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 Red Velvet Brownie Bites

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                        Red Velvet Brownie Bites

     I just noticed that I have been baking with a theme, RED, well I had no Valentine desserts to share until I started baking these.  There are a lot of Holidays you really don't need to make a dessert for, but this is one that you can't ignore.  I had pinned this on Pinterest a while ago and decided, this would be perfect for a party or any place you needed to share with a group; plus for a bonus it had my favorite ingredient in it CHOCOLATE!!!!  These are easy to make, taste delicious and look so great on a platter! 
     Now if you have been following me, I wanted to share how my Cruise to the Caribbean was and show some pictures.  We took a big family cruise on The Holland America, Nieuw Amsterdam  to the Eastern Caribbean.  This was my 2nd Cruise since being diagnosed with Celiacs, it was a good experience!!

This is the beautiful island of Turks and Caicos, the beach was GORGEOUS, white sands and warm turquoise waters!  My idea of heaven!

     The meals were excellent, try not to notice I had two Lobster tails!  I had alerted the ship and staff to my food allergy when  I booked us , then I made fast friends with our server and the Head Sui Chef on the Lido deck, so that if there was anything I questioned or needed they knew who I was, and took such EXCELLENT care of me!!

     This beautiful landscape is on the lawn of El Moro Fort in Puerto Rico,  this was amazing to visit!  We have been to Puerto Rico twice, and I loved it just as much the second time if not more....it's a Vacation for the eyes and the people are so kind and welcoming!
                                                                                   

     The desserts on the ship are mostly pre-made by Kinnikinnick, their bread and pasta is also the same.  I'm not a fan of pre-made desserts so, I tried one, then asked one night if they had any Flourless Chocolate Cakes, and low and behold this little beauty showed up at dinner the next night! YESSS...this was so wonderful!! So, I asked for it the next night and had 2, because I had been on Dessert rations( I put myself on) this was so good, I would have skipped dinner and just had the cake!

     This is Half Moon Cay, Holland America's Private Island, they feed you there, it's awesome.  They were very careful, not one time on the cruise did I ever get contaminated!!  There was a Caribbean party one night late, and I was very sad that I would just get to sit and watch everyone eat, because I had missed dinner.  They found me a great fish dinner, and my friend the Sui Chef saw me BEFORE  the party and asked if he could get me some desserts from the back, it really made my night and made me feel included in the festivities!!  My family was so jealous of me for once!

I hope this helps you to feel hopeful about venturing out, and traveling.  Happy Baking, Natalie




Ingredients-
Adapted from, tasteandtellblog.com
-1 cup butter softened
-1 cup sugar
-1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1/2 cup cocoa(I use dark, so the red doesn't show up in the pic well)
-1/8 tsp salt
-1 TBS red food coloring
-1 TBS Buttermilk
-2 large eggs
-1 1/4 cups Pamela's Bread flour mix

 Cream Cheese Frosting-
-4oz room temp Cream Cheese
-1/4 cup butter softened
-1 cup powdered sugar
-1/4 tsp vanilla

To make-bowl and big spoon
-put the butter in a sauce pot or a microwave safe bowl, I used the bowl, melt the butter(not boiling, just melted) then add the sugar and stir into the butter.
-Next add the vanilla, cocoa, salt, food coloring and buttermilk. stir them all together.
-Lastly add the eggs, then carefully fold in the flour, just make sure you have no flour left on the edges.  It is a pretty thick batter.


Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Spray the pans with Pam spray. There are 2 options, either you can make mini sized or regular muffin sized.  If you want to do Mini size, then use a 1TB measuring spoon, exactly.  If you want a regular sized muffin pan, then use 2 TBS in the pan.  They both bake for 13 min.  Let them cool for a few minutes, then poke a small indent into the middle of them, so you can fill it with the Cream Cheese Frosting later.
    Whichever size you do, they taste awesome but you get more if you do the mini's...I'm not exactly sure how many because I had to throw a bunch away in the trail and error period! I'm thinking 36.

These are a few of my favorite things this week! Family

My nephew's Jake and Matt and my niece Kortney

My little family, who aren't so little anymore!

