Gluten-free Oatmeal Peanut-butter Cookies - Version #2

I was playing around with this recipe today, and here's my 2nd version, which really has two different ways of doing it. My measurements are not exact, because I was going by look, feel, and taste, though I based it on my first recipe. So, please do the same when you make yours! This is just a guide.  But for me it turned out better than my other recipe, so I wanted to share again.

1 cup gluten-free oats
1/4 cup or so flax seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil after melted, about 2 Tb. hard
Nearly 1/2 cup maple syrup
2 organic eggs, whisked
1/2 carrot & apple pulp (or just carrot)
1 tsp vanilla
3 heaping tablespoons organic, natural peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
2 tsps. or so of cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup (approx. for whole recipe, or 1/2 if you add it later) soy flour - Optional (I added it in half-way through, and actually liked it better without this, but it is helpful if you want to roll them into neat round cookies.)
These would also be good with pecans or other nuts, but I didn't want to use them this time.

After mixing these up, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
I found you don't really need to grease the cookie sheets--yay!  Drop cookie dough by spoonful or by hand, about 1 1/2 inch round.
Bake for about 9 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
You may serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, touch of maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon, as pictured.
Makes 25-30 1 1/2-inch cookies.

To recap, the main differences from my previous recipe are the flour, the baking powder, and the cocoa powder.  Let me know how it turns out for you, or what you changed! :)

Gluten-free Oatmeal Peanut-butter Cookies

I'm trying to eat gluten-free (at least for now) and refined-sugar-free, so I made up a recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth. Without the flour, baking powder, eggs, salt, and carrots, I eat this raw, and it's good, too!

Gluten-free Oatmeal Peanut-butter Cookies

1 cup gluten-free oats
1/4 cup rice flour blend (Betty Crocker) - This is all I had left--the recipe probably could have used more, but was good this way, too.
1/4 cup coconut oil after melted, about 2 Tb. hard
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup
2 organic eggs, whisked
1/2 carrot apple pulp (Optional, maybe, but it does add sweetness, uses up leftovers after juicing, and adds a bit of nutrition and moisture.  If you dried it, like our friends do, you could use it instead of the flour. Or instead of flour--I think--even without drying, for a different texture.)
1/2-1 tsp vanilla
3 heaping tablespoons organic, natural peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1/4-1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon (optional)

After mixing these up, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease cookie sheets with coconut oil and drop cookie dough by spoonful or by hand, about 1 1/2 inch round.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Will be crumbly.
 Makes about 20 1 1/2-inch cookies.

Enjoy! :)

More Links

Here is a free kindle recipe book for Thanksgiving. (There are a lot of free kindle books on amazon, if you happen to have a kindle.)

Here are some excellent articles by my sweet new friend...

Redeeming Your Time

Are Stay-At-Home Daughters Repressed?

The Blessing of Babies

Banana Bread and Muffin Recipes

I think this is the best banana bread I've ever made. Granted, I've only tried three or four different recipes, but still....Betty Crocker's banana bread is one we've used for years but I was never satisfied with it because it was rather dry and not too flavorful. Usually Betty Crocker Cookbook has good recipes, but not so much here. One of my friends (Jenny Leding) posted a banana bread recipe that was good, very similar to this one. But I think I like this one a tiny bit better. :) I haven't compared them side by side, though. Oh, and there was a recipe that our friends/family made that was scrumptious, but when we tried it, it didn't turn out quite as well. Anyway, this is good, and maybe even better with the white chocolate chips (I haven't tried it that way, but the place I got this recipe said it was delicious). Enjoy!

Note: I used maybe a third of home-ground white wheat flour in mine. I also added chopped pecans and walnuts--you can't have banana bread without nuts! ;)

Banana Bread

Recipe from Amanda & Friends

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups mashed overripe bananas (the darker the better, practically)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional:

1/2 cup white chocolate chips (for mini loafs)
1/4 to 1/2 cup heath chips (for mini loafs)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs,mashed bananas, and vanilla until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake at 350 in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes for mini loafs (50-60 for regular size pan), until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then place on a wire rack.

Tropical Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Honey Butter

Recipe from Del Sisters Kitchen.

3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla or cinnamon extract
2 c. whole wheat flour ( I used 1/3 white and 2/3 wheat)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped apple (I used a bit more than this, since it looked sparse)
1/4 c. macadamia nuts (I used chopped walnuts and slivered almonds)
1/4 c. coconut

In a bowl with a wire whisk, mix together the wet ingredients. Add the dry, then fold in the apple. Put batter into 9-12 greased muffin tins. Sprinkle with nuts and coconut. Bake at 375 for 20 min. Or till browned. Cool 10 min. then remove from pan. Serve with Cinnamon Honey Butter (opt).

Honey Butter

1/4-1/3 c. butter softened a little
1 T. honey
1/4-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix these together and serve on split muffins!

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

We have made this twice, so far, and really enjoyed it both times. :) I found the recipe in a group on livejournal.


Ultimate Chocolate Cake
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup strong coffee, boiling
1 cup milk, room temp.
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups butter, room temp
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 TB vanilla
4 eggs, room temp.

Put rack in middle of oven. Preheat to 350. Butter three 8 inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Butter the paper, and dust with cocoa powder; tap out excess.
Sift cocoa; whisk in boiling coffee and milk. Let cool. Sift together flour, soda, and salt. Set aside.
With spatula, mix butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Pour in the cooled cocoa mixture. Mix until fully blended.
Add the sifted dry ingredients in the chocolate mix, stirring until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until done.
Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Carefully run a small spatula around the edge of the cakes to loosen. Cool cakes completely on rack for at least 1 hour.

Ultimate Chocolate Frosting
(I cut this in half and it was fine, but here's the full amount.)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups butter, room temp.
1/2 cup milk, room temp.
2 tsp. vanilla
Sift powdered sugar and cocoa. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.

To cut down on time, I didn't sift much of anything. I started out sifting the cocoa powder, but didn't think it necessary, and it wasn't. (Just make sure there aren't any big lumps of cocoa). I didn't use parchment paper for the pans, either, as we didn't have any. It may have been a helpful thing, as I had some trouble getting the cake out (I only sprayed the pans with vegetable spray).

We ate this with strawberries (as you see) and ice cream. It's also good with a little coconut on top.
...Yes, I could have been more of a perfectionist and cleaned the edges of the plate better. ;)

Enjoy!