Monday, June 30, 2008

Brownies




Ok I'm not a huge brownie person. Usually its just way to much chocolate for me, so unless there is nuts or peanut butter in there, I'll pass. So yesterday when making the chocolate chip cookies again, I decided to try making brownies, and I must say they are pretty darn tasty...

Gluten Free Brownies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 cup chopped nuts

~ Preheat oven to 400°
~ Grease an 8-inch square baking pan
~ Chop the chocolate into small slivers
~ Cup up butter into small chunks
~ Combine the two flours together
~ Put the chocolate and butter into a glass bowl and melt them together in the microwave (30 seconds at a time and stir until completely melted)
~ In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, whisking vigorously until they are creamed together, with a silky consistency
~ Add the vanilla extract and salt and stir well
~ Mix in the flours and stir
~ Pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir,with a rubber spatula, until the mixture has become smooth
~ Pour the mixture into the greased pan
~ Smooth the top with the rubber spatula
~ Cook for 20-25 minutes
~ Cool and enjoy!

Flour-less Cake




Saturday night was girls night (well Victoria, Martha and myself). Victoria made a great meal (Turmeric Chicken which will be posted up here at some point) with some strawberry-lemonade Martini's and for desert was flour-less chocolate cake with home made whipped cream.

Flour-Less Chocolate Cake

4oz Chocolate
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

~ Butter a 9inch cake pan and set aside
~ Set oven to 375°
~ Melt chocolate with butter either over a pan of simmering hot water or in the microwave (I vote for the second option)
~ Beat in sugar and add eggs
~ Whisk well
~ When mixture is well mixed, sift in cocoa powder
~ Whisk well
~ Pour mixture into buttered cake pan and bake for 25 minutes (check at 20)
~ Let cool and enjoy!

Thanks Victoria!!!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookies



Yay! Chocolate Chip Cookies...Gluten Free
I had a sweet tooth really badly the other day, and thought I would try some gluten free baking. Well the cookies didn't turn out very well, they were pretty much like hockey pucks. So last night I was determined to make them better, and they were. It was a success, to the point I did a happy dance in my kitchen.

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup (stick) margarine or butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
2 cups chocolate chips

~ Heat oven to 375°
~ Mix sugars, butter, egg and vanilla in bowl. Stir in flours, Xanthan Gum, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
~ Place rounded spoonfuls of dough about two inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
~ Bake cookies 8-10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft).
~ Cool and transfer from cookie sheet to wire rack.