Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe has been removed for further tinkering! It turned out perfectly the first few times I made it, but I've had trouble recreating it. I'm working to figure out what went wrong, because the cookie was wonderful orginally. But I don't want to share a recipe that is finicky! Check out my other cookies and sweets recipes, I promise they are tried and true!

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert

One of the best things I have bought recently for the kitchen is a set of plain 6 oz ramekins. I often make desserts in them, adapting recipes for cheesecake or berry crisp or puddings to fit the ramekins, so each one of us has our own personal dessert. It satisfies our after-supper sweet tooth, and keeps us from going crazy...forced portion control! The measurements here fit perfectly into five 6 oz ramekins, just right for us.

I included the original recipe, too, because it tastes so delicious. The original calls for a crust, too. It would be great for a bigger family gathering, like the holidays. :)

Individual Frozen Pumpkin Dessert

1 pint vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/4 c. sugar (next time I may just leave this out)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. chopped pecans (do not leave out! This MAKES the dessert!)

In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and nuts. Fold ice cream into pumpkin mixture. Divide among 5 ramekins or dessert dishes. Freeze until firm. Remove desserts from freezer 15-20 mins before serving.

Original Recipe (Found in this book)

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
2 c. canned pumpkin
1 t. salt
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 c. chopped pecans

crust:
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar

Prepare graham cracker crust by mixing crust ingredients. Pat into 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, salt, spices and nuts. Fold ice cream into pumpkin mixture. Pour pumpkin mixture into pan. Seal with foil and freeze until firm. Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving.

Super Easy, Super Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

Shown here with pink frosting and a mulberry from our tree!

I have to admit, these are not the richest, most decadently flavored chocolate cupcakes I've ever had, but they are good. Good enough I ate two and wanted more, so there you go. Plus, a little frosting will dress it up just fine if needed. The reason I know I'll turn to this recipe time and again is not because they are the absolute fanciest, but for these really awesome reasons: 1. The kids love them, 2. The ingredients are very simple, 3. The recipe makes exactly 12 cupcakes, and 4. The cupcakes hold up extremely well with barely a crumb.


When the mood strikes us suddenly for a quick batch of cupcakes, this is where we will turn!

Note: I'm a former coffee addict, but gave it up recently. Since I don't have brewed coffee on hand now, I keep a box of instant coffee on hand. I like the ones that come in individual packets--perfect for recipes like this one.

Easy, moist (vegan) chocolate cupcakes
Via Simply Recipes
Makes 10 cupcakes (or 12 fairly small ones) - if you want to make a cake, double the recipe and cook in two 8-inch round cake pans for 35-40 minutes
Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup organic cane sugar (I use vanilla sugar – it adds an extra yum factor)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup of medium strength brewed coffee 

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 tablespoons (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) olive oil

Unbleached cupcake liners (I prefer to use unbleached paper liners as I suspect some of the bleach must get transferred to the wet batter as it heats up.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners (you can also grease the tin instead but the liners are definitely easier and will prevent anything from sticking.)

2. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl until there are no visible clumps. If you've got particularly clumpy cocoa or sugar, you can always sift the dry ingredients into the bowl, too.

3. In a small to medium-sized bowl, mix together the coffee (or water plus coffee granules), vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine (mixture will be rather lumpy.) 

5. Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Put in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack. Once cool, frost with the frosting of your choice and serve.

I make this cake pretty much once per year, on my mom's birthday. It's kind of become a tradition the past few years. She is a big fan of banana cake, and for years we both searched for something that could compare to her Aunt Myra's famous recipe (which she wouldn't share with anyone). After a lot of trials, I was proud to find the recipe for the best banana cake we'd ever eaten. The method is what seems to set this one apart...long baking at a low temperature and then placing the whole cake in the freezer for awhile. If you are a fan of banana cake, you simply must try this!



Original Recipe Here

Best Ever Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/8 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  

  Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups icing sugar

  Garnish

  • chopped walnuts
    

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 275°.
  2. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
  3. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  5. In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
  6. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
  7. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
  8. Stir in banana mixture.
  9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  10. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
  11. For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  12. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
  13. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
  14. Spread on cooled cake.
  15. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Much to my surprise, my husband loves rhubarb. How I never knew that in the 15 years we've been together, I'm not sure. But, it's piqued my interest in finding recipes for a ...veggie? Fruit?... that I've never really been very interested in. Now that I've found some good recipes, I'm finding that I love rhubarb, too!

These bars are freaking amazing. Got huge thumbs up from everyone in the family! If I'm making it for just us 5, I cut the recipe in half (using 2 eggs). And I never have whipping cream on hand, so that only goes in if I'm making for a special occasion.

