Tag Archives: Gluten-Free

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free} After I made Toasted Oat Graham Crackers a few weeks ago, I ran across the recipe for Ovenly’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies, which I had bookmarked in three separate places, including my copy of their book.I should acknowledge that I already have four recipes for chocolate chip cookies in my archives (see here, here, here, and here) and another I’ve been tinkering with for over a year. I don’t need another, but I made an exception for Ovenly because theirs’ is naturally vegan and doesn’t involve any egg substitutes or sticks of “buttery spread.” Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free} The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but as I had plenty of oats leftover from making from my adventures in graham cracker-ing, I figured I’d give it a shot with toasted ground oats. I also swapped out plain granulated sugar for an equal volume of light brown, added some vanilla, switched from chocolate chips to finely chopped dark chocolate, and nixed the extra salt entirely. Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free} The Ovenly overlords will tell you that theirs’ is a finicky recipe and to follow it to the T. They are correct—it’s a very precise recipe and works perfectly as-is. But I messed with it anyway because I can’t help myself.It took me five test rounds to get these cookies to work consistently with toasted ground oats, but I persisted and have been rewarded with super chewy, chocolaty cookies that anyone will love (not just your favorite local gluten-free vegan). Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free} I will, however, jump on Ovenly’s soapbox like a hypocrite and tell you not to mess with this recipe…any further than I have already.As with most baking recipes, the volumes of ingredients are very specific for a reason. In the case of this recipe, adjusting the liquid ingredients by 1 tablespoon (!) will either yield sad, soupy dough (and lacy cookies) or a chilled rock of inedible dough. Trust me, I know.And for the love of everything, don’t shorten the 12-24 hour chill. If you do, I guarantee you will be disappointed. But if you work ahead, as specified in the recipe, you’ll be rewarded with some seriously good Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies.For all my “don’t mess with the recipe” talk, these are remarkably easy and delicious cookies! They’re a guaranteed hit, not only for their chewy texture and perfect amount of dark chocolate, but because they’re vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free, so more people can eat them. Love that ❤ Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free}

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free}
adapted from Ovenly
makes 21-24 medium cookies

3 cups old-fashioned oats (certified gluten-free for gluten-free)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil (I use canola)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 ounces dark chocolate (certified dairy-free for vegan), finely chopped

Place oven racks in the top and bottom positions. Preheat oven to 350F.

Spread oats onto a dry rimmed sheet pan. Place in oven and toast for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Transfer oats into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 3-4 minutes, or until there are no recognizable oats. Transfer ground oats to a large mixing bowl and freeze for 5 minutes, or until no longer warm.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine light brown sugar, oil, water, and vanilla. Whisk until the sugar has melted, and everything is fully combined and thickened slightly. Set aside.

Retrieve ground oats from the freezer. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chopped dark chocolate. Pour in liquid ingredients and fold together. Mixture will be pretty thin. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Do not skip or shorten this step.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

Line a dinner plate with wax paper or parchment. Scoop dough (which will still be soft) in 2 tablespoon increments. Place dough balls on lined plate. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Place dough balls at least 4 inches apart on prepared pans (I get 6 on a half sheet pan). Place any remaining dough balls back in the freezer.

Bake 7 minutes. Rotate pans top-to-bottom and back-to-front. Bake an additional 6 minutes. Let cool for at least 7 minutes on prepared pans before removing to a rack to cool completely. Let pans return to room, temperature before baking remaining dough balls.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They may also be frozen after baking and are shockingly good when they are ice cold. Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies {Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free}

Flourless Almond Cake

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This is my third gluten-free recipe in a row. As far as my inspiration goes, when it rains, it pours.You might think that since I kept it for last, it’s subpar in some way. Quite the opposite—Flourless Almond Cake is really something special. It’s one of those recipes you’ll want to have in your repertoire not only because it’s grain-free and relatively quick and simple, but because it can adapt to any occasion. It’s as perfect for a dinner party as it is for a cookout or taking to a friend who needs a pick-me-up. The holidays are still a while away, but I can imagine this cake being a welcome addition to any dessert spread.
Flourless Almond Cake But it’s barely August and I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me show you how this cake comes together.It starts by measuring out some blanched almond flour. I measure using the spoon & level method, as I do with all my dry ingredients. It’s just what it sounds like—spoon the almond flour into the measuring cup until it heaps over the top, then level it with the flat edge of a table knife. Flourless Almond Cake This may sound tedious if you’ve never done it before, but it only takes a few seconds longer than other common volume-based measuring techniques. While it’s appealing to scoop ingredients with a measuring cup directly, it may cause your final product to be too dense.Put your almond flour in a large mixing bowl and mix in some light brown sugar, salt, and touches of cinnamon and nutmeg. Next come four egg yolks, vanilla and almond extracts, and a little butter. You may certainly just use plain melted butter here, but I like to use brown butter for the extra toasty flavor it imparts. Flourless Almond Cake Next up, wash and dry your mixer attachment and whip four egg whites to stiff peaks. Don’t skip the wash/dry step or your egg whites won’t whip, and you’ll be cursing my name while you separate four more eggs. I tried bypassing this step and using the egg whites as-is, and the result was a dense, flat cake. No, thanks. Flourless Almond Cake Stir 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the almond mixture before gently folding in the rest.Pour the batter into a prepared pan, scatter sliced almonds over the top, and bake until the center is firm.Turn the cake out onto a serving platter and let it cool completely. Slice it up and serve it any way you see fit. Flourless Almond Cake Like Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, this cake toes the line between celebration cake and everyday cake, and it does it with style. The soft, sweet cake and elegant sliced almond top are party-ready on their own or with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Or you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle caramel over the top. As you can see, I am partial to a little whipped cream and a side of seasonal fruit. Flourless Almond Cake No matter which suggestion you go with, this simple little cake is sure to be a winner.

