GF Oreo Cookie Balls

This recipe was inspired by my blog stalking of a Kraft recipe .

Instead of just longing for that which we cannot have, be a courageous chef and modify them to your diet restriction.

I started with g-f gobsmacked's recipe for oreos (amazing how many of my recipes start with that oreo recipe.) I baked them up and smashed the whole batch with my Pampered Chef hamburger masher.

3 cups oreo crumbs

1 package instant chocolate fudge pudding

4 ounces cream cheese blended with 1/2 cup milk.

I stirred it all together into a dough and rolled it into 1/2 inch balls. Chilled in the freezer while I melted chocolate chips in the microwave, I rolled them in chocolate and left them to cool, while I melted white chocolate chips in a ziplock. I cut off the corner and drizzled designs over the balls.

I only wish I could describe the chocolate yum in words. Nope. Can't. You'll have to make them yourself.

Hey, maybe this is a keeper for the GF Potluck in December. It's that good!

G-F Gingerbread House Cookie Recipe

 We are headed to family parties for Christmas and the activity for one of them is a request for  gingerbread house decorating competitions.  That means I need to take  three g-f gingerbread houses.  So here I go... baking them.

• 1/2 cup  packed light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons  unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons   molasses
• 1 tablespoon  honey

Blend sugar, butter until fluffy.  Add molasses and honey and then add:

• 1 egg  at room temperature, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients together and add slowly to the blended egg mixture.

• 2 1/2 cups  all purpose gluten-free flour (I used my own Healthy Grain mix)
• 1 1/2  teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains it)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together until it comes together to make a nice dough.  

I rolled the dough out onto a jelly roll pan lined with plastic wrap.  One big wide surface.  This recipe filled an entire pan.  

YES, PLASTIC WRAP.  I roll it most successfully on plastic wrap.   My photo shows freezer wrap, and I promise you, I tried waxed paper and none of them work as well as just plain plastic wrap, top and bottom.  It just peels off easier.  

  Cool the dough in the fridge or freezer.  Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap and cut the dough into cookies.  I found it easier to cut into shapes for gingerbread houses after it bakes.  Chill again until dough can be handled and transferred onto cookie sheets. 

LINE THE COOKIE SHEETS with parchment so the cookies will remove nicely.  

Bake immediately at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  The cool temperature dough helps maintain the shapes.    Let cool and remove from pan and paper.  

I had to recut the shapes for the gingerbread houses while hot so they were more uniform to the pattern.   

Cool and store between layers of paper until used.    Watch for the photos of the gingerbread house winners!  To be announced.  

  

G-F Pecan Tassies

A g-f Cookie Exchange.  Happiness on a platter.  Here are the recipes in advance this year.

A chewy and crusty Christmas favorite made gluten free and grain-free!

The gluten-free cookie exchange was delightful with beautiful music, people and food.  It was delicious and I'm posting the delightful recipes that I grabbed.  Thanks Cheryl for the party.  We loved it so much, and I'll be eating for a week... or maybe a day.

Clockwise from left:  Triple Chocolate Cookies,  Mounds Candy,,   Salted Caramel Macaroons,    Caramels, Pecan Turtles, Coconut Caramel bars,  Pecan Tassies, (see recipe below), Pretzel Peanutbutter Buckeyes and Coconut Macaroons.

Cheryl's Pecan Tassies

Crust

1/2 cup butter
1 cup almond flour
3 oz. cream cheese

Mix together, form into one inch  dough balls and place each into a mini muffin pan.  Press to the edges of the pan with your fingers to form a crusty bowl in each tin cup.

Filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon melted butter
1 egg

1/2 cup pecans chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix filling and add a scoop into each dough cup.

Bake at 350 15 minutes and then turn down the oven to 250 and bake 10 more minutes.
Cheryl says she didn't bother to turn down the oven, she just baked them for 20-25 minutes until set.  (That's easier!)

Cool and Try Not To Eat All THESE before you serve them!

GF Cranberry Nut Cookies

Cranberry Nut Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon xanthan/guar gum

1/4 cup flax meal (optional, but healthy!)

2 1/2 cups GF flour (I used my wholegrain GF flour mix.)

Okay, you found me out. It's the same basic recipe for my chocolate chip cookies, but if it ain't broke, I ain't fixin' it. And, it ain't broke. YUM!

