Gluten-Free Recipes for Dessert

CRÊPES

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh.

A recipe for soft, delicious gluten-free crepes, which can be layered with any sauce or flavoring.

Ingredients:  

• 3 large eggs
• ½ c half and half 
• ½ c fat-free milk  I used ¾ c fat-free milk and ¼ c heavy cream – use coffee creamer instead of cream for sweet crêpes or 1 c whole milk
• 1 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract 
• ¾ c  cornstarch, I use Argo labeled gluten-free, Non-GMO and aluminum-free. You can add a little more cornstarch for a stronger crêpe.
• Salt
• 1 tbsp sugar for sweetness

Directions

1. Put milk and eggs in a bowl, then add rest of ingredients and whisk with an electric hand mixer, immersion blender or put in a blender and run until smooth. If you put cornstarch in bowl first, it tends to be more difficult to blend. 
2. I use a Caphalon crêpe pan that is 8” across the base. Most skillets etc are sold quoting measurement across the top edge not the cooking base, which can make quite a difference to size and quantity of crêpes based on that measurement. Heat pan on medium high heat until you can drip a few drops of water on pan and they ‘dance’ across the surface. Smear with a tiny bit of butter on paper towel. Pour in 2 tbsp batter into the center of the pan and tilt and swirl the batter to cover the base. Try not to get batter up the sides because it makes for less attractive crêpe, plus if you have bolts on the inside of the pan, batter will cook around bolts. Also batter around sides, cooks into a very crisp edge. But once stacked all the crêpes go soft. It does take practice to make visually perfect crêpe, first one is known as cooks perk in England, but they all taste good.
3. Cook until the top is drying and the edges are turning a golden brown.  About 20 seconds. I use a very thin plastic spatula to lift side of crêpe to see color and if cooked, the spatula loosens all the edges, making it easier to flip crêpe.  I flip it with my fingers, you can also use the spatula. Cook for a further 10 seconds. First side of crêpe should look an even golden brown, second side will look ‘freckly’.  If you overcook, it becomes very dry and crisp and difficult to roll or fold.
4. Invert crêpe onto a large plate and repeat with rest of batter. Depending on filling you will use, you can fill crêpes as they are made. Sometimes it is easier to fill them all at one time so you divide filling evenly amongst crêpes. Stir batter with each crêpe as cornstarch will sink to bottom.

For the fall, after you’ve gone apple picking with the kids, cook some cored and chopped Gala, Fuji, Braeburn or similar apples in butter, add some maple syrup, sugar, or apple cider and serve as a sauce over the crêpes.

Candy Corn Mini Muffins

Coconut-Rum Chocolate Pie

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh

Gluten-Free Coconut-Rum Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup regular sweetened, flaked coconut
• 2 c corn chex or honey nut chex (perhaps try chocolate chex) crushed to make one cup of crumbs. (Crush just in a Ziploc bag with rolling pin, but not to a powder)
• ½ c sliced almonds
• 6 Tbsp butter, earth balance or coconut oil

Filling:

• ½ c cream or Asian style coconut milk or coconut coffee creamer. Check coconut milk ingredients.  Piña Colada style coconut milk is high in sugar, ‘lite’ coconut milks are thickened with ‘gums’ and other ingredients to make thick and creamy.  Dairy coffee creamer or coconut coffee creamer that you use for coffee is easier for a small quantity
• 11-12 oz (~ 2 cups packet) gluten-free semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1-2 tbsp rum or other liquor you can tolerate.  Remember that ordinary rum and brandy should be gluten free, it is normally the flavorings added that can contain gluten.  You don’t have to add alcohol but it does raise the flavor nicely.
• Sliced bananas, fresh pineapple, mango,
• Bought or home made caramel sauce.
• Trader Joe’s make a jar of caramel sauce that is labeled gluten free, but not dairy free. Optional
• Whipped real cream or coconut cream whipped. Optional
• Some toasted coconut or sliced almonds to garnish. Optional.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter, earth balance or coconut oil. Mix together coconut, crushed chex and almonds and add melted butter or coconut oil to bind dry ingredients.
2. Press into base and sides of 9” pie place and bake in preheated 350* oven for 10-20 minutes until looking more golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
3. Heat cream in 4 cup microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Stir in chocolate and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Stir well, microwave a bit more, stir well, microwave until chocolate forms a smooth, thick, shiny mass. I tend to use my immersion blender to get mix smooth. Stir in alcohol.  Depending on cream and chocolate used and whether you added any alcohol, taste the chocolate mix and decide if it needs some sugar.  Remember you might be drizzling it with caramel sauce and adding fresh fruit, all adding to sweetness.
4. Pour chocolate sauce into cool shell and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
5. Remove from fridge. You can arrange fruit on top and drizzle with caramel sauce, or cut into portions and add fruit and sauce to individual plates depending on what people can eat or tolerate.
6. Whip cream with some sugar and rum, pile on top of chocolate or pipe. Scatter toasted coconut or almonds on top of cream.

