Gluten Free Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

One of the hardest thing to give up when I went gluten-free was baked goods.  Yes there are some good baked goods out there that don't contain gluten, like my Nutella Brownies  or my Gluten Free Peach Fritters.  They are both delicious enough you would never miss the gluten.  But a lot of recipes are just so-so substitutes for the real thing.  And most of the time I don't want to make Mr. Devilish Dish eat gluten-free just because I'm craving a sweet treat.  And I'll admit most of the time I'm too lazy to make two different things just so I can have a handful of gluten free cookies.  The exception to this is when I make my Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.  A simple 3-ingredient gluten free cookie, filled with ice cream and rolled in mini chocolate chips.  It is a real treat and one Mr. Devilish Dish totally enjoys because Peanut Butter Cookies are a favorite of both he and my dad.  They happen to be my all-time favorite too, but sadly, gluten filled so I don't make them much anymore.  The 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies are a tasty substitute, but face it they aren't the real deal, and they aren't the same texture.  They are absolutely wonderful as the ice cream sandwich, but I don't particularly love them as just a cookie to eat by themselves.  Mainly because I enjoy a soft, chewy peanut butter cookie.  Which I thought I would never enjoy again until now.  A few tweaks on the 3-ingredient style peanut butter cookie has resulted in a gluten free SOFT and CHEWY peanut butter cookie!  It's a 4-ingredient cookie, simple to make and the soft, chewy texture I love! I'm so excited to have a cookie that Mr. Devilish Dish, my dad and I can all enjoy.  

Only 4 ingredients

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
AND
Gluten Free!

A cookie everyone will enjoy.

A few tweaks on a simple recipe.
The result is a wonderfully chewy cookie
that is soon to be a favorite with everybody!

Irish Coffee Custard

Little Devil and I have been on a quest to master Macarons.  If you've tried to make them, then you'll probably understand the need to perfect them.  It's addicting.  Not to mention even the rejects and failures still taste good.  I've probably tried again 10 or 12 times with varying levels of success and failure.  The other result of macaron trial and error is egg yolks.  Lots and lots of egg yolks.  So what do you do when you have an abundance of egg yolks and your husband asks "What did you make for dessert" every single night?!?  You master custard.  I've probably made custard 4 or 5 times now and unlike the macarons, the custards have been superb every time.  I've made vanilla custard, chocolate custard, chocolate peanut butter whiskey custard, and since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner: Irish Coffee Custard.  I also had a semi-successful attempt at Irish Coffee Macarons (the Bailey's Buttercream filling was to die for!) but I'm more proud of the custard.  The secret ingredient is espresso powder.  If you're not familiar with it, it is definitely not the same as instant coffee.  It is made from dark roasted coffee beans that have been ground, brewed, dried and then pulverized into a very fine powder.  Think of it as an intensely dark and concentrated instant coffee.  But not for drinking, for desserts.   The strong, rich concentrated coffee flavor adds depth and flavor to everything from savory steak rubs to barbecue sauces to virtually any dessert, especially chocolate.  Want to impress your friends with brownies that taste better than anyone else's? Add a teaspoon or two of espresso powder to your batter.  Try it in chocolate chip cookies.  Coffee is a natural compliment to chocolate and will totally enhance the flavor.  What else tastes decadently delicious with coffee?  Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur of course!  It's an alcoholic beverage flavored with cream, cocoa and Irish whiskey.  Every single one of those ingredients pairs perfectly with coffee.  If you're looking for a satisfying after dinner dessert that's slightly different from the usual after dinner adult coffee, then this custard is for you!  It's smooth and velvety.  Thicker and richer than your average pudding and this version is definitely for grown ups.

Simple Pleasures: Creme Brulee

There's nothing I love more than dinner at a nice restaurant.  I always look forward to the dessert menu, because I love to make desserts and I'm always hoping to be inspired by something new and creative.  A lot of times though, regardless of how innovative the menu is, the dessert menu winds up being lackluster.  Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Bread Pudding, Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream.  Not that there is anything at all wrong with those, but I've had and made most of them.  If I'm going to splurge on dessert, then I want something I can't make myself.  The exception to this of course is Creme Brulee.  I will always order Creme Brulee if I see it on a dessert menu! It's about the greatest dessert on earth.  And surprisingly simple.  6 ingredients total for the entire dessert.  And you thought you had to wait until your next trip to a fine restaurant?  No way.  It's a little like my Chocolate Souffle recipe.  It only sounds fancy when in fact this is not a difficult recipe to make.  Creme Brulee is French for "burnt creme."  It's a custard base with a caramelized layer of sugar on top.  The best part about this dessert besides eating it, is it can be prepared well in advance.  In fact in requires chilling for several hours.  That means you can make these the day before you want to serve them and all you have to do is caramelize the sugar before taking them to the table.  I posted this recipe many years ago, but made this recently and wanted to share it again.  We had a big Arctic freeze here in Oklahoma, including a snow storm on Valentine's Day so we opted to stay home for dinner.  We went old school with Steaks, Grilled Shrimp, Twice Baked Potatoes and my favorite, elegant but easy never fail dessert.  What are you waiting for?  Let's get started.  If you hurry you can have one for breakfast.

