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Gluten-free marshmallow smothered brownies

Don't let the gluten-free part scare you. These are rich, creamy and delectable. I brought this to a friends house for an after dinner dessert and between the four of us, we almost finished the entire pan. It's reminiscent of smores with the toasted marshmallow fluff and the chocolate chip brownie. We used a hand-held butane torch to achieve this golden brown amazingness. This recipe made it into my top ten desserts (for the time being).

Gluten-free Marshmallow
Smothered Brownies
ADAPTED RECIPE FROM DOUGHMESSTIC

INGREDIENTS

1 package Bob's Red Mill GF Brownie Mix

3/4 c. browned butter

3/4 c. warm water

1 egg

1 tbsp. vanilla

1/3 c. milk chocolate chips

2 c. marshmallow fluff
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x9 baking pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
Place butter in a pan over medium heat, stirring often until butter changes to a darker golden color. (It took me about ten minutes).
Whisk the water, egg and vanilla together. Add it to the brownie mix with the browned butter and stir just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-34 minutes or until center is almost set. (Brownies will continue to cook in the pan).
Top the hot brownies with the marshmallow fluff, and spread around for even distribution.
Place under a hot broiler, watching closely, or use a kitchen torch until top is browned.
Best served hot.

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Anonymous |

Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet

Check out the site where I found this recipe, honeyandjam. Her photos are incredibly gorgeous. (I need to step up my game). Honey and Jam also talks about the inspiration for this recipe. Sorbet is very easy to make. My first was cherry sorbet, and this recipe was next in line. The addition of black tea really enhances the flavor profile of the sorbet. The only boiling involved is for the tea. The blackberries are pureed, pushed through a sieve and added to the tea. The hardest part is waiting on the ice cream maker to freeze the sorbet. I was tempted to drink the mixture. If you're curious - vodka is added to the mixture to keep it from freezing too hard.

Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet

RECIPE FROM HONEY AND JAM

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
2 regular tea bags
1 cup sugar
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (if frozen, let thaw completely)
1 tbsp. vodka
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags and allow to steep for five minutes.
Remove tea bags, add sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool completely.
Puree blackberries in a food processor, then push through mesh sieve to remove seeds. Add vodka and lemon juice. Add to tea, then pour back through sieve.
Process the mixture in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturers instructions.

black tea + water

macro shot of blackberries

pureed blackberries

I linked up at:
sweet shot tuesdays - life with my 3 boybarians
tuesdays around the world - communal global

Read More 5 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Cherry sorbet

I'm back from my South Carolina vacation to bring you some yummy sorbet. During my stay, I asked my niece Breyya what kind of sorbet she thought sounded best to make. Cherry was her answer, and that's what we made. It's rich, sweet and creamy and was very easy to make. The hardest part was waiting for it to set so we could devour it!

Cherry Sorbet
Adapted from Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs cherries
1 cup water
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar or agave
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Stem the cherries and remove the pits. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cherries with the water, sugar and lemon juice.
Cook until the cherries are very soft and cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate to chill throughly.
Puree the cherries and their liquid and run the mixture through a fine sieve.
Once the cherry mixture is chilled, freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

My beautiful helpers. Breyya (on the right) had her friend Alexis over. They helped pit the cherries.

Cherries after the cooking.

Ice cream maker awesomeness. I'm thinking my next flavor to make will be blackberry.

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Stuffed strawberries

Over the fourth of July weekend I made a couple of dessert items to take to my friend's house. I've been wanting to make stuffed strawberries, and this seemed like the perfect time for them. The recipes I found weren't exactly what I was looking for. I decided to try it on my own and not follow a recipe which I need to do more often. It's really easy to rely on recipes, but it's time to get out of my comfort zone. I knew I wanted cream cheese in there so I started thinking about what would go well with it. (Cream cheese is one of my favorite things on this planet). Cinnamon and almonds sounded like great additions, and that's where I started. These turned out exactly the way I had hoped. Savory, sweet and nutty — I'm already craving more.

Stuffed Strawberries
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 tbsp. heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2 lbs. strawberries
DIRECTIONS
Rinse strawberries and set aside on a paper towel to dry. In a food processor (I used my magic bullet) combine sliced almonds and cinnamon. Blend to a medium-fine consistency.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth with a mixer.
Add heavy cream and almond extract. Beat well.
On medium-low, gradually beat in the nut mixture, then the powdered sugar. You want the mixture to be creamy but thick enough to be piped and to hold its shape in the strawberries. More or less powdered sugar may need to be added.
Using a paring knife, hollow out the center of the strawberry going around the stem in a cone shape. Cut approximately 1/4 inch off the tip of the strawberry so it can stand up on its own.
Add the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag fitted with a wide star tip. Fill strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Keep in fridge until serving.

