Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

Gluten Free Strawberry ShortcakeGluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

Now that we are getting some folks following our adventure, we are starting to receive requests for recipes. Tim and I were grocery shopping, and a gal we know stopped us in the parking lot. After exchanging pleasantries, she ask us about Gluten Free recipes. She has a gluten intolerance, so we said we would see what we could do. I have never made anything gluten free in my life………yikes! What did I say we would do????

I decide that dessert would be the best place to start, and strawberries are just making their spring appearance in the grocery store. So Strawberry Shortcake seemed like a good choice.

I know several people who have gluten intolerances and although products have come a long way, I know they have struggled finding replacement for some of their favorite foods. So, in an effort to try and make some thing gluten free and still tasty, and to live up to my word, I searched……… I came across several sites that had a variety of ways to make gluten free products, but to be honest some of them sounded like science experiments.

I was really looking for something easy that would not require a beaker and bunsen burner. As I was looking at all the gluten free items at the grocery store, my eye caught Almond Flour, now we like almonds, so I figured it should be a good replacement for flour. The rest was just basic baking items, butter, eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. I was a little worried after I mixed the dough, as it was really sticky and still wet, but I remembered reading in one recipe I saw that they chilled the dough, so in the frig it went. After about 10-15 minutes it was a nice dough. I scooped mine with an ice cream scoop but I think you could roll them out if you wanted too. I topped mine with Turbinado sugar for an extra little crunch and shine (old trick from my bakery days). I let them cool and could not help myself and tasted one……….I was sooooo surprised, they were really tasty. More dense than a traditional shortcake biscuit, but if I could not tolerate gluten these would be a perfect substitution.

Now about those strawberries, I know what you’re thinking………Balsamic Vinegar has she gone mad!!!! I truthfully thought that the first time I saw a recipe using vinegar with strawberries, but do your self a favor…….TRY IT………I make strawberries this way all the time and it is awesome. The brown sugar and the balsamic makes almost like a syrup for those beautiful red berries. The berries and the syrup they make soaks into that shortcake beautifully and topped with a dollop of whipped cream………..a little piece of heaven…..I don’t think anyone would be able to tell it was gluten free.

So, if you or your family, or a friend has an intolerance to gluten, try this recipe as a replacement for that traditional Strawberry Shortcake that is a summer dessert favorite.

Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake Collage

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Gluten Free Strawberry Shortcake

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • Shortcake Biscuits:
  • 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon Turbinado Sugar ( if you do not have Turbinado regular sugar
  • will work also )
  • Strawberry Topping:
  • 3 1/2 cups fresh, ripe organic strawberries, sliced
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Shortcakes:
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together the almond flour, baking soda and salt.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisking together until well combined.
  5. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly combined.
  6. Chill dough in the refrigerator 10-15 minutes.
  7. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and gently flatten to about one-inch thick. I got 8 biscuit out of the dough.
  8. Bake approximately 15 minutes, until top is golden brown.
  9. Allow biscuits to cool completely before splitting and filling.
  10. Strawberries:
  11. In a large bowl, combine sliced strawberries, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Allow to set for an hour or two.
  12. Do not let set more than an hour or two as the berries will get mushy. They will still fast good but they will not look as pretty.
  13. To Assemble:
  14. Split biscuits in half and top with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of strawberry topping and a dollop of whipped cream

Keywords: strawberries, gluten free, shortcake, dessert

 

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

I am not usually a fan of a cookie bar………until I made these Caramel Cookie Dough Bars. All I can say is yum!!!

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Shortbread is one of my favorite tastes, a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and little bit crispy……just an all around tasty treat. Every year for Christmas,once we reached a certain age,my Grandma would buy us a tin of shortbread cookies and wrap them in a dish towel. I loved those tins and the cookies.To this day shortbread always reminds me of my Grandma.

Since this is a layered bar I guess I will need to speak of each layer. Shortbread……check!

Caramel…..it can make anything taste great. Now, I have made homemade caramel many times, but I discovered a little secret…….Dulce de Leche. It’s caramel, in a can, already to go! It’s in the same section as the sweetened condensed milk at the grocery store. If I can save a step,and it tastes great, I say why not! But feel free to make your own for this recipe.

Cookie Dough……I have never made cookie dough without eggs before and since you do not bake these bars, except for the shortbread layer, you need an egg free cookie dough. This one is really good and you don’t have to worry about getting sick from eating it.

