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.)

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.)

Want something creative to do with that Halloween candy? Mike and I were mulling over going to the store to buy Halloween candy on sale, when I remembered 3 Musketeers Pancakes.

Sleepovers with all the girl friends were fairly common in high school. And breakfast the next morning was usually pancakes. Pancakes made by Erica because she was the pancake master (mistress?). Usually these were chocolate chip pancakes, but one time Lucy’s mom was out of chocolate chips. We did have candy bars though. I don’t remember if they were 3 Musketeers or Milky Way. Anyway gooey chocolatey breakfast ensued. Remembering it this morning brought a smile to my face, so this recipe is for the Nerinx ladies.

• 1/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted plus more for greasing the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped 3 Musketeers bars (about 6 fun size bars)

1. Mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat lightly. Stir in the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the flour mixture into the buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, film the surface with butter. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle. Place chunks of 3 Musketeers in the pancakes. Once pancakes start to bubble, flip and cook a minute or two more, then remove from pan.
5. Film the pan with a bit more butter, and repeat with remaining batter and 3 Musketeers chunks. Serve.

(Makes 8 5-inch pancakes)

The trick with pancakes is to make sure the pan is nice and hot before you add the batter. But you have to be careful that it doesn’t get too hot, or your pancakes will burn. You may need to reduce the heat a bit between batches.

Spreading the candy chunks out by hand allows for even candy distribution. You can be lazy and toss the chunks in with the batter too though. However, by hand placing the candy, it gets contact with the pan once the pancake is flipped, so the edges get all crispy and the nougat gets melty and gooey. You probably don’t want to miss that.

The standard substitution for buttermilk is to take 1 cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. (That’d be 1 1/2 teaspoons of acid for the 1/2 cup of milk you need here.) You could do that if you don’t have the buttermilk. Or you could probably get away with using regular milk as well.

(You probably don’t need maple syrup, they’re pretty sweet as is.)

This recipe is also appearing in These Chicks Cooked, What’s Cooking Wednesday and 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.)

Pears were on sale last week. We had a ton. When I heard that this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free was themed Spiced Desserts the wheels started spinning. And once I mentioned the idea to Mike, there was no way I was not making poached pears.

• 4 ripe, firm pears
• 1 750-ml bottle blackberry wine
• 2 cups water
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 8 blackberries (for garnish)

1. Place wine, water, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with cold water and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. Core the pears from the bottom. Slice a little off the end so that the pear can stand up, then peel. Place each pear in the water after peeling to keep from browning.
3. Once the wine mixture is boiling, reduce the heat, and add the pears. Simmer the pears until soft (15-45 minutes), making sure to turn them periodically if they’re not entirely covered by the wine mixture.
4. Remove the pears from the pot, and set aside to cool. Return the pot to high heat. Let the wine mixture boil until it’s reduced by half. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
5. While the syrup is reducing, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or double boiler. When pears are cool enough to handle, spoon or pipe the white chocolate into the pears.
6. Once the syrup is room temperature, place one pear in the middle of a small plate. Spoon syrup over the top. Garnish with berries and serve.

(Serves 4)

With regards to the cooking time, the pears will probably be sufficiently soft in around 15-20 minutes. However, the longer they soak, the more they color. I let them simmer about 45 minutes. You could go even longer. If you want them really dark, you can actually refrigerate them overnight in the wine, then boil it down the next day.

There’s no need to be married to the idea of blackberry wine. If it can’t be located, look for other fruit wines. Or you could substitute red wine. If it’s a dry red, you’ll probably want to add 1/4-1/2 cup more sugar. You could even try fruit juice. (Cranberry juice sounds nice.)

While the syrup was thicker than the wine itself, it was not the consistency you probably think of when you hear the word syrup. If you want a thicker consistency add more sugar. Any leftover syrup can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days. Maybe to be used as a topping for ice cream or other fruit?

I used my 1/4 teaspoon to dig out the core. Many people suggest a melon baller. Or a corer. That’s probably easiest. But you need to own one. I’m also lacking a pastry bag. But I do own a spoon and fingers. While piping the chocolate into the pears using a pastry bag might be a bit neater and easier, a spoon got the job done.

This recipe is also appearing in This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday, 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.)

I was excited when my first batch of pickling cucumbers came in, and I quickly used them all for the Spicy Dill Refrigerator Pickles. I checked my garden a few days ago and only had one small pickling cuke. But there were a couple teeny-tiny growths starting on some of the other plants. Two days later and I’m buried in cucumbers! These refreshing sorbets are an attempt to use up the cucumbers and throw together a quick dessert.

The sorbets were not made with my ice cream maker, but with my good ol’ freezer. Both sorbets are light and the mint makes a great palate cleanser. If you do use an ice cream maker the sorbets will be a bit easier to scoop, plus it will speed up the freezing time.

