Fig Cranberry Walnut Cookies

Made these cookies yesterday and they turned out great! They are perfect for breakfast and go well with tea. One thing I love about this cookie dough is that is isn't too touchy or difficult. Small adjustments don't make too much of a difference. Plus they are gluten-free! 

Fig Cranberry Walnut Cookies 

Makes about 2 dozen

6 Tablespoon softened butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed 

3 Tablespoon water 

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon cocoa powder 

2 1/4 cup oat flour

1/2 cup oats  

1/4 cup chopped dried figs 

1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries 

1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

1) Mix softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth

2) Blend flaxseed until powdery then add water (let mixture sit for 5 minutes)

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 oats, oat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder together 

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

7) Add chopped figs, cranberries and walnuts to the dough

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

Bake for 10-12 minutes - until edges become golden grown 

*Note- if you desire, you can add 1/2 cup chocolate chips as well

GF Star Fruit Custard Tart

GF Star Fruit Custard Tart

Fine gluten-free crust recipe here: https://simplygluten-free.com/blog/

Filling:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tb tapioca flour
1 1/2 Tb arrowroot powder
pinch of salt
1/4 and 1/8 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1 Tb butter


1) whisk egg yolks until thick and pale - set aside
2) Mix tapioca flour, arrowroot, salt, and sugar together in bowl - set aside
3) Mix milk, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla into sauce pan
4) Heat milk mixture on medium heat until steaming
5) Add flour/sugar mixture to milk mixture and stir on medium heat until bubbling
6) Slowly pour hot milk into egg yolks while stirring constantly
7) Pour eggs yolk and milk (now fully mixed together) back into sauce pan
8) Put sauce pan on medium heat and stir constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles
9) Pour mixture back into a bowl and stir in butter
10) Cover with plastic wrap and leave custard until room temperature
11) Pour room temp custard into cooked tart crust
12) Leave tart in fridge for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight), allowing custard to set
13) Decorate tart with starfruit and any other fruit of choice

(this filling recipe makes enough to fill one small tart crust - double or triple the recipe for a large tart)

GF Darjeeling Berry Mousse Tart

I don't know about you, but I love a good tart recipe - plus it's gluten-free! This irresistible tart includes a bold Second-Flush Darjeeling and fresh berries. I like to get as much flavor as I can out of my Darjeeling so I often let it steep in the cream for at least 3 hours. If you want to make a cream pie in place of a small tart, you'll need to at least triple the amount of filling. Whether you're hosting a small dinner party or just making this for your family, this is a dessert to impress!


GF Darjeeling Berry Mousse Tart 

Find crust recipe here: https://simplygluten-free.com/blog

Filling:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp second-flush darjeeling 

2 cups frozen berries

1/2 cup sugar (you can add more or less to taste)

1/4 cup of cold water
1 teaspoon gelatin

(I got my darjeeling from: http://www.teacampaign.ca)

1) Measure heavy whipping cream into a bowl and add darjeeling to steep
  (set in fridge for at least an hour)

2) Defrost the frozen berries and strain juice into sauce pan - set aside

3) Add gelatin to cold water and let sit 

4) Put berry juice on medium heat and add sugar 

5) Once juice is steaming, add in gelatin and remove from heat 

6) Transfer juice to bowl and set in fridge until thickened 

7) Strain darjeeling tea leaves from cream 

8) Pour cream into mixer and mix on high until small peaks form 

9) Add berry juice to whipped cream and carefully mix together 

10) pour mousse into cooked tart crust and set in fridge 

enjoy!

(this filling recipe makes enough to fill one small tart crust - double or triple the recipe for a large tart)

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 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