White Chocolate Ganache

A beautiful, easy white chocolate ganache recipe, perfect for spring treats: beautiful cake topping, homemade chocolates, drizzled or smoothed for frosting over a cake or cupcakes, whipped and used as frosting.  I find, particularly for white chocolate, using a high quality chocolate is imperative if you want a good, clean texture for your ganache. I've previously posted how to properly temper chocolate for molded chocolates if you want to make molded chocolates, like the ones pictured here.  Enjoy!

Homemade white ganache truffles, decorated with edible glitter.

White Chocolate Ganache
This recipe has 3 uses:
1. Truffle filling
2. Poured while still warm (not hot) over cake to form smooth frosting
3. Cooled, then whipped and used as filling or frosting on cake.

Heat to boil over med-high heat:
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cream
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (preferred) OR vanilla extract

Remove from heat and add:
6 1/2 oz. high quality white chocolate

Stir gently until smooth.  For truffles, follow directions similar to dark or milk chocolate ganache.

Heart-shaped chocolate molds filled with white chocolate ganache.  Once the ganache has cooled, the final layer of chocolate can be spread over-top the ganache, cooled, and the chocolates can be knocked out.

Amazing Brownie Chocolate Chip Swirl Cookies!!!

These gluten-free brownie chocolate chip swirl cookies are a combination of two of my all-time favorite recipes, with a little tweaking to perfect the texture.  Our favorite classic dessert recipes are my best brownie recipe and my amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe.  These combine the two for the most amazing tasting cookies, that look fantastic, too!  They aren't much more work than making a batch of cookies and brownies, but you do have to wait for the roll of dough to chill before you can slice and bake, so ideally you'd whip this up the night before you want to bake them.  They go quickly around here, so enjoy while they last!

Freshly made Brownie Chocolate Chip Swirl Cookies - SO delicious! 

Amazing Brownie Chocolate Chip Swirl Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies

Mix up the brownie layer first, so you can set it aside to cool a bit while you mix up the chocolate chip dough.

Brownie Batter:

In a large bowl, melt together at 50% power in the microwave:
4 oz high quality dark chocolate (65-70% dark chocolate is ideal)
1/3 cup butter

Mix in, then let it cool slightly:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp white sugar

Mix in thoroughly:
2 eggs

Add and mix in, just until combined.  Then set aside the brownie batter while you mix the chocolate chip dough:
1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:
1 cup sweet white rice flour (or plain white rice flour)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

In a mixer, beat until fluffy:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp white sugar

Add and mix in:
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Add and mix in dry ingredients.

Add and mix in:
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Scoop dough out onto two overlapping pieces of plastic wrap.  Place another two overlapping pieces on top.  Roll out dough between plastic wrap until it's as thin as possible, given the limitations of the mini chocolate chips.  You want it to be about 10-12" wide and around 20" long. 

Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, and spread the brownie batter over-top the dough.  Let the dough cool a bit (you can put it on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator to speed this along, if you like), then using the plastic wrap to help, roll up the cookie/brownie dough into a long roll.  Carefully place in the freezer to chill at least an hour, but you can chill overnight to make sure it's thoroughly chilled for neater cookies.  ***You can keep the roll of dough wrapped in the freezer for several weeks, slicing and baking cookies as you want them, too!***

Rolled out cookie dough with chocolate brownie spread on top. This is thicker than recommended because it was made with regular-sized chocolate chips. (Aim for thinner cookie dough!)

Roll on left was made with regular chocolate chips, roll on right is longer and made with mini chocolate chips.

Slice thinly and bake at 350 F for ~10-13 minutes on parchment-paper lined pans.  *These spread quite a bit - the thinner you slice, the less they spread, so aim for a very thin slice and give yourself space on the pan for spreading.  Although, they will still taste amazing even if you have thicker slices and they mush together.

Thicker slices on left, due to regular chocolate chips being used - I'd recommend aiming for the right, thinner slices possible because mini chocolate chips were used.  The thicker slices spread a lot and the cookies mushed together.

Bake until they're a golden brown around the edges, and clearly cooked through the middle. Remove from oven.  Let them rest 2-3 minutes on the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool.   These are wonderful warm, but the best is to let them fully cool before eating.  Leftovers freezer perfectly, too! Enjoy!!!

Cookies on left were ones that all mushed together - but still tasted great.  Cookies on right were made from thinner slices, and made neat, attractive cookies. 

Delicious Brownie Chocolate Chip Swirl cookies cooling on a wire rack after cooking.

