Nanaimo Bars - A Tribute to Canada

January Daring Bakers Challenge


Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian dessert created in none other than Nanaimo, British Colombia. In case you were wondering, it’s pronounced Nah-nye-Moh. These bars have 3 layers: a base containing graham crackers, cocoa, coconut and nuts, a middle custard layer, and a topping of chocolate. They are extremely rich and available almost everywhere across the country.

Our Daring Baker Challenge this month also celebrates that the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver begin next month. The Nanaimo Bar recipe is a tasty way to welcome everyone to Canada!

The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and http://www.nanaimo.ca/.

This month the challenge was a bit more difficult from the supply perspective. I usually don't have any trouble living north of New York City finding just about anything I need. However, for this challenge I'm living in central Michigan where my husband is working on a contract. There aren't any Asian groceries, so I couldn't find any sweet rice flour. The local mega box store, Meijer, does have a small gluten free section with a nice basic selection of flours. Then I found a fantastic Co-op about 30 miles away in Mt. Pleasant, the Greentree, that has a wonderful array of organic and local foods.

Next, I went searching for Bird's custard powder. We began our search at the Eastman Party Store, as they said they carried a large selection of foreign foods. My husband and I imagined that it was a gourmet food store given their name, until we walked in the door. When we saw the numerous aisles of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages, we understood the reason for the "Party Store" name. Wandering around, we found a variety of foods from around the world, including a jar of Bird's custard powder.

Now all I needed was a bag of sorghum flour. Since I also needed other gluten free flours that aren't easily found locally, I placed an order to a vendor I like to order from. After carefully filling out the form and double checking the Michigan shipping address, I clicked send. When I got the tracking notification for my box, I realized that my box was headed for New York and not Michigan. That meant a little juggling with the flours I had with me to make the Nanaimo bars.

When I worked on the recipe, I made an adjustment to the amount of sweet potato flour as the overall dough was basically honey flavored goo.  The extra 1/2 cup sweet potato flour, fixed the goo issue and also kept the honey flavor from being over powering in the graham crackers. The final cracker was lightly honeyed and beautifully crisp.

The Nanaimo bars are fabulously rich and decadent. My family liked them cut into small squares for just a bit of sweetness. 

Preparation time:

• Graham Wafers: 30 to 45 minutes total active prep, 2 ½ hours to overnight and 45 minutes inactive prep.
• Nanaimo Bars: 30 minutes.

Equipment required:

• Food Processor
• Bowls
• Parchment paper or silpats
• Cookie sheets
• Double boiler or pot and heatproof bowl
• 8 by 8 inch square pan
• Hand mixer or stand mixer (You may use a wooden spoon, but this makes it much easier!)
• Saucepan

Gluten-Free Graham Wafers Recipe

1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet Potato Flour
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Arrowroot Starch
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Buckwheat Flour
1/4 cup (56 g) (2 ounces) Brown Rice Flour
1/4 cup (56  g) (2 ounces) Almond Meal
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
2 teaspoons (10 mL) Chia Seed Meal
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.

2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.

3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.

4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.

5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.

7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.

8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.

9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.

Nanaimo Bars Recipe


For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer:

1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened) or Smashed Corn Flakes

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer:

1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (60 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 teaspoons (10 mL) Vanilla Extract
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer:

4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.


Additional Information:

1. These bars freeze very well, so don’t be afraid to pop some into the freezer.
2. The graham wafers may be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Gingerbread House

The December Daring Baker's Challenge

The December 2009 Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to you by Anna of Very Small Anna and Y of Lemonpi. They chose to challenge Daring Bakers’ everywhere to bake and assemble a gingerbread house from scratch. They chose recipes from Good Housekeeping and from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book as the challenge recipes.

My family and I had a wonderful time making this recipe together. We printed off the gluten free candy list from Celiac Central and went shopping together. My parents were with us for the holiday and helped us with the candy hunt. Then on our big construction night, my Dad made us all dinner. My Mom, who is still in stroke recovery mode, was our cheerleader and helped us out with the candy.

When we began the baking process, we started a few days before the construction of the house. On day one, we made the gingerbread house pieces. Even though I over baked the gingerbread, I allowed the pieces to air dry for day two and constructed the cardboard base. I layered one end of the base with additional layers, so the house would look like it was on a slight hill. Then on day three, I made the royal icing and constructed the house. 

Just remember when you start making your gingerbread and start constructing your house, each process will take well over three hours. The gingerbread took me 6 hours and the house construction took 7 hours. For a ball park figure, I'd plan on between 7 to 14 hours to make the house from start to finish.

Recipe

Chocolate Gingerbread

1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 cup arrowroot starch
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp chia seed powder
1/4 tsp agar agar powder
1 cube crystallized ginger, minced
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp cloves, ground
1 Tb baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
5 Tb butter, softened
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup molasses
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
approx. 1/4 cup water, if needed

Royal Icing

3 egg whites, room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tb lemon juice

Making Gingerbread House Pieces

 1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, vegetable shortening and sugar until blended. In another large bowl, dump in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, flours, chia seed meal, agar agar powder and salt. Stir together thoroughly. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, molasses and chocolate. Slowly add the dry mixture into the mixing bowl containing the butter blend. Alternate adding the egg mixture into the butter blend. Mix until you have a stiff dough. If the dough won't form into a ball, add water, a tablespoon at a time.

