I'm always playing around with favorite recipes - and this one came from just such an experiment.  I wanted something along the line of a favorite cookie, my amazing brownie chocolate chip swirl cookie, but easier.  This is perfect!  Easy as can be, but looks fancy - and has such a fun taste with the dark chocolate swirls and lighter swirls.  Yum! 

Yummy easy swirled chocolate chip cookies! 

Easy Swirl Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes ~36 cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 3 pans with parchment paper. 

Mix in a large cereal bowl/small mixing bowl: 

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Mix in a second large cereal bowl/small mixing bowl: 

1/4 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Cream together until light and fluffy: 

1/2 cup butter, softened/half melted works great

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp brown sugar 

.

Add and mix in: 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

Light and fluffy butter mixture

Mix half the butter/egg mixture into each flour bowl.   

Scoop the batters side by side on a piece of plastic wrap.  Roll into a log.  Cut open one end.  Put the log into a freezer ziploc and cut the corner ~ 1/2".  

Scooped side by side, then rolled into a log to put into a ziploc.  

Pipe swirls of dough onto the parchment-lined pans.  Aim for the size cookies you'd make with 1 - 2 Tbsp size scoops.

Swirled cookies, ready to bake.

They flatten as they bake, so I didn't bother trying to flatten any ends poking up.  This photo gives you an idea of how much to pipe so they don't end up running into each other as they spread. 

Bake cookies at 350 F for 8-10 minutes until light to medium browned.  Cool on pan for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack to fully cool.  Leftovers freeze perfectly. Enjoy! 

Fresh from the oven, the same pan as from the above photo! 

Some of the first try of cookies stuck together - which my kids think means they can eat those clusters each as "one cookie". Ha! 

Easy Swirl Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 Oh my gosh, this is SO delicious.  Unless you're my youngest who dislikes spinach and/or feta cheese in which case it tastes "strong" and may not be your favorite. The BEST thing about this spinach-feta stuffed bread is that once cooled and sliced, this freezes perfectly.  This has been a great addition to our school and work lunch repertoire!  It'll thaw to room temperature by lunchtime. Works great! *As an extra side note: you can fill these with sauce and cheese, like you would a pizza, too to make a sort of calzone-style bread!* Enjoy! 

Slice of freshly made Spinach-Feta Stuffed Bread. Yum!

Some made with the spinach and feta filling, and some filled with sauce and cheese, like a pizza. 

Sliced and ready to serve!  Was a perfect dish to bring along for a group get-together. 

Spinach-Feta Stuffed Bread

Preheat oven to 425 - 450 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

*Note: you can fill these with sauce and cheese, like you would a pizza, too!* Works great!

Mix together, and set aside: 

500 g bag frozen diced spinach, thawed and drained (I squeeze to remove as much water as possible)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

2 - 4 Tbsp grated parmesan

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 egg

Note: In order to make 2 trays, each with 2 loaves instead of 1 tray with 3 loaves, I increased the dough amount by 50% (i.e. 4.5 cups flour, 3 tsp xanthan, 1.5 Tbsp rapid yeast, etc.) and made a couple of them more pizza-like in filling. Worked great! 

In a large mixer, combine: (It's important to mix dry ingredients first in GF baking to avoid clumps)

3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

2 tsp xanthan gum (yes, extra is needed)

1 Tbsp rapid-rise yeast

1 Tbsp minced dried onion (optional)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

Add, and beat 2-3 minutes, until nice and smooth: 

2 1/3 cup milk, room temperature

2 eggs

While the bread is mixing, in a small bowl melt: 

1/4 cup salted butter

Put bread dough into a large freezer ziploc.  Cut 1/2" - 3/4" corner of the ziploc. Pipe 3 long ovals, each with 3 strips of batter onto a parchment-lined pan. You'll want to aim to use no more than 2/3 of the total dough, so you have enough to pipe on top. 

Dough piped onto the pan, ready to smooth and spread with wet ands

Use wet hands over each loaf to flatten/smooth each bottom. I like to leave a bit of a lip to the edges to help the filling inside. 

Spread the piped dough out with wet hands (or you can use extra butter and the back of a spoon, but I find it isn't needed - so just use wet hands. 

Evenly divide the spinach-cheese filling between the loaves.  (Optional: you can fill with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese, add a little of the spinach-feta filling (if desired), and add a bit extra parmesan.)

All spinach-feta on the left, and half spinach-feta and some pizza-style on the right (also increased the dough by 50% so a bit larger final bake overall).

Sprinkled a bit of extra parmesan overtop before piping on the zigzags for these ones. 

Pipe zigzags or stripes across the top of each loaf. You want to make sure the filling isn't fully covered, so the filling and dough can breathe while baking.  

you can get creative with your piping. Just make sure to have gaps so the filling and dough breathes while baking. 

Piped zigzags onto these ones - then some extra zigs and zags on one pan since I'm not the best at guessing how much to pipe.  No worries! They all turn out great!

