German Chocolate Cake with Ooey-Gooey Caramely Coconut Frosting

I know, I know -- I haven’t posted here in f.o.r.e.v.e.r.  But I want to get back to it, at least once in a while; if not to share recipes and adventures with others, but also to have a record of things that I want to do again (i.e. a place to easily find them).

And away we go….

This week, on Monday night in fact, I made a German Chocolate Cake for an awesome friend’s birthday on Tuesday night.  It was only the second or third time I’d ever made a cake from scratch at home.  I had hesitated to make scratch cakes because they just aren’t the same as boxed ones, and we (the collective we of society) have become so accustomed to what comes out of those boxes that the texture, and even the color, of homemade cakes can seem….odd.  Right?  But Jason reminded me that this is what cakes are *supposed* to be like, and being a food purist/snob/=P, I realize that this is the way I should have been making cakes all along, and it’s also how I *will* make cakes from now on.  From scratch.

The recipe looks complicated at first, but it really wasn’t.  A little time-consuming?  Yes.  But totally worth it.  And like I said to the group before we cut into this thing: “It isn’t the prettiest cake, but hell if it ain’t gonna taste good; between the cake and frosting it contains almost a full pound of butter!"

I Googled as I usually do to find a recipe that I thought looked good, and settled on this one because it calls for buttermilk, which we just happened to have some leftover from making pancakes with no real ideas in sight as to how else to use it up.

The very few inconsequential changes that I made to the recipe I have marked in red.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pkg.  (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate
• ½ cup  water
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 cups  flour
• 1 tsp.  baking soda
• ¼ tsp.  salt
• 1 cup  butter, softened
• 2 cups  sugar
• 1 tsp.  vanilla
• 1 cup  buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COVER bottoms of 3 (9-inch) -- I only used two -- round pans with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

BEAT egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

ADD egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

BAKE 30 min -- I had to bake mine longer because I was using fewer pans -- or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

While the cakes are baking, prepare the frosting….

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 can  (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• 1½   tsp.  vanilla
• 1½  cups  sugar
• ¾ cup  butter or margarine
• 1 pkg.  (7 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut (2-2/3 cups)
• 1-1/2 cups  chopped PLANTERS Pecans (I omitted the nuts due to a guest's allergy)

DIRECTIONS:

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. (I found that I had to cook it for a lot longer than 12 minutes to get a good, thick consistency suitable for spreading as a frosting that wouldn't run off the cake.  I probably hit 25 minutes.  I also didn't stir it constantly, and alternated down to low heat during the times I wasn't actively stirring it.  But beware, it will build up hidden bubbles if you don't stir constantly, and then explode/splash very hot caramel sugar onto you when you being stirring again.)  Remove from heat.

ADD coconut and nuts; mix well. Cool to desired spreading consistency.

Finally, spread the frosting between the cake layers and onto top of cake.

This was a very heavy cake.  I was actually surprised at how literally heavy it came out, given that it seemed very fluffy (whipped egg whites) when it went into the oven.  I suppose a lot of the weight comes from the frosting.  Just beware when cutting slices -- go thin.  It's quite a substantial dessert.

Kitty Litter Cake

Are you in need of a tasty yet "festive" dessert for Halloween?  Do you think cat litter boxes are gross?  Well, look no further.  We have just what you need right here.  Essentially a "mud cake" but with different flavors, it's not an original recipe, nor one that I invented (you can find it all over Google)....but it's fun and easy.

You will need:

• A box of white cake mix, baked according to the package directions;
• A box of spice cake mix, baked according to the package directions;
• 2  packages of instant vanilla pudding, prepared according to package directions;
• One package of Vienna finger sandwich cookies, crushed until they look like sand (food processor or blender - working in batches - works well for this);
• Green food coloring;
• Tootsie Rolls;
• A small, brand new, never used, kitty litter box (washed several times, too); and
• A small, brand new, never used litter box pooper scooper (also washed several times).

Once the cakes are cooled and the pudding is set, all you need to do is mix them together (you may want to chop the cakes into chunks first) with about half of the crushed cookies, then spread it all out evenly into the litter pan*.  Next, pop a few tootsie rolls into the microwave (unwrapped and on a plate) for just a few seconds until they are soft enough to shape into something your cat might deposit - lol.  Bury them throughout the cake wherever you wish.

