Product: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Mix – $2.50+
I blame Big Lots.
No, really, I do. But in a good way. Because Big Lots carries a variety of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free baking mixes at a fraction of the cost of grocery stores and natural food stores. And on one particular outing while in Columbus, Ohio with my friend, Jenn…we stopped into Big Lots and I couldn’t resist buying at least one (if not more) of everything they had that was in Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free line of products. Included in this buying spree was a package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie mix.
It sat in my pantry for awhile. I don’t know why. It wasn’t like the ingredient list was daunting or that they were really going to be difficult to make. Not at all. In fact, all you really need to make these is a mixer, water, an egg yolk, butter, and the mix itself. Nothing could be simpler.
Well, on a mission to go through the stuff in my pantry, I decided that these would be ideal for dessert this week for my roommate and I. After all, I already had all of the ingredients on hand. Might as well give it a whirl.
And that’s what I did last night after a long day of being out and about. I settled into the kitchen, got my roommate to help me separate the egg before kicking her out of the kitchen, and pulled out my KitchenAid mixer and got to work creaming 1-1/2 sticks of margarine (I used Smart Balance). After that, the egg yolk was added, followed by 2 tablespoons of water. Once that was mixed in, I started to add the cookie mixture per the directions on the package…first 1/2 cup, then half of the mixture, than the last bit, allowing it to mix until the consistency was…crumbly.
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Mix in it's crumbly, just-mixed state
I think I got that.
From there, I took the crumbly mix and mashed it into a ball, kneading it until smooth. This then got cut in half. Half remained on a piece of parchment paper, while the other was wrapped up in some plastic wrap and set aside. The part that was out was then covered with plastic wrap, and with a rolling pin, rolled out to about 1/4-inch thick. Off came the wrap and out came my cookie cutters. I cut little flowery-star like shapes into the dough, then gathered the scraps, re-rolled it out, and repeated. I did this for both halves of the dough, baking each sheet as I went along. The cookies took about 12-15 minutes to begin lightly browning on the edges. I pulled them out and let them cool on a wire rack while other batches went in. The bag says that it makes 36 cookies, but I managed to get 54 out of it. No complaints there.
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies
After the cookies completely cooled, I melted down some gluten-free dark chocolate squares and topped off each cookie with a drizzle of dark chocolate. Shortbread cookies and chocolate go hand-in-hand. And this made for a very pretty, very nice pairing.
The shortbread cookies baked to perfection. This is exactly how shortbread should be…light, buttery, flaky…delicious. Bob’s Red Mill got this gluten-free mix down to the last detail. If you are a fan of shortbread (and I am!), then this mix will definitely do it for you. I absolutely loved the mix of buttery flavor with the crumbly texture of the shortbread. And it was so easy to make…which made the delicious reward even better.
Now I need to go buy another bag of the mix…because it’s safe to say…I’m addicted to these gluten-free shortbread cookies.
My applause to you Bob’s Red Mill…for continuing your delicious gluten-free tradition.
Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies drizzled with dark chocolate
Product: Katz Honey Muffin – $5.99; Sample Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)
Following up with my first free sample review, I bring to you the second product that I indulged in yesterday morning for breakfast. Katz’s Gluten-Free Honey Muffin. Nothing says breakfast to me more than muffins. You gotta love muffins. I know I do…especially the top part where all the flavor bakes up into that perfect bulb of flavor. It’s where it forms that little layer of crust that is just…delightful to bite into. Yeah…muffins sort of rule. But you have to watch it with muffins. Especially the prepackaged sort as you might be biting into more calories than you care to even know about. A lot of times, those little muffins you buy at the store are meant for 2-3 servings. YIKES! Those calories sure add up.
But…never fear because while I found Katz to be a little higher in calories than I prefer, I also knew that it was for the entire muffin. Of which…I only had half. So, that 200 calories wasn’t too hard to swallow.
