Summer Break!

Housewife's Whimsy will be on Summer break this next week! If you know me or my family offline you will know that last week my 19 year old sister suffered a fall while doing a summer long missions internship in the Dominican Republic. She broke her back in two different places (L2 and T9 for those of you who are interested) and had to have emergency surgery while still in the DR. She is doing MUCH better, she has some feeling back in her legs, and is now being transferred from the DR to a hospital very close to my parent's house to continue healing. I am heading back there to provide support and see my sister. If you are interested you can follow her story on Caring Bridge. Someone from my family will be posting regular updates on her progress as we begin to deal with this Spinal Cord Injury.You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to keep up to date on my vacation! I am sure there will be tons of cute photos of Isannah. There are links at the top right side and bottom of your page that will take you straight to my pages.Here are a few things you might have missed to read while I'm on break:Things I'm Loving: June EditionEasy Pretzel BitesGluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel ButtercreamFlourless Chocolate CookiesRaspberry Ginger Cupcakes

Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

Continuing on my most recent kick of adapting breakfast options to be gluten free, I decided to turn my sights on a chocolate breakfast muffin. These muffins are perfect for a Saturday morning breakfast or a quick morning during the week. They are amazing when served hot, but quite good cold too!These muffins are fluffy and filled with chocolate. I’ve used min-chocolate chips but you can use any you have on hand. I wouldn’t suggest using giant chips because they would overpower the rest of the muffin. I’ve baked these in a regular muffin tin since I don’t have a giant muffin pan. I would have used one for these if I’d had one.

You will notice that this recipe uses cream of tarter in it. I’ve seen it before in some gluten free recipes and finally researched to see why it was necessary. Cream of tarter is an acid, and it helps trap air in the baked goods to make them lighter and fluffier. It is one of the base ingredients in baking powder, and when used alongside baking powder it increases the fluff factor of my baking. I’ve started adding it to certain recipes where I want the gf item to have better lift.

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Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

When I made the Malted Chocolate Cookies a couple months ago Alex suggested that I try and turn them into cupcakes.  These are reminiscent of malted milk balls. If you have malted milk balls or robin’s eggs on hand you could use these as garnish. Since Alex finished off all the Robin’s Eggs I had on hand I simply used a mixture of cocoa and malt powders and sprinkled it on lightly with a fine mesh sieve.To make these cupcakes I’ve used Horlicks Malt powder. You can use any malt powder that you can get, Ovaltine, Nestle Malted Milk drink powder or Horlicks will work. Using this simply gives the cupcake and frosting the malt taste you’ll enjoy.

I have instructions to use reconstituted malt drink powder in the cupcakes. The amount of malt powder I’ve added to the milk is what is suggested for Horlicks. You can adjust the amount of powder added to the milk depending on what the instructions say. Be sure to double check your packaging for correct directions so all of the powder will dissolve.

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Things I’m Loving: June

I realized I hadn't put together one of these posts in awhile! Here is what I've been loving over the past couple of months. Enjoy!Land GirlsMy Mom suggested that I watch this show and it was in my Netflix queue for a long time before I actually got around to watching it. That was definitely a mistake. I wish I had watched this when I first heard about it, I loved it so much. The show follows several different girls who enlist in the British Women’s Land Army in World War 2. It follows their work and the trials they encounter due to the work they are doing and the war going on. If you enjoy period dramas you will definitely enjoy this show.Tarah BennerI found this author by accident through my Kindle. I was searching for a new book series and ran across a few by this author. I have read four out of her five published novels and have loved each one. Her writing has the same feel as the Hunger Games or the Divergent series. If you are looking for something new to read you should really check her out!

