“Box Mix" Gluten Free Brownie Mix

I love making homemade “box mixes”, they just make everything so quick and easy when you’re baking. I’ve been trying several different types of Brownie mixes over the past few months and here is another gluten free variety!These are crazy easy to make! I personally like to make 2 or 3 batches of this at a time and store them till I’m ready for brownies. This is actually one of the easiest recipes I’ve made to date. I love adding chocolate chips for a little bit of an extra chocolaty kick to any brownies. These work well with whatever your favorite brand of chocolate chips may be.If you’re familiar with gluten free recipes you will notice this one doesn’t contain any. I prefer to use blends with it already in it so there isn’t any need to add some. If your blend doesn’t contain any you will need to add some in order to keep the brownies together. I would suggest ½ - 1 teaspoon depending on what brand of flour you’re using.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:220]Source: Adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring: Quick and Easy - Nicole Hunn

M&M Blondie Bars

I wanted something really easy to make for a meeting a couple weeks back. I didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen that day but I really wanted to bring something exciting to this meeting. So I looked through my archived recipes and found this exciting, classic recipe. I had even just purchased a bag of M&M baking pieces at the store recently so I was all set to make these.These were actually extremely yummy! I took the extras to rehearsal after my meeting and everyone who tried them loved them. One person even commented that they were “heavenly”. I really didn’t think since a simple and easy recipe would get such rave reviews. This is the perfect recipe for entertaining since it makes such a large batch. This summer when you have guests over for a cookout this is one recipe you should try out.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:211]Source: Adapted from Food Network Magazine: September 2015

Classic Seven Layer Bars

A couple of months ago I posted my own take on Seven Layer Bars. Alex enjoyed them, but he decided he wanted me to make classic Seven Layer Bars, just like he’d had as a kid. So I decided it was time to try and make a very classic bar recipe. This recipe will feed a small army! Since it is baked in a 9x13 pan it is the perfect dessert to take to a party, potluck or event where you want to wow the crowd.Alex remarked that this recipe was very different from my last one, but just as good. He said it definitely did the job of being exactly what he remembered as a little kid eating these. You can really wow your audience by taking them back to their childhood with these.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:202]Source: Allrecipes.com

Peanut Butter Mousse Filling

I was able to go see my Mom for Mother’s day and when I asked her what she’d like me to make her as a special dessert she said, “anything as long as it has THICK chocolate ganache!” So I decided these cupcakes were the perfect thing for her. However, I didn’t want them to be so plain and chocolaty, so knowing she loved Reese’s Peanut Butter cups I decided to do a take on those.This peanut butter mousse filling is incredible. It is light, fluffy and very peanut buttery. It goes perfectly as a filling for cupcakes or as a filling for pretty much any type of sandwich cookie. I only had crunchy peanut butter at my disposal but I think it gives the finished product a great texture that creamy certainly won’t. However, if you’re really opposed to crunchy (like my sister) you will probably want to stick with creamy peanut butter. It won’t change the taste, only the texture. Be careful also, to not use any natural peanut butters. Those will separate as you’re beating them. Just use Jiffy or another “regular” type of peanut butter.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:197]Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Seven Layer Bars

 Alex had been requesting these from me for several weeks before I finally got around to making them. For some reason the idea of nuts and coconut just really appealed to him. I made a few tweaks to this recipe, like always, to give it my own flair. It also helped that I didn’t have all the traditional ingredients like I thought I did. These would make an amazing and easy dessert for any Easter celebration this weekend.This is a chocolate-peanut butter version of Seven Layer Bars. Since I only had chocolate graham crackers and peanut butter chips I decided it would be best just to embrace it and make these a combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Alex has requested that I get the ingredients for traditional seven layer bars so I’m sure you’ll see that in the future.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:185]