Again, use the back of a spoon to spread the remaining melted butter over the top of the dough. You can use the butter and spoon to help smooth and flatten the loaf tops - and help smooth together edges of bottom and top crust!  Drizzle any extra melted butter overtop before baking! Yum!  The more you smooth the edges from the top into the bottom, the less it will separate while baking. But it's a very forgiving recipe! 

Optional - on top of butter brushed loaves sprinkle: 

grated parmesan

crushed red pepper

Sprinkled with a big of extra parmesan and crushed red pepper after brushing with butter.  

Bake your loaves at 425 - 450 F for 27 - 30 minutes until a nice brown. Remove from pan (and parchment) and cool on a wire cooling rack.  We've eaten this fresh from the oven and let cool to slice for later. Enjoy! 

On the pan, fresh from the oven!

GF Spinach and Feta Bread transferred to a cooling rack. 

The more pizza-styled ones, fresh from the oven. 

Transferred to a pan to cool! Yum! 

Once sliced, these freeze perfectly and work SO great to take for lunches!  I slice and put them in tupperware or ziplocs.  Enjoy! 

Ready to freeze! My daughter loves these for her school lunches.

Spinach-Feta Stuffed Bread Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free! 

 These GF chocolate donuts are a-maz-ing!  I am so grateful leftovers freeze perfectly so we aren't tempted to eat the whole batch at once.  If yeast makes you nervous, no worries!  I have lots of donut hole recipes that don't use yeast - like these glazed chocolate donut holes or these chocolate coconut donut holes.  However, if you're up for it, these raised chocolate donuts are absolutely delicious. Enjoy! 

A delicious gluten-free chocolate donut.

Freshly glazed GF Chocolate Raised Donuts!

Chocolate Raised Donuts!

Makes 24 donuts

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper cut into 12 pieces (for piping donuts).

Mix together in a mixer: 

1/2 cup cocoa powder (light vs dark will affect the overall flavor, so use what you like!)

1/2 cup white rice flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp rapid-rise/quick yeast

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Add, then beat until nice and smooth, 2-3 minutes: 

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk, warmed

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Put batter into a large freezer ziploc.  Snip 1/2" off one corner.  Pipe donut rounds onto each of the pre-cut pieces of parchment paper.  Lightly smooth the piped donuts with water, as needed.  Let rise in a warm location for 20-30 minutes.  

Piping each donut onto a separate piece of parchment paper makes it easy to lift and lower into the oil. The parchment will pop off the oil in the fryer, and you can just lift it out! 

While donuts are rising, you can heat your oil.  I like to use avocado oil for frying, but you can use canola or whatever kind you prefer for frying.  Heat to ~165C - 170C / 325 F - 338 F.   Using the pieces of parchment paper, gently lower the donuts into the oil in small batches (this depends on the size of your fryer or pot used for frying - I can usually fry 6-8 at a time).  Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until nicely cooked. 

Frying the donuts. Once they've puffed up and the bottoms are darkened, you can flip them. 

After being flipped - I find 2-3 minutes per side works perfectly. These aren't large donuts. 

Remove donuts from fryer and place on a paper towel-lined pan.  

Freshly out of the fryer, and ready to glaze.

Whisk together the following, and dip the top of warm/hot donuts into the glaze: 

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla 

cold water, to a thin dipping consistency

Put dipped donuts on a fresh parchment-lined pan.  They're ready to eat!  You can eat them hot or let them cool.  

Dipped donuts on a parchment-lined pan to cool (or taste-test)

Cooled donuts can be frozen in a freezer Ziploc and thawed/heated to eat anytime.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Raised Donuts Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 This recipe came about because: 1) I have and excessive number of jars of green curry paste desperately needing to be used (I'm not really sure why I ended up with so many, but if I had to point fingers I'd guess my dad picked them up when he visited - lest we run out of curry paste).  And, 2) We had a delicious vegetable green curry at a Thai restaurant in Halifax and they used eggplant and bamboo shoots in it. Then, 3) I found the most adorable little eggplants at a grocery store.  Voila! Meant to be!  Enjoy! 

Eggplant and veggie-filled green curry over rice! Yum!

Green Curry with Eggplant

Sauté 3-4 min: 

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2-3 carrots, thinly sliced

Add, sauté 3-4 minutes

4 mini eggplants, coarsely diced (OR 1 large eggplant)

Add, sauté 2-3 min

2 small zucchinis

1-2 tsp minced fresh garlic (or 2 tsp freeze-dried minced garlic)

Add and stir 1 minute: 

1/2 container bamboo shoots, drained & rinsed

200 - 300 g Thai green chili paste

Add, bring to boil, lower and simmer ~20 minutes until vegetables are desired softness, stirring occasionally:

1 can coconut milk

2 - 3 cup GF chicken broth/stock

1 Tbsp GF fish sauce

1 - 2 tsp GF soy sauce or Bragg's soy seasoning

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 or 2 kaffir lime leaves (remove before serving) OR juice of 1/2 fresh lime

1/2 - 1 tsp dried basil (or 1 Tbsp fresh Thai basil leaves, diced)

1/2 - 1 tsp dried cilantro (or 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, diced)

Serve over rice. Enjoy! 

