Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Heavenly. Simply heavenly. I loved these so much that I had to give most of them away. If I hadn't, I would have eaten the entire batch by myself, easily--probably in a shamefully short amount of time.

Peanut butter and jelly is one of my favorite combinations ever. I love it so much that I ate peanut butter sandwiches every day for several years in my first two jobs as an adult. I still eat it all the time. It's one of the things I could probably live on for a good long time before I got sick of it.

So when I saw the Gluten-free Goddess' Peanut Butter Banana Cake, I knew I had to try it out for myself. I made a few modifications, and then decided at the last minute to make it into a portable PB&J sandwich by adding a dollop of my homemade Black Raspberry Mango jam before baking them. They turned out to be FABULOUS. One of my friends took one bite and said, "So this is basically a peanut butter sandwich shaped like a muffin. It's wonderful." And I had to agree as I scarfed mine down with her.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins (Adapted from Gluten-free Goddess' Peanut Butter Banana Cake)
Makes 9 muffins

2 large bananas
1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tsp. white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 - 5 tbsp. of your favorite jam (I used my homemade black raspberry mango)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners.

Cream together the bananas, peanut butter, agave nectar, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix well. Coconut flour can be particularly clumpy, so try to work out all the lumps.

Spoon into the muffin tins, filling each one about 2/3 full. Spoon about 1 or 1 1/2 tsp. of jam into the middle of each one. Bake them for about 17 - 20 minutes, or just until a sharp knife comes out clean, and the top is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit in the hot pan for about 3 - 4 more minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

These only lasted long enough for me to verify they are still good 2 days later. But I suspect if you keep them in the refrigerator, that they will keep for about 4 days.

Chocolate Blackberry Protein Bars

I'm writing this from the throes of a gluten reaction, so this post will be pretty short and sweet.  I've been meaning to post about these for a while now, though, and since I've been otherwise terrifically unproductive today, I'll feel better if I've at least been able to share the recipe with you. 

You may be wondering why I've classified a protein bar as a dessert.  But these are switch hitters.  They strike that delicate balance between being healthy and being, well, dessert-y.  But trust me, they are as delicious as they are easy to make.  You can decide for yourself just how healthy they are, but my own opinion is that the sugar from the jam and chocolate chips is more or less canceled out by the dense, protein-filled, plain chickpea flour base.  I'm convinced that it all has to do with some complex mathematical culinary equation.  Which, of course, means that you can eat way more of them under the guise of their being secretly healthy.  If my friends and I are any indication, it will just take one bite for you and your friends to be hooked.

Chocolate Blackberry Protein Bars
Makes one 8 x 8 pan

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
4 - 6 tbsp. blackberry jam
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp. sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Spray a nonstick 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray.

Combine the chickpea flour, water and salt in a small bowl and mix until all clumps are gone.  Pour into the pan and spread evenly.

Sprinkle in the chocolate chips evenly over the whole pan.  Microwave the jam for 20 - 30 seconds until softened, then drizzle it over the batter.  Use a fork or knife to swirl it in evenly.  If desired, sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon evenly over the batter.

Bake at 425 F for 15 - 20 minutes, or just until slightly browned at the edges and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.  Cut into pieces and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  They are best if warmed slightly before eating.

Bakery-Style Hamantaschen

Ok, yes - it's too early for Purim.  Heck, to be honest, my family is not even one to celebrate that particular Jewish holiday.  Perhaps if I had known about the Hamantaschen, though, that would have been different...

These were my first Hamantaschen.  What is a Hamantaschen, you might wonder?  These cookies are little three-cornered wonders that puff up into bite-size pastries filled with any number of things, including jam, chocolate hazelnut spread, nuts, dates, and perhaps most commonly, poppy seed filling or prunes.  Their triangular shape is sometimes called evocative of the ears of the villain of the holiday of Purim - you guessed it - Haman, who is defeated in the story as told in the Book of Esther.

