Gluten Free, Dairy Free, No Bake Cookies

I recently needed to make some cookies that were free of gluten, dairy and soy for a friend with multiple allergies.  So I turned to an old favorite that can be easily modified.  I was even able to lower the sugar content without noticing a difference.  My son was able to make most of the recipe on his own, since this is also a very kid friendly recipe.  These cookies are delicious and come together in a snap!

1-1/2 c. sugar (or 2 c. sugar, for sweeter cookies)
1/2 c. + 2 T. butter, margarine, or oil (if using oil, add a dash of salt)
1/4 c. + 2 T. cocoa powder
1/2 c. milk or rice milk
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter (Skippy Natural is soy free)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 c. GF oats (like Bob's Red Mill)
2 T. ground flax (optional)

In a large saucepan, mix the sugar, butter or oil, cocoa and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Immediately remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until melted.  Mix in vanilla and oats (and flax, if using).  While still hot, use a cookie scoop or tablespoon and drop mounds onto a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.  Allow to cool and harden (or if you're impatient, like me, put the cookies in the fridge to cool).

Depending on the size of your cookies, this recipe makes 3-1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.  These also freeze well, if you can manage to resist eating them all at once!

Pumpkin Pie Crunch

Our family’s favorite Thanksgiving dessert has a pumpkin filling on the bottom and is sprinkled with cake mix, pecans, and drizzled with butter.  It’s absolutely wonderful with real whipped cream on it!  So it was one of the first Thanksgiving recipes I converted to be gluten free.  I tried it with the Betty Crocker GF yellow cake mix the fist time I made it, and it turned out well, but I had to buy two of the mixes in order to fill a 9″x13″ pan, which is really expensive.  So last year I modified a homemade cake recipe that goes on a dump cake and used it with my pumpkin pie crunch.  Interestingly, it gradually absorbed the pumpkin and eventually had the texture of a pumpkin coffee cake after several days, but it was still so good.  Whether you use a store bought mix or the homemade cake mix recipe below, this recipe is sure to be a hit!

Filling:
14 oz. can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk or almond milk
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt

Cake Mix (or use a boxed 9″x13″ yellow cake mix):
2 c. gluten free flour blend
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. vanilla powder (or add 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the melted butter)

Topping:
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans (I use the “cookie pieces” or bits that come pre-chopped)
1 c. melted butter or dairy free margarine

In a large mixing bowl, stir together pumpkin filling ingredients until smoothly blended.  Pour filling into a greased, 9″x13″ pan.  In a separate bowl, mix together cake mix.  Sprinkle cake mix evenly over top of filling.  Scatter nuts over cake mix.  Melt butter (and add vanilla, if needed).  Drizzle melted butter over nuts, moistening as much cake mix as possible (to avoid fights with your husband over who gets the yummy pieces where the butter pooled).

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until set and golden.  Cool at least one hour in pan on a wire rack before serving.  Serve with whipped cream.  Store leftover dessert in the refrigerator, if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers.

Dairy Free Frosty's, Frappes, and Shakes!

Nothing says summer like ice cream, and being dairy free doesn't mean you have to go without!  Since dairy free ice cream is super expensive, I came up with a shake using frozen almond milk.  We love Silk brand vanilla sweetened almond milk - the first time my son tried it he exclaimed, "It tastes like candy!"  So I decided to freeze some in an ice cube tray.

For my first shake, I added Hershey's chocolate syrup, and while trying to lick the drops surrounding the blades without injuring myself, I decided that it tastes just like a Frosty from Wendy's. After that, we tried making a mocha frappuccino, and it tasted like liquid awesome.  Dairy free has never been so good!

Chocolate Shake:
6-8 frozen vanilla sweetened almond milk cubes*
2-4 T. additional almond milk, not frozen
1-2 T. Hershey's chocolate syrup (it's dairy free)

*This recipe makes a small, child-size shake that works well in our little Magic Bullet blender.  You may want to double or triple the recipe for an adult if you have a larger blender.  

Put all ingredients in a blender.  Add enough almond milk to make it blend easily, and blend until smooth.  Serve with a spoon.  (Use extreme caution when trying to scrape all the yummy goodness off of the bottom near the blades with your finger.  It's not worth a trip to the emergency room...or is it?)    

Variations:

• Low Sugar Shake - Use original almond milk (with less sugar) and add a splash of vanilla for a low sugar treat, or to lower the sugar content when adding the yummy mix-ins below.
• Coffee or Mocha Shake - Replace additional almond milk with 1/4 c. cold coffee for a coffee shake, with or without chocolate syrup.  We tried it with chocolate syrup and it tasted like a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks!
• Vanilla Shake - Omit the chocolate syrup and enjoy a vanilla almond shake.
• Banana Shake - Add frozen banana chunks and more liquid almond milk for a tasty banana shake.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake - Add a tablespoon of peanut butter with either chocolate syrup or banana - or both!
• Oreo Shake - Crumble a few Oreos in after blending almond milk, with or without chocolate syrup, and pulse a few times to distribute cookies throughout.  We also like our Oreo shakes with coffee instead of additional almond milk.  (Kinnickinnick's KinniTOOS are gluten free, dairy free, and fabulous.)
• Mix in your favorite candy pieces or fruit - the possibilities are endless!

