Texas Sheet Cake Brownies

1 stick butter or margarine

1/2 C shortening

1 C water

4 Tbsp baking cocoa

Stir until boils; set aside

Mix in another bowl:

2 C sugar

2 C flour (we use King Author GF)

Pour chocolate mixture over flour & sugar.

Add:

2 eggs

1/2 C milk (with 2 Tbsp Vinegar)

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pour into jelly roll pan, bake at 350' for 30 minutes.

Icing:

1 stick butter or margarine

6 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp cocoa

1 pound powdered sugar

Crushed pecans

Boil butter or margarine, milk, & cocoa until blended & add powdered sugar.  Pour cover warm cake.  We omit the crushed pecans and cinnamon.  We have two family members that do not like cinnamon or nuts.  It tastes fabulous either way.  

Cheese Ball

2 8oz packages of cream cheese
1 8oz crushed pineapple (drained)
2 Tablespoons green onions
1 1/2 Teaspoon Seasoned Salt
Mix Well

Roll into a ball, refrigerate.  Optional:  Roll in parsley flakes and pecans and/or almonds on wax paper.

Gluten Free Apple Crisp (dairy free)

Ingredients:

6 apples (Macintosh, Delicious, Pink Lady, Gala)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 
2 teaspoons tapioca or arrowroot starch
1 cup quinoa flakes
3/4 cup sorghum flour (or brown rice flour)
1 cup organic light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup organic coconut oil

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8x11-inch gratin or baking dish with vegan buttery spread. Set aside.

Peel and core the apples. Slice them and toss into a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat. Add the maple syrup and stir. Dust with tapioca starch and stir again to coat the slices. Pour the slices into the prepared baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, combine the quinoa flakes, brown rice flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and sea salt and whisk to blend. Add the coconut oil in pieces and using a whisk or a pastry cutter, cut the coconut oil into the flour blend until you have an even, sandy mixture.

Spoon the mixture all over the top. 

Bake in the center of a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. Cover the top loosely with a piece of foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or so (depends upon the size/type of apples), until the apples are fork tender and the sides of the crisp are bubbling. (The foil will help keep the topping from browning too much.)

Allow the crisp to cool before serving- though slightly warm it is luscious. We had leftover apple crisp the next day, chilled, right out of the fridge, and Darling it was fabulous cold, too. It tasted like apple pie.

Serves 8.

Baking time : 40 to 45 minutes.

Note:  Gluten Free Goddess

Caramel Naked Brownies

First Layer:
1 german chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter melted
1 cup chopped pecan nuts
Mix together, place 1/2 of this batter into 9*9 greased pan, this will be thick.  Bake 350' degrees (8 minutes).

Second Layer:
Melt together 1 package caramels, with 1/2 cup evaporated milk in double boiler.  After this is melted put onto cake, sprinkle with semi sweet chocolate chips to cover the top.

Third Layer:
Flatten out the remaining cake dough on parchment paper to a 9-inch square and place on top.  Bake 350', 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool. 

Chex Pumpkin Pie Crunch

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
 2 cups cinnamon chex cereal
2 cups honey nut chex cereal
2 cups chex cereal
8 oz. pecans (cut up)

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, set aside.  In small microwave-safe dish, microwave butter on high about 30 seconds or until melted.  Stir in vanilla.  In large microwavable bowl, mix all cereals and pecans.  Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly distributed.  Add sugar and spice mixture and stir until coated.  Microwave uncovered on high 5 minutes or until mixture begins to brown, stirring every minute.  Spread onto wax paper or a cookie sheet to cool.  Store in air tight container.  Makes 8 cups. 

Gluten Free Granola

3 C raw oats
2 C raw pecans – chopped
2 C raw cashews – chopped
2 C raw almonds – sliced or chopped
1 C raw sunflower seeds
½ C raw sesame seeds
raw coconut (if you want)


mixture:
1 ½ C agave nectar
1 ½ C peanut butter


Mix granola in a big bowl.  Mix together the agave nectar and peanut butter on stove top, melt it together. then pour mixture over the granola in the bowl.  Spray casserole dish with pam and then smash granola mixture into pan and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. When finished baking, spoon out granola and lay it out on wax paper to cool.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding

For the pudding:

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk (use almond milk for dairy free)

2 teas vanilla extract

1 teas cinnamon

3 cups cubed Rudi’s Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

½ cup golden raisins

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter (use best life for dairy free)

1 cup crushed pecans

2 teas cinnamon

For the sauce:

½ cup butter or margarine (for dairy free I use Best Life)

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream (use thick almond milk for diary free)

1 teas cinnamon

1 Tbs vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350’ Prepare a 9*13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, beaten eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Whisk together until well combined. 

