Great toffee flavors in an easy to make gluten free  bar cookie. No candy thermometer needed!

You have to try this one!

Toffee Crunch Krackles

Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Pops

        

Now go get one of those cake pop makers. And have fun

This is moist and flavorful gluten free "quick" bread. No yeast and can be made Dairy free too. Just substitute the yogurt or sour cream with a dairy free one.

Makes 12 slices

Will keep fresh, tightly wrapped, for 4 days out on the counter. You can freeze it forever almost.

Kathy

Just wanted to give a sneak peak of one of my new cookbooks coming out Gluten Free Yeast Free Breads available in June.

Please let me know in the comments below if you bake this up how it comes out for you and if the directions work well. It gives me a chance to change things if I need too.

Thanks!

You'll be all ready for Cinco De Mayo on the 5th with this great recipe for gluten free Lime Cupcakes.

These come together in a snap with a gluten free cupcake mix.

Gluten Free Lime Cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 box of your favorite gluten free yellow cupcakes mix
Ingredients needed to make cupcakes

Cupcake  "Filling":

1 4-serving sized box of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup Key lime juice
4 drops green food coloring
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Frosting:

1 can of gluten free vanilla frosting ( I used Betty Crocker brand)
1 Tbs. key lime juice
1/2 tsp. grated lime peel

Make the filling first by placing the pudding mix and the whipped cream in a large bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Let is sit for 3 minutes and then whisk in the lime juice and food coloring (optional). Whisk in the powdered sugar and then refrigerate while you make the cupcakes.

Make the gluten free cupcakes as directed on the cupcakes mix box. Set them aside to cool.

To make the frosting, use a spoon and stir up the frosting in the can to loosen and fluff up a little. Then stir in the lime juice and peel. Place in a zip type bag, close and snip a hole in one of the corners. Set aside.

Now, take the filling out of the refrigerator. Cut each cupcake in half and spread with a tablespoon of  filling. Or you can cut the  top of the cupcake off and spread a tablespoon of filling on the cut side. Or you can spread the tablespoon of filling over the top of the cupcake.

Either way, use up the filling and then top your gluten free  cupcakes with the frosting.

I garnished mine with thin slices of lime to top off. If you use fresh limes, make sure to add them right before you are ready to serve otherwise the limes will make the frosting runny.

If you need to take them somewhere, just bag up the lime slices and put them on at the last minute.

These have a refreshing lime taste. Just tooo good.

Kathy

P.s. I've been busy as a bee, whipping up some new gluten free cookbooks for you. I'll have special offers just for you and a chance to beta test my cookbooks soon.

I really appreciate all of you and this will be my way of saying thank you!

We have had just a down pour this week and enough lightening to last me the rest of the year. Twice our power went out, lost our cable and internet connections and had my sister-in-laws garage flood out twice! And we live in the desert. 

Since the weather has been cooperating, the oven has been turned on and baking began. My guys are always glad to see the pans and mixer and flour, eggs and butter on the counter. They know something warm and yummy will be cooling soon. 

This is a wonderful dessert to make for when you have people over. It tastes great and is easy to make. The pan it's siting on is an Emily Henry cookware set. I baked the cake in the bottom portion and flipped it onto the lid.  

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1/4 cup butter or non-dairy margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
20 oz. can of sliced pineapple, drained (reserve the juice!)
6 oz jar of maraschino cherries
1 box of gluten free yellow cake mix, 15oz size or larger (I used Betty Crocker)
1/3 cup canola oil, or your favorite oil
3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a 9×13 pan or a 10" round pan, place the butter in the pan and put in the oven until the butter melts. Remove the oven. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter. Place the pineapple rings in the pan and put a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring (see the photo). Press into the butter/sugar mixture. Set aside.

Add enough water to the reserved pineapple juice to equal 2/3 cup. Place the cake mix, pineapple juice mix, oil and eggs together in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes. Carefully pour the cake mix over the pineapple rings, completely covering them.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the pan size used. Poke the center of the cake when the 30 minutes is up to see if it comes out clean. If it does, the cake is finished baking and needs to be taken out of the oven. If there are still wet crumbs clinging to the toothpick, allow the cake to bake for another 5 minutes and test again.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute! Take a serving plate that is a little bigger than the baking pan and invert the cake on to the plate. Wait another minute before taking the baking pan off the serving plate to allow the brown sugar coating to completely coat the cake.

