Brown Butter Rum Raisin Cookies

In the words of Julia Child, "with enough butter, anything is good". What she forgot to mention, was that with enough browned butter, everything is good! I hate to admit it, but fall is finally starting to creep in.  Granted, the weather here has been practically tropical (think 25-30 degrees!), but the leaves are starting to change and the nights are getting cool.  As a tea addict, my lemony summer teas are being swapped out for spicier cinnamon scented chai and licorice, and my cookies and cakes are about to get a whole lot more decadent!

This recipe came about for two reasons; one, I had a deep desire to satisfy my usual baking hankerings. Reason two, I had to challenge myself to not use any chocolate! As a chocoholic I am proud to say that I haven't had a piece of deliciously dark chocolate or chocolate in any of its wonderful forms, in two weeks! Quite the accomplishment for me, although I know I can keep going!

These cookies are great for just about any occasion, as most cookies are in my books, but the brown butter makes them just that much more special.

Browning the butter with your vanilla bean makes all the difference, not to mention it makes your house smell better than any Bath and Bodyworks candle ever could! The addition of soaking your raisins in a little bit of rum lends a depth to these caramel coloured cookies and pairs very well with the brown butter. (Don't worry, the alcohol burns off when you cook it) If you haven't browned butter before, not to worry! It's a simple procedure that requires just a touch of effort on your part. Enjoy this batch with some tea and a cozy sweater by a fire or if you're on the west coast, while you're soaking up this gorgeous September sunshine!


Brown Butter Rum Raisin Cookies

Makes 12-16

1/4 salted grass-fed butter

1/2 vanilla bean

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 egg 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp soda 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1 1/2 tbs coconut flour

1 cup oats

1/4 cup finely shredded coconut

1/2 cup raisins

1 tbs rum (I used Malibu Black)

1 tbs Galliano (Or 2 tbs dark rum if you have it on hand)

1 tbs hot water (or more rum!!)

In a small bowl, mix rum, Galliano and water. Add raisins and let soak for 20 minutes or, if desired, cook raisins in a saucepan until warm for 3-5 minutes to plump them up. (Or microwave them if you must)

In a saucepan (frying pan works too) over low-medium heat, melt your butter with your vanilla bean that has been sliced down the middle and squeezed. Leave the pod in the pan as your brown your butter. Using a spatula, gently swirl your butter as it begins to bubble. The butter will begin to brown and let off a nutty vanilla scent. The butter is finished when the colour has deepened and the nutty vanilla scent is apparent, 5 minutes for me. Discard pod. 

In a medium bowl, mix your brown butter, coconut sugar and maple syrup together until smooth, like a very soft caramel. Let cool for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine oats, oat flour, almond flour, soda, salt and baking powder. 

Add egg to sugar mixture and mix until combined. Add extra vanilla extract if desired. 

Add dry mixture to wet mixture by folding it in with a spatula. This recipe is a lot more fun by hand! 

Fold in raisins, along with any remaining liquor that wasn't soaked up. 

Fold in shredded coconut and gauge to see if any further dry ingredients are necessary. 

Transfer bowl to freezer or fridge to harden. 

Once hardened, bake at 350 for 8 - 10 minutes, or until golden brown on the top. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet. These cookies should be very chewy and slightly undercooked when removed from the heat. 

Ultimate Go-to Grain-Free Chocolate Brownies

Brownies were never my favourite treat. They were either a little too sweet, too cakey or too crumbly. Of course one bite brownies and those amazing batches of brownies that that one talented mom always used to bring to the bake sales were an exception. We all had one of those, am I right?

Needless to say, whenever I tried making brownies I didn't really care for them. I always had terrible results;  not enough chocolate flavour, too crumbly, you name it, I did it. Brownies just weren't my game. This gluten-free version however, is a game changer. The brownie itself is best right out of the fridge since it gives it a fudgy texture, but it keeps a little crumble just the way I like it. I love the addition of the chocolate chunks, which add a deep dark chocolate taste to the finished product.

The best part about this recipe is that it makes the perfect base to build on. Want to add nuts? Go for it. Add some fresh seasonal fruit? Why not. Switch up the icing or omit it altogether? You bet. Play around with this recipe and make it your own.