Chocolate Ganache…….what can I say about dark chocolate and cream that hasn’t already been said……….it’s a slice of heaven.

Combine all these layers and you get a sinfully rich and delicious bar. Speaking of which, I think there are two still left…………yeah!

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars Collage

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Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 30 minutes set time
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 24 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • For Shortbread:
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • For Caramel:
  • 1 can dulce de leche (by the sweetened condensed milk)
  • For Cookie Dough:
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • For Chocolate Ganache:
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides.

To make the shortbread, beat butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in flour and salt and mix on low until just combined. Press the dough into prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until edges are slightly browned.
  2. For the caramel layer: Spread caramel evenly over the shortbread crust. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
  3. To prepare cookie dough, beat butter and sugars on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Spread cookie dough on top of caramel layer using a spatula to smooth dough into an even layer. Refrigerate the dough while you prepare the chocolate ganache.
  4. Chocolate Ganache Layer: Place 1 cup chocolate chips and heavy cream in a glass bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Remove from microwave and add remaining chocolate chips and vanilla and stir until smooth and silky. Pour the ganache over the cookie dough layer and chill until set, about 30 minutes.
  5. To remove bars from pan, grasp the edges of the parchment paper and lift out the entire block. Place on a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into 2-inch squares. Refrigerated in an airtight container, bars will keep for up to 3 days.

Keywords: chocolate, cookie dough, dessert bar, bake

This recipe was adapted from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/cookie-dough-billionaire-bars

Almond Lemon Crumb Bars

Almond Lemon Crumb Bars

Almond Lemon Bars

A bag of Organic Lemons on sale!!!!!!…………on sale for $1.49!!!!!!! Too good of a bargain to pass up!!!!

Oh no!! What do I do with a bag of Organic Lemons????……….When life hands you lemons, at a bargain price ……..you make Almond Lemon Crumb Bars, of course!

I must admit, I have not always liked lemon bars. Maybe the ones I remember from childhood were too artificial lemony, or maybe I just wasn’t a lemon lover. Well, times they do change………I love lemon, but it has to be real lemon! By real lemon I do not mean that little plastic lemon shape with juice inside, nor do I mean the big green bottle called real lemon. I mean, the buy it in the produce section, bright yellow, squeeze it yourself lemon.

So, not wanting just a plain average lemon bar, not that they are not good, but I wanted to do something a little jazzier with my lemons.

I like a crumbly crunchy topping on…….well almost anything, but on a dessert bar it’s the bomb! A nice cookie crust with just a hint of almond flavor, a soft silky center with just the right amount of lemon, and the crunchy topping with sliced almonds.

Now, Tim and I are really trying to do the healthy thing……with moderate success. So instead of us eating the whole pan, I bestowed my Almond Lemon Crumb Bars on our neighbors and my co-workers. I saved us each one bar………OK two, but they were really small……but at least we didn’t eat the whole pan………now if we could just learn to drive by the Dairy Queen…..LOL.

Almond Lemon Bar Collage

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Almond Lemon Bars

Almond Lemon Crumb Bars

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • For the crust:
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • For the filling:
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • For the topping:
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

  1. For crust:
  2. Preheat oven to 350°.
  3. Spray a 9″x 13″ baking pan with non stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
  4. With a mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and creamy.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add flour and salt, mixing until dough is crumbly but holds together when pinched.
  6. Press dough evenly and firmly into prepared pan. Chill 10 to 15 minutes.
  7. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.
  8. For filling:
  9. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
  10. Mix flour and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Process until ginger is finely chopped (about 1 minute)if using crystalized ginger. Stir in baking powder.
  11. Whisk together eggs and sugar. Add flour mixture, and mix until combined. Stir in lemon juice and zest.
  12. Pour filling mixture over crust.
  13. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is almost set. Remove from oven and set aside while making the topping.
  14. For topping:
  15. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter, mixing well. Stir in almonds. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over filling. Gently press into the filling.
  16. Return to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and almonds are lightly toasted.
  17. Cool bars completely in pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.
  18. Decorated with candied lemons, or sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

*You can substitute 2 teaspoons of ground ginger and 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar , mixed with 2 teaspoons of water in place of crystallized ginger. Do not mix add to flour mixture but add with wet ingredients.

Serving size of 24 is based cutting 2 inch bars.

Keywords: almond, lemon, dessert bar, bake, dessert