Strawberry Shortcake Rounds with Homemade Strawberry Coulis Sauce

There are so many different ways to make and enjoy strawberry shortcake.  We've happily eaten buttermilk biscuit-based shortcakes, used spongecake cupcakes for shortcake-style cupcakes, and topped leftover cake with diced berries and whipped cream for a make-shift shortcake.  These shortcake rounds are a fun and pretty shortcake with a touch of white chocolate that adds a lovely flavor to this recipe.  The strawberry coulis sauce drizzled on top gives it an extra special look.  Plus, the leftover coulis sauce is amazing on sourdough waffles, dessert waffles, or pancakes!  Enjoy!

Delicious shortcake rounds, topped with diced strawberries, whipped cream, and homemade strawberry coulis sauce. Yum! 

Strawberry Shortcake Rounds

Makes 12-18 rounds

Butter 12-18 whoopie pie molds (it just depends on the size of your molds)

Melt together in a microwave-safe container in 30-45 second increments, when it's smooth, set it aside to cool while you mix the rest together:
2 oz white chocolate (high quality)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste

Beat until frothy:
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs

Mix in until smooth:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
Melted chocolate mixture from above

Divide the batter among the whoopie pie molds, filling just over 3/4 full.  I have two pans, and one makes smaller whoopie pies and the other makes larger, so you'll just have to adjust accordingly.

Bake at 350 F for about 10-12 minutes.  These cook quickly, so keep an eye on them.  They may need a little less or little more time depending on how large you made them.

Let cool 5 minutes in pan, then use a rubber spatula to loosen and remove the cakes from the pan to a wire rack to cool.

Fresh shortcake rounds, ready for eating!   These are browned a little more than I usually aim for, but I find because of the coconut flour, they're still nice and moist. 

To serve, dice 8 oz strawberries and mix with 1-2 Tbsp powdered sugar.  Set aside to chill.  These can be prepared in advance, if needed.  Top shortcake round with fresh berries, whipped cream and drizzle with the fresh strawberry coulis sauce, below.  Enjoy!

Freshly diced with a touch of powdered sugar mixed in on the left.  Berries ready for cooking into coulis sauce (below) on right. 

Strawberry Coulis Sauce

In a medium-sized pot, bring to a boil over medium heat:
8-12 oz strawberries (about 1 1/2 - 2 cups, before removing ends)
4-6 Tbsp powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp water (more or less depending on desired thickness)
zest of one lemon
1-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook 1-2 minutes, then puree with a stick blender.  Return to the heat and cook and additional 2-3 minutes.  You can puree it again, or just press it through a sieve to strain out the seeds. (I like to rub the spoon back and forth in the sieve to help strain it)  Cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.  Yum!

Strawberry Coulis Sauce, just before straining.

Strawberry Shortcake Rounds with Homemade Strawberry Coulis Sauce by Successfully Gluten Free! 

Heart Shaped Pizzas!

 We made these for Valentine's Day, then loved them so much we made them again just for fun several times since.  You could easily pipe the batter and smooth into any fun shape you'd like!  My girls loved flattening the heart shaped crusts and topping the pizzas.  The sizes were perfect as well for a fun dinner.  Enjoy! 

Fresh from the oven, heart shaped pizza topped with ham & cheese shaped and topped by my daughters.

Heart Shaped Pizzas!

Makes 3 trays of heart-shaped pizzas.  

Preheat oven to 450 F (425 F convection).  Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixer, combine the following:
3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
2 tsp xanthan gum
3 tsp rapid-rise yeast
1/2 - 1 tsp dried basil (or 1/2 - 1 tsp dried oregano)
1 tsp salt
dash garlic powder

Add, and beat 2-3 minutes, until nice and smooth:
2/3 - 3/4 cup egg white plus milk to have a total of 2 1/4 cup liquid

(approximately 3/4 cup egg white & 1 1/2 cup milk)

Spoon the batter into a large freezer ziploc bag.  Pipe the heart shapes (or other shapes if you want to get creative) onto the pan, in a smaller size that you'll want your final crust.  Use wet hands to spread and smooth the hearts into shape.  Re-dip your hands in water regularly.  

