dip, and it's easy to throw together for company, so there's usually prosciutto in the freezer.}

I used this recipe, but increased cocoa powder to 3/4 cup and used sucanat instead of sugar.  I also made our hot chocolate with half whole milk-half coconut milk, and no one seemed to mind :)  

4.  Trail Mix Cookies

*Vegetarian*Gluten Free*Dairy Free*SO Yummy!

½ cup peanut butter 

½ cup almond butter 

{You could use all peanut or all almond butter, or a mixture of what you have}

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup packed sucanat or brown sugar
½ cup raisins
½ cup oats {I use GF}
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup maple syrup
1 large egg
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Place all of the ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on medium speed until the ingredients are well incorporated. Drop generous tablespoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are set, but still soft.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet.  Makes 2 dozen...which are gone way too fast!!  

Source: http://onceagainnutbutter.com/Sunflower_Butter_Recipes.html (adapted with what we had in the pantry)

Try to snatch a few before all the hungry critters do!

 5.  Not sure what to call this...Stovetop Potpourri?

We’ve been peeling and eating lots of oranges these days, and I’ve been saving the peels in the fridge, then putting them in a pan with water, 2 cinnamon sticks, some whole allspice and cloves.  Set to simmer, and sit back and enjoy the wafting scent of a Winter Wonderland.

6.  Ok, maybe one more...

Because it's truly the little things that brighten a day. 

The boys have all had colds this week (hence all the oranges...)  Jack literally lost his voice yesterday.  Poor guy, that's rough for a 7 yr. old!  But, I can't say I mind all the cuddles and...boy, our house is quiet! :)  

Wishing you and yours a lovely weekend, full of your favorites! 

Or, if you're home caring for sick ones, full of noticing and enjoying the little things...

It is not how much we have, 

but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. 

~ Charles Spurgeon

baked apples

Happy October!!  
(2 words this warm-blooded girl thought couldn't go together, but it's growing on me :) We've been bundling and venturing and taking full advantage of soaking in all the fall we can, welcoming in October with our annual Fried-Yer apple orchard trip III.  Our family has gone for 5 years now, and 3 years ago we invited some dear friends to join in the fun.  Although, the fun is not so much in what is offered, as much as it is in the sake of tradition, of loading up the kids to make the trek to the middle of nowhere to see the bees and for their annual flavored "honey-stick" and to wind around the corn maze and really...that's about all.  But, there are always lots of laughs, memories made, caramel apples, apple cider and more apples.  

This is what we do.  

And, this is what our apples do.

Warm apples filled with cinnamon-sugar, butter and walnuts.  Topped with homemade ice cream.  Drizzled with dulce de leche.  Pure delish-ish-ness. 

Baked Apples
5-6 apples 
1/4 cup sugar (I use sucanat)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
5 teaspoons butter
Preheat oven to 325 F.  Mix cinnamon and sugar and nuts (if using).  Core the apples, making sure not to puncture the bottom of the apples so that the juices will remain. Remove skin from 1/2-inch around top of apples at the opening. Fill each apple with the cinnamon-sugar-nut mixture. Top each with a teaspoon of butter.  Place in a casserole dish and pour 1/2 cup apple juice, or water around them.  Cover pan and bake 30 minutes-ish.  


Eat as is...OR, top with vanilla ice cream and dulce de leche.  
You won't regret it.

wishing you a *Happy October* as well!

gluten-free pie!

When I had to go gluten-free (almost a year ago!), we were moving and you could say our life was a little slice of crazy.  I wanted to start simple and just figure out a week's worth of fast, easy GF recipes our family would like, that wouldn't bust our budget...then build from there.  I had a mental list of foods I wanted to learn to make GF eventually.  Pie crust was high on that list.  But there comes a point when you get tired of trying out new recipes that flop.  After several rounds of take the time to hunt for a recipe, give your best GF flours a whirl, only to pull from the oven a taste-less, gritty mess...I gave up.  Until a fellow GF-er told me about this recipe {Thank you, Sara!}  We have put it to the test with the pickiest of palates, and all sorts of variations, and so far, so great! 

gluten-free pie crust
makes a single 9 inch pie crust 
ingredients:

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour*
2 Tablespoons cold water
Work together the butter and flour with hands until crumbly. Add 2 Tablespoons cold water, stir. Place crust mixture into pie pan and pat the pie crust in the pan using your hands. Shape crust edges as you’d like (I dip my fingers in water to keep the crust from sticking to my fingers).  Set aside and continue with desired filling.  OR, if making into a cream pie, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden (this is where I'm excited for a new oven, because I know the temp. is off in the one I'm using, so set the timer for 10 minutes and check the crust periodically.)      


