Ambitious Kitchen Tahini Brownies - GF and fabulous!

I am still enjoying cooking and baking with Tahini and trying new things.  This recipe was on the Soom (my favorite tahini) website and I have been eager to make it.  Trust me - it doesn't disappoint.  Even better, these brownies are gluten free, grain free, and have no refined sugar (if you don't count the chocolate chips!)  These are delicious on their own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  Major YUM!  I will be making these often!


AMBITIOUS KITCHEN'S TAHINI BROWNIES
adapted from Soom Foods

1/2 c. Chocolate Tahini
1/2 c. Tahini
1/3 c. coconut sugar
3 T. vanilla infused maple syrup (regular pure maple syrup is fine)
1 t. vanilla bean paste
2 eggs
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T. coconut flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the chocolate tahini, regular tahini, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla bean paste and eggs until smooth.

Gently fold in the cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking soda and salt until combined.  The batter will be thick.  Finally, fold in the dark chocolate chips until they are well distributed.

Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for 23-26 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.

Cool the brownies completely on a wire rack before cutting.  Enjoy!

Makes 16 bars



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Mocha Muffins - healthy!

This is a really healthy way to start your day with chocolate. You will notice that the only sugar in this recipe is honey (and the dark chocolate chunks but that doesn't count!)  These are so moist and delicious - you will love them!

MOCHA MUFFINS

adapted from Easy Flourless Muffins, Bars & Cookies by Amanda Drodzd

1 c. almond flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 T. instant espresso powder
2 T. ground golden flaxseed
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 large eggs
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. almond butter
6 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (I use Mexican vanilla for anything that has a chocolate base)
1/2 c. coarsely chopped dark chocolate chunks (about a 3 oz bar)

Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare a muffin pan by lining with parchment paper baking cups.  Set aside.

Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix well.  Add the eggs, applesauce, almond butter, honey and the vanilla extract.  Beat well on high for about a minute until things are well blended.  Fold in the dark chocolate chunks .

Fill the lined muffin cups with batter (I like to use an ice cream scoop - it keeps it neat and makes the muffins more uniform) and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted ni the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to finish cooling.  These freeze really well too!!

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Dark Chocolate Raspberry Muffins - gluten free and no processed sugar!

These are so good and so moist and made even better because they have no processed sugar.  I have made these several times and they are delicious every single time.  There is nothing like the combination of raspberries and chocolate -  YUM!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
adapted from Easy Flourless Muffins, Bars and Cookies by Amanda Drozdz

1 c. almond flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T. ground golden flaxseed
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs, large
1/4 c. (72 g) unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. almond butter (I like the Bare brand with no additives)
6 T. raw honey
1 T. vanilla extract (if you have Mexican vanilla, it enhances the flavor of the chocolate)
1 c. raspberries, fresh if you have them, but frozen works as well
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with parchment liners.  Set aside.

Mix the almond flour, cocoa powder, ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender and pulse a few times until all of the ingredients are mixed well.

Pour this mixture into a medium bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients except the chocolate and raspberries.  Blend with a hand mixer on medium speed for about 39 seconds or until creamy and smooth.  Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure all of the ingredients are well blended.

Fold in the raspberries and chopped chocolate or chocolate chips just until mixed.  Using an ice cream scoop, fill the lined muffin cups with one scoop of batter. They should be about 3/4 full each.

Bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean.  Let the muffins cook in the pan for 10 minutes, and the place on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

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Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins - gluten free and delicious for all!

I am still totally committed to the idea that anything with fruit or a veggie in it can be called healthy - or at least "healthier"!  These zucchini muffins have added "good for you" qualities because they incorporate oat flour, honey (no refined sugar), and pure almond butter.  And the chocolate used is dark chocolate so even that is good!  with the dark chocolate and honey, they are just sweet enough and are also wonderfully moist.  You will want to make these again... and again....

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

adapted from Easy Flourless Muffins, Bars and Cookies

1 1/2 c. rolled oats

3 T. ground golden flaxseed

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t.salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 c. whole milk

6 T. almond butter  (I like the BARE brand)

6 T. raw clover honey

1 T. Mexican vanilla extract (Mexican vanilla highlights the chocolate)

1 c. shredded zucchini (squeezed in paper towels to remove excess moisture)

1/2-3/4 c. dark chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips or a combination

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a muffin pan with parchment liners and set aside.

In a high speed blender, place the oats, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Blend on high for about 20 second or until the oats are broken down into a flour.

In a separate bowl, mix all of the remaining ingredients except the zucchini and chocolate chips.  Add the blended flour ingredients and mix again just until blended - about 20 seconds on the medium speed of a mixer.  Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips with a spatula.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each lined muffin cup with the batter (the ice cream scoop gives the perfect amount for 12 muffins).  They should be about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes clean.  Remove from the oven and let sit in the tin for 10 minutes. Then remove from the tin and finish cooling on a wire rack.

These keep very well and also freeze well, if they last that long!

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"Cake" and Ice Cream Treat - gluten free!

There is nothing earth shattering about this recipe.  People have been putting ice cream on cake for decades - maybe even centuries!  Why not?!?  And substituting a brownie for cake is not a new idea either.  But.....you knew there was a "but" coming....... making a gluten free chewy brownie that is the most delicious thing ever on its own, and THEN topping it with homemade ice cream is indeed a wonderful .