So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the product, yes? This was actually my first time ever having a Honey Muffin. Ever. Not even before having to go gluten-free. So, this was an experience all around. These packages from Katz mostly have to be frozen upon delivery, and much like the cupcake, I hadn’t anticipated breaking into this so I didn’t give it a thaw on the counter, leaving that job to a brief nuking in the microwave. It works in a pinch.
Katz Gluten-Free Honey Muffin
My roommate actually dug into hers first, and as I was warming mine in the microwave I heard her say something about it being…interesting. Now, I’ve watched enough Top Chef to know that interesting can go either way. It’s either good…or bad. I inquired as to which way she meant it and she assured me that it was good…it was just like nothing she had ever tasted before.
I sat down with my own plate of gluten-free breakfast goodness and decided to see for myself.
She was right. It was interesting…but in a good way. These were definitely of a more dense variety than the chocolate cupcake was. It came with a bit of a streusel topping baked on top. The flavor was subtle, but sweet. What really made it was that streusel topping. It was delicious and really kicked up that sweetness you’d expect from something flavored with honey. That being said, I’m also not a huge fan of honey, so having it subtly infused into the muffin was the best way to go to win me over. I absolutely loved every bite of this little treat. And with not having eaten anything similar prior to this, well, I can’t actually tell you how it stacks up, but it is a very filling, very delicious muffin to say the least. It’s not too sweet, but it definitely carries that little tang of honey in each bite.
Katz has just continued to prove to me time and time again the quality of their products. This is why, since I absolutely have to, I don’t mind logging onto the Web site and placing an order. It’s worth it. And the items ship very quickly and arrive 2 days later. I love that kind of turnaround. These muffins usually come in a pack of 6, so the cost is not so bad. A dollar a muffin normally. Hard to argue with that.
If you love muffins, I’d definitely recommend this. But, do as I did…and save the muffin top for last. Honestly…it is the best part.
Product: Katz Chocolate Cupcakes – $5.49; Sampler Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)
There is this amazing and awesome feature on the Katz Gluten-Free Web site that allows you, for simply the cost of shipping, to receive a sample pack of some of their amazing products. How awesome is that? Well, that being said, my gluten-free life would have been incomplete without it.
I admit, this was actually the first thing I ever got from Katz. But after they introduced the donuts, those took precedence over my sampler. I mean…they are gluten-free donuts of awesome goodness™ and therefore were broken into first. And then more donuts arrived. And then there were the pizza shells (and I had been craving pizza). Oh, and the sprinkle cookies…
So, yes, it’s safe to say that I discovered my love of Katz Gluten-Free without even breaking into the sample pack. And with that being said, yesterday when I finally decided it was time to test some of these products, I was fairly confident I would be impressed with what I found.
I chose two of the items in the sampler to split with my roommate for breakfast. My roommate chose the Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcake and I chose the Gluten-Free Honey Muffin.
Katz Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcake
As I pulled these straight from the freezer, not really having planned ahead on this form of breakfast, I didn’t really give them a proper thaw on the counter overnight, as I do most products from Katz. So, I gave them each a nice heat in the microwave. And it didn’t detract from the texture of flavor that I could see.
Since it was the first thing I bit into, my first sampler pack review goes to the Chocolate Cupcake.
Despite not being able to be given a proper thaw, this cupcake was still fantastic. It looks just like a chocolate muffin. And here’s why – by the grace of the Gluten-Free gods, Katz left them unfrosted. This makes me a happy cupcake devouring girl because I don’t like frosting. I’m actually not even that big of a fan of cake, but do eat it in very small portions. It’s not a weight watching thing…it’s just I’m more of a cookie/brownie girl. Always have been. But, one thing has never changed since growing up and that is that I do not like frosting. I’ve always scraped it off…or given it to my sister or a friend. I’m an odd one, as most people prefer the frosting to the cake itself. So having an unfrosted chocolate cupcake is awesome. You can almost tell yourself it is a muffin.
