Choco Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a recipe I had blogged about over on my personal blog last year. I just made these babies again today, and thought I would share them with you. I am keeping my original post, which will follow this little note, but wanted to add some new substitutions...

In place of the powdered honey, you can use regular sugar or coconut sugar. You might consider lowering the amount to 2/3 cup instead of a full cup to cut down on the sweetness. (These guys are really sweet).

In place of eggs, you can use unsweetened applesauce, (I am following a vegan diet as of late, and so tonight when I made these I used 1/4 cup + 1/8 Cup applesauce instead of the eggs and it worked perfectly). A word to the wise, adding applesauce in place of eggs adds sweetness to an already sweet cookie.

In place of the Peanut butter, you can substitute almond butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter or natural peanut butter. I would recommend using a nut butter that is less sweetened than commercial nut butters. I always prefer to make my own, but you can of course use commercial products with great success. Because of my sugar issues, (and if you want to make this refined sugar free) I would recommend using either an unsweetened nut butter, or one sweetened with either agave or palm sugar, or (if you like) something like turbinado or "raw" cane sugar.

For the chocolate chips, you can either use regular chocolate chips, (as shown in the pictures) or a product like Enjoy life semi sweet chocolate chips, or make chocolate chunks from my Chocolat recipe.

My husband who eats what he pleases ate quite a bit of these tonight when he came home from work. So, if you don't want anyone to know that these cookies are "allergen friendly" then don't tell them. I have found that when you introduce something that you have made, no matter how delicious it is, as "gluten free," "Dairy free," etc people decide right then and there that it isn't going to taste good. So, if it comes up, tell them, but if not, let them enjoy it, and you can smile to yourself that you made something that JUST ABOUT ANYONE CAN EAT that is delicious. 

NOW ON TO THE ORIGINAL POST:

Well, nothing says delicious like chocolate and peanut butter! I received a cookie recipe that is FLOURLESS from my husband's step-mom, but it is just peanut butter. Although they taste good, I am always looking for ways to add more deliciousness to existing recipes. I love to tweak things and make them my own.

We're lucky I got what pictures I did! Husband came home last night and saw them in the fridge and scarfed down half of them! Then, this morning, my sweetheart let me sleep while he took care of little man, and by the time I got up there were only two left. That's right, Ez had a LOT of cookies for breakfast. That's okay. It's not like mommy hasn't been guilty of chocolate cake breakfasts, or cookies for dinner.

So, on to the recipe!

1 Cup powdered honey (or you can use sugar)
2 eggs (I use Large eggs)
1 Tbsp gluten free vanilla (no caramel coloring allowed!)
3/4 Cup Peanut Butter (I use Skippy Natural-Delicious!)
1/3 Cup cocoa powder (I buy it in bulk at the Natural food store)
1 Cup Semi Sweet chocolate chips

Put powdered honey, eggs and vanilla in a bowl and mix it for about a minute or two until it's nice and creamy. Then add the peanut butter, and cocoa powder and mix for another minute. Add the chocolate chips and just mix until they are well mixed in.

If the cookie dough makes it from this stage to the pans, GOOD JOB!

With whatever dough you have left, (ha ha) use a teaspoon to put down some dollops on to an ungreased cookie sheet, (I have wilton non stick cookie sheets, but I don't think it really matters) flatten them a little, (mine were about 1/4 inch thick) with the back of a spoon or fork, (or wet fingers) and place them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes. Pull them out and make sure they aren't gooey. You can continue to cook them for another 2 minutes if you think they aren't finished yet. Be careful though, because they can burn pretty fast!

Now, pull them out, let them cool, eat and enjoy. (If you get one before they are scarfed up by your family!)

 

 

With Love,
Suz

If you are new to this...

I wanted to write a post about some things that maybe will make the transition to the gluten free lifestyle a little smoother. When we found out my son couldn't have gluten, (even a tiny bit) he was two months shy of his 2nd birthday. I went gluten free to help him transition, so he wouldn't be eating foods that were so different from Mom and Dad... then I figured out that I too have a problem with gluten.