Cream the cold butter and sugars until fluffy and add eggs one by one. (My one gourmet cooking class gave reason for this. "Blend until each molecule of sugar is coated with butter and then, when the sugar bursts at hot temperatures in the oven it makes the cookie leven!) Don't worry, it's never gotten off the ground for me.

Add the dry ingredients and blend. Fold in dry cranberries and nuts at the end. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

GF Pumpkin Cookies

Fall G-F Baking?  A soft chewy pumpkin cookie that smells up the kitchen and makes a great delivery to the new neighbors.  10/19

In honor of Memory Monday's, I'm revisiting the pumpkin recipe cookies that were so delicious as well as reading back on great memories.

Blogs really are the family history scrapbooks of our day.

____________________________
reposted from 6-28-11

DawnL's Pumpkin Cookies

Preheat 400 degrees 15 minutes

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

Beat together til creamy then add:

1 egg

1 cup pumpkin (canned)

Mix 1 1/2 cup g-f flour (I use my wholegrain flour mix)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder,

1/2 tsp. cinnamon,
1/4 tsp. of ginger,
1/4 tsp. nutmeg and
1/4 tsp. salt

Add dry ingredients to wet, blend, add 1 cup chocolate chips and drop by spoonsful onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until dry and golden brown.

I've written before about refitting recipes--exchanging the regular flour for gluten-free. Although the idea is daunting at first, many of the original chefs for gluten free say it is simple and easy. The more diverse your flour mix is, the better it exchanges.

Many professionals also add that there is no need to add gums if the flours are whole grain and very diverse. I have had some success using buckwheat alone, but my best substitutions have had as few as four or as many as eight different flours sifted together--and I still add guar gum to all my recipes.


______________________________________________________________

College guy is preparing to serve a church mission and he is earning money over the summer for the costs.

It's been great to have him at my every beck and call for whatever task I have, but the guy can work hard labor for eight hours straight!  The wood splitting that I expected to take weeks was finished in three days, so now I'm inventing tasks.


The dream rock garden may get finished, the deck sanded and repainted, the entire acreage pruned and the front porch repaired!

The only downside to the situation is trying to keep the guy fed. I've grown accustomed to baking less, and I'm stoking the bake stove to stay ahead of the roaring hunger that never seems to subside.

His request today, "Remember those muffins Mom, not the regular, but the lemon, almond poppy seed? And pumpkin cookies, remember those pumpkin cookies that were kinda soft, filled with chocolate chips, and deliciousness?"

Yeah, I remember. And I've not attempted them post-gf, but thank goodness the gf sister has! Her recipe is delicious and delightful and I'm holding back five cookies so I can take a photo. The workman says to hurry and find the camera, HE IS STILL HUNGRY!

GF Twix Cookies

Shortbread Cookies

• ½ cups butter, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup cup g-f flour
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 
  

Caramel Layer

• 15 oz of caramels (like Kraft)  I melted six of my caramels I make for Christmas.
• 2 Tablespoons evaporated milk
• 
  

Chocolate layer

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons shortening

Mix up cookie dough adding flour until just not sticky, form balls, place on cookie sheet atop parchment paper.  It does work well to keep them from sticking after baking.  Bake at 350, 10-12 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned.  

Cool cookies swirl melted caramel atop and cool again.  Melt chocolate chips with shortening in microwave stirring often.  Swirl over cooled cookies.

WOW really tasted authentic.  I ate more than I should have.

 

G-F Sugar Cookie Recipe

2015 GF Christmas Sugar Cookies

Christmas Sugar Cookie with peppermint frosting

GF Valentine Sugar  Cookies

 Today's batch.  Makes 32 (counting eaten ones)

First posted on Sept 8, 08.

Today I'm sorting through the avalanche of recipes that gave into nature laws and cascaded off my cookbook shelf.  I've been collecting for years, and today is the day that I'm stuffing them all together into one file. 

I'm flinging the ones upon which I've scrawled the warning, "never make this again!" 

Why, I wonder did I keep them to begin with? To preserve and revisit the agony? 

Watch out, I'll be blogging the good ones.  This is Great Grandma Harritt's favorite (adapted to become gluten-free of course).