I loved the taste of these. Rich with chocolate flavor without being too heavy. Especially in the morning, some chocolate products can just be too much and too heavy. I loved that this was had a good flavor balance. I found my sampler to be a little dry, but I think a lot of that can be attributed to going straight from the freezer to the microwave, instead of thawing on the counter overnight. So, I won’t hold that against Katz. If given a proper thawing, I could tell how these would be moist enough that if you pressed on them, they would rise back up and reform. Yeah…this was chocolate goodness.
This is the second gluten-free cupcake I have ventured to eat since going gluten-free a year ago. I liked this one better because it didn’t seem as heavy or as dense as the (frosted) vanilla cupcakes I got from Fresh Market Bakery back in October. Those had also been frozen before I consumed them and I also commented on how they were dry. So…there you go. Normally, Katz chocolate cupcakes come six to a pack, when ordered simply as the product.
When it comes down to it, Katz is on a winning streak with me. This non-cake-loving gluten-free girl was impressed with the chocolate cupcake. I really think Katz can take pride in the products they put out there because, honestly, they put a lot of care into their products and really strive to put out the best.
Hands down…they are achieving it. If you have a reason to celebrate, or just are craving one hell of a gluten-free chocolate cupcake, I highly recommend that you order from Katz. They won’t let you down and you will get simply the best. And if you are a frosting fanatic…now you can just top it off the way you want. No harm, no foul. Just good.
Product: Katz Gluten-Free Colored Sprinkle Cookies – $4.70
I told you…I’m a cookie monster. They are my Achilles heel of desserts and snacks. Of course, these days I can’t just dive into a box of Girl Scout Cookies or those pre-packaged Toll House or Keebler soft-baked goodies that just tempt you from the grocery shelves. Nope. I’m one of the unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on how you look at it) ones who can’t even sample those birthday cake Oreos, no matter how much my friends rave about them. When it comes to my favorite snacks, I either have to find a gluten-free variety or make my own…gluten-free…either from scratch or from a mix.
I think I’ve sampled just about every gluten-free cookie out there. There are some that I love. Some that I like. And some that I haven’t cared for. There are some that are crunchy, some that are soft, and each one has either won me over or made me vow never to buy them again.
So, when I got my deal on Katz’s products via a gluten-free web deal, I knew I was getting donuts and pizza crusts. I still had some money left, however, so I decided to give some of their cookies a go. My choice, the Colored Sprinkle Cookies.
Why? Because sprinkles RULE!
And the other day, I finally had the chance to sample them. It’s a good thing I portion these things out, because this little container would have been devoured and licked clean of every sprinkle and crumb. Yes…these cookies are really, really good. And here’s why. They start off with that initial crunch that you expect from a packaged cookie. But they are soft. Not soft-baked, chewy soft, but soft in texture. Smooth in flavor. Light. And the sprinkles are a fun, even if unnecessary touch. I loved the balance of sweetness that these cookies have in each bite. I don’t feel like I’m going into sugar shock. They are full of cookie-good flavor…that reminds me a lot of what shortbread cookies taste like. Crumbly, and sprinkled with rainbow goodness.
I have been so impressed with the products I have ordered from Katz. Not bad for taking a chance on a Web site order and hoping for the gluten-free best. Let me tell you…they truly deliver in flavor, texture, taste…and the price isn’t bad either. The shipping costs may get you, but the products, as I have found, are worth every dollar!
Around Christmas last year, I put up a recipe for vegan lemon blueberry scones. But this is a recipe completely of my own finagling. Honestly. I just took the basic scone recipe from Pamela’s Products Baking & Pancake Mix bag and tweaked the ingredients and hoped for the best.
What I got was a low calorie, pleasantly fruity, lemony fresh scone that makes a delightful breakfast that is refreshing and also good for you!
Really!
Recipe: Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Scones
Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Scones
Servings: 12
Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix
1/3 cup sugar (I used Truvia)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup fresh organic blueberries
4 tbsp butter (I used Smart Balance)
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup lemonade
1/3 cup lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Cut in the butter using two knives.