                                                                               

Whether at a fine restaurant or a meal
at home this remains one of our
family's favorite desserts.

Combine cream and salt in a saucepan.

In a mixing bowl combine egg yolks and sugar.

Bring cream to a simmer but do not boil. 
When the little bubbles start to form around
the edges of the pan, it is just about to the simmering point.

Remove cream from heat and gradually
add egg yolk mixture.

Stir gently until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in vanilla.

Place ramekins on a jelly roll pan and place in oven. 
Pour hot water around the ramekins.
(The water bath, or bain marie method is used
to keep a crust from forming on the outside
of the custard before the interior is fully cooked.)

Cover loosely with foil and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Look how perfect they came out.
See?  I told you it was easy!  Chill for several hours.

Sprinkle the surface of the chilled custard
with sugar.  You can use brown sugar,
raw sugar, but you'll get the best caramelization
with granulated or superfine sugar.
Of course I didn't follow my own advice and used
Sugar in the Raw. 

Caramelize the sugar with a culinary torch
(You can also use your oven's broiler, as described below)

 

                                                                                 

Last year for Father's Day, Mr. Devilish Dish got
a fancy new torch for searing things on the grill.
I wasn't sure if he was caramelizing sugar or welding.

                                                                                  

As you can see our sugar layer
wasn't perfect.  Use the right sugar
for the job for best results.

 

                                                                                  

The layer of sugar might not have been
perfect but the custard sure was. 
Look how decadent and smooth that is.

                                                                                

This is truly one of the most simple, yet
elegant desserts you can make.  I've been making
this for years, and we still enjoy it, even for
special occasions like Valentine's Day at home.

                   CREME BRULEE

3 cups heavy cream
dash of salt (I use Kosher)
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste
6 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar

In a medium saucepan combine cream and salt.  Cook over medium heat until cream begins to simmer but does not boil.  In a mixing bowl combine egg yolks with the 2/3 cup of sugar, stirring well until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a pale yellow.  Remove the cream from the heat and gradually add the egg mixture whisking entire time to prevent the eggs from scrambling.  Make sure sugar is fully dissolved and stir in the vanilla. Fill 6 heatproof custard cups or ramekins (6-8 ounces each) with the mixture and place in a large roasting pan or sheet pan.  Pour hot water into the roasting pan until the water rises about halfway up the outsides of the ramekins.  Cover pan loosely with foil Bake in a 300 degree F oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Remove ramekins from oven.  Allow to cool and then chill in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.  When ready to serve sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated or superfine sugar over the top of each custard.  You can brown the sugar under a very hot broiler for a couple of minutes, or for a more even caramelization use a culinary torch.  Serve immediately.  These are delicious as they are or can be garnished with fresh berries. 

Yields: 6 custards

*This recipe was originally published on March 6, 2011 I just felt like adding a few updates and sharing it again.

{Gluten Free} Strawberry Shortcakes

Easter celebrations were different for everyone this year.  One thing that doesn't change around here is family, and gluten allergy.  We had a lovely meal that my father-in-law ordered from a local restaurant.  It was pretty traditional: ham, scalloped potatoes, carrots, peas, and salad.  The dessert was carrot cake and while I'm sure it was delicious I didn't partake because I don't like carrot cake and I don't eat gluten.  We almost always have Strawberry Shortcake as our Easter dessert, and Mr. Devilish Dish and Little Devil both agree the gluten free version is tasty.  Growing up, Strawberry Shortcake for me was pound cake or angel food cake with strawberries and whipped topping.  I never knew that is was really more like a biscuit until my friend Amy introduced me to the Southern version.  She lives part of the year in Georgia so she's in the know when it comes to down home treats.  She made a peach shortcake once and I was (pleasantly) surprised that the "cake" part was really a little drop biscuit.  This style of biscuit translates well to gluten-free baking as you aren't expecting a high rise or fluffy layers.  I've adapted this recipe to give it a slightly sweet top which adds just a little bit more flavor.  It is a cute little bite and we've even eaten the leftover shortcakes with jam for breakfast. It's strawberry season, so whip up an easy batch of these shortcakes and enjoy those big, beautiful berries!

It's Strawberry Season!  Even gluten free folks can enjoy.

The traditional biscuit-style shortcakes
in gluten-free form!

Look at the big berry...It's bigger than the shortcake.

