Huge Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My son actually found this recipe online and I just replaced the flour with a gluten free flour blend.  They are hands down THE BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever had!  Big, soft, and yes, they stay soft!!  The only bad thing is it only makes 12 cookies, so you might want to double it!  You are going to love these!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

HUGE CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

8 tablespoons salted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups chocolate chips

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Microwave butter 40 seconds, so it's mostly melted.

3)  Beat butter and sugars until creamy.

4)  Add vanilla and egg, beat on low until blended, don't over beat

5)  Add the flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix just until blended in.

6)  Add chocolate chips and mix in with a spoon or spatula.

7)  Make 12 large balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

8)  Bake until puffy and dry looking, but barely brown.

NOTES:

~I always use King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour for all of my gluten free baking.

~Try to make all of your cookies about the same size so they cook evenly.

~You can make them smaller if you want more cookies from one batch, or just double the recipe for more giant cookies!

~Make sure you let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack!  When you do move them, be careful, they will be super crumbly until they cool completely!

~They don't spread hardly at all, so you can place them close together on the cookie sheet if need be.

~Do not over bake them, they should just have a tinge of brown, or be barely brown on the edges or top!

Paleo Coconut Pecan Breakfast Bars

I made these for a dessert actually, and I thought they were delicious!  They aren't overly sweet, so as a breakfast bar, they would be awesome.  You can really taste the banana and the coconut behind that.  I love the texture.  I will definitely make these again!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from mommayoungathome.com via Pinterest.


PALEO COCONUT PECAN BREAKFAST BARS

Coconut Oil
2 eggs
1 banana
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup coconut flour
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
4 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Use the coconut oil to grease an 8x8 pan.

2)  Crack the eggs into a medium size bowl and quickly whisk them up.

3)  Mash the banana and add to the bowl with the eggs, along with the honey and vanilla.

4)  Measure and add your coconut flour, making sure to combine everything well and ensuring there are no clumps.

5)  Measure and add the unsweetened shredded coconut and coconut milk and mix to ensure the batter is well combined.

6)  Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth it out.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the top.

7)  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Keep an eye on them - when the edges are golden brown and the center is firm, they are done!

NOTES:

~Freezing these is a cinch!  Simply wait for them to cool, cut them to the desired size and store them in an airtight container or freezer bag.

5-Ingredient Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies

My friend Carolyn made these delicious gluten-free peanut butter cookies and I was lucky enough to try one!  I was AMAZED!  They are so easy to make, so soft and chewy and unbelievably gluten-free!  I would say these are the best peanut butter cookies around!  I do like them with the frosting, but they are awesome without it as well!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

5-INGREDIENT FROSTED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

2 cups peanut butter
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla

1)  Combine all ingredients and drop dough into mini-muffin cups in a mini-muffin pan.  Bake for 8 minutes at 350F.

2)  Cool completely and frost with the frosting below!

FROSTING:

16 ounces powdered sugar
6 tablespoons softened butter
3-4 tablespoons half and half
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

1)  Beat all the ingredients until smooth.  Add more half and half if needed.

NOTES:

~You can get a little crazy with this recipe and try using chunky peanut butter, chocolate chips or peanut butter chips.

~To make it dairy free, you can substitute Almond milk or your favorite milk substitute for the half and half.

~These freeze very well, even with the frosting!

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Cookies for breakfast!  Say no more, I'm all over that!  These cookies have no sugar, except for what's in the chocolate chips and the coconut (if you use sweetened coconut) and they are super moist, totally delicious and very simple to make!  Oh, and did I mention, they are gluten free - and dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips!

My friend Carolyn and I made them this morning and we were pleasantly surprised with the end result!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

BANANA BREAKFAST COOKIES

3 large ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed just a little so it isn't solid
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips

1)  Preheat the oven to 350F.

2)  In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas, then add the coconut oil and vanilla and mix well.

3)  Add the oats, almond meal, salt and baking powder and mix well.

4)  Stir in the coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips until combined.

5)  Form the dough into 12 balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten them a little bit.  Bake for 14-16 minutes.

NOTES:

~I ended up adding more chocolate chips when I made them, probably almost 1/2 cup, but they would still be delicious with less.

~I also decided to make my cookies smaller, if you only make 12 cookies, they are going to be huge.  I made about 26 cookies and mine were about 2" in diameter.  They were cooked perfectly after 12 minutes, but if you make them bigger, they will need more time to cook.  I think next time I will do something in between.