{*For gluten-free all-purpose flour, I use a mixture of 4 cups brown rice flour,  1 1/3 cup potato starch, 2/3 cup tapioca starch}

I have made this crust for cherry pie, banana cream pie {above}, apple pie, chocolate pudding pie, strawberry pie and quiche, and loved them all (except the strawberry pie, but that was my fault, not the crust's...)

And just because I like ya...
My Grandma Hazel's Cherry Pie
Unbaked 9" double pie shell (*OR see below),
Mix in large pan:
1 cup sugar 
4 T. flour (I use 3 T. cornstarch, or you can substitute GF flour)
1/4 t. almond extract
Stir in:
2 1/2 pitted sour red pie cherries and juice (I use fresh-picked, or frozen)
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickens and boils.  Pour into pastry-lined pan.  Dot with 1 1/2 T. butter.  {Quickly cover with top crust.  Cut slits into the top. OR *See Below.}  Bake at 425 degrees until nicely browned and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, 30-40 minutes.


*Since the above pie crust recipe makes a single layer, before baking, I top it with the following gluten-free crumb topping:
Combine in a bowl:  3/4 cup GF oats, 3/4 cup GF flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar (or sucanat), 1/4 cup chopped nuts, 1/3 cup melted butter, 1/4 t. baking powder, 1/4 t. baking soda, 1/4 t. salt.  This makes enough crumb topping for 2 pies, and is super-good on cherry, apple, and peach pie.

There it is.  Gluten-free pie!  Now you can have your pie, and eat it too!

affogato

But first, let there be lights!

We are two-light-choices away from being done!  

With ordering the lighting, that is...

We have yet to get drywall, but hey, it is looking alot different than it did 19 weeks ago... But who's counting?

Our lighting has all come from home depot online (except the dining).

Here they are!

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!

The dining room light...I'm sure the suspense has been killing you :)  

Drum roll please...

From the previous light post, the first 2 turned out to be on back order, and the last two were more than we wanted to spend.  
But we found this beauty, and love her so!

We just need to decide on pendants that will go over the kitchen counter.


Also, for the boys' room, I wanted to make something fun like:



Or, I like the style of this pendant, and it's so versatile:

But, it may hang too low, so it may just have to be something more:


This week we need to finalize door knobs, kitchen cabinet knobs, and tile.
Decisions, decisions, decisions...
By the time we get this house finished, I may be able to walk into Starbucks and actually know what to order in a timely fashion!


Until then, we are working on our affogatos, without an espresso machine, and without being in Italy.  Affogato is an Italian way to enjoy ice cream—it's literally "drowned" in espresso.  That's what classy people tell me anyway.


Affogato, Royer-ized
(for those who don't have an espresso machine)
1. Brew 3 strong cups of coffee in a french press: Steep 1/2 cup freshly ground coffee in 3 cups boiling water for 4 minutes.  
(We're a little "coffee-snobbish" about this, so we use freshly-home-roasted-coffee-by-Andy, but any good drinking coffee should do.)

2. Scoop up some vanilla ice cream.  (Chocolate would be yum mocha-ey too)
3. Pour strong coffee over ice cream.

4. Voilà!  Affogato!

5. Serve as a delicious treat to impress all your classy friends.  
Maybe just don't give to 3 boys right before bed, though...Just sayin' :)

Enjoy your long weekend all!

gluten-free chocolate cake

I have to admit that my taste buds have changed since going gluten-free.  I sometimes wonder if what I'm eating tastes as good to those who can still eat a bakery donut or crusty baguette.  Which makes me nervous baking for non-GFers.  (Thankfully my family keeps it real :)  This recipe continues to be a hit gluten-free or non.  So, I share...

gluten-free chocolate cake

1 3/4 cups *GF flour blend (see below)

1 3/4 c. sugar (or 2 c. sucanat)
3/4 cup cocoa

1 t. guar gum 

1 1/2 t. baking powder 

1 1/2 t. baking soda 

1 t. salt 

2 eggs 

1 cup milk 

1/2 cup oil 

2 t. vanilla extract 

1 cup boiling water 

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 13x9 baking pan.  Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum, and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.  Frost with chocolate frosting.  

Source:  Adapted from Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake Recipe

*The gluten-free flour blend I use is a mixture of 4 cups fine brown rice flour, 1 1/3 cups potato starch and 2/3 cups tapioca flour.  

Our Favorite Chocolate Frosting
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1 c. chocolate chips
1 t. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar
Bring milk and butter to boil in saucepan over med-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Blend in chocolate chips, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.

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In our corner of this world, spring has brought all sorts of exciting new findings.  Every time I turn around, my boys' hands are full with some little creature.
Here are a few captured this week.  All of them have been carefully released after they were hugged and squeezed and petted and loved and called George... 

I guess that's a house-full of boys for ya...

Chocolate cake and catching frogs, in one post.

I love my boys!