Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies, with a Fluffer Twist!

I love a PB&J sandwich and I love cookies.  You, too?  I combined the two for this sweet treat.  And then I gave them a twist with marshmallow fluff, Fluffer Nutter Butters if you will.  Get your peanut butter ready, you need to make these!

Peanut Butter Cookies (Makes 30 cookies or 15 sandwich cookies)
1 stick Earth Balance Vegan Butter
1/2 cup peanut butter, I use creamy natural
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla bean paste
1 1/2 cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 cup additional sugar (for rolling cookies in)

1/2 cup of your favorite jam (I use an all-fruit spread)

 

In bowl of stand mixer, beat peanut butter, Earth Balance, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, a couple of minutes on medium.  Add eggs and vanilla bean paste, mixing until well combined.  With mixer on low, add in flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix until combined.

Put your dough into the refrigerator for a couple of hours.  I've put mine in the freezer when I'm in a real big hurry but the refrigerator is best. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper. 

Roll dough into 1" balls.  Roll in the extra 1/4 cup of sugar.  Place on baking sheet and flatten a little bit with the back of a spoon.  If you like the look of a traditional peanut butter cookie, you can use the tines of a fork to create a cross hatch pattern. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are slightly browned.  Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.  I love this spatula from OXO for this job.  

Once completely cool, pair up the cookies with a similar shape and size buddy.  Spread a generous teaspoon of filling on one cookie, top with its mate.  

Fluffer Nutter Butter Twist

If you like the combination of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, you'll love this!

Make one batch of this marshmallow fluff from 1FineCookie or buy the store bought kind if you must.  I've mentioned numerous times, like here and here, how much I love the 1FineCookie fluff.  I will never buy store bought fluff again, even though I like a convenience product now and again.  This fluff is simply divine. 

When you roll the dough into balls, roll it in sugar and flatten it slightly into a shape that reminds you of a circus peanut.  It's sort of a log shape that you squeeze together in the middle.  Place on baking sheet and use a fork to create lines in the cookie.  Bake as above.

After cooling, spread with the yummy fluff instead of using jam.  So good!

A Tip For You:

This dough freezes really well.  If you want to make just a few cookies, freeze the rest of the dough for another time.  I like to keep a little cookie dough in the freezer for impromptu visits from friends.  A quick sweet to share makes visits even more fun! 

Fauxstess Cupcakes, gluten- and dairy-free

Next month it will be three years since I've had any of those store-bought snack cakes.  You know the ones, cream-filled, individually wrapped in plastic, full of ingredients you can't pronounce.

That sounds appetizing, huh?  Well, I have to confess I actually miss a few of those things.  I have seen quite a few recipes floating around the internet and in cookbooks for fake Hostess/Fauxstess cupcakes but had not come across one that fit my dietary requirements, so I set off to make one that would quell my desire for a store bought chocolate cupcake with creamy filling and waxy frosting with a white squiggle on top.

And here's the thing...I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, so the cake is actually good.  I also worked on getting the creme filling to taste just like I remember, except I used no dairy and only ingredients I could pronounce.  And then I dipped it in store bought frosting.  I didn't want to totally stray from this cupcake's roots, getting all fancy and pure.  I felt it needed just a little not-so-good-for-you, a little naughty in it somewhere.

Speaking of the frosting, I had a scary run-in with gluten at the grocery store.  On the rare occasions when I've used canned frosting, I've gone with a name brand.  At least two of them are clearly labeled gluten-free.  I picked up a can of the store brand frosting and I'll be darned if it didn't include wheat starch in the ingredients.  So choose carefully, y'all!

Fauxstess Cupcakes, gluten- and dairy-free
Makes 12

Chocolate Cupcakes

1/2 cup Green's Amber Ale, Gluten Free
1/2 stick plus 1 T. Earth Balance vegan butter
1/3 cup Askinosie cocoa powder
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream substitute
2 eggs
 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup almond meal/flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup teff flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line muffin tins with 12 cupcake papers.

Combine the beer and butter substitute, chopped into small pieces, in a large sauce pan.  Heat to melt butter.  Remove from heat, whisk in cocoa and brown sugar.

In mixer bowl, mix non-dairy sour cream and eggs with vanilla extract.  Add beer mixture.  Whisk together flours and soda in separate bowl and then mix into liquid mixture.  Pour a scant 1/3 cup of batter into cupcake papers and bake for 25 minutes.  A toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean when done.  Cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Cream Filling
Inspired by this recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, one of my very favorite blogs!

