Egg Free Homemade Girl Scout Thin Mints

This is my all time favorite recipe!  This took my awhile to adapt to be soy and egg free.  It is nice now that Guittard has sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin so I can use those chocolate chips.  Enjoy life mini chocolate chips work too, they just give this a different flavor--Still good though!  This is a little time consuming, but this is the MOST REQUESTED recipe in my house!  Happy Baking!

This recipe yields 3 1/2 dozen cookies!  Yum!

Wafers:
2 C sugar
2 C flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 salt
1 TBSP ground flaxseed + 2 TBSP water--let stand 2-4 minutes to thicken
4 TBSP butter, melted
2/3-3/4 C water

Coating:
3 (12 oz) bags of Guittard milk chocolate chips
6 TBSP butter, cut into 3 chunks
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

To make the wafer:
Place dry ingredients in bosch mixer(this is what I have so it might be slightly different with another mixer). Pulse several times to mix well.

Add the flaxsee/water combo, butter, and 1/2 cup of the water.  Turn bosch mixer on speed one.  While it is mixing slowly add remaining water.  You may need more or less.  I always pause once in the middle of adding the water to scrape down the center and sides.  You don't want to add too much water.  Add only enough water to allow the dough to form.  You will know this as is comes together and scrapes the sides clean.

Place dough into a bowl, cover it and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two cookie sheets with butter.  Set aside.

Then roll out dough onto parchment paper that has been lightly floured. Roll out dough and cut circles out using a 1 1/2-2" circle cookie cutter.

 Place circles on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes(I cook two sheets at once and switch their place in the oven at 5 minutes).

Let cool.  When all dough has been baked, then use a paper towel and wipe off the butter/cookie crumbs off your cookie sheet.  Let them cool a few minutes.  Then line with parchment paper.

Make the coating:
In a large microwave safe bowl, warm the chocolate chips only for 2 minutes at 50% power in the microwave. Stir.

Microwave 1 more minute at 50% power.  Stir using a knife.  Add chunks of butter and peppermint extract.  Microwave 1 minute at 50% power.  Stir very well.  You shouldn't need to microwave any more, but if there is still small chunks, try 30 sec at 50% power.

Using a knife, spread the coating all over the cookie.  This is messy, but OH SO WORTH IT!  Place coated cookie on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper(I fix the edges where I hold onto the cookie when I place it on the cookie sheet).  Once sheet is full, place in freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Then the coating is hard and you can place them in a freezer ziplock or a large container.  Store container/baggies in fridge.  Continue until all cookies are done.

Then comes the hard part...summoning the will power to not eat them all before your family gets home!  I always, always eat one before the come home...They never know!

Life is better with chocolate...especially these cookies.

Egg Free Brownies!!

This recipe has taken me a long time to adapt.  In brownies, eggs are a critical part in achieving the desired texture, density, and flavor.   I hope you will try these and enjoy brownies again. 

I prefer eating these with some of my delicious homemade vanilla ice cream on top.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

2 1/8 C granulated sugar
2 1/8 C unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 TBSP flaxseed + 3 TBSP water
1/2 C butter, melted
3/4 C cocoa powder
3/4 C milk ( I use 2%)

Preaheat oven to 335 degrees. Grease with butter a 9x13 glass casserole dish.

In a large bowl, pour in your sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Stir with a fork.  Set aside.

In a small container, pour in your flaxseed and water.  Stir.  Let sit about 5 minutes until the flaxseed has absorbed the water.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over low to medium heat.  When butter is melted, turn off heat and stir in cocoa powder with a whisk until smooth.  Remove from heat.

In your large bowl, add the milk and flaxseed to your dry ingredients.  Stir a little, then add in your butter/cocoa mixture.  Keep stirring until all ingredients are incorporated.  This is a thick batter, so after stirring a bit with my fork, I'll also grab a spatula and make sure everything in the bottom of the bowl gets mixed in well.

Using a spatula, pour into your prepared dish and spread evenly. 

Bake at 335 degrees for 36 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack when done.

**note: as the brownies cool, they do "fall" in the center.  In this photo it is hard to see that.  They still look great though.  Without egg, it is very hard to get a cake-like look to brownies. Please enjoy and comment how yours turned out!

**note:  when baking without eggs, often I will turn down my temperature on my oven a few degrees...thus the unusual 335 degrees.

Happy Baking!!

