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Orange Pretzel Salad
OK, so you got me on this one, technically this is NOT a Dessert, but in my world it is! I love to make this at Christmas and in the Summer for family events, it works perfect as a Salad and Dessert, but with my family it usually doesn't last until dessert. I get really tired of making a separate Salad and Dessert, for myself all of the time, and I'm sure many of you understand what I'm talking about. This is one of the most requested dishes I bring, to all events, it must have something to do with the Salty and Sweet, as long as no one can tell it's Gluten Free I have done my job, and I certainly don't tell them until they have eaten every last bite!!! Enjoy, Natalie
Ingredients:
Adapted from Taste of Home
Crust-
-2 cups when crushed Snyder's Gluten Free Pretzels (crushed Finely)
-5 TB sugar
- 3/4 butter melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, use an ungreased 9x13 inch pan, and press the pretzels into the bottom. Bake for 12 min, then cool completely.
Put your Pretzels in a food processor, or if you don't have one you can put them in a gallon Ziploc bag, and pound then with a mallet or coffee cup. Make sure you break the pretzels up to a fine chop. Notice how NOT fine mine are. My son helped and he wanted to pound them with a mallet, he got bored and didn't pound them small enough, so WHEN COOKED IT FALLS APART, tastes great, doesn't look PRETTY!!! Also, do not use Glutino Pretzels with this recipe, they go SOGGY, super fast and it is sooo NASTY!!!! Trust me on this!
Cream Cheese Layer
- 1 Cream Cheese 8oz. softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-small container of Cool whip (2 cups) if you want more for the topping later, buy a big one.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer and beat the cream cheese and sugar until they are fluffy, then add the Cool Whip and mix it in, and make it all fluffly together. Make sure and scrape the sides and bottom, the cream cheese likes to stick. Then smooth this all over the bottom of the Pretzel Crust, edge to edge, as to MAKE A SEAL, so the Jello won't leak. Put into the fridge while you make the Jello, it will speed the Jello along.
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Double Chocolate and Caramel Bars
Wow, what can I say about these bars, just putting the pictures up makes me wish I had some right now!! I think these are seriously my FAVORITE new treat, especially cold, they have all of the treat basics, Chocolate, Chocolate and Caramel.....YUMMMMMY!! I keep trying to make desserts that aren't Chocolate, but by following my Blog stats, it seems that most of you have a Chocolate ADDICTION as well! I made these tasty treats, and my neighbors were having a Charity Bake Sale; so I told my friends who I usually give these treats to, that they would have to go and buy them from the Bake Sale. Funny thing, one of the neighbors who isn't Gluten Free bought everyone of them, so none of the REAL GF people could even have one, she did say all of her family really LOVED them. Now if only I could get someone to bake treats for me, it would be a wish come true!!! I hope you love them, Happy Baking, Natalie
Ingredients:
Adapted from,Betty Crocker
-3 cups Pamela's Bread Flour
-3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
-2/3 cup cocoa(mine is mixed dark and regular)
-1 egg beaten
-1 1/2 cups firm butter(1/4 cup of butter will be used for the caramel)
-1 1/2 chopped walnuts (I didn't use any nuts at all)
-1 12oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
-48 caramels (make sure they are fresh)
-2 cans of condensed milk 14oz. each
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and spray a 17x11x3/4 inch pan with Pam (well) The first bake is 13minutes and the second bake is 18 minutes. Let them cool for a while or all of the caramel will ooze out, I prefer them cold out of the fridge. (so the next day)
In a mixer add flour, brown sugar, cocoa and egg, cut in
1 1/4 cups of butter with knives or I just used the blender and it worked great, JUST UNTIL CRUMBLY, DO NOT MIX TO DEATH. Mix in the nuts now if you want them, save 3 cups of crust if you use nuts 2 if not, and set it aside. Press it into the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on the 2 cups of chocolate chips. BAKE FOR 13 MINUTES.