You'll probably forget all of that after your first bite.  The dough for this looks remarkably like regular old gluten dough, becoming elastic enough to survive a rolling pin and cut-outs, and pinching together like its gluteny counterpart. [We suspect that you could use this basic dough recipe as a pie crust as well, but that is yet to be tested.]  And after about 12 minutes in the oven, they turn into golden brown beauties, tiny crystals of sugar dotting their crispy tops even as the inside stays soft as a pillow and melts in your mouth.

These look a little different than the pictures of other Hamantaschen we saw, which seem to be more open in the middle and look vaguely like a mini danish.  But I rather like the way this shape distributes the filling, and so I would encourage you to try it out this way at least with some of them.  We filled ours with some of our homemade strawberry, peach, and blueberry jams, and also made a few with Solo Poppy Seed Filling (confirmed gluten-free here).  As my mom cut out the rounds and lined them up on the parchment paper, I filled each one with a teaspoon-sized dot of filling and pinched them together at the top.  A final dusting of sugar and then into the oven they went.

You would never in a million years know these were gluten-free.  With some gluten-free desserts, the flavor stays intact but the texture suffers, or vice versa; rarely do the stars align and create something that surpasses its glutenful counterpart in both taste and texture.  But both my father and brother actually requested that my mom make the gluten-free version of these because that is how good these are.  And how often does that happen?

All I can say is, there is a reason these are called "bakery style."  Seriously.  No one will regret your making these cookies - even if it's not Purim.

Gluten-free Bakery-Style Hamantaschen (Adapted from "A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking" by Marcy Goldman)

Makes 4 - 6 dozen pastries


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted non-dairy baking margarine (we used Fleischmann's, but you could also try Spectrum Butter Shortening)
1 1/4 cups sugar + 1/4 cup for sprinkling before baking
3 eggs
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups white rice flour + up to 1 cup more to use when rolling out the dough
1/2 cup tapioca starch (allow to settle well into the measuring cup)
3/4 cup potato starch (allow to settle well into the measuring cup)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
Fillings of your choice, such as jam (strawberry, peach, or blueberry); Solo Poppy Seed or Almond Paste filling; nutella; dates; or prunes

Combine the margarine/shortening and the sugar together.  Add the eggs and mix until smooth.  Stir in the orange juice and the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, fold together the white rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, salt, and baking powder. Fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture to form a firm but soft dough.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat it down.  Cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.  Alternatively, you can dust it with tapioca starch and wrap it in saran wrap and store in the refrigerator (up to 2 days) or freezer (up to 3 months) until needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 flattened discs and work with one at a time.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.  Depending on how sticky your dough is, you may need to use quite a bit more white rice flour to make it workable.  Don't fret, though - they'll still be delicious!  We used the top of a cup with a diameter of 2.5 inches to cut out rounds from the dough.  As you run out of space to cut dough from, rework and roll the dough out again, as many times as necessary until you run out of dough completely.

Line the rounds up on the lined baking sheet.  Fill each with a generous teaspoonful of the filling you've chosen and then draw each round of dough together by pulling three sides together and pinching them together in the middle.  You'll now have a pastry that looks like the top picture.  Once you've pulled all the rounds together in this way, sprinkle generously with the remaining sugar.

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Or eat warm from the oven.  Store in an airtight container (if they last long enough to be stored).

Raspberry Jelly Roll

This is the beautiful cake that was waiting for me when I arrived home on my birthday.  My mom had sent me a flurry of text messages while I was out with some friends celebrating.  It turned out that she was asking me what kind of jam I wanted in my birthday jelly roll.  After a rapid back-and-forth of flavor discussions, we finally settled on raspberry.  And it was a good choice, and the jam was even homemade!  This is a lovely, light cake that looks fancy and tastes even better!

Raspberry Jelly Roll (Adapted from "The Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer)
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/8 cup tapioca starch
1/8 cup potato starch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup white sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional - we didn't use them)
Confectioner's sugar
3/4 - 1 cup raspberry jam (other flavor suggestions: blackberry, strawberry, apricot, blueberry, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Grease a 15 ½" x 10 ½" x 1" rimmed baking sheet (jelly roll pan) and line the bottom with wax or parchment paper.  Do not grease the top of the wax/parchment paper.

