As much as I like recipes that don't necessarily fall under the GF umbrella, I realize they are always going to cut out what seems to be an increasingly large number of people who have celiac or a sensitivity towards gluten. My goal is to start posting more gluten free or easily GF adaptable recipes on the blog, and this fantastic flourless cookie recipe is kicking that off!

I love flourless chocolate desserts because you usually end up with a fudgy, decadent end product when you remove flour from the equation. These cookies are rich and flavorful--as one might expect a cookie with cocoa, dark cocoa almonds and mini chocolate chips all mixed in the batter to taste. I don't usually add nuts to cookies, but I made an exception since I couldn't see a reason not to add another chocolate ingredient.

As a note, you should always check the ingredients before attempting to make something gluten free. A lot of things you'd think would be safe sneak gluten in depending on the brand you use. I used Nestle Semisweet Chocolate Chips and Domino Powdered Sugar, which both pass the GF test. My apologies for not having better pictures. I was rushing with some other Easter baking, so you'll have to take my word these are amazing. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Almond Cookies
Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod
Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12-13 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Dark Cocoa Almonds (can use regular almonds or walnuts)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat and set aside.
2. 4. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped almonds, powdered sugar, cocoa, salt, and mini chocolate chips. Stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat egg whites until they are white and foamy, but are not stiff peaks. Fold in the vanilla extract.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of beaten egg whites and gently stir with a spatula until combined. The batter will be thick, like brownie batter.
5. Use a 2 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls. Place the dough balls about two-inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake cookies for 12-13 minutes, until the cookies are puffed, shiny and cracked. Remove cookies from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Use a spatula to remove cookies from the baking sheet and place on a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Note-if you don't have cocoa almonds, you can use regular almonds or walnuts. If you need the cookies to be gluten-free, make sure you check the packaging of the chocolate chips and cocoa to make sure they are gluten-free.

I moved to a new house in February, and with that move came the realization that I had more kitchen items than personal belongings of any other sort. Plates, tools/gadgets, appliances, cookbooks, mismatched napkins, glasses, bowls, etc...and that's not even getting into my ingredients stash.

I think this springs from two things. 1) I hate finding a recipe where I don't have the equipment I need to make it and 2) I am the queen of impulse purchases. Obviously those things go hand-in-hand. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime.

So, here I am living in DC where space is a commodity, and I think the only appliance/tool I don't have is a rice cooker (because I have no interest in one). I came across The Spiralizer about a year ago when it seemed like everyone was on a Paleo kick. Essentially it spiralizes vegetables to make them into mock-pasta of sorts. I'm not one for fad diets/food crazes, but I do love me some zucchini, so I was intrigued by the concept of making zucchini noodles.

Fast forward a year to when I decided to let myself have just one more space-consuming food tool. I could go on and on about this thing. It's incredibly easy to use, and zucchini noodles are shockingly delicious and satisfying. The best thing is that there are three blade attachments, so I didn't have to stop at just noodles.

And that is where we get to sweet potato chips. If you don't have a spiralizer and don't plan on ever buying one (...though you should), ignore everything above and use a mandolin or something of that sort. The spiralizer slices thin sweet potato pieces that make the perfect chips. There are multiple recipes out there for sweet potato chips, and I'm sure the one I'm sharing today seems like the most time-consuming. That said, giving the chips two hours in a lower temperature oven makes them quite possibly the best sweet potato chips ever.

You are welcome to season them however you like, but I prefer to use olive oil, salt, pepper and a little cayenne, paprika or cajun seasoning. Despite the time involved, the recipe itself couldn't be simpler. Pop a batch in the oven--run errands, watch tv, do laundry, etc.--come back after 45 minutes or so, flip them and repeat said process. When the timer goes off, take them out and marvel at the crispy, crunchy, thin chips that await you. I like to dip mine in ketchup or ranch, but they're just as good plain. I promise if you have the time you will consider it well worth it!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled.
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line two pans with parchment (you may need three depending on the size of the sweet potatoes).

Peel sweet potatoes and dry thoroughly. Slice potatoes with the slicing blade of a Spiralizer or on a  very thin setting on the mandolin (the thinner the chip, the crispier the outcome). If using a knife, make sure it is very sharp and keep in mind the goal is to have the slices be as thin and uniform as possible.

Toss slices in olive oil and seasonings to coat. Arrange on baking sheets in a single layer, making sure not to overlap with one another. Place baking sheets in the oven for roughly an hour and 45 minutes. Halfway through the baking time remove pans and flip the chips over. You'll notice that they have gone down significantly in size (ignore this knowledge when later thinking back on how many you ate and how big they started out). Rotate pans and place back in the oven. Remove when the chips are crisp and just slightly starting to brown around the edges. Enjoy!

 

At some point over the past year, I developed a new found love of pretzels. It's not that I didn't like them before. I just wasn't giving them the credit they deserved. Now I'm making up for lost time by finding ways to use pretzels for as many snacks and desserts as possible. It's a wonderful thing. 

 

I'll keep this post short and sweet because the recipe in itself is short and sweet.
If you love churros (who doesn't?) and pretzels (""), this combines the two in salty, cinnamon-sugary bliss. This is a great snack to pack in a bag to get you through the workday, to set out at a party, to simultaneously satisfy your salty and sweet late night cravings (assuming I'm not the only one who gets those), to package up as a hostess gift, etc. It's just a great recipe overall, and it's easy enough for anyone to tackle successfully. The only change I made was to use 8 cups instead of 9 because I tend to like things like this with a heavier coating. Enjoy!

Recipe from Oh Sweet Basil

Ingredients

• 9 cups pretzels (about 1 bag of the minis)
• 1 1/2 cups cinnamon chips (found by the chocolate chips)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• Parchment or wax paper

Instructions

1. Place the pretzels in a very large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, sugar and cinnamon and stir until even. Set aside.
3. Over medium low heat, add the cinnamon chips and butter to a sauce pan and stir continually. Remove from heat and quickly dump over the pretzels. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold the cinnamon mixture over the pretzels until evenly coated.
4. Quickly add the powdered sugar mixture and fold again. Spread out on parchment or wax paper to cool.