All you should have left for ingredients at this point is half the cookie crumbs, green food coloring, and the rest of your Tootsie Rolls.  Using the food coloring, turn a bit of the remaining cookie crumbs green.  Spread the non-green crumbs over the top of the cake, and then sprinkle the green crumbs over that.  Make a few more Tootsie Roll poops and put them on top, too.

Serve it up with the pooper scooper.*  It's delicious, I promise!!!

* I think it goes without saying that these items should be brand new and super duper deep cleaned before using.

My own little episode of "Chopped" -- Dessert style

After dinner tonight (a marinated and grilled London broil with fresh potato salad, corn on the cob and steamed green beans), I decided that it was time to use up a small bunch of ranier cherries that were going to be trash before the next few days were over.

I had been thinking all day that maybe they should become some sort of dessert, so I looked around the kitchen to see what else was on hand, and played my own little game of Chopped.  This is what happened (all within a matter of about 20-30 minutes, the customary allotted time on the show)....

First, I got my oven warming to 350-degrees, because I knew that I'd be using a couple of cupcake cups of yellow cake batter than we had in the freezer.

As those were thawing out, I picked out the cherries with any kind of rot or mold, then pitted and chopped up the rest and threw them into a small sauce pot along with some juice and zest from the lemon that I had used to make a glass of lemonade with dinner.

Next, I added what I estimate to be about a quarter to a half cup of white grape juice from the fridge (bought for a rib recipe but always comes way too much in the bottle than we need for it) and maybe 5 or 6 teaspoons of sugar.

 
I tossed the cupcakes into the oven, set the timer for 20 minutes, and then came back to the cherry mixture which I brought to a boil and then turned it down to simmer.

At this point, I began thinking: "What else does this dish need?"  Chocolate sauce, duh.  Or....chocolate filling!  Back to the cabinet I went and grabbed a Hershey bar (leftover from a S'mores adventure).  I broke it up into a measuring cup and added a couple tablespoons of milk.  I set this aside and waited for the cupcakes and cherry sauce to be done.

This is where it all comes together.  I popped the chocolate into the microwave for 15 seconds, then stirred it to make sure it was all melted.  It turned out a little thin, so I plopped in a spoonful of cornstarch and put it back into the microwave for another 30 seconds (until it boiled).  Another few stirs and it was nice and thick like a ganache.

Time for plating!!!  I used my pastry bag with a wide tip to pipe the chocolate into the center of the now unwrapped cupcakes, piped some onto the plate, and spooned the cherry sauce both onto the plate and on top of the cupcake.  Presto:

It was gooooood!  And husband approved.  :)

Irish Flag Trifle

Looking for a last minute, easy, and festive St. Patrick's Day dessert?  Look no further.

I made this trifle (the recipe for which I got from my friend Chrissy S.) last year, but back then, I forgot the whiskey!  Oh, the horror!  ;) 

This time I made no such mistake.  Here's the easy process....

You will need:

• One box of white cake mix
• Two packages of banana cream flavored instant pudding
• Milk (to make the pudding with)
• A large tub of Cool Whip
• 6 Heath Bars
• Irish Whiskey (one nip, or approximately two shots)
• Green and orange food coloring (I use red and yellow to make my own orange, since I can't find orange in my market)

First, prepare the cake mix according to the package instructions, but also add as much green food coloring as you need in order to make it your desired shade.  Bake in two separate pans, according to the package directions.

While the cakes are baking, prepare the two packages of pudding, according to the directions on the boxes, but again, add as much orange food coloring as you need to in order to achieve the desired shade.  Also take your cool whip out of the fridge/freezer, so it comes to a more workable texture.  Finally, crush up all the Heath Bars in a plastic zip-top baggie.

When the cakes are done and cooled, it's time build your trifle.  The only non-obvious step that you will need to take is to trim off the sides of the cakes, so that the interior green color can shine through.

Layer it all into your trifle bowl....put in one of the cakes, drizzle it with half the whiskey, then a layer of pudding, then a layer of cool whip, and a layer of crushed Heath Bar.  Repeat the layering one more time, and then you are done.

