{Foodie Week} Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

To conclude Foodie Week here at HWTH I have a sweet treat for ya! Of course a self-proclaimed sweet tooth like myself couldn't leave you without dessert! While not exactly healthy, I love recipes like this one because they're incredibly simple and chances are, you already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Believe me, I was pretty skeptical that a cookie containing a mere four ingredients (and no flour or butter) could be anything above sub-par. Folks, I am proven wrong.

These peanut butter cookies are superb! In fact, I will likely never touch another peanut butter cookie recipe. They are sweet, delicate and well, very peanut buttery. But I believe the magic really comes to life with the sprinkle of sea salt I added to the finish. It cuts the sweetness perfectly! But I must make one request of you - please, please make sure to use natural peanut butter! Otherwise, I fear the added sugar in other varieties would completely ruin these. Seriously, don't do it.

And finally, I just wanted to thank you all for taking part in my first ever Foodie Week! I had a lot of fun putting together some of our new favorites and I hope you get a chance to try one or two (or all!) of the recipes I shared this week! 

Without further ado, I give you these scrumptious little bites...

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup sugar (I used half regular & half brown sugar)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until well combined. 
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of mixture about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten the mounds with the tines of a fork, making a crosshatch pattern on the cookies. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cookies.
4. Bake until golden around edges, about 10 minutes.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

{Gluten-Free} Double-Chocolate Brownies

When you experiment in the kitchen, as I frequently do, you have your share of failed dishes. But then there are those times when you stumble upon perfection and friends, those make all the other failed attempts worth the hassle! Just yesterday I discovered a recipe that has me swooning!

I love a good brownie, but because of their outrageously high caloric and fat content, I keep my consumption of said treats to a very rare occasion. It's just the way it's got to be when you're trying to keep a clean diet! But I came across this gluten-free recipe and while I was skeptical about its minimal ingredients and lack of flour, butter and sugar, the raving reviews peaked my curiosity. And since I had all 7 ingredients on hand, I decided to give them a shot.

Holy goodness, the results were awesome! No, make that AWESOME!! They are rich and gooey and chocolatey and completely outofthisworld!

Don't be fooled, I am not claiming these are "healthy" and to eat the entire batch, but they are certainly a healthier alternative to the classic brownie. With ingredients like nut butter, natural sweetener and cocoa powder, they are certainly a worthy replacement for traditional baked goods. And because these are gluten free, they are a suitable treat for those with a wheat intolerance!

If you're looking for a decadent Valentines treat, these are just the ticket! 

Double Chocolate Brownies
Borrowed from A Home in the Making

Ingredients:

16 oz of almond butter, creamy or crunchy
2 eggs
1 cup honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 ounces dark chocolate bar, chopped, or chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix almond butter, eggs, & honey. Mixers work better than a whisk. Add in cocoa powder, salt, & baking soda. Fold in chopped dark chocolate/chips. 
3. Spread into a greased  9×13 pan.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

images via

{Gluten Free} Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

I've been pretty good about taming my sweet tooth as of late (with the exception of that amazing creme brulee on my birthday, of course!). And so, it felt like an appropriate time to finally bake something ooey, gooey and chocolatey this weekend! And amazingly, what caught my sweet affections was this gluten-free chocolate peanut butter tart I spotted over at A Home in the Making. Because for one, who doesn't go bananas for any chocolate peanut butter combo, and second, it's always nice to have recipes on hand for those with food allergies. So I gave it a shot. And to say my husband and I were impressed would be an understatement.

The texture is silky and decadent and perfectly chocolately paired with a slightly salty crust. It's lovely. And if you happen to leave it in the freezer for a few hours, it resembles something of an ice cream cake texture. Be still my heart!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart
Seen on A Home in the Making

Ingredients:
Peanut Butter Crust
1/4 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup blanched almond flour, packed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons honey

Chocolate Filling
1 can coconut milk
4 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
3 egg yolks

Method:
Peanut Butter Crust

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Melt peanut butter and butter in a heat proof bowl.
3. Stir in vanilla, egg and honey.
4. Add dry ingredients and stir to form dough. It'll be sticky.
5. Press the dough up the sides of a 9" tart pan.
6. Bake for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes, turn off the oven and do not open the door. Leave until ready to assemble.

Chocolate Filling & Assembly

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/4 cup coconut milk, honey and salt and simmer on low.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the coconut milk and cocoa powder. This helps the de-clump the cocoa powder. Add the mixture to the saucepan.
3. In another separate bowl, separate the egg yolks, and slight beat with a fork. Add 1/2 cup of the warmed coconut mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly and then add the egg mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Keep whisking. Cook for 3-5 minutes over medium-low heat stirring until mixture coats the back of a spoon.
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, chocolate and butter until chocolate and butter are melted.
6. Remove your tart shell from the oven, and pour chocolate filling in almost to the brim.
7. Cool tart uncovered in the freezer until the top becomes firm. Transfer to the refrigerator and cover with plastic wrap.

All In Good Health

The other day I mentioned I made gluten free pizza while Lael and Elise were here. You may have wondered why. Well, I discovered that Elise has recently found out she is mildly intolerant to gluten and I of course, wanted to be an accommodating hostess:) So I modified the Fresh Mozzarella, Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Naan Bread Pizzas I had planned. I simply replaced the naan with Bob's Redmill gluten free pizza dough. It turned out quite good! I have to say, I wasn't surprised at the lovely turn out given that I have never tried a Bob's product I didn't love!


And for dessert we had Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss Ice Cream topped with fresh raspberries! Oh my, it was y-u-m-m-y!! It had a very nice nutty flavor to it and it's totally organic, vegan and soy, dairy and gluten-free. I'm totally looking for an excuse to try some of the other flavors like: Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge, Naked Coconut and Cappuccino! Did I mention they are also sweetend with agave nectar?!


Just to clarify, I am not promoting going gluten-free just for kicks, but Celiac disease, or an intolerance to gluten, is a very real thing and I'm so glad to see that there are tasty options out there. This is very helpful if you or someone you might be cooking for suffers from it. Of course, it is always nice to explore products made with good, wholesome ingredients:) It never hurts to get out of our comfort zone, especially with delicious foods!

If this is something you might be interested in getting good recipes/ideas on, you may want to check out the blog: Gluten Free Girl! It's quite delightful!

Wishing you good health always!