Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter cookies are one of my all time favorite cookie. Add chocolate chips to them and they go over the edge of yumminess. I made these using Pamela's Baking Mix because I love how the almond flour works in the recipe. You can use any gluten free baking mix you like best. Just remember to make adjustments if it doesn't include salt or baking powder or baking soda.  Below I will post my go to homemade mix when I make other types of cookies just in case you don't have any gluten free flour mix on hand.


Gluten Free Chewy Chocolate Chip
Peanut Butter Cookies


Ingredients:
2 cups Pamela's Baking Mix
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips


Directions:
Cream peanut butter, butter, and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla mix until combined. Stir in the gluten free baking mix. If at this point the dough looks way too wet (it will be wetter than traditional dough) then add about a tablespoon or so of flour mix. Stir in the chocolate chips. Scoop out balls of dough and placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet a few inches apart to allow for spreading. I use my sweeping cookie scoop here.  With a fork dipped in sugar, press down making criss-cross marks on the top of each ball. Bake in a 350F degree oven for 8-12 minutes depending on your oven. I like to turn my pan 180 degrees around 5 minutes in to ensure even cooking. This makes 1 dozen large cookies.

Notes:
Alternate gluten free flour blend: 1 cup plus 1 TBS brown rice flour, 1/3 cup corn or potato starch (both have worked for me), 3 TBS tapioca flour. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute all the flours. For this recipe you will also need 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt.
Parchment paper is so important when baking especially gluten free it keeps everything from sticking to the pan and makes clean up a whole lot easier. It is so worth the investment. Remember, parchment paper is not the same as wax paper.

Chocolate Recipe Resource

Mmmmmm Chocolate

I just picked this up at Target today.
Food Network Magazine's Chocolate Issue.
Because you know Chocolate is essential and I really need... ahem... um... want more chocolate recipes. Here is just a few that caught my eye.

Chocolate Waffles

Turkey Mole

Chocolate Cheesecake

Candy Bar Cake

3 - yes 3 - Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

Chocolate Ice Cubes

and of course 

50 different Brownie Recipes!

One really can't have enough chocolate can they?

 I foresee a lot of baking in my near future.

Dessert Menu Monday - Chocolate Cake

Kinza has an Easy Bake Oven and occasionally we pull it out and bake with it. On Saturday, we made chocolate cupcakes and Easy Bake Oven Chocolate Cake Surprise. I refuse to buy the little packets of barely edible mixes that cost $5 a pop so we use whatever I am already making. I let the kids put little pieces of chocolate in the middle of the pad and then put cake batter on top of it.

If you have never cooked with your kids I have to tell you, it is one of the most rewarding experiences you can do. I am now, going to share my recipe for chocolate cake mix chocolate cakes. I do not follow the box instructions for any cake I bake. For chocolate cake, I add a secret ingredient -- coffee. Here is how you bake a cake with kids.

In the morning brew your normal pot of coffee, but make sure you have some for the cake. Me, I always brew a full pot and then probably leave the last 8 to 12 ounces by the time I decide I have had enough. (Remember I do share with hubby so I am not actually drinking 52 ounces by myself.)

Put the baby down for a nap so you do not have to worry about her putting her hand in the bowl, or getting upset because she does not get to stir.

Get the Easy Bake out if you are going to bake with that. Make sure you plug it in to warm up.

Preheat your oven to what ever the back of the box says.

Get out the following ingredients:

• Chocolate cake mix (I like the ones with pudding in the mix.)
• Milk (I use milk instead of water.)
• Eggs (However many the box says. Bring them to room temperature if possible.)
• Butter (Use this instead of oil and melt it first so it is cool when the kids use it.)
• Coffee (I substitute part of the coffee for the milk. My box said 1 1/3 cup of water. So, I used 1 cup of milk and 1/3 cup of coffee.)
• Hershey Miniatures if you want to put a surprise in the middles

Make sure you have:

• Measuring cups
• Mixing bowl
• Wire whisk
• Greased pans (whatever you choose)

Make sure the kids have washed their hands.

Now I let the kids take turns putting in the ingredients.

