If you have any sort of food issues/allergies, chances are, store bought granola bars are off limits. They are chock full of nuts, seeds, fruits, and grains; and then there’s the soy, high fructose corn syrup, and preservatives.

My oldest daughter has tree nut allergies, so we have always been very limited on what brands of granola bars she could eat, but then we went gluten-free, and it’s next to impossible to find gluten-free, nut-free granola bars.

Honestly, I haven’t seen any gluten-free granola bars available. And if they are available, I am guessing they cost a small fortune. I have seen cereal bars, but they aren’t exactly the same. So I knew if we wanted to eat granola bars, I would have to figure out how to make them myself.

Over the years, I have tried quite a few recipes, and some worked better than others. But truthfully, I didn’t really want them to contain marshmallows or corn syrup. Now, I am not claiming my version is healthy, because it does contain a fair amount of sugar, honey, and butter. However, it does need something to hold it together, so I tried to pick the lesser of the evils.

Today I am posting the recipe for my favorite chewy granola bars. They are fairly simple to make, and best of all, they are ready in about 30 minutes. Not only do they look cute, but they taste great too! Perfect for the lunchbox or snack.

*Oats remain a controversial subject in the gluten-free world; however, if you do include oats and oat-containing products in your gluten-free diet, I would highly recommend purchasing them from a supplier that tests them. I always buy my oats from Bob’s Red Mill although I am guessing other reputable brands exist.

They look like this when they come out of the loaf pan.

After they are sliced into bars.

And I couldn’t resist a cranberry and white chocolate version. But as you can see, they left a lot of their deliciousness on the cutting board.

Chewy Granola Bars

• 2 cups plain gluten-free granola (here’s my recipe)
• 1 cup gluten-free crispy rice cereal (I think a corn flake type cereal would work too)
• 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
• 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional (mini-chips work best)

1. Grease (or line with parchment or foil) two 9×4 loaf pans.
2. In a large, heat proof bowl, combine the granola, cereal, and raisins; set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved; this only takes a minute or two. Remove from heat.
4. Pour the hot mixture over the granola mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated.
5. Place half the mixture into each prepared pan and using a spatula or spoon, press down firmly. If using chocolate chips, press them firmly into the top. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
6. Turn out onto cutting board and slice into bars. Wrap in plastic wrap. *I have found these get really soft and break apart when left at room temperature for too long, so I store them in the refrigerator and remove them for a few minutes before eating.

Cooking With Kids, Make ahead, Snacks gluten-free granola bars, no bake granola bars

If you’ve been to a national bookstore chain recently (okay, so the last decade), you’ve probably noticed there is more than just books inside. For some reason, they all seem to be home to a coffee shop. I guess it’s a good idea, what could be better than a cup of Joe and a good book?

Well, in the great northwest we apparently had to one up everyone. You see, my local libraries have doughnut shops inside nearly every county branch. Seriously. Why they want your greasy hands, covered in doughnut crumbs and leftover traces of icing and sprinkles inside the library (let alone the borrowed books) is beyond me. But this idea, my friends, is a hit with the kids. I mean, seriously, borrow some movies, books, and music from the library and get a fried piece of cake with sprinkles on top.

Now you would think I would have an easy out on this one, given my kids eat gluten-free. But no, it gets even better. I apparently live in magic land, where the library-dwelling doughnut shop elves create baked, gluten-free doughnuts daily. They happen to be dairy and egg-free as well. Apparently these crafty bakers even whip up diabetic doughnuts. I am not even sure what that means, as it seems like a complete oxymoron to me, but if you have a book-loving, doughnut-eating individual on your hands, my friendly neighborhood library/doughnut shop probably has you covered. And they only cost you a mere $3 a pop.

So, on our last library trip, with the smell of fresh doughnuts lingering in the air, my four year old starts whining at the self-check machine.  She really wanted a doughnut and is telling me (loudly, as only a four year old girl can quite do) with every book she carefully checks outs. The conversation went something like this:

“Please, I really want a gluten-free doughnut.”

“No.”

“Please, please, please.”

“No, just check out your books.”

“Puuulllleeezzze. Mommy, puullleeezze. I really, really, really want one.”

“No, we can make our own gluten-free doughnuts.”

“Okay. Let’s go home and make doughnuts.”

So, we went home and eventually baked up some doughnuts. Unfortunately for me, she envisioned chocolate doughnuts and another whining session would ensue, but the good news is, in the end everyone was happy with our cinnamon-sugar covered creations. I think they taste just like a doughnut version of a snickerdoodle, hence the name.

If you don’t own a doughnut pan already, what are you waiting for? They only cost around $10 and you can bake your favorite cupcake recipes in it too. If you have kids, I think a doughnut pan is almost a necessity. Unless of course you live in my county and then you could always just go to the library.

Snickerdoodle Doughnuts

Makes 12 doughnuts

*I’ve also made these egg free, by substituting 1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt for each egg (the full-fat yogurt). They were a little less light and airy, but still very good.

• 3/4 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease doughnut pan (I have a 6-doughnut pan, so I have to make two batches).
2. In a large bowl whisk the flour, starches, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, oil, and milk until smooth. Add the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Fill each doughnut well about half full; the batter is pretty thick, so I use my fingers to spread it evenly around the “O” shape. Bake for 15 minutes, or until toothpick tests clean.
5. While doughnuts are baking, in a small bowl or shallow dish, combine the coating ingredients.
6. Remove doughnuts from pan and one at a time coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. I find this works best if the doughnuts are still very, very warm, but if you don’t want to risk burning your hands, you can let the doughnuts cool on a wire rack some before coating them.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts cinnamon-sugar doughnuts, gluten-free doughnuts

I have to be honest, rice pudding has never been my favorite dessert. I don’t know why, but I have never really enjoyed the texture and I gave up making it quite some time ago.

