So I tried my hand at chocolate cupcakes. I was not completely sold on the cake recipe, it was yummy and very tasty but not quite what I wanted. I added 4 ounces of melted milk chocolate to my yellow cupcakes and it tasted fine, but was not the best chocolate cake. I have some ideas on how to improve the cake and once I get this to where I am satisfied I will post the recipe. I am posting this because of what I did to the cupcakes after I made them.
My sister in law makes the best chocolate pudding. We thought that the pudding would go well in the yellow cupcakes. I thought that I would add the chocolate pudding to the chocolate cupcakes. So I made the pudding and the cupcakes and then hollowed out the middles of the cakes. I filled the cakes with the pudding and then frosted with marshmallow fluff. I then toasted the marshmallow frosting with the kitchen torch.
The end result was very yummy, just not quite what I was wanting. I will try making marshmallow frosting the next time since the fluff got a bit runny at room temperature and kind of melted off the cupcakes. But the idea is sound. I plan to try more chocolate cupcakes soon and will let you know how it goes. But until then, here is the pudding recipe:
Chocolate Pudding
2 cups whole milk (you can use half and half or cream as well, but it will make it very rich)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons unsweeted cocoa powder (I used ground chocolate)
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 - 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used a 100% cacao bar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine 1/2 cup milk with sugars, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Mix well and eliminate all lumps. You can put this mixture in a jar; screw on the lid and shake well until combined.
Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in saucepan over medium heat. When small bubbles appear on the side of the pan add cocoa mixture and whisk until the mix thickens. Turn off heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla.
Spoon into serving containers. When cool enough for your taste, serve. You can eat it plain or add whipped cream. When we eat this pudding by itself we usually use the whipped cream to make it less dense and rich. It is a very dark chocolate pudding. It also does not last very long. I liked it with the addition of the pepper, it gave it a little kick. I am planning to try replacing the vanilla with other liquids. I am already thinking of Bailey's Irish Cream, Godiva chocolate liqueur, and possibly something raspberry flavored (Chambord or simply raspberry puree).
This is one of those great pudding recipes. I will get the pudding that is my family holiday tradition up soon.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is the recipe that gave me hope for GF baking. This is one of the few recipes I have that can't be converted back to non-Gluten free. IT comes from Gourmet Magazine. I don't remember which issue but the recipe is in their online database. It was part of an article on gluten free baking. If you make these cookies and put them out without telling anyone they are gluten free they will never know. They are crispy on the edges and still soft in the middle. The only downside is that the dough tastes really bad. But I guess that will keep people from eating it before the cookies are made.
Chocolate Chip Cookies - from Gourmet Magazine
1 cup vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat free) I like the Crisco sticks
2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons GF flour mix
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
Put oven rack in the middle position an preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets (or use silicone pan liners). Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in a small bowl.
Beat together sugars and shortening in a large bowl until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes with electric mixer on high). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add in flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if using.
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and bake for 9-15 minutes until golden. Let stand on sheets one minute then transfer to rack to cool completely. Continue making cookies using cooled baking sheets. I will take the baking sheets and wave them around to cool them off faster since I don't have the patience to let them cool off by themselves.
Enjoy the cookies!
Chocolate Chip Cookies - from Gourmet Magazine
1 cup vegetable shortening (preferably trans-fat free) I like the Crisco sticks
2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons GF flour mix
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
Put oven rack in the middle position an preheat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets (or use silicone pan liners). Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in a small bowl.
Beat together sugars and shortening in a large bowl until pale and fluffy (2-3 minutes with electric mixer on high). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add in flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if using.
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and bake for 9-15 minutes until golden. Let stand on sheets one minute then transfer to rack to cool completely. Continue making cookies using cooled baking sheets. I will take the baking sheets and wave them around to cool them off faster since I don't have the patience to let them cool off by themselves.
Enjoy the cookies!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Cranberry Relish
So it is that time of year, time for turkey and cranberries. This is one of those recipes that gets requested every year. I don't mind making it since it tastes good and is super easy. It changes every year as I get new ideas of what to add or ways to improve it. This year I added ginger syrup to give it a bit of kick. I know Thanksgiving has passed but you could make this anytime. I eat turkey year round since it is one of my favorite proteins.
1or 2 Navel Oranges
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries (you can use frozen, just be sure to thaw them first)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinncmon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup ginger syrup (recipe follows)
Cut oranges, including peel and pith, into 1-inch pieces. Put orange pieces and cranberries into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Put into a bowl and add sugar, spices, and ginger syrup. Stir until blended and chill for at least one day for flavors to develop. I then usually taste the relish and add more sugar, ginger or spices if needed. You can also add honey to this as well. It really depends on how sweet you want it. I didn't use honey this year since I added the ginger syrup. I only used 1 orange this year since they were fairly large. You can add or remove any ingredient to make this taste how you want it to. Sorry no picture, it went fairly fast and I did not manage to get a photo before it was gone.