                   Grandma's Great Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup cold butter     Use a paddle in your mixmaster and beat with

3/4 cup sugar    Beat until fluffy then add

2 eggs, and
1 tsp vanilla      Beat until light and fluffy

Then add dry ingredients that have been sifted together

1 tsp xanthan gum
(or chia/flax seed, ground)
1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 to 3 cups GF flour - any flour mix will work. (I used 1/4 cup coconut flour in the last batch and that worked well.) 

1 tsp baking soda

Today I used my wholegrain flour mix which is just a mix of g-f flours that are diverse enough to give a great outcome to any baking recipe.  

Use your personal favorite. I recommend Bob's Red Mill, Better Batter, Jules--whatever.  I have used sorghum flour in this recipe also.  Just use enough to make a dough ball that pulls nicely away from the bowl, not too dry nor too soggy.

Grandma's original recipe said "ADD 'TIL MAKES A DOUGH. She expects us to know what a cookie dough looks like. Light, fluffy, not too stiff or dry.  Remember to add gf flours and let dough sit for a minute to fully absorb moisture.

Chill dough and roll out cookies on a skiff of rice or sorghum flour to prevent STICKAGE. I roll between plastic wrap and that makes it easy to peel off , cut and place on cookie sheets. Place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.

Frost with favorite GF frosting.

_________________________________________________________

 11-12-11   Scrooge Christmas Musings

Hey, Christmas post, but no new photo -- I'm too busy today. Here's an old one from Valentines.  

The holidays scramble is coming! And I hate it. The same people who admired my Scrooge/Marley costume at the Halloween party suddenly--overnight even--find it blasphemy.

I harbor a secret wish that purchasers of any Christmas related items before Halloween, may be auto-tasered at every store exit.

But after the 31st of November, I'd better be transferring my evil thoughts to planning for holiday baking and the visions of sugarplums to make the whole season more appealing for everyone.   

Reality Bite:  If Momma Aint Happy, Aint nobody happy!  

GF Chocolate Crackles

First posted 9-28-10   Still delicious.

I just rebaked chocolate crackles for the most recent family reunion and the newest recipe modification turned out delicious.  I baked some 12 minutes and some 10, just so I could have some crispy and some chewy and delicious.

I started with the world's standard cookie recipe

1 1/2  cup sugar
1/2 stick butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blended until light and fluffy.

I then added this dry mix.

1/2 cup baking cocoa (I use dutched just because it's so dark and it responds well to baking soda.)
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cup to 3 cups flour.  (Any gf flour should work--I used my wholegrain mix.
(Add just until a ball can form.)

Roll balls in powdered sugar.  Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for ten-12 minutes.

--------------------------------------------------------------previous post--------------------------

The biggest bowl in the house--the big green Tupperware was the bowl of choice when I baked cookies as a kid. Mom never let us bake any cookie unless we did it in a triple batch. "Otherwise," she said, "it's a total waste of time."

True, with nine of us children, most of the cookies would be disappear as soon as they came out of the oven. After two or three batches, most of us would have slunk off in guilty happiness with two or three in hand.

And feigning exhaustion after sheet ten, I would have been dismissed to snack on my handful with a book. Mom would be forced to finish the last batches and pack some off to the freezer disguised as green beans.

Here is her recipe:

1/2 cup butter

3 squares baking chocolate (melted)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups of flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

I planned to switch to GF flour and add xanthun gum. Certainly it would be delicious.

Here are my CHOCOLATE CRUMBLES, which is what results when:

Out of butter, I substituted shortning,

out of baking chocolate, out of cocoa, I substituted chocolate chips

out of my GF flour mix, so I substituted two other kinds

In the rush, forgot the leavening and the xanthun gum.

This is what results, and it's still very delicious. HA!

Oatmeal G-F Peanut Butter Cookies

Need a quick, delicious cookie?  I pulled out this recipe from the ancient files of 2012.  It's a keeper.  YUM.  It's also very forgiving.  I think I have made it with every flour mix available.  Today it was half a cup of sorghum,  1/2 cup of millet, and a half cup cornstarch 'cause that's what I had.

Still delicious.




Oatmeal G-F Peanut-butter Beauties,

by the book.

I've attempted versions of these cookies before, but they were never very impressive.  Once again, I've been Pinter-testing and BrownEyedBaker's photograph of a typical peanut butter/oatmeal cookie looks so beautiful that I had to try to bake them g-f, yet still maintain the gooey appeal.