Root: Organic Peppermint TonerI received a sample of this when I subscribed one month to their sample service. I was instantly in love with it. Thankfully they released this product just as I was about to run out so I’ve been using it continuously for over a month and a half now.  I have noticed that my pores are visibly tighter and this product always leaves my face feeling tingly and refreshed. I pair this with Root’s face wash and overnight moisturizer for fantastic results.Root: Lavender MoisturizerI was hesitant to purchase this at first, but I’d had a sample of another of their lotions and fell in love. So I decided when I ran out of that one I needed to try this limited edition moisturizer. I’m on the fence about the smell, but the moisturizer itself is AMAZING! I tend to have very cracked hands and this stuff has cleared them right up. I have also found it is great to put between your legs when wearing a dress or skirt to decrease chafing.Song of Durin – Peter HollensI think by now you’ve realized I’m a giant fan of Peter Hollen’s work. It seems as though every time I put out one of these posts there is a song of his I HAVE to include. This one is no different. The music is fantastic and the scenery where he shot is amazing! You can purchase it on Loudr or iTunes if you love it as much as I do!My Everything – Owl CityI am in love with this song! I’ve been an Owl City fan since I was in college. I haven’t really kept up on his releases the last few years though, I’m busy and I don’t seem to remember when he’s releasing a new album. However, I ran across this new single on Facebook and I’ve had it on repeat since I first heard it. I’m super excited for this new album and will probably purchase it once it comes out.

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This post has not been sponsored, all opinions are my own.  I have not received compensation in any form for the writing of this post, I simply found items and products that I really love and wanted to share with you!

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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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Gluten Free Pizza Crust

I love this pizza crust recipe! I’ve been making this for several months and it is my go to gluten free pizza crust recipe. I found the original recipe on the Minimalist Baker. I love her suggested flour blend. I really feel like it gives the best possible base for the pizza. However, you can use whatever gf flour blend you prefer. I’ve also adapted this recipe into a whole grain pizza crust. I’ll post that at some point in the future but I felt like you guys needed to experience this basic recipe first.

This recipe makes one large 14” crust. I typically bake it in a deep dish pizza pan but you can make it in any pizza pan you wish. The crust is pretty thin, not cracker thin, but less than a half inch once it’s all been pressed out. If you prefer a thinner crust you can reserve some of the dough and press it out thinner.

I really love to let this crust sit in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It gives it a slightly sourdoughey taste the longer you let it sit. The only drawback is that it is harder to press out when you let it sit. One additional perk of this crust is it makes the perfect gluten free frozen pizza! If you follow the directions through the prebaking step this crust freezes perfectly. I prefer to top the baked crust with toppings, then wrap the pizza in plastic wrap and put in the freezer. When you are ready to bake simply remove the plastic wrap and put in a preheated oven. The baking time is pretty much the same and the pizza turns out great!

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Source: Adapted from: Minimalist Baker

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Gluten Free Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I have finally figured out the perfect gluten free chocolate cupcakes! I’ve made several iterations of gluten free chocolate cupcakes and these are by far the best. I’ve taken the best of several different cupcake recipes and these are pretty close to perfect.

They are not crumbly like you find with some gluten free cupcakes. They are also very moist and will stay perfectly springy for several days. These cupcakes paired with my salted caramel frosting create the perfect pairing. They are pretty much heavenly and something you need to try.To garnish these I used salted caramel candy melts from Hobby Lobby. The package is listed as gluten free so I decided to use them as a garnish. I melted them and reformed them with a star candy form. If you decide to do this there are great instructions included on the candy melt package. You could also leave the cupcakes as is after adding the ganache.

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Homemade Caramel Sauce

I typically find making caramel sauce difficult. I don’t always have the best of luck getting it to turn out right. I often burn the caramel so I don’t make this often. However, I prefer knowing what is going into my caramel sauce when I bake. Especially since store-bought caramel sauce isn’t always gluten free. This recipe is completely gluten free and is fantastic for use in gluten free baking recipes.

This is my favorite homemade caramel sauce recipe that I’ve found to date. It requires the use of a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer. You will need to have one of these to make this recipe. If you don’t you won’t be able to tell when the caramel is done.Be very careful that you don’t burn the sauce. If you do you will be able to taste it in the finished product. The best way I’ve found the keep it from burning is to stir continuously. This keeps everything moving and doesn’t give it time to burn. You will want to let the sauce thicken and cool before using it in any recipe.

