With September just around the corner, I am guessing everyone is in Back to School mode and needing some gluten free snack and lunchbox ideas. So I thought I would post a fabulous lunchbox treat, chocolate pixies.

Chocolate Pixies are old-fashioned, classic cookies. They are a lot like a brownie, but shaped like a cookie. They have slightly crisp edges, soft and chewy in the middle, with plenty of sweet, chocolate flavor. And they are rolled in confectioners’ sugar to boot.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies, so it will take a few minutes to roll all these cookies. They are a bit messy to make, so kids will love to help! And they look very cute. They’ll stay soft several days if stored in an airtight container, if your family doesn’t eat them all first.

This recipe is almost identical to the other chocolate pixie recipes I have seen, of course the all purpose flour has been replaced with gluten free flours, but the remainder of the recipe is unchanged. You’ll have a very traditional tasting chocolate pixie that the whole family will enjoy. And they make a great rainy day or weekend project with the kids. Happy gluten free baking.

The dough rolled into balls and then coated in powdered sugar.

Chocolate Pixies after baking, aren't they cute?

Gluten Free Chocolate Pixies

I have made these without the sweet rice flour, just add 2 more TB of white rice flour. And although they taste wonderful as written, chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips would be great additions.

• 1 1/2 cups white rice flour (I like to use superfine rice flour)
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 TB sweet rice flour
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) or shortening
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate and butter or shortening, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted.
2. Using a stand mixer or wooden spoon to stir by hand, add sugar and blend until smooth. Add eggs and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. The dough should look like thick brownie batter.
3. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours or overnight (I speed up this process by throwing it into the freezer for a few minutes)
4. Preheat oven to 350.
5. Roll dough into tablespoon size balls, roll each ball into the confectioners’ sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch and cookies have a crackled appearance.
6. Allow cookies to cool 3-5 minutes before removing from sheet; allow to cool on wire rack.  Store in airtight container.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts gluten free chocolate cookies, gluten free chocolate pixies

My family loves oven fries. They are really great with a sandwich or burger and make any meal kid-friendly.

I know a lot of people would question whether or not making fries from scratch is really worth the effort. After all, you can get a bag of frozen fries for a couple of bucks in every grocery store. Not only are home fries way better tasting, but they are also a lot healthier and cheaper.

Well, sometimes I like to make my oven fries over-the-top good. Leave it to Emeril to “kick them up a notch” in his children’s cookbook, There’s a Chef in my Kitchen. He turned the classic oven fries into Oven Crispy Cheese Fries. And they are so good.

I don’t bother to follow the recipe exactly, the idea is brilliant and although they certainly aren’t low-fat, they aren’t deep fried so they are a tad healthier. And they are cheesy, but not greasy. Gotta love that.

Emeril coats his oven fries in egg whites before baking, something most recipes don’t do. And it does produce really crispy fries. If you prefer a less crispy fry you might want to make a more traditional recipe like this one I posted few months ago. Whatever you choose, oven fries coated in cheese and green onions are unbelievably good. We have even topped them with chili for a nice dish of chili-cheese fries. Yummy.

We prefer our potatoes peeled before slicing into fries, but you could just scrub the potatoes really well.

Cheese Fries sizzling hot on the baking sheet.

Cheese fries with some slow cooker ribs!

Cheese Fries

If you add chili, this can be a main dish!

• 2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
• about 1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (that’s about 2 really large potatoes or 4 smaller ones) peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp of seasoning salt like Emeril’s Baby Bam
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese
• 2 scallions thinly sliced

1. Position oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 425 or 400 on convection.
2. Grease a nonstick baking sheet with the oil
3. Pat the potatoes dry.
4. In a medium bowl lightly whisk the egg whites with a fork. Add potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove potatoes from oven and sprinkle with half of the seasoning. With a spatula flip potatoes and sprinkle with remaining seasoning.
6. Return to oven and continue baking for 20 minutes or until golden and crispy.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese and scallions. Return to oven for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
8. Serve immediately.