You want to know the nutritional value on this?  No.  The don't ask, don't tell policy on this has not been repealed.  Just eat it, it's a holiday after all.  =P

Chocolate-Topped Peanut Butter-Bacon Bars

What did you make for Super Bowl Sunday?  We made a recipe that Hubby found on the Betty Crocker website: Chocolate-Topped Peanut Butter-Bacon Bars.  I don't know what exactly he was Googling for, but this is where he landed.  :)

Yes, you read it right.  Chocolate + Peanut Butter + Bacon.  Why not.  Believe it, they make a lovely combination....and bonus, this recipe is pretty darn easy to put together.

  

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pouch Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons maple-flavored syrup
• 1 egg
• 10 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350° and spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cookie mix, oil, maple syrup and egg until a soft dough forms.
3. Reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon for garnish.
4. Stir the remaining bacon and peanuts into the dough and then press the dough evenly into the greased pan.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top, and return it to the oven for 1 minute.
7. Remove it from the oven and immediately spread the chocolate out over the top and then sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup of bacon over the melted chocolate.
8. Cool completely, about 1 hour or until chocolate is set, and then cut into squares of your desired size.
9. Keep any leftover bars in the refrigerator (they do contain meat, after all).

REVIEW:

It's certainly an odd combination, and not one that many people would think of, but we liked these.  Of course, we are bacon fanatics and also love weird foods, but even the friends whose Super Bowl party we brought them to liked them (they ate 2 or 3 bars each, I think).  One even commented that it was a perfect combination of salty bacon and sweet peanut butter creaminess, and that the hardened chocolate gave just the right snap on top.  I personally didn't think that the peanut butter flavor came through strongly enough, and so if we make these again, perhaps I will add some actual peanut butter, or make the bars/brownies from scratch rather than using the bagged mix, so as to get a better flavor profile.

4 Layer Delight

This dessert is a classic Southern grannie style dish, utilizing both fresh and store-bought ingredients.  It's easy and very yummy.  The utmost gratitude goes out to Jason's Grandma Irish for sharing this dish with me -- what an incredible lady, may she rest in peace.

BOTTOM LAYER: Mix together 1-cup of flour, 1/2-cup of crushed pecans, and 1/2-cup of melted butter (yes that's a whole stick, kids) into a crumbly dough-ish texture.  Press it into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.


I use the butter wrapper to keep my hand clean

Bake it at 350-degrees for 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.


SECOND LAYER: Mix together 1-cup of Cool Whip, 1-1/2-cups of powdered sugar, and 8-ounces of softened cream cheese (this is a whole helluva lot easier if you have a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer).  Spread the mixture over top of the now-cooled crust.

THIRD LAYER: Mix 2 packages of instant butterscotch pudding with 3 cups of milk (ignore the preparation instructions on the boxes or else you'll use too much milk and the pudding layer will be too runny).  Put the pudding in the fridge until it's almost firm, then pour it over top of the white layer and gently spread it out.

TOP LAYER: Cover the whole thing with a layer of Cool Whip and chopped pecans.

Refrigerate overnight to set.



I canNOT wait to dig into this tonight at pre-Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws!!!  :')

Apple Crisp

We've still got that bag of apple-picking gems sitting around, so of course last night for dessert it had to be "find a way to bake up some apples" time.  Lol.

I was never sure what the difference was between a "crisp" and a "cobbler" -- they always seemed pretty much the same to me.  I decided it's high time I looked it up.  According to The Free Online Dictionary, a crisp is "a dessert of fruit baked with a sweet crumbly topping" and a cobbler is "a deep-dish fruit pie with a thick top crust."  I found similar definitions on other websites.  So it seems the difference perhaps between a crisp and a cobbler is in the crust; that a cobbler is more pie-like in it's topping, while the crisp's topping is more of a crumbly nature.  So, I guess what I made was a crisp.  :)

Either way, it was certainly crispy and tasty.  Here's how I did it (the recipe makes 4 servings):

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium-to-large Apples (I used a golden delicious and another red-skinned variety that I am not sure what it was -- you can read in my Apple Pie post how we have a bunch of different kinds of apples that all look similar).
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup of oats
• 1/2 stick of Butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup of Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• 4 Tablespoons of Apple Cider
• 1 more tablespoon of Butter, sliced into 4 thin pats

DIRECTIONS

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees.

2.  Cube the apples and toss them with the 2 Tablespoons of Sugar.

3.  Put about half of the oats into your food processor and run the blade until the oats turn into oat flour (this doesn't take long at all -- maybe a minute).