Raspberries and Cream Cake

This is one of my all time favorite cakes!  It is so easy, very pretty, and of course very tasty!  I hope you will enjoy making this.  One tip with this cake is that it is very important to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.  If the butter especially isn't incorporated, you will have some sinking in the top of your cake (it doesn't have eggs to stabilize it as well).  This happens to me sometimes, but it doesn't really matter because you are going to cover the cake with cream and raspberries before you serve it.  No one will ever know.  Also, with any cake, altitude and humidity play a role.  I live in the Salt Lake City valley, so this recipe works great for me. 



Ingredients

2/3 C butter, softened
1 3/4 C sugar
2 TBSP ground flaxseed + 3 TBSP water- let sit 3-5 minutes to gel
2-4 dashes of real vanilla
3 C flour- I use unbleached flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 C milk- I use 2 %

Directions:

1. Grease 9x13 pan with butter.  Then sprinkle flour around and tap pan upside down over sink to get the extra flour off. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir.  Set aside.

2. In Bosch mixer, cream butter and sugar really well.  You will need to do some scraping and pushing down on the sides and center to make sure it is creamed well.

3. Add flaxseed/water combo and vanilla.  Mix until well incorporated.  Once again scraping down the sides/center and mixing again is best.

4. Add your flour, baking powder, and salt mixture to the Bosch.  Add milk to the Bosch.  Mix on speed 1 until just combined.  This will be a thick batter.

5. Spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  As all ovens cook differently, check a few minutes early.

When cake is done, it should be lightly browned and have a toothpick come clean.  Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack. 

When cake is completely cooled, then put on the toppings.

Cream Layer

1 pt whipping cream
3-4 TBSP sugar

Put cream and sugar in Bosch using the whipping attachment.  I like to use a spatula and stir the sugar into the cream before I start whipping it.  Simply whip on speed 2 until stiff peaks form. 

I don't usually use all of the cream, just get a nice thick layer on, remembering you will also be adding the raspberry layer.

Raspberry Layer

3/4 package of frozen raspberries or equivalent amount of fresh
4 TBSP sugar

1. In a small sauce pan, cook raspberries on med heat and sugar until it begins to boil.  Cook about 2 minutes more.  If you don't want the seeds on your dessert, simply strain them out with a fine mesh strainer. 

Let this sauce cool COMPLETELY before putting  it on top of your cream, or your cream will melt.  I like to make this shortly after I put the cake in the oven.  If you forget and get distracted, just put it in the freezer for a few minutes.

So after the cake is cooled, add your cream layer, and then the raspberry layer.  It's beautiful.  I store this cake in the fridge until I'm ready to serve.  It's perfect for any time of the year.  I guarantee this cake will bring oohs and ahhs from even people used to eating eggs in their dessert!

Happy Baking!

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I got this recipe from a friend.  It has been the BEST recipe ever.  I always get great compliments on this ice cream.  So, this is your basic vanilla.  It is amazing if you add some mashed fresh raspberries too!  That is always requested at family parties in the summer.  Without further ado...

6 C half and half
2 1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract(REAL not imitation)
3 C whipping cream(not Heavy, just regular)

In a large bowl, pour half and half.  Add sugar, and stir WELL.  If you don't stir long enough to dissolve the sugar, then your ice cream will be grainy.  Then add vanilla.  Last, stir in the whipping cream.

Place in a ice cream maker.  Follow ice cream maker's directions(ie. ice/salt/time).  In about 30 minutes, for my machine, you have the most delicious ice cream.  Place immediately into containers and store in the freezer.  I like to make this a few hours before I need to serve it-especially if you are adding fresh fruit.  That way the flavors blend nicely all around.

If you have never made homemade ice cream before, please note that it melts quickly!  You can't just let it sit out on the counter for very long, or it will be a puddle.

Way Better than Store Bought!

Peach Cobbler

I grew up from age 12 living in Brigham City, Utah.  They are famous for the annual Peach Days celebration.  Therefore... I LOVE PEACHES!  And everyone has a peach cobbler recipe that is to die for.  Well, mine is no exception!  This is the perfect time of year for cobbler.  The cool air just makes my mouth crave the stuff!  I hope you enjoy!

8 medium peaches, peeled, and sliced
Sugar for sprinkling over peaches
1/2 C water

Crust layer:

1 1/3 C flour
1 1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Cubes of butter (3/4 C), sliced thinly

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash peaches, peel them, slice them, and place in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish.
Sprinkle sugar over peaches.  You just need enough to lightly cover them.  Then, stir the sugar all around the peaches to get them to start releasing some of their juices.  Let stand for a few minutes(5 min) while making the crust.  Then pour the 1/2 C water over the peaches.  Using a spoon, try to make your peaches into a somewhat flat layer.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Sprinkle over peaches.  Place thin slices/pats of butter all across the top of the dish- usually 4-5 pats across the short side.  Put aluminum foil over the top of the pan, and bake for 45 minutes.  then remove foil, bake 10 more minutes uncovered.  Then to crisp up the top perfectly, turn off the oven baking and turn ON the BROIL on LOW for about 2 minutes.  Perfection!