Note: We separated the two recipes for easier reading, but as you’ll see, it likely makes sense to make them both together (or double either recipe) in order to use a whole number of cucumbers.

Cucumber Mint Sorbet:

• 2 ½ cucumbers; peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 10 medium-to-large mint leaves (more or less to taste)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• juice and zest from one lime

Make the simple syrup first. Take ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Place both ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and gently stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Peel 2 ½ cucumbers, size in half length-wise, and remove all of the seeds. Then slice into chunks.

Place cucumbers and the simple syrup in a blender or food processor. Next add 10 medium-to-large washed mint leaves. Zest the lime into the blender, slice it in half, juice it and add the juice to the blender. Puree until smooth and well combined. Place in a container that has a lid and place into your freezer.

Strawberry Cucumber Sorbet:

• 1 ½ cucumbers; peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• juice and zest from one lemon

Again, make the simple syrup first. Take ½ cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Place both ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and gently stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Peel 1 ½ cucumbers, size in half length-wise, and remove all of the seeds. Then slice into chunks.

Next cut strawberries into halves until there is 1 cup of strawberries sliced. Combine strawberries, the simple syrup, cucumber, and the zest and juice from one lemon in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Place in a separate container with lid and move to a freezer.

Give the sorbets a stir every 30 minutes, making sure to break up any ice crystals. Continue checking and stirring the sorbets until frozen solid.

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 bought half a peck of peaches at the farmer’s market last week. (Mike sent me with instructions to “buy lots of fruit.”) That was perhaps a bit too much for just the two of us. But I was in luck because I learned about a monthly vegetarian event called Veggie/Fruit a Month, and this month Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook chose peaches for the theme.

Now I only had to decide what to make with these peaches. A crisp or a crumble or a cobbler seemed too obvious. I flipped through most of my cookbooks looking for inspiration. Then in Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking I saw a recipe for coconut panna cotta with summer berry coulis. Perfect.

Panna cotta means “cooked cream.” It’s an Italian dessert (I seem to be on a roll with those lately), wherein sweetened cream is mixed with gelatin and allowed to set. All manner of flavorings can be added. I changed Heidi’s recipe around a bit: nixing the cow milk in favor of all coconut, and switching the berry coulis out for peaches. But, like her recipe, I used agar flakes as Mike doesn’t eat gelatin. This works nicely though, because now it can be enjoyed by vegan and vegetarian alike. (And the meat-eaters too I suppose.)

For the panna cotta:

• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon agar flakes
• neutral tasting oil or coconut oil

1. Mix coconut milk and agar flakes in a small saucepan. Stir well. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the agar flakes to soften. Meanwhile, lightly oil 4 small ramekins.
2. Add the sugar and heat the mixture over medium-low heat until the milk begins to simmer. Allow to simmer for a few minutes while whisking well. Remove from heat and divide the coconut milk between the ramekins. Place ramekins in the refrigerator to cool and set.

For the peach coulis:

• 2 cups finely chopped fresh peaches plus 8 peach slices for garnish (~4 medium peaches)
• 1-2 tablespoons white sugar (depending on how ripe your peaches are)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Place all ingredients (minus the garnish-intended peach slices) in a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low until peaches have released their juices and the syrup begins to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat. Allow to cool.
2. Place peaches and syrup in a food processor and process until smooth. (Alternatively use a blender or immersion blender.) Move to refrigerator to cool.

When ready to serve:

1. Spoon some of the peach coulis onto the center of a small plate.
2. Set the bottom of a ramekin in hot water for 30-45 seconds. Run a butter knife around the edge of the ramekin. Invert the ramekin over the peach coulis and let the panna cotta slip out. (It may take a little shaking.)
3. Top with more peach coulis and a couple peach slices for garnish.
4. Repeat with the remaining ramekins and serve.

(Serves 4)

Heidi notes that if for some reason the agar does not completely dissolve, strain the coconut milk through a sieve and push the flakes through. Then continue to divide the mixture between the ramekins.

This was another recipe where I made this version with the pureed coulis, then decided that I wanted to try it without pureeing the peaches, then couldn’t decide which one I liked better. The panna cotta itself has a very creamy custardy mouthfeel, so pureed peaches led to a very smooth dessert. Leaving the peaches chopped adds some texture, although the peaches are still pretty soft. I should note that in both versions I peeled the peaches. I imagine if you left the skin on, you’d add more texture that way as well.

I think the recipe is also pretty adaptable in terms of flavors. I played around with infusing the coconut milk with ginger but couldn’t get the flavor to my liking. A little splash of vanilla in the coconut milk might be nice. You could play around with the flavors of the coulis too. Peach and thyme are frequently paired, maybe add a sprig of fresh thyme to the peaches while they’re cooking? Or add in some berries? Peach-blackberry coulis sounds good.