Top the shortcakes with generous spoonfuls of
sliced strawberries and whipped cream.

Baileys Irish Cream Pot de Creme

Since I've been gluten-free for a while now, people often ask me for good gluten-free dessert recipes.  And I'm honest with them.  I've had some marginal success with gluten-free baking but not a lot of stunning, wow factor recipes.  So if they are looking for a dessert to really impress their guests, I recommend they go for desserts that don't require gluten at all.  A lovely flour-less chocolate cake or a decadent mousse.  My favorite go-to dazzling dessert is Pot de Creme.  French for "pot of cream," it is a creamy, rich custard traditionally served in a pot-shaped cup.  To me the texture is lighter than pudding, but thicker than mousse.  It is an impressive ending to a meal, and this quick version is not difficult at all.  Traditionally it is flavored with vanilla, but often times like this recipe chocolate and coffee are used.  Liqueur is often used too.  Kahlua, Licor 43 or Grand Marnier are all delicious choices but to round out our St. Patrick's Day Dinner, I'm opting for Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur.  Bailey's is a traditional and tasty addition to coffee, so of course the flavor is the perfect compliment to the coffee in this dessert.  We will be enjoying "Irish Nachos" which are really like Loaded Fries made with potato slices, a relish tray with Homemade Green Goddess Dip and Bailey's Irish Cream Pot de Creme to end the meal.  Look for those in upcoming posts.  For now, wow your guests with a fantastic, fancy,  make-ahead dessert, fitting for St. Patty's or any day of the week!

A make ahead dessert that will impress the guests!
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day

Luscious custard with a delicious Baileys
and Coffee flavor...

Garnish with freshly whipped cream.
Since we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day
I added green sprinkles of course.

A "fancy" dessert perfect for any occasion.
Who needs cake when you can have Pot de Creme?

Egg Roll in a Bowl {Gluten-Free}

January 13th is National Gluten-Free Day which is every day for me.  It's fortunate (or unfortunate really) that there are enough gluten-allergy sufferers that there is a food holiday devoted to us!  It has been a few years now, so eating a gluten-free diet is part of our daily life and I normally don't give it a second thought.  Developing recipes and adapting old ones to become gluten-free are something I enjoy doing most of the time like taking our family's Indian Fry Bread Recipe and coming up with a Gluten-Free Version.  Occasionally though I'm in a hurry or I'm not in the mood to experiment and it's easier to just eat a hamburger without a bun or a taco fillings without a tortilla.  Sometimes I can get my Asian fix with a good spring roll since the wrappers are rice paper but since I have to be cautious about soy sauce, it's safer to prepare Asian recipes at home.  That's when I realized I can have the delicious flavors of an egg roll without the gluten-y wrapper.  And it's prepared as a satisfying meal instead of an appetizer!  This recipe comes together super fast and if you go light on the sauce, it's pretty healthy too.  All the flavors of an egg roll, minus the gluten and minus the hassle of rolling and frying.  Win Win for everyone!

All the flavors without the wrapper!

Saute onions and garlic

Add additional ingredients and cook until
cabbage is wilted slightly.

Add shredded chicken and garnish with green onions.

Whip up a quick sauce with mayonnaise and
sriracha sauce.

Drizzle sauce over and enjoy.
Bonus: Gluten-Free!

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce from the Occidental Hotel

One of the zillion things I love to collect is paper ephemera.  That's a fancy word for collectible memorabilia that was for a short term purpose.  Ticket stubs, post cards, newspaper articles.  I really don't collect recent ones as much as I love to prowl antique stores and estate sales for little historical things that catch my eye.  There's not really a theme, just little advertising images or blurbs that were once tossed aside but now seem historically interesting to me.  So when I saw this cute little newspaper article including a hot fudge recipe I immediately had to try it.  In true historical fashion, I had to do a little research on the Occidental Hotel.  It was originally built int 1864 in Muskegon, Michigan as the Hamilton House Hotel.  It reopened as The Occidental in 1868 and enjoyed many decades, even experiencing a devastating fire in 1936.  It finally closed the doors in 1970, making way for the Muskegon Mall.  But back in the glory days, apparently Betty and her friends that worked at Sears nearby were onto something because the hot fudge sauce is amazing.  I'm ashamed to admit how many nights in a row we ate hot fudge sundaes.  With Valentine's Day coming up, this is the perfectly classic ending to a Valentine's Day meal.  Enjoy with someone you love!

This sauce is so thick, rich and luxurious.
Be sure and use quality cocoa powder,
whole milk, real butter and quality vanilla
to get the full experience.

Here is the original newspaper clipping
that caught my eye and inspired me to
make this recipe.