I linked up at:

tasty tuesdays - for the love of blogs

sweet shot tuesdays - life with my 3 boybarians
tuesdays around the world - communal global

Read More 15 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Blackberry cobbler

Yes, Pioneer Woman is a food genius. This recipe is so easy to make. My house was filled with the smell of cobbler and berries baking in the oven last night. Slightly tart and sweet, this cobbler may become a staple in your house. You can use whatever berries you prefer. I used a combination of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. I happened to have those three in my freezer. I love the recipes I already have all the ingredients for! Best served warm with a splash of heavy cream, a dollop of whipped cream and some ice cream! You can never have too much cream.

Blackberry Cobbler
from the Pioneer Woman Cooks
INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, raspberries and blueberries

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.

Place the stick of butter in a microwave-safe dish. Heat until melted.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup of the sugar with the flour and milk.

Whisk in the melted butter.

Rinse the berries and pat them dry.

Pour the batter into the baking dish and sprinkle berries over the top of the batter.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the berries.

Bake for one hour, or until golden brown and bubbly. With ten minutes left of cooking time, sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp. of sugar over the top.

Serves 8.

Thursday love at:

Read More 6 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Roasted almond coconut bites

While I'm over my Aunt Carol's house, we go through her recipe collection often to see what new recipes I'd like to try. She suggested this recipe because "they taste like little Almond Joy bars". Seems like a popular candy bar and I do like coconut, so I gave it a try. I've made them twice in the past three days for different parties. Simple to make and requires little baking. Plus they're fun little finger foods which I'm all for. It makes approximately four dozen.

Roasted Almond Coconut Bites
Adapted from my Aunt Carol from Jane Hodge
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup dry powdered milk
3 cups shredded coconut, sweetened
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup whole almonds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 7 minutes or until almonds become fragrant. Remove from oven and cool.
Melt butter in a 2 qt. saucepan or microwave, remove from heat; add water and vanilla.
Mix sifted powdered sugar and dry powdered milk in a separate bowl. Add powdered sugar mixture to butter mixture, approx. 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well between each addition.
Stir in coconut. Drop a teaspoon of coconut mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. An alternate method — roll into a ball with hands and flatten. Dampen hands with water occasionally to prevent sticking. Chill for approx. 20 minutes until firm.
Melt chocolate pieces in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring each time until chocolate melts, but is not too hot. If chocolate is too runny, firm up in the freezer for a few minutes.
Spoon melted chocolate into a piping bag with a large circular tip and pipe on top of the coconut disks about 1 tsp. Press a toasted almond into the chocolate.
Chill. Store in fridge until served.

I linked up at:
tasty tuesdays - for the love of blogs
sweet shot tuesdays - life with my 3 boybarians
tuesdays around the world - communal global

Read More 11 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Pear & cherry buckle

I hope everyone ate too much yesterday and had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did. This is the dessert I made for the holiday, also the second time I've made it. The first time I cooked it in a crock pot that was older and fairly slow to cook. I turned out great, but it could have used more time. This year I have a new crock pot, and it cooks super fast — a little too fast. I had some burnt edges but we just worked around it. Make sure to adjust your cooking times to accommodate your crock pot. This is so easy to make. It's nice because you throw everything together, and let it cook on its own while you're doing other things. After cooking for a couple hours, the smell coming from the dessert fills the room, sweet cherries and cake. Yum, yum!

Pear & Cherry Buckle

adapted from my Aunt Carol, original source unknown

INGREDIENTS
1 - 26 oz can cherry pie filling

2 - 15 oz cans diced pears in syrup
1 tsp. almond extract
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup quick whole grain oats
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/3 cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
Spray a 5-qt slow cooker with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine pie filling, pears and almond extract. Pour into prepared slow cooker. Sprinkle cake mix over fruit mixture. Dot with butter. In a small bowl, combine oatmeal, brown sugar and almonds. Sprinkle over cake mixture.
Place eight paper towels over crock pot and secure with lid. This helps to trap the steam. Cook on LOW setting for 4 to 6 hours*. Do not lift lid to check cake for the first four hours.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.
* Crockpot cooking times seem to vary by model. If you know your crockpot cooks fast/hot, check on cake after 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

In a large bowl, combine pie filling, pears and almond extract. Pour into prepared slow cooker.

Sprinkle cake mix over fruit mixture. Dot with butter.

Sprinkle oatmeal, brown sugar and almonds over cake mixture.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping.