This recipe is also being shared in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday,  Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Seasonal Sundays.

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 mentioned in the green tea ice cream and peanut butter ice cream recipes, it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. Granted, it can be difficult to get a really creamy and smooth ice cream, but the lack of an ice cream maker doesn’t doom you to store-bought desserts.

Take granitas, for example. They’re an Italian frozen dessert, similar in texture to a snow cone, but you start with the flavoring instead of dumping it on top right before serving. A big benefit of granitas is that you don’t need any special equipment to make them. Just the freezer. They’re icy and crunchy, perfect for hot summer days.

I found the proportions for these granitas in Harold McGee’s The Curious Cook. He has an entire chapter devoted to fruit ices and the best proportions of fruit to sugar to water to create the right texture. (If you want to know how and why things work the way they do in the kitchen, I suggest you check out his book On Food and Cooking; it has all sorts of useful and fun information.)

But back to granitas. We had a large honeydew melon that was needing to be made into something, and granitas are something I’ve been thinking about for a while now, so I gave them a go.

• 2 cups pureed honeydew (about 3 cups chopped honeydew)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup white sugar

1. Stir the water, lemon juice, and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the honeydew puree and mix well. Pour into a large shallow dish and place in the freezer.
2. Once ice crystals start forming along the edges, remove from the freezer and scrape the crystals back into the liquid. Return to the freezer. Check every half-hour and break up any ice crystals until completely slushy. Serve.

(Makes ~1 quart)

It will probably take a least a couple hours for the granita to freeze. It depends on how cold your freezer is and how large of a container you are using. Once the granita is slushy it can be frozen overnight, however it might need to sit out a little before serving.

The amount of sugar can be decreased to make a crunchier granita. The lemon adds just enough acidity to balance the sweetness. If you really want lemon flavor swap in another 1/4 cup of lemon juice and decrease the water by 1/4 cup.

I’m also sharing this recipe in Gluten-Free Wednesdays and Full Plate Thursday. It was also featured on the Prevention Magazine blog.

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.)

Apparently I’m on a dessert kick. There’s been lots of desserts in my recent roundups and my last two posts were ice cream and cupcakes. Hope you don’t mind.

Really this recipe was all about trying to use up some nuts we had leftover from vacation (Mike eats a lot of nuts, so we stockpiled). The only thing that popped into my head for hazelnuts was a hazelnut smoothie. I’m not really sure what fueled this notion, as I’ve never had or made a hazelnut smoothie before, but I couldn’t come up with anything else, so here you are.

• 1/4 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1 1/4 cups milk of your choice
• 4 scoops of ice cream, vanilla or chocolate
• 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast until hazelnuts are fragrant and swollen in size with cracked skins, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. Once hazelnuts are cooled, place in a towel and rub vigorously to remove skins.
3. Put hazelnuts in a blender and blend until finely ground. Add the milk. Blend until hazelnuts are thoroughly incorporated into the milk. (You may need to scrape the bottom to remove ground hazelnuts from beneath the blades.)
4. Add in the ice cream and chocolate syrup and blend again until completely mixed. Serve immediately.

(Serves 2)

I really liked the hazelnut flavor. I wasn’t sure how much you’d be able to taste it, but it came through loud and clear. And the nuts make it healthy, right?

I should note that this smoothie is much thinner than standard smoothie or milkshake consistency. It pours easily. Decrease the amount of milk for a thicker consistency.

[An aside: I love this blender. This one belongs to Mike's parents, but my parents had pretty much the exact same model--which I ended up taking to college. Whenever it came out, someone would walk into the kitchen and say "my parents have the same blender!" Whoever would have guessed a blender could be a conversation piece? Of course what's really most impressive is that it's 30 years old and still going strong. Yay tan Osterizer that never dies and teaches you the word frappe.]

Could you get by without removing the skins? Probably. Your smoothie might not be as pretty. Maybe you don’t care. As you can see from the picture above, mine did not come completely off. (Most likely they needed more toasting.)

You do probably want to use toasted hazelnuts (whether you toast them yourself as listed in the recipe or buy toasted hazelnuts is up to you). I think the flavor is much better. If you really prefer raw nuts, give it a go.

Our nuts were not salted. Given that this is a dessert, I think most people would want to go the unsalted route. However, I also know that when you dip french fries in milkshakes it’s delicious, so maybe the salty and sweet thing would work?

I actually used chocolate chip ice cream because that’s what was around. Chocolate will clearly make a more chocolatey smoothie. I pondered adding some coffee powder to make a mocha hazelnut smoothie. Coffee ice cream would do the same job. Mix and match to your tastes.

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.)