Flourless Chocolate Espresso Torte - Sweet Pea Bakery Review

My birthday showed up on Tuesday and I originally planned to have strawberries and whipped cream for dessert since I'm trying to avoid grains, which by the way is not so easy. When Hubby showed up with a boxed dessert I was a little worried but he did me right and picked up a GF Flourless Chocolate Espresso Torte from the Sweet Pea Bakery.

Not only was it pretty but it was a dense and rich piece of deliciousness. Hubby found the espresso flavor to be too much for him, he is not a coffee fan, but the girl and I enjoyed our slices. I think my boy isn't a big espresso fan either. Silly guys!

Sweet Pea Bakery offers GF, vegan, and diabetic options and they are adding more to these menus as they perfect recipes. For GF options there the Opera cake, flourless chocolate tortes, cheescake, key lime torte, and shortbread tarts. Check out their webpage for all of their options

Dairy Free Chocolate Covered Eggs - Cabdury Style

Hubby and I are huge Cadbury Egg fans. We would gain about 5 pounds every year around Easter just eating these things and then we cut High Fructose Corn Syrup out of our lives. I may have shed a tear when I realized that meant no more Cadbury Eggs. Hubby no longer being able to have dairy has sealed the casket on this past love affair.

One thing I've learned being GF is that I can make almost anything at home. Just because I can buy it packaged at the store doesn't mean I can't do it myself. Finding the time and energy to try things at home is what I battle the most but I finally gave Cadbury Eggs a try and I was happy to find out that they didn't take that much work.

I was really happy with this recipe and they didn't last long. I should have shared more with the kids but there's always next year.

Chocolate Covered (Cadbury) Eggs - Dairy Free

Adapated from Taste of Home

1/4 C DF butter substitute, Earth Balance works well

7 oz marshmallow creme
1 t vanilla extract

3 C powdered sugar

Yellow food coloring

2 C DF chocolate chips

2 T shortening

In a mixing bowl beat the butter substitute, marshmallow creme, and vanilla until smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1 C at a time until well blended.

Take a quarter of the marshmallow mixture and add some yellow food coloring. Knead until it's an even color then roll into 24 small balls. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 min. Cover the remaining marshmallow mixture with plastic wrap and also chill for 30 min.

Divide the white mixture into 24 pieces then wrap around a yellow marshmallow ball. Press into an egg shape with your hands (or you can use an egg mould) then place on wax paper. Continue with the remaining 23 pieces of yellow and white marshmallow mixture. Cover the 24 eggs with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 min.

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening either over a double boiler or in the microwave. If you use the microwave stir every 30 seconds to keep it from nuking in spots. Dip the eggs into the chocolate and place on wax paper until set. Enjoy as they are or you can decorate them like they did at the Taste of Home link above.

Giant Cookie Pizza - Gluten and Dairy Free

The kids had some friends over for a pizza and movie night this past weekend and I finally tried my hand at a giant cookie. I mean really, what better dessert goes with pizza than a cookie pizza? I was a bit nervous about it baking properly and my conversion to gluten free but the sun must have been shining on me because it worked out, a bit too well if you ask my scale.

I think it was best after it had fully cooled so make it the day ahead and cut just before serving. If you do cut it while the marshmallows are still warm spray your pizza cutter with non-stick cooking spray, it makes life a lot easier.

Giant Cookie Pizza - GF/DF

Adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 C Earth Balance Margarine (butter works if you can have it)

1/2 C peanut butter

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 t xanthan gum

1 1/2 C gluten free flour, I used Gluten Free Mama's Almond Blend

2 C mini-marshmallows

1 C chocolate chips, gluten and dairy free

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a mixing bowl combine the margarine, peanut butter, and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla mixing thoroughly then add the xanthan gum and flour mixing until combined.

Spread the dough on a greased pizza pan into a 12 inch circle and bake for 12 minutes. Top with the marshmallows and chocolate chips then bake another 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut after completely cooled and be sure to share.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free No-Bake Cookies w/ Quinoa

No-Bake cookies are the cookie of my childhood. I've always loved them and always will. They are a great option when you want something quick and don't want to turn the oven on. I used to help my mom make these cookies all the time but the last few trials have been duds for me. The taste was there but the chocolate would puddle at the bottom of the GF oatmeal mounds and they weren't the prettiest things. That didnt' stop us from eating them but it did get me on a mission to figure out this problem. I'm not sure if it's an elevation issue or if I wasn't boiling the chocolate mixture long enough but whatever the case these were perfection and I added some extra health to it with the quinoa.