Remove the baking pan and allow the cake to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting. Makes about 15 servings.

I am a peanut butter "nut". Growing up, my mom would get after me for dipping my spoon into the jar and pulling out a hunk of the stuff. I would sneak off and slowly eat it off the spoon. I still do it today, but no one gets after me. Except maybe the dogs. I think they want me to give them some. Peanut butter cookies are still my favorite and I will wrestle with anyone for the last bit of peanut butter pie. 

This is a Gluten Free the Fun Way Recipe. Easy, quick and tasty. Make this for dinner tonight. Prep time is 5 minutes max and bake time is about 25 minutes. 

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Brownies

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. gluten free vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup gluten free flour

Hint: There is no need for xanthum gum in this recipe. The amount of flour used is under one cup. The peanut butter and eggs will keep it together for you. If you have gluten flour that already has gum in it, that's fine. You just don't need to add any if your flour doesn't.

Equipment needed: Bowl, mixer, spatula, 8×8 baking pan, measuring cups and spoons

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then mix in the flour. Spread it into a well greased or parchment lined 8×8 baking pan. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Don't over bake or your brownies will be DRY! If you're not sure how done is done, poke the center with a toothpick. If you have a few crumbs on your toothpick, good. Better underdone than over with brownies.

Remove from the oven, cool and then spread with Peanut Butter Frosting to really make this a PB delight. 

Peanut Butter Frosting

Place 1 cup creamy peanut butter and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl and blend together. If it's too stiff to spread, add a little more powdered sugar until it's just right. 

You could also spread these brownies with Nutella, or change the peanut butter in the frosting with some grape jelly and use that instead. PB and J brownies. Sounds good.

Another idea is to take the brownies unfrosted, cut into squares, place in dessert bowls and top with a scoop of ice cream, chocolate or butterscotch syrup, a squiggle of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. Cheaper than going to the local ice cream shop!

Have fun!

Kathy

P.s. All peanut butter lovers unite…and all brownie lovers for that matter too  

Thought I would give out just a few hints and tips I've learned and discovered along the gluten free baking road.

Trying to make your frosted cake neat and pretty? Try frosting it this way:

Make your cake stay put by placing a dab of frosting in te center of your cake plate. Plac eyour bottom cake layer right on top of it to help keep it one spot so it doesn't slither around. Then slip strips of waxed paper under the bottom edges of your cake. Place your filling in the middle, top with your second cake layer and get to work frosting away.

The wax paper will keep the edges of your cake plate clean. When you're all done making your fabulous creation, pull the wax paper slips out. That's it. I fyou find that the frosting is sticking to the paper, wet your fingers a little, push on the frosting at the bottom and slip the paper out.

How can you make a double layer cake out of a single layer box mix? Do this:

Place toothpicks around the middle of your cake layer. Carefully cut through the middle with a loooooong bread knife (long being the operative word). Before you lift the top layer off, take all the toothpicks out but one. Place another toothpick on the top layer you just cut directly above the other one.

That way after you place the filling in the center and you want to line them back up again, all you have to do is match up the toothpicks. No more weird moon scapes or ski slope cakes. This gives you the flat surface you started with. Very sneaky.

Now, you just made some cookie dough, rolled into a log and need to chill it. Drat! Every time you do this you end up with a flat edge. What to do?

Wrap up your cookie dough in waxed paper and slide it into the leftover cardboard tube from your used up roll of paper towels (you keep those in your I don't know if I'll ever need these but I can't bring myself to throw anything away closet..right?).

Then pop in the refirgerator. When you pull them out later, voila…. nice and round and ready to be cut into cut slices.

And one more idea for ya…

To decorate the edge of your frosted cakes, wash and dry small fruits (like cherries or blueberries or cranberries). Take one egg white and beat it well. Place in a bowl and dip your fruit in it to coat. Then roll in granulated sugar and set aside to dry on a piece of parchment or wax paper.

You can set these around the edges of your cake plate or use to garnish a fruit platter or just about anything.

You have just made cute little sugared gems.

I hope these help you out.

Kathy