My eRecipe Page

Like my dessert recipes?  Well on top of baking, I love to cook in general.  So while I want to keep this blog strictly desserts/sweets (with maybe the occasional indulgent breakfast item like my gluten free pancakes), for all other meals of the day you can visit my eRecipe page.  As long as things are still going as planned, I'll also be Chef of the Week there the last week of October (I'll post more when it gets closer and I know more).  So far I have my desserts you've seen here, but also a recipe Gluten Free Spinach, Escarole, and Goat Cheese Lasagna, and a recipe for Sauteed Swiss Chard and Pomegranate.  I'll be posting a lot more on there in the next few weeks.  While desserts are what I love most and how I make my living, cooking everything from breakfast to dinner is also my passion.

Say Goodbye to Summer with S'mores Cookies!

Early this spring I was eating a chocolate chip cookie trying to think of a spin I could put on it and suddenly a brilliant idea hit me...a S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie!  And then this summer came and all of a sudden on every food site I saw people were making their own renditions of a S'mores Cookie.  So maybe my idea wasn't as brilliant as I thought, but it still sounded delicious!  The one problem I was encountering was how to make them gluten free without graham flour, which is essential if I really wanted to make them taste like S'mores.  So finally this Sunday I made Gluten Free Graham Crackers from scratch and viola!  Now I could make S'mores cookies.  I based them off my Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, so if you've read that the process is pretty much identical (I'll post it anyway).  The main changes are that I used graham flour (crushed graham crackers) instead of oat flour and I only used semi sweet chips in the cookie because I put dark chunks on top.  And of course topped them with marshmallows.  They were delicious, not to mention adorable!  You could really taste the cinnamon and honey from the graham flour (even without toppings these flavors really elevate these simple chocolate chip cookies into something a little more complex).  So bake a batch of these up for one last taste of summer before diving into fall flavors.

Gluten Free S'mores Cookies

Recipe a Jesicakes original with graham flour made from a recipe by Gluten Free Girl
Makes 18-20 cookies

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup graham flour*
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp hot water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 50-60 mini marshmallows (I used Dandies' vegan marshmallows because I don't eat gelatin)
- 1 60% cocoa Ghiradelli chocolate bar, chopped (if you want to be traditional use Hershey's squares)
- 1/4 cup extra crushed graham crackers*

* Graham Flour made from crushed graham crackers from my last recipe post here.  I used 3 graham crackers and a fourth for the extra for the topping.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Graham Crackers

One of my favourite snacks when I was a kid was cinnamon sugar graham crackers.  I especially loved them on a chilly night with a nice hot cup of black tea to dip them in.  The reason I wanted to make grahams today was to crumble them up to make graham flour for S'mores Cookies I'm also making later today.  I was surprised to find that I only needed three of these graham crackers.  This turned out to be a wonderful surprise because these grahams are delicious! Not too sweet but rather that subtle sweetness from the honey with a little kiss of extra sweetness from the cinnamon sugar on top.  I could tell straight from the dough that as long as they baked right they'd be killer because the dough alone (egg free too!) was so delicious I was struggling to not just eat it raw.  I've never made any kind of graham cracker before so I got the recipe form Gluten Free Girl and stuck pretty closely to it.  And obviously, if you don't like cinnamon or want the added sugar, just leave off the step of sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar before baking.  So bake up the perfect Gluten Fee Cinnamon Sugar Graham Crackers, make some tea to dip them into, and relax and enjoy the day.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Sugar Graham Crackers

Recipe from Gluten Free Girl with minor changes
Makes 16 graham crackers

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sorghum flour*
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp brown rice flour*
- 1/3 cup - 1 tbsp tapioca flour*
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sweet rice flour*
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter just out of the fridge
- 1/4 cup mild flavored honey (I used pretty generic clove honey)
- 3-6 tbsp cold water
- Cinnamon sugar

*She does her baking by weight (something I'd really like to start doing just need to do more research and also save and buy a scale).  All of these flours come out to 2.5 ounces each.

Best Ever Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The first gluten free recipe I tried really developing myself was Chocolate Chip Cookies.  By this I mean studying a bunch of different recipes, seeing what I thought worked best, and making my own recipe out of them.  I've tried so many packaged gluten free chocolate chip cookie mixes and there's always some aspect that dissatisfying about them...whether they're dry or have a distinct taste or smell that just screams gluten free (and not as good as the original!).  My goal was to make a recipe for them that tasted just as good if not better than my favourite all purpose flour chocolate chip cookie recipe...and I think that I finally got it!  These cookies are crispy on the edges but have a soft chewy center.  The different flours I use give them a great classic flavor that you would never guess are gluten free.  They're easy and quick to make, and the perfect fix for any of your cookie cravings!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe a Jesicakes Original.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cookies (I would consider this a 1/2 recipe)

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/3 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp hot water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (I do 2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/3 cup chopped 60% Ghiradelli dark chocolate)

Miss Me?

I really would love to update this every weekend.  This weekend I didn't because I normally don't work Saturday's or Sunday's but worked both.  Today we were in a street fair so it was a busy week preparing for it too!  As of right now I'm lying down after a 50+ hour work week ready to sleep through Monday all the way to Tuesday morning where I'll wake up and start a new week of work!  I LOVE my job but baking and decorating can be tough work, especially when the week is ended with a 10 hour street fair!  But I'll be back to my normal no weekend working week, so make sure to check back!  I decided to start off with my Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Then Gluten Free Graham Crackers.  The combination of which will be the base to what I'll be making after which is Gluten Free S'mores cookies!  So enjoy you week and make sure to check back because I have lots of people who can tell you that you do not want to miss my recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies...so unbelievably better then any box mix you'll buy!

