A to Z Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Leap Day!! While this may be just another day of the year of some people, others may be celebrating a birthday! (Happy birthday to all the Leap Day babies out there!) SO, in honor of Leap Day, a lot of stores have been advertising special sales and Subway has declared it Free Cookie Day. So, I thought I would post a crazy cookie recipe in honor of this once in four years day.

A to Z Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nuts, chocolate, coconut, crunchy cereal and oats all rolled into one cookie! They’re chewy, crispy, crunchy and fabulous!

**NOTE: This recipe is for 5 dozen cookies so scale down (or up if you’re baking for a party, bake sale or a large crowd)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter is a wonderful flour)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened (Earth Balance)
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup gluten free Cinnamon Chex cereal, crumbled
• 3 cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups gluten free semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice) – or omit the nuts if you are allergic

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease cookie sheets. Sift together gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together vegan butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in coconut milk and vanilla. Gradually mix in the sifted ingredients until well blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cornflakes, oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts (or other nut). Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slightly under baking these yields wonderfully chewy cookies!

Make these Loaded Candy cookies by adding your favorite candy like Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and crumbled Homemade Oreos instead of the cereal and oats.

ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

Frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

You’ll need those Homemade Oreos for this tasty treat!

Makes one 9 inch pie or three 4 inch mini pies. Preparation: Lightly butter springform pan if it is not non-stick. If you do not have a springform pan line a cake pan with a piece of lightly buttered foil leaving a one inch over hang around the edges for easy pie removal or alternately use a traditional pie pan.

Ingredients 

• 24 homemade Oreo cookies, crushed
• 4 tablespoon unsalted vegan butter, melted (Earth Balance)
• 2 ½ cups Cool Whip or Rice Whipped Cream
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup confectioner sugar
• ½ cup crushed Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Oreo Crust:

1. Place Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse until cookies are finely crumbed. Alternatively, place Oreos in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.  Mix in the melted butter and then firmly press crumbs into pan to create a crust. Bake crust at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes.

Reese Peanut Butter Pie Filling:

1. Place peanut butter and confectioner sugar in a pan over low heat and stir until combined and peanut butter is melted. Set aside for five minutes to cool. Gently fold in peanut butter mixture into Cool Whip until combined. Gently fold in crushed Reese’s pieces into peanut butter Cool Whip mixture.
2. Pour mixture into Oreo crust and freeze for 3 hours. Garnish with caramel and chocolate drizzle (for added decadence rim with chopped Reese’s pieces).

Homemade “Oreos”

Granted I am NOT a huge Oreo fan. I’m definitely a cookie girl but not Oreos. BUT, I recently saw a recipe I wanted to try that called for Oreo cookies. Well, since I cannot pick up a package of Oreos and I am picky about my gluten free cookies, I decided to make my own. Here we go.

Oreos

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 80 grams sweet rice flour (3/4 cup=70 grams + 1/8 cup=10 grams)
• 60 grams white rice flour (5/8 cup=60 grams)
• 35 grams teff flour (1/3 cup=25 grams + 1/8 cup=10 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (we used Dagoba organic)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature, unsalted vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 1 large egg

For the creamy filling:

• 1/2 stick room-temperature, unsalted vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 4 tablespoons vegetable vegan shortening (Earth Balance)
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preparing to bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Making the cookie dough. Put the sweet rice flour, white rice flour, and teff flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a whisk, stir the flours together to combine and aerate them. Add the xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Turn the mixer on and let everything combine in motion. While the mixer is running on low speed, add large pieces of the butter until they are all incorporated. Add the egg and mix well. (At this point, you might think the dough will be too dry. Trust. Keep mixing. It will come together.)

Baking the cookies. Scoop a rounded teaspoon of batter (literally. scoop just more than a teaspoon’s worth) and form a ball. Gently, flatten the dough in the palm of your hand. After you have flattened, smooth the edges of the cookie dough disk to make it evenly rounded. Place the dough disks onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. (These will not spread, but you do not want them to touch each other.)