4.  Add the rest of the oats, the cubed butter, the brown sugar, and as much cinnamon and nutmeg as you like.  Pulse the blade until you get what looks like a coarse, crumbly, lumpy pile of goodness.

5.  Spoon the apples into each of 4 ramekins.

6.  Then cover the apples with the crumb topping.

7.  Pour about one Tablespoon of apple cider into each ramekin, then top each one with a thin pat of butter.

8.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the crumb topping is crispy and golden brown.

9.  Allow them to cool for just a few minutes, then top with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and serve.

AND IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW
Each serving (including a half-cup scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream) has:

• 350 calories
• 4 grams protein
• 49 grams carbs
• 17 grams fat
• 4 grams fiber
• 122 mg sodium

Apple Pie

It’s full-swing Autumn here in New England, and you all know what that means – apple season!!

We waited until it was almost too late (read: farms running out of crop and the one we originally planned to go to already being shut down), but over the weekend Hubby and I finally went apple picking at Parlee Farms.  We were relegated to whatever they had left, which was a mix of Cortland, Golden Delicious, Macoun, Empire, Cameo, and possibly a couple others that I cannot remember specifically right now.  Here’s what’s left of our 1/2 bushel-20 pound bag (there's going to have to be more apple recipes in the upcoming weeks):

As you can see most of the varieties look pretty much the same (at least they do to me), so when I made my Apple Pie, I just took a random sampling from the bag that added up to the poundage I needed for this recipe.



Gluten-Free Apple Pie

CRUST INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white rice flour
• ½ cup sorghum flour
• ½ cup potato starch
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

FILLING INGREDIENTS

• 2-¼ pounds of apples
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, made into a slurry with 2 Tablespoons of cold water
• Freshly grated Nutmeg, to taste
• Cinnamon, to taste
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sugar, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all the dry crust ingredients in a mixing bowl, or the bowl of your food processor if you have one.  Mix (or pulse the processor) until well combined.
2. Add in the cubed butter and toss to lightly cover it with the flour mixture.  Then begin to incorporate the butter into the flour by “cutting it in” or pulsing your food processor if you’re using one.  If you don’t have a butter cutting tool as shown in the linked video, you can use two forks for the same purpose (that’s what I did).  You want to end up with something that is the texture of coarse bread crumbs or coarse cornmeal.
3. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the egg and apple cider vinegar into the well.  Using a fork, incorporate the liquids into the flour mixture until you get a sticky, clumpy mix (the final consistency should feel moist, but not too wet -- you can always add a little more rice flour if you think it’s too wet and/or sticky).
4. Form it into a smooth ball, wrap the ball in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge.
5. While the dough is chilling, it’s time to prepare the filling.
6. Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees.
7. Peel, core and slice the apples.
8. In a medium saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
9. Add the sliced apples and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring to coat the apples with the liquid mixture, until the apples just begin to soften.
10. Add the cornstarch slurry, and cook for one minute more, stirring gently.  This will thicken the liquids and cause them to coat the apple slices better.
11. Strain the apples in a colander and discard the extra juices which run off.  Add your desired amounts freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon to the colander and gently mix into the apples.
12. Remove your dough from the fridge and using either two sheets of wax paper, parchment paper, and/or rice flour for dusting, roll it out so that it’s more than large enough to cover the bottom and sides of your pie pan.  You want the dough to be no more than ¼” thick, and making it this thickness should allow that you will have enough left to cover the pie, too.
13. Gently pick up the dough and place it in your greased pie pan, making sure it falls into the corners.  Trim off the excess (there should definitely be some), form the excess into another ball, and roll it out.  This will become the top of your pie.
14. Pour the apples into the now bottom-crusted pie pan, spread them out to create an even layer, and then use the remaining dough to cover the top (either in one full sheet, or a lattice pattern, or any other design you might endeavor to create).  Just make sure there are a couple of holes/slits for steam to escape while cooking.
15. Bake for 30 minutes.
16. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg, sprinkle with some sugar, and bake several minutes more (or however long it takes) for the crust to become golden brown and fairly crispy looking.

This was only my second attempt ever at making an apple pie (the first being years ago with regular wheat flour).  It was not any easier or harder this time.  Making pie, as you probably know, is a little time consuming and can be a bit of a pain in the buttocks, but it’s always well worth it.  It was delicious, and well-liked by the non-GF-ers who I served it to, as well.