Gluten Free Light & Fluffy Carrot Cake Pancakes

After a lunch out at a restaurant for my dad's birthday, we wanted something lighter, but still tasty and fun for a birthday dinner.   These were a massive success!  They were fluffy, light, not too sweet, and delicious plain or with a drizzle of a cream cheese-maple syrup mixture.   There was more than one person exclaiming how these were the best pancakes they'd ever eaten. They'd be a perfect breakfast for Easter, being filled with carrots.  Enjoy!

A full plate of carrot cake pancakes!

Gluten Free Light & Fluffy Carrot Cake Pancakes
Based on a recipe by Bobby Flay
This makes a generous amount of pancakes (basically two platefuls like the picture above). You can halve the recipe, if desired, but they are great reheated, too!

Grate and then use paper towels to pat dry:
2 large carrots (making ~2 cups grated carrot, patted dry)

In a large measuring cup, combine and set aside (this is essentially making buttermilk):
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 3/4 cup milk (I like to use half coconut milk and half lactose-free milk, just for a little less dairy)

Mix dry ingredients together with a whisk:
3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix (*see below for amounts for just this recipe)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add and stir in with a spatula until thoroughly combined:
milk/vinegar mixture, from above
patted dried carrots, from above
4 eggs
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp grated orange zest

Cover and refrigerator batter at least 30 minutes.

Cook the pancakes over medium heat on a well-buttered griddle.  Once there are bubbles throughout the surface of the pancake, flip and cook the other side.  Serve hot with cream cheese-maple syrup, below.  They'll also taste great with plain maple syrup and whipped cream.

Cream Cheese Maple Syrup

Mix together equal parts maple syrup and cream cheese, something like this:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup cream cheese

Bring to a boil either on the stove-top or in the microwave.   Whisk together, blending if you really want to get all the lumps out.  This is a simple way to make a maple cream cheese syrup.  It tastes amazing on top of the carrot cake pancakes!  Leftovers store great in the fridge or freezer and reheat wonderfully, too! Enjoy!

You can make the carrot cake pancakes large or small, depending on preference. 

* To make Kristin's Gluten-Free flour mix just for this recipe, whisk together:
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup arrowroot flour or 2/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

Hummingbird Cake - topped with homemade caramel and candied pineapple!

I used to make hummingbird cakes quite frequently when we lived in England, but hadn't made one in several years.  They are an absolute delight - easy to make, and a fun taste that everyone enjoys.  The mix of pineapple, banana, and cream cheese frosting is delicious.  We have a lot of birthdays in the winter months around here.  My girls love anything chocolate, but my son was more than willing for me to do something a bit unusual for his birthday cake.  While adults love this cake, I find little kids especially love it - inhaling it, if given the chance.  My cousin's 1 year old daughter was in heaven eating this cake.  I use less frosting, but add homemade caramel sauce and candied pineapple on top, which makes this cake extra special.  Enjoy!

A slice of Hummingbird Cake, topped with caramel and candied pineapple

The completed Hummingbird Cake, topped with homemade caramel sauce and homemade candied pineapple

Making it in 3 quarter-size sheet pans, then slicing those in half created this fun 6 layer hummingbird cake.  My son keeps requesting this cake for his birthday each year. 

Rather than drizzle the caramel onto the cake, we scooped on ladles of hot caramel when serving. Yum!

Hummingbird Cake - topped with Homemade Caramel and Homemade Candied Pineapple

based on a recipe from the Southern Living Magazine

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Butter, then line bottoms of four 8" round pans with parchment paper OR butter and line with parchment paper three 8"x12" quarter-sheet metal baking pans (I love this size pan!) - these can be cut and stacked for a cake 6 layers tall!  

In a large bowl, mix together:
3 cups Kristin's Gluten Free Flour Mix *amounts listed at the end of the recipe*
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Add, and stir in, just until combined:
6 bananas, overripe and mashed
8 oz can crushed pineapple (with juice)
1 cup oil

1/2 cup applesauce
3 - 4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Divide cake batter between four pans.  Bake at 350 F for ~20 minutes, until browned and toothpick comes out clean.  Let rest 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to wire racks to fully cool.  I just place a wire rack on top of the pan, then flip it over and let them cool upside down.  Since they're going on a cake, I don't find it matters, but you can use a second wire rack to flip them right-side up, which I did for the rectangular cake.

Once cake has cooled, beat together the following:

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese
6 Tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar

***This is a lighter amount of frosting, if you prefer a generous amount, then double this amount. 

Place a cake layer on a serving platter.  Spread ~1/2 cup frosting on the layer.  Top with another layer and repeat until you have all four layers stacked.  Gently spread frosting on top and sides of the cake.   I like a lighter frosting, but if you're concerned about appearance, then make a double batch of frosting and you'll have enough to fix up any mishaps.