Ultimate Grain-Free Chocolate Brownies

Makes 14-18 brownies

7 tbs coconut flour

9 tbs grass-fed butter, melted

7 tbs cocoa (raw or roasted, but roasted gives deeper flavour)

5 tbs raw unpasteurized honey 

5 tbs coconut palm sugar

1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1/2 -2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (soy-free)

Optional add ins:

1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup cherries or other seasonal fruit
1 tsp instant espresso powder (to deepen chocolate flavour)

Decadent Chocolate Icing

4 tbs grass-fed butter, softened

2/3 cup chocolate chips, melted

5 - 6 tbs cocoa

3 tbs raw unpasteurized honey

1 tbs vanilla whey protein - optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 in glass dish with coconut oil or butter. (I use a pie dish, which works just as well)  Mix together melted butter, sugar and honey in a medium bowl. Stir until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and stir until blended. Sift cocoa and coconut flour into bowl and mix until just combined. Add in chocolate chips and other optional items if using. Bake on middle rack for approximately 12-15 minutes or until middle is set. Let it cool.

To make the icing, combine room temperature butter with all other ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together until you reach a glossy finish.

Frost brownies and place in fridge to set.

Chocolate Cake with Orange Nutella Frosting

I should never be left alone in the kitchen.  I leave a mess, I play my music too loud and I have to taste everything in sight. Leaving me unsupervised in the kitchen has it perks too; it usually ends with a cake or a batch of cookies on the counter that I may or may not pretend to know nothing about.

Since it was a long weekend and everyone was home I had to share my kitchen, but I woke up early enough yesterday to get some baking out of the way before anyone else got up. The result? A truly wonderful, delicious and easy chocolate cake.  Long weekends call for cake. It's in the unofficial rules of Canadian holidays, I swear! I have been dreaming about this chocolate cake for months on end.  Back in February I thought I had created the best chocolate cake recipe ever.  I had tested it multiple times in cake and cupcake form and it was a real winner. Unfortunately my computer crashed and I lost the recipe.  I finally came back to it, only to improve on the original using a tip I learned from a small town Saskatchewan cookbook; a little apple cider vinegar goes a long way when making a good chocolate cake.  Those prairie women sure were right.  I won't claim that this is the BEST CAKE EVER, but I sure will stand behind it being an awesome, super-fantastic, serve to anyone, even gluten-free haters, amazing and mouth-wateringly delicious kind of cake! 

The cake is so moist and fluffy you could eat it plain, but I paired it with a creamy frosting, since we're sticking to those rules about official cake-making weekends.  The cake is just chocolatey enough to satisfy a craving, without leaving you in serious need of a glass of milk or a cup of tea.  The orange zest lightens up the heaviness of the nuts and chocolate too!  This classic chocolate cake would be great with any kind of icing, but something about that pop of orange against the dark chocolate seemed fitting for mix of rain and shine we had all weekend here. 

Enjoy!

THE Chocolate Cake

Makes 1 9-inch cake. (I used two to make this cake)

1/4 cup salted Kerrygold butter, melted

3 eggs

1/4 cup coco sugar 

2 tbs honey 

1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, divided

2 tbs coconut milk

2tbs coffee

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Homemade Nutella Paste* 

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups hazelnuts

4 tbs coffee

2/3 cup milk of choice (I used coconut)

3 tbs Kerrygold salted butter

1 cup dark chocolate chunks (at least %70 cocoa)

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt (only if using unsalted butter)

Orange Nutella Icing

Enought to ice 1 9-inch two layer cake

1/3 cup kerrygold butter

1 cup homemade nutella

1-2 tbs coffee

1-2 tbs coconut cream from the top of the can

2 tbs cocoa - for deeper flavour (optional)

1/3 cup homemade icing sugar +  3 tbs arrowroot powder **

2 tsp orange zest

For the Nutella Paste,  

Toast nuts @ 300 for 5-6 minutes or until skins become shiny and detached from nut.

Using a tea towel, rub the nuts to remove skins. Not to worry if they don't all come off.

Once cool, grind in a blender or food processor until it begins to form a paste that looks similar to almond butter or peanut butter. Remove from machine.

Heat milk of choice in a saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering point - do not let it simmer - turn off heat. Add the coffee grounds and let steep until desired coffee taste is achieved.  Strain coffee milk mixture into a medium bowl filled with the chocolate and butter. Let melt.  Add vanilla and hazelnut paste.  Chill until the mixture hardens. (Troubleshooting: if the mixture is not thick enough, melt slowly over low heat and add more chocolate)

For the cake,

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit (I did 10 min @ 325 and 7 @ 300 since my oven is freakishly hot)

In a medium bowl mix melted butter with sugar and honey.

Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined and somewhat frothy, 2 minutes.

Place a sifter over the bowl and put cocoa powder, coconut flour and 1 tsp of baking powder inside. Sift ingredients into bowl and mix until combined.

Place remaining baking powder into milk and coffee mixture and place in bowl. Sprinkle apple cider vinegar over milk and coffee mixture and blend batter until smooth.

