Archives for June 2015

Gluten Free Root Beer Float Pie

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 29, 2015 | Posted In: 4th of July, Desserts, Holidays, Labor Day, Pie, Puddings

Overhead view of root beer float pie with cherry on top on white plate

Ah, summer. You deserve to be smooth and creamy, rich and delicious. Like this gluten free root beer float pie. I like it best with a simple light and flaky pastry crust like our coconut cream pie, but if you were hoping not to turn on the oven at all you could easily make it with a no-bake cookie crumb crust (easy instructions included below). Summertime is for livin’ easy, after all.

A close up of root beer float pie

The single pastry crust can easily be made way ahead of time, too, and frozen raw or even frozen after it’s been baked. If you freeze it raw, bake it right from the freezer. If you freeze it baked, allow it to defrost at room temperature before pouring in the smooth and creamy root beer float filling.

Gluten Free Root Beer Float Pie, step by step

There are quite a few root beers that are gluten free, but my old-time favorite is A&W. I’ve also made the filling for this pie with Hansen’s root beer and I think it had a bit more of a root beer flavor.

A close up of a slice of root beer pie with cherry on top on white plate

My kids don’t drink much soda at all, so this is really a special treat for them. Want to boost the root beer flavor even more? Add some root beer flavoring or root beer concentrate in place of the vanilla extract. Or just serve with a tall, frosty glass of root beer. :)

Weight Watchers-Style Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 24, 2015 | Posted In: Bars, Brownies, Desserts, Weight Watchers-Friendly

4 chocolate zucchini brownies on white surface

It’s officially zucchini season and I’ve already made a decadent gluten free chocolate zucchini cake without a single solitary thought given to Weight Watchers PointsPlus. Since I’m kind of obsessed with the recipe for Gluten free “Weight Watchers” Chocolate Brownies on page 159 of Gluten Free Classic Snacks (it’s the recipe I make most often these days as a hostess gift), I was dying to see what happened when I substituted pureed zucchini for most of the oil in those brownies. Well, I’m happy to report that it was a swinging success!

Overhead view of ingredients for chocolate zucchini brines and chocolate zucchini brownies

I’m not anti-fat, actually. And I don’t generally like the idea of making baked goods lower in fat and calories by substituting oil or butter for, say, applesauce. I find that it tends to just makes the batter wetter, so it must be baked longer, which ultimately often results in dry cake, brownies, cookies, you name it. But zucchini in baking is such a wizard (how do you do it, summer harvest?), that I just had to try. Instead of just adding shredded zucchini to the batter like I often do in zucchini baking, I decided to puree the zucchini (with a bit of water to make blending easy) and then drain the puree. The result?

A stack of chocolate zucchini brownies on a white plate

Lightly sweet, moist and rich chocolate brownies that even your friends who usually say “oh I couldn’t possibly have a slice of that cake!” will feel good about sampling. Long live the zucchini!

Gluten Free Zucchini Tots

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 17, 2015 | Posted In: Appetizers, Sides, Summer Favorites

A white plate with red sauce and zucchini tots

Before my husband started growing zucchini all around our house in the summer months, I really hadn’t given summer squash much thought. I rarely if ever bought it at the grocery store, and only ate it when it was offered to me because I have a deep and abiding affection for all vegetables.

But once I started baking with zucchini, well that was that. I was hooked. And that’s a good thing, because my husband insists upon growing way too much of it. I need to be armed and ready with many, many slam-dunk zucchini recipes—like these gluten free zucchini tots.

An overhead view of of ingredients for zucchini tots and raw zucchini tots on beige surface

They don’t have many ingredients (grated zucchini, eggs, flour, spices, grated onion and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese) or require much preparation. You do have to grate the zucchini (easy peasy), and then squeeze out as much moisture as you can muscle in a tea towel.

The good news? You can prepare big batches of grated zucchini ahead of time, squeeze the moisture out and then freeze it in quart-size zip-top bags until you’re ready for it. Plus, if it’s just too hot to make them in the oven, I bet they’d be great sautéed in a bit of butter in a pan.

If you’re looking for a dairy-free, healthy bite, these Cheesy Quinoa Bites from Alisa at Go Dairy Free sound amazing!

Zucchini tots on brown surface

They bake up beautifully crisp in the oven, and they’re at their very best when served right away. Since they don’t have much starch, unlike tater tots, they don’t hold on to that crispness for long.

A small price to pay for low-carb, gluten free finger food. Once they’ve cooled, they still retain enough moisture that they can be refreshed in a toaster oven before serving without drying out.

A person dipping zucchini tot in red sauce

If you have reluctant zucchini eaters, try serving these gluten free zucchini tots with some ketchup. Two of my three kids love these even when they’re not crispy, even without any sort of dip (they beg for more, in fact!).

