Banana Beet Chocolate Muffins

My little guy was in the mood for muffins, and he wasn't thrilled with my banana muffin experiment that contained crystallized ginger, and he was most definitely in the mood for chocolate.  So I decided to see what I could do to make a mostly healthy chocolate muffin.  I searched the internet for ideas, and ended up only using the basic ratio for dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Everything else came from my imagination, so you are getting a baked-once-tried-once recipe.  Feel free to tweak it as desired.  I bet you could hide a LOT of veggies in here.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 c. ground Flax seed
1/2 c. Quick Oats
1 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1 c. Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/2 c. Sucanat
1/4 c. Brown Sugar
3/4 c. Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 c. Chocolate Chips
3 Eggs
1/2 c. + 2 T. Plain Yogurt
1/2 c. mashed Banana (one medium-large banana)
3/4 c. pureed Beets
3/4 c. Milk
1/3 c. Canola Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease 2 muffin tins (enough to give you 24 muffins).

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix:  flax, oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.  Then stir in chocolate chips.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs.  Add mashed banana, pureed beets, milk, oil, yogurt, and vanilla.  Stir well to combine.

4. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredient mix, and stir gently until ingredients are completely combined.  Using a large cookie scoop, fill muffin tins.  (You'll probably fill them 1/2 to 2/3 full.)

5. Bake muffins 15-18 minutes, or until they begin to smell good and a toothpick comes out clean.  (A good tip is that they are most likely ready just 2-4 minutes after they start smelling delectable.)  Cool in pan for 3-5 minutes, and then gently remove and place on cooling rack.  Enjoy!

*May be wrapped and frozen for 3 months.
*I used beets harvested from last summer's garden.  You can too!  Just roast peeled beets and puree them using a bit of water, if needed.  Freeze in 3/4 cup portions in plastic bags to throw into any recipe you like!
*Next time, I'm totally throwing in some zucchini.  You could also use mashed sweet potato in place of the banana.  And I may even decrease the sugar a bit.  It's perfectly yummy as-is, but if it's possible to reduce the sugar while keeping the yumminess factor, why not?!

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

After trying a cookie recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess which turned out to be deliciously delectable, I decided to get brave and try to tweak my own Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and make it gluten free.

My first try turned out pretty good, and chocolate is a wonderful way to cover up the taste of some of the healthier gluten free flours.  So while you can't call this a "health food" because of the sheer amount of butter, you can rest assured that you're still getting good fiber, protein, and a few nutrients like Vitamin C and Iron.  Combine that with chocolate, and I think you've got a win-win situation.  =)

Like any experiment, you can tweak this to your heart's desire and see what works best for your own family.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c. Tapioca Flour
Scant 1/2 c. Buckwheat Flour
1/3 c. Amaranth Flour
1/3 c. Millet Flour
1/3 c. Sorghum Flour
2 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 c. Cocoa
1 c. Butter
1 c. Brown Sugar (I bet you could lessen this a bit.)
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs, beaten with a fork
1 T. EVOO
2 T. Milk
2 c. Chocolate Chips (I used mini ones.)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  (The Gluten Free Goddess has you line your cookie sheets with a Silpat or parchment paper for her recipes because she says the GF cookies have a tendency to scorch.  So to be on the safe side, I used parchment paper for this experiment.)


2. Mix flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, and cocoa together in a medium bowl.  Set aside

3. Cream butter and sugar in mixer.

4.  Add in vanilla, eggs, olive oil, and milk to creamed mixture and mix well on medium speed.

5. Slowly add in small amounts of flour mixture and mix well until fully combined and a smooth dough has formed.  (I cover my stand mixer with a towel during this part so I don't get flying flour everywhere.)


6.  Stir in chocolate chips until evenly incorporated into the dough.

7. Using a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet.  Gently flatten a bit with a spatula or your fingers.  (If the fact that the dough likes to stick is driving you crazy, just moisten your fingers or the spatula a bit with some cold water.)  


8. Bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes.  (It's really important to know the temperature of your oven when you're dealing with GF baking, so it's a good idea to keep an inexpensive oven thermometer hanging on the top rack at the back of your oven.)  Leave the cookies on the tray for 3-4 minutes to finish setting up, and then gently remove them to a cooling rack.  You'll be tempted to leave them in the oven longer because they will look like they need more time, but trust me.  If you just let them rest on the pan for 3-4 minutes, they will finish setting up while still remaining chewy and delectable inside.

***My cookie scoop is fairly big, so this made exactly 24 cookies.  As soon as the first batch cooled, I wrapped them in foil and put them inside a gallon ziploc freezer bag.  Gluten free cookies are known for drying out more quickly than ones made with wheat.  So we only keep what we'll eat in 1-2 days out, and freeze the rest to take out as needed.

***My second experiment will include quinoa flour, and I'll probably increase the amount of amaranth flour.  Coconut flour is one of our favorites to bake with too, though not as nutritious as amaranth.

Eastertide Gluten Free Chocolate Bliss

Today I had such high hopes for a delectable dinner and dessert. I had it pictured in my head that my braised lamb and Greek meal would rival that of our favorite Greek restaurant. Well, it didn't quite meet my expectations, though my husband thought it was delicious. But I still think the gluten free pita bread recipe I used must have had fake comments, because there is no way my results looked anything like the original. It was more like naan, decidedly chewy, and a really sad waste of a really expensive flour blend. Most of our meals cost less than $8 total, which is saying something since we have to deal with Canadian prices. But this meal cost as much as a restaurant meal would cost, so the results weren't making my heart leap for joy by any stretch of the imagination. Still, my hubby was happy. So I guess that means something. Right?

Thankfully, dessert was delectable. It was easy to make, and it was a delicious combination of flour-free cake and chocolate mousse. Even better was the fact that the recipe actually said it would essentially look messy. I can do imperfect. And this? This dessert is perfect imperfection. Or would that be imperfect perfection? Who knows? All I can say is that it is the perfect Easter dessert, especially when children are involved. And it's yummy enough for even the most grown-up of adults.

Thank you, Nigella Lawson. You are my hero.

This recipe is from Nigella's Feast cookbook, American edition, page 169. She says it serves 8-10. I'd say it serves about 6-8 if you have a chocolate lover in there. ;)

EASTER EGG NEST CAKE
Ingredients for the cake:
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
6 eggs; 2 whole, 4 separated (keep both parts!!!!)
1/3 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar (1/3 cup for yolks, 1/2 cup for whites)

Ingredients for topping:
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 c. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
several Cadbury mini Robin's eggs

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. LIne the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.

2. Melt the 8 oz. chocolate with the butter in the microwave and stir until smooth. Allow to cool a bit.

3. In a stand mixer, whisk the four egg whites until firm, and then gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape and the peaks are shiny but not stiff.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk two whole eggs and four egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla. Gently fold in cooled chocolate mixture. Put a dollop of the egg white mixture into the bowl and stir to combine. Then gently fold in the rest of the whisked egg whites. Nigella says it should take about three stirs, but it took me a few more.

5. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked but not wobbly on the surface. Cool in pan on wire rack. The middle will sink as it cools and the sides will crack. Do not freak out. This is supposed to happen. Ah, the beauty of purposeful imperfection.

6. Remove the cooled cake from the pan, and gently separate from the parchment paper with a large spatula. Carefully slide onto a cake platter. Nigella says not to worry if bits fall off and to put them back in a loose fashion. Remember, you're trying to make a bird's nest here. Smooth perfection is NOT what you want.

7. Melt the 4 oz. chocolate and set aside to cool. Whip the cream until you basically have a whipped cream consistency. Gently fold in the vanilla, and then fold in the melted chocolate.

8. Spread the chocolate whipped cream on the top of the chocolate cake, smoothing all the way to the edge with a spatula, taking care not to squash out all the air in the mousse mixture. Decorate with candy eggs.

9. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat. Leftovers will keep for a day or two.

Thank you, Nigella. You are helping me forget the rest of my kitchen experience today. Well, you, and the lovely Pinot Grigio I picked out from Trader Joe's. Beautiful combination.

