Brownies to Go!

Wow!  I just took an old recipe that I used to use and converted it to some GF delights.  It was very easy and delicious.  It made what my friends and I called "Blondies", and we flavored them with almond extract.  They were a staple for a little while. 

I ran across that old recipe and was also perusing a GF regular brownie recipe.  Lo and behold, the proportions were very similar.  I did an experiment with "my own thing," making blondies and brownies side-by-side.  Although the blondies seem a bit more crumbly than the brownies, they both sliced nicely.  Success!! 

I wrapped them up individually to send to my gluten free son in Albuquerque.

Gluten Free Brownies -  AWESOME – with changes to make almond “blondies”, too

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease an 8 or 9” square glass pan.

Take ½ cup softened butter (one stick)

and cream it in a mixing bowl with

1 cup sugar.

Beat in two eggs,

one at a time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For brownies:                                                                   For almond “blondies”:

Add

1 tsp vanilla extract,                                                      Add  1 tsp. almond extract           

2/3 cup GF flour blend,                                                         1 cup GF flour blend,

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,

1 tsp xanthan gum, and                                                        1 tsp xanthan gum, and

1/8 tsp salt.                                                                            1/8 tsp salt.

Stir in                                                                                      

6 oz. chocolate chips.                                                    No chocolate chips.

Pour into pan, and                                                            Pour into pan, and

smooth with wet fingers.                                                   smooth with wet fingers, then 

             sprinkle top with

               1-2 Tbs sugar and

~ ¼ cup of slivered almonds.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bake 28-30 minutes.

Cool in pan.

Cut into 16 squares.

     

Update:  February 2016 - These are still awesome!  I made them for a baby shower and my GF friends loved them.  I made enough to send the "blondies" to a friend who can't have chocolate, and they were a hit! 

Irish Soda Bread

Signs of Spring are in my yard!

We had friends over last night for a St. Patrick's Day dinner of Corned Beef and Cabbage (see this page). 

One of our friends cannot consume gluten, but that's easy in my house! 

For dessert, I made these delicious Almond Cookies (see this page).  I doubled the recipe here so that I could mail some to our son in ABQ, but my little food processor couldn't handle it.  Note to self:  Use a regular stand mixer for doubling the cookie recipe!

I haven't really done a lot of gluten free bread baking, so I wasn't too sure about making my own GF Irish Soda Bread.  (I'm pretty sure that other years I have purchased it from my local GF bakery, "Dee's One Smart Cookie.")  But this year I tried making it myself, and darn, it was great!

First, I pre-heated the oven to 375.

I took out my 8" cast iron skillet and sprayed it with cooking spray.

I took
1/2 cup of raisins
and poured hot (boiling) water over it, letting it sit for 5-10 minutes or so, then draining them.  This plumped up the raisins.  I was hoping this would help to make a nice, moist loaf.  Considering the good results I had, I won't skip this step next time!

In the stand mixer, I put in the following ingredients, in this order, while the mixer churned at its lowest level:

2 cups of Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour,
3 Tbs sugar,
1 tsp baking soda,
1 tsp baking powder,
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum,
4 Tbs SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend
(it's a powered buttermilk that you can find in the baking aisle),
1 tsp caraway seeds, and
1 tsp salt.

I added -
4 Tbs softened butter, and let it run until it's blended with the flour mixture, into little pieces.

Then I tossed in -
1 egg,
1 cup water, and
the soaked raisins.

I mixed it up until blended, then plopped the mixture into the prepared skillet. 
I smoothed the top with wet fingers, then
cut an "X" into the top, as can be seen above.

I baked this for 45 minutes, turning the oven down to 350 after about 25 minutes. 
When I took it out and tested it, I found that an instant-read thermometer clocked it at 190.
The color was pretty dark,
but the loaf had that nice hollow "thump" sound when I rapped on the bottom.
I let it cool on a wire rack.