Blend with a mixer:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Does it seem that most cookie recipes begin alike, "It Was A Dark and Stormy Night,"

When light and fluffy, add
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

(More of the sameness--although an intriguing turn of page with half the egg as usual.)

Sift together these dry ingredients and add
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. xanthum gum
1 cup gluten-free flour --I used a healthy featherlight flour mix, but any good g-f flour should work.     (It's spring and it's humid here in OK.  If it bakes too flat, add a little more flour.)

(Now this is where the total writing pattern diverges, only one cup flour?  That's a plot twist!  And wait?  An unforeseen script change with only one/half cup oatmeal?  How's that gonna work?)

Fold in:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.  Made 37 fairly large cookies.

First posted 4-09-2012

The Review?  This recipe was delectable and I can't wait for the sequel!  

Yum Healthy Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies

So if you haven't noticed, I make up recipes from what I have on hand.   I'm the lady that's googling, ranch dressing, au jus packet, chicken and pepperocinni.  (Thanks to my friend Valarie, that recipe is coming...)   Today's cookies are what I had on hand when the husband begged me for something sweet.

It's been nine months since I ate refined sugar for fun so it's been nine months since he had my cookies.  I've been avoiding refined sugar for my health and it's not been easy, but the joint-pain relief has been worth it.  I'm not OCD about it, but I'm avoiding any dessert with added sugar.    Thanksgiving and Christmas were hard, but not impossible.  I'm shocked how much sugar I was eating.

So I'm trying out new recipes that might taste great and are less sweetened, but I'm also cheap, cheap, cheap, so I'm not into sweetener substitutes.  Chemicals freak me out, (so I'm using powdered protein and superfood powder--go figure) (It's my complexity that grants me charm...) and I've been too busy to do a really in-depth sugar substitute study.  This recipe has no added sugar, that is not to say that this protein powder and superfood powder are sugarless--they do have fruit but balanced with protein, so I use them sparingly.   So the added carbs are real, and this is a cheat for my keto diet. 

6 dates pitted    blended with
3/4 cup boiling water until relatively smooth.  Add
2 Tablespoons superfood powder  (I found this at Costco.)
1/4 cup protein powder (Costco too.)

1 cup peanut butter (I've used almond butter, and it tastes less peanutty, but doubles the cost.)
2 eggs 
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used dutched.)
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

I just popped everything in my Blendtec (used three times today) and blended until it was smooth.

I scooped it out with one spoon and slid the dough off with another spoon.  On top I dropped some semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Then I baked the dough on my silicone sheets at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  

It made five cookies, of which I ate two.  The rest of the dough is sitting in my refrigerator enticing me to heat up the oven and bake the rest.  NO.

What I have discovered in the past nine months is that I am stronger than cookie dough.

These cookies turned out delicious, tender and not dry.  (I'm also avoiding the word moist.)

LOOKING FOR TRUE KETO?  

I modified this recipe from one my great daughter-in-law found on peacelovelowcarb.com  and hers is truly keto.  Thanks lady for making me think outside the box. 

GF Potluck Gingersnaps

More GF Potluck Delights These GF Ginger snaps were crispy and delicious just like the ones I once purchased prior-gf.

When I made them, I modified the recipe. Click here.


http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/days-of-cookies-day-ginger-ginger-ginger-christmas-cookies/article_e5795dfb-f630-52cd-b23e-7fbf51cf5491.html

I want to try this recipe for the Christmas cookies this year.  It is too intriguing to not attempt it.
Three kinds of ginger?   What epicurean doesn't want to get more types of ginger?

I'll let you know how it goes.

Flourless Triple Chocolate Cookies

Ate G-F Chocolate, chocolate-chip, peanut butter cookies last night at the daughters and she said, "This is your recipe!"  She made it much better, so I've got to get her recipe modifications and start testing the changes!  YUM!    


12-16-2013  First Posted  

Flourless dense, dark, chocolate chewy cookies, perfect for the holidays. 

WARNING:  Bake these on parchment or on a silpat.  Or use the resulting crumbled mess for pie crusts.  


1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup dutched cocoa powder
1/2 cup white chocolate chips and more for topping
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and more for topping
1/4 cup almond meal (may be omitted, but they spread pretty far without it)


Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Mix together the soda, salt, and cocoa and add to the wet ingredients, mixing until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. 