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then turn the baking sheet 180ºF. Bake until the cookies are crisp on the edges with just a touch of softness in the center, about 5 more minutes. Take the cookies out of the oven. After a few moments, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.

Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Making the creamy filling. Put the butter and vegetable shortening into the bowl of the stand mixer. (Clean the cookie dough out first!) Whip them up together, then add the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat the filling on high until it is fluffy frosting, about 5 minutes. (Be sure to turn off the stand mixer and scrape down the sides occasionally.)

Assembling the cookies. If you have a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip, you can pipe tiny dots of filling onto a cookie. We couldn’t find ours, so we used a teaspoon measure and our fingers to spread the blob of creamy filling toward the edges but not entirely there. Gently, press the second cookie down onto the filling and watch the filling reach the edges.

Continue until all the cookies are little chocolate sandwiches with a creamy filling. Homemade Oreos. There you go!

Now, wanna know what that recipe was that called for some Oreo cookies? Frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie!!! YAY! Up next on TwentyOne No Gluten! 🙂

Croissants

When you think of France, you think croissants right? Here is something interesting. Alan Davidson, editor of the Oxford Companion to Food, found no printed recipe for the present-day croissant in any French recipe book before the early 20th century; the earliest French reference to a croissant he found was among the “fantasy or luxury breads” in Payen’s Des substances alimentaires, 1853. However, early recipes for the croissant (without butter, and so not puff pastry-based) can be found in the nineteenth century and at least one reference to croissants as an established French bread appeared as early as 1850. Wherever they came from, croissants are DELICIOUS and you can enjoy your own without stepping foot on a plane.

Gluten Free Croissants

Who needs Pilsbury when you have these! 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (Better Batter is a great flour. I need to order some ASAP)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant (rapid-rise or breadmaker) yeast
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted vegan butter, divided (4 tablespoons at room temperature, the rest chilled)
• 3/4 cup almond milk, warmed to about 100ºF
• 2 extra-large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, divided

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, xanthan gum, yeast, 6 tablespoons sugar, salt and 4 tablespoons butter (divided into tablespoons). Beat on low for about 1 minute, until the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients. Add the ¾ cup warm milk, the whole egg and 1 yolk, and mix until the dough just begins to come together. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a flat surface, and dump the dough out onto the plastic wrap. Press the dough together, and cover tightly with the plastic wrap. Place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper into a rectangle that is about 10-by-15 inches, and about ¼ inch thick, no thinner (see photos). Dust with additional flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper. Take the remaining 12 tablespoons (chilled) butter and divide into individual tablespoons, and then space evenly over ⅔ of the dough, leaving one short side bare (see photos). With the bare short side facing you, fold it over the middle third of the butter (as you would a business letter), then fold the remaining third over to seal in the tablespoons of butter (see photos).
3. Roll the dough out again into a rectangle about 10-by-5 inches, and fold again in thirds (see photos). Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes or until firm. Congratulations. You have just completed the first ‘turn.’
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, uncover it, and place it horizontally on a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper, and roll out again into a rectangle about 10-by-5 inches. Fold once more, business letter style, and return to the freezer for another 15 minutes or until firm. Repeat the process once more. After 3 turns, cover and place the dough in the freezer for about 30 minutes (or in the refrigerator for at least an hour), until firm.
5. Once the dough has chilled once more, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper into a smaller rectangle, this time about ⅜ inch thick. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, slice the dough in half, into two equal rectangles. Stack the rectangles on top of one another, with the edges squared. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles that alternate top to bottom.
6. On a large piece of parchment paper, separate and line up all the triangles in rows. For each triangle, with the base of the triangle facing you, slice a 1-inch slit vertically (see photo). Then, fold the two new points toward the outside edge of the triangle, away from one another. Press down gently to seal. Rolling away from you, roll up the dough toward the tip of the triangle until it is shaped like a coiled cylinder. Create a “U” shape by turning the edges toward one another (see photo). Repeat with the remaining triangles.
7. Preheat the oven to 400ºF, and prepare a lined or nonstick baking sheet.
8. Arrange the shaped croissants about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Place in a warm, draft-free area to rise a bit (about 15 minutes). If they don’t rise much, don’t worry. Don’t bother waiting much longer. They will spring up in the oven.
9. Brush liberally with the remaining egg, beaten with a splash of milk. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake, rotating once during baking, until golden brown (about 15 minutes).