Chocolate and Caramel Cookies

I wanted to make a special treat for my Mother in Law so knowing how much she loves a caramel and chocolate combination I decided a chocolate caramel cookie was in order. I had found some Kraft Caramel bits at Aldi around Christmas and I thought this would be the ideal recipe to use them in.I created this chocolate cookie recipe a few years back and make it whenever I need an easy recipe. I decided to use it as a base, along with the Caramel bits in order to create a new, very yummy cookie. White you certainly do not have to include chocolate chips in this recipe I suggest you do so. It gives the cookies more substance than just using caramel. I would also suggest using white chocolate chips instead, I just didn’t have any of those on hand when I was making these.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:173]

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Brownies

I saw these brownies on my friend Jessie’s blog and knew I had to try adapting them to gluten free! They looked FAR too yummy not to. I mean, the combination of peanut butter brownie and chocolate chip oatmeal cookie is just absolutely incredible.If you love peanut butter and chocolate these are the brownies for you. There is so much peanut butter and chocolate swirled throughout your taste buds will be crying for more. I made these to bring to a family gathering and it was the perfect treat for a large crowd.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:142]Source: Adapted from Kitschen Cat

Ginger-Cardamom Shortbread Cookies

Cardamom is pretty much my new favorite spice. I haven’t baked with it much before this summer, but when I finally tried it, I absolutely love it! It really provides a warm spicy taste and pairs well with lots of other different flavors. These cookies capture fall flavor spectacularly. They are a must try this year!This is a quick and easy treat. When you’re in a time crunch this is a sure way to impress each and every one of your guests without trying very hard. The cardamom and ginger pair excellently together. The cardamom/sugar sprinkle on top lends a lovely extra pop of flavor to these cookies.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:132]

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treats

I’ve never actually made rice krispie treats before this, I know right?! When I realized this I wondered how I could have gone so long without trying to make this iconic recipe. But I had a bag of pumpkin spice marshmallows in my pantry and I’ve been meaning to make this for a while.At first I thought these would be pretty terrible. But after trying them I was actually super surprised! They were pretty good. I got so many compliments on these, everyone was surprised with the flavor combination.These are a must try fall treat. They are super easy yet they will excite even the youngest of your guests. I’ve seen these bags of pumpkin spice marshmallows all over different stores, so now would be the time to try these. These are also fantastic if you need a quick treat since it will take about five minutes to make them, then you can leave them until ready to serve. Happy Baking![amd-yrecipe-recipe:131]

Gluten Free Salted Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

When I saw these cookies on Annie-Eats I know I just HAD to try making these. However, I really wanted to be able to eat them so I decided to make them gluten free. They are of course absolutely incredible! If you don’t need to eat gluten free I suggest you head over to Annie’s blog and get her recipe for them (link is at the bottom of my post).These cookies are a great mixture of rolled oats, chocolate and salt. They have fantastic flavor that will really surprise you. The key to this recipe is to let the batter sit overnight in the fridge. I tried the dough both before I put it in the fridge and after it had sat overnight. The difference was in the blend of flavors. Before it sat overnight the dough was extremely salty, afterward the blend of flavors was perfect!I chose not to sprinkle coarse salt over the top of these cookies. I felt the cookies themselves were salty enough without it. I would highly suggest trying a cookie without the extra salt and seeing if you need it. Make sure you have a flaky sea salt, don’t use Kosher Salt, this will add WAY too much salt flavor. A nice fluer de sel would set it off nicely though.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:123]Source: Adapted from Annies-Eats

Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

I absolutely LOVED my other gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They are incredibly tasty and just knew I had to try a chocolate version of them. This recipe is a lighly chocolate version, but it still contains all the amazing pumpkin, spices, chocolate chips and pecans.  It is a can’t miss autumnal treat!When you make this recipe with canned pumpkin puree, you may want to consider lowering the amount of flour you add. I found the batter to be slightly dry when made with canned pumpkin resulting in more “cookie mound” type cookies. The flavor was in no way compromised, they just didn’t flatten out as much as the others did. This is due to the difference in water content of the canned vs fresh puree.The use of chocolate chips and pecans are highly suggested for this recipe. The cookies will work without, but I think they add that little extra bit to really push the cookies over the top. For a little yummy alternative using butterscotch chips would really add a unique flavor to the finished product.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:109]

