Do you know what a lamington is? I didn’t until a few years ago. I was introduced to them by Mr. P from Delicious, Delicious, Delicious. If you like sweets, his blog is the place for you. Mr. P bakes up a storm and takes lovely photos and writes witty posts and is all around charming. The site is not gluten-free, but does it really matter with all the aforementioned attributes? (No.)

Lamingtons are a popular Australian treat. Traditionally they are squares of sponge cake, coated in chocolate, then rolled in dessicated coconut. Sometimes there’s a cream or jam filling. Apparently Mr. P visited Australia a few years ago, and he was not exactly wowed by this treat. He started an event called Re-Inventing the Lamington. For the ten days leading up to Australia Day, he creates a different take on the lamington. He also has a contest for people to submit their own lamington inventions. The event was so popular that it’s been repeated in the intervening two years.

The entries are always pretty amazing. You know, from people who should probably be running their own bakery or competing in some Food Network show. While I thought it might be fun to participate, I also was scared. I figured there was no way I would stack up. But on Friday I finally said, screw it, I’m going to try anyway.

Update: Here’s the roundup if you want to see all of this year’s entries.

I felt a bit odd re-inventing a dessert I’d never heard of before, especially since this version is really nothing like what a lamington is supposed to be, but I figure Mr. P can take the flack for that. I’m only following orders. Mike and I started talking about flavor ideas. I settled on a deconstructed white chocolate macadamia nut brownie, which of course is then re-constructed in a much more complicated and time-consuming way. No one said this was an exercise in logic.

For the brownie part, I worked off of Mr. P’s chocolate ginger brownie recipe. Mine didn’t quite get the rise that his had, but they were nice and fudgy, which was what I wanted. In addition to the named ginger, his recipe includes nutmeg and cloves, which I omitted here. Upon further consideration, the spices would probably go well with the white chocolate and macadamia nuts, but I didn’t want to get too crazy with the flavors. If you have another brownie recipe that bakes in a 8×8 pan, feel free to use that instead.

Gluten-Free Brownies

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 3 ounces (75 grams) dark chocolate, broken into squares
• 1 cup (200 grams) superfine sugar
• 1/3 cup (42 grams) sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup (42 grams) potato starch
• 4 teaspoons (9 grams) almond meal
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, then grease the paper and sides.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Once melted, allow to cool slightly.
3. Mix the sorghum flour, potato starch, almond meal, and xanthan gum in a bowl. Add the flour mixture, plus the other remaining ingredients to the chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth.
4. Pour into the greased baking pan. Bake until set, about 30 minutes. Remove and cool.

(I actually ended up with the brownies to the right of the double boiler, and the parchment paper just to the left of the nuts, but I wanted to give you an idea of what the work station looked like.)

Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Brownie Lamingtons

• 1 batch of brownies (from above), completely cooled
• 14 ounces (400 grams) white chocolate chunks
• 12 ounces (350 grams) macadamia nuts, finely chopped

1. Trim the edges of the brownie so that it has straight, even sides. Cut into 16 squares.
2. Fill a medium pot about halfway with water and place over high heat. Once simmering reduce to low. Place a double boiler insert (or a metal bowl that fits snugly) over the pot. Add the white chocolate, stirring occasionally until melted. Turn off heat.
3. Place the macadamia nuts in a low bowl, near the white chocolate. Lay out a large sheet of wax or parchment paper to set the lamingtons on.
4. Dip a brownie square into the melted chocolate, until fully coated. Roll the chocolate-dipped brownie in the chopped nuts. Place on the paper to firm up. Repeat with remaining brownie squares.

(Makes 16 squares)

Do you really need to trim the brownie edges? Depends on how particular you are about the details. I am entering a contest after all. Might as well be persnickety. (Plus you get to eat all the best parts of the brownie.)

I found that you really wanted the white chocolate to only be a thin layer. I’d then set it in the nuts and pat the nuts in from all sides. Basically, avoid touching the white chocolate itself as much as you can. It just gets messy.

I’m also sharing this recipe in the Hearth and Soul Hop, Gluten Free Wednesdays, These Chicks Cooked, Full Plate Thursday, and Food Friday.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

I thought I’d play around with the basic quick bread recipe and make something savory instead of sweet. It’s no secret that caramelized onions are a favorite of mine. I paired them with some goat cheese and fresh rosemary — not a new combination but one I particularly enjoy.

• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for greasing pans
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 large or 2 small onions, thinly sliced
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions. Saute for a few minutes, until onions are translucent, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until onions are tan to dark brown.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
3. Mix the flours, baking powder, and salt together.
4. Beat the egg, milk, and oil together in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add in the rosemary, caramelized onions, and crumbled goat cheese. Stir to combine, then spoon into greased muffin tin. Bake for around 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
5. Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving.

(Makes 12 muffins)

I didn’t use sugar as Mike and I are taking a sugar break for a couple weeks. Sugar does however contribute to a “tender crumb” in baked goods as well as some browning. You could add maybe a tablespoon of sugar to help with those qualities, while still baking a savory muffin.

I’m sharing these muffins in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Hearth and Soul Hop.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

As I was perusing the web looking for Thanksgiving recipe ideas, I saw multiple discussions of what to bring for hosts if they say that they have the meal covered. One suggestion that popped up multiple times was coffee cake. Tell the hosts to set it aside for tomorrow — they don’t have any weird pressure to put out a dish they hadn’t planned for, and they have breakfast waiting for them the next day when they’re presumably all cooked out. The idea applies just as well to other holiday meals (or just other get togethers — people seem to have a lot of those this time of year).

Streusel

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces

Coffee Cake

• 1/2 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), room temperature
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• zest of 1 medium orange (1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon orange or vanilla extract

1. Combine the streusel ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8×8 baking dish or 9-inch round pan.
3. Combine the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well.
4. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Thoroughly incorporate after each addition.
5. Stir the orange zest and extract into the sour cream. Add 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 the sour cream, 1/3 of the flour, the remaining 1/2 of the sour cream, and the final 1/3 of the flour to the mixer, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
6. Spoon half of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter over the streusel, and top with the remaining streusel. Bake about 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

[Serves 8]

The cake is very light. By itself it’s not too sweet, but the streusel more than makes up for it. I know I’d be happy if someone gave me this coffee cake.

This recipes is also being shared in Hearth and Soul Hop and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

Stuffing is certainly one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes. It’s kind of a shame people generally only make it at Thanksgiving. My family doesn’t usually do cornbread stuffing, so I thought I’d take a crack at it, and maybe it’ll make an appearance at Thanksgiving this year. Of course, you need to start with cornbread.

Gluten-Free Cornbread

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2/3 cup sorghum flour
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8×8 baking dish.
2. Mix the cornmeal, sorghum flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.
3. In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add in the buttermilk and butter, and stir to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.
5. Pour batter into greased baking dish and bake 25-30 minutes, until cornbread is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely.

This cornbread goes easy on the sugar since I knew I was going to use it for stuffing. If you wanted to make the bread to eat, I’d probably up the sugar to 1/4 cup. The bread can be made a few days in advance if needed.

Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing

• 1 batch of cornbread (from above)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced (~1 cup)
• 2 ribs of celery, finely diced (~3/4 cup)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 5-6 fresh sage leaves, minced (~1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a medium-sized casserole dish. (Around 7×11 inches).
2. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Once heated, add the onions. Cook for a couple minutes, then add the celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then clear a spot in the pan. Add the garlic. Cook for half a minute to a minute. Stir into the onions and celery, then remove pan from heat.
3. Crumble the cornbread into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion mixture, sage, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. Add the vegetable broth and stir until all the cornbread is moistened. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Spoon into greased casserole dish. If desired, dot with remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until stuffing is just beginning to brown. Remove and serve.

(Serves 6)

Make sure you really mix the spices and onion into the cornbread crumbs. I apparently didn’t do as well as I thought, and I had some bits that were rather bland and others that were pretty spicy.

Brittany of Real Sustenance chose Thanksgiving Dishes as the theme for Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free this month, so I’m sharing this recipe with her. Linda of The Gluten-Free Homemaker chose Stuffing as the theme for her Gluten-Free Wednesday event. I’m also sharing there, plus making appearances in the Hearth and Soul Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Full Plate Thursday.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

I’m always on the lookout for new gluten-free blogs as it means more recipes to choose from for my weekly roundup. I came across Gluten Free Foodie Heaven not that long ago. One of the first recipes I saw was for Lavender Cupcakes. That put the site on my radar. And what better way to explore an interesting site, than to actually try a recipe? So I adopted Diane for this month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a source of lavender, so I had to pass on trying the cupcakes. I did find a Parmesan-Herb Focaccia. In fact, Diane proclaimed it the Best Focaccia in the World! How could I pass that up?

