Gluten-Free Mini Blueberry Pies

Made these adorable little pies today!

For the crust, I used my tart crust recipe which you can find here: http://lexalexrecipe.blogspot.ca

Here's the filling recipe:

Filling

4 1/2 cups of blueberries (or 3 1/2 cups blueberries, 1 cup raspberries)
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons tapioca flour
3 Tablespoons arrowroot flour

-Bake for 15 minutes at 400F
-Change temp to 350 and cook for 20-30 more minutes (until filling is bubbling)

Gluten-Free Plum Spice Tarts

Sometimes experimenting in the kitchen is what creates the best results. I pretty much winged this recipe with only a little help from the internet. I added some yummy spices like ginger and cardamom to turn this summery dessert into a fall treat.  

Gluten Free Plum Spice Tart 

Crust
1 1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
6 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
2-3 Tablespoons milk (depending on how dry the dough is)

1) Mix all the flours and almond meal together
2) Add the butter, sugar, egg whites, salt, and milk
3) Mix until everything sticks together like a crumbly dough
4) Press dough evenly onto one big tart pan or 3 mini tart pans
5) Stick in fridge until filling is ready

Filling 
5-6 small plums, pitted and cut up (use more if needed)
3 Tablespoons tapioca flour
2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
pinch of all-spice
1 Tablespoon cold butter

1) Mix all the ingredients (except the butter) together in a bowl
2) Pour filling into crust evenly
3) thinly slice the butter and place on the very top of tarts
4) preheat oven to 400F and bake for 20-25 minutes
5) Change oven heat to 300F bake for another 15-20 minutes (make sure crust doesn't burn)

Gluten-Free Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Yesterday I tried out a Lemon Earl Grey Cookie recipe from http://www.tastyeatsathome.com

Since I didn't have the exact ingredients, I made some alterations- and the results were beautiful!
I'm not a big fan of quinoa flour in desserts since it's more bitter. I used brown rice flour in it's place and it worked great. I also used real butter in this recipe- because what are tea cookies without butter?

I used Scottish Earl Grey Tea from http://www.craftoftea.com/
I highly recommend this tea- it is a lovely blend flavored with bergamot

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoon of earl grey tea leaves (crushed up)
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 1/2 or 2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1) Mix all dry ingredients (rice flours, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, tea leaves) together in a bowl
2) Mix softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl (on medium speed) until completely combined
3) Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar, mix until combined
4) Add lemon zest and juice to the wet ingredients and mix until combined
5) Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients while mixing on low
6) Mix all ingredients on low until combined
7) Place dough in fridge for 30 minutes
8) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake cookies for 10 minutes (until golden brown on edges)

Honey Cocoa Iced Tea

I typically make iced coffee in the summer but I just started making good iced tea. Since I have way too much tea and it's far too hot outside to drink it warm, I needed an alternative.

Here are some simple tips for brewing your own iced tea with loose tea leaves:

1) Use more tea leaves then you would for hot tea (rather than 1 teaspoon use 1 1/2 teaspoons)

2) Let your tea steep for a good chunk of time. Depending on how strong the tea is, I usually let it steep for about 20-30 minutes

3) Sweeten your tea while it's still hot- this way the sweetener fully dissolves. I like to use honey rather than sugar so my drink is sweet, but not entirely bad for me!

4) Make tea ice cubes so the tea does't get watered down. Like watery iced coffee, it just isn't pleasant.

Ok enough tips, here's how I made this delicious Cocoa Iced Tea!

Honey Cocoa Iced Tea

4 cups of hot water
5-6 teaspoons of cocoa tea leaves (I used this tea: http://www.ambrosiaherb.com)
1 Tablespoon organic honey
2-3 teaspoons caramel sauce (Optional- this is for more of a dessert iced tea)
1/4 cup almond milk, milk or half & half (I prefer a mix of milk and almond milk)

1) Add tea leaves to almost boiling water

2) Add honey and caramel sauce

3) Let leaves steep for about 20 minutes

4) Strain tea into container and set in fridge until completely chilled

5) Pour chilled tea into glasses with ice

6) Add a touch of milk/cream

Enjoy!

Iced Mango Matcha Latte

I've been making myself this drink all the time lately!

Three reasons why I love it:
1) It requires only 3 ingredients
2) The matcha gives me an energy boost
3) It's dairy and gluten-free

Apart from these reasons, it's also relatively good for you! Matcha boosts concentration,  burns calories, and is full of antioxidants.

Iced Mango Matcha Latte 

For one person.... 

1 cup almond milk (any kind! I prefer Silk unsweetened)

1/2 cup mango juice (you can also use any kind- the sweeter the better)

1 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder (use less if you want less caffeine) 

Blend all ingredients in blender until mixture becomes frothy. Pour over ice and enjoy!

If you want this drink a little sweeter, consider using coconut sugar for a healthy option. 

Butterscotch Cookies (GF)

After making many batches of delicious chocolate chip cookies, I decided to switch up my recipe and do butterscotch cookies. The lovely thing about these cookies is that you can't even tell they are gluten-free. I have tested this on multiple people- all of whom said that they couldn't tell!

All I can say is that these are magical. If you love butterscotch than you'll love these cookies with all your heart.

Butterscotch Cookie Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Makes about 2 dozen

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed 

1 1/2 Tablespoon water 

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cup oats (oat flour)

1/2 bag of butterscotch chips 

1) Mix softened butter and sugar until smooth

2) In blender, mix flaxseed and water together 

3) Add flaxseed/water mixture to the butter and sugar- mix until combined. 

4) Add egg and vanilla to butter/sugar and mix until combined 

5) Mix the oat flour, baking soda, and salt together 

6) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. (Add little bits at a time and stir) 

7) Mix in the butterscotch chips 

8) Put dough in fridge for 15-20 minutes while oven preheats to 350F 

Bake for 10 minutes - until edges become golden grown 

*Note- if you desire, you can use chocolate chips for chocolate chip cookies 

Iced Strawberry Mocha

After picking some fresh strawberries last week, I have been dying to create some delicious strawberry recipes. This week I experimented with strawberries and coffee. Here's the delicious result!

Iced Strawberry Mocha Recipe

(Serves two)

2 cups cold coffee

1 cup milk

1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup frozen/fresh strawberries

Ice cubes 

1) Brew 2 cups of coffee and chill in fridge

2) Heat your strawberries on the stove or in the microwave

 3) Strain the strawberry juice into a sauce pan

 4) Add the sugar 

 5) Add the milk

 6) Add the cocoa and vanilla

 7) Heat the mixture in sauce pan until steaming. Transfer to container and chill

 8) Prepare glass with ice 

 9) Fill glass 3/4 full with iced coffee

 10) Fill rest of glass with chilled strawberry/milk mixture 

Enjoy!