Bob’s Red Mill | FreshNess

Broreos (Fudgy Brownies Stuffed with Oreos)

by ness | Sep 19, 2013 | Cookies & Bars, Desserts

Meet the Broreo: A homemade fudgy brownie stuffed with an Oreo cookie (all gluten-free of course). In your face Cronut and Crookie. It seems like it’s not enough to just have a great dessert, it has to be filled with something else awesome. This is a food craze I’m into, whereas not so much with bacon everything or deep-fried carnival crap.

A good friend of mine lost her granddad recently and instead of sending her flowers, I made her these brownies. She’s not gluten-free so I used regular Oreos and even threw in a few mint Kit Kats for good measure. But before I gave them to her, I had my office mates taste test these brownies. I sent out a meeting invite and everything – I wanted to keep it official and all that. I’m happy to report that everybody lost their minds and these have been called ‘legendary’, ‘amazing’, ‘delicious’, and ‘brilliant.’ A baking BOOYA.

Biting into that brownie with the crunch of the cookie is pure delight. If you want to jazz these up, you can also make individual Broreos inside a muffin pan. You can even smash in some broken cookies into the top to enhance the cookie fun further. Go bro-nanas.

Camera Questions: I often get asked what kind of camera I use for my posts. I want to say that I’m all into photography and use some sexy SLR to take my shots, with tools like tripods and fancy lighting thingys. But what I actually use is a 4-ish year old point and shoot camera that’s being held together by a rubber band. The latch for the battery broke ages ago but the camera still works and it’s great for blogging.

It’s small and I throw it around the kitchen (a lot) and since it’s ghetto and broken, it’s no big deal if I get a little this or that on it, which always happens when I’m photographing stuff while cooking. I always wonder how other food bloggers use their fancy SLR cameras while cooking and it’s a totally mystery to me. Also, I sometimes use my husband’s IPhone or my HTC android camera, because that Sony has the worst battery life. One day I’ll get a fancy camera and learn how to use it. Until then, this trusty rubber band rules.

That rubber band is how the magic of photography happens here. Mystery unveiled.

Recipe Note: I used to make these brownies with regular flour back before I went gluten-free and I’ve just swapped the flours. The recipe is super easy since it uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate and yields a totally fudgy brownie – the perfect vehicle for stuffing with gluten-free cream filled sandwich cookies (I.e. Oreo wannabes). I swapped the regular flour for Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour and you can’t even tell the difference. It’s so easy that I’ve made three batches to test out in a week. Go ahead, be bold, and get your Broreo on.

Gluten free brownie batter

GF Brownies Stuffed with Oreos | www.freshnessgf.com

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Broreos (Fudgy Brownies Stuffed with Oreos - Gluten-Free)

Biting into that brownie with the crunch of the cookie is pure delight. If you want to jazz these up, you can also make individual Broreos inside a muffin pan. You can even smash in some broken cookies into the top to enhance the cookie fun further. Go bro-nanas.

Course: Dessert, Snack

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: Bob's Red Mill, butter, cake, chocolate, eggs, gluten-free

Author: ness

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Metal 8”x8” baking sheet, foil or muffin pan

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter
2 cold large eggs
1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
12 to 16 Gluten-free Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies (Glutino or Kinniknnick)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 8”x8” baking pan with foil, across the bottom and up the sides of the pan
In a medium mixing bowl, sift in cocoa powder, breaking up any lumps. Add sugar, vanilla, salt, and melted butter. Mix with electric hand mixer or vigorously with whisk until all ingredients fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until batter is thick and lightened in colour, about 2 minutes.
Add flour and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not over mix.
Spread half batter evenly into prepared pan. Place cookies in single layer and press down slightly. Pour remaining batter over cookies and spread evenly. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes. Brownies are done when top is puffed and slightly crusted and a toothpick inserted in centre comes out with a little batter stuck to it.
Let brownies cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the foil to remove from pan. Peel foil away and place brownies on cutting board and cut into squares, approximately 16 to 20 pieces.
MUFFIN PAN METHOD:
Prepare brownie mix using above instructions. Place paper cupcake liner in muffin pan. Spoon two tablespoons of batter into cupcake liner, add cookie and press down slightly. Add two more tablespoons of batter on top of cookie and spread to cover. Add additional cookie bits and press into batter, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes or until done.

