Thai Iced Tea

I think Thai iced tea might be a "love it" or "hate it" kind of drink. I really can't describe its flavor, except to say that it is definitely one of my all-time favorite drinks. It actually has a slightly vanilla hint to it, and when you add milk or cream and some sugar or simple syrup it's simply luscious. Plus it has such a fun orange color!

  

Thai Iced Tea
4 tablespoons loose leaf Thai tea* or 4 Thai tea bags
8 cups water

sweetened condensed milk
heavy cream
simple syrup (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar brought to a simmer, then cooled)

* I've used two different types of Thai tea. The first is a loose leaf that you should be able to find in Asian markets. 

      

The other is a Thai tea already in tea bags. Both have great flavor. I use the bag version if I'm just wanting to make a single glass or the loose leaf and a stock pot full of water to make a pitcher.


Fill a large tea bag with the loose leaf tea.

Bring the water to a simmer, then remove from heat. Add the tea bag (or multiple tea bags) and allow to steep for 1 to 2 hours if you are making a pitcher. You only need to allow a singe tea bag to steep for about 5 minutes if you are making only a glass.

Pour over ice. Pour in about a teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk and a teaspoon or two of simple syrup. You can also swap the sweetened condensed milk for cream or add more simple syrup if you prefer a sweeter tea. Play with the quantities until you get the flavor you like best. 

      

I could drink this every day, but it would be great as the drink to accompany Korean Pork Tacos.

Enjoy!

Coconut Pecan Crunch Muffins

These muffins are a delicious morning treat and (relatively) healthy with whole wheat flour, coconut, and pecans. The cake is light and fluffy. The topping is crisp and sweet. Perfect.

Coconut Pecan Crunch Muffins
for the muffins…

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely ground pecans
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup granulated cane sugar
1 large egg
1 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the coconut-pecan crunch topping...
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut oil, syrup, sugar, egg, yogurt, and vanilla until well blended. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flours, ground pecans, coconut, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the oil and egg mixture. Stir gently to combine. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Sprinkle topping over each batter-filled muffin cup.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

recipe from foodandwine.com

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins with Pecans & Toffee

Here's a twist on my go-to banana bread muffin recipe. I decided to try some toasted pecans and toffee bits rather than the mini chocolate chips I typically use. They are a perfect breakfast treat!

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins with Pecans & Toffee
1 cup coconut flour
1 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
4 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1/4 cup toffee bits, plus extra for sprinkling on top

  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Using an electric mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, canola oil, and sugar together. Add the eggs and bananas and mix. Add the the flour mixture slowly and stir until just combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and toffee bits.

Evenly divide the batter into the 12 cups of a muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Sprinkle extra toffee bits on each muffin before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt

I've seen a few recipes on Pinterest for cookie dough yogurt, so I decided to give it a try. I used a Yoplait vanilla yogurt because that's what I had in my refrigerator. I think it would work a bit better if you use Greek yogurt because it's typically thicker. You could also substitute peanut butter if you prefer. This is a protein-packed treat that you can enjoy without too much guilt (even for breakfast)!

    

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt
1 container yogurt (plain or vanilla)
2 tablespoons almond butter
pinch salt
a couple drops of vanilla
1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Stir all ingredients together and enjoy!

Hint: If you're using plain yogurt (rather than vanilla), add a bit of sugar or honey to sweeten.

Gluten-Free Classic Coffee Cake

Do you love Starbuck's classic coffee cake? You will definitely want to make this for tomorrow's breakfast (or tonight's dessert). This coffee cake was Katie's special request for her birthday this year. I was a bit nervous that the gluten-free version wouldn't quite hit the spot. But it was perfect - just like Starbucks (but gluten-free)… with a moist cake, cinnamon ribbon in the middle, and a thick crumble on top. Happy Birthday, Katie!!!

  

Gluten-Free Classic Coffee Cake
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup yogurt
1 1/4 cup milk
3 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
(Wheat all-purpose flour can be used if you don't want this to be gluten-free.)

for the filling…
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

for the topping… 
2 sticks butter
2 1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13 inch baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (HINT: You could do only half of the recipe and bake in a square baking dish.)

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, salt, sugars, baking powder, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture, beating between each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and milk. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixture to the batter until completely combined.

In a small bowl, mix up the filling by simply stirring the brown sugar and cinnamon together.

Smooth about half of the batter into the prepared baking dish using a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle the filling over the entire area of batter. Top with remaining batter, smoothing evenly. Use a knife to slightly swirl  the batter. Just run the knife in one direction a few times the length of the dish, then a few times the width of the dish.

Place the baking dish in the oven and set a timer to 50 minutes.

While the coffee cake is beginning to bake, make the topping. In a large bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients with an electric mixer. After about 40 minutes of baking time, Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the coffee cake. Continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes, or until golden and the center is set.

