Gluten-Free Lemon Bars

For Mother's Day I made these delicious gluten-free lemon coconut bars. I didn't have all the ingredients I needed to follow an exact recipe so I decided to wing it-and it turned out wonderful!

Gluten-Free Lemon Coconut Bars 
(Adapted from this recipe: http://www.greenkitchenstories.com)

Crust

5 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
3 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
2 cups shredded coconut
3/4 cup almond meal/flour
1/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour (I used Trader Joe's blend)
2 egg whites (save the yolks)

Filling

3 eggs and the 2 egg yolks
7 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup and 2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour

Crust: Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients together until fully combined and press into a small pan (I put parchment paper underneath so the bars came out easily). Bake for 10-13 minutes.

Filling: beat the eggs until foamy and then add the rest of the ingredients. Beat all the ingredients for two minutes. Pour the filling onto the crust. Bake for about 18 minutes (on 350) until the filling is set (not liquid).

Let bars cool and then cover with powdered sugar. I suggest keeping the bars in the refrigerator after they cool.

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

For Easter this year I made a simple (but delicious!) Gluten-Free Carrot Cake.

I based this recipe off a recipe for carrot-cake cupcakes which you can find here: http://www.yammiesglutenfreedom.com

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a small cake pan (I used a spring form pan)
*If you want to make this a layer cake then you'll need to double the recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar (I used a little less than this)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (I used Trader Joe's mix)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cloves
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup of finely shredded carrots

1) Mix together the eggs, sugar, butter, coconut oil, and vanilla
2) Mix together the dry ingredients
3) Combine the wet and dry ingredients
4) Mix in the shredded carrots
5) Pour your batter into the greased cake pan
6) Place pan in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean)

Frosting

5 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 tablespoon butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

*Put ingredients into a mixer and mix on high until everything is well combined
*Add more sugar or cream depending on the sweetness or texture you desire

Frost the cake and sprinkle chopped walnuts on top to finish!

How.Do Hazelnut Chai Mocha

Here's my How.Do tutorial for my Hazelnut Chai Mocha!



HAZELNUT CHAI MOCHA a micro guide by Alexa Klopfenstein on How.Do

Hazelnut Chai Mocha

Most people think mixing tea and coffee would be disastrous. I'm pretty sure this drink proves all the critics wrong. The rich, spicy chai and bitter coffee blend beautifully in this hazelnut chai mocha! If you are lover of coffee AND tea then this is a must-try!

Hazelnut Chai Mocha

1 mug of coffee (about 1 cup)
2 cups of milk
2 T sugar
1 1/2 T cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
2 T hazelnut chai tea
whipped cream (homemade or store bought)
hazelnut chocolate the shave on top (optional)

 (I used Argo Hazelnut Chai Tea. This tea isn't available online but you can buy other amazing chai teas here: http://mychaidiaries.com )

1) Brew a mug of coffee

2) Heat the coffee and milk in a sauce pan until it steams 

(medium heat)

3) Measure out the chai into a tea infuser

 4) Mix in the sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Stir until these ingredients dissolve.

5) Put the tea infuser (containing the tea) into the sauce pan. Let it steep in the milk for about five minutes. Strain the mocha mixture into cups/mugs. 

6) Add whipped cream and shave the chocolate on top

Blackberry Mocha Cheesecake

Yesterday I created this blackberry mocha cheesecake for my brother's birthday. It turned out to be probably one of the best cakes I have ever made! I followed a basic cheesecake recipe and changed quite a few things. Also, I made the bottom of the cheesecake gluten-free!

Blackberry Mocha Cheesecake Recipe

Cheesecake Crust

1 1/2 cup nuts (I used a mix of walnuts and pecans)
1 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons butter (soft)

1) Blend nuts in food processor or blender until finely ground
2) Add the sugar and butter and blend until completely mixed
3) Press mixture into the bottom of a springform pan
4) Bake crust for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees
5) Take out of the oven and allow it to cool

Cheesecake Filling

32 oz cream cheese (at room temp.)
1/4 cup of sugar
4 eggs
1 stick of butter (4 oz)
4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz of milk chocolate
6 oz of coffee chocolate (I bought a bar that was coffee flavored white chocolate. You could just add expresso as well.)
4 oz of heavy cream (1/4 cup)
2 oz of sour cream