Add the lemon zest, lemonade, lemon juice, beaten egg and the blueberries. Mix together with a fork. Dough will be thick.
Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-17 minutes.
~*~*~
I wasn’t sure if these would be lemony enough. While I probably would add more zest next time to give them a bit more zing, these prove to have great lemon flavor as it is. I think lemon and blueberry mesh well anyway so this was a match made in gluten-free scone heaven!
I don’t know if it can possibly get better than Katz Gluten-Free. I was skeptical, but so far, everything…and I mean everything that I have had from Katz has blown my gluten-free mind. No joke. When you talk about gluten-free food, point your comments toward Katz because perfection is what they offer.
I don’t know the reason for my skepticism. After all, gluten-free foods have come a long way. Part of it may have been the fact that in order to get these products, I have to order them online. There is something so daunting about trusting your food to an online order, especially if unfamiliar with the products.
My first gamble on Katz products was on their gluten-free powdered sugar donuts, which, as I previously reviewed, I loved. Next came the gluten-free cinnamon donuts, which I more than loved. And when I had an online coupon come through, I went ahead and decided to try out the pizza crusts and ordered some of the gluten-free cookies as well. Why not go for broke here? The only way to branch out away from the donuts is to try other things.
I should have known to trust Katz Gluten-Free when it comes to their products. After all, the company was started by Mrs. Katz back in 2006, who has two children who are gluten intolerant. With that, set out with a mission to create good, delicious food that reach taste, texture and flavor perfection. In addition, the facility that these products are made in are nut-free and dairy-free, so it’s allergy friendly too.
What Mrs. Katz did, first in her kitchen before expanding and starting this amazing company, was achieve food perfection. So often gluten-free products lack some key quality, be it in texture, taste, or flavor. Since the main focus of Katz’s products were these three components, it’s no wonder that perfection has been achieved every time.
Katz Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts (7-inch)
The other night, I was digging in my freezer and found the little 7-inch pizza shells I ordered from Katz. I had some pizza sauce in the fridge, plus vegan cheese and mushrooms for toppings, so I figured why not make it a pizza night. The 7-inch pizza crusts are the perfect individual pizza, and each crust only has 180 calories (for the entire thing!). If you top it right, this low-calorie treat can stay that way. Four crusts come in the pack so between my roommate and I, that meant 2 delicious pizza nights.
I did pizza two ways for this reason, because not only would it test the integrity of the crusts, but the flavor profile would change with how it was topped off. So, one pizza had a sauce on it, the other was a white pizza. The first night was a simple pizza with red sauce, mushrooms, caramelized shallots, and vegan mozzarella shreds. The package, unfortunately, didn’t say at what temperature to bake the pizzas at, so I threw them in for 10 minutes at 425°F. This temperature worked its pizza baking magic.
Katz Gluten-Free Pizza Crust topped with sauce, mushrooms, and vegan mozzarella shreds
From the oven emerged two perfectly done pizzas. The tortilla-like crusts were thin, but crisped to perfection, where it still had a bit of a chew to it. Not overdone. Not underdone. That perfect crust consistency that wins me over. I don’t like soft crusts because they don’t hold up to the toppings. And too crispy of a crust and the pizza just seems dry. This fell right where it needed to. I sliced up each pizza into four slices, plated them, and settled in to pizza nirvana. Honestly, my blog has covered quite a variety of pizza crusts, but this one won me over. This one…has become my favorite.
Last night, I decided to see if I enjoyed the crust as much without being laden in sauce. So, I made up a white pizza. I simply took the pizza shell, misted it with olive oil, drizzled a bit of honey over it, added some mushrooms, pecans, and caramelized shallots, topped it with some vegan mozzarella cheese and popped it back in the oven for that 10 minutes at 425°F. When the timer went off, I threw some spinach on top, put it back in the oven for a minute to let the greens wilt.