If you're not serving right away, chill in the refrigerator, and remove 1/2 hour before serving to top with caramel sauce and candied pineapple, if desired.

I recommend adding caramel sauce and candied pineapple shortly before serving - simply because it's fun for guests, but you can also decorate the cake in advance and refrigerate.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Butter an 8 x 8" pan.  Set aside to pour caramel into once it's been cooked.

In a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat:
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup corn syrup
generous pinch of salt
4 Tbsp butter

Boil until caramel reaches around 215-225 F.  I prefer a thinner sauce for this sort of thing, so aim for more like 215 F.

Immediately remove from heat and stir in:
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour caramel sauce into prepared buttered dish.  Let cool a bit (or all the way) before pouring over-top the cake, letting it drip down the sides OR you can serve the caramel sauce warm from the pot and ladle scoops over slices of cake when serving.

Hummingbird cake with caramel drizzled on top. Yum!

Homemade Candied Pineapple

In a saucepan, bring to a boil at medium heat for 2-4 minutes:
1 cup water
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup

Add and cook over low heat for ~45 minutes, until pineapple pieces are transparent:
1-2 cups fresh pineapple, thinly sliced (and diced, if desired)  

Remove transparent pineapple pieces from syrup, drain them, and then place them on wire cooling racks to dry.   This can take several hours.  A fan can help speed the process.  Once cool and dried, roll the pineapple pieces in sugar, and store in a bit of additional sugar in a tupperware until ready to use.

The candied pineapple was a bit hit and looked beautiful on the cake!
Enjoy!

Two delicious slices of Hummingbird Cake, topped with caramel and candied pineapple. 

A 6-layer rectangle hummingbird cake, ready to be drizzled with homemade caramel sauce. 

* For 3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix: 
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour (or additional brown or white rice flour)
2/3 cup cornstarch OR 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum

Hummingbird Cake - Topped with homemade caramel and candied pineapple recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Gluten Free Hamentashen!

Homemade Gluten Free Hamentashen cookies!  Easy and delicious! My dad's birthday falls on the Jewish holiday of Purim this year, so in lieu of a cake, he requested homemade hamentashen!   These triangular shaped cookies are filled with either jam or poppyseed filling.  I've seen them big and fat, small and crispy, with way too little filling, and overflowing with filling.  These are a nice middle-ground.  A good balance of flaky orange-flavored cookie crust with a perfect amount of jam in the middle.   The best part it, the dough can be shaped into cookies easily without refrigeration since it's rolled out between plastic wrap.  Happy eating!

Alternating peach and raspberry-filled gluten-free hamentashen.  They kept disappearing as they cooled. 

Fresh hamentashen, ready to eat! 

Gluten Free Hamentashen
Makes ~30 filled cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line three pans with parchment paper.

Beat until light and fluffy:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp sugar

Add and beat in until smooth:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp orange zest
1 drop lemon essential oil (I like the DoTerra lemon essential oil for cooking)

Mix in a small bowl  before adding to wet ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt

Mix dough together until smooth.   Most recipes recommend chilling, but I find because I am making these rolled between plastic wrap, I can just make them right away without any refrigeration. 

Scoop 1 Tbsp scoops onto plastic wrap.  Place another piece of plastic wrap on top and gently roll with rolling pin into a circle of about 3 - 4" diameter (I roll one way partly, then turn and roll the other way until it's a circle).

Rolled out between plastic wrap - no sticking, no mess!

Place 1 tsp jam of your choice in the center. (High quality jam is recommended - I used a homemade raspberry jam and a peach jam for these.  You can also fill with a poppyseed filling, which is more traditional.) 

Neatly folded hamentashen. Just use the plastic wrap to help fold and pinch edges/corners.  

Pick up carefully and place on the parchment-lined pan.

Use the plastic wrap to help you fold and pinch sides of the cookie inward, folding up three times to make a triangular cookie.  Carefully use your fingers to gently transfer the filled cookie to a parchment-paper lined baking pan.   Repeat until you have 12 cookies on a tray.

A tray ready to bake!

Bake cookies at 375 F for 16-18 minutes.   I like to make up another tray while the first are baking.

Some jam will bubble up and over the cookies, but this is fine.  After you move them to the tray the jam will just be left on the parchment paper. 

After removing from oven, let the cookies rest 3-4 minutes before removing to a cooling tray to cool completely.

Cooling cookies! Yum! 

If you're not serving on the same day, store cooled cookies in a tightly sealed container.  They'll be just as delicious day 2!  Enjoy! 

The cookie dough was wonderfully flaky, as you can see here. 