Spreading out the heart shaped dough was so fun for my girls.  Don't forget to keep re-dipping your hands in the water or they will stick to the dough.

Melt in a small microwave bowl: 

3-4 Tbsp butter. 

Brush the tops of each heart shape with melted butter.  You can let the crusts rest for 10-15 minutes. 

The girls loved brushing the tops with butter.  A brush or just the back of a spoon to spread around the melted butter works well. 

Bake the crusts at 450 F for ~12-15 minutes until nicely browned and bubbly.  (Lightly browned will result in the bread sinking and not retaining it's nice bubbles after removal from the oven, so make sure it's nice and dark golden brown).  

Nicely browned and ready for toppings!

Remove from the oven.  Add toppings as desired (I'll add a few ideas below).  Bake again at 450 F 5-8 minutes, until toppings are cooked as you prefer.  Enjoy! 

A few topping ideas: 

sauce, mozzarella, ham, parmesan

sauce, mozzarella, dollops of ricotta cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni, parmesan, dried crushed red pepper

sauce, mozzarella, sauteed veggies, parmesan, italian herb blend

alfredo sauce, sliced cooked chicken, light mozzarella, basil & spinach to top

Topped with my girls favorite - sauce, mozzarella and ham, with a bit of Parmesan on top.

Topped with my favorite - mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, mozzarella, Italian herb blend, red chili pepper flakes.

These turned out so nicely - sautéed up some mushrooms and peppers to add with a piece of pepperoni and red chili pepper flakes.

Heart Shaped Pizza Crusts by Successfully Gluten Free!

 I just really, really, wanted a pan-fried bread to have when we made lamb kebabs.   After several attempts, I discovered this version which hits the spot.  It's nice and quick to throw together, and using a wet, flat glass to flatten your bread means there's no rolling needed!  It's a fun alternative to naan bread or pita bread or dinner rolls.  Enjoy! 

Fresh fried flatbread, brushed with butter.

Served with a pumpkin curry (made by my friend Julie) and salad and kebabs (plated by my kids who have a tendency to scatter the plate with the vegetables).

Gluten-Free Pan-fried Flatbread

Makes ~10-12 flat breads

In a mixer combine: 

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour

3/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

2 tsp rapid rise/quick yeast

Add and mix in, beating 3-4 minutes until nice and smooth: 

1 cup warm water

3/4 cup milk

2 Tbsp softened butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat up at medium-high heat a pan like a cast iron or something good for high heat that things don't stick to, ideally.  This bread is cooked similarly to how you might cook a tortilla, without any oil or butter on the pan.  

In a separate bowl, melt: 

2-3 Tbsp butter

The amount of dough you scoop and how large your flat breads depends on your pan size, so you may have to play around a bit the first few flat breads.  I like to use a large cookie scoop to scoop dough onto the pan.  Use a glass with a flat bottom to dip it in water and quickly flatten your bread.  You may have to re-dip the glass 2-3 times until you have your bread flattened.  

Flattened several times with the bottom of a wet glass, repeatedly dipped in water.  So easy! 

Cook 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip, cook another 1-2 minutes and flip another once or twice until the bread is nicely baked through and has the lovely dark pan-fried color on it.  

Frying the bread - you want the nice dark spots in this bread.  Make sure to flip it a few times so the middle is nice and cooked.

Remove to a wire rack (for a crispier flat bread) or a plate and brush immediately with melted butter. I've put them on a wire rack and on a plate, and we enjoy it both ways.

Fresh from the pan and brushed with melted butter.

Repeat with the dough until you've cooked all your flatbread.  You can make your flat breads larger or smaller, depending on your preference.  Below, I made them in a smaller size to serve alongside a meal of lamb kebobs, vegetables and salad.  This time, I just layered them on a plate and brushed with butter after frying.   

Frying up a platter of fresh gluten-free flatbreads!

Fresh flat breads, brushed with butter

A tasty meal on a different day of fried GF flatbread with lamb, steamed vegetables and a salad on the side. 

Gluten-Free Pan-Fried Flatbread Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!