Monday, July 25, 2011

Make it Monday - GF Desserts

I have two dessert recipes for you this week. 

PEPPERMINT PIZZAZZ BROWNIES (GF)
This first one I am going to share was inspired by an ant infestation we experienced this weekend.  What do ants have to do with peppermint brownies?  I'll explain.


I woke up to find ants pouring into the house (I think they were argentine ants... small, black, and bite!).  I found them in every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen.  By the end of the morning I had completely emptied out my kitchen, washed every dish, and done lots of research on getting rid of ants.  One of the recommendations was peppermint oil.  It worked really well (or seemed to at first).  I applied it all around the light switch and the ants immediately left.  The only problem was they then started coming in under the dishwasher.  So I put peppermint oil there.  They again left, but this time came up behind the sink.  I decided I could chase them all day this way and they'd still find a point of entry, so a sweet friend brought over some Terro Liquid Ant Bait.  Worked awesome!!!  By the end of the afternoon I had a clean and very peppermint smelling kitchen, which made me crave peppermint brownies. 

This recipe is from ENJOY LIFE'S Cookies for Everyone.  They are a little dry, but it could be from some of the substitutions that I made.  The flavor is good though and they would be excellent with some ice cream or whip cream.  The recipe in the book also has a frosting, which would probably make them better too.

INGREDIENTS:
*1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
*2 TBSP vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
*1 cup superfine sugar (I used half honey, half sugar)
*1/4 tsp. salt
*1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Fair-Trade chocolate chips)
*1 tsp. vanilla extract
*1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
*1/4 cup water
*1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
*1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill white or brown rice flour (I used brown)
*1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
*1/2 tsp. baking soda

DIRECTIONS:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees
*In a large saucepan, combine applesauce, oil, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, vanilla, cocoa, water, and peppermint.  Over low heat, stir constantly until chocolate chips are melted.  Remove from heat.
*Stir in remaining ingredients.  Pour batter into greased 9x13 inch baking pan.
*Bake for 25 minutes, or until slightly soft in the center and firmer around the edges.  Let cool completely.


WHITE BEAN VANILLA CUPCAKES (grain-free)
You would never think that these are made from white (I used navy) beans!!!  I made these for a playgroup at our house and everyone was very skeptical when I told them the ingredients, but everyone left asking for a copy of the recipe!  They are very moist and incredibly delicious!!!  I found this recipe through the Legacy of Home Healthy Home Link-Up.


Linda's Lunacy linked up and it led you to Modern Alternative Mama.  I made them into cupcakes.  You can probably half the recipe pretty easily, but they were such a big hit that we went through all the cupcakes by the end of the afternoon.

Ingredients:
  • 3 c. white beans, cooked and plain (I used Navy beans and soaked them overnight before cooking)
  • 9 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1 c. + 2 tbsp. raw honey
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 tbsp. vanilla
  • 3/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
Directions:

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on medium, then high until smooth.  Pour into two well-greased  9" pans and bake at 350 for 35 - 40 min.  (For making cupcakes, bake approx. 18 minutes.)  Once cooled, remove from the pans carefully and serve plain, with fresh jam (fruit blended with honey), fresh fruit, or however you like!


When you're done with the desserts, get outside and burn some calories!

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