 

Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Chews

I made these a few nights ago as a special dessert for a friend and they were INCREDIBLE!!!  When I was first diagnosed with Celiac disease, I was bummed that I wouldn't be able to eat my absolute favorite dessert from Chili's anymore, their Paradise Pie!  I kept telling myself that I would have to make a gluten-free version of it, for special occasions (if I made it too often, I would have to buy a new wardrobe).  This is it!!!  Just warm a piece in the microwave for about 15 seconds, top with vanilla ice cream and if you ask me, it's even better than Paradise Pie!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from the new Pampered Chef Favorites Made Gluten -Free cookbook.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL OATMEAL CHEWS

2 cups gluten-free quick or old-fashioned oats

1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, divided

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon xanthan gum, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted

1 cup Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel Topping

1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

6 ounces Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly brush a 13x9" rectangular pan with vegetable oil (or spray with Pam).

2)  Combine oats, 1 1/2 cups of the flour, brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. of the xanthan gum and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

3)  Add the melted butter and mix until crumbly.  Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside.

4)  Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of pan.  Bake 15-18 minutes or until light golden brown.

5)  Meanwhile, combine caramel topping, remaining 1/4 cup flour and remaining 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle over crust; carefully spread to edges.

6)  Add pecans and chocolate morsels to reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle evenly over caramel mixture.  Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around the edges.

7)  Remove from oven.  Cool completely and cut into 24 bars.

NOTES:

~I used old-fashioned oats.

~I did not use Bob's Red Mill Flour.  The gluten-free flour mix that I used is from the cookbook "Recipes for Gluten Free Kids", it's on my blog under Gluten Free Flour Mixes and it's titled "Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend" - just make sure you don't use the one that says "For Bread".  Also, for the flour blend, it says to use either Almond Flour or Coconut Flour; I use Coconut Flour in mine, but I'm sure either would be just fine.

~These are easier to cut when they are still a little warm.  I also recommend removing them from the pan when they are a little warm and transferring them to a container or covered plate for storage.  The caramel hardens, especially along the edges of the pan and it makes them hard to remove.

~When heating in the microwave, do so for no longer than 20 seconds and top with vanilla ice cream!

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

This is one of my all time favorite sweet treats!  The original recipe is not gluten free, so I decided to try making it with my favorite g-free flour mix and it was TO DIE FOR!  If you like almond flavor and cherries - you are going to love this one!

Enjoy,
Kirsten

PS: The recipe came from my sweet friend Michelle.

CHERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

1 cup butter (unsalted)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups gluten-free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can cherry pie filling

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
Sliced almonds - optional

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 15x10x1 inch pan (cookie sheet).

2)  Cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and almond extract, then add one egg at a time, beating well after each.

3)  Mix dry ingredients separately, then add to the creamed mixture.

4)  Reserve 1 cup of batter, spread remaining batter in the cookie sheet/pan.

5)  Spread the cherry pie filling over the batter, then drop "blobs" of the remaining 1 cup of batter over the cherries (this will give it a marbled effect when it bakes).

6)  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until very lightly browned on sides and top.

7)  Drizzle powdered sugar icing over the top with a spoon while it's warm.  Sprinkle sliced almonds on top if desired.

8)  Cool well before cutting.

NOTES:

~The gluten-free flour mix that I used is from the cookbook "Recipes for Gluten Free Kids", it's on my blog under Gluten Free Flour Mixes and it's titled "Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend" - just make sure you don't use the one that says "For Bread".  Also, for the flour blend, it says to use either Almond Flour or Coconut Flour; I use Coconut Flour in mine, but I'm sure either would be just fine.

~The original recipe does not call for xanthan gum, so if your non-g-free friends want the recipe, just take that out and use 3 cups of all purpose flour.

~The original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of milk, but I find that closer to 2 is enough to get it the right consistency.  Also, I use vanilla almond milk instead of cow's milk.

~The dough will be very sticky and when you spread it out in that size pan, it will seem thin and hard to spread.  Just make sure you spread it as evenly as you can.  If it doesn't quite touch the edges of the pan, it's okay, it will spread out as it cooks.

Macaroon Kisses

These are one of my favorite Christmas cookies, but you could make them for any occasion!  They are so delicious and the recipe is already gluten-free!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from the Eagle Brand Holiday Magic cookbook.