I used to make these brownies with regular flour back before I went gluten-free and I’ve just swapped the flours. The recipe is super easy since it uses cocoa powder instead of melted chocolate and yields a totally fudgy brownie – the perfect vehicle for stuffing with gluten-free cream filled sandwich cookies (I.e. Oreo wannabes). I swapped the regular flour for Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free flour and you can’t even tell the difference. It’s so easy that I’ve made three batches to test out in a week. Go ahead, be bold, and get your Broreo on. Adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine

Easy 5 Ingredient Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt (Gluten Free)

by ness | Aug 22, 2013 | Cookies & Bars, Desserts, Kid-Friendly

Everyone is obsessed with Nutella these days. My love of Nutella started when I was a wee kid sneaking scoops of it into my mouth when no one was watching, and old habits die-hard. I try not to bring a jar into the house too often, because it disappears too fast. It ends up on my waffles, toast, crackers, in my cupcakes, etc. But then I discovered this recipe and realized these cookies are probably the ultimate way to enjoy Nutella.

The texture of this cookie is dense, fudgy, and chewy and all kinds of amazing. These cookies remind me of my go-to holiday cookie recipe, chocolate crinkles, which are pretty elaborate and time consuming to make. It’s kind of unbelievable that these Nutella cookies take all of 30 minutes to prep and bake, and yield such a similarly decadent and beautiful cookie.

Even if you don’t bake, or are new to gluten-free baking, this is definitely a winning recipe to boost your baking confidence. The sea salt takes these cookies to the next level of delicious. I brought these to work today to share and they were a huge hit – my colleagues couldn’t tell they were gluten-free, or were so easy to make. Well, until they read this.

I wish I could take credit for inventing something as wonderful as these cookies, but if you Google ‘Nutella cookies’, you will see that there are a zillion versions of this cookie. I’m not sure who the original inventor is, but to whoever you are, congratulations and thank you. This gluten-free version is probably one of the best cookies I have ever had. I realize this is a bold statement, but I have never been as obsessed with a cookie as I am with these. Except French macaroons, in Paris.

I used the small jar of Nutella to make this recipe, leaving only a teensy bit behind to enjoy smothered on something the next day. If I had to make more, I would use this jumbo jar of Nutella that I found at Costco. With this recipe, I’ve finally found a reason good enough to haul the $30 bulk-sized jar of Nutella home – with this jar I can bake many batches of this delicious cookie to share instead of one tiny batch to devour all myself.

Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt (Gluten-Free) | FreshnessGF.com

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Easy 5 Ingredient Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt (Gluten-Free)

The texture of this cookie is dense, fudgy, and chewy and all kinds of amazing. These cookies remind me of my go-to holiday cookie recipe, chocolate crinkles, which are pretty elaborate and time consuming to make. It’s kind of unbelievable that these Nutella cookies take all of 30 minutes to prep and bake, and yield such a similarly decadent and beautiful cookie.

Course: Dessert, Snack

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: Bob's Red Mill, chocolate, gluten-free, kid-friendly

Servings: 18 cookies

Author: ness

INGREDIENTS

1 egg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup Nutella
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
Flaked sea salt for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add egg and brown sugar to medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer for 30 seconds. Add Nutella and flour and beat until combined. Dough will be thick. Cover with plastic wrap and place dough in freezer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls at least 2 inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet or ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until just set. Cookies will be soft and a bit gooey looking. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool for a minute or two on baking sheet before carefully moving to cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in air tight container.

Recipe adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Blueberry Buckwheat Waffles

by ness | Mar 4, 2013 | Breakfast, Desserts, Fruits, Kid-Friendly, Vegan, Vegetarian

I live for my weekends. For me, nothing could be more wonderful than sleeping in, snuggling under my pile of blankets. If I could be a fairy tale character, I would be cross between Sleeping Beauty who slept for 100 years and the Princess and the Pea, where I sleep under a million blankets instead of on a million mattresses. I was not born a morning person by any means – I get up fairly early during the week and cherish every minute of extra sleep I can afford on the weekends. And as much as I enjoy heading out for brunch, I really prefer lazily waking up to make a delicious breakfast while still in PJs. So much so, that I invested in a waffle maker.