 

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Source: Adapted from: Annies-Eats

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Blackberry Lemon Cupcakes

I found fresh blackberries on a super sale at the grocery store the other week. I just knew I needed to do something special with them. I really wanted to showcase their natural flavor so I paired them with lemon. This caused the blackberry to pop by providing a subtle tart undertone. This may not be the first flavor pairing you would think of, but it is definitely a must try. The cupcakes and icing are chock full of real blackberries. By using fresh berries in the cupcake it gives the berries a chance to shine. I had lemon curd left in my fridge so I used that as a filling. If you don’t have lemon curd on hand you can always leave it out. You could also substitute a lemon marmalade or blackberry jam if you would still like a filling.The icing is the perfect pairing of tart lemon and juicy blackberries. It is the perfect touch to finish them off. I actually had a hard time not eating it by the spoonful. These cupcakes are a must make. If you can pick the blackberries yourself that’s an added bonus! You will love these light flavors in a springy cake. It is the perfect cake for a summer party on a hot evening.

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Source: Cake adapted from: Hummingbird High

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Crockpot Piri Piri Pork

I saw a recipe for Piri Piri Pork on Jamie Oliver’s  website. However the original recipe calls for 2.5 hours of baking time and there is no way I had so much time to cook! (Can I get an “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”) I decided to adapt the recipe to work in the crockpot so it could get all the cooking and I wouldn’t have to do much of anything!

Alex and I have never had piri piri sauce on anything. We weren’t huge fans of the taste. The basis for a piri piri sauce is Middle Eastern, we don’t typically enjoy that type of food. I found the sauce to be a little bit on the spicy side, and Alex found it not spicy enough. So it’s probably a “normal” person’s spicy level. If you are worried about how spicy it might be, simply use a pepper lower in capsaicin and leave out the cayenne seasoning.

The amount of sauce in this recipe is perfect for a larger amount of pork. If you are only going to be making 1lb of pork you should halve the sauce recipe. This will give you a better meat to sauce ratio. I used an Anaheim pepper when making this since it was all my local grocery had. This recipe is gluten free when served over a bed of rice or gf pasta. If you don’t need to eat gluten free you could serve it with bowtie pasta or a crusty bread.

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Raspberry Ginger Cupcakes

These cupcakes came from the need to use the rest of the raspberry curd I had in the refrigerator. I settled on Raspberry Ginger after some research into flavor combinations because I’ve already posted recipes for Raspberry Lemon and Raspberry Almond cupcakes. I wanted to do something different, a flavor combination that you may not have thought of before.

The base for these cupcakes is a fantastic ginger flavored cake. It is light and fluffy and the perfect complement to the raspberry curd filling and a raspberry ginger cream cheese icing. The icing is chock full of real raspberries. Because of this it has a beautiful pink color to it. I used frozen raspberries with the juice because that’s what I had on hand. If you have fresh raspberries use those. You will get a fresher flavor.

If you don’t have raspberry curd on hand (or if you don’t have the time to make it) and you still want to make these filled cupcakes simply use seedless jam as a substitute. You will achieve the same flavor your filling just won’t be quite as smooth.

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Raspberry Ginger Cupcakes:For the Cupcakes:1 ¼ Cup Sugar½ Cup Butter3 Eggs1 ½ Tablespoon Ground Ginger1/3 Cup Crystalized Ginger (finely chopped)1 Teaspoon Baking Powder¼ Teaspoon Salt1 ½ Cup Flour¾ Cup MilkFor Filling:Raspberry Curd or Seedless Raspberry JamFor the Icing:4 Tablespoons Butter6oz Cream Cheese¼ Cup Fresh Raspberries or Frozen Raspberries with Juice2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger4 Cups Powdered SugarFor Garnish:12 Fresh Raspberries36 Small Pieces Crystalized GingerTo make the cupcakes:Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 12 cavity muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on high until well combined.Add the ground ginger, crystalized ginger, baking powder and salt to the batter. Beat to combine.With the mixer on low slowly add the flour ½ cup at a time. Beat until combined.Add the milk slowly and mix until smooth.Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Cool completely before filling or icing the cupcakes.

To fill the cupcakes follow this tutorial.To make the Icing:

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and cream cheese on high until fluffy.Add the raspberries and ginger and beat on high until the raspberries have been incorporated into the icing. There should only be small chunks of raspberries in the frosting and the icing will have turned pink.Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on high until smooth.

Using a piping bag fitted with an icing tip ice the cupcakes.Garnish with a fresh raspberry and three chunks of crystallized ginger.

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Source: Cake adapted from 101 Cookbooks

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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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How to: Make any boxed cake mix taste like it was homemade!