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup vegetable shortening (I use Crisco sticks)
3 T. cold Earth Balance vegan butter, cut into pieces

To make the filling:  In the bowl of stand mixer, combine powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add boiling water and whip with the whisk attachment on medium until smooth and cool, about room temperature.   Add Crisco and Earth Balance, beat on medium until combined.  Bump speed up to high for 4-5 minutes, until smooth, fluffy, shiny and about twice the volume. (I dare you to not eat a bunch of it right off of the whisk...)


Frosting
1 can of your favorite chocolate frosting, just make sure it is gluten-free and dairy-free.   

Assembling
Once cupcakes have cooled and you've made the filling, now you need to fill them.  I use this gadget from Williams-Sonoma, but a large open tip on a pastry bag works just as well.  Insert the tip into the top of the cupcake (you don't need to cut out any of the cake, just have at it) and pipe in filling until you notice the top of the cupcake swelling.  That means the cupcake is full of yummy filling!

Next, put the container of frosting in the microwave.  Make sure all of the foil safety seal is removed before you do this.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir.  Continue heating in 15 second increments until the frosting folds back into itself when drizzled off of a spoon.  Invert the cupcakes and dip into the frosting.

After dipping them, place them on a rack.  Once the frosting has set up, you can pipe a cute swirly line on top if you'd like.  I used leftover filling for the first batch of these to make the swirly line and on the second batch I used a bit of leftover buttercream from another project.  Both worked really well. 

There you have it, a gluten-free, dairy-free cupcake that tastes almost like it came from a cardboard box.  Well, not exactly but you get what I'm saying.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.  They were like a store bought treat, only better. 

So tell me, what store bought treat do you miss?  Any of those Little Debbie treats you'd love to de-gluten?

A Sweet Giveaway

Just a quick note to let all of you Sweet folks know I'm hosting a Plum District giveaway over at Johnna52. 

Click on through for your chance to win a six-month subscription for Gfree Cuisine, an on-line menu planning and grocery list generating service. 

See you soon right here with more Sweet recipes!

Peach Bourbon Push-Up Pops

Ever since I received a review copy of Courtney Dial Whitmore's Push Up Cake Pops book, I've been a little obsessed with the push up pop. I can't stop thinking about things to put inside these little contraptions that remind me of childhood frozen treats.

The cookbook is so easy to use for us gluten-free folks, even though it isn't a gluten-free cookbook.  The majority of the recipes modify easily.  The book is also full of great inspiration and beautiful photos.  I've been inspired by it to move beyond and create my own push up cake pop recipe.

This recipe uses a delicious almond bourbon cake I've recently developed, peaches (I used frozen Palisades peaches I put up last Summer) and marshmallow fluff buttercream, my latest frosting creation.  These go together quickly and have been well-received by my test audiences, which have ranged in age from 7 to 73. 

I'm still unsure on how practical the Push-Up Cake Pops really are.  The ones I have used came with a lid, which made them transport well.  A friend took one home in her purse and it arrived intact.  So that's nice but the trouble I'm having is that I like each bite to have a little cake, a little frosting, a little fruit.  I haven't figured out quite how to make that happen.  And one last point of concern for me, I served these at a party and I don't think most folks considered the container to be re-usable.  Next time I would put a container for the empties near the dessert table.  I bought my containers here and they were quite affordable, but they are re-usable and I like that from a green perspective, not just a frugal one. 

Alright, here we go.  Enjoy these  Really, what's not to like? Peaches, bourbon, marshmallow...

Peach Bourbon Push-Up Cake Pops
(Makes 15)


Cake:
1 cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
1 cup almond meal
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. Earth Balance non-dairy butter, softened
1/2 cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
5 large eggs
5 T. bourbon (or 1/4 cup plus 1 T. if you prefer)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine wet ingredients using a hand mixer, mixing until well combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Mix well, this makes a thick batter.

Pour into an oiled 9 x 13 baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  If it appears to be browning early, before the middle is set, you may cover it with foil. Remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake cools, you've got time to make frosting!

Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream Frosting
You'll be making two separate concoctions here and then mixing them together.

First, you'll need to either purchase or make marshmallow fluff.  I absolutely LOVE this recipe for marshmallow fluff from 1 Fine Cookie.  I make it often, using it for s'mores, the filling for homemade Fluffer Nutter Butter cookies and for this frosting.  If you make your own from 1 Fine Cookie's recipe, double it just to be sure you have enough.  You won't regret having extra anyway.

Second, you'll need to make a batch of Martha Stewart's Basic Buttercream Frosting.  Substitute Earth Balance non-dairy butter if you'd like to keep this dairy-free. 

