Festive Cheesecake Bars with Graham Cookie Crust

I know it has been an extremely long time since I have posted anything. I'm sorry. It's been a crazy month in the Darroch house. Thankfully, things are settling down, and just in time. 

I'm so excited and in a bit of disbelief, because it has been a year since I started this little blog. That's right, one whole year. Woot Woot! Happy Birthday to I Can't Believe It's Gluten Free. 

It's been a great journey so far. I have learned so much, had a ton of fun, and look forward to much more.  

So what are we waiting for? Let's get to making some Festive Cheesecake Bars with Graham Cookie Crust.

Ingredients:
Crust
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup Honey
1 1/2 Tablespoons Molasses
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Soy Flour
3/4 cup Potato Starch
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1 1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Filling
24 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Large Eggs
3 Tablespoons Sour Cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Soy Flour
1 Tablespoon Tapioca Starch/Flour
Gel Food Coloring (4-6 colors)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F.

In stand mixer with whisk attachment, cream together butter, sugar, honey, molasses, eggs and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, xanthum gum, baking soda and salt.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until well combined. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

Spread half of the batter in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan. 

Bake for 8 minutes, then let cool.

In stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Then add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, soy flour and tapioca flour. Mix until well combined and smooth.

Spread half of filling on graham cookie crust.

Split the other half of the filling evenly between 4-6 bowls. Color each portion with a different color of gel color.

Spread the colored filling in a random pattern over the uncolored filling. Smaller sections are better than bigger ones to allow for a more intricate swirl pattern.

Using a butter knife, create a swirl pattern in the colored filling. Be careful not to go to deep with the knife while swirling.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool for 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Using a clean, sharp knife, cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Clean the knife with hot water after every cut. 

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

So fun and festive, and a great dessert for celebrating!

"Life should not only be lived. It should be celebrated!"
What will you celebrate with your Festive Cheesecake Bars?

Sheryl

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Pistachio Cookies

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Although my pistachio cookies aren't as green as I had hoped they would be, they sure are super delicious. I've never made pistachio cookies, or pistachio anything before, and now I realize that is a crying shame. I actually LOVE pistachios. I don't know why I never thought they would be amazing in baked goods, but for some reason it just never seemed like a good idea. Was I wrong!!!! This is the start of what I am sure is going to be a very long and happy relationship. I think I've found my pot of gold.

Check out the recipe, and start your relationship today!

What You Will Need:
Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Medium Bowl
Whisk
Spatula
Plastic Container
Cookie Sheets lined with Silicone Mats or Parchment Paper
Medium Scoop
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Oat Flour
3/4 cup Potato Starch
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1 small package Pistachio Flavored Pudding Mix
1 1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Pistachios (I used the dry roasted, salted and shelled ones. I threw them in whole. I didn't want to be bothered with all that shelling, and I like big chunks of nuts in my cookies. You can chop them if you like.)
1 cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions:

In stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar.

Add the eggs and mix well, scraping down the bowl when necessary.

Add the vanilla and mix well, scraping down the bowl when necessary.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, pudding mix, xanthum gum, baking soda and salt.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Add the pistachios and white chocolate chips and mix until well combined.

Using medium scoop, scoop dough into a plastic container with wax paper between the layers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place the cookie balls on the lined baking sheets approximately 2 inches apart. If you want flatter cookies, flatten the balls a little with your fingers. Bake for 18 minutes. Let cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Serve with a nice tall glass of green milk!

They really are super delicious. It would be a nice gesture to share them with all of your little leprechaun friends and family.

"May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, may the rains fall soft upon your fields, and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand!"

~Sheryl

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

These cookies are light, airy and refreshing, with a little crunch from the poppy seeds. Although I don't drink tea very often, I think they would be perfect for tea time. They might possible go well with coffee as well, but I just don't do coffee at all. Try them for yourself and let me know what you think.

What You Will Need:
Medium Bowl
Whisk
Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Lemon Zester
Medium Scoop
Plastic Container
Wax Paper
Cookie Sheet(s)
Silicone Mat(s) or Parchment Paper
Cooling Rack(s)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Soy Flour
1/2 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup Potato Starch
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tablespoons Lemon Zest, chopped
2 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together soy flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, xanthum gum, baking powder and salt.

In standmixer with whisk attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.

Zest and juice the lemon.

 Add eggs to the butter and sugar mixture.

Add poppy seeds.

Add lemon zest.

Add lemon juice.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients.

 Using medium scoop, scoop dough into a plastic container. Place wax paper between the layers of dough balls. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place dough balls on silicone lined cookie sheets approximately 2 inches apart, and bake for 18 minutes.

Cool on cookie sheets for two minutes, then transfer to cooling racks until cooled completely.

Makes about 3 dozen.

I've always loved the way lemon and poppy seeds go together. Don't you?

"The difference between who you are and who you want to be is what you do."

So go out a do something!

~Sheryl

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S'mores Cupcakes

Are you tired of this winter yet? I have been for some time now. Even our vacation in Florida last month with temperatures in the high 70's didn't help me to feel better about this bitter, cold, snowy mess that won't quit. So, I decided to bring a little summer into the kitchen. Actually, this recipe was my daughter's idea. We have been working on it off and on for some time now. The cupcake flavor was a bit of a challenge, but we figured it out.

The cupcakes are graham flavored. Most people make graham crackers and graham flavored things with graham flour; but as you might guess, it is not gluten free. So, we tried a couple different things before we got it right. Then we filled the cupcakes with chocolate filling and frosted them with toasted marshmallow frosting. They are crazy good. I mean crazy good! 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup Honey

1 1/2 Tablespoons Molasses

2 Large Eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon Vanilla

3/4 cup Soy Flour

1/2 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour

1/2 cup Potato Starch

2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3/4 cup Milk, hot

Chocolate Filling

1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Milk
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate
Marshmallow Frosting
4 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
1 cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Set aside

In stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat butter, sugar, honey and molasses until smooth.

Mix in eggs.

Mix in vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together soy flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, xanthum gum and salt.

With mixer on low, slowly add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, 1/2 the milk, 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the other half of the milk, and the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

Using a medium scoop, scoop batter into lined cupcake tins. Bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to cooling racks to cool completely.

While cupcakes are cooling, make chocolate filling. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together cocoa powder, brown sugar, milk, salt and milk chocolate until boiling.

Remove from heat; add butter, vanilla and milk chocolate; and stir until completed mixed. Let cool and thicken.

When chocolate filling has cooled, fill cupcakes. We put the chocolate filling in a squeeze bottle, and used the handle of a spoon to create a whole in the cupcakes. (When I make these again, I will fill the cupcakes with more chocolate filling than this time.)

To make the marshmallow frosting, fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.

Place the eggs whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt in the stand mixer bowl and whisk by hand to combine. Place the bowl in the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Heat the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch (about 120° F) about six minutes.

Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer to medium and whisk for 1 minute. Increase the speed to high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes more. Add the vanilla and whisk until just incorporated, about 1 minute. 

Transfer frosting to a gallon size zip-top bag and snip a corner to use as a pastry bag. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Using a kitchen torch, lightly toast the marshmallow frosting. There you have it - S'mores Cupcakes! Share with your friends and family to bring some sunshine into your life. Enjoy!

After all, "Sunshine is the best medicine!"

~Sheryl

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