GF double chocolate brownies with GF oreo's

After making those insanely good double gluten free chocolate muffins, it was only a matter of time before I made brownies.

Pretty much the same recipe, but I added in a bit of gluten free firming texture (white rice flour) to help them be cake-like.  So this batch of GF brownies is cake-like and yes, the next batch of brownies I make will be fudge-like.

We have cake-like brownies, fudge-like, chewy, and what else?

Tell me and I will make them!  

I love a good gluten free challenge. 

After making my first batch of GF brownies I didn't even have time to snap photos, they were gone.

Hubby took them away.  

But this is good..... On Monday I had planned to make another batch for the blog. After stopping at Trader Joe's and finding the best present ever: gluten free JoJo's!

And I swear these JoJo's are waaaay better than the regular ones.  

I think they are tastier, and lighter, with still a nice crisp.

So naturally I had to add these tasty little JoJo's heaven to the brownies--I mean it's a no-brainer.

And I'm so glad I did.

These brownies are so good, so light, yet have such a deep chocolate flavor and the best part?

The JoJo's did not get soggy while baking!  So yes kids we have cake-like brownies with a nice hint of

crispy texture.  

Amen.

Who knew gluten free baking could be this good?

That topping tastes as good as it looks in this photo.

Even if you don't have a problem gluten you need to try this recipe!

gluten free double chocolate brownies with gluten free oreo's

print recipe

3 cups almond meal

6 oversized TB unsweetened good quality cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 ts  gluten free baking powder

4 TB white rice flour

1 ts of espresso powder (I used a Starbucks Via)

¾ ts sea salt

16 TB unsalted butter, room temp

4 large eggs + 2 egg yolks, room temp

1 and ½ ts pure vanilla extract

¾ cup heavy cream, not too cold

½ - ¾ cup high quality semisweet chocolate chips

a couple handfuls of high quality milk chocolate chips

1 box of Trader Joe’s Gluten Free JoJo’s (vanilla or chocolate)

cook notes:

make sure to use parchment paper as almond meal sticks to everything and is not forgiving.  I used gluten free oreo’s in this and they were great; held up great to baking.  You can use either the vanilla GF JoJo’s or the chocolate ones.

I used one sleeve of cookies for the middle and the other sleeve I crushed to sprinkle on the top of brownies.

With gluten free baking, for me, it’s hard to tell when they are done baking as the “clean toothpick” test does leave some wet crumbs on the stick, but this means they are done.  So your best bet is to look for non-jiggly middle.

I left the amount of chocolate chips iffy.  Up to you how much  you want to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper (I took two sheets, cut in half and lined up pan).

In a large bowl, combine almond meal, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, espresso powder, white rice flour, and baking powder. Stir and then add in the softened butter, and mix to well combined; lumps ok as long as they are small.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, mix the eggs, vanilla extract, and heavy cream until well mixed.  Add this to the dry mixture and mix well; lumps ok. Then add in the chocolate chips and mix.

Pour little more than half the batter into prepared baking pan, smooth out batter making sure to get all the corners filled.  Then add in a layer of cookies, then pour on the remaining brownie batter over top.  Use a spatula to get it evenly coated.   Then sprinkle on the crushed JoJo’s all over the top.

These bake up fast!  Mine were done at the 25-minute mark. 

You’ll know they are done by a non-jiggly middle.  A cake tester in the middle will leave some crumbs.

Please let these cool at least an hour before slicing; they really do need to set up/firm up.

salted oatmeal cookies with peanut butter

I can't remember if I've done the combo of peanut butter with oatmeal?
It must be done.
And do you happen to have mini pb eggs laying around?
I know, NOT.
But this time of year you could easily use regular pb cups.
Doesn't the Reese's company have seasonal pb shapes now, like year round?
One for every season?
We have one for christmas, thanksgiving, spring...where is summer?
Where is the palm tree shaped pb cup?
With these cookies I took my old recipe the quarter pound oatmeal-raisin cookies as the base.
If you don't like pb cups, you could easily swap in plain milk or dark chocolate bars;
butterscotch chips and even cinnamon chips sounds tasty!
Of course you don't have to make these cookies a quarter pound, I just happen to have a small
obsession with quarter pound cookies.
Make them whatever size you wish and please experiment on what to stuff them with, BUT
make sure to sprinkle them with a tiny bit of sea salt on the tops before baking.  It makes all the difference taste-wise.

I used the mini peanut butter eggs from Reese's.

To me, this is the kind of cookie that begs to be stuffed with something; the cookie base is so tasty,
not overpowering, which means anything can be stuffed into the middle.

One could easily just eat them this way, and then we could call it "no bake" cookies, not to
mention save a lot of time.

No bake?  Yeah it's tempting.