Now, I haven't been diagnosed a Celiac, and neither has my son, but both of us have multiple symptoms of the Celiac "Disease", in fact my son has ALL symptoms of childhood CD. But at the prompting of his pediatrician, we decided not to have the test done. There were numerous factors involved in this decision. Our doctor helped us understand what would be at risk if we were diagnosed. My son could potentially have problems getting insured because CD is only managed by following a gluten free diet. Because there is no magic pill, a lot of insurances consider it a pre-existing condition. We would have to let him eat Gluten for a while before he is tested, so that the test can be as accurate as possible. This would not only make him very sick, but do damage to his healing intestines, and even then, the tests aren't always accurate. Then our doctor asked me the question that cinched the decision. "What are you going to do if he tests positive?" I said, "Do what we are already doing." He said, "Exactly. If there is a need in the future, do it then, but as of right now, you don't need a diagnosis to do what is best for your son." I wanted to hug him right then and there. I had struggled for a while with what to feed him, and scrutinizing every last ingredients list, and I was feeling like I was failing my son in some way. It was then that I realized, because the doctor told me how pleased he was with my son's growth and recognizing it was because I was doing everything I could to ensure his health was where it should be, that I can do this. I absolutely can do this. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it downright sucks, but the benefits of this lifestyle have far outweighed any downsides.

So, for those of you who may be in the boat I was in a little while back, I want this site to be a place that brings you that comfort that my visit with the pediatrician brought me. YOU CAN DO THIS! YOU ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING!

When this all started, we ate only rice. My husband was cheap, and I was astounded at the cost of pre-packaged GF foods. So, we started with the basics.

We cook a larger batch of BROWN RICE, and store it in the fridge, so that it is ALWAYS on hand for a quick fix. That way, we can add all sorts of things to it.

Here is a list of foods I keep on hand in the pantry:
RICE
MILLET
QUINOA
DON JULIO CORN TORTILLAS (I keep these in the fridge)
LA CHOY SOY SAUCE (It can be found in most grocery stores. It doesn't contain wheat)
CANNED FRUIT PACKED IN JUICE OR WATER
CANNED BEANS (Check labels always on canned goods)
DRY BEANS
TINKYADA GLUTEN FREE PASTA
BROWN RICE FLOUR
WHITE RICE FLOUR
GUAR GUM OR XANTHAN GUM (Guar is less expensive)
TAPIOCA STARCH
POTATO STARCH
SORGHUM FLOUR
COCONUT FLOUR
COCOA POWDER
FLAX MEAL (You can keep this in the fridge)
PURE MAPLE SYRUP (I buy Spring tree)
AGAVE NECTAR (raw only)
RAW HONEY
RAW ALMONDS
RAW SUNFLOWER SEEDS
RAW CASHEWS
DATES
DRIED FRUITS (Check ingredients)
OLIVE OIL
SPECTRUM PALM SHORTENING (non-hydrogenated)
COCONUT OIL (I don't use this a ton, but it's nice to have on hand)
PALM SUGAR (I am refined sugar free, so this is the sugar I keep on hand)
SKIPPY NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER (or SUN BUTTER if you are peanut free)
BOB'S RED MILL MIGHTY TASTY HOT CEREAL (I use this in place of oatmeal)
CHEX CEREAL (Rice, Corn, Cinnamon, Chocolate)


Here is a list of foods I keep on hand that are NATURALLY GLUTEN FREE:
All sorts of fresh FRUIT (organic)
All sorts of fresh VEGETABLES (organic)
MEATS (un-marinated)
HOMEMADE CASHEW MILK

Some of my favorite pre packaged foods/snacks that I buy that are GLUTEN FREE:
LARABARS (Or make them yourself)
PURE BARS
LAYS POTATO CHIPS (Classic)
SIMPLY FRUIT ROLL-UPS ( just fruit and fruit juice)
TREE TOP FRUIT SNACKS (These are GF, but I rarely buy them anymore)
SWEDISH FISH (These are usually SPECIAL treats for my son... I don't keep them in the house)
DUM-DUM'S (These are also occasional treats for my son)
RAW TRAIL MIX (You can make your own)
BLUE DIAMOND NUT CRACKERS
UDI'S GLUTEN FREE BREAD (Both the multi grain and the white are awesome)
VEGENAISE
CHEX CEREALS (obviously not Wheat Chex)
GLUTEN FREE POTATO SHREDS (Frozen. READ INGREDIENTS. NOT ALL SHREDS ARE GLUTEN FREE)

One thing that you should DEFINITELY DEFINITELY have on hand ALWAYS:
PROBIOTICS!!! This will help heal the damage that has been done to the intestine. In our house we use: GARDEN OF LIFE RAW PROBIOTICS which are gluten/dairy/soy free. KEEP THIS REFRIGERATED.

I CAN NOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD QUALITY PROBIOTIC FOR THE HEALING OF THE INTESTINES, AND THE IMMUNE ISSUES THAT CELIACS HAVE.