Third, you'll mix the two together, cup for cup.  So mix together 1 cup of marshmallow fluff with 1 cup of buttercream.  That's about all you will need for this recipe. Just a gentle folding motion is enough.  Save the leftover frosting and marshmallow fluff for another project.  Or eat it off of a spoon.  I did. That marshmallow fluff from 1 Fine Cookie does not stand a chance in this house.  I'll never buy marshmallow fluff again.  Not kidding.

Constructing the Push-Up Cake Pops

It isn't necessary to use a special cookie cutter to cut out the circles of cake, just use an empty push-up container.  Cut 30 circles out of the cake. (You'll have odd shaped leftover parts and pieces to nibble on, another great use for the leftover frosting!)

Put frosting into a piping bag with a large, open tip. 

Have your fresh or frozen peach slices ready to go. I sliced mine in half, as the push up containers aren't super huge. 

First place a circle of cake in the container, then pipe in a bit of frosting and top with a peach slice or two if yours are sliced thin.  Repeat, ending with a cute piece of peach. 

I had good luck freezing these and thawing them to share with friends later.  They fit perfectly in a small cookie sheet.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Push-Up Cake Pop trend.  Are you making them?  Are you re-using the containers or tossing them?  Have you figured out a way to get cake, frosting and filling in each bite?  Do tell! 

Upcoming Class In KC, Power Up With Bars!

Join me and my fabulous friend Stacy on Wednesday, March 21st for a fun class packed with healthy recipes!

We'll show you how to make your own energy bars, granola bars and breakfast cookies.  These are all healthy and made with whole foods. They are easy to make and can take as little as two ingredients or as many as you would like to put in them.  Ingredient variations to fit your preferences and needs will be covered.  These recipes are great for anyone on the go, as a snack, a lunchbox surprise or before or after a workout.

Recipes shared will be gluten-free. Variations to make them vegan, paleo and dairy-free will be discussed.

I'm super excited to be teaching a class with Stacy.  Stacy is a wife, teacher and mother of 3 beautiful daughters who realized 5 years ago she needed to make some changes to become healthier and lose that pesky baby weight! By switching to a diet of whole foods and avoiding gluten, she dropped the weight and has maintained her weight loss for five years!  She also increased her fitness level and is currently training for her sixth half marathon, her second half ironman triathlon and has completed over a dozen triathlons! Stacy keeps a steady supply of healthy bars available for her family and will share her technique for making them with us. 

The class will be held at the Liberty Hy-Vee from 6:30 to 8 in the evening on Wednesday, March 21st.  The cost is only $20 (the equivalent of about 6 of those expensive pre-made energy bars you've been buying).   Register by calling Renae at 816.792.3210.

 As with all of my classes, you'll sample everything we make and take home a booklet of recipes.  And I promise you'll laugh at least once.  What could be better than making healthy food and having a great time?  I'll see you there!

Honey Macadamia Banana Breakfast Bake

I've been on vacation for a bit.  Did you miss me?  Even though I didn't blog while vacationing,  I spent plenty of time coming up with new baking ideas and scouting out fun food finds I'm excited to share with you.

The first few finds come from Paradise Meadows Farm.  While on the Big Island of Hawaii, we went on a tour at Paradise Meadows.  I'm fascinated by the aquaponics system they are using to grow greens and many other edibles!  We were treated to a honey, macadamia and coffee tasting while at the farm and I brought back lots of goodies to bake with.  In today's recipe, I'm using macadamias and honey.  I'm glad I can order more on-line. The cinnamon bun macadamias, as I was warned by the folks on the farm, are addictive! I hope to tell you more about our farm visit soon, it was a highlight of the trip.

Oh, one other quick thing before I share the recipe.  I was torn about whether I should post this here at 52 Sweets or over on my non-sweet blog Johnna 52.  I chose to share it here because it's pretty darned sweet.  If you want to make this more savory, use a non-sweetened nut and add a sprinkle of breakfast protein, like a tempeh sausage or coconut bacon crumbles.  Today I was in the mood for sweet. I've been singing Jack Johnson tunes in the kitchen since coming back from Hawaii (see the banana pancake inspiration here?) and had all of these amazing Hawaiian goodies to bake with, so sweet it is!

Heavenly Honey Macadamia Banana Breakfast Bake
Inspired by this recipe for Honey Cloud Pancakes from Claire at Things We Make.  Thanks, Claire, for letting me modify your delicious recipe!