Easy, Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

You'll need a fork to eat these soft, moist rolls, since the texture (and taste) is reminiscent of coffee cake.  I modified a non-GF biscuit recipe that only calls for two ingredients to come up with these yummy rolls that can be thrown together in a snap.  Plus, they don't require cutting in shortening - one of my least favorite baking tasks - so they're a winner when it comes to easy/lazy baking.  The almond meal in the baking mix and almond milk provide a pleasant flavor nuance without screaming, "I taste like almonds!"

1 3/4 c. Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix, divided
1 c. heavy whipping cream
Butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon for filling

Glaze:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 T. milk (I used Silk Original Almond Milk)
1/8 tsp. vanilla (or add more to taste if not using almond milk)

Combine 1 1/2 c. baking mix and 1 c. whipping cream in a bowl.  Stir together until a stiff batter forms.  Sprinkle remaining baking mix on a clean surface and knead dough 10 times, until most of the flour is incorporated and dough is easy to work with.  Shape into a 6-in. log.

Roll out dough until it is roughly the size of a piece of paper and about 1/4 in. thick.  Spread with a generous amount of softened butter (I used Land O Lakes spreadable butter with canola oil).  Sprinkle brown sugar over top and smooth until the surface is covered, leaving 1/4 in. from the edge uncovered.  Sprinkle cinnamon over top.

Carefully roll up lengthwise, pinching together any gaps in dough.  Cut into 6 rolls and place in a round baking dish.  (Place 5 in the outer circle, about 1/2 in. from the edge, and 1 in the center.)  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

While rolls cool for a few minutes, mix together the glaze ingredients.  Drizzle glaze over top of rolls and serve warm to your husband who is clapping like a little child who's just been told he's going to Disneyland.  

Peanut Butter Cup Mud Pie - Gluten Free!

This ice cream pie is my signature summer dessert.  Since I originally used Oreos for the crust, I was delighted to discover KinniToos, Kinnickinnick's gluten free version of Oreos.  (I've tried other GF sandwich cookies, but Kinnickinnick's are the best.)  I used to make this in a 9"x13" pan for family gatherings, but given the expense of gluten free cookies, I've scaled my recipe back to a pie size.  The portions may be smaller, but for peanut butter and chocolate lovers like me, it's a little slice of heaven!

1 box Breyer's French Vanilla ice cream (you won't use the whole box)
15 KinniToos cookies or Oreos
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 of an 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip (or make real whipped cream)
6 Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, each chopped into 12 chunks
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Set out ice cream to soften a little while you make the crust.  In a mixing bowl, crumble the cookies into about 8 pieces per cookie.  Do this by hand so you have big chunks, rather than smashing them into crumbs.  (This is a good job for little kitchen helpers.)  Mix in the peanut butter, adding more if necessary, until the cookies are glued together by the peanut butter.  (I use a wooden spoon and crunch the cookies a little as I'm mixing.)  Spread mixture evenly in a pie pan until the entire bottom is covered.  The crust will not go up the side.

Using an ice cream scoop, drop 6 mounds of ice cream in a circle on top of the crust.  Drop one more mound in the center.  Using a spatula or the back of a large spoon, carefully spread the ice cream to fill in the gaps until the crust is completely covered.  Drizzle chocolate syrup over top in a spiral, covering most of the ice cream.  Sprinkle 2 chopped peanut butter cups over top, and freeze for 1 hour to harden a little.   

Using a large spoon (or the ice cream scoop filled 1/4 full), scrape small sections of ice cream from the box and lay on top of pie.  Scoop out enough small, thin sections to cover the whole pie, then carefully smooth together and press down.  Cover with a thin layer of whipped topping to give the pie a nice, finished look.  Freeze at least 2 hrs.

When ready to serve, top each slice of pie with remaining chopped peanut butter cups, about 1 peanut butter cup per 2 pieces of pie.  (I don't put these on before freezing because the peanut butter cups taste better and are softer when they're not frozen.)  For maximum flavor and presentation, drizzle each plated slice with a zigzag of chocolate syrup, extending over the edge of the pie and onto the plate.

Dairy Free Mud Pie:
To make a non-dairy mud pie, you can still use the same crust, since KinniToos are dairy free.  Use your favorite dairy free ice cream (we like So Delicious vanilla ice cream made with soy milk).  Instead of peanut butter cups, use a teaspoon to drop tiny mounds of peanut butter on the chocolate syrup layer (Hershey's syrup is dairy free).  Sprinkle with Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips (also dairy free).  Omit whipped topping and just smooth the top layer of ice cream.  When ready to serve, sprinkle with more chocolate chips (and chopped peanuts, if you'd like more peanut flavor).