2. Divide the gingerbread dough into 4 balls. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and place one of the dough balls in the center. Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Place your gingerbread house template or house cutters on the dough. Cut the outside edge of the template or press down the house cutters. Remove the excess dough between the house pieces.  Leave the house pieces on the parchment paper and slip the parchment paper on to a cookie sheet.  Place the sheet in the refrigerator to chill while you work on the rest of the dough.  Continue until all the house pieces are cut out.  Any excess dough can be cut into cookies for decoration.

Tip: If your gingerbread dough won't form into a ball because it's still a bit too dry, put water on the palms of your hands. Then roll the dough until the water is absorbed. This works really well when trying to work the scraps back into a ball.

3. Preheat the oven to 350'F (190'C). Bake for 25 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. The house pieces will be over baked, but shouldn't be burned.  Cookie pieces can be baked the same way or for a softer cookie bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.

4. Transfer all the house pieces to one tray and lightly cover with a sheet of parchment paper.  Allow the pieces to air dry for one day before construction of the house.

Making Royal Icing

1. Beat the egg whites until a soft peak forms.  Then gradually add the powdered sugar until you get the desired slightly firm consistency. Pipe on pieces and allow to dry before assembling.

2. If you aren't using it all at once you can keep it in a small bowl, loosely covered with a damp towel for a few hours until ready to use. You may have to beat it slightly to get it an even consistency if the top sets up a bit. Piped on the house, this will set up hard over time.

Constructing the Gingerbread House

1. Begin with the house back and one side. Pipe the icing on each piece and hold the two pieces together. Move on to the second side and the house front. If the sides don't hold together, have another person to hold them up for you until you can get the other sides added. If your royal icing is stiff enough, it should hold together pretty quickly. Allow the sides to dry before putting on the roof.

2. Go back and repair any decorations that might have gotten dinged while assembling.

3.  Decorate your landscape to your heart's content. Then enjoy!  But don't forget to take pictures so you can remember all the fun you had building your gingerbread house.

Milan Cookies

A July Daring Baker's Challenge

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from Pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Nicole is a huge fan of Gale Gand. She's tried a lot of her recipes and they are always a huge success. For July's challenge, she wanted to try something different and chose Gand's version of the Pepperidge Farm cookies...the Milano.

I've had family in and out of the house most of the summer. My folks, my brother's family and now his niece is staying for the week. Her first time away from home. So far, she seems to be doing just fine. However, there are these long periods of silence followed by all these quiet giggles and a squeal or two.

These cookies turned out to be a success at my house as well, although I have to say they are somewhat addictive. More than one of us had trouble stopping with one, even two cookies. The only person who was slightly disappointed was my son, who really wanted these to be Mint Milano cookies.

Milan Cookie

Recipe courtesy of Gale Gand (Food Network)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves: 1 1/2 dozen cookies

Cookie

6 Tb (85 g) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/4 cup (156 g) powdered sugar

3 egg whites

1 Tb vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup sweet rice flour

2 Tb arrowroot starch

2 Tb almond meal

1 tsp chia seed meal

pinch agar agar powder

Cookie Filling

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar.

2. Gradually add the egg whites and then mix in the vanilla extract.

3. Add the various flours, meals and agar agar, then mix until combined.

4. With a small (1/4 inch) plain tip, pipe 1 inch sections of batter onto a parchment lined sheet pan spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small sauce pan scald the cream over medium heat.

7. Pour hot cream over the chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt the chocolate and then add the vanilla extract.

8. Set aside to cool.

9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft. Press the flat side of a second cookie on top.

10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Chocolate Valentino & Almond Marble Ice Cream

A February's Daring Baker Challenge

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad - Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

The flourless chocolate cake, the Chocolate Valentino, is inspired by Malaysia's "most flamboyant food ambassador," Chef Wan, and comes from his book, "Sweet Treats."

This cake is the perfect foil for your favorite chocolate. I made one version of this cake with Green & Black's 70% dark chocolate and another with their milk chocolate. (The mini heart cake in the picture is made from milk chocolate.) In my family, the adults liked the dark chocolate and the kids liked the milk chocolate version better. This was a wonderful cake recipe and with two growing preteens in our house it didn't last very long.

I used Wendy's Philidelphia Style Ice Cream recipe to make the Almond Marble Ice Cream. After scooping it out in the glasses, I drizzled a chocolate glaze over the ice cream. As you can imagine, our kids liked the plain vanilla ice cream the best. While my husband and I preferred the almond marble. It was so very yummy.

Recipe

Chocolate Valentino Cake

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Half Recipe is first/Whole Recipe is second

8 oz/16 oz (454 grams) milk or semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/4 cup + 1 Tb/1 stick + 2 Tb (146 grams) unsalted butter, softened

3/5 large eggs, separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.

2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter and flour your pan, if using a cake pan line the bottom with parchment paper. For a half recipe, I used a Wilton silicone mini heart pan with 12 cakes.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.

4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over whip or the cake will be dry).

5. With the same beater, beat the egg yolks together.

6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.

7. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocoalte mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.

8. Pour batter into the prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C.

9. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until and instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. (If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.)