Sealing the edges is important because we don't want the pb egg to escape!

salted oatmeal cookies with pb cups

print recipe

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

5 ounces cream cheese

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ts vanilla

2 ¼ cups flour

1 ¾ cup rolled oats

1/2 ts sea salt

1 and ¼ ts baking powder

1 ts baking soda

12-14 mini pb eggs or pb cups, (or whatever you wish to stuff them with)

sea salt for sprinkling the tops

In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and both sugars just until creamy. Don’t overbeat. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat just until incorporated.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add in the oats and mix. Then add the dry to the wet batters and mix till just combined.

Please cover the dough and chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, divide dough into 12 to 14 big 4 oz lumps.

Slice each lump in half, fill with pb egg or cup, place other half back on and seal the edges, then roll into a ball.

If the dough gets too warm please place them back in the fridge to firm up again.

It’s important to keep this dough cold.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use non-stick spray.

Keep them as balls on the cookie sheets, do not press flat!

And keep them about 2 inches apart

Sprinkle tops with a tiny bit of sea salt. 

Bake for about 15-20 minutes (mine were done at the 16 minute mark).

You’ll know they’re done by golden edges and bottom.

Do not try and remove them from the cookie sheet as they are fragile and need

to set up/cool to firm up.

Depending on size you make them, if you make them my size, about 12-14; I got exactly 13 cookies.

quite possibly the worlds best GF double chocolate muffins

That's a title you really have to be able to back up isn't it?
It's true though, these gluten free muffins are good.  So good in fact, on the few people I tested these on
no one even knew they were gluten free!
I asked them:
does it taste like there is a missing ingredient(s)?
no, it tastes like that "death by chocolate" cake!
Well, that's a good sign right?
Granted gluten free a couple years ago meant hard, dry, and tasteless.
Now it's come a long and more
flavorful way, thank goodness with the popular use of almond meal, coconut flour, rice flour, etc...
I get so many requests for more gluten free creations; I promise to try my best and do more this fall and
winter.

Now you can have your chocolate muffin for breakfast and no crash and burn a half hour later.

I was only to come up with 11 muffins, not 12, only 11.
You need to fill these pretty much to the top as they don't rise that much--just a little.

If you can, please use a high quality chocolate, as they have a higher cacao and give a deeper
and richer chocolate flavor.

Seriously these are really good.  Really moist and full of chocolate flavor.

Gluten free double chocolate muffins

from vanillasugarblog.com

print recipe

1 ½  cups almond meal

3 oversized TB unsweetened good quality cocoa powder

½ cup sugar

1 ts gluten free baking powder

½  ts of espresso powder (I also used a Starbucks Via)

giant pinch of salt

8 TB unsalted butter, room temp

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, room temp

1 ts vanilla extract

½ cup heavy cream, not too cold

½ cup high quality semisweet chocolate chips

a couple handfuls of high quality milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line regular muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Make sure to spray the actual cupcake liners with non-stick spray as the almond meal sticks to everything when baked!

In a large bowl, combine almond meal, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, espresso powder and baking powder. Stir and then add in the softened butter, and mix to well combined; lumps ok as long as they are small.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, mix the eggs, vanilla extract, and heavy cream until well mixed.  Add this to the dry mixture and mix well; lumps ok.

Spoon into 11 of the cupcake tins; I was only able to get 11 not 12.

These bake up fast, so bake them for 15 – 20 minutes.

Please check them at the 13 minute mark to see how far along they are.

Mine were done at the 15 minute mark.

You will know they are done by puffy tops and the jiggle in the middle is “almost” gone.

white peach crumb tart

I hope you've taken advantage of the wonderful bounty of white peaches this summer.
If you haven't they are so good.  To me, a white peach is far more "peachier" than a regular
orange/yellow peach.
They are so fragrant; a true smell of summer.
I love their smell so much that when I get a fresh batch of them, I place a few in a bowl, right next to my night stand so I can smell them while I sleep at night.
Try it, it's wonderful, the peach smell mixing with the summer winds blowing in through the window?
A summer memory you will never forget.


If you want a really flaky crust, work that dough as little as possible, just mix the dry ingredients
with the butter until just combined, wrap up in plastic wrap and let it rest at least five hours or
better yet overnight.
I like to roll it out while it's still in the plastic wrap until I have to unwrap it and finish up the edges.



Those edges are just like a crispy croissant.  Heavenly!


If you don't have a 8 or 9 inch tart pan, I'm fairly certain this would make a perfect galette.
Just make sure your edges are nice and sealed, and you bake it on parchment paper on a
cookie sheet/pan.

white peach crumb tart

base recipe from pastry studio

(please see my notes in the recipe in parenthesis)

print recipe

pastry dough

1 cup flour

1 TB sugar

1/8 ts salt

6 TB very cold butter

1/4 cup very cold water

crumb topping

¾  cup flour                        

2 TB dark brown sugar                     

pinch salt                

6 TB butter, melted                        

2 large white peaches (or 3 small ones or 3 small regular peaches)

juice of one lemon

about 1 TB cornstarch (didn’t measure, just lightly dusted the peaches)

cook notes:

This base recipe is from pastry studio. 

