I came across this recipe in the Woman's Day Christmas magazine and it was so easy and worked so well with the Tom Sawyer flour that I just had to post it here.

Chocolate and Peppermint Cookie Coins

From Woman's Day | December 6, 2005

Photo: Jacqueline Hopkins

• Nutrition Facts
• Yield 264 cookie coins
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories NA
• Total Fat NA
• Saturated Fat NA
• Cholesterol NA
• Sodium NA
• Total Carbohydrates NA
• Dietary Fiber NA
• Protein NA

• Active Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 11⁄2 sticks (3⁄4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 21⁄2 cups all-purpose flour ( I used Tom Sawyer Flour)
  
• 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1⁄2 tsp peppermint extract (Add a little more if using gluten free flour)
  
• Liquid green food color
• 4 oz each red and green nonpareils, or coarse (crystal) sugar

PREPARATION

1. Beat butter, baking soda, salt, sugar and eggs in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until creamy. On low speed, beat in 2 cups flour until just blended.




2. Remove 11⁄2 cups dough to a medium bowl; stir in vanilla and cocoa until no white streaks remain. Stir peppermint extract and remaining 1⁄2 cup flour into dough in large bowl. Add about 10 drops food color. Beat until no white streaks remain. Cover doughs; refrigerate 30 minutes, or until firm.




3. Roll chocolate dough into a fat log. Divide in quarters. Working with 1 portion dough at a time (wrap and refrigerate rest), roll into a 3⁄4-in.-thick rope. Spread red nonpareils on a sheet of wax paper. Roll rope into nonpareils to coat; wrap rope in foil. Repeat with remaining chocolate dough, then the green dough and green nonpareils. Place ropes on a baking sheet; refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until firm enough to slice neatly.




4. Heat oven to 350ºF. Have baking sheet(s) ready.




5. Slice 1 rope at a time into 1⁄4-in.-thick rounds. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheet(s). Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.




Planning Tip: Can be prepared through Step 3 up to 2 weeks ahead. Store baked cookies airtight at room temperature up to 3 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.

Gluten Free Quiche - Make now or Freeze

This year I decided to get myself organized and have been following the Holiday Grand Plan . It suggest you make several freeze ahead meals starting in September so that you are less stressed around the holidays.

Since our 2nd child is due to arrive Mid October and I will have an influx of family here I decided that this may be a good idea so that we can all enjoy our holiday and the new baby.

Today was my first freeze ahead meal and I decided what better than a quiche? It can be a breakfast or a dinner and they are very easy. I have made gluten free quiches before and instead of being bothered with a regular pie crust I typically use frozen hash browns. It's very good!

Here is the recipe I created today:

3 cups loosely packed frozen (but thawed) hash browns
1/3 cup butter melted
6 slices of bacon crisply cooked
6 oz Swiss cheese shredded
1 1/2 cup half-n-half
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 cup cubed cooked ham
1/4 onion chopped
4 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Squeeze hash browns between paper towels to remove moisture. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a pie plate to form crust (I use a 9inch one)
3. Drizzle melted butter over the crust and bake for 25 minutes. ( if freezing you can turn off oven when done if you are cooking it now turn oven down to 350)

While the crust is cooking:
1. Cook bacon and crumble
2. Shread Cheese
3. Mix Onion, half-n-half, salt, nutmed, cubed ham, and eggs together (I used my kitchen aid mixer but a blender would work too)

When pie crust is out cool to room temp if freezing ahead... if you are cooking now cool slightly.

Sprinkle crumbled backon and cheese on the bottome of the crust then our the egg mixture over the backon and cheese.

To freeze: Flash Freeze pie and container on a cookie sheet, Then cover and seal for storage.

To prepare: Let thaw completely if frozen and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until top is golden brown and mixture is set.

Cool slightly before serving.

Gluten free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free Super Tasty Apple Crisp

It seems like people with food "issues" tend to find each other all over the place, and sometimes you find the right people to be friends with. I'm lucky enough to have friends like this.

Combined our children are gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and egg free due to Celiac disease and food allergies. It is so nice to have friends who are dealing with the same types of things you are because you know there is one safe place for them to have slumber parties, one set of parents who get how important it is to keep your kid away from those foods. Anyhow I'm thankful to have friends like this.

Believe it or not we actually go out to eat and have each other over for dinner. And yes figuring out what everyone can eat is actually quite a process but its also fun. I tasted a full of gluten, nuts, and dairy apple crisp the other day and decided that this would be an easy one to change into an "Allergy Free" tasty treat!

My friends son is allergic to wheat, dairy, nuts, oats, and eggs and her daughter is allergic to Dairy and eggs so I get to play around with lots of fun allergy recipes when they come over for dinner. Anyhow I made a great gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free apple crisp that was really good :)

Here is the recipe:


3 Cups Apples, sliced (I just got the presliced apples take the skins off if you have the time)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter substitute (I used Earth Balance® Natural Buttery Sticks)
1/4 cup rice flour or corn starch
2 TBS apple pie spice
1 package of crushed Enjoy life no oats oatmeal cookies


Combine apples, brown sugar, butter, flour and apple pie spice in a large bowl.
Pour into a 9X13 baking dish. bake covered for 15 minutes at 350.
Uncover and top with no oats oatmeal and bake for 5-10 minutes.

I served it with real vanilla ice cream (for those of us who can eat dairy) and NadaMoo vanilla ice cream for the others and it was really good. My friend made it for a family potluck and tried it with a vanilla rice ice cream from Good Karma Foods and said that was really tasty too.

Okay so it's been nearly a year and I have been meaning to update this page. Since my last post have I successfully completed a few cake decorating classes, all of which were gluten free. Along with learning some much needed skills I found a great gluten free baking product by Wilton. Its called Cake Release (Grease and flour pans in one step) The flour used is corn flour so it is gluten free!

My final course 1 cake was a chocolate cake with roses.

I also made a picnic cake for my daughters 3rd birthday.

Today I'm in the process of combining a few recipes I have used over the years to create a really awesome birthday cake, though not traditional in any way for myself.

I have taken our family favorite, Tin Roof Icecream, and a favorite desert of mine, Better than Sex Cake and combined the two with a little flare from an old craft kitchen recipe. Here is what I have come up with:

Jensen's Better than Sex on a Hot Tin Roof Icecream Cake:

1 package Pamela's brownie mix
1/2 can low fat sweetened condensed milk
6 Oz caramel ice cream topping
3 heath bars chopped
6 oz hot fudge ice cream topping
1 container of frozen whipped topping

Filling
Tin roof Sundae ice cream (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to package directions for a 9x13 inch pan; cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Make slits across the top of the cake, making sure not to go through to the bottom.

2. In a saucepan over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping, stirring until smooth and blended. Slowly pour the warm topping mixture over the top of the warm cake, letting it sink into the slits; then sprinkle the crushed chocolate toffee bars liberally across the entire cake while still warm.

3. Let cake cool completely

4. Remove cake from pan and line with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Add Softened Tin roof sundae ice cream to the pan.

5. Gently place brownies on top of ice cream pressing gently to secure, Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

6. Invert desert onto serving plate and remove foil, when ready to server spread whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert.

Serve sliced with hot fudge drizzled over the top of the whipped cream.


For the Tin Roof ice cream I chose to make my own but if you can just buy it, just make sure to let it soften before you add it to your cake.

I followed Cafe Johnsonia's ice cream recipe using Cuisinart's Simple Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

I will post pictures and reviews after tomorrows birthday celebrations.