Cooking With Kids, Sides, Snacks Cheese homefries

First things first. This recipe should come with a warning label “Proceed with caution. The following snack is highly addictive.”

Okay, so maybe my family is behind the times. We just recently made the Chex Muddy Buddies recipe that can be found on the side of so many Rice Chex boxes. I am thinking that whoever has the gig to create new and exciting recipes for General Mills, especially the Chex recipes, has a perfect job.

Much like the Original Chex Pary mix, Muddy Buddies are really simple and quick to make and the whole family loves them. Too much. They are really sweet, crunchy and have that peanut butter and chocolate combination that we all love.

I like how quick and easy they are to make. Start to finish probably takes 10-15 minutes total. And unlike so many other treats, they don’t need baked, you can eat these immediately.

This recipe would be great for the older child eager to “cook.” But just be aware that melted chocolate + kids = mess. I let my three year old “help” and let’s just say the kitchen needed a little more cleaning than usual. But, what else did I have to do today? And it was priceless when she said, “I need washed, I got all muddy.”

So, next time you need a quick sweet, chocolate fix, I vote for Chex Muddy Buddies. Here is my version of the recipe; you can find the original on the box of most Rice Chex.

Muddy Buddies, a new favorite treat.

Muddy Buddies

• 9 cups rice chex cereal
• 1 cup chocolate chips, we like dark chocolate, but semi sweet or milk chocolate would work too
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in 30 second intervals, stirring as needed, until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.
2. Place cereal in large bowl and add the melted chocolate mixture; stirring until evenly coated.
3. If the bowl has a lid, simply add sugar, seal with lid and shake to coat. Alternative method: place cereal in 2-gallon size resealable bag and add sugar. Seal bag and shake to evenly coat. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts, Snacks Gluten free treats with chex

My family loves dill pickles. So I decided I should give homemade pickles a try. WOW! They are so good, almost beyond words good. They are crunchy, spicy, and full of flavor. Truly so much better than anything you can get a the grocery store. They remind me of fancy deli-style pickles, only better.

I have tried several different recipes, and our favorites are the refrigerator dill pickles. I have found that the recipes that just require refrigeration, as opposed to processing, stay crisp and fresh tasting.

This particular version is our family’s absolute favorite, we think it has just the right amount of dill, garlic and spice, but feel free to add or reduce the garlic, red pepper flakes or dill to suit your tastes.

Although I am sure you’ll enjoy these, maybe even too much to share, they make great gifts for friends and family.

Making pickles is rather easy and a fun summertime activity to do with the kids or grandkids, even my three year old likes to help. But of course, there are few tips that will help you create the best pickles possible.

Hints for the perfect pickles:

• Always use the freshest cucumbers possible. If you don’t have a garden, use the farmer’s market, local produce stand, etc to get the freshest pickling cucumbers possible.
• Use pickling salt. It’s cheap, has a long shelf life, and is available at regular grocery stores.
• Most stores with bulk foods have dill seed, pickling spice and red pepper flakes at bargain prices. You’ll only need a very small amount of each, probably less than $1 altogether.
• Cut thin slices off both ends of the cucumbers before pickling. Technically, it is the blossom end that has an enzyme that may cause the pickles to soften, but it can be difficult to tell which end had the blossom, so I just make a small slice off both ends.
• Refrigerator pickles need refrigerated These aren’t the processed variety, so they have to be stored in the refrigerator.
• Wait 10 days before eating. I know, this is the hardest tip to follow.

Refrigerator Pickles in the jar.

Ten days later....Can you see the spices? So yummy.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I prefer to slice mine into spears and I tightly pack them into jars; if I find that this recipe makes the perfect amount of brine if I do it this way. When I sliced them into rounds I needed to double the brine in order to adequately cover the pickles.