I’m sure we’ve all been there, we have people coming over soon, and they’re expecting a delicious homemade treat, and you have NO time to make anything yummy from scratch. I ran into this a couple weeks ago. We had people coming over the next day and it was 11 at night. I needed a delicious dessert but I had absolutely no time to make anything.I decided to make a boxed cake mix (gasp, I know!). I never make cake mixes because they are never as good as anything I can make from scratch. However in this instance I needed an amazing dessert and I needed it quickly so I could go to bed.I’ve done this several times in the past when I didn’t have time to make anything. The final result is a moist delicious cake that people will never believe came from a box mix! It simply takes a few alterations to the recipe to take it to the next level. This will work with just about any cake mix you might have in your pantry. I’ve placed the recipe below for the box I used this time around so you can get a feel for what a finished recipe looks like. Don’t hesitate to experiment on your own with the basics below.

In order to make a boxed cake mix taste like a homemade cake you want to first replace the oil with melted butter. This will give you a better crumb to the cake. However if you are running short on butter or want less calories you can skip this step. If you skip this step the cake will still be incredible, just slightly less incredible. If I had to pick one step to leave out this would be it. If you do leave it out simply use the amount of oil the recipe calls for.The real way to take a boxed cake mix from drab to fab is instead of adding water to the mix is to substitute milk and sour cream. Take the amount of water call for in the recipe and halve it. Add that much both milk and sour cream. So if you recipe calls for ¾ Cup of water add ¼ Cup and 2 Tablespoons of both milk and sour cream.Add the exact amount of eggs called for in the recipe. Eggs help the structure of the cake to remain intact and so you need to make certain to keep that portion of their recipe the same. This will insure your cake has the correct structure, not to dense and not too crumbly.The final way to make these cakes amazing is to add a little bit of extract to the batter. This will fill out the taste of your cake. I chose to add vanilla extract to my chocolate cake. Depending on what type of box mix you start with you can choose the extract that will best compliment your cake. The same goes for chocolate chips. You don’t have to use them but if you do your cake just has a little more pizazz to it.I always love to bake cakes in a bundt pan. I feel like this really gives the cake a flair it doesn’t get with a regular pan and it also makes it look WAY prettier with minimal effort.  A lot of cakes baked in a bundt pan will be perfect if paired with powdered sugar as a simple dusting. Happy baking!

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Homemade Tasting Boxed Cake1 Box Madhava Organic Chocolate Cake Mix½ Cup Sour Cream½ Cup Milk½ Cup Butter (melted)3 Eggs2 Teaspoons Vanilla ExtractWhite Chocolate Chips (optional)Powdered Sugar (for garnish)Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 12 cup bundt pan.

Mix together the cake mix, sour cream, milk, butter and vanilla. Stir until no lumps remain.Stir in the chocolate chips if using.Transfer to the prepared bundt pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.Sprinkle with powdered sugar once the cake has cooled.

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Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

I guess breakfast food is what I’ve missed most about going gluten free. Last week I posted a recipe for gluten free mini-doughnuts and this week I’ve made cinnamon rolls! These things were incredible. They really hit the spot. They had the fantastic gooey caramel oozing out of them and they were soft and fluffy. You need to make sure you prepare these the night before because they require an overnight stay in the refrigerator before baking.I baked these in a 6 count muffin tin. However next time I make these I will probably make them in a 7x11 pan or a jumbo muffin tin (if I get one before then). These rolls needed some additional space to rise. They did ok in the small muffin tin but I think they would be better with more space to puff up.

There is this little trick I use when cutting cinnamon rolls that I wanted to share with you. I use unflavored dental floss to easily cut them without flattening them. The trick is to get the floss underneath the long roll and then draw the strings across each other until they cut all the way through the dough. This will keep your cinnamon rolls perfectly shaped and will give you an easy clean cut. Simply repeat this at each interval to cut them.I ran out of time before I could make a glaze or frosting for these. They would be fantastic though with a cream cheese frosting spread over the hot cinnamon rolls if you have time to make it. Otherwise they are amazing without anything on top. You won’t regret trying these.