• Kid 1 - Pour cake mix into bowl
• Kid 2 - Measure and pour milk into the bowl less 1/3 c
• Kid 3 - Measure and pour coffee.
• Kid 1 - Crack egg into mixture.
• Kid 2 - Crack egg into mixture. Fish out the eggshell while they are not looking.
• Kid 3 - Crack egg into mixture.
• Kid 1 - Pour melted butter into the mixture.
• Kid 2 - Start stirring
• Kid 3 - Take a turn stirring
• Kid 1 - Finish off the stirring
• Mommy - Make sure the cake has been stirred enough.
• Kids - Put their surprise into the little disks they call pans for the Easy Bake.
• Mommy - Carefully put a very small amount into the little pan for the Easy Bake Oven. I am serious. Do not over fill. Only 1 or 2 tablespoons will be plenty!

How do I know this? I overfilled all three of them. Yep I didn’t learn my lesson the first time. Cooking with the Easy Bake takes a lot of time if you have many kids wanting to do it. You can only cook one pan at a time. And, if you overfill, it takes longer for them to cook. Then in-between each pan you have to clear out as much of the mess as you can.

Get the baby who decided to wake up early from her nap. Get the baby distracted with other things so you can finish up and clean up the mess.

Then put the rest into greased or lined muffin tins and bake as directed. Then clean up like a mad woman as you only have 2 minutes to get it all cleaned up before the baby decides she really wants your attention.

Don't forget to take them out of the oven when they are done. And voila! Dessert. I don't bother frosting them. I save frosting for special occasions.

Okay, so I am sure everyone is saying to themselves, there is no way I am putting coffee in my chocolate cake. Coffee makes chocolate taste more like chocolate. It also helps keep the cake from being too sweet.

Cooking with your kids is essential to mommyhood. And chocolate cake is a fun and yummy cooking assignment.

Thursday Thirteen In My Pantry

13 Essential Items in My Pantry/Freezer

A peak into my kitchen here. I believe that the freezer is just the coldest part of the pantry. I also believe that a well stocked pantry is essential to life. If your pantry is stocked you can save money because you always have soemthing to make. A well stocked pantry means you are always able to feed company and anyone who is hungry. If you find yourself in an emergency, then you know you won't go hungry.

1 - Canned Fruit (Baby Gia's favorite food right now)
2 - Rice - White, Brown and Wild
3 - Dry Pasta - You name the type and I probably have it or it is on my list to get more of.
4 - Dry beans - I have several types.
5 - Canned Tomatoes - Sauce, Paste, Puree, Diced
6 - Flour - Right now, I have unbleached white, stone ground whole wheat, and graham.
7 - Cream of Soups - I know not the most healthy but they are important.
8 - Canned Tuna - The only fish I eat, I really cannot eat fish but tuna I can handle.
9 - Spices & Baking Essentials - I have everything well stocked so that I can always be ready to cook or bake anything.
10 - Coffee - Whole Bean in 4 different flavors in the freezer with some in the pantry I am currently using. And, chocolate covered coffee beans. - Because Coffee is essential.
11 - Meat frozen in meal portions.
12 - Sugar - Right now I have brown sugar, regular white sugar, raw sugar, confectioner's (powdered) sugar and granulated fructose. - I have to be ready for any dessert I cook.
13 - Chocolate - Cocoa powder, baking chocolate bars unsweetened, white chocolate baking bar, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, hot cocoa mix, Nesquick, boxed chocolates, bag of individually wrapped chocolates. - Because Chocolate is Essential

I have more stuff in my pantry but as this is a Thirteen list I guess I should stop.

Tonight's Dose of Chocolate

It is raining here and finally cold. Last night I was so cold I went to bed with a heating pad at my feet. Tonight I am warming up with a beautiful cup of hot cocoa. Tonight it is my daily dose of chocolate. So how do I make my perfectly beautiful cup of cocoa? Well… with just basic packets of hot cocoa on hand, I can still make a cup of cocoa that tastes like it is made with the finest ingredients.

My cup of choice is first rinsed with hot tap water to get the cup hot to start with. Then I put my cocoa in the bottom of the cup. I slowly add some flavored creamer to the cup while stirring vigorously with a fork. This incorporates air and gets all the powder dissolved. Then I carefully pour in the very hot water while still stirring. Now, I do not vigorously stir, as splashing or worse spilling very hot water is not a pleasant experience especially if chocolate is involved.

When the cup is full, I sit back, and enjoy. The top of the cocoa is foamy and thick and the flavor of the creamer makes the hot chocolate so rich and yummy. It tastes designer however, it is so much better because I did not have to leave the house to get it.