Using a spatula fill a 9-inch greased round baking pan and cook until fork comes out clean. For me, it took 17 minutes as I mentioned that my oven is insanely hot. (Feel free to let me know how long it takes you!)


For the icing, 

Whip butter in a stand mixer or electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.  Add your solid Nutella paste to the bowl and whip until combined. Add remaining ingredients and whip until nice and fluffy. If too thin, add a little more Nutella paste or arrowroot powder. If too thick, add more coffee or milk.  Store in fridge if not using right away. This icing stays stable at room temperature so feel free to ice your cake in advance!

 *Note that I've made this Nutella extra thick so it can be used to make thicker icing. If you want to make the Nutella for spreading purposes, add at least an extra 1/4 cup of milk to the mixture.

** Note that homemade icing sugar is simply a 1:1 ration of coconut palm sugar and arrowroot powder, blended in a Vita-mix or food processor to make a fine powder

Easy Grain Free Apple Crisp

I took a little bit of a hiatus to visit my aunt and uncle down in Phoenix, Arizona.  They spend the spring and winter down there now that their kids are grown up.  My cousin, who happens to be my age and the sister I never had, met me down there. A week with family can be a lot of fun, but after seven days with my extended family under one roof I think I can say I've had my fill for a while.  They have an amazing place out in Scottsdale, so I took full advantage of biking the flat roads, running the trails and of course, their back yard swimming pool!

My aunt is the queen of planning outings and events.  She took us floating down the salt river on tubes, complete with a tube for our coolers.  Note, if you ever want to torture your adult children, promise them sun, food and water, then take to them a river, throw them on tubes,  attach them to their parents and send them down a river for three hours.  Okay, so it wasn't that bad.  I love my family so we had a great time, but you can picture some terrible sit-com where the dysfunctional family takes a river trip and it ends up being a complete disaster.

The next surprise she had lined up for us was an hour long drive, without telling us where we were headed.  We arrived at a canyon, where there was an amazing old train station.  We me out guide, Fermin, who was half butler half tour guide on our train adventure. Sitting in an original caboose from the 1930's, our family got to sit back in our own personal car at the back of the train while we made our way through the Verde Canyon.  Did I mention it was fully catered, complete with a stocked liquor cabinet? My aunt outdid herself. 

As way of thanks, Mother's Day morning I decided to do a little baking.  They were trying to clean our their pantry as they were heading back to Calgary the next day, so it was a use what we've got type of baking session.  Lucky for me, I love a challenge!  I found the last of the apples, the rest of the butter from my bulletproof coffee breakfast routine (Kerrygold for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about) and some almonds.  I found some instant oatmeal, but I couldn't bring myself to use it. You have to draw the line somewhere right?

I basically just winged it and threw everything together. The crisp turned out lovely, even without oats.  In fact, it turned out so well I didn't have a chance to take a picture of the final product! My uncle loved it and my aunt, who doesn't bake or care for baked goods, enjoyed it throughly.  They ate it so quickly it hadn't even crossed my mind to take a picture. All in all, I had a great week full of amazing home-cooked meals and some stellar sun.  

Easy Gran-Free Apple Crisp

(This recipe is just a ballpark, so feel free to play around)

6 Honeycrisp apples, sliced (these were small little organic ones, so 4 regular size will do)
2-3 handfuls of almonds, toasted until slightly crunchy
5 tbs cinnamon, divided (use as much or as little as you like)
4 tbs honey, divided
5 tbs grass-fed butter, divided

Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit.

Arrange apples in baking tray of choice.  I found a glass 9x9 baking dish. Arrange first layer, then sprinkle cinnamon freely over apples, along with 2 tbs honey and 1 tbs butter (chopped into tiny pieces)

Place second layer of apple overtop, adding more cinnamon and honey if desired.

In a blender or food processor, grind nuts until they are in small chunks.  I made mine quite fine, so that half of the almonds had turned to flour, while the other half were teeny tiny pieces.

Place nuts meal in medium bowl and add remaining honey, butter and as much cinnamon as you want. If you have coconut palm sugar or a sugar of choice, add it in as well.  Using your hands, blend ingredients together so you have a sticky, buttery paste. You can add more cinnamon if it's looking too light or more almonds if you don't think you'll have enough to cover your apples.

Spread the crumble mixture over your apples as evenly as possible.

Bake @ 350 for 34-45 minutes, depending on your oven. The top should be a nice deep golden brown and the apples should be quite soft.

Allow to cool, or if you're impatient, enjoy right out of the pan!

Note: this would be awesome with coconut whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Here are a couple of cool shots from my trip.