RHUBARB CUSTARD BARS

Makes 18 large bars.

Plan to eat these bars up within two days. If you don’t think you can eat them that quickly, cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8×8-inch square pan.

Crust:
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (try whole wheat cake & pastry flour)
½ cup cool butter
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9″ x 13″ (approx) metal or glass pan.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients.  Mix with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Butter should be completely incorporated. You can use a food processor for this step, if you like.

Press crumbs (not too too firmly, but firm enough) into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press a tiny bit up the sides of the pan as well. Place pan on lower-centre rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and reduce oven heat to 350 F.

Topping:
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
5 Tb all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
1/4 cup whipping cream (I have left this out sometimes and the bars are still great)
4 to 5 cups diced fresh rhubarb, diced small

While the crust is baking, mix the topping ingredients together.  In a large bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, salt, and whipping cream, whisking well to eliminate lumps.  Stir in the diced rhubarb. Once the crust comes out of the oven, pour the topping over it (the crust should still be warm).  Return to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until custard no longer jiggles and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean.

Let cool. Cut into bars.
Note: the first bar is hard to cut, but after that, they should be pretty easy to cut.

Found the recipe HERE

Brownie Bites

Here is a super quick chocolate fix that all the kids loved. Baking them in a bread loaf pan makes it easy to cut them into fun sticks (I hope you have two bread pans. Doubling the recipe is, simply, a MUST). Stirring all the ingredients in one pan is kid-friendly, which is a huge bonus to me. We had these ready to eat within an hour, and everyone's chocolate monster was satisfied. For at least two minutes.

We left out the walnuts (one of my daycare kiddos has nut allergies), but I think it would add so much flavor (I'm a huge walnut fan). Next pan I make will be for mama and will include the nuts. I will try to share.

Brownie Bites
Tattoedmomma aka Leda
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes 

Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1/8th • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pt
Calories: 103.9 • Fat: 4.3 g • Protein: 1.3 g • Carb: 15.6 g • Fiber: 0.6 g 

2 tbsp margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
nonstick cooking spray
1 tsp powdered sugar

In a small saucepan melt margarine, remove from heat. Stir in sugar, vanilla and water. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in chopped nuts.

Spray the bottom of a 8x4x2 inch loaf pan with nonstick spray coating. Pour batter into pan.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Remove from pan. Cut into 8 bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Healthier Berry Crisp

This was so delicious it flew out of the pan. Luckily I was able to sneak in a few pics (nothing weird around here about mom pulling out her camera in the middle of eating supper!). With or without ice cream, my family went insane over this, and have been requesting it ever since.

I really love that I just dump the frozen berries into the dish and let them thaw. I microwaved the dish for a few minutes to speed it up, because I was in a hurry to get it in the oven. This was one of the healthier recipes I found when googling 'berry crisp', and fortunately, it also ended up tasting amazing! This will be our go-to berry crisp recipe this summer!

Healthier Berry Crisp

(originally called Any Season Berry Crisp, posted here)

Ingredients for the Fruit Filling:

• 24 oz frozen berries, thawed but not drained
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1 Tbsp unrefined granulated sugar

Ingredients for the Crisp Topping:

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (again, whole wheat flour)
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp neutral-flavored vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9 (or 8) inch baking dish.

For the fruit filling: Pour the thawed berries + any accumulated juices into the prepared baking dish. Add in the flour and sugar and stir until well-combined.

For the crisp topping: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a fork until combined. Pour in the vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until well-incorporated.

Sprinkle crisp topping evenly over the fruit filling. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the fruit filling is hot & bubbly and the crisp topping is golden brown.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

311 calories, 9.6 grams fat, 0.5 grams saturated fat, 14.6 grams fiber, 18.7 grams sugars, 4.8 grams protein

Died and Went to Heaven Chocolate Cake

Wow! This cake is truly unbelievable! I cheated and used store-bought chocolate frosting, spread on while still warm so it would melt all over. The batter of the cake is VERY runny, and I thought for sure it would not turn out. But wow, that runny dough baked into something moist, rich and perfect. I did not use the dutch process cocoa, just regular unsweetened cocoa powder, and I baked the cake in a regular 9 x 13 cake pan instead of a bundt pan. I can't wait to have an excuse to bake this cake again! Then again--does chocolate cake need a reason???

Died-and-Went-to-Heaven Chocolate Cake

Source: www.eatingwell.com

16 Servings | Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 1 1/4 hours

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot strong black coffee

Icing

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk, or low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 12-cup Bundt pan or coat it with nonstick cooking spray. Dust the pan with flour, invert and shake out the excess.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Whisk in hot coffee until completely incorporated. (The batter will be quite thin.)
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan and let cool completely.
4. To make icing: In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough of the buttermilk or milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Set the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing over the top.