10. Cool cake on rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe (Philadelphia Style)

Chocolate Almond Swirl

Prep time: 5 minutes

2 cups (473 ml) lowfat milk or half & half

1 cup (237 ml) half & half or heavy cream

2/3 cup (128 grams) sugar

Dash salt

1 Tb (12 grams) vanilla cognac

2 oz milk chocolate with almonds, melted

1. Mix all the ingredients together then pour into a sauce pan. Heat on low until the sugar and dissolved, then pour back into the bowl. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

2. Then mix in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Drizzle the melted chocolate through the ice cream. Place in the freezer until firm, then serve.

Strawberry Tuiles

A January Daring Baker Challenge

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I made strawberry tuiles and chocolate pistachio tuiles to go with my creamy strawberry coconut ice. The cookies were very easy to make and came out beautifully. This was another wonderful challenge working with a different type of dough.

Recipes

Strawberry Tuiles

Oven: 180C / 350F

4 Tb brown rice flour

5 Tb arrowroot starch

1 Tb dried strawberries, ground into a powder

5 Tb + 1 1/2 tsp powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp chia seed meal

3 Tb butter, softened

1 Tb Lyles golden syrup

1 egg white

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, powdered strawberries and powdered sugar and stir together.

2. Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream the butter and golden syrup. Keep blending and add the egg white. Add the flour and stir until the mixture is smooth. Be careful to not overmix.

3. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the batter is a little firm.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Depending on the type of parchment paper you have, you may need to grease the paper. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil or cardboard template such as the butterfly or heart. Press the stencil on the cookie sheet and use an offset spatula to spread batter. Leave some room between your shapes. You can also grease the inside of a cookie cutter and spread the batter inside the shape.

5. Bake hearts in a preheated oven (350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. Or place a cookie sheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

Chocolate Tuiles
Michel Roux’s Finest Desserts
Makes 30
Preparation time: 15 minutes

9 oz/250 grams dark or white couverture or best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup/75 gr pistachios, toasted and cooled

1. Temper the couverture, and stir in the toasted pistachios. Place the template on a sheet of rodoïde (or use a clean sheet of sturdy plastic such as a folder) and fill with about 1 tbs of the mixture. Repeat the process a little distance away from the first one. As soon as you have 5 tuiles fit, slide them onto a mold or rolling pin (side of a glass) to curve.

2. Let cool completely, lift tuiles off the plastic only after the chocolate has set and just before serving, so that they keep their shine.

Apricot & Nectarine Eclairs

The August Daring Baker's Challenge

This month's challenge is hosted by Meeta and Tony. They choose the the Chocolate Eclair recipe from Pierre Herme. The recipe is from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme written by Dorie Greenspan. The complete recipe can be found on either Tony or Meeta's blog.

This recipe is composed of three parts: pate a choux or cream puff dough, pastry cream and chocolate glaze. I used a blend of chestnut flour and almond meal for the cream puff dough. While my eclairs puffed up beautifully, although the interior cavity didn't run the length of the eclair. I simply slit the side of the eclair, so I could fill it. For the pastry cream, I added a minced apricot and nectarine. It was a delicious and addictive cream, with most of it eaten before we stopped and filled a few of the eclairs. Lastly, I topped the eclair off with the chocolate glaze.

This is a great recipe and one my family thoroughly enjoyed. My daughter's favorite part was eating little scoops of the glaze, once it had cooled in the refrigerator. My husband preferred the complete eclair and my son liked the plain eclair without chocolate of cream filling. I found my caloric downfall in the apricot nectarine filling.

Happy Labor Day!

Fudge Pielets - A Heart for Your Valentine

Almost 9 years ago on Valentine's Day, I was on bed rest and we were waiting the birth of our lovely little girl. While the doctor had given me kitchen privileges to go grab something, I couldn't stand and cook a lovely dinner for us. Nor could I go out to a restaurant and share a special meal together with my love. My sister-in-law were taking care of our son during the day, since I couldn't be up and on my feet.

Undaunted by our challenges, my husband went to the Whole Foods near his office and ordered a Valentine's Meal for us. Next he picked up flowers, a movie and our son from my brother's house and headed for home. There was salmon, a salad of wild greens, asparagus and a decadent chocolate dessert. For our son there were chicken tenders, carrots, potatoes and a little vanilla ice cream. After dinner we watched the movie and delighted in being together. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day, being together with the ones I love while we waited for our little one to come. Our tiny strawberry haired girl arrived five weeks later, just in time for our anniversary.

Since that time, we celebrate Valentine's Day at home. We select a menu from a local restaurant or Whole Foods and bring our meal home. Sometimes, I make our dessert and other times we buy something rich and full of chocolate from a local pastry shop. As the kids have gotten older, they have been put in charge of our activities while my husband and I take care of dinner.

For my loved ones this year, I wanted to share with them a dessert my mother made when I was younger. It was a recipe was from her friend Evelyn for a sweet concoction called Fudge Pie, that she served either with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. It was an intensely sweet dessert that I wanted adapt to be less sugary and tweak to be gluten free. For a special touch, I used mini cookie cutters to cut out hearts for my loved ones.

Everyone loved the little hearts and were delighted that the dessert wasn't as sweet as the first ones I made. My husband and I enjoyed our little hearts plain, but our children had them adorning a small bowl of vanilla ice cream. They were a heavenly little bite of chocolate to round off a wonderful meal.

I'm also submitting this recipe to the A Heart for Your Valentine event hosted by Zorra at 1x Umruhren Bitte.