Gluten Free Salted Fudge Bliss in a Brownie

I almost hesitate to post this here. I mean, my salted fudge brownies are to-die-for, and now that I've triumphed in making them gluten free, well, it seems like it should be a top secret thing. But no, my friends, if you have to be gluten free and you happen to adore chocolate baking, this is a sweet surprise. I still hope to experiment with switching out some of the butter for squash and a few other tweaks to make it super healthy but still blissfully delicious, but it is perfect for sharing right now in its gluten free state.

Without further ado, here is my one pot wonder for your tasting pleasure.......

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 c. butter
2 oz. chocolate, chopped
6 T. cocoa
1 c. white sugar (I've actually used sucanat with success in its place)
1/2 c. brown sugar (yellow sugar in Canada)
3 eggs, beaten with fork
1.5 tsp. vanilla
1/6 c. sorghum flour
1/6 c. GF millet flour
1/6 c. tapioca flour (also sometimes labeled tapioca starch - same thing)
1/2 c. brown rice flour
scant 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease foil lined 8" dish.

2. Melt butter and chocolate over low heat in medium sauce pan, stirring to combine well.

3. Remove butter and chocolate mixture from heat, and stir in cocoa and sugar until well blended.

4. Stir in lightly beaten eggs and vanilla until evenly incorporated.

5. Combine flours and xanthan gum in a small bowl, and then pour into sauce pan mixture. Stir gently to fully combine.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle half of the salt evenly over top of batter, and swirl through the batter with a knife. Then sprinkle remaining salt on top. (I confess to using more than 1/2 tsp. at times.)

7. Bake for 28-30 minutes. You want the edges to be set, but the center to be soft. (Soft does not mean soupy. I keep a thermometer in my oven at all times, so 28 minutes at exactly 350 worked well for me.) Don't bother testing with a toothpick because it will come out coated.

8. Cool in pan for a couple of hours. Gently ease foil out of pan and place on plate in refrigerator for a couple more hours. (It's okay to leave the foil on the cooling rack covered by a tea towel overnight instead.) Resist the urge to cut into them too soon, and give them time to completely set up. (And yes, I totally broke that rule in order to take a picture for you.) Cut into one inch pieces of bliss and enjoy.

You're welcome. =)

Not-Too-Sweet No-Bake Cookies

So I wanted a chocolate fix, and I had a kid over at my house who wanted to bake something while her mother was at a meeting. But there are no eggs in my refrigerator currently, which kind of puts a cramp in my baking style. (We really need to put chickens in our landlord's backyard. I'm sure he'd love it.)

No-Bake cookies can be a decent idea when these two factors come into play, but most often the ones I have had taste more of sickeningly sweet white sugar and cheap chocolate. After reading up on a bunch of different versions, I decided to come up with my own. I have to say it turned out pretty yummy, so it seemed like a good idea to share it here. It's easy and quick, and you'll have your chocolate fix in minutes. Plus you can feel all giddy inside because most recipes called for another 1/2 cup of sugar and double the butter. You can almost feel yourself getting skinnier just reading the recipe. =)

*****When I say "loosely packed" it means that you just take your 1/2 cup measuring cup and scoop it into your ingredient without packing it down or leveling it perfectly.

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 c. Brown Sugar (or Yellow Sugar if you are in Canada) loosely packed
1/2 c. loosely packed Cocoa
1/2 c. 1% Milk
1/4 c. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Salt
2/3 c. (heaping) Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
2.75 c. Quick Oats
1 c. Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In medium sauce pan, melt butter and peanut butter together over medium low heat.

2. Add in sugar, vanilla, salt, milk, and cocoa and stir to combine. Bring to a light boil for just a minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

3. Add in oats and coconut, stirring to combine completely.

4. Using a small cookie scoop (about a tablespoon size), drop mixture on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Let set until solidified. If you are like me, eat two while the rest are setting up. Sigh contentedly that you have just eaten what could be argued as oatmeal with chocolate and peanut butter. Wonder if it could count as a healthy breakfast. I feel almost like saying "rinse, repeat" at this point. But I'll just say "the end".

Makes about 38 small cookies.