Here are a few thoughts and suggestions based on my experience with this particular recipe and the ways I went about making it:

First, I want to note that there was no xanthan gum in the crust.  This doesn’t pose any problems whatsoever as long as you are serving the pie cold.  When cold, it slices well and holds together very nicely.  See?

But when we re-heated the pie (in the oven) for serving, the crust easily crumbled and fell apart some when slicing and picking it up out of the pan for plating.  Perhaps this could have been alleviated by slicing it cold, and then re-heating individual pieces in the microwave.  Alternatively, perhaps the addition of a little bit of xanthan gum to the dough might help this issue, and also allow us to reheat it without worry of it turning into an apple cobbler.  (I notice a lot of other crust recipes do include xanthan gum.)  I guess it all just depends on how you like to eat your pie (hot or cold) whether you want to experiment with xanthan gum and/or different re-heating processes.

I found that I had to bake my pie longer than the 30 minutes it should have taken.  I think this was because my dough was too wet.  I should have added a bit more rice flour to the dough before chilling it, and probably also should have dusted my surfaces with some rice flour before rolling out (I had some issues with the dough sticking to my wax paper).  You always see the TV chefs dusting their surfaces every time -- why I didn’t think to do this I have no idea.  Lol.

Finally, I am not going to calculate and give the usual nutritional information on this pie, like I do with other recipes, because, well….it’s meant to be an indulgent dessert, there’s a ton of butter in it, you're probably going to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top anyways, and....does anyone really want to know?  ;)

GF Fluffernutter Whoopie Pies, Version 2.0

Fluffernutter, for those that may not know, is a sandwich made with peanut butter and Marshmallow Fluff.  It's apparently a New England thing, and very much a favorite of Massachusetts kids.

Hubby was very excited to find out that Marshmallow Fluff is naturally gluten-free, and emailed this recipe to me which he found on the Fluffernutter website.  All I had to do was swap out the flour for GF flour, and here it is!

You'll notice that I call this recipe "Version 2.0" -- that's because this is my second attempt at it.  The first time around I added some Xanthan Gum in addition to swapping out the flour, because I thought it was necessary.  When I did that, I found the dough/batter to be incredibly thick and sticky and it wasn't spreading in the oven like the recipe said it would.  It made for whoopie pies that were somewhat oddly shaped, and more cookie-like than cake-like in texture.  Here is a picture of Version 1:

Overall, Version 1.0 was good and they tasted great....even a friend at work really liked them.  The filling, in particular, is to die for and absolutely addictive (it would also make a wonderful cupcake frosting).  Personally, though, I didn’t think the cake part of these whoopie pies was quite right.

Fast forward to when I made my Gluten-Free Brownies last week, whose recipe didn't call for any Xanthan Gum at all.  The brownies turned out spectacularly, so I thought: "Maybe I don't need to add Xanthan Gum to all baked goods; maybe it's only essential in breads."  And so whoopie pie Version 2.0 was born.  This is what Version 2.0 looks like: 

I should note that I’ve never made either version of this recipe with regular flour (or any homemade whoopie pies for that matter), so I don’t know how either compares to how the cakes would have turned out with regular flour....and I don't really know whether Version 1.0 or Version 2.0 is closer to how the folks at Fluff intended them to be.  Either way, I prefer Version 2.0 for sure (and Hubby says they're better than any storebought whoopie pies he's ever had, gluten-free or not -- and he's a whoopie pie connoisseur).

:)  Here is the recipe:

CAKE INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups multi-purpose GF flour (I used about half King Arthur Gluten Free Multi Purpose Flour and about half Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour, because that's what I had on hand)
• ½ - 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (only if you want Version 1.0 whoopie pies)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup milk (we always use a lactose-free variety)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

CAKE DIRECTIONS

1.  Heat oven to 350 F

2.  In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed beat egg and vegetable oil. Gradually pour in sugar and continue beating until pale yellow in color.  In another bowl, sift together the flours, (xanthan gum if you are going for Version 1.0), cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

3.  In a measuring cup combine milk and vanilla.

4.  Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately to the egg/oil/sugar mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

5.  Let sit 10 minutes.

6.  Drop by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet lined with Silpat (I used a melon ball scooper -- spray the scooper with Pam if you are doing Version 1.0 to make sure it lets go of that sticky xanthan gum dough).