It’s yeasted so it takes a bit of time. The actual work was simple though. It was the perfect thing to do on a lazy weekend day. Diane’s recipe calls for 2 cups GF flour blend. I used 1 cup sorghum, 2/3 cup almond meal, and 1/3 cup tapioca starch plus 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum. (Sorghum, almond meal, and starch is my flour blend of choice recently.) I didn’t have any cornmeal and didn’t want to make a trip to the grocery store just for cornmeal (I did say this was a lazy weekend day), so I used brown rice flour for dusting. I also didn’t have fresh herbs on hand, so I used 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano. I’m sure fresh herbs would be fantastic, but, you know, the lazy thing.

I usually think of focaccia as thick and dense, but this was relatively thin. It was light and springy. That could have to do with the flour mixture I used and/or how long I let the dough rise. Either way I’m not too worried about it because this bread was divine. Lightly herbed with the occasional crunch from the coarse sea salt on top. Perfect. We ate half of it in one sitting. I’m wondering if it could be made in a pie plate for the more traditional round look. Guess the only way to find out is to try. Unless, of course, one of you would like to try it. The recipe is right here.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

I think it’s been mentioned before that my grandma also has Celiac disease. She used to be quite a baker and made all our birthday cakes when we were little. These days I don’t think she feels up to all the mess, so we bake for her. Last week was her birthday, so I made German chocolate cupcakes.

I adapted Martha Stewart’s German chocolate cupcake recipe as well as her recipe for the coconut-pecan frosting. In the course of my recipe searching, I learned that German chocolate cake is not so named because it comes from Germany. The Baker’s Chocolate Co. produces a Baker’s German Chocolate named for Samuel German, the man who developed it. And if you go buy a box, it has the original German chocolate cake recipe on it. I only learned all this after I had gone shopping for the ingredients for Martha’s recipe though, so I stuck with Martha.

German Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 5 ounces (3/4 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 2/3 cup tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the chocolate chips in a double-boiler or microwave. Stir in the coffee powder. Set aside, and allow to come to room temperature.
2. Whisk the flours, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl or mixing bowl if using a stand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly incorporating after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
4. Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 cup of buttermilk, another 1/3 of flour, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour, making sure the ingredients are incorporated after each addition. Finally add in the melted chocolate and blend well.
5. Grease a muffin tin or line the cups with liners. Divide the batter evenly between the cups. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean. Remove the tins from the oven and set on wire racks. When cool enough to handle, remove the cupcakes from the tins, place on racks, and allow to cool completely.

Coconut Pecan Frosting:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter, chopped into small pieces and at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 2/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pecans. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the pecans are lightly browned and fragrant, a few minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Combine the egg yolks, evaporated milk, and brown sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Mix well. Add the butter. Bring the pot to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Then mix in the coconut and pecans. Stir to combine and allow to cool to room temperature.

To Assemble:

1. Once the cupcakes and the frosting have reached room temperature, spread a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and serve.

(Makes 24 cupcakes)

The cupcakes were light and springy. The batter reminded me of a whipped mousse. I got the idea to add powdered coffee after seeing David Lebovitz’s version, which also involved coffee. The goal was to have the coffee add a richness to the chocolate without a person being able to taste its presence. It’s optional, and you can leave the coffee powder out if you don’t have any.

As you can see in the pictures, I did all my mixing in a stand mixer. It’s certainly easier that way. But, being a person who did not have a stand mixer for many years, I know that you can do all the mixing by hand, and I didn’t want to give the impression you need a stand mixer to make the cupcakes. Do be prepared to get an arm workout though.

While they are undoubtedly chocolate cupcakes, the chocolate flavor is on the subtle side. The frosting is much more the star of the show. Coconut and pecans held together in a caramel sauce. Nothing bad about that, unless you don’t like coconut or pecans. (I’m sorry to hear you feel that way.)

