Gluten Free Rocky Road Brownies

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Rocky Road Brownies

     I have to start out this post by apologizing, I have been baking, but the last month has just been a tough one. I don't know about all of you, but I don't just have one Autoimmune disease, most people I know don't. I think the last 8 months finally caught up to me all at once, I had my third Brain surgery in March, finally fixed all the problems I needed fixing... I feel amazing (finally 7 years later) but I didn't take the time I needed to heal, I'm a goer!! After I got diagnosed with Celiacs, a year later I got a Fibromyalgia and Raynauds diagnosis punch to the stomach, how fun!! My list of medical issues is longer, but I'll save you the drama.:) So, about once a year I get into a funk, and I have zero energy to do anything extra, except work and take care of my family...sometimes barely those.  Hence the no posting of new recipes, I'm really sorry, and hope you will all understand.  Sometimes life just gives you a swift kick, I'm just sad it chose to do it during the Holidays. 

      I hope you all have a Wonderful Holiday Season! Happy Baking, Natalie   

These brownies are so delicious, and definitely worth the effort to make, just make sure they have some cooling time before you serve them, so the brownie can set.

Ingredients:
adapted from Six Sisters
-1 cup butter melted
-2 cups sugar
-8 TB cocoa
-2 1/2 cups Pamela's bread flour mix
-4 large eggs
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 cup nuts (optional) I didn't use
-1 cup chocolate chips
Rocky road topping:
-3/4 cup chocolate chips
-1/2-3/4 cup nuts
-1 bag marshmallows (10oz)
Drizzle:
-1/4 cup butter softened
-1 cup powdered sugar
-1 TB cocoa
- milk as needed

How to:
-First if you don't want to make these from scratch, then use your favorite boxed brownie, they will taste great!
-Now melt the butter, you can do it in the microwave. Then add in the sugar, in a bowl and stir. 
-Next add in the cocoa, vanilla and the eggs and mix well. 
-Then add in the flour and stir until all the flour in mixed in, add in the nuts and chocolate chips after the flour is all in cooperated.
**-You will need a 325* degree oven and a 9x13 inch pan, I use a glass pan. Spray it with Pam or line it with parchment paper. Now spread your brownie evenly into the pan and bake.
-Bake for 30 min total, the last 5 min add the chocolate chips, then  marshmallows onto the top, they will double in size, then take out and cool.  For at least 2 hours or they fall apart.**

Now that it is cool, you can add your nuts and the Drizzle!
-Drizzle:
-1/4 cup butter softened
-1 cup powdered sugar
-1 TB cocoa
- milk as needed
Mix in a bowl with a mixer, or I just used a fork.  If it's too thick add more milk, or too thin add more powdered sugar. 
*Now here a tip for putting the drizzle on your brownie, or anything that needs drizzle!  Get a ziplock bag, put the chocolate into the bag, then cut the end off, go back and forth with the chocolate,  you will have no mess, and a beautifully decorated brownie!! *  I however made a huge mess, and figured this out, after I made my brownies! YIKES! :(

These are some of my VERY favorite things!!!! Dang I could eat the whole can myself, if you haven't tried them, you must!!!

Gluten Free Carmelita Bars

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                                                       Carmelita Bars

  I had a chance recently to remake this recipe, and I've made a few changes that I think are much better!! This is one of my husbands very favorite desserts, he would love it if I made this once a month, however; my butt and waist cannot eat this that often!!!  Oh man I did absolutely love this, the caramel was gooey and the oatmeal was chewy, which was exactly what I wanted!  Every once and awhile you need to tweak a recipe and make it a little bit better.
     I've been trying to re-do a peanut butter cake, and man, so far it has been failing like crazy; the taste is DELICIOUS, but I've got to get the texture and boil over factor under control....my husband just came home to the burn smell again, and said he was banning me from cooking! Ya, Right!!  
     I'm so happy school is out, it's been a nightmare trying to bake, post and help kids get their end of School things done! YAAAAAAYYY!!!! This is one happy mom!  
Happy Baking, Natalie

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup butter softened

3  cups Whole Oats GF 

2 1/2 cups Pamela's Bread

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bag and half chocolate chips

To Make:
  1-Mix together sugar,butter, oatmeal, salt, Pamela's Bread mix, and eggs. When it's done, press half of the dough into the cookie sheet, (13 x18 inch greased sheet pan) cook the first portion for 10 min, then add the chocolate chips, when the caramel is done, pour the caramel over the chocolate chips and dough.  Sprinkle the rest of the dough on top.