No-Bake Cookies
Adapted from a recipe I submitted as a child to our Church's Cook Book


2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 C milk - I used rice
1/2 C margarine - Dairy free if needed
1 t vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/2 C peanut butter - crunchy or not, it's your preference
3 C gluten free oats
1 C quinoa flakes


In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the sugar, cocoa, milk, and margarine. Bring to a rolling boil stirring constantly. Boil at rolling for 2 minutes then remove from heat and add the vanilla, salt, and peanut butter. Stir thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the oatmeal and quinoa flakes then drop onto greased cookie sheets. Allow to cool and enjoy.

Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

My family loves them some Jello pudding cups, it's a good incentive some nights to get the kids to finish their dinner. I felt bad when the kids were enjoying their pudding and Hubby couldn't have any. I'm such a sucker. This motivated me to search for a dairy free pudding recipe and the hardest part was waiting for it to cool. I couldn't wait to sample it when I got home yesterday and it was divine! So thick and creamy, much better than those Jello cups. There's nothing like homemade.

Coconut Chocolate Pudding

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 can coconut milk, I used the full fat but you can use the light

3 T agave nectar

1 dash salt (4 squeezes from my grinder)

1 small heaping teaspoon cornstarch

3 T cocoa powder

1/2 C DF/GF chocolate chips (Enjoy Life or Tropical Source)

1 t vanilla

Shake the can of coconut milk to mix the milk and cream portions then pour 1 1/4 C in a saucepan. Add the agave and salt then cook over medium heat until it simmers. While this is heating mix the remaining coconut milk, corn starch, and cocoa powder.

Once the milk mixture simmers turn the heat to medium-low and slowly add the cocoa powder mixture while whisking the whole time. Continue whisking until it thickens a bit, I went for 5 min though the original recipe called for about 1 minute. If you go with 1 minute it may not turn out quite as thick if that's what you'd prefer.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk an additional minute to let it cool a bit. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour into serving bowls then chill in the refrigerator.


If you are looking for coconut milk don't wander around like an idiot, like I did, wondering where the heck it's kept. It will be in the Asian section at any grocery store.

My girl couldn't get enough of this and I'm pretty sure she liked it better than the Jello pudding because she finished the whole thing, usually there are a few bites left.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free S'mores Brownies

I found this evil recipe yesterday and had to make it immediately. It is as delicious as it sounds and won't dissapoint any chocolate lover. I adapted it to make it gluten free and dairy free and you'd never know it was either one. Enjoy but don't blame any weight gain on me.

S'mores Brownies

Adapted from Picky Palate

1 box GF brownie mix (you could also make it from scratch if you prefer, I just used what I had on hand)

GF graham crackers (I used 2.5 rows of the S'moreables)

4 Tropical Source GF/DF chocolate bars (Hershey's work if you can have dairy)

20 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 F and line an 8x8 baking pan with tin foil sprayed with cooking spray. Prepare the brownie mix according to the package and pour half the brownie batter into the pan. Put a layer of graham crackers on the batter then a layer of the chocolate bars and marshmallows. Pour the remaining batter over the marshmallows and spread evenly as much as possible. It will not entirely cover all of the marshmallows and that's OK. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean from the center. You have to let it cool completely, it's torture I know! Once it's cooled remove from the pan and cut into squares.

Chocolate Pretzels

I read online about a week ago that Glutino has come out with GF chocolate and yogurt covered pretzels. They haven't hit the shelves in most places and I haven't seen them here yet but they did get me craving chocolate covered pretzels. I had to find a recipe and my taste buds were happy I did but my hips, not so much. I played with this recipe a bit and it leaves a lot of combinations. The best part is it's fast and gives a great snack both kids and adults will love.

Chocoalte Pretzels

Adapted from All Recipes

48 GF pretzel twists
1 package of Hershey's Kisses (chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel, hugs, or peppermint)
1 package of M&M's (chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter, peanut, or almond)

Preheat your oven to 275 F. Lay the pretzels on a cookie sheet and then place a kiss on each one. Heat in the oven for 2-4 minutes or until the kiss is softened. Remove from the oven and place a M&M on each kiss pressing down lightly to spread the kiss on the pretzel. Cool in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes and enjoy!

Do a flavor combo of the kisses and M&M's that sound the best to you. I made two combos and they both tasted great. One was a caramel kiss topped with a chocolate M&M, this was the favorite in the house but after I made them I realized the caramel kisses have HFCS in them so until I find a HFCS free option we won' be having this combo again. Boo! These only needed about 2 minutes in the oven.

The other combo was a chocolate kiss topped with a peanut butter M&M, also a delicious duo. These needed 4 minutes in the oven.