Recipe

2 ounces semi sweet chocolate
6 Tb butter
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup cane sugar
1 Tb arrowroot starch
1 Tb sweet rice flour
2 Tb brown rice flour
1 1/2 tsp chia seed meal
pinch sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line an 8 x 8 cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a medium sauce pan, drop in the butter and chocolate. Melt together on low heat, stirring to make sure the chocolate doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

3. Once melted together, dump in the sugar and stir. Stir for a few minutes until the chocolate is incorporated. Remove from the heat.

4. In a small bowl, plop in the flours, chia seed meal and the salt. Stir together.

5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the top of the melted chocolate and stir together.

6. Add the egg to the sauce pan and stir until incorporated.

7. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool before serving.

Oat Flakes - Gluten Free

One of the recipes in The Professional Pastry Chef (Friberg, 2002) that I've been wanting to try is for a beautifully crisp cookie called Oat Flakes. The cookie spreads out while baking into an oblong shape. Once the cookie has cooled, you dip one end in dark chocolate. With the end result is a cookie that resembles a rolled oat.

Since I have a great fondness for oats. They find their way into many of the dishes I make at our house, such as Peanut Butter Sauce Pan Cookies, Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal, Pizza or Oat Milk. With my stock of certified gluten free oats recently replenished, it was time to give this cookie a try. The recipe called for very little wheat flour and could be changed to be gluten free easily. I also wanted to try making them with agave syrup rather than sugar in order to reduce the glycemic index of the cookies.

The cookies emerged from the oven a golden toffee color and smelled delightful. After the cookies had cooled, my children took over and had a great time dipping the cookies into the dark chocolate. We did leave some plain to see which ones we preferred. The four of us thought the chocolate covered cookies were delicious and were our favorite. We took to folding our cookies in half, so that every bite had some chocolate in it.

Recipe

1/2 cup + 1/2 tsp (128 g) melted butter
1 1/2 cup (155 g) certified gf rolled oats *
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup (234 g) agave syrup
5 1/2 tsp (16 g) brown rice flour
5 1/2 tsp (16 g) sweet rice flour
1 1/2 Tb (18 g) baking powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate, melted

Note: This recipe is reduced in size from the original.

1. In a large mixing bowl, pour in the melted butter and oats. Beat together on low speed. Dump in the egg and agave syrup and continue beating.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flours and baking powder. Stir together. Then add to the large mixing bowl and beat together.

3. Cover the mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator preferably overnight, but at least 4 hours.

4. Cover several cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Scoop out the batter into balls about the size of 1 tablespoon. Give the cookies room to spread. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until the entire cookie is a light toffee color.

6. Allow the cookies to cool and then set up. Then remove each cookie from the parchment paper and dip into the melted chocolate about halfway. Replace on the cookie sheet and allow the chocolate to dry, approximately overnight. Note: The cookies will still be somewhat soft after cooling.


* You can purchase certified gluten free oats from Cream Hill Estates, Gifts of Nature, Gluten Free Oats, Bob's Red Mill, Glutenfree.com and Glutenfreemall.com.

Chestnut Yule Log - Gluten Free

A December Daring Baker's Challenge

This month's Daring Baker's Challenge for a Yule Log is brought to us by Lis of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs In Venice. Yule Log's have a long tradition going back to Scandinavia when a decorated pine log was burned in the family fireplace at Christmas. Then during the late 18th to early 19th century the yule log or "Buche de Noel" was translated into a dessert served during the Christmas season in France.

The Daring Baker's hail from around the world and not all of us celebrate the holidays or Christmas. So Lis and Ivonne wanted our December baking challenge to be about the "sharing of warmth and light...something that we all need in our lives, regardless of race, creed or religion."

I was very excited about this month's baking challenge, since this is one of those holiday desserts that I have missed since being gluten free. While at Whole Foods last week, my daughter and I checked out the pastry counter to see if they would have any gluten free cakes or yule logs for the holidays. My daughter was so saddened to learn that the yule logs and other pastries they had were all made from wheat and we couldn't bring any home. I told her not to worry as I was going to make one of those lovely cakes for us for Christmas. The smile on her face was so delightful...I had made her day.

My version of the Daring Baker's Yule log is based on the classic chestnut flavor that is typically found in the butter cream filling. My cake has chestnut flour, the butter cream filling has chestnut spread in it and the outer log covering is chocolate chestnut butter cream. I used chia seed meal as the binder for the cake. Then I made marzipan mushrooms to decorate the log.

Recipe

This recipe is in 3 parts. First is the recipe for the plain genoise, second the chestnut & chocolate chestnut butter cream and then the marzipan.

Plain Genoise

2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
dash of sea salt
6 Tb cane sugar
1 Tb brown rice flour
1 Tb sweet rice flour
1 Tb arrowroot starch
1 Tb chestnut flour*
2 Tb corn starch
1 Tb chia seed meal

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Then line a 11 1/2 in x 7 1/2 in x 1 in pan with parchment paper.

2. Fill a medium sauce pan half full with water and bring it to a simmer.

3. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is lukewarm (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Remove from the pan and return the mixing bowl back to the mixer.

4. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back into the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5. While the eggs are whipped, stir together the flours and cornstarch.

6. Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8. Bake the genoise for 10 minutes. Make sure that the cake doesn't overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9. While the cake is baking, being making the butter cream.

