Gluten-Free

  • Cocodamia Nut White Chocolate Bars

    April 5th, 2012

    I know there’s no such word as ‘cocodamia’, but work with me here. Coconut & macadamia got together and had a love child, who then hooked up with white chocolate. And these bars were born, in the tropics.

    You’re basically going to take the recipe for Coconut Macaroons and stir in the nuts and chocolate. Throw it into a pan, bake it, and call it a day (after eating your share and then some). Another day’s hard work in the kitchen.

    Read More

  • Berry Orange Fool

    April 1st, 2012

    There’s no better way to celebrate April Fool’s day than with a classic British dessert that calls itself a “fool”, is there? (Other than playing horribly evil jokes on coworkers and loved ones.)

    With spring in full effect, it’s time to kick the fruit consumption into high gear… as an appetite-whetter of what’s ahead (strawberry season! strawberry season!). This fool recipe swirls berries and orange zest with a simple mixture of whipped cream and yogurt… served with crumbled Classic Shortbread Cookies.

    (Be careful not to get too ambitiously healthy with this recipe. I altered the whipped-cream-to-yogurt ratio in my last Fool escapade, thinking I was all ‘responsible’ [we did just watch ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’ and feel the need to either sustain ourselves on 100% fresh fruit & veggie juice or stop eating altogether] and The Husband politely [but pointedly] protested. I ended up adding the full amount of the whipped cream after all, because it IS my aim to please, of course. If you’re looking to add less fat and sugar into your life, then keep this recipe as is and serve Baby Fools, as pictured. In short: don’t f with the Fool.)

    Read More

  • Hazelnut Meringue Puffs with Fresh Fruit & Cream

    March 24th, 2012

    Who doesn’t love light, fresh, hazelnut-spiked meringue cookies layered with fruit and fresh whipped cream? (If you don’t, then click here to read about a decadent chocolate dessert instead, without fruit of any kind. Goodbye.)

    Back to the meringue. Made without an ounce of fat (really… except for the little whipped cream layer), and relatively easy to make (easy but time consuming: full disclaimer), they reek of spring or summer- even when it’s a bleak wintery day. (Whipped cream and fruit makes everything seem like spring. It’s a fact.)

    Back to the meringue, again. I have made this as a full-fledged cake (usually remembering to remove the parchment circles under the meringue layers before assembling, except for that one time in 2007), and as individual servings as pictured. So in addition to being not-altogether-unhealthy, and easy-ish to make, it’s a versatile dessert. Why don’t I make these more often?

    Read More

  • Coconut Macaroons… 2 Ways

    March 21st, 2012

    Some desserts surprise me. While I have always had a deep and meaningful affection for macaroons, I understand that not everyone likes the same things that I do. (Case in point- licorice allsorts. You either love them- like me- or hate them with a venomous, candy-licorice-coated passion.) So I am pleasantly surprised when macaroons go like hotcakes- I’m pleased that others like what I like, and pleased that others like a dessert that’s so wonderfully easy to make. Double win.

    I have been making a simple macaroon classic forever, which just happens to be gluten-free (for those of you who care)… and it’s Recipe #1 below. I also added an egg white version- Recipe #2- which just happens to be dairy-free (for the even smaller amount of you who care). FYI- when The Husband (a.k.a. kitchen guinea pig) was forced to choose his preference in a blind macaroon tasting event, he chose the classic (Recipe #1). Sweetened condensed milk is hard to compete with, Mr. and Mrs. Egg White.

    Read More

  • Icewine Sabayon

    March 10th, 2012

    I love wine, and since I also have a sweet tooth, icewine is my friend.
    What’s a girl to do with an intense dessert wine that tastes like honey, apricot, tangerine and pineapple? Drink it, naturally. (And why not bake with it, too?)

    This Icewine Sabayon recipe has been burning a hole in the black binder where I keep the hundreds of pages of recipes I fantasize about baking one day. So after having ice wine on a recent trip to Toronto (Inniskillin, no less- do it right!), I was officially inspired to blow the dust off this easy-to-make, mousse-like recipe.

    (Sabayon, by the way, is like zabaglione- if that means anything to you. Basically this is a custardy/moussey dessert, and is perfect with fresh fruit at the end of a meal. Serve it with the Icewine, of course… and enjoy liberally.)

    Read More

  • Baked Kahlua Pineapple “Flutter”

    February 27th, 2012

    I have always been a huge Kahlua fan. It’s sweet (enough said), and has really never done me wrong like most other alcohols have been know to do over the years (other than that time in Vegas. Oh, sweet liqueur, you really messed me up that weekend. And yet I came crawling back for more of your coffee-rummy goodness).

    Read More

  • Healthy Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

    February 22nd, 2012

    When I say “Healthy”, I’m not messing around.

    These Healthy Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies are a serious departure from the More Sweets, Please mantra (something along the lines of More is Better, the Sweeter the Better, etc.), and they differ wildly from my general respect for all things decadent and ooey and gooey and bingeworthy (read: not “good” for you).

    Read More

  • 4 Ways to Celebrate National Chocolate Mint Day

    February 19th, 2012

    I’m not being a goofball- it actually, really, honestly is National Chocolate Mint Day.
    February 19th… forever mark your calendars with this auspicious anniversary. And try a few of the mint chocolate gems below: Chocolate Mint Bark, Decadent Mint Chocolate Truffles, Mint Chocolate Fudge Brownies, and a martini known as the Boozy Chocolate Minitini. (Mint + chocolate + alcohol… I’ll cheers to that.)

    Read More

  • Incredible Gluten & Dairy-Free Black Bean Brownies

    January 2nd, 2012

    Admit it- you’re curious. Is it possible to have the words “incredible” and “black bean” in the same title when it comes to brownies? I wouldn’t lead you astray.

    So here’s the thing. You just don’t tell people that black beans are the secret ingredient that replaces the flour (and most of the fat), because people will get all weird on you. The key is to have them try one or two, get hooked, and then tell them they ate something healthy. Sneaky black bean brownies.

    Read More