Well, recently I began noticing rice pudding recipes calling for Arborio rice; you know “risotto” rice. It can typically be found with the other rices in the grocery store, however, it is fairly expensive. If you don’t mind buying food from the bulk section, this is probably the most economical approach (especially if you only plan on using it for this recipe).  Arborio rice breaks down beautifully when slowly cooked, so I knew this would make a better rice pudding than I had previously made. I decided the new rice pudding recipe would be perfect to make with my kids for our latest Kids Cook Monday.

This rice pudding is super easy, but it does take several hours in the oven, so you have to plan accordingly. We started the dish before we prepared dinner, so we could have it for dessert. But for the younger crowd, it might be better made much earlier in the day.

Also, this dish does have dairy (butter and milk) in it, but I think it would be easy to make a dairy-free version if you replace the dairy products with your favorite non-dairy ones. The coconut milk provides plenty of flavor and creaminess.

Hailey using a butter wrapper to butter the dish.

Adding the Arborio rice to the dish.

Adding the liquids.

This is the removed film or "skin" that forms on the top of the pudding.

Stirring in the Chocolate.

The finished Coconut Chocolate Rice Pudding!

Chocolate Coconut Rice Pudding

I know it doesn’t seem like 1/4 cup is enough rice, but it swells a lot while cooking.

• about 1 tablespoon softened butter, for buttering the pan
• 1/4 cup slightly heaping Arborio rice
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 14 ounce can coconut milk (we used light)
• 2 cups milk
• dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
• 2 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped if necessary (we used chips; so no chopping needed)

1. Preheat oven to 300. Butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish (about 2 quarts in size; we used an 11×9 cake pan).
2. Place the rice and sugar in the dish. Pour in the coconut milk, milk, salt and vanilla; stir gently to combine.
3. Place in preheated oven and bake for 2 hours. Carefully remove from oven. There will be a “skin” formed on the top, you can either stir it into the pudding or gently remove it with a wooden spoon. We prefer the texture of the pudding when this skin is removed and discarded. Stir in the chocolate pieces and return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 20-30 minutes before eating. Leftovers are great cold or reheated.

Cooking With Kids, Desserts, Kids Cook Monday chocolate rice pudding, gluten-free rice pudding

We are still enjoying fresh, local blueberries here in Oregon, so I decided to whip up some blueberry sauce for breakfast. You can literally make this sauce in a couple of minutes, which makes it perfect for breakfast (or an impromptu dessert topping). If you have a kid that enjoys cooking, this is one of those super easy, yet super delicious, recipes they would probably enjoy making themselves.

This is a very basic recipe, with no fancy ingredients; which is the way I think a berry sauce should be. I do like a little sugar in the sauce, however, if you are watching your sugar intake or have really sweet berries, you might want to reduce or eliminate the sugar.

I think the slightly sweetened sauce is perfect for pancakes or waffles, but it would also be delicious poured over ice cream or pound cake for dessert.

You could use frozen blueberries in this recipe if you don’t have fresh. Also, I like the sauce fairly thick, but if you find it is too thick for your liking, you could reduce the cornstarch to one tablespoon or if the sauce is already prepared, you could always add water a tablespoon at a time to get the desired consistency.

Blueberry Sauce

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• dash salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries

1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt, whisking to combine. Add water and stir or whisk until dissolved and smooth. Add blueberries and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until mixture is thickened, about one minute. Remove from heat and serve warm or cold.

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Desserts, quick and easy, Sauces & Dressings gluten-free blueberry sauce

Although popsicles are typically considered treats for children, who says they can’t be tasty enough for adults too?

Today’s post is based an Everyday Foods recipe, melon-berry ice pops. I realize melons may seem like an odd choice for frozen treats, but it really does work well, and when combined with raspberries it’s quite delicious.

With two layers, I think these yogurt pops look especially nice. One half consists of a raspberry/yogurt puree and the other half cantaloupe/yogurt puree. Although I did use sugar, if your fruit is really ripe you might want to reduce the amount or at least taste it before adding it all (of course the sweetness will also vary depending on the type of yogurt you use).

It seems like most grocery and kitchen stores carry fun ice-pop shapes. For around $3 we picked up some rocket shaped molds!

I think these ice-pops are great; they are tasty enough for the whole family and pretty enough to share with friends.

Raspberry-Melon Pops

If you don’t ice-pop molds, you could easily use dixie cups and popsicle sticks (available at most grocery or craft stores).

• 1 cup raspberries
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, divided
• about 2 cups diced cantaloupe (that’s about 1/2 a peeled, seeded cantaloupe)

1. In a blender or food processor, combine raspberries and 1/3 cup sugar and blend until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or measuring cup, pressing down the mixture if necessary. You should end up with about 2/3 cup puree, discard the solids. Stir 2 tablespoons of the yogurt into the puree.
2. Wash blender or bowl of food processor, and combine melon and remaining 1/3 cup sugar and blend until smooth. Pour through a clean fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl or measuring cup, you should end up with about 3/4 cup puree. Discard the solids caught in the sieve; add the remaining 6 tablespoons yogurt to the melon puree and stir to combine.
3. Fill six, 3-ounce ice-pop molds halfway with the raspberry puree, then slowly pouring down the side of the mold, ad enough melon puree to reach 1/4-inch from the top (if you add the melon puree to fast, or not down the side of the mold, it will not have a pretty layered effect). Insert the sticks and freeze for several hours or until solid. When ready to serve, run warm tap water over the outside of the molds and gently wiggle the sticks to release.

Cooking With Kids gluten-free ice pops