Rocky Road Cups

A cup of gooey marshmallows and chopped almonds in divine chocolate. Super easy to make and super good to eat!

Makes 3 dozen cups




Ingredients:
4 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/3 cup almonds

Directions:
1. Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside
2. In a Cuisinart, chop almonds until they are as small as you like. I left my in little slivers because I like some crunch.
3. Melt all the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second increments, stirring after each burst.
4. Combine the melted chocolate, marshmallows, and almonds together.
5. Drop bits of the chocolate mixture into the prepared muffin pan by the tablespoon.
6. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chocolate is hardened. 

Black and White Cupcakes (gluten free)

GF chocolate cupcakes dipped in ganache with some coconut butter cream and coconut shavings to top it off. They aren't as complicated as they sound :) Makes 16 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup can sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1 cup warm coffee
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

Chocolate Ganache:
6 oz chocolate, can be chocolate chips or even hershey dark chocolate bars
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Coconut butter cream:
1/2 cup of coconut plus 1/2 cup extra for sprinkling on top
1 stick of butter-room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with 16 liners
2.To make the chocolate cupcakes, place all of the cake ingredients in a large bowl. Mix for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, plop the batter into the prepared baking cups. Bake for 16-18 minutes
4. While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the ganache. Put the chocolate pieces or chips in a medium bowl. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate pieces and mix until the chocolate is melted and incorporated. Let sit for 20-30 minutes
5. Next. make the butter cream. In another medium bowl, beat the butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Do not over beat, just until smooth and incorporated. Add 1/2 cup of coconut flakes into the butter cream. Beat for 30 seconds.
6. Have the other 1/2 cup of coconut flakes in a small bowl ready for dipping
7. When cupcakes are completely cooled, dip and swirl the tops in ganache.
8. Pipe a tablespoon of butter cream on top of ganache.
9. Dip cupcakes in coconut flakes and gently push the coconut flakes into the butter cream.
10. Ready for eating! They are really light and fluffy.

Fabu Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free)

Fabu Chocolate Chip Cookies from my last post but modified to be gluten free. They are so delicious and fluffier than the cookies with wheat flour. Gluten Free never tasted so good!


Absolutely fabulous chocolate chip cookes modified from the New York Times recipe

Time: 45 minutes, plus at least 24 hours' chilling
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks of butter at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces Baker's chocolate squares- I used 2oz white chocolate, 4 oz unsweetened, 4 oz semi sweet chocolate.

Directions:
1. Chop Baker's chocolate into small chunks.Combine the different chocolates in a bowl and set aside.
2. Sift gluten free flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars together uintil very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
4. Take out 10-15 minutes before baking so the dough gets soft enough to make into balls. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a couple of tablespoons or small ice cream scoop, drop dough balls onto sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown but still soft. Let sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to wire rack or plate.

Fabu Chocolate Chip Cookies (Regular)

Absolutely fabulous chocolate chip cookes modified from the New York Times recipe

Time: 45 minutes, plus at least 24 hours' chilling
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/3 wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks of butter at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces Baker's chocolate squares- I used 2oz white chocolate, 4 oz unsweetened, 4 oz semi sweet chocolate.

Directions:
1. Chop Baker's chocolate into small chunks.Combine the different chocolates in a bowl and set aside.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars together uintil very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
4. Take out 10-15 minutes before baking so the dough gets soft enough to make into balls. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a couple of tablespoons or small ice cream scoop, drop dough balls onto sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes until golden brown but still soft. Let sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to wire rack or plate.
5. Eat Up!

My Gluten Free Journey

I started baking when I was 12 and dreamed of becoming a famous pastry chef. In January of this year, I got pretty sick. I lost a lot of weight and didn't have enough energy to make it through a school day. We went to the doctor and found out that I am gluten, dairy, and red meat intolerant. That meant that for the rest of my life, I can not eat flour, milk, or butter which are the main ingredients in baked goods. I thought that my baking dreams were over. Boy was I wrong! Becoming gluten free only fueled my baking dreams. I had to experiment with what flours work well together and the different substitutions needed when baking gluten and dairy free. I also had to learn how to tell if a "regular" batter was made correctly and tasted good without actually tasting it. That was hard at first but you can tell by the texture and smell and how it rises in the oven. Becoming gluten free expanded my horizons of baking and has made me a better baker.

                               Any negative can be made a positive,
                                                    Raina

Little Monster Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
- 12 vanilla cupcakes baked in orange, green, and purple paper
- 12 mini vanilla cupcakes, paper liners removed
- 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
- Neon green, orange, and purple food coloring
- 24 mini lollipops (Dum Dums), unwrapped
- 24 peach or green apple gummy rings (O’s)
- 24 brown mini candy coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
- 12 assorted color candy-coated chocolates (M&M’s Minis)
Directions:
1. Spoon 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting into a small ziplock bag. Divide the remaining vanilla frosting among three bowls and tint each a different color with the food coloring. Spoon each color of frosting into a separate ziplock bag, press out the excess air, and seal the bags.
2. Insert a lollipop stick through a gummy ring, pushing it through the candy from the center to outer edge. Bring the gummy ring up around the lollipop, like a bonnet, to make the eyes. Continue with the remaining gummy rings and lollipops.
3. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frostings. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Starting at the edge of the standard cupcake and using the tinted frosting, pipe furn with a squeeze-release-pull action. Continue until the entire exposed cupcake assembly is covered. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes and colored frosting.
4. Insert 2 like-colored lollipop eyes into the top of each cupcake assembly. Pipe a dot of vanilla frosting in the center of each lollipop and add a brown candy for the pupil. Add a colored candy to the top of the frosting for the nose. Repeat with the remaining lollipop eyes and cupcakes.
*****
STRING MONSTER VARIATION:
Follow steps 1 and 2 above. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bags with the frosting. Pipe a dot of tinted frosting on top of the standard cupcakes. Place a mini cupcake on top, flat side down. Pipe the tinted frosting all over the cupcakes to make the string, making sure to cover cupcakes completely. Continue with step 4 above.
*****

recipe from what's new cupcake book

Lemon Bars

 

Serves 16
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 45 min





Ingredients
Crust:
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature

Filling:
4 eggs
2 Cups granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 pan or 10 by 10 inch pan.
To make the crust, combining the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter to make a crumbly mixture. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
While that is baking, make the filling. Mix the eggs, granulated sugar, flour, and lemon juice. This mixture may separate if you let it sit so just mix it again right before you pour it. Pour the filling over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes longer. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when the bars are done.