Party sized mint brownies

My son (yes, my 11 year old) and I prepared these for my sister-in-law's wedding on Cape Cod this summer, and they were a perfect addition to our collection of gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free desserts.  Once chilled, they can be neatly cut into whatever shape you desire.  For the wedding, we cut them into triangles that were arranged in a single layer on a couple platters.  They were able to be arranged and then stored in the refrigerator until it was time to serve.  These are similar to my previously posted mint brownie recipe, but a bit thinner and nice for an occasion where you want more, smaller servings to go around.  They were a hit with kids and adults at church, and also with my family, who was disappointed I'd share them at all. Those who have tried my original recipe and this version prefer these because they have a higher ratio of mint & chocolate to brownie. Yum! Enjoy!

Gluten-Free mint chocolate brownies, ready to serve!

I love cutting them into little triangles - both aesthetically pleasing and a nice small size for a brownie when feeding a crowd.

Mint Brownies - for a party!
You can cut them larger or smaller, so you can end up with between 50 - 120 pieces easily. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a large, flat (not warped), cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a microwave-safe glass bowl, melt:
1 cup butter

Mix in until smooth:
1/2 cup high quality cocoa powder

Add and mix in:
4 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Then add and mix in, just until combined:
3/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/2 tsp baking powder

Spread onto parchment-lined pan.  Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350 F.

Remove and place pan on a cooling rack.

Brownies just after removing them from the oven.

Mix together mint topping in a bowl:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter
2-3 Tbsp milk
4 drops peppermint essential oil (I like the DoTerra Peppermint Oil for cooking)

Spread the mint topping evenly over the warm (but not piping hot) brownies.   I like to use a spoon to place dollops and then spread gently with the back of the spoon.

Mint layer - don't worry if some parts end up a little messy, just be gentle when spreading the mint layer.

In the microwave at 50% power in 30 second intervals, melt together:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate
4 Tbsp butter

Spread chocolate evenly over the top of the mint layer.

Smooth the chocolate evenly over the brownies.  

Let brownies cool, then chill in the refrigerator until topping hardens.  You'll find they'll look nice and smooth once they've cooled.  You can slice these however you like - triangles, squares, rectangles, large, small.  You can even freeze them once you've cooled and sliced them.  Freeze in a ziploc bag on parchment paper in a single-layer.  Enjoy!!!

Mint-Chocolate Brownies! Yum!

Easy GF Tempura Vegetable Medley

One of my favorite things to have accompany a meal is very lightly battered deep-fried vegetables.   We don't have tempura vegetables often, but when I find vegetables like thin asparagus, fresh broccoli, tasty mushrooms, or fresh onions it's hard to resist.  Enjoy!

Fresh GF tempura vegetables, piping hot and ready to eat!

Easy GF Tempura Vegetable Medley
Based off the Artisanal GF Cookbook Recipe

Preheat oil in deep fryer to ~360 F.  My favorite frying oil is avocado oil, but you can use canola oil, or another frying oil of your choice.

Prepare vegetables as follows, using any/all types as you prefer:
1 - 2 onions, sliced in rounds (You can use ALL onions to make onion rings!)
2-3 handfuls thin asparagus, rinsed and with bottom portions broken off (remove the bottom of the asparagus where it naturally breaks off.  I find this leaves you with the tender tops)
1 pint mushrooms, rinsed with stems removed
2 bunches of broccoli, rinsed with heads sliced off (I don't use the stalks) 
You can use other types of vegetables, as desired -  carrots (slice into thin sticks), green beans (rinsed), sweet potato (sliced into thin sticks), but the ones in bold are my favorites.

In a large bowl, whisk together:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup cold water (often I add a little extra water to thin the batter if it's feeling too thick, but you can use less water if you want a thicker batter on your vegetables)

I aim for a runny yogurt/thick milk type of consistency.  I like a very light layer of batter on my vegetables.

Toss your vegetables in with the batter.  I recommend adding about half the vegetables, mixing them around and making sure you still have plenty of batter remaining before adding more vegetables.

Vegetables (onions, asparagus, broccoli) tossed in batter.

Fry vegetables in batches in your hot oil for ~3 minutes, stirring once to break up the vegetables a bit.  Remove and place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain/cool a bit.  Serve alongside the main dish of your choice (fish, salmon, shrimp, chicken, or a stir-fry).  Enjoy!

Fresh asparagus on the left, a mixture of asparagus and onion rings on the right.

Yum!

Dessert Waffles

The thing I love about homemade waffles is that they have very little sugar, making them a nice breakfast dish (even though we often add maple syrup or jam to them).  However, sometimes they're fun in the evening for a special dessert treat, as we had them here.

Drooling just thinking about these - fresh waffles topped with coconut-vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. 

Dessert Waffles
If you want crispier waffles, cooking in a waffle iron that's not Belgian-style is ideal. I like to butter my waffle iron and cook waffles a little longer to get them a bit crispier - which is how I prefer them when we put lots of toppings on them. 

Make a batch of Kristin's Delicious Waffles (leave out the apples).   Cook waffles until steam no longer is visible from your machine, and waffles are a nice golden brown.  Immediately transfer to wire racks after cooking. (This helps retain the crispness so they don't get soggy).

Top your waffles as desired with the following options as guidelines:
Ice cream (lactose/dairy-free are great)
- chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, caramel-swirled, etc.
Chocolate syrup
Homemade Fudge Sauce
Strawberries
Sliced bananas
Maple syrup
Whipped cream
Fruit jams or curds (lemon, key lime curd)
Mini chocolate chips