I’ve left her instructions for you to use or you can use my instructions which are in parenthesis.

To prepare the pastry dough, place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to combine. 

(I used my hands and a fork)

Cut the cold butter into 1/2” pieces, add to the flour mixture and process for 5 seconds.  Add the water and pulse about 15 times.

(I just mixed with the fork until just combined).

The dough will not look like a smooth dough but should look lumpy like cottage cheese.  Gather the dough and place on a piece of plastic wrap. 

While the dough is wrapped, form it into a large square if you can or whatever size tart pan you are using.

Chill the dough at least 30 minutes or overnight.

(I swear by chilling my dough for at least 5 hours or overnight).
Lastly, as soon as you get dough ready in pan, place in fridge again--always keep this dough cold!

For the crumb topping, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. 

Add in the melted butter and stir till combined and you are able to form large clumps.  Set aside.

Slice the peaches in long thin strips.  

Place the slices in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice. 

(I then dusted them with cornstarch, I did not use any extra sugar as the white peaches are really sweet when ripe).

Combine the sugar and cornstarch and toss with the fruit to distribute evenly.

(Definitely toss, don’t use a spatula or spoon as you don’t want the fruit to bruise).

When you’re ready to roll out the dough, remove from the refrigerator and rest on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or work surface for a few minutes so it can soften just a bit to prevent cracking. 

(I didn’t roll it out on flour, I just used my hands and a floured rolling pin to further shape it into a square for my tart pan).

Roll the dough out to about a 12" square and 1/8" thickness, gently lifting and moving the dough after each roll and keeping it lightly floured as needed. 

(I just placed rolled dough into non-stick sprayed 8 or 9 inch tart pan, then using my fingers pushed the dough into the edges—very carefully!
Then I placed it back in fridge).

When you have the desired size, brush off any excess flour. 

Fold it in half and then again in half. 

Center the folded corner of the dough in a 9" square tart pan. 

Unfold it and work it into the corners, leaving an overhang on all four sides. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

When the oven is ready, fill the tart shell with the fruit. 

Sprinkle with the crumb topping. 

Fold the sides over to form a border. 

(I didn’t have any extra dough with which to create a border).

Brush the border of the dough with melted butter and dust with a light sprinkle of sugar. 

(I placed my tart on a parchment lined baking sheet in case there was leakage.

Bake until the dough and topping are browned and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 – 50 minutes. 

(My tart was done at the 35-40 minute mark).

Place on a wire rack to cool.

cookie butter protein bars

OK so I've gone cray cray with the cookie butter.
BUT...I had to see if the protein bar would....well.  cookie butter!
And it did.
They came out great!
If cookie butter isn't your thing and you want a "healthier" version of a protein bar then just sub in
almond butter or peanut butter.
I've made these protein bars with peanut butter before and it's a really good "base" recipe
easy for add in's, other nut butters, etc...
Super easy to make, literally one bowl easy, and the molding part is fairly easy too.
My apologies for crappy photos. Protein bars are...well...not exactly pretty; tasty though!
I think protein bars become "pretty" with all that fancy packaging.


This recipe is a great base for any kind of add in's: you can experiment with various nut butters,
add in raisins, nuts, coconut, give it a drizzle of chocolate on top, etc...
If you don't want chocolate, then omit the cocoa powder.

cookie butter protein bars

print recipe

4 ounces whey protein isolate powder (plain)

3 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of coconut milk

1 TB unsweetened cocoa powder

small pinch of salt

hefty pinch of cinnamon

½ cup cookie butter

1 ripe banana

chopped peanuts, optional, for decorating the tops

you could also add in raisins or other nuts

cook notes: 

make sure to use a plain protein powder; not sure how flavored would taste.  This recipe is a great base for any kind of add in's: you can experiment with various nut butters,

add in raisins, nuts, coconut, give it a drizzle of chocolate on top, etc...

If you don't want chocolate, then omit the cocoa powder.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. 

If you feel confident, go ahead and mold them into squares. 

If dough is too loose for you then cover dough and place in fridge to firm up for about 15-30 minutes.

You should get about 8 -10 squares/rectangles.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet about ½ apart (the bars don’t spread when baking).

Bake about 15-20 minutes.

You’ll know when they are done when the bars are slightly firm to the touch.

Don’t look for browned edges—it won’t happen.

You should get about 8-10 squares/rectangles; depending on how you shaped them.