Cornbread Video

I apologize for not posting any updates in literally years. Now my custom domain actually has expired, so if you're still with me, thanks for hanging in there.

Due to me working long hours and still having most of my cake decorating stuff in storage from moving house, my poor blog and YouTube channel have been all but abandoned. I figured I would share my favorite cornbread recipe since it’s quick, easy, and gluten free, even though we’re no longer in “cold weather comfort food” season. But hey, it freezes well.

So, if you have a minute to spare and would like to see how I make cornbread (gluten free, of course!) then please check out the video below.

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.

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.

Gluten-Free King Cake

I know Mardi Gras is over, and it's not really something I celebrate anyway, but Tuesday I found a recipe online for a gluten-free king cake and decided on a whim to bake it. Of course, I did have to make a few substitutions and slight changes, but I think it came out just fine.

This is one to eat the same day, as it doesn't keep very well. I sealed it up in cling film but by the following afternoon it was pretty dried out. I'm not sure how to remedy this. Considering it's king cake though, I suppose there's not meant to be any left over to add temptation during lent. But I don't do lent, and I would like to enjoy it for more than one day.

I don't have step-by-step photos this time, mostly because my kitchen table was otherwise occupied on the day, and it was a cloudy and rainy afternoon so the light wasn't all that great. Still, I have a photos of the yeast proofing (exciting, I know!) and the finished cake. Also, I know that the sprinkles aren't technically Mardi Gras colors since there are a few white and pink nonpareils in there, but lacking purple, gold, and green sanding sugar, I had to improvise.

I found this recipe on the Art of Gluten-Free Baking website, and it calls for a special flour blend. I didn't have any tapioca flour or the sweet rice flour. Since it seemed pretty similar to Flour Blend #2 from the Gluten-Free Baking book, and I had some of that already mixed, that's what I used. Except I was short 1/2 cup, so I subbed some Flour Blend #1.

Ingredients:
4 cups gluten-free flour mix
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt (recipe called for 2 teaspoons salt)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 extra large egg (I only had large eggs)
4 yolks from extra large eggs (I used 2 whole large eggs and 2 yolks from large eggs)
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375% and grease and flour a bundt or tube pan.

Dissolve the tablespoon of sugar in the warm water and add in the yeast. Set aside to proof. As promised, here are the photos. It may be necessary to transfer the yeast to a bigger bowl.

  

Mix flour, nutmeg, salt, and lemon zest together in a large bowl and set aside. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg(s) and egg yolks and beat until well combined.

Add the flour and warm milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with the flour, and mix after each addition until just combined. Pour in the yeast gradually so it doesn't slosh out everywhere. Once all the yeast has been added, beat on high for a few minutes.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the top and let the cake rise until doubled (about an hour).

Just before baking, you're supposed to brush the top with egg wash, but I didn't do that. Since I used a bundt pan, the top becomes the bottom, so what's the point? Bake for 25-35 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.

Let cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before icing. I used the simple glaze recipe, which is just powdered sugar and the juice from one lemon mixed together. You want it to be a little runny, but if it's too thin it won't do a good job of covering the cake and it will just make a mess. Before the icing dries, add sprinkles.

 

I was really happy with how this cake came out. It tastes similar to an old-fashioned coffee cake, and the texture was spot-on. It's just a shame that it dries out so much. I'm wondering if the recipe could be halved. Since it doesn't keep well, I think I'd rather make a smaller cake next time.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are times when I really, really, want chocolate. Occasionally these times occur when I don't have any chocolate in the house apart from some Ghirardelli baking chips. Rather than just eating the chocolate chips, although they are nice enough to enjoy that way, I decided to make some gluten free chocolate chip cookies. I love the Elana's Pantry website, and I've tried making the chocolate chip cookie recipe in her Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook twice before, but with less than optimal results.


The first time I neglected to read the caveat of not using Bob's Red Mill almond flour in any of her recipes. Since it's the only brand almond flour that's readily available to me and what I had sitting on my pantry shelf, I used it, and she's right, it does not work in her recipes. By the time I got round to my second attempt I had some almond flour that I ordered from Honeyville. But I forgot to let the dough chill before baking, and the cookies spread out all over the baking sheet into one huge mess. It was a tasty mess, but still a mess, nonetheless.

This time I wanted to get it right. Except, I didn't have 2 of the necessary ingredients: grapeseed oil and agave nectar. So I used coconut oil and maple syrup instead. I also only had the Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips, not the 73% cacao used in her recipe.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (gluten free)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda in a bowl and whisk together.

  

In another bowl whisk the coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup until well combined. Now, because coconut oil is solid at room temperature, I put mine in a glass bowl and placed it on the oven while it was preheating, which melted it. BUT, when I added the cool maple syrup to it, that made the mixture go all clumpy and curdled as the maple syrup caused the coconut oil to go solid again. So, I placed that bowl on the oven until everything was the same temperature and I could whisk the ingredients into a smooth mixture.

  

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and then fold in the chocolate chips.

  

Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before scooping out onto the baking sheets, leaving a couple of inches in between each cookie. I used a 1 tablespoon sized disher for this.

I ran out of parchment paper, so I improvised by using Wilton parchment triangles to line my cookie sheets. I don't recommend doing this. Those things are designed to be formed into parchment piping bags, not used for baking, and some of my cookies stuck.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, and then cool on a wire rack. These came out much better than my previous attempts. I think I could have baked them another minute or so longer, because they're pretty chewy, but they're still delicious.

Now my only problem is that I can't stop eating them. So, while they don't last very long, at least they're easy to make.

Simpli-Made Gluten Free Pancakes

Several days ago I posted a review of Simpli Gluten Free Apricot Instant Oatmeal, complete with pictures and a smoothie recipe that calls for a packet of the instant oatmeal. I also mentioned that on the company website there were more recipes, including one for gluten-free pancakes, and promised that I would feature the pancakes recipe in another post. Well, here it is.

The first time I made these pancakes, I didn't have any oat flour on hand. Anxious to try the recipe anyway, I substituted quinoa flour because that's what I had in the pantry. I do not recommend using quinoa flour in this recipe. It leaves a distinct quinoa aftertaste, and my younger son and I were the only ones who would eat them. Even I didn't think they were all that great. However, knowing neither the recipe nor oatmeal were at fault since I didn't follow the instructions, I decided to try it again, this time using the proper flour. That made all the difference. These were at hit with my kids. So much so that out of the 14 pancakes yielded, I only got to eat 2.

Ingredients:
1 package Simpli Gluten Free Apricot Instant Oatmeal
2 cups gluten-free oat flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups milk (can also use dairy-free milk like almond, rice, etc.)
½ teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract
5 tablespoons butter (melted but not hot)
1/2 cup water

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix together well, and set aside.

 

Beat the eggs, milk, and vanilla until well combined, then slowly add melted butter. Then gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

 

The recipe says to stir in the water to thin the batter, but I thought the batter was already pretty thin, so I didn't add any.

 

Preheat skillet and oil with melted butter or nonstick cooking spray. Use about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. When the top starts to bubble, flip it over and cook until done. These cook pretty quickly.

  

You can keep the pancakes warm in an oven on the lowest setting until you've made them all. Usually what happens around here is they eat them as fast as I can make them, which is why I don't have a nice photo showing a big stack of pancakes with maple syrup dripping down the sides, but I was very impressed with how well these turned out once I used the right kind of flour.