The third, my vegetable-hater, only really likes them fresh out of the oven or refreshed in the toaster before serving. Not a bad vegetable batting average!

Gluten Free Blintzes

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 15, 2015 | Posted In: Breakfast & Brunch, Pancakes

The simple-to-make pancake in a gluten free blintz is a bit thicker than a crêpe, so you can really sink your teeth into it. Filled with a simple ricotta cheese filling, and you’ve got the perfect breakfast-for-dinner.

Blintze on white plate with jam on top

If you’ve made crêpes before, you can make blintzes. If you’ve never made crêpes before, you can make blintzes. The pancake in a blintz is a bit thicker than a crêpe (different ingredient ratios account for that), so you can really sink your teeth into it—and they just never ever tear. Unless you make them way too thick, in which case they’ll sort of splinter a bit when you fold them, but even then they really won’t tear.

The pancakes themselves aren’t sweet at all, which makes the lightly sweetened ricotta cheese filling all the more satisfying. Serve them with an easy blueberry compote or just some fresh fruit along with a salad, and you’ve got a simple breakfast for dinner situation that makes everyone happy—even the cook.

Gluten Free Blintzes, Step by Step

If they’re so simple, what’s with all the step by step photos? I’m not really sure. Think of it as show-and-tell. I tell you they’re simple, and then I show you. See?

Overhead view of blintze on white plate with jam

Whenever I make crêpes or blintzes, and remember just how easy they are (and how they’re perfect if you’re looking to keep your kitchen cool), I wonder why I’d ever make a plain old omelet. I wonder why anyone would, if you want to know the truth.

A close up of blintze on white plate with jam

If you’re dairy-free too, I have suggestions for how to replace the dairy milk and butter in the pancake recipe. The ricotta cheese filling is just a no-go for dairy-free, I assume, but you can really fill these with anything you like, including your favorite recipe for mashed potatoes or even whatever fillings you might use in an omelet. Since the pancakes are not at all sweet, they can go from sweet to savory without missing a beat. Breakfast for dinner is served!

Gluten Free Chocolate Eclair Ice Cream Bars—a Good Humor Copycat

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 12, 2015 | Posted In: 4th of July, Holidays, Ice Cream, Memorial Day, Snacks

Vanilla ice cream pops with a tender, cake-like cookie crumble all around, these gluten free chocolate eclair ice cream bars are just like you remember.

Person holing chocolate eclair ice cream pop on white background

There’s just no way in the world you can buy a gluten free chocolate eclair ice cream bar. Good Humor doesn’t make it, and let’s face it: they never will.

If you want to enjoy the ice cream-and-cake goodness of a chocolate eclair ice cream again, take my hand and follow me. Let’s do this.

Vanilla ice cream bars and chocolate eclair ice cream bars on beige surface

About popsicle molds

I have this 10-pop maker from Progressive (aff link), and it works fine. If the pops you are making aren’t frozen completely solid, it can be a bit difficult to get them out of the mold.

Running hot water along the outside of the mold until the pops release is the only way, but the whole business can be a bit challenging when you’re making ice cream, not ice pops. Ice cream, by its very nature, doesn’t freeze rock solid. If it did, it wouldn’t be ice cream.

Vanilla ice pops being dipped in chocolate eclair crumbs

I also have these silicone molds from Silkomart (aff link) and they work beautifully. They only make 4 at a time, though, unless you want to buy multiple packages. But the pops come out without a fuss, as you peel away the silicone easily.

If you really want to make things easier on yourself, buy some packaged uncoated vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream bars. Press those into the crumb mixture, and enjoy!

Eclair ice cream bar topping raw, baked and crumbled

How to make the cake “crunch”

The “cake crunch” is really just super soft chocolate cookie crumbs and super soft vanilla cookie crumbs, both made from the same basic recipe. The method is super simple, as you make one basic dough, then add cornstarch to one half and cocoa powder to the other.

Then, roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment, slice into rectangles of roughly the same size and bake until juuuuust set. Be careful not to overbake, and not to roll the dough too thin, or the cookies will be crunchy instead of soft.

Then, crumble the still-warm cookies, mix the chocolate and vanilla crumbs together and press onto your ice cream pop.

Eclair topping baked and crumbled

How these are different than the “real” thing

The original Good Humor bar has a chocolate ice cream center, surrounded by vanilla ice cream and a thin chocolate coating and then the cake crunch. Our bars are just vanilla, surrounded by cake crunch.

There are ways that we could make a chocolate-and-vanilla ice cream bar, but I decided to keep things super simple. The chocolate coating is nearly impossible on a homemade bar because the minute you dip an ice cream pop in melted chocolate, the ice cream begins to melt, so I went without.