2-Bake at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes. Then cool on cooling rack and place in a fridge for 20 min to set the caramel.  They will be golden color, on the top.

  Caramel Topping:

-1 1/2 cups brown sugar

-1/4 tsp. salt

-1/3 cup butter

-3/4 cup light corn syrup

-1/2 cup heavy cream( I actually did not have whipped cream when I remade this, only sour cream and it worked just great!)

   Add the brown sugar, salt, butter and corn syrup in a large sauce pan. On a medium heat cook until all of the sugar crystals are dissolved, stir frequently. Then slowly add then cream and cook until caramelized, or if you have a candy thermometer soft ball stage.  This will take about 20 min, but it is so worth it!


One of my very Favorite things is Angie's Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn, it is Fantastic!!! I could eat the whole bag!

Gluten Free Nutella Brownie Trifle

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                         Nutella Brownie Trifle

      In case I have never mentioned, I absolutely love Chocolate and Dark Chocolate is EVEN better!  Anytime I go somewhere, they offer something Chocolate, it never has enough chocolate in it...ever!  Plus, I'm having my family over for dinner in a couple of weeks, so I thought I would make a quick, make ahead dessert that would satisfy the chocolate lovers of my family!  My one sister in law, informed me recently she hates all my Gluten Free treats, and if she had to go GF she would just starve...I know she won't read this, so I hope it never happens.  I'm pretty sure she hasn't tried 99% of my desserts, the rest of the family, friends and neighbors really like them, she just doesn't want to give them a chance.  
     These look pretty and taste great too, so if you want to make something that looks great and is easy to make, this is a HIT!
Happy Baking, Natalie

Ingredients:
 Adapted slightly from, On Sugar Mountain
-1 cup Pamela's Bread Flour
-3/4 cocoa powder(I use dark /regular mix) 
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-2 cups sugar
-1 cup butter (melted)
-2 tsp Pure Vanilla extract
-4 large eggs
-1cup Nutella (heated in the microwave 45 seconds)
-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1 (1oz) Sugar free Chocolate instant pudding (or any flavor you want)
-Whipping cream or the whipped cream in a can if you prefer. (this is supposed to be easy)

     -In a microwave safe bowl melt the butter(not scorching,just melted) then add the sugar and whisk, cool for a minute, move onto the flour mixture.
-In another bowl (mixer) add flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix together for 30 seconds or so.  Now leave it, go back to the butter.
-Now add the eggs, 1 at a time to the butter and sugar and whisk them in completely, then add vanilla.
-Next,On low, add the butter mix to the flour and mix, combine it, then add the Nutella, mix it again and scrape the sides....until combined then gently add the chocolate chips.  Now pour it into the pan and smooth.
To Bake:
 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a 8x8 square pan with parchment paper( I sprayed the bottom to make it stay down) Bake for 55-57 minutes, it will still be jiggly, but it is done.  Cool completely before you take it out of the pan, or it will fall apart. I was impatient, and mine did fall apart.  I put mine in the fridge over night then cut it apart in the morning. 
-I made my brownies, then threw them in the freezer, about a half hour after they were out, to rush the process, also it makes them easy to cut! 

To assemble:

  

-Now onto the Pudding, make it while the brownies are cooling.
-Then make your whipped cream or don't and use the Real Whip Cream in a can, I love it, I use it sometimes too!
-Now that the Brownies are cool, cut them into bite size pieces, layer it on the bottom of whatever container you wish.
-Next Whipped Cream, then pudding and a few more Brownie chunks.
-Lastly Whipped Cream and chunk of Brownie, put in the fridge and serve when ready!  This is for Chocolate Lovers!

One of my favorite things is- The Real Whipped Cream in a can; it really does have it's uses, especially if you are in a hurry!