Brayden and Brooklyn, the two biggest cheeses!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Brownies

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                        Chocolate Chunk Brownies

     Yes, I know, it's another chocolate recipe and another brownie; but a girl has needs, and this GIRL needs chocolate!!  This has all the chocolatey goodness, any guy or girl could possibly ask for in a brownie or any dessert for that matter.  My good friend said I should call them "orgasmic brownies" I told her I didn't think that would go over very well with everyone, but I did get a giant laugh about it!  
     I have to voice a concern I have, the other day I was on a Gluten Free Facebook group, and several people went on to BASH others for the way they cook, and what they cook and bake with.  I personally bake with what I love, I'm a working wife and mother, who would still like a life outside of baking and cooking.   I have also found that I don't have the time to make my own flour mix, nor do I want to, sometimes I use cake mixes, because we all have days when we have to throw together a quick dessert.  I just try to make desserts that are delicious, and can be made by bakers all over the WORLD who are just like me.  If you make your own flour mix, I am so happy you found what works for you, if your vegan or vegetarian please substitute what works for you.  I try the very best I can, being Gluten Free is tough enough, I just wish people would not be unkind to others because we aren't doing it the way they, think is RIGHT.  There is no right or wrong way to be Gluten Free, it's just the way that works best for you.  Thank you for all of your support!  Happy Baking, Natalie

 
  Ingredients:
 Adapted from Love to be in the kitchen 

-10 TB butter 
-1 1/4 sugar
-3/4 cup plus 2TB unsweetened cocoa (I use half dark/half regular)
-1/4tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
-2 large eggs, cold
-1/2 cup Pamela's Bread Flour
-1 1/4 -1 1/2  cup chocolate chunks (I used 60% chocolate cocoa chunks)

Directions:

1-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, Bake for 25-30 minutes (or until the center doesn't jiggle) use an 8x8 inch glass pan. Spray the bottom of the pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom  with parchment paper and let it hang over 2 sides, it will help make the brownies easier to come out.
2-Cut the butter into chunks, combine the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium sized microwaved safe bowl.  Microwave in 1 minute increments, stirring in between until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Set the mixture aside until it is warm, not hot.
3-Stir in the vanilla, with a wooden spoon then add the eggs one at a time and stir vigorously after each one, after this the batter should look nice and shiny, at this point fold the flour in carefully, just until there are no streaks of flour showing. 
4-Next mix in the chocolate chunks, if the batter is too hot, it will melt the chunks, so wait a minute if you need to.  Spread the batter into your prepared pan.  Bake for 25-30 min, then make sure and let them cool for an hour at least to set. I let mine chill over night in the fridge, and they were fantastic!
5-If you want to make a really clean cut, throw it in the freezer for 30 minutes and then take the brownies out of the pan and cut them.  Then enjoy!







 If you happen to not love chocolate as much as I do, make yourself a nice Brownie Sundae, that's what I did for my poor dad who almost died of chocolate overload!

 
                                                                            These are two of my favorite things, thankgoodness for Guittard Chocolate makers and making their chocolate Gluten Free!!

Gluten Free Nutella Brownies

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                        Nutella Brownies

     Holy cow, I've been dying to make brownies with Nutella for an AGE, I love Nutella!!!  Personally, I think it should have it's own spot on the food pyramid, you can eat it with a spoon, fruit, in baking, apparently on bread ( I tried it once and thought it was SO nasty!)  People love it so much, they had a robbery in Germany, this past April, where the thieves got away with 5 tons of the stuff.....$20,710 worth!!!! See I told you everyone loves Nutella, not just me!  If you don't, switch it out for peanut butter.  I personally, have eaten several of these brownies, thank goodness I had to take them to a potluck and share, or my family and I would have polished them off in NO TIME, I love them!  It was a bad week.... I baked 4 desserts, that you will soon see, and I ate some of them too!! Yikes, fruit season is not skinny season! :)  Make these brownies I dare you, then see if you can eat only eat just one!  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

     -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.




 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 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.





 In case your wondering why I use big writing, I get tired of having to squint all the time reading other people's stuff. 
:)

The edges of this brownie are Fantastic, they are thick and crusty and, Oh ,my gosh !!!  I didn't think a small pan would be enough, but they are Rich!!