10. Once the cake is done (a tooth pick will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.


Chestnut Butter Cream & Chocolate Chestnut Butter Cream:

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
1 Tb + 1 tsp chestnut spread**
1 Tb vanilla extract
1 Tb cocoa powder (saved for the second half of the butter cream)

1. Turn the heat back on the pan of water on the cook top. Make sure the water comes to a simmer.

2. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

3. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat the softened butter and continue beating until the butter cream is smooth. Then dump in the chestnut spread and vanilla extract and beat together.

Note: If the butter cream curdles or separated once the vanilla extract and chestnut spread goes in, then remove a quarter of the butter cream and place in a measuring cup or other heat proof bowl. Place into the simmering water and warm until the butter begins to melt a little bit. Return to the mixing bowl and rewhip. It should come back together.

4. After spreading some of the chestnut filling over the genoise, return the mixing bowl to the mixer. Then dump in the cocoa powder and whip into the butter cream. This butter cream will be used for the outside of the yule log.

Filling and Frosting the Log:

1. Lift the genoise out of the pan by the sides of the parchment paper.

2. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and then turn the genoise over (unmolding it from the jelly roll pan onto the parchment paper) and peel away the paper.

3. Spread about half the chestnut butter cream over the genoise.

4. Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.

5. Transfer the parchment covered cake back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.

6. Unwrap the cake. With a sharp knife cut off one end on the diagonal.

7. Place the smaller piece of the log on top of the larger log.

8. Cover the log with the chocolate chestnut butter cream, make sure to curve around the piece placed on top as a protruding stump.

9. Streak the butter cream with a fork or a decorating comb to resemble bark.

10. Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushroom or other decorations you've chosen.


Marzipan Mushrooms:

4 oz. almond paste***
1 cup + 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tb agave syrup

1. Combine the almond paste and the powdered sugar in the mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Beat with a paddle attachment on low speed until the sugar is almost absorbed.

2. Add the agave syrup and continue mixing until the marzipan holds together when squeezed.

3. Transfer the marzipan to a work surface and knead until smooth.

4. Roll out small balls of the marzipan for the bases of the mushrooms. Roll the balls into logs.

5. Roll out medium sized balls of the marzipan and for the mushroom tops. Shape each ball over a finger tip to allow for a bowl type shape for the tops.

6. Trim a toothpick into a smaller piece, then push the toothpick into the base of the mushroom. Some of the toothpick should be sticking out above the mushroom base. Place the mushroom top on this piece of the toothpick.

7. Dust the mushroom with cocoa powder.

8. Dust the entire yule log with powdered sugar to simulate snow.

What did my family think of the yule log? They thought it was wonderful and had a nice flavor. My daughter decided that the Yule Log should be a new family tradition for us at Christmas.

* My chestnut flour is from Dowd & Rogers and I have bought it from both Whole Foods and Glutenfree.com.

** My chestnut spread is by Clement Faugier. Privas. I purchased it from Whole Foods.

*** I used Almond Paste from Love'n Bake as it is wheat free. I purchased it from Whole Foods.

Chestnut Coffee Cake with Chocolate Filling - Gluten Free

One of the wonderful things about the holidays is that we always have an abundance of good food to share together. From candy to stuffing, vibrant greens to winter fruits, I try to cook ahead so we have a variety of foods to eat without spending a lot of our family time in the kitchen.

My husband and I used to enjoy having coffee cakes for breakfast on weekends. On Saturday's after sleeping late, we get up and share a cup of coffee and some coffee cake while we read the paper. Then we decide what we were going to do for the day. After our son was born, we had to start taking turns on who got to sleep in on Saturday. When our daughter was born, neither one got to sleep in late, instead there was the late morning nap. Now that the kids are older, they have joined my husband in the Saturday morning sleep in, while the Sheltie and I share the early morning together. She to protect her house and yard from any sleepy eyed jogger going by and I to have a cup of hot spiced Rooibos tea and a slice to warm coffee cake.

This recipe is a gluten free adaptation of the French Chocolate Coffee Cake from Better Homes and Garden's Homemade Bread Cook Book. I used to make this recipe in my gluten eating days and I wanted to have a chance to enjoy it again for the holidays. This recipe is also part of the Holiday Blogging Event for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa that is being hosted by the lovely Sally at Aprovechar.

Recipe

Coffee Cake

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup chestnut flour*
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
2 Tb chia seed meal**
2 pkg. dry active yeast
6 Tb cane sugar
5 Tb water
4 Tb vegetable shortening
2 Tb + 1 1/2 tsp gf oat milk***
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 eggs, beaten

Chocolate Filling

6 Tb semi sweet chocolate chips
2 Tb + 1 1/2 tsp gf oat milk**
1 Tb cane sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping

1 Tb brown rice flour
1 Tb chestnut flour
2 Tb butter, softened
2 Tb chopped pecans
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Equipment Needed: 7" Angel Food Pan (mine is made by Wilton)

Coffee Cake

1. In a large mixing bowl, dump in the flours and the yeast. Stir together.

2. In a small sauce pan warm the sugar, water, butter oat milk and salt until the temperature is between 110 degrees Fahrenheit and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir constantly to melt the butter. If the temperature rises above 115 degrees allow it to cool to 115 degrees at the highest before adding it to the bowl with the flour and yeast.

3. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the flour and yeast, then dump in the beaten eggs. Stir until it makes a soft dough. Cover and allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled. While the dough is rising make the topping and the chocolate filling.