While pre-made frozen gluten-free waffles are convenient weekday breakfast solutions, weekends are for busting out that waffle maker. Since going gluten-free, I have experimented with numerous gluten-free pancake and waffle baking mix and most have been pretty good and some great. However, being able to create golden crispy waffles from scratch feels so much more satisfying.

My waffle maker is by VillaWare and I scooped it up on Amazon a few years ago (mine’s an older model). It has plates that are dishwasher safe and removable so you have the option to make traditional Belgian round waffles or the heart-shaped ones (PS I am a sucker for all heart-shaped foods). It also has browning controls, on/off ready to bake lights, and beeps when the waffles are done. The generous spill troughs also mean I haven’t ever had overflow. Although I invested in a fancy-ish waffle maker, you don’t need to spend a lot to have homemade waffles.

Also, you can totally transform this into a dessert by adding some ice cream, chocolate sauce, and all the fixings for a sundae. Or put a scoop of ice cream between two pieces of waffle hearts for a waffle ice cream sandwich. Playing around with the fillings also transforms this into a breakfast/dessert type of meal. A world of waffle-y goodness awaits.

babycakes in stand

This recipe was adapted from the fabulous BabyCakes Covers the Classics cookbook – Erin McKenna’s second book (highly recommended if you are looking for gluten-free vegan versions of retro 50’s desserts like snickerdoodles, whoopie pies, and sticky honey buns). I’ve always been a fan of buckwheat waffles and pancakes so I adapted her waffle recipe and added some blueberries. This recipe yields a pretty big batch of 10 to 12 waffles, which in our house is enough for a substantial breakfast and more to reheat during the week. A sprinkling of powdered sugar and some pure maple syrup is my preferred way of enjoying these waffles, ideally with some Motown playing in the background.

What’s your weekend breakfast like?

buckwheat pancakes top view

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Blueberry Buckwheat Waffles

While pre-made frozen gluten-free waffles are convenient weekday breakfast solutions, weekends are for busting out that waffle maker. Since going gluten-free, I have experimented with numerous gluten-free pancake and waffle baking mix and most have been pretty good and some great. However, being able to create golden crispy waffles from scratch feels so much more satisfying.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: berries, Bob's Red Mill, coconut, corn-free, dairy-free, egg-free, fruits, gluten-free, kid-friendly, soy-free, yeast-free

Servings: 12

Author: ness

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

Waffle maker

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup coconut oil (melted OR canola oil, plus extra for waffle maker)
1 1/2 cups Bob's Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 1/2 cup soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
3 Tablespoons agave nectar
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
Powdered sugar and pure maple syrup to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat waffle maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Add oil, milk, agave nectar, vanilla, and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in blueberries.
Spray waffle maker with canola oil. Pour 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup batter into waffle maker and bake to desired doneness. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying with oil between batches. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Recipe adapted from BabyCakes Covers the Classics

Zucchini Muffins

by ness | May 28, 2012 | Breakfast, Cakes & Cupcakes

Do you ever stand in line at a coffee shop and get tempted by the bountiful displays of baked goods only to end up leaving with some crazy awesome donut/danish/cookie/muffin you didn’t plan on getting? I guess one of the blessings/curses of being gluten-free is that I can’t ever succumb to my desire for those delish gluten-filled goodies. So to compensate, I try to satisfy my cravings by baking.

Now I fully admit that gluten-free baking can be a challenge, however, when I come across an easy and fool-proof version, I have to share. This muffin is adapted from Erin McKenna’s Babycakes cookbook and it was moist, delicious, chocolate-y and gluten/guilt-free. So good, that it makes me forget all about those high-priced gluten-filled sugary sweets in the coffee shops. Great for my wallet and my body.

Just remember everything in moderation – too many muffins will lead to ‘Muffin Top” which “is a… slang term used to describe the phenomenon of overhanging fat when it spills over the waistline of pants or skirts in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing.’ Thanks to Wikipedia for that informative and graphic definition.