Drizzle yours with a little melted chocolate on top, or even make some bars chocolate and some vanilla. Either way, it’s all about the cake crunch. And this one hits all the right cake crunch notes.

Stack of chocolate eclair ice cream bars on white surface

Ingredients and substitutions

Dairy

If you need dairy-free ice cream, you can try my no churn dairy free ice cream recipe. It’s smooth and creamy and should work great as popsicles.

If you’re dairy-free, you’ll also need to replace the butter in the cake crunch recipe. I would recommend trying Melt or Miyoko’s Kitchen brand vegan butter.

If you use Earth Balance buttery sticks, the cookies will spread more in the oven but you’re crumbling them anyway. Just be sure not to bake until the topping is crispy, since you want it to be tender.

Egg

There’s only one egg in this recipe. I think you could replace it successfully with a “chia egg.” Place 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds and 1 tablespoon lukewarm water in a small bowl, mix, and allow to sit until the mixture gels.

Corn

In place of cornstarch, try using arrowroot or even potato starch.

Gluten Free “Chicken-in-a-Biskit” Crackers

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 8, 2015 | Posted In: Appetizers, Breads, Crackers, Snacks

4 rows of crackers on white plate

These days there are more and more packaged gluten free crackers being sold in regular grocery stores. And that’s great! I love it when new gluten free products enter the marketplace. It forces prices down and quality up, and some of the gluten free crackers you can buy are really lovely (I’m looking at you, Nut Thins!). Today’s recipe for Gluten Free “Chicken-In-a-Biskit” Crackers, a copycat of the crispy, buttery and flavorful Nabisco favorite, is because most cracker manufacturers are just not going to bother putting out a gluten free version—and because so much of what you can buy is still just too expensive!

About rolling out dough

If you see a recipe that calls for rolling out dough and click away or turn the page, we need to talk! Rolling out out anything, be it cookie dough, cracker dough, pie crust or even pizza dough, is really very simple once you know the secrets. On page 28 of my newest cookbook, Gluten Free Classic Snacks, I spill all those secrets in detail. But in case you don’t have the book yet, or you just haven’t read it like a novel (you mean not everyone does that with cookbooks? ;), I’m giving you the abbreviated version of those secrets here today on the blog. So (forgive me), let’s get rolling!

Raw crackers on beige paper

First, follow the rolling instructions in the recipe. Some doughs should be rolled out on a lightly floured surface, sprinkling lightly with more flour as you roll out the dough (like this one). Others, between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper. Ditto for the thickness of the dough.

Second, go by feel. Rolling out the dough into an even layer is the most challenging and scariest part of the whole process. Your hands are much more sensitive in this regard than your eyes, because your eyes simply can’t compare the relative thickness of the dough from one spot to another. Running your hands lightly across the dough will tell you everything you need to know about where to roll thinner, where to leave the dough be. Trust those hands! They’re a cook’s best tools.

Overhead view of crackers on beige paper

Third, use unbleached parchment paper when rolling between two sheets of paper. It’s thinner and more flexible than the bleached kind, and allows you to follow Secret Number 2 above like nobody’s business.

Fourth, take it easy! If you press too hard during rolling, you’ll get those unsightly creases when you’re rolling between two sheets of that unbleached parchment. For stiffer doughs, just pass over the dough more times with the rolling pin rather than muscling through it by pressing too hard.

Fifth, chill it. If you are having trouble getting clean lines when cutting out dough or the dough is just too difficult to handle, roll it out, and then chill the dough in the refrigerator or freezer. Clean lines await!

Crackers and cheese on a white plate

Finally, peel away. Rather than trying to peel more delicate shapes of dough off the parchment, try removing the dough surrounding the cut out shapes first, and then peeling the paper away from each cut out shape instead of the other way around. This will help keep the shapes from stretching or tearing.

So, have I gotten you to reconsider rolling out dough? Please say yes! You know Chicken-in-a-Biskit crackers are worth it. :)

Classic Gluten Free Pound Cake

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 5, 2015 | Posted In: Cakes, Desserts

This tested recipe for traditional gluten free pound cake is moist and tender, dense and buttery, just like you remember. It always gets rave reviews!

Overhead view of pound cake, whip cream and fruit on a white plate

Why is it called a pound cake?

A traditional pound cake is so named because it’s made with a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of sugar and a pound of eggs. Even so, most of the pound cake recipes I have shared with you have called for both butter and cream cheese.

But there’s certainly something to be said for tradition. And this is precisely the sort of pound cake that is perfect for layering into a lovely warm-weather trifle with all sorts of colorful berries.