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In honor of the first official day of Fall, here is an incredible (and gluten free) cookie recipe you will want to try! Comment below if you try these out, I’d love to hear what you think!I love these, they are amazing! Last week I made a regular version of these and I decided that I absolutely had to make a gluten free version so I could eat these to my hearts content without upsetting my tummy. These are totally worth making and you will really love the seasonal flavor. These are soft cookies yet when you add the pecans you get a fantastic bit of crunch. The whole thing is just absolutely incredible. I will definitely be making more of these as the fall goes along.For this recipe I’ve used Better Batter Gluten Free Flour. Since each type of gf flour blend is different I really can’t say how these cookies will turn out if you use a different one. If you are worried about the pumpkin pie spice and possible gluten contamination you can simply make your own blend. This will help insure you have a clean blend to use.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:105]

Easy Chocolate, Banana, Nut Butter Cookies

My sister found this recipe and sent it to me. I was very surprised with the deliciousness and the easy of everything. With only five ingredients it is a very quick and easy thing to make. Everyone I served these to simply loved them! Since they are gluten free it is a wonderful way to get a dessert without a huge time commitment.I found the key to making this recipe extra delicious is using a VERY ripe banana. I found this enhanced the flavor and sweetness of the cookies. Since there is no added sugar in the recipe you need to rely on the banana to really make it taste great. If you find the recipe isn’t sweet enough for your taste you can add sugar or sugar substitute into the recipe. However I found it was quite sweet enough on its own with the banana and chocolate chips.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:102]Source:  Adapted from Spoon University

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice is everywhere now that we are entering into the fall season. While I’m not a huge coffee drinker I do enjoy the flavors of fall and can readily jump on the pumpkin spice train when it comes to baked goods.  Hopefully this is just one of many fall spice flavored recipes I’ll post this year!I created this recipe last fall and everyone who tried them, loved them! When I decided to make cookies to send to my sister I decided it was high time I made these again. While I don’t normally add nuts to cookies, since I really can’t stand nuts, this recipe absolutely needs nuts to complete the flavor. Since pecans pair so well with fall spices and chocolate I prefer to use them to any other nut when making these.You can use either homemade or store bought pumpkin pie spice. It is very easy to make at home and there are countless recipes on the internet you can replicate.  If I have time I like to make my own, but I typically keep some at the back of my cupboard for when I don’t have time to make my own.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:94]

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookies

 Ever since I mademy traditional version of these a couple of months ago I knew I had to figure out a gluten free version. I love these cookies! They are soft, delicious and full of chocolaty goodness.  It is definitely hard to just have one of these.This recipe will make approximately two dozen cookies. I find this is the perfect amount since you can have a few, share a few and freeze a few for later. If you need to feed a crowd, it is very easy to double or even triple the recipe. I’ve used a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the cookies before baking. If you have a cookie scoop feel free to use it, but if not a spoon works just as well.These cookies would work wonderfully for homemade gluten free ice cream sandwiches once they have completely cooled. Simply put a scoop of ice cream between two of the cookies to make a sandwich. If you prep them ahead of time make sure to put them back in the freezer to set up.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:90]

Gluten Free 3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies

I saw this recipe floating around Facebook a couple of weeks ago and decided I had to make it gluten free. Nutella is already a gluten free food so it was very easy to simply substitute gluten free flour for the regular flour called for. I didn’t have any issues with the brownies holding together, but if you’re concerned about it you can always add in a half teaspoon of xanthan gum.These brownies are super easy to make and were a huge hit at game night. They definitely disappeared quickly. With only three ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards, this recipe is a must try.  If you don’t need to eat gluten free you can simply substitute regular flour for the gluten free flour called for.I used an 8x8 pan to bake these. However if you want to make a larger batch you can easily double the recipe and use a 13x9 pan to bake it. If you wanted thicker brownies you could double the recipe and use a 9x9 or 8x8 pan. You will need to lengthen the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes though. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:89]Source: Adapted from Kirbie Cravings