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Zucchini Muffins

Now I fully admit that gluten-free baking can be a challenge, however, when I come across an easy and fool-proof version, I have to share. This muffin is adapted from Erin McKenna's Babycakes cookbook and it was moist, delicious, chocolate-y and gluten/guilt-free. So good, that it makes me forget all about those high-priced gluten-filled sugary sweets in the coffee shops. Great for my wallet and my body.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Bob's Red Mill, cake, chocolate, corn-free, cupcakes, dairy-free, gluten-free, muffin, nut-free, soy-free, yeast-free

Servings: 12

Author: ness

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour
½ cup flax meal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup melted coconut oil
¾ cup agave nectar
¾ cup unsweetened soy milk (or non-dairy milk alternative)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cup shredded zucchini
1 cup mini gluten-free vegan chocolate chips (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and cinnamon. Add oil, agave, soy milk, and vanilla to dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Using a plastic spatula, gently fold in zucchini and chocolate chips (if using) just until evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Do not over mix.
Pour half cup of batter into each prepared liner, almost filling it. Bake the muffins on the centre rack for 25 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes. To check doneness, a wooden toothpick will come out clean after being inserted into the centre of a muffin.
Let the muffins stand in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store muffins in airtight container in the fridge or freeze.

Adapted from Babycakes by Erin McKenna

Triple Chocolate Torte

by ness | Feb 7, 2012 | Cakes & Cupcakes, Desserts

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and whipping up this luscious triple chocolate torte is a sure-fire way to show your sweetie that you care. It’s undoubtedly a show stopper, covered in a glossy dark chocolate ganache and enrobed in white chocolate slices. Not into V-Day? Me either (sort of). You can totally whip up this crowd-pleasing dessert to celebrate just about anything, from a new job, birthdays, showers, housewarming, festivus, you name it; it’s definitely a special occasion dessert.

As much as I go to baking mixes to help me create gluten-free desserts, this one was an easy adaptation of a recipe I found in the Globe and Mail over the holidays. It’s got such a small amount of flour in proportion to the chocolate and other ingredients so it was easy to swap in GF flour. That being said, this dessert requires a) time b) planning and c) patience. All in all, it’s a pretty straight-forward recipe to make, Ie. it LOOKS way harder to make than it really is. And if you want to simplify, you can always make it a double chocolate torte and skip the white chocolate slices.

To break it down, this cake takes 3 steps. Step 1 is to make the cake. Step 2 is to make the white chocolate slices. Step 3 is to make a ganache and assemble. Basically this cake involves a lot of chopping and melting chocolate (fun) and dishwashing (not so fun which – I suggest outsourcing this piece to husbands/boyfriends/roommates/other parties who want to eventually eat this masterpiece).

Making the white chocolate slices is so simple and gives the cake its ‘wow!youmadethatyourself?’ look. Melt the white chocolate chunks and spread it onto a lined baking sheet to chill in the fridge. Once it’s chilled, simply remove and break into pieces and let your inner pastry chef/artist decorate. The more variations in the pieces, the better the cake looks.

The last part of the cake to make is the ganache which is dead simple to do. Seriously, just boil milk, pour it over chopped chocolate and stir to create a smooth and glossy chocolate spread. Pour onto the cooled prepared cake and spread around. It’s so much easier to make than icing or frosting and I love the silky rich taste so much that I just might ‘ganache’ all my cupcakes from now on.

So the next time you have a special occasion and 4 hours to spare, why not try making this amazing dessert? It’s so worth it and remember, after you serve this, you get to relish in all the adoring compliments while enjoying this decadent treat.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and whipping up this luscious triple chocolate torte is a sure-fire way to show your sweetie that you care. It’s undoubtedly a show stopper, covered in a glossy dark chocolate ganache and enrobed in white chocolate slices. Not into V-Day? Me either (sort of). You can totally whip up this crowd-pleasing dessert to celebrate just about anything, from a new job, birthdays, showers, housewarming, festivus, you name it; it’s definitely a special occasion dessert.