Chocolate Filling

4. In a small saucepan, dump in the chocolate chips, oat milk, sugar and cinnamon. Stirring constantly, warm the mixture until the chocolate chips melt and then allow to cool. While the chocolate filling is cooling and the bread dough is rising, make the topping.

Topping

5. In a small bowl, dump in the flours, sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Using a spoon or fork cut or press in the butter until it is mixed well with the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Pour in the chopped nuts and stir together. Set aside.

Putting It Together
6. Line a 7 inch angel food pan with parchment paper. Pour half of the bread dough into the angel food pan. Using a spatula or spoon, spread the dough around until it covers the bottom of the pan.

7. Spoon the chocolate filling over the bread dough in the pan. Then pour the rest of the bread dough on top of the chocolate filling. Use a spatula or spoon to spread the bread dough evenly over the top of the pan.

8. Sprinkle the topping over the top of the bread dough. Set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.

9. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes or until a pick comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing from the pan.

What did my family think of the chestnut coffee cake with chocolate filling? My children preferred the chocolate filling, but not the bread. My husband and I though it was delightful, and tasted the best when it was served warm. It reminded us both of the Chocolate Babka's that we used to get from Whole Foods.

* Chestnut Flour: I purchased my chestnut flour from Whole Foods, but you can also find it at Glutenfree.com. It's made by Dowd & Rogers.

** Chia Seed Meal: I purchased my chia seeds from Native Seeds/SEARCH. I ground them in my Braun coffee grinder that I use only to grind spices. Chia seed meal will act as a gluten free binder just like chia seed gel (made with chia seed and water).

*** Oat Milk: I used 1/2 cup of cooked certified gluten free oats, 1 Tb agave syrup and 2 cups of water. Dump the oats into your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Then add the agave syrup and pulse. Pour in the water and pulse to blend. Be careful not to pulse too long as the water might/will leak out from under the lid of your food processor and onto the counter. Store oat milk in the refrigerator.

Coconut Carob Truffles - Gluten & Dairy Free

One of the tastiest rewards my children and I share is going to the chocolate counter at Whole Foods, once we finished our shopping. First, we find the warm spot under the ceiling vent and then we start perusing the chocolate case, while our bodies thaw out. We start by looking at the specialty chocolates, such as the dark chocolate brownie cones. Next our eyes are drawn by the colorful assorted chocolates with flavors ranging from banana to green tea. Each of us takes our time, reading descriptions and trying to imagine the flavors inside each luscious chocolate coating. Last I check on the ingredients looking for those that are gluten free.

Once we have our selections, we hurry over to the check out lanes. The kids have the candy duty, they make sure our chocolates get on the conveyor belt. Once it's rung up, they make sure to grab onto our box, so we don't have to hunt through all the bags once they are in the back end of the van. When we're all seated, my kids will open the box and pass it around. For a few moments there is nothing, but delightful silence as each of us contemplates the flavors in our candy. After we finish eating, each of us discusses their chocolate, what we liked or disliked about it. Since our candy is sadly all gone, I start up the engine and we head for home. (Note: In this picture from left to right are truffles rolled in macadamia nuts and round Sprinkelz.

My husband and I enjoy a wide variety of flavors in my chocolates, although I have a soft spot for anything with marzipan in it and my family prefers peanut butter. While I was reading the website Go Dairy Free, I happened upon a wonderful review and critique of Lagusta's Luscious truffles. As I was contemplating these wonderful truffles I realized I needed to make truffles, right now and I didn't really want to wait. I may have forgotten to mention that dark chocolate truffles are one of my favorite candies.

Then I remembered that the The Secrets of Baking by Sherry Yard, she is the pastry chef at Wolfgang Puck's Spago, had a recipe for Bittersweet Truffles. Unfortunately the ingredients weren't dairy free, like Lagusta's Luscious, and I was woefully out of bittersweet chocolate. This meant a little number crunching, a melding of ingredients and some pointers for technique, which turned out a recipe that was inspired by both Lagusta & Sherry. (Note: In the picture from left to right are truffles rolled in carob powder and Chocolate Sprinkelz.)

Dark and intense, these carob and cocoa flavored truffles will satisfy all of your chocolate cravings.

Recipe

1 cup carob powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup coconut milk
3 Tb agave syrup
5 Tb + 1 tsp coconut oil/coconut butter
5 tsp vanilla flavoring or flavoring of your choice
Coatings: cocoa powder, carob powder, Sprinkelz**, chopped nuts, or your choice of coating

1. Dump into the large bowl of a food processor or a large mixing bowl the carob powder, cocoa powder, coconut oil, coconut butter and vanilla flavoring.

2. Pour the coconut milk and agave syrup into a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir the liquid regularly.

3. Pour the liquid into the food processor bowl or mixing bowl. Processes until blended or stir until everything is blended together and creamy.

4. Scrape out the truffle mixture into a medium sized bowl and allow to cool. Then place into the refrigerator to chill down prior to making the truffles.

5. Pour out into small bowls the various coatings for the truffles.

6. Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out a small amount of truffle filling. Squeeze into a rounded shape and then roll in the palms of your hand to make balls. Then roll into the coating and press the nuts or Sprinkelz into the truffle. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet or into a storage container. Make the truffles in small batches as the coconut oil melts at 76 degrees. After you make a few, place the truffle filling in the refrigerator to chill it back down.

