Granola Bars - that don't taste like cardboard!

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup date sugar or coconut sugar (or any sugar you prefer)
1 & 1/2 cups uncooked oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup flour of your choice (I used 1/2 oat flour & 1/2 "regular")
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup each of unsweetened coconut, pecans, chocolate chips)

What to do:
Mix the melted butter with the sugar and vanilla.
Add oats and flour, mix until a dough forms - it may be crumbly and that's okay.
In an 8x8 or 9x13 pan, press down most of the dough, reserving some for top crumbles.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips, pecans and coconut on top.
Add the remaining reserves in globs on top of this.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 24 minutes.

*I used dark chocolate chips because they have less sugar content.*

Pecan Pie - Natural Sugars

Pecan Pie - naturally sweetened
 

Pecan Pie is typically made with corn syrup and sugar, making it really rich and sweet.
Since I can no longer eat granulated sugars, it's not something I've been excited to make.

This year I experimented!

Using a mixure, mix together:
1 cup coconut sugar (which is granulated coconut nectar)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs

Add 2 cups pecans.
Pour into an unbaked crust of your choice.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Gluten Free cakes are a little heavier than a "regular" cake. The batter is very dense and fudgy.

They do sell Gluten Free Cake mixes - I'd suggest Hodgson Mills, King Arthur Flour or 1-2-3 Gluten Free.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine these ingredients to make the batter for the cake:

1 & 3/4 cup all purpose Gluten Free Flour (Bob's Red Mill)

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder (Penzey's or Ghirardelli)

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 stick melted butter

2 eggs, large

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk (may use regular milk)

Line two round pans with parchment paper. Pour the batter evenly into these pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes - until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the cakes.

Make the icing.

Center layer - mix together 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter with 2 cups powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp. milk. This will create a creamy icing to put in between the two chocolate cake rounds.

In the same bowl, reserve some of the peanut butter icing and mix your chocolate icing recipe in with it. 

Chocolate Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup butter - or half a stick

3 Tbsp. milk

Frost the outside of the cake with this mixture.

Decorate if you would like.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Scones

 

 

I adapted this recipe from the original one that can be found in the October 2013 Food Network Magazine pull-out.

 

Scones:

 

Whisk 2 cups flour, 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking powder and 2 tsp. cinnamon together.

 

Using your hands, mix in one stick of unsalted butter, making a crumbly mixture in the bowl.

 

Whisk together 1/2 of a can of pumpkin puree with 1/2 cup of whipping cream (or milk of choice).

 

Add the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture.  Pat into a circle on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cut into triangles before baking so they are easier to pull apart.

 

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

 

They will melt in your mouth!

 

 

 

 



Chocolate Hazelnut Bar Cookies from Scratch

Nutella spread is a creamy chocolate/hazelnut spread that I first tasted in 1997 on a trip to San Francisco.  It was imported from Italy and has since become very popular in the United States. It is sadly something I can no longer eat... which is the reason for today's post!

I experimented! And I must say that this is a close comparison to the delicious nutella on the market.

To make Fresh Chocolate/Hazelnut Spread:

You will need: Hazelnuts, cocoa, agave nectar, vanilla, coconut oil.

Step 1:  Spread out 1 1/2 to 2 cups of raw, shelled filberts (hazelnuts) onto a cookie sheet lined with foil.

Step 2: Toast the hazelnuts in an oven set at 350 degrees F. for 12 minutes. The aroma is delicious.

Step 3: Let cool for 2 minutes, then pulse the warm nuts in a food processor until they become creamy. This will take about 3-5 minutes depending on your processor.

Step 4: Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 5 Tablespoons of agave nectar, pinch of salt, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon coconut oil. Pulse in the food processor until combined.

NOTE: This caused the oils from the nuts to separate on me and created a thick spread. Raw nut butters do tend to separate like this and just need to be stirred after they settle.

I used this spread as is to make Chocolate Hazelnut Bars, but may add some milk to it next time to see what happens.


To make Chocolate Hazelnut Bars:

Melt 1 and 1/2 sticks butter in a microwave.
Add 1/4 cup honey
Add 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Stir in 1 cup oatmeal
Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour of choice.

Retain some of the "dough" for the top of the bar cookie. Pat the majority of the "dough" into the bottom of an 8x8 or small rectangular pan.
Spread the hazelnut chocolate spread on top of this layer.
Sprinkle the remaining "dough" on top for "crumbles".

Bake at 350 degrees F for 23-25 minutes. The top will be golden brown.

Enjoy!

Cookbook Excitement

I have a published RECIPE in the Gooseberry Patch Hometown Harvest cookbook!

Even though it is not a "sweet" goody, it IS Gail safe!
For the past few years I have been making our own Thanksgiving dinner because I'm allergic to *too many* things that might be used in other dinners.  I experimented in the kitchen creating a recipe for Green Bean Casserole - eliminating the canned soup and all those additives.

The recipe is posted in this cookbook! I'm so excited.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the Hometown Harvest, the publisher has it for sale on their site. It has some delicious sounding recipes in it along with mine.

(If you just want a copy of my recipe, feel free to email me)

Blueberry Creamsicles

Blueberry Creamsicles

1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. corn starch
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a small saucepan, combine the honey, cornstarch and milk until well blended and no lumps appear. Add the vanilla and the blueberries.  Heat on medium heat until mixture boils and the blueberries start to pop - turning the milk mixture a blueish/purple.

Let mixture cool for 15 minutes off the heat.

Put 3 fresh blueberries at the bottom of a popsicle mold (or use a dixie cup if you have no molds)
Pour the mixture over top, fill the mold leaving some room for expansion at the top.

Freeze for at least 4 hours.  Enjoy.