These brownies are so good - even if you are not gluten free, you will love them.  They have NO flour in them at all, and no refined sugar.  So how could they be good?  Well I don't know, but they are!  My neighbors are my taste testers and they said these are the best brownies they have EVER had.  Seriously - the BEST EVER!!!!  I was so delighted.

So they are delicious AND good for you - a real success in my book!  These turned out a bit thin because they needed to bake in an 8x8" pan and all I had was a 9" square - but even that did not diminish the flavor - they are just a little on the skinny side!

After I passed out samples, I packaged the rest and put them in the fridge - and quite honestly forgot about them.  I know - it's hard to imagine but I did....that is until tonight.  I decided to send dessert to one of my neighbors, so I put one of the brownies in a glass custard cup, topped it with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, and drizzled slightly warmed Trader Joe's caramel sauce over the top. It looked beautiful and it was enjoyed with rave reviews.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEWY BROWNIES
adapted from Easy Flourless Muffins, Bars & Cookies

6 T. coconut oil
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips (I used about 50/50 of each)
2 large eggs
2/3 c. coconut sugar (133 g)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. unsweetened cacao powder (you can use cocoa powder (20 g)
3 T. arrowroot powder (21 g)
1/4 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 and line an  8 x 8" square pan* with foil with two sheets of foil (one on top of the other forming a +) so the brownies can easily be removed when done.  Grease the foil with coconut oil or cooking spray (I like the coconut oil cooking spray!)

Place the coconut oil and chocolate into a small saucepan and heat over low heat until they wre melted.  Stir continuously so the chocolate doesn't burn.  When melted, remove from the heat. to cool slightly.

Beat together the eggs, coconut sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes smooth and pale.  Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.  Reduce the speed to low and add the cacao powder, arrowroot powder and salt, mixing until well combined and scraping down the sides as needed.  The batter will be thick and smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a greased spatula.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely..  Store the brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer.

And remember, you can get creative with these brownies and add your favorite ice cream on top to make them a special occasion.  And let's face it - every day is worth celebrating, right?!!?

*I didn't have the correct size pan at the time, so used a 9 x 9" pan following all of the directions. The brownies came out delicious, they were just really thin.  Next time I will be prepared! :)

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Almond Flour Pizza Dough on the Grill!

Making grain free pizza just got easier with the Simple Mills Pizza Crust Mix.  I have several of their mixes in my pantry and this is the first one I have tried and I am so glad I did. It was excellent.

This is the dough before it is baked on the grill (or in the oven).

The box makes 2 - eight inch pizzas.  I followed the package directions and parbaked them first on the grill at about 350, then added the toppings and baked for close to 15 minutes as they were a bit heavy on the toppings (I seem to get a bit carried away when it comes to adorning my pizza!! :)

I had two sets of toppings for these 8 inch wonders.  The first was pizza sauce (just a little - I don't like a lot of sauce!), parmesan cheese, sauteed sliced red pepers, mozzarella cheese.  After baking I added a little more parmesan along with chopped fresh basil.

Roasted red pepper and cheese pizza

The second one had pizza sauce, uncured natural pepperoni slices, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.  So simple and so delicious.

Pepperonii and cheese pizza

No "grain-free" or "gluten-free" crust is going to taste as wonderful as "regular" gluten flour bread pizza crusts, but this was actually a better than expected alternative.  The toppings were so good that the "different" crust didn't matter as much - and it was honestly tasty.

I will continue my experimentation, but it's nice to know I have something reliable to fall back on as needed when that pizza craving hits! Pin It Now!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins - Grain Free

So this was one of my first ventures into grain free baking.  There is definitely a learning curve because batters are "wetter" and I just have no comfort level for what it "should" look like. And they can be a little more work because there is usually a second flour to balance the almond flour and additional baking soda to help with the rise.

Even though I have had some epic baking failures, the successes make it worth the effort.  And one of the big surprises for me is that I have not missed the sugar.  I am a bit amazed at what a good job the honey does to sweeten the recipes I have tried, yet I cannot tell that the sweetener is honey - the flavor does not overpower but blends with the ingredients.  I am eager to learn more, bake more, and have a lot more successes to share!  This one is a keeper!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

adapted from The Nourishing Home

2 c. blanched almond flour

2 1/2 t. poppy seeds

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. sea salt (I used Real Salt)

3 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. lemon zest

3 t. whole coconut milk

1/4 c. raw honey (I use clover or wildflower)

1 t. almond extract

1 T. coconut flour

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 315 (that is not a typo - 315 is the temperature she uses for many of her recipes and since I am definitely learning, I am not about to change it...yet!) Line 8 of the muffins cups with parchment liners.  I use the "If You Care" large baking cups.  I love them - they don't stick to any kind of baked goods. They are wonderful.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the almond flour, poppy seeds, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, coconut milk, honey, almond extract, and coconut flour. Whisk until well blended.  Add the two eggs and whisk again until mixed well.

Add the almond flour mixture to the wet mixture and gently whisk, just until combined.  Do not overmix. Fill the 8 lined muffin cups evenly with the batter.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes clean and the muffin edges are lightly browned.  Cool in the pan for about 3 minutes and then finish cooling on a wire rack or serve immediately. They are delicious warm.

The muffins are a little smaller and the texture is different, but there is still

a nice crumb and the flavor was wonderful.  ENJOY!

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