MACAROON KISSES

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
5 1/3 cups (14 ounces) flaked coconut
48 solid milk chocolate candy kisses, stars or drops, unwrapped

1)  Preheat oven to 325F.  Line baking sheets with foil; grease and **flour foil.  Set aside.

2)  In large mixing bowl, combine Eagle Brand, vanilla and almond extract.  Stir in coconut.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets; with spoon, slightly flatten each mound.

3)  Bake 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Immediately press candy kiss, star or drop in center of each macaroon.  Remove from baking sheets; cool on wire racks.  Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

NOTES:

~Make sure to use a gluten-free flour for the pans!

Coconut Almond Oatmeal Cookies

I accidentally bought Bob's Red Mill quick cooking oats, instead of the regular oats recently and I found this recipe on the side of the bag.  Tried them this morning, with a couple of substitutions (see "Notes" below) and they were delicious and gluten-free, of course!!  Oh - and the dough was killer too!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

COCONUT ALMOND OATMEAL COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup evaporated can juice sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.  Add the milk and vanilla and blend.

3)  In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

4)  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.

5)  Add the coconut and almonds and blend until incorporated throughout the dough.

6)  Eat some dough because it's really yummy!

7)  Place by rounded tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

NOTES:

~I did not use evaporated cane juice sugar.  I use beet sugar at home, but you could probably use whatever type of granulated sugar you have on hand.

~I used vanilla almond milk instead of cow's milk.

~I didn't have any sorghum flour, so I used brown rice flour instead.

~I used regular iodized salt instead of the sea salt.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tried this recipe today for the first time and it was awesome!!!  When you are mixing up the ingredients, you will think it's strange and the dough doesn't taste like regular chocolate chip cookie dough, but the cookies are fabulous!  If you want a box mix - I recommend Betty Crocker's Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, and that dough does taste yummy, but for homemade, this recipe is awesome!  They are gluten-free and easily made dairy-free with non-dairy chocolate chips!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from elanaspantry.com

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 cup dark chocolate chips (73% cacao)

1)  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2)  Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.

3)  Mix wet ingredients into dry.

4)  Form 1/2 inch balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

5)  Bake at 350F for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

6)  Cool and serve.

NOTES:

~The dough will seem very wet.  If it starts sticking to your hands, wash your hands and then continue.

~She does not recommend Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour - it is too course and won't work well for baking.  I bought mine on-line from Honeyville Food Products.  It is much cheaper to buy it on-line vs. in the store.

~I used regular iodized salt.

~I used gluten and dairy-free Chocolate Dream semi-sweet baking chips and they taste just like regular chocolate chips!

~Make sure you do press the balls down a bit after you put them on the cookie sheet, otherwise they will not flatten like they should.

~I let them sit for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before taking them off, but I found that they stuck to my spatula and if I tried to use my finger to "push" them off onto the cooling rack, they would "smush", so I actually slid them off the spatula into my hand and then carefully laid them on the rack.  This worked well and none of them broke apart or were deformed.  You could also leave them on the cookie sheet a bit longer so they could firm up more.

Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles

I just tried this recipe last week and the cookies were incredible!  They were soft, chewy and delicious!  You'd never know they were gluten-free!  The recipe uses Silvana's All Purpose Flour Blend - see post with the same name for the flour blend recipe.

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from my favorite GF/DF cookbook by Silvana Nardone, called Cooking for Isaiah.

GLUTEN-FREE SNICKERDOODLES

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons Silvana's All-Purpose Flour Blend
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup all-vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1)  Preheat oven to 375F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2)  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon.

3)  In a large bowl and using a fork, beat together the shortening, brown sugar and 4 tablespoons granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

4)  In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Using a medium sized cookie scoop, scoop up rounds of dough and dip the rounded side of the dough into the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat; place 2 inches apart, sugared side up on the prepared baking sheets and bake until golden at the edges, about 10 minutes.

5)  Let cool for about 2 minutes.  Using a spatula, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES:

~In the cookbook, the recipe is listed as Brown Sugar-Pecan Ice Cream Snickerdoodle Sanwiches, but I skipped the icecream part and just made the cookies.

~I used my KitchenAid mixer starting with Step #3 and it worked beautifully.

~A key to gluten-free baking is - things are always better if they are just a tad under cooked!  With cookies and brownies, take them out of the oven when look "almost" done!