Add the cubed Rudi’s cinnamon raisin bread and raisins and gently stir to combine.  Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish and set aside while you make the topping.  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, butter, crushed pecans, and two teaspoons cinnamon.  Mix together until crumbly and roughly the size of small peas.  Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the bread mixture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until fully set.  To make the sauce, combine the butter, sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, and cinnamon in a sauce pot.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a slow boil.  Cook until the sauce thickens to desired consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Sever over the top of the bread pudding.

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie

2 (5.5 oz.) packages Dr. Lucy’s Cinnamon Thin cookies

1 stick (1/2 Cup) butter melted – (for Dairy free I use Best Life)

2 red apples, cored and sliced

2 tart green apples, cored and sliced

2 teas lemon juice

½ teas vanilla extract

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup pecans

3 Tbs cinnamon

1 ¼ Tbs corn starch

¼ cup gluten-free caramel sauce (make dairy free)

For the Crumb Topping:

½ cup cold butter (for dairy free use best life)

½ cup brown sugar

4 Dr. Lucy’s Cinnamon Thin Cookies

¼ cup gluten-free quick cook oats

1 teas cinnamon

¼ teas salt

Preheat oven to 350’ In a food processor, combine Dr. Lucy’s Cinnamon Thin Cookies with melted butter.  Pulse until a finely ground crust forms.  Lightly spray a pie dish with non-stick spray.  Press the cinnamon cookie crust into the bottom of the pan and set aside.

Ina large bowl, combine red apples, green apples, lemon juice and vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, ground cinnamon, and corn starch.  Mix the dry ingredients in with the apples and toss until well combined.  Pour this mixture into the pie crust and drizzle the caramel sauce on top of the apples. 

To make the crumb topping, combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon thin cookies, oats, ground cinnamon and salt in a food processor.  Pulse gently until crumbly.  Evenly distribute the topping on top of the pie and then bake for 55-60 minutes until bubble and golden brown on top.  Sever hot out of the oven with vanilla ice cream (use almond ice cream for dairy free) and drizzle additional caramel sauce on top if desired.

Carmel-Pecan Pie

1 pie crust
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 eggs
1 jar caramel topping
1 to 1 1/2 pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350'. In mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly with fork. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in caramel toppings and butter; mix well. Stir in pecan halves. Pour filling into pie shell. Bake at 350' for 45 minutes or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly on rack before serving. Cover, chill to store.

For Gluten/Dairy Free - use Gluten Free Pie Crust and utilize dairy free butter (I use Best Life).

Pumpkin-Banana Bread

I made this today - and it was a hit!

4 cups flour

2 teas. baking powder

2 teas. baking soda

2 teas. cinnamon

1 1/2 teas. nutmeg

1 teas. ginger

1 teas. salt

1/2 teas. ground allspice

1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin from a 15-oz can (save the remaining for the pumpkin glaze)

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

1 1/3 cups vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350'. Grease and flour two 9*5 loaf pans and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and allspice until combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, mashed bananas, yogurt, oil, eggs, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add the flour mixture - half of it at a time - and mix until ingredients are combined. Fold in walnuts or pecans (optional).

Divide batter between the two prepared loaf pans and bake and 350' for 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let the loaves cool for about 10-15 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans and cool completely before adding the glaze.

PUMPKIN GLAZE

2 Tbs. whipping cream

1-2 cups powdered sugar (start with 1 cup and add more depending on consistency)

Remaining pumpkin from your 15-oz can (should be about 2 tbs.)

You may add chopped walnuts or pecans for sprinkling over glaze.

Mini Turtles

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Arrange 75 pecans into 25 small piles of 3 nuts each.

Microwave 1 1/2 cups (about 40) soft caramels and 2 Tbs. whipping cream stirring every 20 seconds, until melted and smooth.

Drop a heaping tsp. of the melted caramel onto the center of each pecan pile. Reheat the caramel if it becomes too thick.

Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds, stirring once. Transfer melted chocolate into resealable bag.

Snip off a small corner from the bag with melted chocolate and squeeze a dollop on top of the caramel. Top the chocolate with assorted sprinkles (any holiday) and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Makes 25 turtles.