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Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls:3 Tablespoons Butter (melted and cooled)2 Tablespoons Sugar1 Egg and 2 Egg Yolks¾ Cups Buttermilk1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract1 ½ Cup Gluten Free Flour1 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt½ Tablespoon YeastFiling:¾ Cup Brown Sugar2 Tablespoons Butter (melted and cooled)3 Teaspoons Cinnamon1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add the egg, egg yolks, buttermilk and vanilla, mix until smooth.Slowly add the gf flour, xanthan gum, salt and yeast. Beat until the mixture becomes thicker and elastic signifying that the xanthan gum has activated.

If the mixture is too sticky add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it you are able to handle it with some maneuvering.Grease a 6 cup muffin pan or a 7x11 baking dish. Set out a piece of parchment paper on the top of the counter. Place the dough on top of it.

Place an additional piece of parchment paper on top and roll out into a rectangle.In a separate bowl combine the filling ingredients until they form a rough paste.

Spread this paste over the top of the prepare dough.Using greased fingertips and the edge of the parchment paper roll the prepared dough into a log.

Using unflavored dental floss cut the log into 6 equal pieces. Place each piece in a separate well of the muffin tin.Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.Place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 and remove the plastic wrap from the rolls.Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top and there is caramel bubbling up around the sides.Frost if desired and serve immediately.

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Source: Adapted from: Gluten Free on a Shoestring – Nicole Hunn

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Soft Frosted Cookies

These are amazing. They are just like the soft frosted cookies you purchase at the store. However they are WAY better than those store bought cookies. I got so many compliments on these because they are truly incredible. Unfortunately these are made with white flour so they aren’t gluten free. I’m working on a gluten free adaptation of these but unfortunately it’s not perfect yet! I will definitely post it when I get it finished though. These cookies are way too good not have in your life!

I never like plain sugar cookies. So whenever I make them I always add some almond extract to give them a richer flavor. This really sends any sugar cookies over the top and these are no exception. The almond flavoring in the frosting really ties the cookie and frosting together and makes an awesome flavor explosion in your mouth.

These cookies are fairly easy to make. The real trick though is keeping them soft through the baking. This is achieved by baking them at a slightly higher temp for a short period of time. The cookies are fully cooked, but they maintain their soft interior and exterior. Don’t change the cooking time or temp on these. Any changes have the potential to burn the cookies.

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Soft Frosted Cookies:For Cookies:½ Cup Butter½ Cup Sugar1 Egg1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract1 Teaspoon Almond Extract1 ½ Cup Flour1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda¼ Teaspoon SaltFor Frosting:4 Tablespoons Butter (soft)2 Cups Powdered Sugar1 Teaspoon Almond Extract2 Tablespoons MilkWilton Lemon Yellow Gel Food ColoringSprinkles or Nonpareils (optional)To make the cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add the egg and extracts beat well.Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat until well combined.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour until slightly firm to the touch.Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into twelve portions.

Shape the portions into balls using your hands, flatten them slightly so they form a disk.Bake for 8-10 minutes. DO NOT over bake these, make sure you remove them just before they start browning.Let cool completely before frosting.To make the frosting:

Beat the butter until fluffy.Beat in the powdered sugar and almond extract.

Add the milk and food coloring. Use as much food coloring as you need to achieve a yellow you like.Beat the frosting on high until very light and fluffy.Using an offset spatula or frosting knife frost the cookies generously.

Generously cover with sprinkles or nonpareils if desired.

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Source: Cookies Adapted from Hostess with the Mostess

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Easy Pretzel Bites

My Mom and I were talking the other day about making homemade pretzels. When she asked how I made them, I mentioned that I typically use my breadmaker to prepare the dough. She doesn’t have a breadmaker anymore so she was slightly disappointed that she couldn’t prepare them the same way. That conversation got me thinking, how did I made pretzels and pretzel bites before I had a breadmaker?I remembered that I used Rhodes prepared dinner rolls. I decided to put together a little post on making these since I happened to have a bag of rolls in my freezer. They are super yummy and VERY easy! The most time spent is waiting for the dough to defrost and rise. While I use Rhodes rolls you can use any prepared raw dough you like. Just make sure it is fully defrosted before you start, or else you’re going to end up with a nasty finished product.