Gluten Free M&M Chocolate Cookies

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                 M&M Chocolate Cookies


     Boy, you know when it rains it pours!  The last two weeks have just been a nightmare of sickness, we can thank the Jr. High School and High Schools for this!!  They are SO strict with the kids missing any school, you have to have an appendage missing or be in the Hospital to get excused, that is why all the kids go to school really sick, until they cough so much the administration sends them home, SERIOUSLY!!!  Thank you all so much for sharing, both my kids get the retched cold, then cough, then husband and last, but not least ME!  
     Now, I don't know about the rest of you girls and guys, but most people I know who are Celiacs or GF, usually have other autoimmune issues....myself included; so when I get a little cold it turns into a HUGE  ordeal!!   So my soapbox today is to please, lets stay home if we are sick, wash our hands and NOT share the love! 
       Now onto my cookies, I found this in a magazine a while back and they looked delicious!    When I decided to make these I only had Christmas M&M's in the house, hence the Red and Green.  I took these to my sister in law's surprise Birthday Party, and several people asked where I bought them from, they said they looked to good to be homemade! Not too good to be GF, because I didn't tell anyone to start with, until everyone said they loved them.  I hope you like them too.
 Happy Baking, Natalie

Ingredients-
Adapted from M&M's
-2 cups softened butter 
-2 cups sugar
-1 1/2 cups brown sugar(packed)
-4 large eggs
-2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
-5 cups Pamela's Bread Flour
-2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
-3 tsp Baking Soda
-1/2 tsp salt 
-A bag of M&M's(use what you need)

Baking- 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray the pans with cooking spray.  Bake for 10-12 minutes for a crispy edge and chewy middle.

-Cream together the butter and sugars until creamy.
-Next add vanilla, cocoa, salt, baking soda and eggs, beat until combined well.  Scrape down the edges.
-Then add the flour, mix well.
**Important part here, don't add the M&M's, they will be beat to death !!! Just roll them into balls, push down lightly in the middle and place the M&M's on the dough and they will look pretty. *** It made approximately 66 cookies...I might have eaten a few :)

My favorite things this past two weeks are: Kleenex tissues, by the case load and Ricola cough drops, the only cough drops that don't taste nasty!  We've living off this stuff!

Gluten Free Mint Truffles

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                                                        Mint Truffles

     I have been dying to have some truffles, store bought ones honestly.  Every time I walk into Costco, I just drool over all of the candy they have in all the fancy boxes and bags; then I pick them up and read the ingredients and start muttering Grinch type curses!!!  This happens every  time I walk into candy stores, or pretty much anywhere right now.....I love Chocolate and I can't figure out why "they" the makers of all these fun treats insist on putting Gluten in all of them!  
     Well, now that I'm through whining, I made my own SPECIAL chocolate treat, and I will say these are FANTASTIC and you could use this Truffle as a base and do whatever you would like with it, the options are innumerable, I am just really boring and my husband is even worse( he wouldn't even try one of these) he's a chocolate purist! So my thought for the day is, when you are having a lemony attitude, take the time to turn it into Lemonade!   Happy Baking, Natalie

Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from-Kitchen Deconstructed
-1 cup heavy cream
-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
-6 TBS butter cut up

-1/8- 1/4 tsp pure mint extract
(or whatever flavoring you would like)
-4 TBS unsweetened cocoa (to coat the Truffles in if you would like)
5-gloves(it's messy)
   Here are a few other things you can put in or on your truffles- dip them in chocolate, nuts, coconut, powdered sugar, crushed candy canes, liquor flavors,mini chips, pretty much whatever else you can think of.




Putting Together:
1-Find a nice glass bowl or a medium sized pan(I used a bowl, I was feeling lazy) add the heavy cream or whipped cream, they work just the same, next add the butter.
2-Place in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, it will bubble a little.  Take it out, add the chocolate chips, but don't stir them, just let them rest for 2-3 minutes and then whisk it together.  It will take a minute or two!  
3-Place this in your fridge or freezer now until it is thickish and you can roll it into balls. (25-30 minutes)  If you have one of those cookie scoops( the little ones) use it.  I however do not.
4-I used waxed paper on a cookie sheet and a tea spoon and scooped it out, it made 25 lumps, I let them chill for another 30 minutes in my freezer.
5-Put your gloves on and roll those babies into balls, then roll them in the cocoa, and Viola' you have made melt in your mouth Truffles!!!

 These are so rich, delicious and they melt in your mouth! They would make a Wonderful Christmas gift! 

     Here  are a couple of my favorite things: Heavy Whipping Cream and Heavy Cream, they make any frosting taste creamier and chocolate smoother.  They can be use in so many ways,for so many things!  I could only find pictures of Whipping Cream, but there is just Heavy Cream if you prefer.