I want to say something that I only found out after I transferred my son to soy milk. TOO MUCH Soy can be harmful to the development of hormones in little boys. Soy contains phyto-estrogens, which can hinder their reproductive health. (I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but this was told to me by a nutritionist). My son is now off of all soy, and is now on rice milk, or homemade almond or cashew milk.

CHECK ALL INGREDIENTS IN PACKAGED FOOD. WHEAT IS IN SO MUCH! Here is a list of ingredients that contain gluten. 

A few of my favorite BOOKS:
COOKING FOR ISAIAH (this book is GREAT for people cooking GF for children)
SIMPLY SUGAR AND GLUTEN FREE
THE SPUNKY COCONUT
THE WHOLE LIFE NUTRITION KITCHEN

I hope this post helped. I honestly wish I had found a list of things to keep on hand when I was first starting out. But if you have more questions, there is a big list of my favorite gluten free blogs in the side bar. ALL OF THESE SITES ARE GREAT RESOURCES!

Good luck! And I promise this change will make all the difference!

Susan

Also, a word to the wise... MOST RESTAURANTS HAVE INGREDIENTS/ALLERGEN INFORMATION ON THEIR WEBSITES. ALWAYS ALWAYS CHECK FIRST.

Example: NO FAST FOOD HASHBROWNS ARE SAFE FOR CELIACS! And McDonald's french fries CONTAIN WHEAT STARCH! Just double check before going out.

The Godfeather pizza

This is my entry for the Pizza Fest 2011 over on ATX Gluten Free.

In my hometown of Chico, California, there is a kitschy little pizza joint called Celestino's, where the service is bad, but you keep going back for the pizza slices. They have an AMAZING pizza there called the Godfather. It is the most glorious gluten filled deliciousness you've ever had. (I LOVE PIZZA). It has a relatively thin crust, (which is gigantic), red sauce, pesto, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and sun dried tomatoes.  It is a large slice of heaven, I assure you.

Well, I haven't been back home in a long time, and even if I had been back, I wouldn't be able to enjoy my favorite pizza place.

But there is one thing that I DO NOT MISS about eating my favorite food. The heaviness I felt afterward, and the immense stomach problems that were inevitable, followed close behind by my unexplainable headaches... (This was before I realized I couldn't tolerate gluten or dairy)...

So, here is my version of the Godfather. I call it the Godfeather because it is a featherweight compared to it's opponent. It's smaller, pint-sized in comparison, and much healthier... it also happens to be gluten, refined sugar, and dairy free. Because it is something my body doesn't try to reject, I feel a hundred pounds lighter after I eat a slice of mine, versus how I felt when I ate the "real" thing.

So, without further ado... I offer you

THE GODFEATHER

For this pizza crust, I simply followed the instructions for making Silvana Nardone's pizza crust in her book Cooking for Isaiah. (I highly recommend this book. It is absolutely 100% worth the investment)!

I made my own pesto, following my pesto recipe, though this time, I omitted the cheese. 

I used about a 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes from one of my favorite stores, (SUNFLOWER FARMERS MARKET).

I also used some freshly diced white mushrooms, (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

I omitted the heavy red sauce that the original Godfather calls for, as well as the ricotta cheese. 


So, take your pizza crust, spread the pesto like you would sauce, then add the sun dried tomatoes and the mushrooms, and top with as much daiya cheese as you want. (By the way, you can add as MUCH or as LITTLE of the toppings that you want). 

My 3 year old, who (heaven knows how this happened) isn't a big pizza fan, scarfed it up. That says a lot, people!

Pop it in the oven, wait as patiently as possible for it to cook, slice it and enjoy!

Win a Cuisinart!

Simply... Gluten Free is GIVING AWAY a BRAND NEW FOOD PROCESSOR! Follow this link to the contest to enter!

FREE CUISINART GIVEAWAY AT SIMPLY... GLUTEN FREE!

Good luck! See you soon with a new recipe! :)

Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE BLOGS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD is Simply Sugar & Gluten Free, which is written beautifully by Amy Green. (She has a book coming out in March, and it's on Pre-order right now through Amazon- I ordered mine already and can't wait for it to get here)!

Every week Amy gets people from all over to post links to their blogs. It's called Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. And this week, I am joining in! I love her blog and so this is a perfect opportunity to invite you to check it out.

My recipe for Chocolate Chunk Cookies is over there today! I'm so excited to share in this!

Check it out here.