Sweet & Spicy Baked Tilapia with Lime

Sweet & Spicy Baked Tilapia with Lime combines a blend of Mexican flavors with the sweetness of maple syrup and the tartness of lime.   Served alongside rice, quesadillas, sauteed onions and peppers, it's an easy to whip together, but absolutely delicious feast of a meal.  I cooked 2 lbs of fish, so we'd have leftovers for another day.   The fish would be perfect used for fish tacos.  You can use all the same toppings, but serve it inside the corn tortillas. 

Mexican-style Tilapia with all the trimmings - would you believe this was the plate handed to my nana for dinner?  She was one happy eater.

Sweet & Spicy Baked Tilapia with Lime

Preheat oven to 400 F.

On a foil-lined cookie sheet, place 1-2 lbs fresh tilapia filets.

Mix together in a small bowl:
3-4 Tbsp lime-infused olive oil (or olive oil + 2-3 tsp fresh lime juice)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli powder
pinch cayenne powder (for a spicier fish)

Spread spice mixture evenly over filets.   Top fish with thin slices of fresh lime. 

Topped with glaze and fresh lime and ready to bake.

Bake at 400 F for about 17-22 minutes, just until fully baked and fish flakes apart.

Serve alongside spicy rice (below), cheese quesadillas, fajita-style sauteed onion, green & red bell peppers (below), pineapple salsa (or salsa of your choice), guacamole, and canned green chilies for a Mexican-style feast!   The leftovers are just as delicious!  Yum! Enjoy!

Fish fresh out of the oven - yum!

Spicy Rice

For 1 cup rice, add to rice/water when beginning to cook, then cook as directed:
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder

You can add more spices, to taste, once the cooking is complete.  I like to serve the rice alongside canned green chilies which add a nice flavor that compliments the fish nicely.

Fajita-style sauteed onion, green & red bell peppers

Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and roasted to desired amount:
3-4 Tbsp oil (appropriate for high-heat cooking)
1 onion, sliced
1-2 green bell peppers, sliced
1-2 red bell peppers, sliced
salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste

This was my dinner plate - tilapia, rice, green chilies, pineapple salsa, guacamole, cheese quesadillas, sauteed peppers & onions. Mmm...  

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste

I have the hardest time finding curry pastes ready-made that have wholesome ingredients and the taste that I want.  This delicious homemade Thai red curry paste has exactly the flavors I want, plus I'm happy with all the ingredients that go into the paste.  I'm a fan of knowing what's in my food.  This red curry paste is wonderful mixed into rice & vegetables, mixed into an easy pumpkin soup to make a pumpkin curry soup (instructions at the bottom), or served alongside any dish that might benefit from a dollop of spice thrown in.  The best news is that if you don't want to use it right away, you can freeze it and use it anytime! Enjoy!

A delicious homemade Thai red curry paste.  

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste
Makes ~12 oz of curry paste

Remove stems and place in a glass bowl:
3 large, dried New Mexico Chili Peppers
10 small, dried chiles de arbol

Cover chili peppers with boiling water and let rest 10 minutes, then drain. *(yes, you can use fresh hot peppers, just use three large and 10 small fresh ones, coarsely diced, instead of re-hydrating)*

In a frying pan, heat over medium heat, just until fragrant (usually 1-2 minutes):
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin

In a blender or food processor, place the following:
1/2 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled and coarsely diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
1 tsp lobster bouillon base (I find lobster bouillon in a jar on the shelf near the chicken bouillon.)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt 
coriander & cumin, from above
chili peppers, from above, drained
1/2 cup avocado oil (or other oil good for cooking)

Process the curry paste well, blending until nice and smooth.  You can store this in a glass jar in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, or freeze for up to a year.  I like to freeze it flattened in a ziploc bag, so then I can break off pieces when I want to use them.   This is great to use in rice & vegetables, to make a pumpkin-curry soup, to make a regular curry dish w/ meat & vegetables.  I've even served it alongside a pork carnitas spread, and it added a nice bit of spice to the meal.

My favorite thing to do with this red curry paste is to saute up fresh vegetables and add in cooked rice, salt, pepper, and a few Tbsp of thai red curry paste, to taste.   Each time I've made the vegetables and rice it's gotten rave reviews, and lots of people going back for seconds! 

I cover and store the curry paste in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, using in all sorts of dishes! 

Thai red curry pumpkin soup - homemade pumpkin soup with a healthy dollop of homemade red curry paste and 1 cup canned coconut milk mixed in, topped with scallions, cilantro and cooked chicken.  So easy, and so delicious, and was perfect for a bookclub luncheon.