Gluten-Free Chocolate Bar Cookies (an experiment)

Yesterday I mentioned that I was trying something different. I love Elana Amsterdam's recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, only I make it with coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil and maple syrup (the good stuff!) in lieu of agave because I hate agave. But everything else is the same, unless I sub out a handful of the almond flour for coconut flour. This makes more of a dense, soft cookie that doesn't spread when baked.

I'm the kind of person who usually wants something sweet after dinner, and chocolate should be involved somehow. When I don't have a healthier alternative, I eat junk. I decided to stop buying junk earlier this year, so I make this recipe all the time.

While eating these cookies, I get ideas. Such as, what would they be like as a crust? Could I make them bigger and really thin, then shape/roll them like brandy snaps? How would they do sandwiched together with chocolate ganache or some other kind of filling? And so on.

Instead of just making more chocolate chip cookies, yesterday I decided to see if I could bake the dough as one big rectangle and make bar cookies out of it. I left out the chocolate chips because I knew I wanted the topping to be chocolate. It worked out okay. I spread the dough as evenly as possible over the bottom of my 11" x 15" jelly roll pan that I lined with parchment paper. This was not easy or pleasant because the dough is super sticky, and it didn't get spread all that evenly, either. Then I baked it for quite a bit longer than the 7-10 minutes cookies need. I wanted a nicely browned, crispy crust. I forgot to pay attention to how long it took, though. I let it cool completely before doing anything else to it.

I made ganache with the chocolate chips and some coconut cream. You get this by chilling a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight. The cream rises to the top, so you can just scoop it out. Underneath is coconut water--save that and use it in something else. I did this after I mixed the dough while it was chilling in the refrigerator. I was hoping it would be plenty cool to whip into a nice topping once the cookie base was cooled. Sadly, that didn't happen, but I got the idea to spread a thin layer of the ganache on the cookie, then top that with whipped ganache once it was cooled and set.

It was at this point I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures. So I apologize for not having more. The ganache whipped up nicely. I quit beating it just before I thought it was thick enough, and it was a great consistency for spreading. I got impatient, though and added it too soon. The chocolate layer underneath wasn't yet completely set in the center.

I chilled the whole thing before cutting it into squares using a pizza cutter. I know they're uneven and not very delicate. Cutting the cookies made the crust crumble quite a bit in places, so if I try something like this again, I think I'll bake the dough in the cavities of a mini muffin pan and make tartlets. Only, the crust isn't as crisp the next day, so I'm not sure how well they'd hold a shape. I just ate one of these bar cookies from yesterday, and the cookie base is definitely softer. It still tastes delicious, but I preferred a more crunchy crust.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

Back in February I made rolls using Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix. I was pretty happy with how they turned out, and I decided next time I had a bag of this stuff to make the cinnamon bread variation listed on the back. Only, baking a loaf of this bread means over an hour of cooking time in the oven, and then of course you have to wait for it to cool before slicing it. Plus, there's also the added work of slicing it. I'm lazy, and I didn't really want to make a whole day of it, so I decided to make cinnamon rolls instead. These were done just like the regular rolls I made, only I folded in some cinnamon, sugar, and a little nutmeg before putting the batter/dough into the muffin pan cavities.

So, to start with, I followed the directions for oven baking. You can also use this mix in a bread machine, but I don't have one so I have no clue how it turns out when you make it that way. Just measure 1/4 cup oil (I had canola on hand, if anyone is wondering) into a 2 cup measuring container, add 2 eggs, and then fill to the 2 cup mark with warm water.

To make cinnamon bread, mix together 2 teaspoons cinnamon with 1/4 cup of sugar. I also threw in some freshly grated nutmeg because I love it.

Place the bread mix and yeast, which is included the bag and sealed up in a little packet, in your mixer bowl and stir to evenly distribute the yeast in with the flour. Next, add the eggs, water, and oil mixture and beat with the whisk attachment for 3 minutes on medium high. The mixture will look more like a thick cake batter than bread dough.

Then, gently fold in the cinnamon and sugar mixture a few times to make swirls.

The last time I made rolls from Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix, their messy appearance bothered me, so this time I tried to smooth the top of the dough after filling the cavities half full. But because it's so sticky, I didn't have much luck with that method.

So then I had the bright idea to pipe the batter into the pans, and that's what I did with the last 6 rolls. It even gives them more of a cinnamon roll appearance. Sort of.

These need to bake for about 25-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, until the tops are a lovely golden brown.

Let the rolls cool in the pans for a few minutes before removing them. I sprayed the pans with nonstick cooking spray, and in a few places I guess I didn't do such a great job because a couple of the rolls stuck in the pan. But luckily, running a knife around the edges loosened them without tearing them up.

Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack, although they're quite yummy when they're still a wee bit warm. They don't taste like the cinnamon rolls that are made with sweet dough, and the cinnamon doesn't really come through very much. I can taste and smell it, and I know it's definitely in there, but I do wish these rolls had a stronger cinnamon flavor.

Cinnamon can be tricky, though. If there's not enough, you end up disappointed in the lack of flavor. But adding too much turns whatever your're trying to make into atomic fire balls. Plus, I don't know if me adding in the nutmeg may have altered the strength of the cinnamon somehow. 

I suppose that's enough of an excuse to make these again without the added nutmeg and see if that makes a difference. The texture is very bread-like, if a bit dense and heavy, and they're not too crusty, so all in all I think they're a success. But there's always room for improvement. I'd like to know your thoughts. When I make these again, should I try adding just a teaspoon more cinnamon? How would you make them?