7. Store the truffles in the refrigerator so they stay firm.

What did my family think of the truffles? Well my children enjoyed making them with me, but they didn't care for the flavor. It was too intense for both of them. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the truffles. I liked the truffles with nuts. My husband liked the nuts and cocoa powder.

(Note: In this picture from left to right are truffles rolled in chopped pecans and cocoa powder.)



* Where did I find gluten free Sprinkelz? I bought mine from Whole Foods and Amazon.com sells them in a 24 pack. You could also try your local health food store.

Chocolate Chestnut Cupcakes with Agave Cocoa Frosting - Gluten Free

I wanted to experiment with using agave syrup in a frosting, but I had some concerns about using that much liquid. Was it just going to run off the cupcake? How heat sensitive was it going to be? What kind of texture was it going to have? These were just a few of my questions. After doing some research, I decided to go ahead and try out my idea for gluten free agave cocoa frosting.

My recipe was inspired by the ingredient list at Babycakes Bakery in New York City, for their agave frosting. They note that their frosting is rather fragile in nature and cannot be shipped. I started with the basic ingredients and then added different things until I got an acceptable consistency in the frosting.

I used the Chocolate Chestnut Cake Mix from Dowd & Rogers for my cupcakes. This mix always turns out a beautiful deep chocolate cake that my family thoroughly enjoys. The cupcakes turned out beautifully and the agave cocoa frosting was light and delicate. Since the frosting has coconut milk in it and is soft in texture, you should store these cupcakes in the refrigerator.

Frosting Recipe

½ cup butter, coconut oil or coconut butter, softened
6 Tb cocoa powder
½ cup agave syrup
2 Tb chestnut flour
1 Tb sweet rice flour
1 Tb arrowroot starch
1 Tb coconut milk
1 tsp chia seed

1. In a small bowl, combine the chia seed and coconut milk, then stir together. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes. This will allow the chia seeds to form a gel. Once the gel has formed, you strain the gel to remove the seeds.

2. In the bowl to your mixer, plop in the butter or oil and cream on low speed.

3. Slowly pour in the cocoa powder and continue to cream together on low speed. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Dump in the agave syrup, the flours and chia/coconut milk mixture. Blend on low speed. Once blended, scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are blended together.

5. Scoop the frosting into a piping bag with a decorative tip to top your cupcakes or spread scoops of frosting on the tops with a knife.

What did my family think of the frosted cupcakes? My son didn’t care for the agave cocoa frosting, but loved the cupcakes. He thought the cocoa flavor was too strong. Vanilla is his preferred frosting flavor. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the frosted cupcakes. My husband said, “Mmmmmmm…mmmmmmmm...mmmmmm” as he chewed away. I thought the cupcakes were wonderful and the frosting was a very good alternative frosting. It’s much softer than a frosting made with sugar, but it will firm up once refrigerated.

Chocolate Polenta Cake - Gluten Free

The gluten free Blueberry Polenta Cake I made in July, was quickly eaten up by my family. It tasted so good that I decided to try making another type of polenta cake.

I located a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Polenta Cake by Master Chef Christine Collins from the UK. She writes for The Eastern Daily Press (EDP24) from Norfolk, England.

A very enjoyable cake recipe that enjoyed a variety of ways. Served plain, with hot fudge sauce or with vanilla ice cream, it was thoroughly enjoyed by my family.

I made sure to use gluten free ingredients, halved the recipe and then adjusted the quantities as I was converting it from metric. You can buy gluten free yellow corn meal from Arrowhead Mills, gluten free baking powder can be purchased from Bob's Red Mill and gluten free cocoa powder by Shiloh Farms can be found at the Gluten Free Mall. I have also found a gluten free organic Cocoa Powder at Trader Joe's, but make sure to read the labels. (Note from August 25, 2007: See the comments made by Nick and myself below as to why this paragraph was adjusted for clarity.)

Recipe

1/2 cup + 2 Tb butter
1/2 cup + 2 Tb sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
3 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
2 eggs, beaten
5 Tb yellow polenta or fine cornmeal
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 4 X 10 loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, dump in the almond meal, cocoa, polenta or cornmeal and baking powder. Stir together.

3. Plop the butter into a mixing bowl and cream on medium speed. Pour in the sugar and mix with the butter. Add the beaten eggs and almond extract to the bowl and continue to mix.

4. Slowly pour in the dry ingredients in to the mixing bowl and combine on low speed.

5. Pour the cake batter into the pan and spread to even it out.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until a pick comes out clean. Serve with ice cream or fudge sauce.

What did my taste testers think? My husband and I thought it tasted great. My son thought the cake was okay, but didn't care for the flavor of the the almond extract. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the cake and preferred having it with hot fudge sauce.

Lady Bird Johnson's Mexican Chocolate Cake - Gluten Free

Loving chocolate is in my genes. I think it's a prerequisite for being a member of my family, you must love chocolate...even if it's just a little bit.

When I was a child, my father loved to go to Sears & Roebuck not just for the hardware department, but for the candy counter. Once we'd finished our shopping, off we would go to make our selection for the drive home. My dad would slowly walk around the glass cases and contemplate the chocolate. Which kind should he buy today? It always came down to the large dark chocolate blocks. He'd order a pound and nibble on a few of them all the way home.

At seven years old I never quite understood my dad's love for solid chocolate. I liked chocolate coatings on candy centers. That's why I always liked to share my mom's bridge mix. Every piece seemed to be a surprise in a chocolate package. When I asked her why he kept getting those chocolate blocks, she would smile and say, "They are his favorite."