Caramel-
I'm not going to lie, this took forever to do, and holy cow on the sweetened condensed milk. Here is the recipe, but I put a faster way to do it, you choose. I however will be doing the quicker way next time, I wanted to scream, waiting 20 minutes!! :(
- put the 48 caramels and the sweetened condensed milk(2 cans) and 1/4 butter into an heavy sauce pan on low heat. Stir constantly, when it is all melted and creamy pour caramel over the crust, use the remaining crust and sprinkle it on the top and BAKE FOR 18 minutes.
Quick Caramel
-1 1/2cups butter
-1 1/2 cups brown sugar
-3/4 cup light corn syrup
-2TB whipped cream
Put the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a pan on med-low to medium heat. It takes about 5-6 total minutes to cook, I cook it, stirring frequently, with a plastic spoon or spatula, only until all of the brown sugar has dissolved. Once the brown sugar has dissolved let it boil about 2 minutes, then turn it off, add the whipped cream, stir then pour it over the crust, and use the remaining crust to sprinkle on top and BAKE FOR 18 minutes.
Chocolate Glaze:
-1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
-1/2 cups vanilla chips
-1-1 1/2 tsp shortening or vegetable oil for thinning the chocolates
-Use microwave safe bowls, and heat them up 30 seconds at a time, then stir. Put 1 tsp of shortening in regular chocolate and 1/2 tsp in the vanilla chips. When its the consistency you like drizzle it over the bars, and then let them cool and cut.
This was a lot of work to make , but I really think it was worth it!
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Red Velvet Trifle
I was struggling with what to say today, so I put the whole recipe on before I even started this. I have been to several family gatherings lately, which don't get me wrong, I love being with mine and my husbands family; but, it sure is tough when everything revolves around food. I hate to whine, but dang I would like to have more then fruit, meat and an occasional salad to eat at these fun gatherings, and I don't always want to pack myself a whole meal, and explain to everyone who DOESN'T know what having to be Gluten Free is. I just want to walk into a Restaurant, Party, Convenience Store, Neighbors house or go on a vacation and not worry about having to pack my whole stinking house. I want to be able to travel and have everyone know exactly what GF is, and how to assist us. I'm done whining, I am fixing my issue with NASTY GF Desserts, now I have to figure out a way to make the traveling easier for us too. So sorry about the rant, I hope I'm not the only person who ever has these issues. Enjoy the Trifle it's Delicious, Natalie
Ingredients:
Recipe slightly adapted from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body
-Gluten free Red Velvet Cake mix (Gluten- Free Heaven carries this, she is on the web or call 801-717-8423) They are Fantastic!
- Or you can use another cake mix of your choice and use your food coloring to make it
Red Velvet. You need a 9x13 inch cake or 2 9x9 inch round cakes to make this. Or, if you feel Super ambitious, make your own!!
Ganache-
-1 cup half and half (or I used whipping cream, that is what I had on hand)
-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
I have done this in the microwave and on the stove and they both turn out just beautifully! If you do it on the stove, put the chocolate and the cream together, turn it on medium heat, let the chocolate start to melt and stir it all together until it is all smooth and creamy. It takes about 7-8 minutes, when it is cooled to room temperature then it is ready to be drizzled on the cake. (if you are in a rush, put it in the fridge for a few minutes)
Creamy Goodness:
-12 oz. Cream Cheese ( room temperature)
- 1 12 oz. container of Cool Whip
-1/3 cup sugar
Mix the sugar and the cream cheese together, with a hand mixer or big mixer until they are smooth and creamy. When you have mixed it well, then add the Cool Whip, and blend it in slowly until it is all fluffly!!!