Read More 5 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Vanilla crème brûlée

Crème brûlée is one of my favorite desserts, but I try to only make it for special occasions. I made this batch for my bible study dinner last week. We were coming up on the last chapters of our study, so we all brought something to have dinner together. Of course I made dessert.
This recipe comes from my favorite magazine, Cuisine at Home. I've always wanted to make creme brulee, but didn't know if I could handle it. I really wasn't sure what was in it, until I read the recipe. Sounded simple enough — and it really is. All the steps need to be done pretty exact so the custard won't curdle. These directions are very easy to follow. I also added in a few tips that helped me. It's best to prepare the day before and cool in fridge overnight. This especially helps if you are making a big dinner and don't have time to devote to make dessert the same day as well. Plus your guests can torch the sugar on top. Who doesn't want to play with fire?

Vanilla Crème Brûlée
from Cuisine at Home Magazine
INGREDIENTS
PULVERIZE:
1/2 vanilla bean, chopped into 1/4 in. pieces
2 tbsp. sugar
WARM:

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
vanilla sugar

WHISK TOGETHER:

3 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt

CARAMELIZE CUSTARDS WITH:

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Pulverize vanilla bean and 2 tbsp. sugar in a coffee grinder.

Warm both creams and vanilla sugar in a saucepan over medium heat just until steam rises. Do not over heat.

Whisk yolks, egg, 1/4 cup sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl. Temper hot cream mixture slowly into eggs, constantly whisking.

Strain into a measuring cup with a pour spout and divide among six 4-oz. oven-proof ramekins. Arrange dishes in a baking pan, preferably not aluminum (it will discolor). Allow for room between each ramekin. Use two baking dishes if needed. Then carefully transfer the pan to the oven. Add hot water to the pan, about half way up ramekin, and bake custards 35 to 45 minutes, or until just set; do not overcook. Custard should slightly giggle like jello.

Remove ramekins from the water bath, cool, then wrap loosely in plastic wrap. Chill until completely cold, preferably overnight.

Combine both sugars, then spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. After baking the custard, turn off the oven and place the pan inside for an hour to dry out the sugar. Transfer sugar to a food processor and pulverize until fine. Store in an airtight container until ready to caramelize.

To caramelize:
1. Blot top of custards dry with a paper towel, if needed. Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp. sugar mixture over each one; tap out any excess sugar.
2. Using a kitchen or propane torch, melt the sugar by waving the flame 4-8 in. from the surface.
3. Burn until the surface of the custard is caramelized and no dry sugar is visible. let stand 3-5 minutes before serving.

vanilla bean - use half

chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

sugar and vanilla bean pulverized in coffee grinder

cream mixture heated on stove

egg mixture

custards sitting in a water bath right before going into the oven. (Don't use aluminum - it will discolor the pan. I know from experience).

custard cooled in fridge overnight and plastic wrap removed

sugar sprinkled on top

melting the sugar with a kitchen torch

the finished product and ready to devour

I linked up at:
sweet shot tuesdays - life with my 3 boybarians
tuesdays around the world - communal global

Read More 11 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Pineapple pretzel fluff

The recipe you've all been waiting for! I've made this recipe so many times. It's really easy to make and tastes yum-o! I won the category of yum-o at a recipe exchange over the weekend so I had to throw that in there. I scored some awesome glass prep bowls. You can never have too many of those! It's a combination of creamy sweet with crunchy salty. Simply delicious! I originally got this recipe from my Aunt Carol. And she got it from her friend. I googled the recipe once and there are several different versions out there. It's like a hidden gem. Enjoy this recipe, because it's a keeper.

Pineapple Pretzel Fluff
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CRUNCH
1 1/4 cup coarsely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
FOR THE CREAMY
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained well
12 oz. tub whipped topping

DIRECTIONS
FOR THE CRUNCH
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine pretzels, butter, 1/2 cup sugar in a 13x9 inch baking pan and mix well. Spread evenly over bottom of pan. Bake for eight minutes. Cool completely. Break into pieces; some larger, some smaller. This can be prepared a day in advance if needed and stored in an airtight container.
FOR THE CREAMY
Beat softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. Approx 1-2 minutes. Fold in well drained pineapple and whipped topping. Chill until serving.

Just before serving, stir in pretzel mixture. If you add the pretzels in too early they will lose their crunch and that is one of the best parts of this dessert. Enjoy!

Let the crunch cool completely.

Break into pieces; some larger, some smaller.

Mix together cream cheese, pineapple and whipped topping

Read More 12 comments | Posted by Anonymous |

Graphic designer, baker and a photo taker. Inspired by Jesus, photography, stellar design, all things creative, cooking, the arts and funny stuff. I prefer to visually tell stories through photographs; whether a trip I was on, a dessert I made or a recent vintage find. Art is all around me, and I capture it whenever I can.

Gluten-free marshmallow smothered brownies

Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet

Cherry sorbet

Stuffed strawberries

Blackberry cobbler

Roasted almond coconut bites

Pear & cherry buckle

Vanilla crème brûlée

Pineapple pretzel fluff

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