Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free » Cookies & Bars

Raw Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Amy — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:49 +0000

Removing dairy from my diet has completely impacted how I bake. I still miss it – not how sick it made me – but I miss the creaminess, the simplicity, the ease with which I could pull cream cheese, Greek yogurt, or sour cream out of the refrigerator and whip up a lovely dessert.

But, there are have been some unexpected, and quite tasty, surprises along the way. These Raw Lemon Cheesecake Bars are certainly one of them. They’re melt-in-your-mouth uber-creamy and just sweet enough with a nice, tart tang.

If you’ve been around SS&GF for a while, you know I was a a chunky kid. I continually struggled with my weight through my late twenties when I finally figured out that I couldn’t eat wheat or sugar and switched to a gluten-free, refined sugar-free, whole foods diet.

I was raised in the era of ‘fat-free foods’ and ‘spray butter.’ If you wanted to lose weight, you switched to fat-free Twinkies. And, of course, butter was the enemy so instead we sprayed our bread with some bizarre, and probably toxic, yellow liquid that tasted like butter. It seemed normal back then. Now, I have to laugh at the audacity of it all.

There were other ‘fat-causing ideas’ I’ve had to battle along the way. One quite insidious idea that’s come up in recent years is that nuts will make you fat. I’m not at all advocating for a nut-heavy diet. Yes, they’ve got incredible health benefits, including unsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, L-argentine, and plant sterols. They’re also calorie and fat dense. With all things, my experience has shown me that moderation is key.

I eat nuts daily. They’re a nutritious, portable gluten-free snack. But I eat them in moderation and with other foods, like fruits and veggies.

I’ve been wanting to make a cheesecake-type dish since going dairy-free. A couple of weeks ago Lauren shared her Thick Raw Lemon Bars on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday. They struck something inside of me, and I began conjuring up recipes in my head. This is the incredible result.
(...)
Read the rest of Raw Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Raid-Your-Pantry Brownies for Attune Foods

Amy — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:00:28 +0000

If there was only one recipe you could make from my site, it should be this one. It’s over-the-top incredible. Joe and I both loved every single last bite.

Instead of your typical, one layer brownie, I made a nut crust, topped that with a super-fudgey, sweet-tart brownie layer, and finished off the dessert with a layer of chocolate-coated Crispy Brown Rice Cereal.

The texture and flavor combinations are bite after bite of bliss.

If there is a flaw to this recipe it would be that I made it for an 8×8-inch pan instead of a 9×13-inch pan. Really. That’s it.

I’m pregnant so I don’t mind admitting that I even ate these brownies before lunch. Typically, in a non-pregnant state I would never eat dessert that early. But, when you’re hungry and craving chocolate and 10:30am these brownies are absolutely divine.

When you hop over to the Attune Foods blog for the recipe, you may not have the exact same ingredients on hand that I used. No big deal. That’s why they’re called Raid-Your-Pantry Brownies. Dig through your ingredients and have some fun! Substitute your favorite nuts, dried fruit, or even throw in some spices. Take my favorite brownie and make it your favorite brownie.

Note: I am a Brand Ambassador for Attune Foods. This post is sponsored by Attune. Truth be told, I loved their products before I started working with them. Their gluten-free, refined sugar-free, GMO-free cornflakes got me through the first several months of my pregnancy when I could rarely stomach anything else. So, you can rest assured that I’m sharing my honest opinion of their products.

Time for brownies!

From my sponsor: Plan to Eat was born from our desire to eat real food – great food – prepared at home, together as a family. Plan to Eat is an online menu planner that uses your recipes, scheduled for the days you want them, automatically generating your grocery list, organized the way you like to shop. Eat well. Eat together. PlanToEat.com.

Homemade Vanilla Wafers for Attune Foods

Amy — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:00:37 +0000

Ready to make gluten-free vanilla wafers that are better than the ones you buy in the store? I know you are.

Being gluten-free has certain challenges. Over time, they’ve become less daunting. But, there’s still the occasional hurdle in my path.

I’m not one to shy away from hurdles. Ever. I tend to have an extraordinary tolerance for pain, quite often fueled by my desire to have things done my way. I’ve never been one to take no for an answer. My husband says I’m stubborn. So did my dad.

I call it tenacious.

Regardless, it has served me well.

In the kitchen, there are certain mainstream foods that are iconic. So iconic that they’re called for by name in recipes. Think about cream of chicken soup, lady fingers, Oreo cookies, and yes, Vanilla Wafers.

For the average person, there is no challenge here. They simply pull a box from the shelf at their favorite grocery store and, presto, they have exactly what they need.

For someone on a specific diet – be that gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, egg-free, vegan – it’s not so simple. We obsessively read labels, search for creative solutions, and often go another route all together just so we can feed our families delicious foods.

And, when we really want to eat one of those iconic foods, we put on our aprons, get out our mixers, and start creating. And, yes, it mandates tenacity.

I was in one of those moods when I decided that I must have Vanilla Wafers.

And now you can too. Just hop on over to the Attune Foods blog and get my recipe. While you’re there, leave a comment and let me know what iconic foods you’ve been missing lately.

Let’s make Vanilla Wafers!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Amy — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:00:30 +0000

When I was a kid, I loved chocolate and mint. And, for some reason since I’ve been pregnant I find myself craving that old, familiar flavor pairing. It’s great no matter how you make it – in mint chocolate chip ice cream, in hot chocolate with peppermint sticks, or in Thin Mint cookies.

I decided on chocolate mint sandwich cookies in the shape of shamrocks to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this weekend. Any other time of the year, I’d cut the cookies into circles and have some homemade chocolate mint Oreos.

These are the kind of sandwich cookies that you can bite into without worrying about your teeth. The secret ingredient is baking powder. It lightens the cookies just enough and creates the perfect bite.

I tried something a little different for the frosting – I used Swerve, which is made from erythritol. I know there are many, many people that read SS&GF and need a sweetener that’s non-glycemic. Honestly, I was a little hesitant to try any of the sugar alcohols. I had a bad experience years ago with a store-bought sugar-free product and have steered clear since. But, after getting to know the people at Swerve and trying some of gluten-free goodies made with their products I was darn impressed.
(...)
Read the rest of Chocolate Mint Cookies

Healthy 6-Ingredient Chocolate Truffles for Attune Foods

Amy — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:00:53 +0000

Healthy and truffles don’t sound like they should go in the same sentence, do they? When I think of truffles, my mind conjures up images of decadent, melt-away chocolately centers with an exterior crunch that is just enough to give some interesting textural contrast. But I most certainly don’t think healthy.

I decided to change that.

Not the decadent, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate part. I wanted to be able to serve them to friends and have them love every bite. But why not make them healthier so you can enjoy your chocolate without worrying about the calories hanging around your thighs?

I also wanted them to be dairy-free. That’s the newest food issue in our household. For some reason, my body stopped tolerating milk products after Nate was born. I’m still in mourning and desperately hope something changes, if I must be completely honest. But that’s a whole different conversation.

To make these truffles healthy, I needed the perfect vehicle. I thought about using cocoa butter to make a dairy-free chocolate but it proved to be more complicated than I wanted to undertake. I decided on beans. Black beans in particular.

Don’t stop reading just yet…some of my most delicious chocolate recipes use beans as a base.

Are you ready to make the most incredible truffles? Hop on over to Attune Foods’ blog and get my recipe.

Let’s make truffles!