Sift flours together with baking powder and salt and whisk in a bowl until thoroughly blended.

Separate the eggs and set the egg whites aside.  Beat all four egg yolks at medium-high speed for 1 minute.  Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar and beat until pale and thick.  Gradually add the flour and beat on low speed until smooth.

Using clean beaters, beat the 4 egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.  Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.

Using a rubber spatula, fold one-quarter of the whites into the batter, and then carefully fold in the remaining whites.  If desired, fold in the 1/2 cup nuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread evenly.  Bake until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed, about 10 - 12 minutes.  Run a knife along the edges to release the cake from the pan.  Remove the browned crust from the top (it will become crumbly if rolled up with the jam).  Invert the cake onto a sheet of aluminum foil that has been sprinkled with confectioner's sugar (to ensure even distribution of sugar, use a sifter to sprinkle it onto the foil).

Let the cake cool completely before peeling off the wax/parchment paper.  Once it has been removed, spread the entire top of the cake evenly with the jam of your choice. 

To roll the cake up (quoted from "The Joy of Cooking"):

"Starting at a short end, fold and press and inch or so of the cake firmly up over the filling to get started.  Keep these first turns tight; cracking will diminish as the diameter of the roll increases.  Use the sheet of foil under the cake to help roll the cake.  Once the cake is rolled, use two hands to move the roll carefully back to the center of the foil.  Wrap the back of the foil over the cake so that it overlaps the front portion of foil, covering the roll completely and tightly.  Place in the refrigerator to firm the roll before unwrapping and serving."

Notes:  

-Other fillings could include gluten-free custard, buttercream icing, poppy seed filling, chocolate spread, espresso/coffee spread, ganache, or your favorite nut butter.
-The jelly roll became more moist on the second and third days.  If you are keeping it beyond 2-3 days, slice into individual portions and keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

PB&J/N/H Bars; or Peanut Butter Bars with Jam, Nutella, or Honey

Perhaps I should just say first that these were gone immediately.  I just consider myself very lucky that I had two friends over to help me eat them or I might have consumed the entire pan, which would have been only fleeting joy, I'm sure.  So just consider yourself warned - if you keep reading, you will very likely end up with a highly tempting and addictive pan of cookie bars.  

I adapted these from a recipe on Our Best Bites - the link to the original post, "Peanut Butter & Jam Bars," can be found here.

I know I have written of my undying love of all things involving peanut butter before.  I love it in all forms, and there are many variations that I enjoy.  Peanut butter with jam; peanut butter with honey; peanut butter with nutella; peanut butter with marshmallow fluff (yes, that's right); and perhaps my favorite of all, peanut butter with maple butter.

So I decided, why limit myself to only one of these variations simply because it's the one in the original title?  As I measured, spooned, sifted, and stirred, the delicious smell of peanut butter began to waft up at me, and I knew I couldn't.  I rummaged around in my cabinet and pulled out some nutella-like chocolate spread I found in the store here, as well as a jar of special Swazi-made creamed honey.  After spreading half the batter into the bottom of the pan, I spread nutella, honey, and strawberry jam on top, divided into three sections, and then covered it with the rest of the batter before sticking it in the oven.

Forty minutes later, it came out of the oven looking a bit like a piece of patchwork due to the different consistencies, but smelling mouth-watering.  We let it cool for as long as we could stand not to eat them, and then my friends and I each tried all three kinds.  Shari and I agreed that our favorite in terms of taste was by far the peanut butter and honey, although as it cooled, it took on a somewhat caramel-like texture that wasn't as easy to eat.  As for Joe, he liked the traditional PB&J variation (this is the same Joe of the recent Sweet Potato French Fries post).  The nutella one had its moments, but was not heavy enough on the nutella and thus suffered in the rankings.  With a little extra nutella though, the chocolate flavor would be more noticeable and I'm sure the taste would be more balanced.

