Hamburger Buns

Do you know how long it has been since I have had a hamburger on a good, gluten free bun? Let's just say it has been a long time. Thankfully, I don't have to wait any longer, and neither do you. I have finally conquered the gluten free hamburger bun! Whoot! Whoot! You have no idea how thrilled I am, unless you have been waiting as long as I have.

These buns are very easy to make, and you can make them in whatever size you want. How cool would it be to make some sliders?! The best part is they are super soft, and very delicious.

Can't wait for the recipe, can you? Ok, here it is.

What You Will Need:
Standmixer with Paddle Attachment
Small Bowl
Medium Bowl
Whisk
Coffee Mug or some other small vessel
Cookie Sheets lined with Silicone Mats or Parchment Paper
Brush
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 1/4 cup Milk (110°F)
1 1/2 cups Oat Flour
3/4 cup Potato Starch
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Guar Gum
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, room temperature
3 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
1 Large Egg White, beaten with 1 Tablespoon Water

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together yeast, sugar and warm milk. Set aside to rise for approximately 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, xanthum gum, guar gum, and salt.

In the standmixer with the paddle attachment, mix together cider vinegar, butter and egg whites.

Slowly add dry ingredients to the standmixer.

Add the milk and yeast mixture, and mix for 2 minutes on medium.

Scoop approximately 1/2 cup dough into a coffee mug sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Turn the coffee mug over onto the lined cookie sheet.

Brush the tops of the dough with the egg wash.

Place the cookie sheets in a cold oven. Set the oven to 425° F. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Cool for a two minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Just take a look at those buns. Who would think that someone would or could get so excited about hamburger buns? I can't help it. 

Makes 8 buns. Store in a sealed plastic bag for up to 2 weeks on the counter, and longer in the fridge. Can also be frozen for up to 6 months. (Don't worry you will eat them long before you have to test this theory.)

"Never hope for it more than you work for it."

Make it happen. You can do it!!!

~Sheryl

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Blueberry Muffins

I have to tell you this recipe proved to be quite trying. I had the most difficult time getting the oven temperature and the cooking time right. I can't tell you how many blueberry muffins ended up in the trash. That is saying a LOT, because I don't throw baked goods away unless they are completely unedible. Unfortunatly, what happened (on several occassions I must add) was that I checked the muffins and they looked like they were cooked, I inserted a toothpick and it came out clean, and then as they were cooling they caved in (which means they are not completely cooked). So frustrating!!!

This batch came out ok. They taste amazing, but they aren't the most attractive baked good to come out of my kitchen. I have learned that sometimes you just have to overlook the cover of a book to find that it was impeccably written.

What You Will Need:
Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
Medium Bowl
Whisk
Muffin Tins
Muffin Paper Liners
Medium Scoop
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
1 Pint Blueberries
1 2/3 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Canola Oil
2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
4 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup Soy Flour
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch
3/4 cup Potato Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
Sugar for sprinkling tops

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line muffin tins with muffin papers (makes approximately 24 muffins).

In stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs.

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

With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

Add blueberries and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. (This picture shows me adding the blueberries to the standmixer, but I found that it would be better to mix by hand to avoid damaging the blueberries.)

Using medium scoop, scoop batter into lined muffin tins.

Sprinkle tops of muffin batter with sugar.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. (If you use a toothpick to check doneness, make sure the toothpick whole in the top of the muffin is big enough that wet dough from inside the muffin doesn't get wiped off of the toothpick.)

Check out this golden beauty bursting with plump, juicy blueberries!

"There is this little thing called perspective. When looking at a dandelion, some see a weed and some see a wish."

Which do you see? And if you don't like what you see, change your perspective!

~Sheryl



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Head Over Heels Cookie Bars

I came home from work the other day and there wasn't a gluten free baked good to be had in the house! Can you believe it? With all of the baking I do, there wasn't a single thing to sink my teeth into after a long, hard, depressing day at work. And to top it off, it was Wednesday, which meant I had to take my son to youth group at church and my daughter to gymnastics. 