Ginger Syrup
Fresh ginger root
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Peel ginger and slice it thinly, you will need about 4 ounces for this recipe. Place all ingredients into nonreactive saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to gentle boil over medium-high heat. When mixture boils, reduce heat and simmer until sugar is combined and the syrup is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and remove ginger pieces. Let cool completely, then strain into a container with tight fitting lid. Keep refrigerated. This will keep about 2-3 weeks, however it will lose its ginger kick as it ages.
This is a blending of 2 recipes I found on the internet. I liked the peppercorns in the syrup, you couldn't taste them but they made the ginger flavor richer and more intense. I used part in the cranberry relish and then made the rest into ginger soda. I used about 1/4 cup syrup and a 12 ounce bottle of seltzer water. When I ran out of seltzer I used carbonated mineral water (Pelligrino). Either way it tasted great. I am planning to make this again soon, I am thinking of adding cranberries and making more of a cranberry-ginger syrup. it should make a nice festive holiday soda.
Enjoy and have a great Holiday season.
1or 2 Navel Oranges
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries (you can use frozen, just be sure to thaw them first)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinncmon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup ginger syrup (recipe follows)
Cut oranges, including peel and pith, into 1-inch pieces. Put orange pieces and cranberries into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Put into a bowl and add sugar, spices, and ginger syrup. Stir until blended and chill for at least one day for flavors to develop. I then usually taste the relish and add more sugar, ginger or spices if needed. You can also add honey to this as well. It really depends on how sweet you want it. I didn't use honey this year since I added the ginger syrup. I only used 1 orange this year since they were fairly large. You can add or remove any ingredient to make this taste how you want it to. Sorry no picture, it went fairly fast and I did not manage to get a photo before it was gone.
Ginger Syrup
Fresh ginger root
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
Peel ginger and slice it thinly, you will need about 4 ounces for this recipe. Place all ingredients into nonreactive saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to gentle boil over medium-high heat. When mixture boils, reduce heat and simmer until sugar is combined and the syrup is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and remove ginger pieces. Let cool completely, then strain into a container with tight fitting lid. Keep refrigerated. This will keep about 2-3 weeks, however it will lose its ginger kick as it ages.
This is a blending of 2 recipes I found on the internet. I liked the peppercorns in the syrup, you couldn't taste them but they made the ginger flavor richer and more intense. I used part in the cranberry relish and then made the rest into ginger soda. I used about 1/4 cup syrup and a 12 ounce bottle of seltzer water. When I ran out of seltzer I used carbonated mineral water (Pelligrino). Either way it tasted great. I am planning to make this again soon, I am thinking of adding cranberries and making more of a cranberry-ginger syrup. it should make a nice festive holiday soda.
Enjoy and have a great Holiday season.
Monday, November 15, 2010
WARNING: this recipe is highly addictive.
So I got this recipe for Chex mix from a friend. She warned me that is is highly addictive but I figured how bad could it be? I have made 2 batches in 3 days and none of it lasted long enough to get a photo of it. I will try to take a picture when I make it next week for Thanksgiving.
It is super easy and smells wonderful too.
Rollergirl Chex mix
6-8 Tablespoons butter (I used 8)
2 Tablespoons GF soy sauce
2-3 Tablespoons Siracha sauce (the chile sauce in the bottle with the rooster) - I used 3 Tbs.
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry's)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
9-10 cups Chex (obviously use the GF varieties)
Peanuts, GF pretzels, what ever else you might want to put in
Melt the butter then add all ingredients except the Chex and any other add ins. Stir to combine. Put Chex and whatever else you are putting in in a large bowl. Add butter mixture and stir to coat Chex well.
Once combined, microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds. Stir. Continue microwaving in 30 second increments and stirring in between until mixture is brown and crispy. Do not let it burn. You can also put the mixture on a large cookie sheet in a 300 oven and heat it that way stirring often. I like not turning on my oven and having it be ready in about 5 minutes.
The mix is good hot but will crisp up a bit more when cooled. Store in an air-tight container.
When I made it the first time I used the last of the GF pretzels I had plus some roasted, unsalted soy nuts and sunflower seeds. The second time I made it I just used the soy nuts. Either way it was delicious. I made the first batch on Wednesday and the second batch was gone by Saturday morning.
This is a wonderful snack, it has heat and flavor. The downside it that you just can't stop eating it.
Enjoy!
It is super easy and smells wonderful too.
Rollergirl Chex mix
6-8 Tablespoons butter (I used 8)
2 Tablespoons GF soy sauce
2-3 Tablespoons Siracha sauce (the chile sauce in the bottle with the rooster) - I used 3 Tbs.