When I cut it just before dinner, I was delighted to see it looking like this:

My guest loved it so much that I sent a few slices home with her. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day,
and
Happy Spring!

Maple Baked Ricotta

The trees in New England are looking great right now!

I love ricotta.  It isn't unusual for me to purchase ricotta, forget about using it, then decide I need to use it right away before it expires.  I need an EASY recipe for doing this!

The last time I had this problem, about a week ago, I researched and found a recipe for caramelized ricotta pudding.  Seemed easy enough.  Except that when I went to caramelize the sugar, something went wrong.  It didn't get caramel colored, and instead of being a nice gooey mass at the bottom of my custard cups, it was a solid brick of white. 

Enough of that.

The ricotta custard itself, however, was quite tasty. 

Hmmmm.....why not just bake the ricotta like a custard or pie filling, and leave it at that?  If I added a bit of flour, and used the right amount of eggs, it would be nice and firm to cut and serve in squares. 

The twist in this recipe comes with using maple syrup as the sweetener.  If you don't have real maple syrup, the kind from real maple trees, try substituting honey and call this Honey Baked Ricotta. 

I can see this as a dessert, but also a breakfast item, or a snack.

Maple Baked Ricotta


Preheat the oven to 350.
Spray an 8x8" square glass baking pan with GF cooking spray.

Take one 15-oz package of ricotta, and
place it in a mixing bowl with
1/4 cup of REAL maple syrup,
2 Tbs gluten free flour,
3 eggs, and
1 tsp vanilla.

Blend with a hand mixer until nice and smooth.

Pour the mixture into the pan.

Dust it with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bake 30 minutes.

Cool.  Refrigerate.

Cut into 6-9 squares.

Serve drizzled with more maple syrup. 
(And maybe some whipped cream, like we used!)

Hubby really loved this.....we each had two helpings!

Parmesan Crisps

John is home for a short time this weekend.  I took him to Whole Foods where he picked up some GF cereal and snacks to keep in his dorm room.  He likes these crisps as a treat.  They are made by "Kitchen Table Bakers", and they are pretty tasty.  We got this package today.

A while back I purchased a silicone mat to bake on.  I had seen that these crisps can be made on them, and thought it would be fun.  I also wondered if they could be baked in a cast iron skillet.

About a month ago I gave it a try.  It was a disaster.  I used parmesan cheese that I buy in containers next to the tomato sauces in the grocery store.  They barely held together.  I added oil.  Ick.  Not for the blog!

As we wandered around Whole Foods today, I saw chunks of "Parmigiano Reggiano" cheese for sale.  We purchased a half pound chunk, and I explained to John how I tried earlier to make the parmesan crisps.  I had the impression that they may work better with a fresh parmesan. 

Well, my college boy had all the information!!  When he was in his Italian class, they had quite a discussion about cheese, and how "Parmegiano Reggiano" is different (and superior) to the "parmesan" you buy in the pasta aisle.  They use a special heirloom type of cow for it, and it's made with raw milk, and they age it differently.  It's only imported from Italy.....it's not made in the U.S.

Okay....we made plans to work on this project right after lunch.

We tried using the silicone mat, a cast iron skillet, and even some baked on parchment paper. 

The results?

The silicone mat won, hands down!  Those baked on a silicone mat were lacy, crispy, and beautiful to behold.  The others were more dense and chewy. 

Plus:  these are easy!


Parmesan Crisps
(Makes 6 crisps)

Take out a silicone mat.  Place it on a cookie sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350.

Take a chunk of solid Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. 
Shred up 1/2 cup into a small bowl.

Add about a teaspoon of Italian Herbs.  Blend.

Spoon this in six tablespoon-sized heaps onto your silicone mat,
evenly spaced.

Bake 5 to 7 minutes.
You will see it bubble!
Stop when it browns slightly.

Remove from oven.
Cool.
Carefully remove from mat,
and artfully place it on a plate.
Hold one up to the light and admire its beauty.

Enjoy!