I knew I didn't have a lot of time, but I was determined to make something. I figured some kind of cookie bar would be the best. That way I wouldn't have to scoop a bunch of dough balls, wait for them to chill, blah blah blah. (Don't take that the wrong way, I LOVE to make cookies, just not when I am pressed for time.) Cupcakes were also out. You have to wait for them to cool, before you can frost them!

Cookie bar it would be, but what kind of cookie bar? I wanted to make something new so I could share it with you here on the blog. I had some leftover peanuts from the peanut butter cookies, so I wanted to use those. I thought it would be cool to have something with layers. Chocolate and caramel always come to mind. Then I started to think about snickers candy bars, and I thought, why not layer caramel, peanuts and chocolate on top of a chocolate chip cookie? Wabamo! Head Over Heels Cookie Bars were born. Are you dying to try them? Here's the recipe . . .

What You Will Need:
Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
9 x 13 Pan
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Small Saucepan

Ingredients:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Posted on July 9, 2013) - I made these with 
1 cup of Mini Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Kraft Caramel Bits
3 Tablespoons Milk
1 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Dump cookie dough into sprayed pan, and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix caramel bits and milk. Cook until melted stirring constantly. Let cool.

Pour and spread melted, cooled caramel over baked and cooled cookie dough.

Sprinkle peanuts evenly over caramel.

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and canola oil in the microwave. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, then continue in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until completely melted.

Pour melted chocolate over peanuts.

Let sit until chocolate is set completely. Cut into 2 inch squares and serve.

These turned out even better than I imagined they would. As a result, I thought they deserved an extra special name. Head over heels seemed appropriate.

"Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, mirror what you admire."
Think about that one for a while. It says A LOT!

~Sheryl

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Frosted Chocolate Fudge Hand Pies (Pop-Tarts)

I'm so super excited about this post! These delightful creations are my gluten free version of Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts. Yes, you heard me right. Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts. Does it get much better than this? I don't think so!

I have to be honest, it can be daunting to take on a task like this - imitating a popular and classic recipe like this one. But, if there is one thing you should know about me by now, I love a challenge. And I kicked this challenges butt! I am more than thrilled with the result. 

If I could do back flips, there would be some serious gymnastics going on. But let's be serious, that isn't going to happen. While I don't have the physical dexterity for that, I do have mad skills in the kitchen. This recipe is proof of that.

What You Will Need:
Chocolate Pastry Dough (Posted on January 27, 2014)
Small Saucepan
Circle Cookie Cutter (approximately 3")
Baking Sheets Lined with Silicone Mats or Parchment Paper
Cooling Racks
Small Offset Spatula

Ingredients:
Fudge 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
Chocolate Frosting
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Meringue Powder
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1-3 Tablespoons Water
1/4 cup Milk Chocolate, melted

Directions:
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 fudge filling has cooled, roll out pastry dough and cut circles with cookie cutter. (You could also cut the dough into squares or rectangles. 

NOTE: Don't throw away the scraps of the dough. Use the scraps to make the baker's (that is you!) sample. It doesn't matter what the shape is or how perfect it is, you aren't going to be serving it to anybody else.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Pour approximately 1 Tablespoon of fudge filling in the center of one dough circle.

Wet the edges of the dough, place another circle of dough on top, then crimp the edges together with a fork.

Gently transfer pastry to a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 16-20 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

While pastries are cooling, make frosting. In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, meringue powder and cocoa powder. Add 1 Tablespoon of water and mix well.

Mix in melted chocolate. (If frosting seems too thick to spread, slowly add more water until it is spreadable. You don't want it too watery, or it won't set. I used all 3 Tablespoons of water, and my frosting was a bit too watery.)

Spread frosting onto pastries with a small offset spatula. (You could also use a knife.)

Leave pastries on cooling racks until frosting is set.

Don't you just want to eat them all right up?! 

Makes approximately 12 hand pies. (The good news: There is enough fudge filling to make two batches.)

"Remember that no matter what life throws at you, there is always delicious and comforting chocolate you can count on."
Chocolate always makes me feel better!

~Sheryl