1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry's)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
9-10 cups Chex (obviously use the GF varieties)
Peanuts, GF pretzels, what ever else you might want to put in
Melt the butter then add all ingredients except the Chex and any other add ins. Stir to combine. Put Chex and whatever else you are putting in in a large bowl. Add butter mixture and stir to coat Chex well.
Once combined, microwave for 2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 30 seconds. Stir. Continue microwaving in 30 second increments and stirring in between until mixture is brown and crispy. Do not let it burn. You can also put the mixture on a large cookie sheet in a 300 oven and heat it that way stirring often. I like not turning on my oven and having it be ready in about 5 minutes.
The mix is good hot but will crisp up a bit more when cooled. Store in an air-tight container.
When I made it the first time I used the last of the GF pretzels I had plus some roasted, unsalted soy nuts and sunflower seeds. The second time I made it I just used the soy nuts. Either way it was delicious. I made the first batch on Wednesday and the second batch was gone by Saturday morning.
This is a wonderful snack, it has heat and flavor. The downside it that you just can't stop eating it.
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Where did the year go?
So I just realized that it was November and I hadn't posted anything since the pumpkin muffins. I haven't done much in the way of baking but with Thanksgiving coming up and since I do get a 3 day weekend I should have a lot of recipes to put up soon. I did make some Chex mix this weekend, the recipe was so good and the results are so addictive. I will try to get it up by the end of the week.
I guess this post is a teaser for things to come...Spicy Chex crack mix, Chocolate chip cookies, Posole stew, Thanksgiving turkey and sides including my family's favorite alternative to stuffing, crystallized ginger and the wonderful cookies you can make with it. This would be a good time for requests since this is the time of year that I tend to cook and bake more.
So sorry about the delay but stay tuned for more yummy things!
I guess this post is a teaser for things to come...Spicy Chex crack mix, Chocolate chip cookies, Posole stew, Thanksgiving turkey and sides including my family's favorite alternative to stuffing, crystallized ginger and the wonderful cookies you can make with it. This would be a good time for requests since this is the time of year that I tend to cook and bake more.
So sorry about the delay but stay tuned for more yummy things!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Pumpkin Muffins
This last weekend we had a party where the theme ingredient was pumpkin. I did not want to be too ordinary but I wanted something sweet that I could eat so I made pumpkin muffins.
I found a basic recipe on Cooks.com and then adapted it to be gluten free and more like something I would eat. They were a big hit and more of them were eaten than the other muffins with gluten in them. They are really moist and light with a great texture.
Dry ingredients:
3 1/3 cups gluten free flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Xanthan gum
2 cups sugar (I used turbinado sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
Wet ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups pumpkin
2 Tablespoons molasses
Preheat oven to 350. Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients together in another bowl and then add to dry ingredients. Mix well.
Prepare muffin tins and add batter. I filled mine pretty full (a bit over 3/4 full) since gluten free baked goods don't rise as much. They baked for 25 minutes in my oven, but I started checking them at 20 minutes. 20-30 minutes should cover most ovens. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. It does depend on the oven and how full you filled the muffin tins. Remove muffins from tins after about 5-10 minutes. If you leave them in the pan too long the bottoms will get wet and soggy from condensation. They can cool on a plate or a cooling rack just as easily. Plus then you can try one to make sure that they are good. Then you can have a second one 'just to be sure.'
I got about 2 1/2 dozen muffins from this recipe. I also made a wonderful pumpkin soup, I did not get a picture of that but I will get the recipe up soon. It was easy and really good.
I found a basic recipe on Cooks.com and then adapted it to be gluten free and more like something I would eat. They were a big hit and more of them were eaten than the other muffins with gluten in them. They are really moist and light with a great texture.
Dry ingredients:
3 1/3 cups gluten free flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Xanthan gum
2 cups sugar (I used turbinado sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground mace
Wet ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups pumpkin
2 Tablespoons molasses
Preheat oven to 350. Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients together in another bowl and then add to dry ingredients. Mix well.
Prepare muffin tins and add batter. I filled mine pretty full (a bit over 3/4 full) since gluten free baked goods don't rise as much. They baked for 25 minutes in my oven, but I started checking them at 20 minutes. 20-30 minutes should cover most ovens. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. It does depend on the oven and how full you filled the muffin tins. Remove muffins from tins after about 5-10 minutes. If you leave them in the pan too long the bottoms will get wet and soggy from condensation. They can cool on a plate or a cooling rack just as easily. Plus then you can try one to make sure that they are good. Then you can have a second one 'just to be sure.'