These spread a lot so drop onto sheet in small balls.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until they look done.  I added more chips while still hot as accents.  These are delicious warm and chewy.  

Remove from oven and leave to cool for three minutes.  Use a flat metal scraper to remove from cookie sheet--unless you used parcement or silpat.  That is just a wonderful invention.  

Ginger Snaps

I FOUND IT! Another really good ginger snap recipe. The kids love it, I love it, the husband loves it! It's in Bette Hagman's (Praise Be Her Name) latest cookbook (the one giving all measurements in metric weights) . It is crispy, crunchy, and believe it or not, the measurements love my scales. However, there is a misprint in the ingredients, it is not 60 oz. of butter, but a regular, reasonable 6 ounces. Rather than 15 sticks of butter, it's just 1 1/2 sticks.4 cups GF flour mix 
1 tsp xanthan gum
3 tsp baking soda
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp vinegar
candied ginger in syrup, drained & sliced (optional) 

Preheat oven to 325F.

Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper (it's amazing!)

In medium bowl mix the GF flour mix, xanthan gum, baking soda & spices. Set aside.

In big mixer bowl, cream butter & sugar. Add the eggs & beat until smooth. Add molasses & vinegar. 

By spoon mix in the dry ingredients until well blended and thick. Call in the five year old grandchild to help with this next part. Using a teaspoon, scoop out dough about the size of a walnut onto the baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Place a slice of candied ginger on each cookie.

Bake about 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

NYTimes Chocolate Chip Cookie G-F Tweek

This recipe came highly recommended so I want to see how it TWEEKS G-F with my whole-grain flour mix.  

I exchanged both of the flour types cup for cup with my whole-grain flour mix, and added one teaspoon xanthan gum.  Every other ingredient was the same.   

It passes the first college-bound guy test--the dough is delicious and the cookies are in the oven. 

They're out-- and GONE! 


 I baked them 12-15 minutes, they are browned nicely and I've eaten the batch.  Sheesh!  I safely placed the rest of the dough in the refrigerator to see if 24-36 hour refrigeration (as the recipe suggests) improves the cookies.  What will really happen?  Yup, the dough will be devoured.  

 http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015819-chocolate-chip-cookies?utm_source=yahoo-food&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=content-partnerships

Then the NYTimes goes and locks their site.  Thanks Brown Eyed Betty for reposting it.

3 2/3 cup g-f flour

1¼ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1¼ cups ( 2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1¼ cups light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons  granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups dark chocolate chips, 

Standard cookie production:  Cream the butter with the sugars til fluffy then add the eggs.   Mix the dry ingredients all together and then add to the butter mixture. Stir together. If necessary, add more flour by the tablespoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer. Bake balls until nicely browned in a  350 degree oven.

Easy GF Coconut Macaroons

Today's Holiday G-F Cookie Recipe is a

Salted Caramel Macaroon.  A creamy, salty caramel switch up on an old Holiday favorite:

After baking the standard mararoon cookie recipe, (below), while still warm, press a spoon in the centers for an indentation.  Fill the dip with caramel filling and wait to cool.  Sprinkle coarse sea salt atop.

 Caramel filling:      Use one or two of the Christmas caramels you can't stop making or a Kraft rip-off.  Microwave them for a moment to soften, then add a teaspoon of milk or cream to thin slightly.  Spoon a drop into the centers and cool.  After these cool, sprinkle coarse sea salt atop.




First posted 1-12-11 and again in 2012
Happy Valentines Day!!   Fast, easy and delicious 

Easy Coconut Macaroons

Great Grandma Bezzant made these for me for the holiday buffet. I love people who don't have this nasty disease, but still want me to feel loved.  My husband's 93 year old grandmother, even though she suffers from macro-degeneration and is legally blind, still makes the effort to study up on gluten-free and bakes these for me.

If  I ever grow up, I want to be just like her.

EASY COCONUT MACAROONS

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. flaked coconut 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp. vanilla Mix all ingredients together and drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cookies set before removing from cookie sheet. I halved the batch and it still makes a lot, (Particularly when you are the only coconut lover in the house.) Dipped in chocolate, these would make a delicious "Mounds" bar for Valentines. ...whatever am i going to do with a half can of sweetened condensed milk?