What is comes down to is that all three varieties were delicious, fantastic, addictive, wonderful.  Need I go on?  Within 15 minutes, two-thirds of the pan had disappeared, and a mere 2 hours later (after a short gorging hiatus), there was nary a crumb to be found.  If you love peanut butter, this is the dessert you've been waiting for.

PB&J/N/H Bars (Peanut Butter Bars with Jam, Nutella, or Honey)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used raw sugar)

1/2 cup gluten-free margarine, Spectrum organic shortening, or butter if you can eat it

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or crunchy if you prefer)

1 large egg

2 tsp. gluten-free vanilla

1/2 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup potato starch

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Dash of salt

1/3 cup strawberry jam (or raspberry, or your favorite)

1/4 cup honey (creamed is best, but regular will work as well)

1/4 cup nutella spread or chocolate chunks

Gluten-free non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.  Spray a glass 8" x 8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a bowl, cream the margarine and sugars together.  Add the peanut butter and mix well.  Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth.

In a separate small bowl, combine the sorghum flour, brown rice flour, and potato starch with the xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and dash of salt.  Add little by little to the wet mixture, stirring very well to combine.  Batter should be light and fluffy.

Place spoonfuls of the batter into the bottom of the baking dish, then using a spoon or spatula, spread them so they cover the entire pan.  Spread your toppings evenly onto the base in whatever proportions you prefer (if you use nutella, be sure to pile it on so the chocolate flavor will come out!), and then drop the remaining batter on top, once again in spoonfuls to ensure even coverage.  Use the spatula again to spread the batter evenly over the toppings.  Place in the oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the dough is firmly set and slightly browned.  Be careful not to overcook!  The edges should be a lovely brown.  Remove from oven and let cool for as long as you can before devouring them.

Note:  The honey in mine boiled in the oven and created a sort of honey fountain over the dough, so be careful to keep an eye so that it doesn't spill over into your oven.  It also became a little harder as it cooled, so you might want to eat these while still warm.  These were my favorite of the three!

Note:  I made these in an 8x8 pan, which gives them some nice height; I'm not sure they would turn out as well spread any thinner than that, such as in a 9" x 13" pan.

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

Ever since my lovely family sent me a care package containing two much-coveted bags of gluten-free oats, I have been going to town with them. Mostly I've been enjoying big bowls of oatmeal with cranberries, almonds, maple syrup and brown sugar; or with apricot slivers with almonds and brown sugar; or just plain brown sugar and cinnamon. But when I came across a random recipe on the internet called "Apricot Oatmeal Bars" and saw how simple the ingredients were, I decided to give them a try. I adjusted the recipe to be gluten-free and to include a few more flavors, and what I ended up with was a completely addictive pan of cookie bars whose flavors of cinnamon, brown sugar, and apricot were perfectly in sync with each other. Next time I might try sprinkling some almond slivers on top, or use some almond meal in the dough; or maybe I'll try the same basic dough recipe with different kinds of jam. Perhaps I'll try a pumpkin spice bar with pumpkin puree on top. But for now, try these - you will love them just as they are!

Apricot Oatmeal Bars

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup white rice flour
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons cranberry-apple juice
1 scant cup of apricot preserves, preferably “all-fruit”

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, making sure that there are no clumps of sugar or flour. Drizzle the canola oil and juice into the mixture and, using your hands, combine until it is evenly moistened and crumbly. Set aside 1/2 cup of the dry mixture and pat the rest of the mixture firmly into the bottom of an 8x8 pan (coated with cooking spray). Stir the apricot preserves, and if it is too stiff, microwave it for about 15 - 20 seconds to soften it. Spread the jam evenly on top of the dough mixture, and then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mixture over the top. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes and then remove from the oven. Let cool completely before cutting so the preserves will set. Store covered in the refrigerator or freeze to enjoy anytime.