Serve for breakfast with a pipping hot cup of tea and some orange marmalade for a sweet breakfast or as a side with lunch or dinner or anytime really!

ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Using cinnamon raisin bread brings even more flavor to this delicious bread pudding! This pudding can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. To chill, let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter, plus more for baking dish (Earth Balance)
• 8 slices (8 ounces) Udi’s Gluten Free cinnamon-raisin bread
• 2 cups rice milk milk
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Lightly butter an 11-by-7-inch (or 9-inch square) baking dish; set aside.
3. Toast bread (in the oven or toaster) until lightly crisped.
4. In a medium saucepan, combine milk, chocolate, and butter; place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
5. Tear bread into large pieces (about 4 or 5 per slice); scatter evenly in prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in warm milk mixture until combined. Pour over bread.
6. Bake until pudding has puffed and is firm, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes, and dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

This can be a decadent dessert or a special breakfast treat. Breakfast and dessert are really favorites! lol. I love all food but breakfast and dessert are just so yummy and perfect for my sweet tooth! Don’t let your sweet tooth go sour just because you’re gluten free! ENJOY YOUR SWEETS! (in moderation of course!)

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I can never get enough cookies! Gooey, chocolately mmmm mmm good!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 sticks softened vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce
• 3 3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 12 oz bag mini chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks or chunk-size chopped good quality chocolate
• Sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla following the caramel sauce until well combined.
2. Place the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl; mix. Slowly add to wet ingredients then add the mini chocolate chips.
3. Place 1/4 cup of cookie dough on a cookie sheet. Press down then sprinkle with a pinch or two of sea salt then press chocolate chunks over top. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just golden around edges. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

OOOOOH HOW GOOD DO THOSE LOOK!! 😀

We’re Going To Disney World!

I’ve got travel on the brain and I want to head someplace warm. Sure a beach is fine and dandy but I want to go to Disney World and a gluten free guide to ALL the parks would sure come in handy!! Well guess what, I’ve got it! Walt Disney World Food & Beverage has the Walt Disney World All Parks Gluten Free Guide. It takes you through all the parks and gives you a breakdown of each restaurant/eatery with what you can have to eat!

I definitely have to give Disney HUGE HUGE kudos on taking gluten allergies and other allergies seriously. Disney is where dreams come true and they are committed to making sure every guest has a magical time, no matter what allergy they may have. No one should be left out of feeling the pure Disney magic.

In 2011, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts received an award recognizing its leadership and commitment in the area of food-allergy awareness by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

Disney’s journey from a provider of traditional food offerings to a leader in best practices for food allergies began 12 years ago when a Disneyland Resort chef received phone call from a mother concerned about gluten-free options for her child. Since that time, Disney has worked to craft an extensive food program that offers meals to suit the needs of guests with food allergies and other dietary preferences.

According to Disney network chief executive officer, Julia Bradsher, Disney’s Parks and Resorts operation has the most extensive program that she is aware of. She adds that the parks have “been doing this for quite some time, so I think they were ahead of the curve.”

Disneyland Resort recently set up a web page that lists comprehensive information to help guests make informed decisions about where they can find food in the parks meets their needs.

The company has also set up a special hotline number where park guests can call ahead with specific food requests. That number is 714-781-DINE.  If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World and would like to call ahead to discuss special dietary needs, guests may call 407-824-5967. Certified executive chef Bill Orton says that “the resort helps thousands of visitors” with their dietary needs, and handles most needs immediately.