The perfect topping for this dessert is homemade vanilla ice cream.  Check out my recipe for that.

Happy Baking!

Egg Free Molasses Crinkles

These cookies will simply make your mouth water!  They are so delicious!  I can eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In these pictures, I doubled the recipe.  It is easy to double, takes a bit to bake, but then I freeze half.  That way I don't have to be baking cookies all the time.  I freeze in quart sized baggies and take out as needed.  Freezing cookies works best in a stand alone freezer, at least in my experience.

3/4 C Butter, softened
1 C Brown sugar
1 TBSP ground flaxseed + 2 TBSP water, mix and let stand 3-5 minutes
1/4 C Molasses
3 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For Rolling dough balls in:
1/3 C Granulated Sugar

 Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.
 
In a small cup, mix ground flaxseed and water.  Set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.  Set aside. Put granulated sugar in a bowl; use a bowl that will be easy to roll your dough balls in. Set aside.

In bosch mixer with a cookie dough attachment, mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.  Add flaxseed/water combo and molasses. Mix on speed 1 until combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix on speed one.  After dry ingredients are mixed in, if needed, add 1/2-1 TBSP more of water until dough reaches "sugar cookie dough consistency".  Don't add too much water, just add slowly as the mixer is running.

Using a pampered chef small scoop, scoop balls of dough into your bowl of sugar.  When ball is coated, place on a cookie sheet.  No greasing necessary!  I can fit 15 of these small balls on a standard cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.  Watch carefully.  You only want these lightly browned.  Over cooking molassess cookies leads to hard cookies.  Molasses cookies should be nice and soft.

Cool on a wired rack.  Then store in an airtight plastic container-these work better than a plastic zip baggie if you are storing at room temperature.  Otherwise, freeze in freezer safe baggies in a stand alone freezer.

Happy Baking!  If you give these to your neighbors...they will always ask for more.:)

Homemade Granola Bars

August was very busy with two family reunions, sick kids, and the whole getting ready for going back to school hustle and bustle!  Now the kids are all better, I've recovered from planning two family reunions, and the kids have all necessities for school.  Now, I have time to blog.:)

The recipe I'm sharing today is an essential for packing lunches...homemade granola bars.  This recipe is so simple, just FOUR ingredients!  I like simple, and my kids like eating simple.  One preference I have on my oats is that the type you purchase in the large plastic gallon buckets(mine is currently a 23 lb bucket) work much better than the ones you buy in the small paper containers on the breakfast isle at the store.  I have purchased mine at Caselot sales or at Costco.  They seem "fresher" to me and make a better granola bar. So, without further delay...

Homemade Granola Bars

6 C quick oats
5 C Rice Krispies brand rice krispies( or any other kind if you're not avoiding soy)
1 bag Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
2 cans sweetened and condensed milk

Grease a cookie sheet that has sides with butter.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a very large bowl, combine first three ingredients. Stir until well combined.

Then add the two cans of sweetened and condensed milk, and stir until it is fully incorporated.

Pour into prepared cookie sheet and press down into pan.  I like using a "fold over" sandwich baggie that I have dipped in softened butter so that it doesn't stick to my hand or the baggie.

Once it is pressed down well(it should reach about to the top of the sides when pressed down), bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  My lovely oven doesn't brown evenly, so I rotated it at 10 minutes.  Hopefully you all have fabulous ovens and won't need to do that!  The granola bars will be lightly browned when done.

When done, remove pan from oven and set on a cooling rack.  Allow the granola bars to cool about 40 minutes before cutting.  Then allow to cool completely before removing from the pan(2-4 hours is best).  You will usually need to run a knife through again.  It is important for them to cool completely so that the sweetened and condensed milk has time to reabsorb.  Otherwise your granola bars will not come out looking very nicely because they are too gooey.

I cut mine in 9x4 rows so they are the shape of a granola bar...like this photo:

Once cooled completely, using a spatula, I carefully take out the first row.  Then, I place them either wrapped individually in plastic wrap in a freezer safe plastic baggie or I just put them in quart-sized freezer baggies without the plastic wrap if I'm in a hurry.