• 12 3-4 inch long pickling cucumbers whole, speared, or sliced into rounds
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 1 /2 cups roughly chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 8 cloves garlic, chopping is optional
• 1 1 /2 TB pickling salt
• 1 TB pickling spice
• 1 1/2 tsp dill seed
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• approximately 4 clean jars and lids, I find that wide mouth pint size jars work the best

1. In a large non-reactive bowl, combine water and salt; stir until salt is dissolved. add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Allow to stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
2. Remove the cucumbers from the bowl and place, tightly packed, into clean jars. Make sure each jar has at least a sprig of dill and a clove of garlic. Ladle the liquid over the pickles, making sure to cover them entirely. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 10 days before eating.

Cooking With Kids, Make ahead, Sides, Snacks, Uncategorized easy pickles, garlic dill pickles, refrigerator pickles, spicy dill pickles

Oh, the beauty of the milkshake. I mean really, who came up with this idea?

Ice cream, milk and some fruit or flavorings. It’s cold, it’s refreshing, it’s flavorful. It’s like pure goodness in a glass. Not to mention perfect on a warm summer day.

They are fairly easy to make, although you do need a blender. And chances are the whole family will enjoy them. What’s not to like about a milkshake?

We had our milkshakes with dinner, burgers and fries, but they would of course, make a great dessert.

This is my favorite berry milkshake recipe. We used fresh strawberries, but I really think your favorite in-season berry could be substituted with no problem. If you have to use frozen berries, just omit the ice. I use crushed ice because my blender isn’t super powerful, you could just use ice cubes. Also, the sugar is really optional. It depends on how sweet your berries are and how sweet you like your milkshakes. Enjoy!

Fresh berries, what could be better?

Strawberry Milkshakes

This makes enough for 2 large glasses.

• 2 cups strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
• 1 cup ice cubes/crushed ice
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1 tsp sugar, optional

1. Add all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts, Drinks easy milkshakes

Pie Crust with butter, cinnamon, and sugar!!!

I struggled with what to call these. Growing up my mom used to take the scraps from the pastry dough and roll it thin, place it on a cookie sheet and top it with softened butter and cinnamon & sugar. She would then bake it for about 10 minutes.

It was so a nice treat and a way to enjoy a little piece of dessert long before the pie would be ready. If you have kids, it is a fun thing to do with any leftover pieces of pie dough that you would otherwise just throw out.

Do you make something similar with pasty dough? And if so what do you call it?

Cooking With Kids, Desserts pie crust cinnamon and sugar

Oh, pepperoni pizza. So full of flavor, so full of spice, so full of grease.

A great cooking tip I read years ago in a cooking magazine was to place your pepperoni on a paper towel-lined plate and microwave it for a minute or two. ( I have a high powered microwave so mine takes 45 seconds-1 minute. You might want to start on the conservative side so you don’t have dry, overcooked pepperoni.) This heats the pepperoni and much of the fat is released and absorbed by the paper towel. Gross I know.

It is amazing how much grease is removed from the pepperoni.

However, it does really work. And no more greasy puddles on your pepperoni pizza. It’s a simple step that really is worth the trouble.

And if you are new to gluten free pizza crusts, or just looking for one that tastes good, I posted a thick crust pizza and an easy pizza sauce. Even if you aren’t an accomplished gluten free baker, do try pizza with your kids. It isn’t as hard as it sounds and it’s loads of fun for them.

Cooking With Kids, Kitchen Tips

Buckles, crumbles, cobblers, crisps….so many fruit desserts, so many names. They all begin with a fruit or berry and the rest is just topping.

They truly are some of the least complicated desserts you can makes, so a great choice for a child wanting to experiment in the kitchen or anyone new to baking. Just make sure and choose really fresh, ripe fruit and all other mistakes will most likely go unnoticed. They are very forgiving, making them the perfect recipe to adapt to be gluten free.

With loads of fruit and a topping of choice, they are always delicious. They are old-fashioned American comfort food at it’s best; usually messy, not always pretty, always delicious.

I pulled out one of my baking books to find a quick definition of each.