1) Mix the cream cheese with the sugar. Add the eggs, heavy cream, and sour cream
2) Melt the butter and then set aside
3) Melt all the chocolate in a double boiler (careful not to burn!)
4) Add butter and chocolate to cream cheese mixture and mix until smooth
5) Pour filling over the cheesecake crust in the springform pan
6) Bake cake at 270 degrees for 90 minutes. Turn off oven, open the stove door, and let cake sit in oven for 30 minutes
7) Take cake out of the oven and let it completely cool

Blackberry Mousse 

1/2 Tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
10 oz of frozen blackberries
3/4 Tablespoon of sugar (you can kinda estimate)
3 oz white chocolate finely chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
A spoonful of blackberry jam (optional)

1) Combine the gelatin powder and water in a small bowl and set aside (allow it to bloom)
2) Defrost and strain the blackberries to get all the juice
3) Pour the blackberry juice into a sauce pan and add the sugar
4) Over low heat, stir the juice and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved
5) Continue to stir juice over low heat for 4 minutes (allow the juice to become more concentrated)
6) Remove saucepan from heat. Add the bloomed gelatin to the juice and stir until dissolved
7)Add the finely chop chocolate and stir until smooth
8) Set mixture aside and beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form (make whipped cream!)
9) Gently fold the chocolate blackberry juice into the whipped cream
10) Pour mousse onto the cooled cheesecake
11) Swirl blackberry jam onto the top of the mousse (to make it look pretty!)

Now you simply put your cheesecake into the fridge to completely cool. It turns out best if left over night.

Once you remove the cake from the fridge, drizzle some chocolate on top and add some fresh blackberries.

Enjoy!

Mocha Pomegranate Mousse

One of the desserts I made for Thanksgiving was this lovely Mocha Pomegranate Mousse! It turned out   very pretty and flavorful so I decided to share my recipe. If you aren't a huge pomegranate lover, no worries! You can easily substitute the pomegranate with almost any other fruit/ flavor. For example, you could try this recipe using raspberries, blackberries, lemon, peach, peppermint, or even eggnog! 

Mocha Pomegranate Mousse Recipe

Mocha Mousse Layer

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 

4 ounces milk chocolate

4 ounces coffee chocolate

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

3 tablespoons water 

2 tablespoons sugar

3 egg yolks, room temperature

1) Melt all the chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool

2) Crack three eggs and separate the yolks into a bowl. Set aside

3) Put the water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Stir on medium heat until it starts to bubble and become like syrup

4) Add the simple syrup (while still hot) to the egg yolks while constantly stirring 

5) Add the syrup and yolks to the chocolate and mix all together

6) Whip the heavy cream until peaks form

7) Carefully fold all the chocolate into cream until mixed together 

8) Pipe or spoon the mousse into cups/bowls and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes 

Pomegranate Mousse Layer

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream 

1) Put the water and gelatin in a bowl and set aside (allow gelatin to bloom)

2) Put the pomegranate juice and sugar in a small sauce pan and stir on medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the juice becomes more concentrated (once the juice starts to bubble, continue to stir on heat for around 5 minutes). 

3) Put the bloomed gelatin in the pomegranate juice and stir

4) mix the chopped white chocolate into the pomegranate juice. The hot juice should melt the chocolate

5) Whip the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. 

6) fold the pomegranate juice into the whipped cream

7) Pipe/spoon the pomegranate mousse onto the chilled mocha mousse

8) Put the mousse back into the fridge for at least and hour

Before Serving

1/2 cup of fresh pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup of chopped/shaved white chocolate 

1) Sprinkle the seeds and chocolate onto the cups of mousse right before serving 

Peanut Butter Caramel Mocha

For one person:

about 2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of coffee (or more if you'd like!) 
2 Tablespoons of sugar 
1 Tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon of caramel
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter (you can kinda guess with this and add more or less) 
1/2 Tablespoon of vanilla
pinch of salt

Put the milk in a pot on medium heat. stir until hot. add the rest of the ingredients, stirring in each before adding the next. once all the ingredients are added, make sure you stir some more for a few minutes. then enjoy!