What emerged was, again, nothing short of fantastic. Without the sauce, the crust would have to stand on its own. A white pizza is the ultimate pizza crust test. I was not disappointed at all. The crispy/chewy consistency remained. It really does have the perfect “pizza crust” flavor in each bite. And, I devoured it each night with gusto because it was really, really that good.
I never should have doubted the company that brought amazing donuts back into my life. Honestly. If you are looking for individual pizza crusts that are great in flavor and not heavy at all on the calories, even if you aren’t gluten-free, you should really consider Katz Gluten-Free. It’s pizza perfection in each slice. And you’ll wish you bought more.
And now that mine are gone…that’s what I’m off to do.
Katz Gluten-Free Pizza Crust topped off with a drizzle of honey, mushrooms, caramelized shallots, pecans, vegan mozzarella shreds, spinach, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
Leave it to a neighborhood restaurant-bar to take better care of me and my dietary needs then some of the high-class, upper echelon of restaurants I have dined in. This is no joke. I was treated like an absolute VIP at the Stacked Pickle in Carmel, Indiana, when I was in town over the weekend.
I actually had never heard of the Stacked Pickle prior to a couple weeks before going. A friend of my roommate and I posted a picture of her fish and chips meal on Facebook. Well, if you’ve been following this blog you know how my roommate is about her fish and chips. Immediately…we had a new place to eat next time we were in town. And it just so happened that not only was I running in a race up in the area, but I was attending the Celiac Awareness Tour as well. It looked like we finally had our time.
I took a look at the menu online, as I normally do, given that I am a vegetarian with a gluten allergy. Normally, my usual order at such a place would be a salad with the fries. But, french fries can be tricky depending on how they are cooked. If they share a frier with breaded foods, well…game over.
On the Web site’s page, however, there was a place to click in order to contact the restaurant. I went ahead and took it upon myself to contact the restaurant in regards to my special dietary needs and went ahead and inquired about how the fries were cooked, something I have been learning to do after becoming ill after eating somewhere and not asking. The owner, Chris Long, contacted me back not long after I sent the original message about coming in on Saturday and my special dietary needs. He immediately assured me that dishes could be made vegetarian, “from vegan to lacto, ovo, & pesco…” As for the fries, they are “beer battered,” he told me, so best if I stayed clear of them. In addition, he included the name and e-mail address of the chef, and told me to please get in contact with him.
Already I was feeling at ease about going here. I went ahead and sent an e-mail to Bill Gruesser, the chef at the Stacked Pickle. Once again, I had a quick response that not only put me at ease, just made me feel really comfortable about dining in an establishment where gluten-free is not their way of doing things. This doesn’t happen often. Chef Bill assured me that salads could be made without any of the proteins and that the balsamic dressing (my favorite anyway) was gluten-free. As for other meals, the black bean burger was a good vegetarian option, as well as gluten-free if ordered without the buns and with a side other than fries. He told me to ask for him when I arrived.
Saturday came and I went and ran my race, attended the Celiac Awareness Tour, and headed out for some food. The people at the Stacked Pickle are incredible. I felt right at home upon being greeted, told to take a seat anywhere, handed a menu and told my server would be over in a moment. My server was the delightful Hannah, who was working with her foot in a boot due to some sort of injury. But she was getting around great. She came to get our drink orders and, as I was instructed, I asked for Chef Bill and she said she would definitely go and get him.
Our drinks were brought over and soon Chef Bill came out to greet me. He gave me a nice handshake and pulled up a chair to go over my food options that day. I had settled on the Fu-Fu Salad (minus he chicken) and would choose a ‘safe’ side to come with it. He said that was easy enough and then said, since he knew I was coming, he had sent someone over to Meijer earlier that day to look for gluten-free pasta so he could offer me a pasta dish instead, but they couldn’t find any there. What an amazing thing for a chef to do! This was a first. He laughed and said it was sort of like dangling a carrot in front of me and then jerking it away, but I assured him the extra effort, despite not being able to fulfill it, was definitely appreciated. I have never been to a restaurant where the chef has come out to talk to me personally about my options, nor attempted to do something completely off the menu for me in order to give me another option. There was not only something special about the Stacked Pickle, but its owner and chef as well. I thanked Chef Bill and he returned to the kitchen and Hannah came over to take our orders.