So when birthday's roll around at our house, there's never a question about whether or not the cake will be chocolate. The question is what kind of chocolate. Since the choices are numerous, great care is taken on deciding each element of the cake.

This year the winner was Lady Bird Johnson's Mexican Chocolate Cake recipe, from the Dallas Times Herald. Baked in a jelly roll pan rather than the traditional 9 x 13 pan, the cake is dark and moist. The boiled frosting recipe can be halved and used like a glaze or use a whole recipe to cover the entire cake. My modifications were to make the cake gluten free.

Recipe

Cake

¼ cup cocoa
1 cup butter
1 cup water or strong coffee
2 tsp kudzu powder
2 cups cane sugar
¾ cups brown rice flour
½ cup sweet rice flour
¼ cup arrowroot starch
¼ cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 beaten eggs
½ cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan place the kudzu powder, cocoa, butter and water. Bring to a boil and stirring constantly. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, dump in the sugar, flours, cinnamon and soda. Stir them together. Pour in the slightly cooled cocoa mixture into the large bowl and stir together. Add the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to the large bowl and stir. Make sure the eggs aren’t added while the cocoa mixture is still very hot or the eggs will cook. The cake batter will be a bit runnier than regular cake batters. Pour the cake batter into the jelly roll pan. Then spread it around with a spatula so it is even. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting

½ cup butter
¼ cup cocoa
6 Tb milk
1 lb powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Optional: 1 cup chopped pecans

In a medium saucepan, dump in the butter, cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour in the powdered sugar and stir together. Cook the frosting until the powdered sugar is combined and thoroughly blended, about three minutes. Take off the heat and add the vanilla and cinnamon. Pour the icing over the cake. Move quickly to get it spread out before the icing cools.

What did we all think? The cake was a winner with the entire family, although my son said he really just wanted to eat the cake. It was a great party cake and best of all, there were leftovers.

Mint Chocolate Cookies - Gluten Free

When I ordered our Girl Scout cookies, I bought some Do-Si-Dos and Thin Mints - both are family favorites. My husband's favorite cookies are the Do-Si-Dos, a lovely peanut butter sandwich cookie. I took on the challenge of making this cookie in a gluten free version in April. Now it's time to tackle my favorite Girl Scout cookie - the Thin Mint. I used to like to eat this cookie fresh from the box or frozen, either way they were delicious.

Inspired by Heidi at 101 Cookbooks and a recipe that I found at Epicurious.com, I set out to work up a gluten free version of the Thin Mint. After deciding on what ingredients I would use for my attempt, I headed off to Whole Foods to pick up the things I didn't have on hand. Then I began to work...

Recipe

Chocolate Wafer Cookie

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour (Cream Hill Estates)
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup cane sugar
12 Tb butter
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp kuzu/kudzu powder, crushed
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract or oil
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Topping

6 to 7 ounces dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 tsp peppermint extract or oil

1. Making the Cookie Dough: Cover a cookie sheet or another flat working surface with a sheet of parchment paper. Then in a medium mixing bowl, place the flours, cocoa, salt, sugar and blend. In small bowl or mortar and pestle crush the kudzu powder until fine crumbs. In another bowl beat the egg and add the kudzu powder, then blend together. In a large mixing bowl, place the butter and beat until creamy. Stir the egg and kudzu mixture, then add to the butter. Then add the peppermint extract, vanilla and blend. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Once the mixture makes a ball, remove the dough from the bowl and place on the parchment paper.

2. Rolling out the Dough: Slowly mold the dough into a ball. Then ease the dough across the parchment paper until it begins to make a log. Roll out until the dough is about two inches in diameter.

3. Chilling the Dough: Once the dough is rolled out, wrap it in the parchment paper. Place the wrapped dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours before slicing.


4. Slicing the Dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place on a cutting surface. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch slices off the log and place on the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place the slices about one inch apart.

5. Cooking the Dough: Cook for 15 minutes or until the tops and edges appear dry. Allow them to cool before removing from the cookie sheet.

6. Making the Chocolate Topping: Place several cups of water in the bottom of a double boiler and bring to a simmer. Place the top of the double boiler on and place the chocolate in it. Stir the chocolate and once melted add the peppermint extract. Blend together. Turn off the heat.



7. Glazing the Cookies: You can glaze the cookies in chocolate or cover them in chocolate. To glaze the cookies: dip a fork or spatula into the chocolate and wave it back and forth across the cookies. To cover the cookies: place a cookie in the chocolate and then turn it over. Once it is covered, pick it up with tongs and allow some of the excess chocolate to drip off. Then place on the parchment paper to cool.


8. Cooling the Cookies: Allow the cookies to dry on the counter overnight. Once dry you can place some in the freezer for a frosty treat.


How did they turn out? Beautifully. When they are first made the cookies have a dark and intense chocolate flavor with a hint of peppermint. By the next day the cookies have mellowed and are milder in flavor. I froze one of the cookies that we dipped in chocolate and it reminded me of a frozen Thin Mint. My daughter thought the cookies were too intense. My son thought they didn't quite taste like a Thin Mint, but they were really good. My husband agreed with him and added that my cookies had a more intense chocolate flavor. He preferred the dipped cookies to those that were glazed with chocolate. We all agreed that the frozen cookies tasted the most like Thin Mints.

This one is a keeper.