We go through these like crazy with seven people in our household, so there isn't much time for them to get freezer burn or dry out.  If you have less people in your household, then I highly recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap prior to placing them in a freezer baggie.  Then just pull these out each morning when you're packing lunches and wa-la you just made awesome granola bars for much cheaper then purchasing them at the store.  And there is no worry over nut contamination or soy.  Yeah!

I really hope you enjoy these.  Please leave a comment and let me know if you needed to adapt in another way!  If you can enjoy nuts in your household and want to add nuts, simply decrease the amount of oats and rice krispies equal to the amount of nuts you want to put in.  We can't do nuts, seeds, or coconut in our household, so we are pretty basic here.  But basic is pretty TASTY!

Have a happy lunch packing week! 

Egg Free Cinnamon Rolls

 















9 C flour

2 TBSP saf instant yeast

2 C milk(2% is what I use)

2/3 C sugar

2/3 cup butter, cold

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP ground flaxseed + 5 TBSP WATER, mix in small bowl and let stand for 3-5 minutes

4-5 TBSP butter, melted

1 C sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

This recipe is made using a BOSCH machine:

Mix 1 C sugar and 4 tsp cinnamon.  Set aside for later.

In bosch mixing bowl with kneading hook, pour in the flour and yeast. Pulse a few times to mix.

In a medium sized pan, pour milk, and stir in sugar and salt.  Then add cold butter.  Warm on medium heat until butter is almost fully melted(or about 120 degrees).  Stir this occasionally.

When liquid is ready, pour into mixing bowl.  Then add your flaxseed/water mixture. Mix on speed 1 until combined.  Then turn up to speed 3 for 4 minutes.  Take out kneading hook.  Replace lid, and let rise in bowl for 30 minutes. 

On a lightly floured piece of wax paper, pour out dough.  Gently coat with flour on both sides, and let rest 10 minutes.  Then divide in half.  Put half of the dough back in the mixing bowl.  Then roll out the other half(may need to reflour surface) in approximately a 14x10 rectangle—I NEVER measure, I just roll it out until it looks good! With melted butter, baste the top of the rectangle.  Then sprinkle your cinnamon/sugar mixture over the top(I eye-ball and use a little less than half of the mixture for each half).  Gently roll up “jelly roll style”.  Then using dental floss bring it under the rolled-up dough, and in about 1 ½” pieces cross your floss over the dough and pull. You have now pinched off your roll.  Place in a greased stoneware cookie sheet with sides-I usually have to use one sheet plus part of another for this recipe. Continue this way until all dough is pinched into rolls. Then repeat process with other half of dough.

Cover & let rise for 30-40 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is(about doubled in size).  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  If you are not using stoneware, then watch more carefully.:)

After you take it out of the oven, Immediately make the icing.  

Icing

6 C powdered sugar
7-8 TBSP milk, divided
2-3 dashes of vanilla

In a large bowl, pour in powdered sugar and 7 TBSP of milk.  Stir using a whisk. Add last TBSP of milk only if necessary...too runny won't set up right.  It should be a thick glaze.  Then add a few dashes of real vanilla.  Stir.  Then ice your cinnamon rolls and let finish cooling.  They come out easier if you let them cool, but if you can't wait like we often can't, then eat up!

Soy Free Carmelitas

1 1/2 C homemade caramel sauce (recipe follows)
1 1/2 C butter, melted
1 1/2 C brown sugar, packed
2 C unbleached flour
2 C quick oats
2 tsp baking soda
 8-10 oz guittard milk chocolate chips

 To make the Carmelitas:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix flour and baking soda.  In a large bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour/b. soda combo, and oats.  Stir until well combined. Divide dough in 2/3-1/3 ratio approximately.  Press 2/3 portion into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips as desired evenly over the crust.  Then pour caramel sauce on top of chocolate chips.  Then sprinkle remained dough evenly over the top.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes.  It is done when lightly browned on top.  Let cool completely before cutting and serving.  This is an amazing dessert!


To make the Caramel Sauce:
2 C brown sugar
1 C Karo light corn syrup
1 C butter
1 Can sweetened and condensed milk
1/2 tsp real vanilla

In a medium sized sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  When butter is melted, stir in brown sugar until incorporated.  Then add karo syrup and stir constantly and slowly until it comes to a boil.  Then turn heat to low and add sweetened and condensed milk and stir for 1-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp real vanilla.  This is perfect for caramel popcorn or this recipe for Carmelitas.  For the Carmelitas you will need about 1 1/2 cups...it really just depends on how much you want to pour on.:)