I think these will be on the to-make list for the kids' birthday parties.

New Finds & Reviews

I like sneaking to the various grocery stores around town without the kids, this way I can scan the aisles better and see if there are new products to try. Here are a few things that got me excited when I saw them AND they taste great.

Applegate Farms Genoa Salami

This salami is free of gluten and nitrites. I never thought I'd get to have salami again but thankfully Applegate Farms knows some of us avoid nitrites. It has a great flavor and I splurged with some tasty cheese to go with. You can find this at Rosauer's in their cheese area on the way to Huckleberry's Market.

De Boles Rice Pasta & Cheese

I have never seen this box of mac & cheese before and when I saw it was GF I had to pick it up. I was skeptical at first because the noodles were tiny and it makes a white mac & cheese rather than yellow but it was very good. Both of my kids scarfed it down and kept asking for more, it will be a nice option for variety when I need a quick meal for them. I found this at Smith's.

Nesquik Chocolate Syrup

My kids love having chocolate milk when we get home at the end of the day and I've been using AH!Laska since that's the only brand I've found free of High Fructose Corn Syrup. We ran out so I planned to pick some up at Lee & Dad's but they were out, I about died since the kids were expecting chocolate milk. In my panic I grabbed the Nesquik syrup to see if it was free of HFCS (I knew Hershey's wasn't) and saw that it was, then I looked at the front of the bottle and noticed the large statement of being free of HFCS. I'm so observant. It tastes great and flows like "normal" chocolate syrup, the AH!Laska, which we like, is kind of boogery in texture. Not sure how else to describe it.

Peanut Butter Pie

A turkey dinner just isn't complete without pie and this one is rich and delicious but also easy to make. I opted for it because it meant I didn't need to make a standard pie crust, I was feeling a bit lazy.

First the pie crust, I used Pamela's chocolate mini cookies for the crust, first off I love snacking on these as they are a bit too much but they make a great pie crust. You can use any GF chocolate cooke here but this recipe is from the back of the bag.

Cookie Pie Crust

1 bag (7 oz) GF cookies crumbled

3 T butter

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl then add the cookie crumbs. Mix together then pat into a pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated 350 F oven. Allow it to cool before adding the pie filling.

Peanut Butter Pie

Adapted from Pillsbury Best of the Bake Off

Filling

1 C butter

1 C brown sugar

1 C peanut butter

12 oz frozen whipped topping*

In a medium saucepan combine the butter and brown sugar. Cook until the mixture is smooth stirring frequently. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl beat the peanut butter and brown sugar mixture on low until well blended. Beat 1 minute on medium-high then add the whipped topping and beat an additional minute on low or until it's smooth and well mixed. I take a spatula and stir a few times to make sure it's evenly mixed.

Pour into the chocolate cookie crust and refrigerate.

*Since we avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup I usually make my own whipped topping since all of the common brands contain HFCS. However I have found TruWhip in the frozen section at Rosauer's Huckleberry's Market and it is free of HFCS. It works perfectly when I'm not in the mood to make whipped topping from scratch.




Chocolate Topping

1/2 C choclate chips
1 T butter
2-3 t milk
1 1/2 t agave

In a small saucepan melt the chocolate chips, butter, milk, and agave over low heat stirring constantly until smooth. Add additional milk if needed to get a desired spreading consistency.

Spoon over the peanut butter pie filling and gently spread over the top of the pie. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

I suggest cutting it into small pieces because this pie is rich!

M&M Pancakes

With Valentine’s Day coming up I’m in the mood to do some cooking that is tied into the day of love. Hubby and I never celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s just too gimmicky for me and I don’t need a designated day to let him know that I love him. I do like to make a nice dinner if we’re home and now that we have kids we buy them some Valentine’s treats because I can’t stop spoiling them. I picked up a bag of Valentine’s M&M’s with the plan to make M&M pancakes. It was going to be a few days before I made them until Hubby found out about my plan. This changed our dinner for the night to make them then, it’s easy enough so I agreed to make him happy. If you haven’t had them before they’re really yummy and kids (the big ones also) get excited about them. We served them with our normal butter and maple syrup and my boy pouted while he had to wait for more to finish cooking, it’s a hard life for him.

M&M Pancakes

GF Pancake Batter (I use Gluten Free Mama’s)*
M&M’s, several handfuls
Butter
Maple Syrup

Pour the pancake batter on a hot skillet. If I had planned ahead I would have made heart shaped pancakes, you can put the batter in a large Ziploc bag, cut the corner and pipe a heart shape on the skillet with the batter. Top the batter with M&M’s. Flip when the bottom is lightly browned and the top is starting to bubble a bit. Serve with butter and maple syrup though peanut butter would be delicious on top also.