Allow to cool. While you're waiting for the coffee cake to cool slightly, check out some of Katie's previous birthday treat requests…

last year was a Harry Potter themed party
fruit with cream cheese dip is always on Katie's favorites list
snickerdoodles or gluten-free sugar cookies

When the cake has cooled slightly, but is still a bit warm, slice into squares and dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

These are chocolately and gooey and just absolutely delicious. You'll never know they are gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
1 stick butter
3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) dark chocolate chopped
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons almond meal
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons millet flour
2 tablespoons white rice flour
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the cream cheese swirl…
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips

* you can make half of this recipe and use a square 8-by-8 inch pan or 9-by-9 inch pan rather than a 9-by-13 pan.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line an square pan with foil so that the foil hangs over the edge a bit. Lightly grease the foil. Set aside.

Melt the 3 ounces of chocolate and butter together in a large microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals at 50% power. It should take about 2 minutes total. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, cornstarch, flours, xanthan, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until the eggs are light and doubled in volume. Stir half of the egg mixture into the chocolate. Stir in half of the dry ingredient mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg and remaining dry ingredients. Mix in the vanilla. 

Using an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese swirl ingredients, exempt for the chocolate chips, until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan reserving about a cup in the bowl. Top with the cream cheese mixture and smooth evenly. Drop the reserved brownie batter in large dollops on top of the cream cheese mixture in the pan. Use a knife to swirl the cream cheese and brownie batter. Bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool, then lift brownies from pan using foil hang-over. Slice into squares using a sharp knife.

Enjoy!

Pi(e) Cupcakes

Happy Pi Day!! March 14th is Pi day… get it! 3.14… In honor of this mathematical day, I made these pi(e) cupcakes and some simple cupcake toppers with fondant and edible marker. Here's how…

What you'll need:
cupcakes - any flavor you like (try chocolate marshmallow cupcakes)
frosting - any flavor you like (try hazelnut frosting)
M&M candies - red candies work best to look like berries, but you can use blue too
piping bag and tips (optional)*

* if you don't have a piping bag with various tips, you can simply use a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off

Lightly frost a cupcake. Place M&Ms on the frosting with the "m" facing down. Place a small amount of frosting in your piping bag fitted with a small round tip (or in a ziplock bag with a very small hole snipped in one corner). Pipe a set of parallel lines over the M&Ms, then another set diagonally across the first set.

    

Change to a larger flat tip if you've got it, or snip a larger hole in the corner of your ziplock bag. Pipe a zig-zag in a circle around the edge of the cupcake to look like the pie crust.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis

Fancy name… simple yet decadent dessert. This is the first time I've made (or tasted) clafoutis. You will be amazed at how easy it is! It's a old country French dessert. The consistency isn't quite like cake, but not quite like pudding… it's kind of a cross between the two and reminded us of French toast or bread pudding. It's not traditionally chocolate, but I think its perfect. The bittersweet chocolate and raspberries are lovely flavors together. Next time I'll try a non-chocolate version. I served this clafoutis warm with a little whipped cream, but you could also serve it with some vanilla ice cream if you like.

Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis
12 ounces fresh raspberries (you could use frozen if you want)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour (you can use a gluten-free all-purpose if you want)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used one bittersweet 4 oz Girradelli bar)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Toss the berries in a bowl with the 1 tablespoon of sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.

Blend all remaining ingredients, except the chopped chocolate in your blender until smooth.

Scatter the berries and juices in the dish. Pour the batter on top of the berries.

Bake for about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the chopped chocolate.

  

Serve with whipped cream (whip 1/2 cup heavy cream with a tablespoon powdered sugar using an electric mixer) or ice cream. Garnish with some powdered sugar and fresh raspberries if desired.

Enjoy!!

King Cake Bars

It's time for Mardi Gras! I usually make a king cake for Mardi Gras each year. Somehow Emily always seems to get the hidden baby, which should mean that she has to make the cake the next year. But I'm always the one that makes the cake. Oh well, I really don't mind. This year I stumbled across a recipe for king cake bars. They are much easier to make than traditional king cake (no rising time or anything) and slightly cheesecake-ish. They are also absolutely luscious and delicious. Perfect for your Mardi Gras party - or any time! We'll be snacking on these after our jambalaya dinner.

King Cake Bars
for the bars…
1 cup all-purpose flour (use gluten-free if you like)
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 package (8-ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

for the glaze…
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Colored sugar in the traditional Mardis Gras colors… purple, green and gold (optional)


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing some overhang, and spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer (a stand mixer if you have one), mix the flour and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Drop in the butter cubes and beat on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and looks a bit like wet sand. (If you don't have an electric mixer, you can do this by hand. Mix the flour and sugar, then add the pieces of butter, using two knives or a pastry cutter to blend in the butter until it resembles course crumbs.) Add the milk and beat until it starts to stick together. Your mixture should look like this.

     

Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press it into an even layer covering the bottom of the pan.

You can reuse the same bowl and mixer (bonus for limit dirty dishes) for the next step. Beat the cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, egg, vanilla, and cinnamon together until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared crust in the pan. 

   

Bake the bars for 25 minutes or until the cream cheese mixture is set.

      

Prepare the glaze while the bars are baking. Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until completely smooth. Spread the glaze in an even layer on top of the bars as soon as you remove them from the oven. Immediately decorate with colored sugar. Cool completely and slice with a sharp knife.

  

Enjoy!