I got about 2 1/2 dozen muffins from this recipe. I also made a wonderful pumpkin soup, I did not get a picture of that but I will get the recipe up soon. It was easy and really good.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Snickerdoodles
So I had a craving for cookies a week ago and gave in. I made snickerdoodles. I don't know why but cookies covered in cinnamon and sugar sounded perfect.
So I went to my cookbooks and found a couple of recipes and picked the best of both of them and made me some cookies. I found the source recipes in my 'Rosie's Bakery Chocolate packed, Jam filled, Butter-rich, no-holds-barred cookie book' by Judy Rosenberg. I got this book as a wedding present along with my baking sheets. I have made glutenous cookies from this book before and had great results. This is the first time I tried to use it for gluten free ideas though.
This is a combination of the Bakers Best Snickerdoodles and Classic Snickerdoodles recipes.
3 cups gluten free flour
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Heat oven to 375. Prepare baking sheets, I like to use my silicone sheet liners since parchment paper tends to catch on fire in my current oven.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and Xanthan gum together into a bowl. Set aside.
Combine cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. I used my hand held mixer at medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl in the middle of creaming and then at the end to ensure everything is combined.
Add the eggs and mix until combined.
Add half the flour mixture and mix. Scrape the bowl and add the remaining flour and mix until combined. Taking the dough a Tablespoon, at a time form the dough into balls with your hands. Put the cookies into the cinnamon sugar and roll to cover (the recipe said to put the cinnamon sugar into a plastic bag, add the cookies and shake to cover, but in the interest of the environment I choose to just roll the cookies in a bowl instead).
Put the cookies 2 inches apart on the sheets and bake for 15-18 minutes. The cookies should be slightly cracked and the edges crisp. I did not flatten my cookies so they were still rounded but either way is fine. They only took about 14 minutes in my oven. I cooled the cookies on cooling racks so I could use the sheets again. This recipe made me over 3 dozen cookies.
The main recipe I converted said that if you were not going to eat the cookies right away they should be frozen. I ignored this and by the next day they were very crispy. They still tasted the same but had the consistency of biscotti cookies. Not a bad thing, but not what I was expecting. However, I brought them into work and they were gone in hours and no one knew they were gluten free. I am thinking I will try a more traditional sugar cookie recipe the next time. I did like the addition of the cinnamon into the dough. Gluten free dough can taste 'different' and I have found that adding cinnamon or nutmeg to cookies or other baked goods can help with the taste factor. I put both into my pancakes and waffles.
So this weekend I am going to a party where the theme is pumpkin. It is a potluck and everyone has to bring an item made with pumpkin. So I should have pumpkin soup and pumpkin muffins in the next few weeks. I also made a wonder southwestern chicken stew called Pozole. It is wonderful and just perfect when the weather gets colder. So look for those recipes coming up soon.
This is a combination of the Bakers Best Snickerdoodles and Classic Snickerdoodles recipes.
3 cups gluten free flour
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon Xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Heat oven to 375. Prepare baking sheets, I like to use my silicone sheet liners since parchment paper tends to catch on fire in my current oven.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and Xanthan gum together into a bowl. Set aside.
Combine cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. I used my hand held mixer at medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl in the middle of creaming and then at the end to ensure everything is combined.
Add the eggs and mix until combined.
Add half the flour mixture and mix. Scrape the bowl and add the remaining flour and mix until combined. Taking the dough a Tablespoon, at a time form the dough into balls with your hands. Put the cookies into the cinnamon sugar and roll to cover (the recipe said to put the cinnamon sugar into a plastic bag, add the cookies and shake to cover, but in the interest of the environment I choose to just roll the cookies in a bowl instead).
Put the cookies 2 inches apart on the sheets and bake for 15-18 minutes. The cookies should be slightly cracked and the edges crisp. I did not flatten my cookies so they were still rounded but either way is fine. They only took about 14 minutes in my oven. I cooled the cookies on cooling racks so I could use the sheets again. This recipe made me over 3 dozen cookies.
The main recipe I converted said that if you were not going to eat the cookies right away they should be frozen. I ignored this and by the next day they were very crispy. They still tasted the same but had the consistency of biscotti cookies. Not a bad thing, but not what I was expecting. However, I brought them into work and they were gone in hours and no one knew they were gluten free. I am thinking I will try a more traditional sugar cookie recipe the next time. I did like the addition of the cinnamon into the dough. Gluten free dough can taste 'different' and I have found that adding cinnamon or nutmeg to cookies or other baked goods can help with the taste factor. I put both into my pancakes and waffles.
So this weekend I am going to a party where the theme is pumpkin. It is a potluck and everyone has to bring an item made with pumpkin. So I should have pumpkin soup and pumpkin muffins in the next few weeks. I also made a wonder southwestern chicken stew called Pozole. It is wonderful and just perfect when the weather gets colder. So look for those recipes coming up soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)