Note: I read a recipe where the writer whipped cream with powdered hot chocolate mix.  It gives a light, sweet chocolatey taste.

Master Almond Cake

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh

This is a variation of my English Bakewell Tart with shortbread pastry crust, raspberry preserves layer, almond cake and sliced almonds. One of my son’s most favorite desserts so the first one I made completely gluten-free. If you can only eat other nuts, then weigh (roughly eyeball from packet) nut you can eat, add sugar and process together in food processor until nuts are very finely ground. Sugar helps stop nuts from turning into a paste. 

This is what I make for those times we’re asked to bring something to a meeting. Throw it all in a bowl and beat. I get into trouble with friends at conferences if I don’t bring it with me. Including flying from Boston to Atlanta to speak at a GIG conference. I was on a four page cover wrap for Blue Diamond Almonds for National Food and Wine magazine.

Gluten-Free Almond Cake

makes 1 x 8×8 or 1 x8″ cake pan. About 1 “ deep.

Naturally gluten-free, easily dairy-free, paleo, can be made egg-free.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick (2oz) very soft butter 
• ½ c (4 oz) ordinary sugar
• 2 large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 1+1/4 cup (4 oz, 115g) of almond meal/flour slightly rounded 
• 1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder – I use Rumford’s, labeled gluten-free
• 2 tsp gluten-free almond extract – I use Penzey’s that they say is gluten-free. Optional but adds to flavor.
• Topping: powdered sugar, ¼ – ½ c sliced almonds

Note: Different brands of almond flour or almond meal will often give a different weight to volume measure. For best results weigh.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F/ 170*C.
2. Place all ingredients in 4 c (1 ltr) mixing bowl and beat until well blended and fluffy- 2 minutes.  Mix will go lighter in color as you beat it.
3. Spread mix in greased and gf floured 8×8, or one 8” cake pan. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
4. Bake in 350* oven for about 25-30 minutes until well risen, golden brown and set but still soft in the middle. The texture should be similar to rolls of almond paste when cut, but cooked throughout.
5. Remove from oven, serve warm or cold,  sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Variations:

• Cut into wedges and serve with raspberry sauce.  
• Cook in 8×8 pan and cut into tiny squares for a buffet table. 
• Cook in 8×8 and cut into large squares and then cut large squares into 4 triangles or 2 larger triangles.
• Divide mixture between 2 holes of Wilton Giant Whoopie pie pan or 2 x 8 inch cake pans to make thin layer cake.
• Divide mixture in 12 holes of Wilton mini whoopie pie pan,  watch for temperature as dark lined pan browns rapidly underneath. Use as base for individual Baked Alaska, different strawberry shortcake, ice cream sandwiches.
• Top with chocolate ganache, raspberry, mango couli, fresh berries.
• Spread cooled cooked cake with Nutella and top with more almonds, make a chocolate ganache with either equal quantities of heavy cream and semi sweet chocolate or with Sodelicious vanilla or hazelnut creamer mixed with gf, cf chocolate.  Serve in puddle of raspberry sauce or with a mix of fresh berries slightly sweetened, add some Amaretto. 
• Whip 1 cup cream until nearly stiff, whip in 1/2 c Nutella and chill to stiffen. Use as filling or topping.
• If you don’t use almond extract, you really do need to add the zest of 1-2 lemons or 1-2 oranges if you eat the cake plain. You can also add 1-2 tbsp poppy seeds and make a melted lemon juice/sugar glaze to drizzle on top of baked cake.