Aren't these just the cutest little Valentine's Day Desserts?
A Classic Hot Fudge Sundae with
Homemade (Historic) Hot Fudge Sauce

Be generous with the Hot Fudge Sauce and
Whipped Cream.  You only live once!

This is soooo good.  We ate sundaes for a week.
We have the scale to prove it.

Using quality ingredients in the sauce makes
all the difference.  Using homemade whipped
cream and splurging for these cherries will too.
The Merry Marachino Cherries from Tillen Farms are the best cherries ever.

Here are a few of the little paper ephemera
things I have collected over the years.
Sometimes I change it around for the holidays
with things like vintage Valentines.

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce from the Occidental Hotel

2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa (I used dutch-processed)
6 tablespoons flour (I used gluten-free flour blend with great results but feel free to use all purpose)
1 teaspoon salt (I used Diamond Kosher)
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
2 teaspoons vanilla

Whisk together the dry ingredients (sugar, cocoa, flour and salt) in a saucepan.  Place over medium-low heat stirring in the milk and cubed butter.  Stir constantly until combined and thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Store in refrigerator.  To reheat, place in a microwave-safe container and heat for 20 seconds at a time, stirring well in between until hot.

NOTE:  I varied a little from the instructions when I made this.  The clipping wasn't entirely clear when to add the butter or vanilla so I added ingredients according to similar recipes with great results.

Prep Time:  Approximately 5 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 25 minutes

Three-Ingredient NUTELLA Brownies {Gluten-Free}

It's World Nutella Day!  WHAT?!? That should be every day.  It's a holiday devoted to the globally sensational cocoa hazelnut treat.  I made these brownies for the Super Bowl, simply because they are made with almond flour so they are gluten free.  I took a platter full to the party hoping they would be overlooked and I would have leftovers.  NOPE!  They were gone in a flash.  The texture of a rich, fudgy brownie with that Nutella flavor we all know and love.  You would never ever know these are only made with three ingredients and the almond flour is a great alternative to regular all-purpose flour and gluten.  I've been using almond flour a lot as I've been dabbling in Macarons, and I really like baking with it.  (Stay tuned once I get those suckers perfected!) Super easy, super tasty, Super Bowl festive and totally worthy of an international holiday celebration.  Pour the milk and party!

World Nutella Day here I come...

A thick, fudgy brownie sans gluten.

Only 3 ingredients to a tray full of treats!

Break out the milk and enjoy.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ranch Dressing is the quintessential Okie condiment.  I'm not positive but I think the trend of putting ranch salad dressing on pizza started in Oklahoma.  I remember doing it in high school much to the chagrin of my parents and Pizza Hut waitresses everywhere.  As I've gotten older though my tastes have changed and while you'll still catch me grabbing a bottle of Ranch Dressing when we order a pizza, it's not something I really put on a salad anymore.  Mainly because I like to make things from scratch.  In fact, we make so many things from scratch around here when I do eat something like a store bought cookie all I can taste is preservatives.  So the other night we made lovely salad for dinner.  I brined and baked some chicken breasts, fried and crumbled some bacon, chopped some hard boiled eggs.  We had Romaine lettuce, chopped celery and carrots.  It was quite colorful and refreshing and lovely to look at and then I realized I had no dressing to put on it.  What would have been perfect was Mr. DD's Blue Cheese Dressing but I didn't have any blue cheese on hand and I sure wasn't changing out of my pajama pants to make a trip to the store.  So I came up with a quick little version of Homemade Ranch Dressing that was an absolute hit.  The secret ingredient?  Pickle Juice. Mr. Devilish Dish loves anything with lots of dill and while I did add dried dill to the recipe, I wanted to boost the dill flavor and thin the dressing just a little.  The result was delicious and we ate salad for days.  This is my new favorite go-to dressing and I just might have to order a pizza for old times sake and try it out! 

Oklahoma's favorite condiment: HOMEMADE!

Delicious on salads, veggies, as a dip
and of course on pizza!

Firecracker Chicken

When Little Devil lived at home our menu consisted of constant Asian recipes.  When we became empty nesters Mr. Devilish Dish said, "Can we take an Asian Food Hiatus?" so we did for a while and after a break I can report we are now enjoying some Asian meals now and then.  I made a version of this recipe a couple of weeks ago and while it was good, it wasn't great so I made it again last night because I wanted to tweak the sauce.  Both Mr. DD and I were really happy with the way it turned out.  Warning, it does have a little kick, hence the name Firecracker Chicken.  I'm super excited to have something that is crispy and fried that is gluten-free so it is a winning recipe all around.  I served it over rice and garnished it with some crisp green onions.  Skip the take out and make your own at home, it's that easy!

Better than Take Out!

Fry your chicken in a small amount of
oil until crispy.

Coat with sauce and bake until thick.

Garnish with green onions.

Serve over hot, steamed rice and enjoy!