Nutrition

Per serving : 222 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 27 mg Cholesterol; 44 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 340 mg Sodium; 142 mg Potassium

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 3 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

Fake Frosty

I found this ingenious little recipe from a few different sources, and I modified it to my own taste. It has the consistency of a frosty! My youngest son can't get ENOUGH of this...he has had 'ice cream' daily since I first tried making it. I use my Magic Bullet, but I think a food processor (still on my want list) would do a better job. I can't get over how much the texture and taste reminds me of soft-serve chocolate ice cream--and every day when Noah asks for his ice cream, I really don't mind him having it. :)

Fake Frosty
1 banana, frozen, cut into slices
1 t. milk
1 t. cocoa powder
1 squirt of honey

Put everything in the Magic Bullet and blend until smooth. Sometimes I microwave the banana for just 10 or 15 seconds before making recipe, so it's not hard as a rock.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies

I have made these at least 3 times in 2 weeks. My youngest son adores them. I like using pretzel rods (4 will make 1/2 c. once broken up) so that there are big chunks of visible pretzel. The combo of salty and sweet is awesome--though I like it without salt sprinkled on top, too. Either way, this is a great cookie recipe!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Pretzel Cookies
Michelle (MMmom)

Makes 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of baking soda
1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
Pretzel Salt or Sea Salt

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and pretzels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

I can't believe this came from a crockpot! I was skeptical, but glad I tried it. We were having guests over for supper and had never tried it, so I was risking a dessert disaster... but it turned out really good! I cut the recipe in half and still had plenty for 4.5 adults and 2 kids. It's really fun to watch the cake puff up in the crockpot, and then to slice into it and have the oozy 'lava' come gushing out of the center. Each person gets a nice slice, and then you scoop the gooey, yummy lava over the top. The flavor is very tasty-- not the 'chocolatey-ist' chocolate cake I've ever eaten, but still very delicious. The novelty and fun of the recipe is what makes this one a keeper. We will be making it again!

Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

FOR THE CAKE:

• 2 cups Brown Sugar
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 6 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Milk
• 4 Tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

FOR THE FUDGE TOPPING:

• 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3 cups Boiling Water

Directions: For the cake: Mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Stir in milk, melted butter and vanilla until combined. Spread the batter over the bottom of a large crockpot.

For the fudge topping: Mix together the brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle mixture over the cake batter.

Pour the boiling water over the top. DO NOT STIR! Cover and cook on High for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

Cake will be very hot! Turn off heat, and remove lid. Let sit 20-30 minutes before serving, so its still warm but wont burn your mouth : ) ENJOY!!

source: www.life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com

Grandma's Peanut Brittle

Beware: this peanut brittle is addictive! For me, it brings back very strong memories from my childhood holidays. My grandma made it every year. This is the first year I've tried it, and I was surprised at how easy it is! A candy thermometer is very helpful, even though Grandma didn't use one.

Ingredients

2 c. sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1/2 c. water

Stir over medium heat until melted, bring to a boil. Boil over moderate heat until a thin thread form when stirring spoon is lifted, about 30 minutes (250 degrees).

Add

1 lb. RAW peanuts

Continue moderate boil until peanuts are golden brown (about 30 minutes more, and until thermometer reads 300).

Add

Walnut sized dab of butter (I use 1 T.), stir quickly until melted, then

2 t. baking soda

Stir quickly until butter and soda is mixed in, and pour onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (I like the way the brittle turns out better if you don't spread it out...just let it settle on its own).

Cool completely, then break into pieces.

Honey Gingerbread Cookies

Today we had our first Christmas gathering of the year! Which means I whipped out some of my favorite recipes so that I could share. Every time I make these gingerbread cookies, they all get eaten...just like they did today at our gathering. They have a mild honey-ginger flavor, and they are super easy to make. I see more gingerbread men dancing into our kitchen very soon, now that the holiday season has officially begun!

Ingredients

1/2 c. sugar

3 c. all purpose flour

2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

2 t. ground ginger

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1 c. butter, cut into dots and brought to room temperature

1/2 c. honey

Combine sugar, flour, soda, salt and spices. Cut dry ingredients into butter with pastry blender. You can work the ingredients together with your fingertips if you do not have a pastry blender. Add honey and stir until well blended.

Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

When dough is chilled, heat oven to 350 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll the dough out about 1/8 in. thick. (I have found it's helpful to take a handful of dough and spend a minute mashing it together into a ball before rolling it out. The dough will seem crumbly until you do this.) Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and move the cookies to prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until just golden at the edges.

Here are the cookies after adding frosting!