There are several different schools of thought on using baking soda to make homemade pretzels. Some people think you can simply soak the pretzels in a baking soda bath. However, I’ve never had good luck with this. I prefer to boil the raw dough in the baking soda bath for approximately 1 minute. I feel like this gives it time to fully absorb what it needs to nicely brown.I like brushing the butter onto these just after they’ve come out of the oven. This gives them that buttery flavor you’d get from a mall pretzel. I only use salt on these, however if you wanted to use cinnamon sugar instead you could have sweet pretzel bites. Just make sure you sprinkle whatever topping you use generously. In my opinion you can never have too much flavor on these!

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Easy Pretzel Bites:12 Unbaked Rhodes Dinner Rolls or other raw prepared dough2 Cups Water¼ Cup Baking Soda2 Tablespoons Butter (melted)Kosher Salt

Defrost the dough and allow it to rise until doubled.Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using greased scissors cut the dinner rolls in quarters.Combine the water and baking soda in a small saucepan on high heat. When you reach a rolling boil begin to add the raw dough.

Cook until the dough has inflated, approximately 1 minute per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon, shaking off the excess water.Place the dough on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough chunks.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the dough is lightly browned.Remove from the oven and brush generously with the butter.

Sprinkle liberally with the kosher salt and enjoy!

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Gluten Free Chocolate Mini-Doughnuts

I have been seriously in the mood for doughnuts the last couple weeks. But since they aren’t gluten free I had to pass every time. So I decided to track down a recipe that would let me eat a doughnut! These are quite yummy and very fluffy. The glaze on top is a great addition and really completes the entire taste. The best part though is the nutmeg in the dough. It really gives the doughnuts that “dough-nutty” flavor you look for.

I’ve baked these in a mini-doughnut pan and the yield is about 2 dozen. I have no idea what that would translate to in a regular sized doughnut pan, however my mini pan says to put ½ Tablespoon of dough in each spot, so you can do the math on it.

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Gluten Free Chocolate Mini-DoughnutsFor Doughnuts:¾ Cup Gluten Free Flour4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder¾ Teaspoon Baking Powder¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda¼ Teaspoon Cream of TartarDash of Kosher Salt¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg1/3 Cup Brown Sugar2 Tablespoon Butter (melted and cooled)2 Tablespoons Olive Oil1 Egg¾ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract¼ Cup plus 3 Tablespoons Milk½ Teaspoon Xanthan GumFor Glaze:1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder1 Cup Powdered Sugar2-4 Teaspoons MilkTo make the doughnuts:Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a mini-doughnut pan.

In a medium bowl combine the gf flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, nutmeg and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined.In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, oil and egg. Beat on high until well combined.Add the vanilla and milk and beat well.

Add the dry ingredients, stir until combined. Add the xanthan gum and beat until the batter is slightly elastic.Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.

Following the directions on your doughnut pan fill the cavities with batter.Bake for 10 minutes until the doughnuts are set and the bottoms are slightly browned.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool and repeat with the rest of the batter.To make the glaze:

Whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Add the vanilla and stir well.

Add the milk ½ teaspoon at a time until the glaze is at a spreadable consistency.

Working quickly, dip the tops of the cooled doughnuts into the glaze, swirl the doughnut around and then remove to a wire rack with a piece of wax paper underneath.

Garnish with sprinkles if desired.Store the glazed doughnuts at room temperature and any unglazed ones in an airtight container.

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Source: Adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring, Quick and Easy – Nicole Hunn

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Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

I haven’t made many chocolate cupcakes recently so I decided I needed to do something full of chocolate. I combined a cupcake recipe I love with a new frosting. I wanted to make a white chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top, but unfortunately I ran out of time. So instead I simply garnished the top of the cupcakes with white chocolate chips. I felt this would lend another chocolate taste to the finished cupcakes.

This recipe should make 12 regular sized cupcakes and it can easily be doubled or tripled if you wish. I used a circular tip to ice these cupcakes, but if I made them again I would definitely use an M1 tip or other star tip. I feel like this would give them more visual appeal and give the chocolate garnish a better base.