Carrot Date Muffins (gluten free)

Here's yet another recipe I found on my Whole Foods Recipes app, but if you don't have an iPhone, the recipe is also posted on the Whole Foods website. Let me just go ahead and admit that I didn't have any amaranth or millet flour when I decided I had to make these muffins, but I did have exactly 3/4 cup of Pamela's Baking Mix sitting in my pantry just begging to be used, so that's what went into my muffins instead.

For the muffins, you'll need:

2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3/4 cup amaranth flour or millet flour (except I used Pamela's Baking Mix)
3/4 cup ground almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

I hadn't beat the eggs or melted the coconut oil when I took a picture of the ingredients, but don't worry, it all got done.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a 12-cavity standard muffin tin with paper baking cups. Put the dates and carrots in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the walnuts, and pulse until they're finely chopped.

 

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, and then add the coconut oil, lightly beaten eggs, and maple syrup. Stir it all together to combine completely.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. 

The recipe says to then pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients, but I did it the opposite way because my wet ingredients were in a bigger bowl. Stir the mixture until just combined. 

Divide the batter evenly between the lined muffin cavities. I forgot to snap a photo of this step, and I didn't do such a great job of dividing the batter evenly, but they still came out okay.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. After a few minutes, remove them from the pan and let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack.

These are delicious, and I really want to make them again using amaranth or millet flour like the recipe calls for, just to compare and see what (if any) difference it makes in the taste and texture. They are plenty sweet and don't need any kind of topping, but they also taste a lot like carrot cake, so I think a modest amount of cream cheese icing on the top would be seriously yummy. If you like carrot cake, that is. 

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Mud Pie: Gluten-Free Chocolate Tart Topped With Almond Pastry Cream

Have I mentioned how much I love the Whole Foods recipe iPhone app? My most recent experiment was based on the Apricot Tart in Quinoa-Almond Crust recipe I found on there, which is also available on the website.

I had some leftover quinoa flour I needed to use up, so this seemed like a good recipe to try. Of course, I was missing a few of the key ingredients, namely evaporated cane juice and apricots, so instead I made some ganache with coconut milk and dark chocolate for the tart filling and used the pastry cream as a topping. I'm always in the mood for chocolate.

It worked out pretty well, except I used Rapadura to make the pastry cream in lieu of evaporated cane juice, and it gave the pastry cream a horrible greenish-brown mud color. So I called it a mud pie. I don't have step-by-step photos for this recipe because I made the ganache and pastry cream after dark, ad you guys already know about the lighting issues in my kitchen. Plus, how the heck am I supposed to take pictures while making pastry cream? That stuff requires both hands and due attention. Anyway, here is the recipe as I made it.

For the crust:
1 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup almond flour (I used Honeyville)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk

Place quinoa flour, almond flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

 

At which point, mine looked like the photo on the left, so I processed it  a few more seconds, until it looked like the picture on the right.

  

Add egg yolk and pulse until dough holds together, without being wet or sticky. That's what the recipe says, anyway, but mine stayed a little sticky.

  

Flatten dough into a disk on a sheet of wax paper, then wrap it up and let it chill for at least an hour.

 

When well chilled, roll dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface (I used what little quinoa flour I had left for this). The dough was still a bit sticky and tricky to work with, and I had trouble with it falling apart as I tried to put it in my 9-inch loose-bottomed tart pan, so I ended up pressing it in the pan. It then needs to chill for another 30 minutes before baking at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until bottom is dry and tart shell is golden brown. The recipe says to prick the bottom with a fork, which I did, but I didn't use any pie weights. Allow crust to cool completely before adding filling.

While it's cooling, you can make the ganache and pastry cream. The ganache is easy, just melt a bag of dark chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli 60%, add a can of coconut milk, and stir until smooth. Let it chill in the refrigerator, and it will thicken up nicely.

The pastry cream is a little more involved, but well worth the effort. I used:
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup Rapadura
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter

Over medium heat, stir almond milk and 2 tablespoons of the Rapadura in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, remaining Rapadura, and cornstarch until pale yellow. Slowly add half of almond milk to egg-yolks, whisking constantly. This tempers the egg yolks so they won't curdle. Pour everything back into the saucepan. Still working over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil while whisking constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, continue whisking vigorously until it thickens, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in almond extract and butter. Allow it to cool completely. Like I said, my pastry cream isn't the most appetizing color, so I think next time I may try making this recipe with maple syrup instead of the Rapadura.

When everything is cooked, baked, and cooled--in my case the following morning so I could have enough light to take photos--then fillings can be added to the tart crust. Since the chocolate was a lot thicker and heavier than the pastry cream, I spread that on the shell first, then added the pastry cream as a topping. Yum.

  

Here are more photos of the crust and filling once the tart had chilled for a while after the final assembly. Apart from the odd color of the pastry cream, I'm really happy with how this recipe came out. The crust is more like a cookie base than a flaky pastry, as one would expect with a fruit tart, which this was intended to be. The pastry cream is light and sweet, very similar in consistency to pudding, and the chocolate is awesome.

  

I won't lie, the quinoa flour does leave a bit of its flavor behind. It's not so much an aftertaste as more of a flavor undertone, but if you didn't know the quinoa flour was in there you might not even notice it. I'm glad I tried this recipe, as I think the crust could be used with a variety of sweet fillings. I may try it again with a different flour and see how it does.