Mango Cream Pie

From Chef Oonagh Williams of Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh 

I love ripe sweet mangoes, but unfortunately in NH you rarely get mangoes that are sweet and ripe when you buy them.  Too much of our grocery store fruit looks ripe, smells ripe but doesn’t taste ripe.  I’ve also decided that frozen mango, canned mango in syrup or glass jars of mango just don’t compare to flavor of fresh mango.

I saw a recipe for mango cream pie and had some mangoes.  The recipe was the regular milk, sugar, corn starch and eggs plus mango. I made it, didn’t taste enough of mangoes and who wants to heat up a kitchen and have to wait for custard to cool in the heat.  I was going to make cream and mango set with gelatin then remembered another summer dessert recipe we enjoy.  Our local Indian restaurant had a dessert on the buffet that was commercial, ready made banana pudding mixed with canned fruit. I used instant vanilla jello pudding, mango juice/nectar and fresh fruit.  Made in a few minutes and everyone loves it.  That’s my quick version #2, I also make a variation of my dirt pie #1, we think is even more delicious but dirties more bowls and higher calories. We also prefer this mango cream on its own, not in a cookie crumb crust, so it’s smooth and velvety – except if you finish with some toasted almonds or madacamia nuts.

Note: I buy ‘Best’ mango juice, 32 oz bottle, $2.99, 50% juice, with water and sugar and nothing else.  imported seasonally from Egypt. The bottle I bought last week in my regular grocery store, had a 12 month shelf life, unopened.  You can buy a 12 oz small bottle or can of juice, but many brands are much lower quantities of mango, less flavor plus additives. (www.aitco-best.com)

Directions:

Mango Cream #1

2 ripe, sweet ataulfo/champagne/alphonso mangoes or other mangoes that are sweet and ripe. Cut either side of mango to get 2 ‘cheeks’. Place ‘cheek’ on chopping board, skin side down, cut a tic-tac-toe pattern in flesh, push skin so mango flesh sticks out and carefully cut the cubes away from the skin. Carefully cut off side skin and remove flesh, then carefully cut off flesh left on mango stone.  Do all of this on chopping board, not in your hand.

In large bowl mix:

1 box instant vanilla pudding (normal 4 oz box) with 1+1/2 c mango juice/nectar using electric mixer or whisk. NOT the 2 cups of milk you normally use for an instant vanilla jello pudding, it won’t thicken as much.

Then while still runny add 1/2 cup of heavy cream whisked with 2 tbsp powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp xanthan gum until stiff. I find adding xanthan gum helps mango cream to stay thicker.  Omit xanthan gum if you want.

In another bowl mix:

4 oz (half a normal packet) softened cream cheese (I use lite) with

1/4 c, 2 oz, 1/2 stick soft butter

then mix in

1/2 c powdered sugar

Then mix both bowls together using electric mixer until totally blended and no visible streaks.  Try and do this while vanilla pudding mix is still quite soft. Stir in mango pieces. Turn into 6 c pretty bowl for serving. Mixture will set reasonably firm, but spoonable not sliceable. Refrigerate so flavors blend. I like to finish bowl with more whipped cream, toasted almonds, more mango.

Mango Cream #2.

This is the quick lazy version. One mixing bowl.

2 ripe, sweet ataulfo/champagne/alphonso mangoes or other mangoes that are sweet and ripe. Cut either side of mango to get 2 ‘cheeks’. Place ‘cheek’ on chopping board, skin side down, cut a tic-tac-toe pattern in  flesh, push skin so mango flesh sticks out and carefully cut the cubes from the skin. Carefully cut off side skin and remove flesh, then carefully cut off flesh left on mango stone.  Do all of this on chopping board, not in your hand.

In large bowl mix:

1 box instant vanilla pudding (normal 4 oz box) with

1+1/2 c mango juice/nectar using electric mixer or whisk. NOT the 2 cups of milk you normally use for an instant vanilla jello pudding, it won’t thicken as much.

Stir in mango and chill.  that’s it. Add the same whipped cream to mix if you want.

Try other fruits with other fruit juices. I made a bowl to take for a girl’s RV camping weekend and it vanished. It’s even good for breakfast. Put into individual bowls with lids for packed lunch or beach picnic. Fresh bananas, strawberries and blueberries.

HONEY CINNAMON GRAHAM CRACKERS

No-Bake Wicked Chocolate Cake aka Groom’s Cake

Lithuanian Apple Cake   

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Pecan Cranberry Tart