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Triple Chocolate Cupcakes:For the Cupcakes:¼ Cup Cocoa Powder¼ Cup Hot Water1 Cup Flour½ Teaspoon Baking Soda½ Teaspoon Baking Powder¼ Teaspoon Salt½ Cup Butter¾ Cup Sugar2 Eggs1 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract1/3 Cup Sour CreamFor the Icing:½ Cup Butter (softened)2 Cups Powdered Sugar¼ Cup Cocoa Powder1 Teaspoon Vanilla2-4 Tablespoons MilkWhite Chocolate Chips for garnishTo make the cupcakes:Preheat the oven to 350 and line a 12 cavity muffin pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl combine the hot water and cocoa powder. Stir well until combined in a paste.In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined.In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and sugar until light a fluffy, beat in the vanilla.Add the cocoa powder mixture and beat on high until well combined.

Add half the dry ingredients, followed by the sour cream, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat until everything is completely combined.Using a ¼ cup measuring cup spoon the batter into the prepare cupcake liners.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.To make the frosting:

Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until they are combined.

Add the cocoa powder and vanilla. Stir until combined.

Add the milk a tablespoon at a time and beat on high until the frosting is at a spreadable consistency.

Using a piping bag fitted with a tip ice the cupcakes.Garnish generously with white chocolate chips. Let the cupcakes sit until the frosting is no longer wet to the touch.

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:43]

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Source: Cake Adapted from: Annie’s Eats, Icing Adapted from: Kiss my Bundt – Chrysta Wilson

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Iowa Superbowl Dip

This is apparently quite a popular dip here in Iowa. I had no idea about it until Alex had it at work and decided that I needed to make it. He loves this dip because it is cheesy and spicy and is fantastic for dipping on crackers or chips. When I talked about it with some of our friends they gave me the name as “superbowl dip”.When I made this I halved the recipe and heated it in the microwave. If you are pressed for time you can do it that way and either serve it immediately or put it into a crockpot to keep warm. If you have extra time before your event just put everything in the crockpot and stir once the cheese has melted. The quantities mentioned here in the recipe will make a fairly large pot of this dip, so be sure to pair it down if you won’t be serving a large crowd.

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Iowa Superbowl Dip1 Brick Velveeta Cheese2 Cans Rotel1lb Browned Ground Beef or Italian SausageCut the velveeta into 1 inch chunks.

Combine all ingredients in a greased slow cooker.Serve when the cheese has fully melted and everything has been stirred together

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:42]

Gluten Free Salty Crackers

Since I was making crackers this week I wanted to be sure to include one that I could eat. These are super easy crackers and will only take you about 45 minutes total. These crackers are fantastic! They are crispy and perfect for dipping or using for cheese.I’ve used Trader Joe’s Himalayan Pink Sea Salt to top them, but you can feel free to use regular sea salt or Kosher salt if you prefer. I simply wanted to give them a little bit of a fancier feel when they were finished.

When transferring these on to the baking sheet you can either follow the method I’ve laid out here, or you can use an offset spatula to move the crackers. I found that the spatula method is more difficult and tends to crumple the cracker dough.

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Gluten Free Salty Crackers1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Gluten Free Flour¼ Teaspoon Xanthan Gum¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda1 ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar2 Tablespoons Shortening1 Tablespoon Butter1/3 Cup WaterTrader Joe’s Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (for garnish)Preheat your oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paperIn the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Pulse to mix well.Add the shortening and the butter, pulse the food processor until the mixture has a sandy texture.

With the food processor running add the water slowly. Once all the water has been added the dough should be smooth and shiny but not wet.

Prepare your counter top by placing a large sheet of parchment paper down on it. Place the dough on top. Spread an additional sheet of parchment paper over the top of the dough. Roll the dough out to be ¼ inch thick.Remove the second piece of parchment paper from the top. With a pastry wheel or pizza cutter cut the dough into rectangles that are about 1 ½ inch by 2 ½ inches.

Place your prepare cookie sheet over top with the silpat liner on the dough and the sheet inverted on the counter.Turn the entire stack over so that the parchment paper is on top and the dough is on the silpat liner.Carefully remove the parchment paper from the dough.

Pierce each cracker a few times with a fork. Sprinkle water over top of the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the pink Sea Salt.Bake for approximately 8 minutes or until the cracker edges are just beginning to brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm.These are best served immediately when made, however you can wrap the extras and store at room temperature for a few days if needed.

[amd-yrecipe-recipe:41]

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Source: Adapted from: Gluten Free on a Shoestring, Quick and Easy – Nicole Hunn

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