GF Thin Mint Cookies

GF deliciousness in a simple Thin Mint Chocolate Cookie. Fast and easy, literally a dump-together-and-bake it recipe.

Teaching the new D-I-L this weekend how to make the son's favorite cookie ever.  Success.  She has talent so it didn't take much.

I give Gobsmacked all the glory.  For years I have used her recipe to death.  If I had posted a note every time I used her recipe to make a version of her gf cookies, this blog would be subtitled "GF Oreo Obsession."  Pie crust, cake balls, torte, thin mints, standard oreos... I have even converted it to a mix for gifts with a note, "Just add a stick of butter and an egg for cookies."  Type oreo in the search bar of this site and you will get a sampling.

Gobsmacked's recipe really is great, but each time I use it, I have to remember all the tweeks I have made to the recipe to conform to my pantry stores and my quicker method of mixing. After so much modification, I think I can claim that this recipe is no longer original and it is enough different to be posted on my site without infringement. (This is also to help my Mom who can't seem to manage to find the recipe on its linked site.)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dutched cocoa (dutched is what makes cookies authentically dark, but you choose.)
1 1/4 cup g/f flour (I use my healthier grain mix--but I have used others successfully.)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all the dry ingredients and set it to mix in the heavy duty mixer.  Add the following:

1 egg beaten, 1/2 cup butter softened, 1 tsp. vanilla.

Blend until the crumbly stuff coalesces into a big dough ball. I scoop out smaller balls with my melon baller and flatten with the bottom of a cup layer with plastic wrap to stop the sticking.  Bake at 350 for ten minutes. When they come out of the oven, give a final smash with the metal spatula (in UT called a hot cake turner).

Today I am making thin mints again.  I melt chocolate chips in the microwave, add a drop of essential oil (peppermint) and slather a layer over the bottom cookies.  Then I press them onto a layer of waxed paper so they pull off nicely when cool.  For the top accent, I use a baggie to melt more chocolate chips in the microwave to swirl over the tops.

Maybe next I could add a layer of caramel under the chocolate... Ah the GF Potluck and Christmas cookie exchange is coming!

Last posted 12-23-10

2008 memories:

I'm really into the gift a day during the holiday season. When one gets only one gift per day (like the Jewish tradition) rather than all of them at once, I find that I have the time to appreciate each one more. The first day I got a great pair of winter shoes, (I did order them myself, but still a gift!) the next day I purloined a beautiful neck scarf from the daughter (who will not need it in Hong Kong). I wore it all day and had to stave off people in Park City who tried to buy that piece of artwork right off my neck.

It's been delightful, but the best so far has been the gift from the college boy who made THIN MINTS! YES, the exact thing from the GIRL SCOUT COOKIE MEMORY!

They are delicious. He made them from the Oreo Cookie recipe, then dipped them in melted chocolate mixed with one half tsp. of peppermint extract.

I AM IN HEAVEN -- Happy Holidays!!!!

GF Mint Brownies

My friend brought these glorious brownies to homeschool group yesterday.  (Yes, I'm still teaching in my commonwealth despite my kid going off to college early.)  I asked her if I could have the recipe... 

Yeah, she said, "It's on your blog."

Wow, It's been too long.

Baking them today!    


Reposted from 4-10-12

GF Mint Brownies (just like those from college!)

 Last Baked 4-8-12, but last posted 12-24-09

Thanks Lisa H. This is her adaptation from Cooking Light Magazine as we are still repeating GF recipes from the December 2009 pot luck. How could I bake for the holidays without that party???

Bottom Layer:

1 cup GF Flour (GFPantry's French Bread Mix)

(I used my wholegrain flour mix with 1 tsp. xanthan gum)

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

5 eggs or (2 eggs and 1/2 cup egg substitute like Egg Beaters)

1/4 cup butter melted

2 Tbsp. water

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cup (16 oz.) canned Chocolate syrup
Hersheys is g-f. ***  homemade recipe link below
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Mix wet ingredients and add the flour mix. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 for about 23 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

MINT Layer:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter (softened)

2 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

2 drops green food coloring

Beat on high until light and fluffy. Stroke over the top of the cooled brownies.

GLAZE

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 TBSP butter

Combine chocolate chips and butter in a glass bowl and microwave on high one minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand two minutes and spread evenly over mint layer.

chocolate syrup    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-syrup/