Pound cake on brown surface

Gluten free pound cake means tweaking the original formula

I’ve said it before, and at the risk of making you cross with me I’ll say it again: gluten free baking requires gluten free recipes. So the traditional formula for a pound cake just doesn’t work perfectly for gluten free.

This recipe in particular (unlike most recipes for pound cake) only makes 1 loaf, so it’s more like a half pound of this, a half pound of that as a starting point anyway.

Feel free to double, though, if you’re looking for 2 loaves or you’d like to make the recipe in a bundt or tube pan (just watch the baking time).

Pound cake dough in bowl with spatula

The batter is smooth and silky, and very thickly pourable. Once you add the eggs to the beaten butter and sugar mixture, it may look a bit curdled but it will smooth right back out when you add the flour mixture.

As always in baking, the temperature of the ingredients very important. In a recipe this simple, it’s especially important. The butter and eggs must be at room temperature for everything to combine properly.

If you add cold eggs to room temperature butter, the butter will clump. To bring cold eggs to room temperature, place them in a warm water bath and allow them to sit for about 15 minutes.

Cold butter can be chopped and microwaved for 10 seconds, no longer. Be sure to stop before the butter melts. If you don’t blend the ingredients properly, the butter will clump and then melt and leak out during baking.

Pound cake in metal loaf pan

There’s nothing else quite like the smooth baked interior and slightly crispy, perfectly browned crust of a traditional pound cake. The crumb of a pound cake is tighter and the cake itself denser than vanilla cake, but not at all dry.

A close up of pound cake with whip cream and fruit on white plate

It’s not too far off the 1:1:1:1 ratio of traditional “pound” cake, but the adjustments make it just as good made gluten free as it is made with gluten. We might have to get there a slightly different way, but we’ll get there.

Weight Watchers-Style Gluten Free Lemon Brownies

By Nicole Hunn | Published: June 3, 2015 | Posted In: Bars, Brownies, Desserts, Easter, Holidays, Memorial Day, Weight Watchers-Friendly

These super light gluten free lemon brownies are made in the Weight Watchers style and have just 3 PointsPlus per generous brownie. Tart and sweet!

Lemon brownie leaning on another lemon brownie

One of my favorite recipes from Gluten Free Classic Snacks is one that you might not expect to find in a book packed full of every packaged cookie, cracker, snack cake, breakfast treat and candy you can imagine. It’s the recipe on page 159 for Gluten free “Weight Watchers” Chocolate Brownies. They’re very lightly sweet, with a deep and rich chocolate flavor, and even though I’m not usually one for feeling guilty about what I’m eating (everything in moderation!), I feel particularly good about those brownies. I think it’s mostly that they taste so decadent without being overly sweet. So when I saw Mel’s recipe for “lemonies,” I knew something like these Weight Watchers-Style Gluten Free Lemon Brownies had to happen. Of course, they’re not brown(ie) at all. They’re yellow. Like lemons. And when you slice the recipe into 12 servings, they only have 3 PointsPlus per bar.
Lemon brownies in pan and on white surface
Like all good bar recipes they come together very quickly, even with the glaze. These bars are light and very lemony, and like their Classic Snacks cousins, not at all too sweet. You’ll need two lemons for all that juice and zest. Big, juicy lemons are super affordable in my grocery store right now, so that shouldn’t be a problem!

A stack of 3 lemon brownies on white surface

A few thoughts about nutrition calculators, calorie-counting and Weight Watchers PointPlus values:

PointsPlus Values: As indicated in the recipe instructions below, slicing the recipe into 12 servings instead of 9 lowers the PointPlus value from 4 to 3. If you are on Weight Watchers, that is very important information. But if you’re not on Weight Watchers (I’m not, but I generally like its philosophy), please note that the underlying nutrition information that informs the points value doesn’t change very significantly when you have the slightly larger serving. Just a thought.
Fat, Sugar and Calories: I personally do not believe that fat is nearly the culprit in maintaining weight and overall health that sugar is. These bars are low in fat and quite low in sugar without being even the least bit dense or gummy. When I make them again for myself and my family (okay for myself), I will try increasing the butter to 6 tablespoons (84 g) and cutting back the sugar in the bars to 1/4 cup (50 g). Both fat and sugar are tenderizers in baking. Just another thought!
About the glaze: The glaze layer in this recipe is very, very thin. It juuuuust covers the bars, and adds a lovely pop of lemon and of course some more sweetness. If you’d like to leave off the glaze, I recommend increasing the granulated sugar in the bar recipe to 100 grams (1/2 cup) and adding the 2 teaspoons of lemon zest from the glaze to the bar recipe. That will preserve the bright lemon taste of the bars, and provide the right amount of sweetness without altering the Weight Watchers points or nutrition.
Copycats: Finally, Weight Watchers does not make a packaged lemon brownie, gluten free or not. Just we do. :)