Crisps: The easiest to make, consisting of fruit mixed with sugar and often spice, placed in a pan and topped with butter, sugar, flour & often oatmeal.

Crumbles: Really a crisp with a slightly different texture. The fruit is topped with a streusel consisting of butter, sugar, flour, and chopped nuts.

Shortcake and Cobblers: Fruit covered in a sweet biscuit topping. As the fruit bakes and bubbles it softens the baking powder biscuits, which will rise impressively.

Buckles: It’s basically a berry-laden coffee cake with a crunchy-sweet streusel topping. Blueberries appear to be the traditional berry used in these cakes, sometimes called crumb cakes.

Growing up ate a lot of these dishes. My mom would typically use peaches or apples, but really, nearly any fruit or berry will work. They are very simple, yet smell and taste amazing. These are great choices from an impromptu treat or a summertime dessert for company.

For several years I have been making a blueberry buckle. My whole family enjoys it, especially the topping. It is a really simple, from scratch cake. I got around to making it gluten free and I was quite pleased with the results.

I know you are supposed to use fresh blueberries, but I couldn’t wait for them to be in season, so I used frozen. I think frozen berries make the cake more dense, but it is very good still.

With all the summertime fruit in season I am sure you can find a fruit and topping combination that your family will enjoy. Happy Gluten free baking!

A piece of Blueberry Buckle.

Gluten Free Blueberry Buckle

for the cake:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

for the topping:

1/2 cup sugar ( I use white or a combination of white/brown)

1/3 cup white rice flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8×8 pan.
2. For cake: cream together sugar, butter, and egg; about 30 seconds.
3. In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk, to the creamed mixture (dry ingredients, milk, dry ingredients).
4. Stir in blueberries and vanilla. The batter will be very thick; spoon it into the prepared pan.
5. For topping: In a small bowl combine all topping ingredients and using a fork blend. Sprinkle over the cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Desserts gluten free blueberry cake, gluten free coffee cake

If you spent any part of your childhood in America, I bet you ate a rice crispy treat. They are crunchy, sweet, and gooey all in one bite. What kid could resist?

Well, as soon as you go gluten free you realize Kellogg’s Rice Crispies are off limits. For whatever reason though, many people believe they are gluten free, but they contain malt. Here is a direct quote form Kellogg’s FAQ At this time, we do not offer products suitable for consumers on a gluten- or wheat-free diet.

Like everything else gluten free, cereal does come with a bit of sticker shock. Gone are the days when you can get a box for $1 using coupons and a sale. A box of gluten free cereal seems to run in the $4-5 range.

We really like Erewhon brand cereals and they make several suitable rice crispy alternatives that are in fact gluten free. They taste great and are fairly healthy.

I haven’t had a lot of luck using all puffed rice cereal, which is significantly cheaper. It just doesn’t have the same crunch. However I have used a cup or two in the bars and it works fine. So if you are trying to stretch you dollar, this might be an option.

So, the original Rice Crispy Treat recipe is fine. Nothing wrong with it at all. However, I wanted to make a slightly more creative batch so I added some vanilla and peanut butter and then coated them with melted chocolate. That idea I get from my mom. Growing up she always coated bars and brownies with melted chocolate. Mom was right, everything is better with chocolate.

I also reduce the cereal by one cup, I like the treats to be a little more marshmallowy. Okay, so that is probably not a real adjective, but you know what I mean. And not that they weren’t great before, but I think the minor changes I made make them a little more grown up.

I did store these in the refrigerator because we are having a heat wave. Okay, so probably not really a heat wave, but for Oregon, it is really hot. Like above 70 degrees. I wasn’t sure the chocolate would set at room temperature.

So these were really great tasting. The peanut butter/chocolate combination is classic and oh so good. And even if you decide to omit the peanut butter, do try the melted chocolate on top. It is very good.

Any child eating gluten free will be thrilled that they can eat rice crispy treats again. They so quick and easy, not to mention utterly delicious, there really is no excuse not to make them.