Hannah came over soon after and said that Chef Bill let her know I was interested in the Fu-Fu Salad (sans chicken) ($7.79). Again, I loved that he went ahead and also let my server know and that she was very diligent about double-checking the order with me. One more glance at the description and I was sure that everything else on the salad was safe and fell into my dietary guidelines. I went ahead and ordered it with a side of the Mandarin Oranges ($0.99). My roommate, of course, knew what she was going to get. Fish and Chips ($9.99) was her choice. With the orders taken, Hannah went to give them to the kitchen.
Our food arrived a short time later and it looked fantastic.
The Fu-Fu salad consists of fresh romaine lettuce, red onions, honey-glazed walnuts, and strawberries. Remember…with me…if it has strawberries, it wins. It came dressed in the balsamic dressing, which definitely paired deliciously with every component of that salad. All of the ingredients were fresh, the strawberries sweet, the lettuce crisp, and those walnuts added that little bit of crunch and flavor that pushed the salad out of ‘eating the garden’ and into something special. I knew that it was carefully prepared for me because I had ultimate faith in Chef Bill.
As for my roommate, she raved about the fish and chips, saying that they not only paired as adult fish sticks, but were crispy, moist, and amazing. And the fries…while full toward the end of her meal, she refused to let even one go to waste. Her dish was polished off as quickly as mine.
While we were eating, Chef Bill returned to make sure everything was okay and I assured him everything was delicious. He gave me his business card, and a little extra information, like that he’s a private chef, a caterer, and would be happy to help me out again as needed. I really, really appreciated all the care and extra time he took with me and assured him he would be hearing from me again.
From first glance, the Stacked Pickle doesn’t seem like much. I never would have even thought about dining there had my roommate not caught sight of those fish and chips on a friend’s blog. That being said, this is not your typical sports bar and restaurant. It’s owned by someone who genuinely wants to make his clientele feel comfortable eating there, and who has a lot of knowledge about not just vegetarianism, but also food allergies.
But a lot of the magic of the experience falls to Hannah and Chef Bill, who really made me feel comfortable with my food and my service and saw to it that I didn’t need to question anything. This was the first time a chef actually came out to discuss menu options with me, as well as even attempt to go the extra mile by sending someone out in search of other foods I could have that he could offer me upon my arrival. There is just something special about a chef and an establishment that would really take it upon themselves to take that extra step and to take such care with someone with special dietary needs.
Not once did I feel like I was being a burden to the kitchen. On the contrary, I felt that the kitchen was giving me the VIP treatment and doing everything it could to ensure that my visit to the Stacked Pickle was fantastic.
And it was. The food was really, really fresh and delicious. The service was beyond what I have received anywhere, including the high-class restaurants I have eaten within the past year. This was, without a doubt, the most at ease I have felt dining out since having to go gluten-free. I was beyond impressed.
If you happen to be traveling through Carmel or Fishers, Indiana, find the Stacked Pickle and go in for the food and the service. Both are great. I know I’ll definitely return sometime in the very near future.
Who would have thought it would be a small sports restaurant-bar, known for wings, burgers, and beer, that would make me feel so safe and confident about what I was consuming? This is no ordinary establishment. And this was proven to me before I even set foot inside. Impressed doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings. Great food, great service, great attention to detail. Oh…and a great chef who comes out and goes over menu options with someone regulated to a special diet. Yeah…this place is special.
Stacked Pickle's Fu-Fu Salad (no chicken) with a side of Mandarin Oranges
Product: Edward & Sons Vegetable Baked Brown Rice Snaps – $3.99+
I’ve had my fair share of delicious gluten-free crackers. From my Mary’s Gone Crackers to Glutino to Crunchmaster to Nut Thins, all have had something amazing and unique about them.