-Now that everything is made we are ready to ASSEMBLE! You can do this how ever you like, I had my 16 year old daughter help me, so I let her do the cake part however she wanted to, hence the CRUMBLED cake, ( I was thinking chunks) she thought it would look really cool crumbled, so we got a "Cool Crumbled Trifle". It all tastes the same so chop it up in chunks or crumbles, it doesn't matter, I just wanted her to help. ( if you have teenagers, you understand this!)
 |
| Terrible picture! |
Assembly-
-Cake
-Creamy Goodness
-Ganache
Do this in thirds, when you put on the creamy goodness smooth it over the whole thing, then drizzle the Ganache. On the very last layer end with Creamy goodness, and sprinkle with Cocoa just to finish it off.
It's not my most beautiful dessert,
but it tastes really great!
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White Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes
The funniest thing happened, when I took my cupcakes to the Easter Family party; I told my nephew Daxton, hey these cupcakes have a surprise in them. So I had them in the fridge, so they were cold (because I like every treat cold) so Dax proceeded to bite into the cupcake and FREAKS OUT, then yells "Aunt Natalie, so you didn't cook them all the way, that is NOT a cool surprise!!!" We couldn't stop laughing, I told him no, look at it, it's PUDDING in the middle, he was much happier to know that! In the end Dax really did like the cupcake and ate several, I've converted all of my Non-Gluten Free relatives to trust me and just try it, I promise I will never feed you garbage!! I hope you like this easy and tasty recipe, Natalie
Ingredients:
-1 GF Betty Crocker Yellow Cake mix
-1 cube of butter (melted,not hot)
-3 large eggs
-2/3 cup buttermilk
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-Sugar Free White Chocolate pudding 1oz. ( you will use this later)
Mix all the ingredients together on medium for 2 minutes, make sure and scape the sides down. Fill the cups 1/2-2/3 full, the batter will be nice and thick.
Bake at 350 degrees for 16-20 min, check with toothpick and when it comes out clean, you are good.
Once your cupcakes are cool, then whip up your White Chocolate Pudding
- 1 1/2 cups cold milk
Hand whip it with a whisk quickly until it is all blended, and put it in the fridge, it sets up really fast since you are not using all of the milk...extra rich and creamy!
-How to get the pudding in the cupcakes, I went to my local Hobby Lobby and purchased a decorator bag and some fun tips. ( in case I haven't mentioned, I'm not a decorator, I'm a Hairstylist by profession) So fill the bag with pudding, and put on a nice straight tip, then insert into the cupcake and SQUEEZE until it starts to come out the top (you will be frosting over the top).
Ok, so I know the frosting looks a little goofy but, we were trying out some of those fun tips I bought. The kids decided the orange frosting looked like hair, and worms, whatever makes the food more FUN to eat!!
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 package room temperature cream cheese
- 1 cube butter(softened)
- 1 tsp real vanilla
- 4 1/2 - 5 cups powdered sugar( depending on how sweet you like it)
-1 dash salt
- if I want to make it extra good, I at WHIPPING CREAM, instead of milk....it is to Die for, SERIOUSLY!!
I actually was so busy getting ready for the Easter party, I forgot to check how many cupcakes this made. I think about 18, they were super YUMMY, but I would keep them in the fridge until about 20-30 before you want to eat them. Remember, you have pudding and cream cheese in there.
Just a few pictures,with my kids and some of the nieces and nephews, that I could manage to get in the pictures. This is right before our Egg Hunt, Daxton is the cute kid in the tree with the white hat. I love all these kids to pieces, they are so much fun to be with!! Love you guys, love Aunt Natalie
I'm missing some kids, they will want me to know. :)
Put your Pretzels in a food processor, or if you don't have one you can put them in a gallon Ziploc bag, and pound then with a mallet or coffee cup. Make sure you break the pretzels up to a fine chop. Notice how NOT fine mine are. My son helped and he wanted to pound them with a mallet, he got bored and didn't pound them small enough, so WHEN COOKED IT FALLS APART, tastes great, doesn't look PRETTY!!! Also, do not use Glutino Pretzels with this recipe, they go SOGGY, super fast and it is sooo NASTY!!!! Trust me on this!
-1/2 cup sugar