I used 1 cup puffed rice cereal; they are the lighter pieces.

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

I like to make these bars really thick, so I use an 8×8 square glass pan, but you could also use a 9×13 if you prefer. However, you’ll have to melt more chocolate to cover the top entirely.

• 3 Tb butter
• 1 (10 oz) bag marshmallows
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 5 cups  gluten free crispy rice cereal (we really like Erewhon brand) or a combination of crispy rice/puffed rice cereals
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Grease an 8×8 square pan or line with foil.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan or dutch oven over low heat. Add the marshmallows, vanilla, salt and peanut butter, stirring constantly until melted and smooth; this takes several minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add cereal, stirring until well mixed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and press it into the pan with a greased spatula (or you can place a piece of waxed paper over it and press down, this prevents you from burning your hands).
4. Place chocolate chips in small, microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals until melted; stirring as needed. Spread melted chocolate over the bars and allow to set completely, about 2 hours at room temperature (or you can place them in the refrigerator or freezer to speed up this process).
5. Cut bars into squares and serve.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts, Snacks gluten free rice crispy treats, peanut butter rice crispy treats

I have always loved lemon desserts. They are so flavorful and tangy. I am especially fond of freshly squeezed lemon juice, nothing else really compares and you’ll notice the difference in baked goods.

Sunshine used to make lemon coolers, they were tart, buttery cookies covered in powdered sugar. As teenagers, my sister Lynn and I ate an entire box while out shopping for the day. Although not the healthiest of lunch choices, I am guessing we weren’t the only ones to finish a box in one sitting. There really is something addicting about the sweet/tart combination. Even Girl Scouts, Nabisco, and Schwan has offered similar style cookies over the years.

So, when I saw a recipe for gluten free lemon coolers by Elizabeth Barbone I had to give it a try. I was skeptical of her method, but in the end I was able to bite into a crumbly, lemony and oh so good gluten free version of lemon coolers.

This recipe does require some patience, as the dough has to be chilled and the baked cookies cool in the confectioners’ sugar. I think they would be a good activity for a lazy summer day (or maybe a rainy afternoon). My daughter loved helping me make these. Really, I think she just loved making a mess in the kitchen. And with no eggs in the recipe, I let her eat the dough. But, in the end we spent the afternoon making lemon cookies that the whole family could enjoy.

If you enjoy lemon desserts, I am sure you’ll enjoy baking up some gluten free lemon coolers. They do pack a lemon flavor, but we didn’t find them overly tart. Perhaps it was the brand of lemon extract I used, but I thought these could use a more intense lemon flavor. So next time I might increase the lemon extract and/or juice slightly. I doubt this will effect the texture greatly.
Happy gluten free baking!

Lemon Coolers ready to eat.

Gluten Free Lemon Coolers

• 1 1/4 cups white rice flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 TB lemon extract
• the zest of one lemon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus about 1 pound for dusting
• 2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice (the juice of 1-2 lemons)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar about 30 seconds. Add rice flours, cornstarch, xanthan gum, lemon extract, and zest. Mix for one minute. The dough will be sandy/crumbly. Add lemon juice and mix until a dough forms.
2. Spread a piece of plastic wrap out on counter and place dough in center, wrapping the plastic wrap completely around the dough; you can leave the dough in a ball press or gently to form a disc shape. Refrigerate wrapped dough until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Roll chilled dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on cookie sheets one inch apart. (I prefer to flatten them slightly before baking)
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden.
6. Meanwhile, fill a 9×13 baking dish with the 1 pound confectioners’ sugar.
7. Remove cookies from oven and immediately place hot cookies into the confectioners’ sugar, making sure all sides of the cookies are covered. Allow cookies to sit in the sugar for 2 hours or overnight. Bake the remaining cookies and add to the pan of sugar. Shake off any excess sugar before serving the cookies.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts gluten free lemon coolers, Lemon cookies