Monster Cookies

Alex doesn’t often ask for a specific dessert, so when he does I try to jump right on it. These are a prime example of that. He had been working overtime and decided that he really wanted to take cookies to work to share. With everything going on the last few months (the play and traveling to Illinois) I hadn’t really made any treats for Alex’s work recently so I decided it was the perfect time to make something for them.Alex and I discussed what he wanted in the cookies rather than just look up a monster cookie recipe. So these are a little different than you might have had in the past. The combination of chocolate chips really gives a great variation of flavors. I also used chopped dry-roasted peanuts to really amp up the peanut butter taste.You can either make these normal sized cookies, or you could do giant ones. It is up to you. Since I was baking for an office I chose to make normal sized cookies. I got 4 dozen out of this recipe. If you do giant cookies you would get closer to 2 dozen. Make sure you adjust the baking time for larger cookies if you choose to go that route.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:81]

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies were a creation of mine several years ago. I wanted a chocolate chip cookie that was also completely chocolate. However, anytime I made double chocolate recipes they always turned out like cookie mounds rather than actual cookies. I then decided to take several different cookie recipes and combine what I loved from each one. The resulting cookies are perfect chocolate chip cookies that have a fantastic chocolaty base.You can use any type of chocolate chips you prefer. I simply enjoy the traditional semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe. If you wanted to spice it up you could substitute a milk chocolate or white chocolate chip instead. This would cut back on the “darkness” of these cookies. If you substitute a sweeter chip though you will want to add less so they don’t overpower the other flavors.You may decide you’d like to skip the refrigeration step, however, this is a bad idea. When you refrigerate the cookies you end up getting a better finished product. The cookies spread better and they are chewier. While this step does take time it is key to getting the best possible cookie you can.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:69]

Brownie Cookies with Raspberry Crème Filling

These cookies are a combination of chewy brownies and chocolaty cookie. I’ve paired them with a raspberry crème filling that really compliments the chocolate of the cookie. I’ve made these several times and never had a problem, then when I made them this time they turned out really, really flat. I have no idea why this happened. They are still just as tasty if they are flat or if they are mounded.If your cookies turn out as flat as mine, you can cut them into quarters to make a more respectably sized cookie sandwich. These are great paired with the raspberry crème, however if you want to change up the flavor you could pair them with a peanut butter frosting or a salted caramel frosting. It just really depends on what your taste buds are craving when you make them.

The easiest way to make these into cookie sandwiches is to use a spreading knife or a butter knife to smear a generous amount of frosting onto the bottom of one of the cookies. You can then place another cookie on top of the frosting making sure the bottom faces down. This will give you a great cookie sandwich with excellent presentation.

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Source: Adapted from Bakers Royale

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Flourless Chocolate Cookies

I first had these cookies when they were made by my sister. She did a fantastic job and I just knew I had to have the recipe so I could make them too! They are gluten free and so amazingly rich and chocolaty. If you need a chocolate fix these are the cookies you want.My sister always makes these cookies with Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, however you can make these with any chocolate chips you have on hand if you don’t have additional dietary restrictions to take into consideration.  I prefer to add some vanilla extract to the batter. I think it make the flavor a little more complex. However if you have trouble with extracts you can simply leave this out.You will want to make sure the batter is stiff before you go to roll it. If the batter is runny in the slightest your cookies will not turn out the way you want. Make sure that the egg whites form a soft peak before you add any additional ingredients. Once everything has been added simply make sure there is no liquid left in the bowl at all.

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Flourless Chocolate Cookies:1 Cup Chocolate Chips (melted and cooled)3 Egg Whites2 Cups Powdered Sugar½ Cup Cocoa Powder1 Tablespoon Corn Starch¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract½ Cup Chocolate ChipsPowdered Sugar (for rolling)Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form.Gradually beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar.Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch and kosher salt.

With the mixer on low blend the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture.Gradually beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract, once everything is in beat on high until the mixture is stiff.With a spatula fold in the remaining chocolate chips.

Roll scoopfuls of dough into a ball, then roll in the powdered sugar until it is completely covered.Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for a least 10 more minutes.

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Source: Adapted from Recipe Lion

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