*I like to let my batter sit for a minimum of 5 min and up to 30 min, it makes the pancakes fluff when they bake.

Naturally Gluten Free Candy

I love making candy for Christmas and these three are my regulars. It makes the entire family happy so why fix something that isn't broken? The cookies are my molasses cookies and they turned out fantastic.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

I remember when I saw my first homemade chocolate covered cherry. I was amazed it was something that could be made at home and I knew that I had to give it a try. This was way back before my cooking and baking days, mom was still doing all of that for me. It wasn’t until I was married that I finally tried my hand and the reason I did is because my mom is a huge chocolate covered cherry fan, so I make this for her every year. These are a little bit time consuming because you have to wait for things to sit but they’re fast to dip in the chocolate and so worth the time.

Chocolate Covered Cherries
From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

60 maraschino cherries w/ stems
3 T butter, softened
3 T brown rice syrup or corn syrup
2 C powdered sugar
1 lb chocolate bark

Drain the cherries on paper towels for several hours. Moisture from the cherries will cause the butter mixture to liquefy.

Mix together the butter and syrup until smooth. Stir in the sugar and knead until evenly mixed and smooth. Shape a ball of the mixture around each cherry and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Chill until firm, not too long of the sugar mixture will begin to liquefy.

Melt the chocolate bark in a microwave safe bowl. I zap it for 1.5 minutes then do 1 minute intervals stirring between each minute until it’s smooth. Holding the cherries by the stem dip into the coating making sure to get a complete seal. Let the excess chocolate drip off the cherry and place on waxed paper. Once the chocolate has hardened store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Let them ripen (liquefy) 1-2 weeks.

Fudge

Fudge is a classic Christmas candy and this fudge recipe is not only easy but it’s also pretty tasty. I love pairing it with coffee but be warned this can be addicting. I don’t put nuts in my fudge, I believe it ruins it but if you are a “nuts in your fudge” kind of person then feel free to add them.

Remarkable Fudge
From Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

4 C granulated sugar
2 5 oz cans evaporated milk (low fat works)
1 C butter
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
7 oz candy bar cut up, milk or dark chocolate
7 oz jar marshmallow crème
1 t vanilla

Line a 13”x9”x2” pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Butter the sides of a 3 qt saucepan and then combine the sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until it boils. Reduce heat to medium and cook and stir another 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips, candy bar, marshmallow crème, and vanilla. Stir until it’s combined with a wooden spoon and then beat by hand for 1 minute. Spread in the pan and score into 1” squares while it’s still warm. Once it has completely cooled lift the fudge out of the pan using the foil and cut into square.

Peanut Butter Balls

I started making these for my dad years ago for Christmas. They were something that was naturally gluten free and I knew he loved them. I was impressed with how easy they were and since the rest of us love them too it’s become a tradition. The only problem with them is that they disappear way too fast. I always double this recipe, a single batch just isn’t enough.

Peanut Butter Balls
From Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

½ C peanut butter
3 T butter, softened
1 C powdered sugar
8 oz chocolate bark

Mix together the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar stirring until it’s all combined, sometime I use my hands toward the end to knead it together. Shape into 1” balls and place on waxed paper allowing it to dry, about 20 minutes.

Melt the chocolate bark in a microwave safe bowl. I zap it for 1.5 minutes then do 1 minute intervals stirring between each minute until it’s smooth. Dip the peanut butter balls into the candy coating one at a time. Use a fork to let the excess chocolate drip off the ball and then place on waxed paper until the coating is firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkles

For some reason I have been craving chocolate crinkles, I’ve never even made these cookies in my gluten eating days but I just had to have them. I adapted a recipe from Allrecipes and I can’t stop eating these cookies. The kids are all over them too. Usually they take a few bites then are done with cookies but with these the powdered sugar was first licked off by the boy then the cookie was devoured. It’s a winner in my book.

Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkles

Adapted from Allrecipes

4-1 oz squares unsweetened chocolate (Hershey's Baking Bar's are dairy free)
½ C shortening (I used Spectrum)
2 C granulated sugar
2 t vanilla extract
4 eggs
2 C GF flour (I used Gluten Free Mama’s Almond blend)
2 t baking powder
1 t xanthan gum
¼ t salt
¾ C powdered sugar

In a small saucepan melt the chocolate and shortening over low heat. Remove from heat and add the sugar and vanilla. Beat the eggs in one at a time. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in the chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Chill the dough overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and then roll the balls in the powdered sugar to coat. I make sure they are well coated. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Let them cool on a wire rack & enjoy!