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup of warmed, unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon honey (I used Paradise Meadows winter blend)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 teaspoon Earth Balance vegan butter
• 1 small banana, sliced (on my Hawaiian kick, I used a tiny apple banana)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped macadamias (I used cinnamon bun macs from Paradise Meadows which added a little additional sugar to the top)
• additional honey for drizzling

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat a small 6″ oven proof frying pan on the stove top.  I used the 6 1/2" pan from Lodge.
3. Carefully separate one of the egg yolks from the white.
4. In a small bowl, whisk one egg white until it is white and holds soft peaks. 
5. Mix the egg yolk and the entire second egg with the flour, baking powder, salt, honey, and vanilla bean paste,  then whisk in the warm almond milk.
6. Gently fold the whipped egg white into the batter.
7. Melt one teaspoon of butter sub in the hot pan.
8. Pour the fluffy batter in and cook for a few minutes over medium heat on the stovetop until starting to set at the edge.
9. Sprinkle banana slices and macadamias on top.
10. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until puffy and browning on top.
11. Drizzle with honey and serve.  This makes two small servings or one large. 

$5.20 Sweets: Docinhos De Abobora, Brazilian Pumpkin Candy

My friend Sue recently embarked on a grand adventure, moving from the Midwest to Brazil.  Many of her friends came together for a Brazilian Bash, a beautiful going away soiree.  It was a lovely evening, filled with fun people, food, dancing and of course, lots of laughter. 

I met Sue a few years back through our mutual friend, Largo. One of the things I've learned from these ladies, both event coordinators, is that it is perfectly okay for special events to have little touch of BIG, of crazy, of totally over the top.  And so, when it was time for Sue's going away party, I wanted to go a little over the top. Well, kinda.  I made six Brazilian desserts.  What?  You'd do that for your friends, too, right?

Because many Brazilian foods are already gluten-free, this wasn't particularly challenging but oh my, was it ever tasty!  Half of what I baked was naturally gluten-free and half I needed to modify.  Even the Brazilian foods that contain gluten have been easy to modify.  And they have all been incredibly delicious.  I'm already planning more Brazilian baking. I am also thinking any additional Brazilian baking may require a research trip, a chance to visit Sue!

I started with a tried-and-true recipe from my own recipe box, Broinhas or corn cookie. Instead of making 10 large cookies as the recipes suggests, I made 24 small cookies.  The smaller size was great for sharing at a party.

Next I made this recipe, Brazilian Jubilee Cookies.  To modify, simply use my favorite gluten-free flour blend and 1 teaspoon of guar gum.  Otherwise, bake as directed in the recipe.  Easy!

Then I made Bolo de Banana, Banana Upside Down Cake.  This, too, was easily modified to gluten-free.  Where the recipe calls for breadcrumbs, use almond meal instead.  I made this in a greased 9 x 13 and then used a 2" round cutter to make little cake circles that I inverted and served in these cute nut cups from Sweet! Well, except for that corner that is cut out.  I put that directly into my mouth.  So good!

Moving on from cookies and cake, I made a variety of Brazilian candies.  These are all super easy to make and would be fun to make with kiddos in the kitchen.

Fourth on my list, Brigadeiros.  These are my favorite Brazilian treat, a slightly chewy chocolate truffle rolled in chocolate sprinkles or chopped nuts or coconut.  Not a single modification necessary here, just make sure the chocolate sprinkles you use are gluten-free. 

The fifth creation from a recipe at In Search of Delicious was Beijinhos de Coco, Brazilian Coconut Candy.  Beijinhos means kisses in Portugese.  If Brazilian kisses are coconut-y, rich, butter-y and sweet, then I must visit!  These are a perfect little treat, even better if you can wait a day to eat them.   Again, not a single modification necessary, already gluten-free!

And last on my list, Docinhos De Abobora, Brazilian Pumpkin Candy.  These are gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free.  They could be vegan if you chose your sugars carefully. 

Docinhos de Abobora, Brazilian Pumpkin Candy
(Makes 25 candies)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I use canned)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup finely shredded coconut
1/4 t. ground cloves
non-stick cooking spray
powdered sugar for rolling

Place all of the ingredients except for the cooking spray and powdered sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed pan.  Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly.  Mixture needs to reach 240 degrees and will be very thick.

Once at 240 degrees, turn off burner and remove pan from heat.  Turn out onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.

Allow to cool until easy to handle.  Spray hands lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  Roll into small balls and then roll in powdered sugar.

Here's the price break-down:
Pumpkin $1.35
Sugar $0.40
Coconut $1.25
Powdered Sugar $0.37
4.6% Sales Tax $0.16
Total:  $3.53 for 25 candies

While I'm going to miss Sue being in the same city, I'm so excited to hear about her adventures in Brazil.  I'm hoping once in awhile she'll share a new recipe with me so I can share even more gluten-free Brazilian treats!