Gluten-free brownie-cookie, ice-cream sandwiches...oh my!

Cookies with vanilla ice cream and chips.

Cookies in their lovely, chocolaty goodness...

My daughter decided to make dessert tonight! Oh my, so yummy. She's making me so proud as a young teenager with a talent for cooking and creativity. Using the Betty Crocker GF Brownie mix, she added a tsp of vanilla, 2 TBS of coconut oil and 2 eggs. Instead of making brownies, she put them in scoops on parchment paper and made cookies. (They spread a lot, so start with small scoops.) Oh my, if she left it at that it would have been tremendous. It's like eating the yummy, crunchy ends of the brownie in each bite. But then she added vanilla ice cream in between two of them and rolled it in Enjoy Life GF chocolate chips. Could there be anything better? I think not, you be the judge. Don't you just want to dive into this? I did (and another one, I admit it!)

Give it a shot. Any GF eater, and especially any GF youngster, will love you forever for this.

Enjoy!

A Gluten-free Tea Party for Big Girls

Don't you just want to dive in there?

I was invited to a tea party by a dear friend recently. Normally, I turn those down since all those goodies are off limits to me and it can be quite depressing. I don't mind spending time with friends over tea, but it breaks my heart sometimes when a lovely affair is catered and I'm munching on fruit. But this time it was different. I wouldn't have to turn it down, I wouldn't have to pass on dessert, and as a matter of fact, I would have to refrain from eating too much. Surprise, surprise...everything was gluten free and fabulous.



And not only were all the treats GF, but the little finger sandwiches made by the adorable husband of my friend were made using Udi's bread. Yum! Top that off with every attention to detail in the design of the room down to the amazingly beautiful Ikebana flower arrangements keeping the theme of blue and yellow throughout their lovely home.

Lovely flowers

Crispy, light sugar cookies

 The party was catered by Angela Saban of Angel Cakes Bakery. Wow! It is very unusual for me to be speechless, but I couldn't find the words to express how delighted I was at everything I tried. Excuse me while I take a few minutes to gush...

Finger sandwiches with arugula and egg...yum!
(Thanks Chris)

Luscious lemon tarts

There were lovely, light and crispy sugar cookies tied in sweet blue ribbons. Along with those were luscious and delicate lemon tarts in a GF crust that was flaky and buttery, just like grandma used to make. Perfect little bites of lemon creme and topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

 

My favorites would have to be the little vanilla cakes with whipped cream icing and fresh fruit. The cake was so light and fluffy, I could have eaten the entire plate and not felt full (I tried, but darn it there were other people who wanted some.)

Little cakes with whipped cream frosting...oh I still dream about these.

The centerpiece of the table was a beautiful chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling. I didn't know if I even wanted to eat it, it was that beautiful. Even the flower on top was made of sugar...But I found the courage and couldn't help myself. The cake was just as I remember a chocolate cake was supposed to be. Light, chocolaty, moist and not too sweet filled with a chocolate mousse filling that I would have eaten out of a bowl if they let me. The cake was decorated with an elegant, simple style and looked more like a piece of art than food. But then again, we eat first with our eyes, right?

Thanks again to my dear friend, Elba, for such a wonderful time, as always....and to Angela Saban for making this one of the best tea parties I've ever been to. This topped any tea party the Mad Hatter or Alice ever attended! Any time I need something catered, it will be by Angela for sure. Her passion is obviously making GF treats that taste like we remember them, not like we have learned to accept them. Thanks Angela!

Udi's does it again with multi-grain bread

The box contained two kinds of bread and cookies!

 

 

 

 

 

I was recently lucky enough to receive a shipment from Udi's with a few products that have yet to be released in my neck of the woods. Imagine my excitement to find Millet-Chia bread and Omega-Salba bread, not to mention snickerdoodles and chocolate-chip cookies! Daughter and I wasted no time diving in to the box. We even had GF friends visiting and they helped us with our taste test.

Millet-Chia Ancient Grains Bread

We tried each bread straight out of the bag and then toasted with a little butter. First the Millet-Chia bread, which was soft and filled with seeds. It had a hearty, nutty flavor and a soft texture that worked straight out of the bag. Even toasted, it held up well. I would make a sandwich on this bread without toasting, it doesn't need it. The seeds give it a crunchy texture that works well with cheese and soft fillings as well as crunchier fillings. The flavor is like a soft multi-grain with sunflower seeds and chia seeds. Yummy! The wonderful thing about this bread is it packs a whopping 5 grams of protein in two slices. Among the usual ingredients, this bread has millet seed, sunflower oil, chia seeds and pea protein.