Anything Imaginable Oatmeal Loaf

When I first went gluten free the biggest thing I had a problem eliminating was snacks and meal replacement bars.  I think my lunch every single day of my last two years of college was an apple with cheese, greek yoghurt, and then two hours later to hold me over until dinner a Luna Bar or a Special K Bar.  Those were my dinner half the time if I was working or just had a deadline on a painting so couldn't eat at home.  And while I like Larabars now they're not that same satisfaction of a granola bar.  So the very first gluten free thing I made was a take on an Oatmeal Loaf I found over at Flour Child.  The wonderful thing about this recipe is that there is a up to 1 1/2 cups of add ins part of the recipe that can be anything you want.  I was making a new loaf pretty much every week coming up with new combinations (some not as successful as others).  You can make it as healthy or decadent as you'd like...wherever the mood takes you!  I love making a healthy version with fruit and veggies and nuts that a perfect quick energy boost before a yoga class.  But I also love a good chocolate chip version when I have a sweet tooth.  Also, this is so easy in terms of preparation.  Absolutely no mixer required and I can whip this baby out in under 15 minutes (+ baking time).  Here's the kinds I've made:

• Carrot, Sweet Potato, Walnut
• Carrot, Zucchini, Walnut
• Apple, Carrot, Raisin, Walnut
• Apple, Cranberry, Carrot, Walnut (probably my favorite on the not as sweet/healthier side)
• Cocoa, Walnut, Banana (not as good as it sounds...)

and finally...the best (slightly sinful) versions:

Banana, Chocolate Chip, Coconut and Walnut Oatmeal Loaf

Recipe adapted from Flour Child
Made Gluten Free by Jesicakes

Makes 1 8'' x 4'' loaf pan

Ingredients

- 1 1/4 cups brown rice flour*

- 1 1/4 cups rolled oats

- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp cinnamon (+ with this recipe I add an extra 1 tsp as well) 

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (or white)

- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

- 1/2 cup almond milk (original recipe uses buttermilk)

- 1 egg

- 2 tbsp canola oil (I've found this optional...for this loaf especially I don't think it's needed.  For the apple, cranberry, carrot, walnut though it could use a little moisture)

- 1 1/2 cups of add ins: 2 very ripened bananas, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips.  Be careful about adding TOO much wet ingredients.  If you do, compensate with a few extra tbsp of brown rice flour.

*With this batch, I tried doing a mix of different flours, but I definitely prefer it with just the brown rice.  I like the coarser texture with the oats...I feel like the finer texture of the tapioca and sweet rice flour are fighting the oat texture too much.  If you'd like to try though, I did 1/3 cup sweet rice flour, 1/3 cup tapioca flour, 1/3 cut brown rice flour, and 1/4 cup oat flour.

Hunker Down for the Hurricane

So, while I'm not freaking out like crazy buying the grocery store out of a year's supply of bottled water and batteries, it's common sense to not plan on going out at all during a hurricane.  Later tomorrow or Sunday I'll be posting a recipe for Anything Imaginable Oatmeal Loaf.  It's a gluten free loaf base recipe that has room for add ins of whatever you desire.  I've done everything from Banana, Coconut, Chocolate Chips, and Walnuts to Apples, Carrots, Cranberries, and Walnuts.  What you do need is a stocked pantry.  Being a baker, my pantry is always stocked with gluten free baking necessities...especially for those last minute chocolate chip cookies urges.  So here's a quick break down on some gluten free alternatives always in my kitchen:

-Brown Rice Flour - Dense and a bit grainy, but Bob's Red Mill version is actually pretty fine compared to others. When recipes don't call for a lot of flour (like my brownies) and it's silly to do a blend, I almost always will use just brown rice flour.

-Sweet Rice Flour - A thickener but also adds the sweet flavor of rice versus the more nutty almost flavor of brown rice flour.

-Oat Flour - (Obviously) adds a great oat flavor, and when mixed with other flours layers in really nicely.  My favorite recipe I notice it in is my chocolate chip cookies.  There's just a subtle undertone of oat flavor.

-Tapioca Flour - Helps in holding together the batter.  Adds that spring to baked good that tells you they're down.  It also helps add a nice crispness and golden brown color...which if you've tried a gluten free recipe without it you may have noticed that gluten free flours don't tend to brown.

-Sorghum Flour (I haven't used it yet but I'm excited to try it. It's pretty high in protein without the very earthy taste and smell of something like Garbanzo flour)

-Xanthan Gum - Necessary to add viscosity to gluten free batters.  Otherwise, anything baked free of a mold (like cookies) will not hold their shape and spread out too much while they bake

-Gluten Free Baking Powder - Baking Powder has some kind of starch in it. It can be cornstarch, potato starch or wheat starch...the latter of which will make it contain gluten.  So make sure you check the ingredients in it or make sure it says "Gluten Free."  I use Davis.

-Gluten Free Vanilla - Vanilla contains alcohol...some use a grain alcohol.  So again, make sure your vanilla says "gluten free."  I use Kirkland's Vanilla (the Costco brand...it's gluten free, tastes good, and you get a pretty gigantic bottle for very cheap compared to the gluten free vanilla in the supermarket)

Of course, my kitchen always has chocolate of some kind, sugar, salt, baking soda, unsalted butter, milk of some kind (usually almond because I actually love the flavor it adds, but just make sure no one has any allergies!), cinnamon, eggs, and so on....all the usuals for any pantry and fridge used in all kinds of baking recipes.  I also plan on making some homemade gluten free Graham Crackers this weekend...half of which I'm pulverizing to make Gluten Free S'mores Cookies.  So between that and possibly making some hurricane cocktails, I think I have a good plan to survive Irene.