Here is Walt Disney World’s Food and Beverage Gluten Free Guide

View this document on Scribd

Make your next trip to Disney the most magical one yet!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Italian Amaretto Margaritas

I know National Margarita Day was yesterday but another recipe to add to your margarita selection couldn’t hurt. Variety is the spice of life!

Italian Amaretto Margaritas

Amaretto gives this drink a fun twist! Frosty glasses rimmed with amaretto and sugar make this drink even better.

Ingredients 

• 4 fluid ounces amaretto liqueur, plus additional
• white sugar
• 6 fluid ounces frozen limeade concentrate
• 6 fluid ounces tequila
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 6 cups ice
• lemon and lime wedge for garnish

1. Dip the rims of 4 margarita glasses in amaretto, then into sugar; set aside.
2. Pour the limeaid, tequila, amaretto, orange juice, and ice into the bowl of a blender.
3. Puree until smooth, then pour into prepared glasses.
4. Garnish with lemon and lime wedges.

ENJOY! REMEMBER DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

Crawfish Beignets with Spicy Rémoulade

I’m still in a Cajun state of mind guys! Cannot get enough of those delicious flavors!

Crawfish Beignets with Spicy Remoulade

This is definitely a recipe that will wow whoever is sitting at your table! Yes, it’s a LOT of ingredients, but A LOT of great flavor! Don’t be intimidated, it will be delicious! For vegetarian Cajun beignets, simply eliminate the crawfish and increase the amount of red peppers and scallions by approximately 1 cup (this measurement includes both vegetables). 

Ingredients

For the Beignets:

• 10 ounces crawfish, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon if you want more heat!)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely diced
• 3 scallions, finely diced
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 dashes Tobasco
• Vegetable, Canola or Peanut Oil for frying
• Lemon wedges for serving

For the Rémoulade:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cornichons, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 dashes Tabasco
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper

1. First, make the rémoulade. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cornichons, parsley, capers, tarragon, shallots, vinegar, paprika, Tabasco, lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.
3. Cover and set aside.
4. Next, make the beignets. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
5. Add the diced red pepper and cook until soft, approximately 8-10 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and cook for an additional two minutes.
7. In a large bowl, whisk the gluten free flour, salt, baking powder, paprika, oregano and cayenne pepper.
8. Add the water, scallions, crawfish, red pepper and garlic, stirring well to combine.
9. Cover with a damp towel and set aside for 15 minutes.
10. In an electric skillet or a heavy pot, heat 2-3 inches of oil until it reaches 350ºF. Drop the crawfish batter by small spoonfuls into the oil and fry until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer beignets to a paper towel-lined plate.
11. Serve the beignets warm with lemon wedges and rémoulade for dipping.

Spicy crawfish. Now that is southern, down home goodness!

ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Hushpuppies

The first time I had hushpuppies were at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Miami, Florida the day before heading on a cruise as my high school graduation present with my  dad and little brother. (Great trip, great food!)

That was before I was gluten free. Thanks to Food Network (thanks Pat and Gina Neely!), I have found a great recipe that I can tweak a little bit and all while remaining DELICIOUS!

Hushpuppies

A hushpuppy or cornbread ball is a savory, starch-based food made from cornmeal batter that is deep fried or baked in small ball or sphere shapes. Hushpuppies are a food with strong ties to the South, although they are available in many areas of America on the menus of deep fried fish restaurants. 

Ingredients

• Peanut oil, for frying
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 small Vidalia onion, finely grated
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 large egg, beaten

1. Preheat 2 inches peanut oil in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven to 375ºF.
2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, 1 teaspoon salt, the sugar, cayenne and paprika in a large bowl to get rid of the lumps. (No one likes a lumpy hushpuppy.)
3. Mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring well to combine.
4. Dip 2 spoons into a mug of water (this allows the batter to come clean off).
5. Scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the batter and carefully slide it into the hot oil, working in batches.
6. Fry the scoops of batter 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked all the way through (test the first one for doneness).
7. Remove and drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet, seasoning with salt as soon as they come out of the fryer.

ENJOY!!