Green Curry with Eggplant Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free! 

 One of those things I always seem to have extras of is overripe bananas.  People want bananas, but they don't want overripe bananas.  Luckily, they're perfect for baking!  Another thing I always seem to have a lot of is frozen wild blueberries.  Perfect combination here!  This banana-blueberry bread is a less sweet bread version of one of our favorite mini dessert blueberry-banana cakes with cream cheese frosting, which we highly recommend. 

Yummy GF Banana-Blueberry Bread, fresh from the oven!

Banana-Blueberry Bread - low sugar!

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 3 mini bread pans with parchment paper.

In a mixer, combine: 

2 large overripe bananas (or 3 small overripe bananas)

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup oil 

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract

Add and mix in: 

1 1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Fold/mix in: 

1/2 - 3/4 cup tiny frozen blueberries 

Divide batter between the 3 prepared pans.  

Divided between the 3 pans. I just smooth the top quickly with the back of the spatula.

Bake at 350 F for ~35 minutes, until a rich golden brown.  Let rest 5 minutes in pan before removing from pan and parchment paper to cooling rack to cool.  Slice and enjoy!  (I find this bread slices pretty nicely even when warm)

Banana Blueberry Bread - low sugar recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

It's fall! These are such a delicious puffy, pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.  You don't have to flatten these, but it's nice dipped in sugar and flattened slightly before baking.  A perfect fall treat, or for anytime when you have some extra cooked or canned pumpkin you'd like to use. I have lots of pumpkin recipes linked from my fresh pumpkin puree and pumpkin seed recipe, too! Enjoy! 

Fresh from the oven - delicious puffy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Makes ~36 (depends on the size of cookies you make)

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.

Mix together, then set aside:
1 1/2 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
1 1/2 cups sweet white rice flour (or plain white rice flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
large pinch ground cloves

Beat together:
12 Tbsp (3/4 cup) butter, softened
1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar

Add and mix until combined:
2 cups homemade pumpkin puree or 100% canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Add dry ingredients and mix until combined (don't overmix).   Scoop 1 or 2 Tbsp sized scoops onto prepared pan.  

Mixed, just until combined.  Ready to scoop!

Optional: Put ~1/4 cup white sugar on a plate. Dip a flat bottomed glass into some white sugar and gently flatten each cookie.  

1 Tbsp scoops - unflattened (left) and flattened with a bit of sugar (right) before baking

2 Tbsp scoops, just flattened gently with the back of the scooper, before and after baking.

Bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies at 375 for ~10-12 minutes for 1 Tbsp size and ~14-15 minutes for 2 Tbsp size.   Let rest a few minutes on pan before removing to wire rack to fully cool.   Leftovers freeze perfectly.  Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 This is a fun modification on one of our favorite naan bread recipes - a perfect use for the late summer/early fall peppers and tomatoes.  A bit of extra garlic added to these is delicious!  You can easily adjust the amount and types of spicy peppers you use depending on your preferred level of spice.  The seeds are the spiciest part of hot peppers, so make sure to remove those if you want less spice.  Enjoy! 

Fresh from the oven - delicious garlic-y naan topped with spicy peppers and thinly sliced tomatoes. Yum!

Fresh tomatoes and spicy peppers, ready to be used for the naan! 

Naan with Spicy Peppers and Tomatoes

Makes 12 small/medium sized ovals of naan

Preheat oven to 475 F (450 F convection).  Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Slice and set aside: 

3-5 hot chili peppers, variety, thinly sliced (remove seeds for less spice)

~4 small/medium or ~12 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

In a mixer combine:

3 cups Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp rapid-rise (quick) yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried coriander (optional)

1 tsp baking powder

Add and combine:

2 1/4 cup milk (lactose or dairy-free works well, room temperature is ideal)

2 eggs

1-2 tsp fresh minced garlic

Beat 3 - 4 minutes, until nice and smooth.  

While the bread is mixing, in a small bowl melt:
1/2 cup salted butter

Spread four ovals of naan bread batter on each of the three parchment paper using a spatula, making 12 small/medium sized oval naan breads.  

Spreading while holding the parchment can be a little tricky, but this is the look you're aiming for! 

 Divide the hot pepper and tomato slices evenly on the naan bread.  If desired, sprinkle some fresh ground pepper over the bread.  Brush the tops of each with the melted butter (~2 tsp butter per naan works great).   You can let the breads rest for 15-20 minutes, if you want slightly puffier bread, but it's not necessary.  I usually cook one pan immediately while the other two rise, since I can only put 2 pans in the oven at a time. 

Naan topped with tomatoes and peppers, ready to be brushed with butter. 

Bake the naan at 475 F for ~12-15 minutes until nicely browned and bubbly.  (Lightly browned naan 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).

Fresh from the oven!  It's SO delicious. 

If you don't want the peppers or tomatoes on your naan, this recipe does work well for smaller garlic naan breads, as well.  Just brush with butter and bake.  

Naan with Spicy Peppers and Tomatoes Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!