Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

A few months ago when my parents came to visit my mom made us a big batch of monster cookies. I couldn't believe how delicious they were... especially because they were flourless! I asked her for the recipe and altered it a bit so that the cookies baked better here in Utah (the altitude is an issue with lots of recipes). For some reason hers came out a tad bit flat and fell apart, not that I minded... I gobbled them up in just a few days! I mean what's not to love about peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips and M&M's?! Some my adjustments included adding quick cooking oats to help "glue" the cookies together, an extra egg yolk to create a thicker/chewier cookie, slightly less butter to prevent them from spreading, and letting the dough chill to allow the oats to absorb some moisture. All of my little tricks worked- they came out looking beautiful and tasting just as good as the ones she made :) I seriously would make these cookies on a daily basis if I could, they're that amazing!!! Happy gluten-free baking!

Gluten-Free Monster Cookies

Ingredients

2¼c. old-fashioned oats*
¼ c. quick cooking oats
½ c. sugar

½ c. brown sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1/3 c. (¾ of a stick) butter, room temperature

¾ c. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

¾ tsp. vanilla

½ c. chocolate M&Ms 

½ c. chocolate chips

½ c. peanut butter chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla. With mixing speed on low, add one egg at a time, mixing until incorporated. 

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine oats, baking soda and salt. Whisk together. With mixing speed on low, add dry ingredients, mix until combined. Remove bowl from stand and fold in M&Ms, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Place dough in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop cookies onto the prepared sheets using a standard size scoop, gently pat down to slightly flatten. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes (they will look soft) before removing from oven. Allow to cool on sheets for 3 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTE: DO NOT SKIP parchment or a mat... seriously, it really is a key part to making these cookies bake perfectly! Also be gentle with the cookies when you are transferring them to the rack to cool, they will probably break apart a little, but just push them back together and let them cool for a good hour or so and they'll be firm and sturdy!

*Please make sure that your oats are gluten-free. Bob's Red Mill Oats are gluten-free, Quaker Oats are not guaranteed to be gluten-free.

Life Made Simple family recipe adapted from The Amish Cook's Baking Book | Makes 24 standard size cookies

Nut Lovers Rocky Road

Rocky road is one of my go-to recipes! We make it for ourselves and to take to parties & activities. The thing I love the most about it is how easy and delicious it is! It comes together in just 5 minutes and then gets tossed into the refrigerator to chill until you're ready to serve it. Sometimes I like to substitute some of the semi-sweet chocolate for bittersweet, making these intensely rich and dark! You can definitely play around with what goes inside- today we did a nut lover's version. They're crammed full of peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and of course marshmallows. If you're feeling extra adventurous, I think chocolate chunks or even some kind of chopped up cookie would be tasty too! Our batch is going quickly- if they last over the weekend these effortless treats will be perfect for the holidays!

Nut Lovers Rocky Road

Ingredients

1 (14-oz) can Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. dry roasted peanuts
½ c. roasted almonds
½ c. walnuts
1 (10-oz) bag miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large glass bowl (big enough to fit in your microwave), combine chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter. Microwave on medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and allow to cool enough that the marshmallows won't melt (a couple of minutes or so).
2. Fold in nuts and marshmallows, making sure to coat evenly with chocolate.
3. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, lined with wax paper. Press mixture firmly down into the pan.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool for 2-3 hours before serving.
Life Made Simple Family Recipe | Gluten Free | Makes approximately 24 bars

Flourless Mississippi Mud Brownies

I mentioned in the previous post that I was able to meet up with my room mates from freshman year (and their husbands/kids). We all brought food to eat and share. Since one of the husbands has a gluten allergy, I made something he could enjoy along with the rest of us. I found this recipe via one of my favorite sites, Punchfork, by filtering the recipes for gluten-free only. When I scrolled down and saw a brownie recipe I immediately bookmarked it. I've been a huge fan of David Lebovitz and would try any and all of his recipes. Since I had never made anything that had to be 100% GF, I wanted to make sure I did it right. I added a few ingredients (after carefully checking to make sure they were safe) and turned ordinary brownies into Mississippi mud brownies. Why? Well, Stephen asked me a few weeks ago to make them and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity, after all, Kraft marshmallows are GF too! If you're scared about the whole no flour thing, don't worry, they don't need it. I was pleasantly surprised by both their texture and taste... and with that ooey gooey topping, you can't go wrong! Happy gluten-free baking!

Flourless Mississippi Mud Brownies

Ingredients
6 tbsp. butter
1 c. (8 oz.) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
3 tbsp. corn starch

¼ tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

¼ c. mini chocolate chips

½ (7 oz.) jar Kraft marshmallow fluff

1 c. mini Kraft marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8" baking pan with foil, leaving about 1" of overhang (so you can easily pull the brownies out). Lightly grease the foil with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a double broiler, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and corn starch. Slowly add these dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture. Beat the batter vigorously for 1-2 minutes, until the batter is no longer grainy and nearly smooth (it will pull away from the sides of the bowl).
5. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake for 26 minutes, remove from oven and top with marshmallow cream. Sprinkle mini marshmallows on top and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the marshmallows begin to puff. Do not overbake. Remove from oven place pan on a wire rack. Cool completely (45 minutes) before cutting and serving.

Adapted from Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz, Gluten-free Brownies | Gluten Free | Makes approximately 9-12 brownies

No-Bake Rocky Road Bars

I made these bars for dessert the other night. They're a big hit with the husband... and with everyone else who eats them. I have to give all the credit to my mom for this one. She discovered the recipe a while back and has been making them for any and all occasions. When people ask her for the recipe, they can't believe how simple it is, yet for some reason people always seem to get it wrong. So follow the instructions, make sure you've got the right ingredients and in less than a couple minutes you'll have a pan full of fudgy rocky road bars.

Rocky Road Bars
Ingredients
1 (14-oz) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c. dry roasted peanuts
1 (10-oz) bag mini marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large glass bowl (big enough to fit in your microwave), combine chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter. Microwave on medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and allow to cool enough that the marshmallows won't melt (a couple of minutes or so).
2. Fold in peanuts and marshmallows, making sure to coat evenly with chocolate.
3. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, lined with wax paper. Press mixture firmly down into the pan.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool for 2-3 hours before serving.
Stephen + Natalie Family Recipe | Gluten Free | Makes approximately 24 bars

Currently snacking on...

Last winter just after Christmas, I went over to my brother's house. He had a jar of Archer Farms "muddy buddies" on the counter. It was your typical Chex® cereal coated in peanut butter, but with dark chocolate and powdered sugar mixed with cocoa powder. I thought it was really good. A couple of days later I went to Target to look for it and it was sold out. Well, the other night Stephen and I were looking for something sweet to eat and I realized I had the ingredients- so I decided to make it myself. I used the recipe on the back of the cereal box to guide me along but altered it and halved it.

Dark Chocolate Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

4 1/2 c. Corn Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)

1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips, heaping (I like Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips)

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter, heaping

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

1 tbsp. double-dutch dark cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large mixing bowl, measure cereal and set aside.

2. In a small microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high for 30 seconds, remove and stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth.

3. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, gently stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.

4. Pour into a large (2 gallon) ziplock bag. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powders. Seal bag and shake well until completely coated.

5. Spread onto waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Adapted from chexpartymix.com | Gluten Free | Makes approximately 10 servings