7.  The original recipe indicated that the cakes would spread a lot during baking, which was certainly true with this Version 2.0, so make sure to leave plenty of room for that to happen (i.e. don't put more than four pie halves on one cookie sheet).  For Version 1.0, they didn't spread out at all and basically kept the shape they were when plopped onto the cookie sheet.  What this tells me is that the more Xanthan Gum you use, the taller and smaller diameter your whoopie pies will end up.  It's also worth nothing that there was no crumbling problem at all, even in Version 2.0 with -0- Xanthan Gum.

8.  Bake about 8-9 minutes.

9.  Remove to wire racks or waxed paper to cool.

10.  You may find that the cakes seem to stick to the pan or Silpat.  Just dig under them carefully until they release from the pan.  Then, scrape off anything left behind stuck to the pan and move on to your next batch.  (I found it's not a good idea to grease the Silpat/pan because the batter spreads too far and unevenly if you do).

FILLING INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Teddie All Natural Organic Peanut Butter because that's what we had on hand and because we love Teddie PB)
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• One 7 ½ oz. jar Marshmallow Fluff
• 3-4 tbsp. milk

FILLING DIRECTIONS

1.  Bring butter and peanut butter to room temperature.

2.  In a medium bowl with mixer at low speed, beat butter and remaining ingredients until light and fluffy. (And try not to eat it all with your fingers before putting it into the sandwiches!)

3.  When the cakes are cool, which they should be by the time you have the filling made, use filling and two cakes to make sandwiches.

You should get about 18 (three-to-four-inch-diameter) whoopie pies, each with:

• 320 calories
• 4 grams protein
• 52 grams carbs
• 11 grams fat
• 1 gram fiber
• 139 mg sodium

Here are a couple more pictures, just for fun....

PS -- I would suggest storing any uneaten pies in the fridge, since the filling contains both milk and butter.

Gluten-Free Brownies! OMG Yum!

Who needs wheat flour to make the most awesomest brownies ever?  Not me!  :)
I made these today to take to a friend's house tomorrow (she's gluten-free and also lactose intolerant, and Hubby and I wanted to make a dessert that we can all enjoy).  I don't think any of us will have any problem enjoying the holy hell out of these....

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of almond meal/flour (I made my own in the food processor, from sliced almonds)
• 1/4 cup of white rice flour
• Kosher Salt (1/2 teaspoon if Morton, 1 teaspoon if Diamond Crystal)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 ounces of chocolate (I used Baker's Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate Squares)
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients (if you have a stand mixer, use its bowl) and mix well using the whisk attachment.  If you don't have a stand mixer, an electric hand mixer is just fine, or even a regular whisk plus some elbow grease.
3. Melt the chocolate and the butter together (I did this in the microwave) and stir together well.
4. Break the eggs into the bowl of dry ingredients, add the vanilla, and mix well (still using the whisk attachment if you are using a stand mixer).
5. Add the butter/chocolate mixture, and mix on medium-high speed until well combined.
6. Pour it all into the greased brownie pan of your choice (I topped mine with a few bits of sliced almonds on top), and bake for 35-40 minutes.
7. Let them cool outside of the oven (if you can resist digging right in immediately), and then cut into squares.

These brownies are amazing!  They are SO good that every time I walk anywhere near the kitchen, Hubby says "you should bring me another brownie."  ;)

Nutrition Facts (for each of 15 brownies):

• 198 calories
• 3 grams protein
• 23 grams carbs
• 12 grams fat
• 1 gram fiber
• 88 mg sodium

Look how they compare to store bought full-wheat brownies (I am using my standby favorite Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownies as the example) baked as directed on the package and cut into 15 servings:

• 227 calories
• 3 grams protein
• 32 grams carbs
• 11 grams fat
• 1 gram fiber
• 140 mg sodium

Not bad at all, especially considering the nutritional value that the almond flour brings to the party.  I am 100% pleased with these brownies.  Wow and Yum!

PS: Hubby had the idea of, next time, using hazelnut flour instead of almond flour.  And I don't see why that wouldn't work....or any nut flour from any kind of nut you would normally put into brownies (walnuts, pecans, etc).  Go for it, experiment!  That's why cooking and baking is fun, after all, right?  :)