One day, while out on a grocery errand for me, my roommate returned with a surprise purchase for me. Another new product…’for the blog.’ What she handed me was a package of Vegetable Brown Rice Snaps from Edward & Sons. I had never heard of them, but they looked a lot like Nut Thins. This could only be a good thing. As I was working my way through another crunchy snack at the time, these were put away in the pantry, until yesterday when I cracked them open to take to work.
Like I said, these little brown rice crackers look a lot like Nut Thins. They are little round discs of snackage. In fact, it seems Edward & Sons has 10 different varieties of these brown rice snaps, with some very unique sounding flavors like Tamari Seaweed, Tamari Sesame, and so on. The Web site says that these little crackers are the ideal base for spreads and hors d’oeuvres, or straight from the package. I’m a straight from the package girl when it comes to crackers for the most part, so that’s how I took them to work.
A serving of these is a mere 8 crackers, at only 60 calories. Not so bad. They have under 2g of fat per serving as well. NICE! And much of what goes into them is completely organic. If you look at the ingredients, there is nothing fake or chemical sounding either. I recognized everything that was put into them. That was the good stuff.
Now, the bad news.
While the Vegetable Brown Rice Snaps aren’t horrible, they lack that certain “WOW’ factor that has accompanied other gluten-free crackers that I’ve sampled. These just sort of fell flat in the flavor department. They taste is a bit…different. I can’t really describe it. I bet these would really work better with a bit of hummus or a light dip, but that’s not always feasible. Like I said…they aren’t bad, I would probably just buy a different brand before I picked these up again. They were okay, but there are others superior to it. And I stick with brands that wow me. These…are forgettable.
Okay…I admit it…I’m addicted to my newest cookbook. What’s not to love. This recipe was made, per another request by my roommate, after she flipped through my The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free book and found another recipe that intrigued her. Since we’re a bit stocked on gluten-free cake mixes, this is actually ideal and it gives me a bit more experience in the kitchen with cakes (not something I’ve ever been big on…eating or baking), as well as working on some new techniques.
This recipe actually involved having to slice layers of cake in half to end up with four layers. Now, I’ve never done this before, and found out yesterday that craft stores usually have a device that makes this task easy. Wish I had known that sooner. I did it the old fashioned way…very carefully with a sharp, serrated knife. And, considering my cake mix didn’t fluff up like my mix from Betty Crocker, I was quite happy with that accomplishment.
I made this recipe as close to dairy-free as possible, substituting coconut milk for low-fat sour cream, almond milk for milk, and margarine for the butter. I did, however, use heavy cream in the ganache, but if you need to make it dairy-free, you can use a dairy-free whipped topping instead of making up the ganache to frost the cake with instead.
Anyway…this cake is very, very yummy. It has a nutty chocolate taste to it, and the layers look awesome once it’s frosted and sliced into. Otherwise, my cake prior to that, looked like a hot (but delicious) mess. So, straight from The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free…I bring you this recipe.
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder or rice flour, for dusting the pans
1/2 cup whole shelled almonds
1 package (15 ounces) chocolate gluten-free cake mix (I used Cherrybrook Kitchen)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream (or substitute with coconut milk, which is what I did)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
For the filling and lemon whipped cream frosting:
1/3 cup almond paste (NOTE: Read the label…the stuff at Whole Foods had wheat in it. I bought a can at the grocery store that is gluten-free)
8 tablespoons margarine, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk or heavy (whipping) cream (I used unsweetened almond milk)
For the ganache:
8 ounces (1-1/3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
3/4 cup heavy (whipping cream)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Layers of Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake cooling in pans
Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable oil spray, then dust them with the cocoa. Shake out the excess cocoa and set the pans aside.
Place the almonds in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process them in short pulses until finely ground, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the ground almonds to a large mixing bowl.