Flourless Almond Cake
makes one 8-inch round cake

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (measured by spoon & level)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds

For Serving:
whipped cream
seasonal fruit

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch round pan. Line the bottom with parchment and grease again. Set aside.

Brown the butter. Place butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Let butter melt. Butter will bubble and crackle as the water content evaporates. Swirl the pan frequently for 3-6 minutes, keeping an eye on the color. When the solids are turning brown and the butter is nutty and fragrant, remove the pot from the heat and immediately transfer the brown butter into a small bowl. Set aside.

Separate egg yolks from whites. Set whites aside.

Combine almond flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on low speed to mix the ingredients together—this will take all of 15 seconds. Add egg yolks, brown butter, vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined. It will be very thick, almost like cookie dough.

Wash and dry mixer attachments, along with a medium mixing bowl. I also like to wipe down the equipment with vinegar, just to ensure that everything is completely clean before I add the egg whites. There is no way to salvage this recipe if the egg whites are contaminated with oil, yolk, or even water.

Transfer egg whites to the very clean, dry medium mixing bowl. Use the very clean, dry electric mixer to whip them until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the almond mixture. Gently fold half the remaining egg whites into the mixture, followed by the other half.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Scatter sliced almonds over the top. Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until firm in the center.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a thin, flexible knife around the edge of the cake. Invert cake onto a clean plate. Remove parchment. Revert onto a serving plate or cakestand. Let cool completely before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit, if desired.

Leftover cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five. Flourless Almond Cake

Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free}

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Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} If you’ve been around here a while, you know that I spend 51 weeks of the year dreaming about my annual trip to Swans Island, Maine, and one week actually on the island. I hope to one day be able to make that more of a 40:12 situation (I’d settle for 50:2), but until then, I’ll just have to make the most of that week. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} This is my fourth year going up to Swans Island, and my third organizing the trip. There’s something wonderful about the anticipation of it all. From the moment we start looking at vacation dates and rental houses, and then confirming guests, there’s a wonderful familiarity to the whole process. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} We book the house. We choose a spot to stop overnight on our way up (usually Portland) and VJ books the AirBNB. We rent a car. We create a menu and make a grocery list. Throughout it all, we dream about this incredible place and probably annoy the crap out of the first-timers going with us 😉 Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} One of my favorite parts of the process is coming up with recipes we can all enjoy. VJ, my Swans Island ride-or-die, is a gluten-free vegan. In fact, she might be the world’s most adaptable gluten-free vegan—I’ve never seen her look at a menu and not be able to find *something* she can eat. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} When it comes to my on-island baking adventures, VJ is always willing to help take process photos and is super supportive (she once sat on a rock in the dark outside the Swans Island Post Office with me so I could use their WiFi to post these Lemon Bars), but I rarely bake anything she can actually eat. As such, I’ve made an effort on these recent trips to make baked goods that all of us can get behind. Last year’s gluten-free vegan options included Cornmeal Pancakes and Salted Chocolate Hazelnut Granola. This year’s are going to include s’mores made with these easy Toasted Oat Graham Crackers! Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} The idea for these sweet little crackers came to me as I was falling asleep one night last week and the inspiration was so strong that I had to get up and type it all down before I forgot! Four test batches later, I’m serving up a delicious and deliciously easy recipe perfect for our vacation 🙂 Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} Toasted Oat Graham Crackers are crunchy and nubbly, and have just the right amount of sweetness. They’re everything you could want in a graham cracker, except where the traditional treats start with a specialty coarse wheat flour, these are made with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, like old-fashioned oats, light brown sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil, and pure maple syrup. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} Also, the dough is made entirely in the bowl of a food processor! Easy peasy.

Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} Once the dough is made, roll it out between two sheets of parchment and give it a quick freeze before slicing it into crackers. A chef’s knife works well for this, but I am fond of this expandable pizza wheel.Score each cracker down the center……and pierce it a few times with a toothpick. I use a wire cake tester. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} Bake the graham crackers for twenty minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes and then, all bets are off! These crispy, crunchy, cinnamon-spiced Toasted Oat Graham Crackers are great by themselves, or topped with peanut butter. Or cream cheese frosting.

Don’t judge me. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} These crackers can be kept whole or broken neatly in half along that score line. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m pretty sure these would make an amazing gluten-free vegan graham cracker pie crust!One thing I know for sure is that they’re pretty damn good stacked with dark chocolate and toasted vegan marshmallow. Best vegan s’mores ever. Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan & Gluten-Free} I can’t wait for vacation.

Toasted Oat Graham Crackers {Vegan, Gluten-Free}
makes about 3 dozen square crackers

3 cups old fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free for gluten-free crackers)
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3-4 tablespoons water

Place oven racks in the top and bottom positions. Preheat oven to 325F.

Spread oats onto a dry rimmed sheet pan. Place in oven and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Transfer oats into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1.5-2 minutes, or until there are no recognizable oats. Pulse in light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, and 3 tablespoons of water and process until a dough ball forms. Add 1 more tablespoon of water if the dough is crumbly.

Sandwich dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll until 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to the freezer (on a baking sheet, if desired) for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, line two sheet pans with parchment. Set aside.

Remove frozen dough from freezer. Slice in 2-inch squares (scraps may be re-rolled). Place about 1.5-inches apart on prepared pans. Use a sharp knife to score lightly down the centers. Pierce a few times with a toothpick or the tines of a fork.

Bake 10 minutes before rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let crackers cool for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Crackers will initially be slightly soft, but will harden as they cool. Repeat brief chill, slicing, scoring, and baking with any remaining dough.

Graham crackers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week.

Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free}

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Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free} Did you know that you can make a spectacular chocolate cheesecake without ever opening a brick of cream cheese?It’s true—this Chocolate Cheesecake is cool, creamy, chocolaty, and completely vegan!It’s made primarily of softened cashews and coconut cream… Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free} …and melted chocolate, of course 🙂

This cheesecake is grain-free, too. Where you might normally find a crunchy graham cracker crust under all that creamy filling, this crust is made of dates, almonds, and cocoa powder. Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free} Both the crust and the filling come together in the bowl of a food processor before being layered into springform pan and chilled until solid. No need to crank the oven for this no-bake cake!Once the cake is chilled all the way through, remove it from the springform and give it a drizzle of homemade chocolate shell. Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free} Chocolate Cheesecake slices like a dream. It definitely stands on its own, but I couldn’t resist plating each piece with a few fresh sweet cherries!You’ll love this smooth, creamy, chocolaty cheesecake! It’s easy to make, no-bake, vegan and grain-free—perfect for sharing with your favorite gluten-free vegans! Out of all the good things about this cake (and there are *a lot*), I think the number of people I can share it with is the very best one ❤ Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free}
Want more vegan, grain-free cheesecake? Try my Peachy Paleo Cheesecake!

Chocolate Cheesecake {Vegan & Grain-Free}
makes one 9-inch cheesecake

Filling:
1 cup raw cashews
1 14-ounce can coconut cream (not cream of coconut)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon espresso granules (optional)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly

Crust:
15 Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw almonds
3 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Topping:
Homemade Chocolate Shell

The night before you want to make the cheesecake, place cashews in a small container with a lid. Cover with water. Refrigerate for 4-12 hours.

Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with coconut oil.

Make the crust. Combine dates, almonds, and cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor, and process until the almonds are broken down and the filling starts to form a ball. Mixture should hold together when pinched. Transfer crust mixture to prepared pan, and press it to the edges to form an even layer. Set aside.

Wash and dry the food processor, or wipe it out very well with a paper towel.

Make the filling. Drain soaked cashews and place them in the food processor. Add coconut cream, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, espresso granules, vanilla, and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add melted chocolate and process again. With the food processor running, drizzle coconut oil through the feed tube. Continue processing until everything is smooth and fully combined.

Pour filling mixture over crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or freeze for 2 hours).

Run a thin, flexible knife around the edge of the pan. Release the cheesecake from the springform pan, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drizzle with chocolate shell. Slice with a large, sharp chef’s knife, wiping the blade clean between cuts. Serve.

Leftovers will keep covered in the refrigerator for a few days.

Note:

If you cannot find coconut cream, use two 13.5-ounce cans of full-fat coconut milk. Chill them overnight and scoop off the coconut cream to use for the cake. Reserve the leftover liquid for another use.