Omega-Salba Ancient Grain Bread

Next up, the Omega-Salba (which is another word for chia, don't ask my why it's different on this one). This bread also packs the 5 grams of protein in two slices, which is nice. This one is a little more dense and firm and toasts beautifully. With a firmer texture, it feels like the multi-grain bread I remember from my non-GF days. It contains flax seed, GF oats and chia seeds. I recommend toasting this one since it has a great texture and consistency for toasting. Everyone agreed this one was a little more like the old multi-grains we remember.

Soft and chewy snickerdoodles

Chocolate Chip Cookies

The cookies are more like eating cookie dough before you bake it. This used to be something I loved to do back in my non-GF days, so I'm not complaining. Although I prefer a crispier cookie, these will do in a pinch. I'm thinking they may be better if I just pop them in the oven for a few minutes, but I haven't tried that yet. The flavor are great. The snickerdoodle has just the right cinnamon/sugar ratio and the chocolate chip has a lot of chips (I hate a cookie skimpy on the chips!)

If I was heading back to spend my money, it would be on the bread, although I highly recommend trying them all. Udi's just gets better and better in my book and I'm so grateful they are around.

Note: Udi's provided these products to me at no charge, but I would gladly have paid for them if they didn't. As you all know, I rely on Udi's and have reviewed many of their products, none of which were provided by the company. Check out my review of the hot dog/hamburger buns and the awesome bagels.

A real bun is a thing of beauty!

Udi's Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns

While shopping at Sprout's this morning, I came across Udi's hamburger and hot dog buns. At a fabulous sale price, I couldn't resist. Daughter and I went right home and made a Tofu Pup and Sunshine Burger, topped on a toasted bun of each and split them both. Yes, we were that excited. Live without a real bun for 8 years and tell me if you get excited when you see one you can eat.

Oh my gosh, I closed my eyes and ignored the Tater Tots on the plate...yes, they were that good. The most wonderful thing about these is the texture. Crispy on the outside after toasting, soft and chewy on the inside, just like a bun should be. It holds together, does not fall apart and has a wonderful taste and brings the familiar "bite" of a burger on a bun. We used Sunshine Burgers and Tofu Pups since they are the only vegetarian/gluten-free options we've found that are great tasting and healthy. We just tossed the buns on the grill with the burger and pup, but I'm sure they would be fine in the oven or even the toaster, although the hot dog bun might be a little too long.

We topped the Sunshine Burger with a little Swiss cheese, and put a bit of relish on the Tofu Pup...no need to overdo it. We were eager to taste the buns more than condiments. Bottom line - I've stocked my freezer and will be heading back for more at the sale price to make sure Memorial Day and the BBQ will be fantastic. I'm already spinning ideas on what else can be done with the buns...garlic bread, eggplant parmigiana sandwiches, etc. What ideas do you have? Let me know.

We used the white-bread version of both, although there were whole-grain versions also. That review will have to wait till we finish these. But if they are anything like these, we'll be finishing them up very soon!

Enjoy!

(Note: I am not compensated in any way by Udi's Gluten Free, or Sprout's Farmers Market. I paid for the buns and will do so again. Of course, if Udi's wanted to send any new products to me for review in the future, I would be happy to oblige!)

Grain-free, gluten-free, peanut-butter cookies

Gluten-free and grain-free, and yummy!

I've been making these cookies for years now since I found out how easy they were. Recently, a friend told me her son is supposed to be completely grain free. Yowza! That sounds so difficult. At 5 years old, how do you tell him he can't have a cookie anymore? So I remembered how easy these peanut-butter cookies were and promptly whipped up a batch. I added chocolate chips (Enjoy Life, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free chips) to 1/2 the batch, just for fun.

Add a few chips on top for fun

These are creamy, nutty and crumble just the right amount, just like a cookie. They are also amazingly easy and quick to make. You probably have everything already. That's what I love about them, if all else fails...make some cookies in a jif (oops, peanut butter pun unintended!) This recipe is all over the web in a few different varieties. Some have more eggs, some have less sugar. It's really up to your particular taste. Make them according to the directions the first time, then tweak them any way you like. I prefer to add a little crunchy peanut butter to get peanuts in there, some people prefer to make it all creamy. Your call...

Peanut-butter cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (try to use the most natural kind as possible)
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar (plus about 3 TBS)
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix all ingredients except for the 3 Tbs reserved sugar. If you want chocolate chips in the cookies, add about 1/4 cup now.

3. Roll cookie mixture into small balls, using a little less than a tablespoon each time. Make sure they are all consistent in size to be sure they cook evenly.

4. Roll each cookie in the reserved sugar and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Using a fork, press down on each cookie to make the traditional hash marks.

5. If you're using just a few chocolate chips, press them into the top now.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack.

These are crunchy and oh so yummy. They are also great to bring to a party or cookie exchange, just remember to make sure the little ones don't have peanut allergies, of course.

Enjoy!