Flourless Chocolate Cookies

A friend of mine just had her first baby, so I offered to make her dinner one night. Enter the tricky problem, she has a gluten allergy and cannot eat pretty much most of my good recipes. Well I headed to Trader Joe's because their aisle are full of gluten free products. Dinner was planned, but I had to include a dessert, that's the best part. Luckily while I was visiting in Utah I was browsing a magazine and came across this recipe for flour less chocolate cookies. I went ahead and made them and guess what?! They are yummy! I really enjoyed them. The only problem was I put the dough on wax paper and they stuck, horribly stuck to the wax paper. My suggestion, grease the cookie sheet and skip the wax paper.


3 c powder sugar
2/3 c Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 t coarse salt
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 c chopped nuts

preheat oven to 325. in a large bowl whisk together sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Add egg whites and stir just until incorporated (do not over mix). Drop dough onto two parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my favorite things to make is chocolate chip cookies. I always use the Nestle Tollhouse recipe but I make my own adjustments to what I think will make them better. So far I've discovered using half butter (real, unsalted butter) and half shortening plus a teaspoon of baking powder. Ever since I was younger and made cookies for my brother I was always on a mission to have the best chocolate chip cookies. This time around I made it with three types of chocolate chips; semi-sweet, white, and milk chocolate. They turned out really good! Everyone who likes a different type of chocolate will be satisfied with one cookie.
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 c butter, softened (very important it's only soft)
1/2 c shortening
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c milk chocolate chips
1/4 c white chocolate chips
1/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (or you can do it in any variation, we prefer milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 375 and spray cookie sheets with cooking oil. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl beat butter, shortening, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoon. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

For High Altitude: Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 t water to flour and reduce both sugars to 2/3 cup each.

*You can wrap dough in plastic wrap and then again in foil and freeze. Then let thaw to make cookies for another day.

Special K Cookies

Once a month at my husband's work they have a Friday Birthday treat day. Every other month my husband brings treats. Well at about 9:00 at night the night before he tells me he needs to so he throws some frozen cookie dough in the oven, forgets to set the timer and burns them. It's now 9:30 and we still need to whip something up and all I can think about it taking a shower and going to bed. Then I remembered I had a box of Special K cereal in storage and some peanut butter. My Mom would always make these cookies. They are delicious and incredibly easy to make.


1/2 c sugar
1 c corn syrup
1 c brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c peanut butter
5 c Special K cereal

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Add vanilla and peanut butter and blend together until smooth. In a large mixing bowl mix the peanut butter mixture with the cereal until cereal is covered. Lay out wax paper and drop scoops of peanut butter cereal in tablespoon sizes. Let cool and they will become firm. Enjoy!

Cupcake Bites

A while back I was talking with my sister in law and she was telling me about these cupcake bites her friend gave as wedding favors. She was there to help and told me about how you do it. Well I was intrigued by this concept. Cake rolled into balls and coated with candy? That must be good. And how hard could it be? So I set out for the challenge and I found the exact recipe. Since it's July 4th and we have a BBQ to attend I'll break them out there and impress. Let me tell you it's pretty easy, except when it comes to the dipping the cake in a candy coating and getting it to look seamless. Needless they turned out pretty good. I used vanilla flavored candy melts, but I'm sure chocolate flavored would taste yummy.1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13x9 cake)
1 16 oz can frosting
1-3 pkg candy melts (Micheal's or any craft store carries this, it's by Wilton), it's for the cupcake bottoms and coating
Candy Cup mold


After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl. (The texture should be fine/fluffy).
Using a spoon mix thoroughly with frosting. Roll mixture into quarter size balls (make sure they are smaller in diameter than that of your candy molds) and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Chill in freezer for a few minutes, until slightly firm, but NOT frozen. Melt one color of candy melts in microwave, according to package directions.


Using a frosting bag squeeze each mold cavity about half way. Place one of rolled balls into it until the force causes the candy to push up and fill around the sides of the ball. Stop pushing once the chocolate reaches the top edge.


Place the mold tray filled with cupcakes in the freezer for a few minutes to let the candy set. Remove and then gently pull on the cake ball top to release from candy mold. Holding the bottom of the cupcake, dip the top into another color of melted candy. Decorate if you want. Enjoy!

Chewy Caramel Popcorn

The other day I was having a conversation about caramel popcorn with my friend and we were both wanting it right then. Well we never made it. So I jumped at the opportunity to make it for a ladies night I attended. It was a "Chicks & Chocolate" theme but I decided someone is going to want caramel too. Besides caramel and chocolate go together, second in line to peanut butter and chocolate. I got this recipe back in a foods class from high school and it is the best one I've ever had. I don't like hard caramel popcorn, but this is chewy and so good. There was a ton left over so I've been munching on it, which can't be good for my semi-diet I'm on.

1 3 oz microwave popcorn (I used butter, but I'm sure it would taste good with extra butter or air pop 4 cups)
3/4 c brown sugar
6 T margarine
2 T light corn syrup
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t vanilla

Pop popcorn according to directions. In a saucepan combine brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup and salt and melt. Bring to a boil, stir constantly. Let sit on heat for 5 minutes. Take off heat and add baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn. Let cool. Enjoy!

Sour Cream & Blueberry Pound Cake

Blueberries are a "super food", or rather any berry is. They can reduce your odds of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and are full of anti-oxidants, hence why they can reduce cancer odds. It's important to eat them regularly, frozen or fresh are the best. I found this recipe from the lovely Martha Stewart. (Okay maybe not lovely but she does have some cool stuff). It fulfills your need for "super food" and your sweet tooth. And when I say pound cake a slice is all you need because it really does feel like you are eating a pound. So make sure you share!

3 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 T salt
3 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 c sour cream
2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
9 eggs
1 c blueberries
1 T flour

Preheat oven to 325. Butter two 5x9 loaf pans. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cream butter, sour cream and sugar with a mixer on high until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Reduce speed and add vanilla. Lightly beat eggs and add in four additions, mixing thoroughly after each. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in four additions mixing until just incorporated. Add 1 T flour and blueberries and blend. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops. Bake for 65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 30 minutes. Makes 2 cakes.

Cinnamon Rolls

My husband is a huge fan of cinnamon rolls. Almost every Sunday he requests them, but they do take some time to make. I finally broke down and made them. I chose to do a different recipe and they turned out so much better. One is more than enough, but it's a nice indulgence. The recipe calls to make the dough in a bread machine, which I did, but I did find how to make the dough without a bread machine.


Dough
1 c warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 c margarine, melted
5 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
1/2 c white sugar
1 pkg yeast

Filling
1 c brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 T cinnamon
1/3 c butter, melted

Icing
1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/8 t salt

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. WITHOUT BREAD MACHINE:Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. After dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into a 16x21 rectangle (does not need to be perfect). Pour melted butter over dough then evenly sprinkle brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll dough and cut into rolls using thread. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled (I skipped this step because my rolls were already big). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake rolls in oven until golden brown or about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls. Serves 12.