This recipe also shared in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Hearth and Soul Hop.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

I adopted Maggie of She Let Them Eat Cake for this month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger. While I’m not much of a baker, it’s a hat Maggie wears well. Her recipe index is full of cookies, bars, and cakes. There are all sorts of sweets to tempt you. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles? Or Devil’s Food Cupcakes? She also has quite a list of breads. And not only are all her recipes gluten-free, they’re all dairy-free and egg-free as well.

As delicious as all the cakes and cookies sounded, I choose Carrot Muffins as they seemed like the perfect fall treat.

Since the recipe is egg-free, it calls for egg replacer. We don’t keep any around since we do use eggs, but in the spirit of staying true to Maggie’s recipe I used a “flaxseed egg” of 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds mixed with 1/3 cup of hot water. (I was working on the assumption that the egg replacer replaced two eggs, however it could be it was just supposed to be one.) We did use both sugar and agave nectar, instead of straight sugar. I might try making them again and substituting in some molasses. For the 3 cups of flour, I used: 1 cup sorghum flour, 1 cup tapioca starch, 1/2 cup almond meal, and 1/2 cup brown rice flour. I used regular-sized muffin tins, and ended up with 18 muffins.

The muffins reminded me a lot of carrot cake. They were sweet and moist, with just the right amount of cinnamon spice. They’d be perfect with some hot cider, although I enjoyed mine with pumpkin spiced coffee and a smear of sour cream. (A bit odd perhaps, but the tanginess plays off of the sweetness nicely.)

If you’re ready to make your own batch, head over to Maggie’s site to get the recipe.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

This recipe is going to seem fairly complicated and involved, but I promise it really is simple. It does consume a bit of time, but these suckers are worth it! I made the graham crackers and caramel one day and put everything together the following day.

Something to keep in mind: If you want to make this easier on yourself, you do not have to make everything from scratch. I just thought it would be a fun experiment.

I’ll post everything separately to (hopefully) make things easier.

Graham Cracker Recipe

• 2 cups Pamela’s Ultimate Baking Mix plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Chop the butter into slices and combine with the dry ingredients using a stand mixer on medium speed. In a separate bowl, mix the honey and cold water. Turn the mixer speed to low and gradually add the honey mixture. Combine for a couple minutes, then remove bowl from the mixer. Dust a couple tablespoons of Pam’s Mix over the dough and start to form a ball. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the sides.

Spread a sheet of wax paper on your counter top and sprinkle with Pam’s Mix. Using your hands, flatten the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. I used a circle cookie cutter to make my crackers round. Alternatively, you could roll the cookies out and cut them into traditionally sized graham crackers and design patterns with the prongs of a fork. Place the crackers on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper. After the baking sheet is full, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the tops and bake for 15-20 minutes. These cookies would also make a fantastic pie crust.

Now for the caramel sauce. After Googling how to make caramel sauce, I came across a recipe on cakecentral.com. Here’s what I learned about the recipe: It makes a very large quantity (I ended up using less than half of it for the s’mores), and it is very yummy. This sauce can also be used as a cake filling, a dipping sauce for fruit, really anything. It keeps well in the refrigerator. I made the sauce in advance and allowed a little time for the caramel to come to room temperature before spreading on the cookies.

Caramel Sauce Recipe

• 1 cup butter (do not substitute)
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a heavy saucepan, bring butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Carefully stir in the whipping cream. Attach a candy thermometer to your pan. Continue to stir until the caramel reaches 238 degrees, or the soft ball stage. Remove the pot from heat and add vanilla and salt. Stir until everything is combined. Let cool before serving.

The hard part is over!

S’More Cookies

Here’s what else you will need to put the treats together:

• one bag of gluten-free milk chocolate chips, chunks, or pieces
• one bag of very dark (60% or higher cacao) gluten-free chocolate chips, chunks, or pieces
• 1-2 bags of Dandies vegan marshmallows (depends how many s’mores you’re making)

If you want to make things easier, use only one type chocolate instead of two. The dark chocolate melted and coated everything more evenly. The milk had the traditional s’more taste.

Take chilled caramel sauce and spread evenly on one side of the graham crackers. Place the dry side of the crackers on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or wax paper.