As much as I go to baking mixes to help me create gluten-free desserts, this one was an easy adaptation of a recipe I found in the Globe and Mail over the holidays. It’s got such a small amount of flour in proportion to the chocolate and other ingredients so it was easy to swap in GF flour. That being said, this dessert requires a) time b) planning and c) patience. All in all, it’s a pretty straight-forward recipe to make, Ie. it LOOKS way harder to make than it really is. And if you want to simplify, you can always make it a double chocolate torte and skip the white chocolate slices.

To break it down, this cake takes 3 steps. Step 1 is to make the cake. Step 2 is to make the white chocolate slices. Step 3 is to make a ganache and assemble. Basically this cake involves a lot of chopping and melting chocolate (fun) and dishwashing (not so fun which – I suggest outsourcing this piece to husbands/boyfriends/roommates/other parties who want to eventually eat this masterpiece).

Making the white chocolate slices is so simple and gives the cake its ‘wow!youmadethatyourself?’ look. Melt the white chocolate chunks and spread it onto a lined baking sheet to chill in the fridge. Once it’s chilled, simply remove and break into pieces and let your inner pastry chef/artist decorate. The more variations in the pieces, the better the cake looks.

The last part of the cake to make is the ganache which is dead simple to do. Seriously, just boil milk, pour it over chopped chocolate and stir to create a smooth and glossy chocolate spread. Pour onto the cooled prepared cake and spread around. It’s so much easier to make than icing or frosting and I love the silky rich taste so much that I just might ‘ganache’ all my cupcakes from now on.

So the next time you have a special occasion and 4 hours to spare, why not try making this amazing dessert? It’s so worth it and remember, after you serve this, you get to relish in all the adoring compliments while enjoying this decadent treat.

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Triple Chocolate Torte

Course: Dessert

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: Bob's Red Mill, butter, cake, chocolate, corn-free, eggs, gluten-free, nut-free, yeast-free

Servings: 9

Author: ness

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

9” round springform pan
Off-set spatula
Parchment paper

INGREDIENTS

Cake

4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (chopped into small pieces)
½ cup unsalted butter or dairy-free vegan butter (softened)
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Dark Chocolate Ganache

8 oz dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
½ cup unsweetened soy milk or regular milk

White Chocolate Pieces

6 oz white chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

Make cake. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Invert the base of a 9” round springform pan so that it is lip side down (avoids having an indent in the base of the cake). Grease bottom and sides of pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
Melt chocolate in a small heavy pot over low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl until like and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.
In a separate bowl, sift cocoa powder and add gluten-free flour, and salt and whisk until well combined. Beat into butter mixture. Stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Pour into springform pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set and slightly puffed in the centre. Let cool in the pan.
Make ganache. Place dark chocolate in a bowl. Place soy milk in a small pot and bring to boil over medium heat. Pour over chocolate and stir to melt.
Remove cake from pan and pour ganache over cake, ensuring the ganache spreads to the edge. Use a spatula to help spread evenly over the top and sides. Chill in the fridge to set.
Make white chocolate rectangles. Place white chocolate in a small, heavy pot over low heat. Melt slowly, stirring occasionally. When melted, use an off-set spatula to spread evenly on a parchment paper or Silpat sheet lined baking sheet. Place in fridge to harden.
Remove white chocolate from parchment paper and break into large pieces and press white chocolate against the sides of the cake, overlapping slightly. Stick leftover white chocolate pieces vertically into the middle of the cake to create a pattern. Chill again until ready to serve. Remove from fridge for 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Lucy Waverman’s Triple Chocolate Torte for Globe and Mail

Broreos (Fudgy Brownies Stuffed with Oreos)

Broreos (Fudgy Brownies Stuffed with Oreos - Gluten-Free)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Easy 5 Ingredient Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt (Gluten Free)

Easy 5 Ingredient Nutella Cookies with Sea Salt (Gluten-Free)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Blueberry Buckwheat Waffles

Blueberry Buckwheat Waffles

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Muffins

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Triple Chocolate Torte

Triple Chocolate Torte

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

INGREDIENTS

Cake

Dark Chocolate Ganache

White Chocolate Pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

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