Place the cake mix and granulated sugar in the bowl with the almonds and stir to combine. Add the sour cream (or coconut milk if substituting), oil, water, eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the almond extract and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans, smoothing the tops with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.
Bake the cake layers until the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 18-22 minutes. Transfer the cake pans to wire racks and let the cake layers cool for 5 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake layer and give the pan a good shake to loosen the cakes. Invert each layer onto a wire rack, then invert it again onto another rack so that the layers are right side up. Let the layers cool completely, about 20 minutes longer.
One layer of cake spread with the almond filling
Meanwhile, make the filling: Place the almond paste in a small glass bowl and heat on high power in a microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Spoon the warm paste into a medium-size mixing bowl and add the margarine. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the lumps are gone, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and milk and beat again on medium speed until the filling is smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Set the filling aside.
Make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a medium size stainless steel mixing bowl. Pour the cream into a heavy saucepan, place it over medium heat, and bring to a boil, stirring. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and set the ganache aside to cool slightly. Ganache needs to be thick enough to spread like soft butter. If your kitchen is cool the ganache will reach this consistency in 10 to 15 minutes. If the kitchen is warm you can place the ganache in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 minutes to speed up the process.
My "hot mess" assembly of the different layers and filling for the Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Torte
To assemble the cake, using a serrated knife, slice each cake layer in half crosswise. Transfer the bottom half of one layer, cut side up, to a serving plate. Thinly spread the cut side with 1/2 cup of the filling, then place the top half over it, cut side down. Spread the top of this layer with 1/2 cup of the filling. Place the bottom of the second layer, cut side up, on top of the first layer. Spread that layer with 1/2 cup of the filling. Place the top half of the second layer on top, cut side down. Once the ganache has cooled to frosting consistency, frost the top and the side of the cake liberally with it, working with smooth, clean strokes.
Store the cake, in a cake saver, on the kitchen counter for three days, or put in the fridge.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Torte, frosted with a chocolate ganache
~*~*~
Things I learned while making this recipe included that not every almond paste is gluten-free. READ YOUR LABELS! The same goes for vanilla and almond extract. Check the labels. Some gluten-free cake mixes bake up better than others. This is something you just learn the more you work with certain ones. I probably should have let my ganache cool a bit more. But it’s chocolate and it formed a nice layer over the cake, therefore it fulfilled its purpose. I need a better food processor. I should probably get one of those cake layer cutting thingies if I really get into this cake baking thing.
As for the taste…chocolate goodness. With just a touch of nutty flavor from the almonds and almond paste. It’s a moist, delicious, chocolate decadent treat that is just made to be sliced into and enjoyed…layer by layer. It’s a task to assemble, but honestly…worth all the hard work in the end.
Do you know what happens when you leave me alone in the kitchen and I find two oranges and some chocolate chips? Scones, of course. Now, the combination of orange and chocolate is often a favorite. I think the tang of the orange melds so well with the sweetness of chocolate, so it’s a match made in culinary heaven. So, when life gives you citrus and sweetness, scones happen.
If you are a fan of the chocolate/orange combination, give these a try.
Recipe: Gluten-Free Orange Chocolate Chip Scones
Gluten-Free Orange Chocolate Chip Scones
Servings: 12
Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
2-1/4 cups Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix
1/3 cup sugar (I used Truvia)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips)
4 tbsp butter (I used Smart Balance)
2 tbsp orange zest
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Cut in the butter using two knives.
Add the orange zest, orange juice and beaten egg. Mix together with a fork. Dough will be thick.
Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 15-17 minutes.
~*~*~
These truly smelled awesome while they were baking up. There was this nice orange-y scent in the air. And when they were done, the warm scone was so pleasing to the taste buds. I actually ended up loving these more than I thought I might. So yummy!
So, get out your juicer, warm up that oven, and give these a try. Especially if orange and chocolate is a favorite flavor combination.
The Celiathlete 