Next melt the marshmallows over medium to low heat in a large sauce pan. Take a large spoon and place melted marshmallows over the caramel coated side of the graham cracker. Or you could place non-melted mini marshmallows on top of the caramel and proceed to the chocolafication.

Using a bane-marie or double boiler, melt chocolate over medium heat. Once completely melted, dip a caramel and marshmallow cookie into the chocolate with a slotted spoon. Completely submerge the cookie, then remove. Place on the wax paper lined baking sheet to harden. Repeat this process with the remaining cookies. I placed all of my cookies in the refrigerator to allow them to cool faster.

(This recipe made ~18 cookies.)

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

We’re on vacation with Mike’s family right now. In preparation for the trip, Mike’s mom made chocolate applesauce cupcakes. This is a recipe she got from her grandmother that she’s tweaked a bit over the years. It’s a family staple. She made a triple batch, and we went through most of them before we even left. Luckily she’s a smart lady and she froze some to bring on the trip. I made another batch to share with you all. (Really who’s going to complain about extra cupcakes?)

• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour mix
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus extra sugar for dusting
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup dry milk powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix together flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cocoa powder, dry milk, and salt.
3. Push the dry mix to the edges of the bowl. In the center of the bowl, add the applesauce, milk, and olive oil. Mix wet ingredients together, then mix into the dry ingredients. Just as the mixture is coming together, mix in the chocolate chips.
4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Spoon mixture into the muffin cups. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake will come out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and place tin on a cooling rack. Lightly dust cupcakes with sugar. Once muffins have slightly cooled, prop them up in the muffin tins to allow them to completely cool.

(Makes 12 cupcakes)

We used 1/3 cup oat flour and 2/3 cup of Andrea’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend. Be sure to get certified gluten-free oat flour if you are going to use oat flour. If not, use one full cup of whatever gluten-free flour blend you’re using. Do pay attention to whether your flour mix has leavening or not. This recipe is written as if the flour does not have any leavening.

Mike’s mom uses dry milk powder to cut down on the sugar in recipes. Since it’s milk, it still adds some sweetness, and it also adds protein. If you don’t have any, you can take it out and add more sugar.

You can triple the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)

I was cruising around on TheKitchn the other day when I came across a post about making a giant cookie in a cast iron skillet. How could I pass up a recipe like that! It also fits in nicely with Gluten-Free Homemaker’s Monthly Gluten-Free Challenge to make a dessert bar.

Turns out TheKitchn writer used Martha Stewart for the guidelines. (Don’t we all at some point or another? Well, I do, like when I made red velvet cupcakes.) I hopped over to her site, looked over the recipe, thought up the necessary gluten-free changes, plus a few other adaptations (namely making the cookie hazelnut flavored) and we were good to go. (Mike always gets scared when I want to adapt recipes. As he explains it, 3/4 of the time the changes are good; 1/4 of the time he ends up with kale in his food.)

• 1 cup hazelnut meal
• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons hazelnut extract
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix flours, salt, and baking soda together. Combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, cream sugar and butter together. Then add in egg and hazelnut extract.
4. Once thoroughly mixed, add in the flour. Stir until just mixed, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
5. Press into a 12-inch skillet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and allow cookie to cool completely before cutting.

( Serves 8 )

The hazelnut flavor was very prominent, which was my main goal. However, because of the high proportion of hazelnut meal to other flour this cookie is not quite the same texture as “regular” cookies. (It had a dense chocolatey middle, with a crispy crusty top.) If you can’t find hazelnut extract, plain old vanilla works too.

I used chocolate that was 71% cacao, because I love dark chocolate. It makes for a very rich flavor. Semi-sweet or milk chocolate work as well.

Martha’s original recipe calls for a 10-inch skillet. I only own a 12-inch. If you use a 10-inch adjust the cooking time upward. She says to bake for 40-45 minutes.

Cast iron holds heat well, so remove the cookie before it gets too brown. It will continue to bake after you remove it from the oven.

You have to wait for the cookie to completely cool before cutting it up–unless you want gooey crumbly mess. Granted, warm gooey, crumbly cookie mess is not that bad of a thing. But if you want actual bars, you’ll have to wait.

This recipe is shared in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

I recommend The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen, by Donna Klein. (Click here to see it on Amazon.)