Gluten Free

One of my favorite desserts at my family’s parties was my Aunt’s famous Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake (aka Chocolate Cafeteria Cake). Lucky, for me (and you) she shared it with me and I modified it to be gluten free. This cake is so moist and tasty; a real crowd pleaser! My husband and boys are requesting me to make this cake all the time now.

Gluten-free Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake

Delicious, moist, rich Chocolate Cake with a yummy frosting.

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Ingredients

  

CAKE

• 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup buttermilk See notes
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

ICING

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• *optional 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Grease and dust 13x18-inch jelly-roll pan or 13x9 pan
• In a large bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, xanthan gum, ground cinnamon and salt
• In a small saucepan bring water, butter, and cocoa to a boil (for about 30 secs), stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and pour into flour mixture.
• Mix until well-blended.
• Add buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs; mix batter well.
• Pour batter into prepared pan.
• For jelly roll pan bake at 375° for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• For 13x9 pan bake at 375° for 24-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• To prepare the icing, combine butter, milk, and cocoa in a medium saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and gradually stir in powdered sugar (about 1/3 cup at a time), walnuts or pecans, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
• Spread over hot cake.
• Frosting will cool and set in about 30 minutes. It will be completely firm in 1-2 hours.
• Eat warm or wait to fully set; either way its wickedly good!

Notes

For buttermilk I use 1/2 cup of Almond Milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar. Mix well and let it stand for 5-10 minutes.

Texas Sheet Cake is suppose to be baked in a a big 13 x 18″ sheet pan or jelly roll pan so it is Big (like Texas) and it is a thin cake. I do not own one and I like my cake slices thick so I make mine in a 13×9 pan and it comes out wonderful and delicious every time. Either way Thin and Big or Thick you can’t lose with this moist, chocolaty and rich cake!

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Check out my other gluten-free recipes HERE.

I’m sharing a perfect bite size treat that is  sure to please any chocolate lover, Gluten-Free Fudgy Mini Brownie Bites!  My son made a special request for brownies in his lunchbox this year and I was happy to oblige.  Apparently, he did not want my classic brownies but a mini cupcake version, talk about particular!

I decided to make him fudgy mini brownie bites with chocolate chips melted down in the batter, which give the brownies a great fudgy taste!  

These brownies are fudgy, moist and just plain delicious; really everyone loves them… what’s not to love! My recipe makes exactly 1 pan if you use a mini cupcake pan an fill them 3/4 full.  Mini cupcake pans are perfect to make brownie bites and are a great lunchbox snack.  Theses mini brownie bites are good to store refrigerated for 5 days and mine usually last all week, as long as I keep my husband from eating them!  Okay, I’m guilty of eating several too! Perhaps, make an extra batch just to safe.  

Gluten-Free Fudgy Mini Brownie Bites

Delicious moist and fudgy brownie bites! So good it is almost impossible to eat just one!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Melt butter in a medium size heat-safe bowl in microwave or on stove top in saucepan.
• Once melted, Add chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sugar, eggs (one at a time), and vanilla to mixture.
• Add gf all-purpose flour, xanthan gum and salt to mix until mixture is smooth. Continue to mix for another minute to ensure the mixture is smooth.
• Spoon the batter evenly into the mini cupcake pan, about 3/4 full.
• Bake for 15- 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Brownie bites will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator. They also freeze well if stored properly.

Hope you enjoy this recipe! Check out my other gluten-free recipes HERE.

I have been making this easy chili recipe for years now.  When my family had to start eating gluten free I had to make a lot of our foods from scratch and I quickly discovered how easy some of the recipes were, like this chili!  

Before making my own chili I use to buy canned chili or chili packets to add to ground beef, this recipe taste so much better and is made with better ingredients.  

This chili recipe is really easy to make and is quick to prepare. It is my go to meal when we are in a crunch.   I like the options it gives too; one of my boys will eat as a chili hot dog, one will eat it with chips for a “Frito Pie” meal, or we can just eat by itself with cheese and sour cream on top!  This hot dog pictured is gluten free; the all-purpose flour used in the chili is gluten free, the bun is a Kinnikinnick hot dog bun (found in the freezer section). 

Easy Chili Recipe

rays of bliss

Easy Chili Recipe. Simple ingredients, Quick to prepare and taste great! Perfect chili for chili hot dogs, frito pie or to eat by itself!

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Ingredients

  

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 16 oz pinto beans rinsed and drained
• 1 small onion chopped or 1/3 cup minced onions
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour I use gluten-free

Instructions

 

• Brown beef, add onion and garlic in saucepan.
• Add tomato sauce and water.
• Stir in spice ingredients.
• Stir or whisk in all-purpose flour (to thicken chili).
• Heat to boiling, reduce heat to low.
• Stir in drained beans.
• Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please let me know if you did or how you made it your own!

If you liked this recipe then check out my other gluten-free recipes HERE.

Here is my recipe for snickerdoodle cookies with my secret ingredient, vanilla pudding mix!  I use an easy homemade pudding mix; 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract but you can use a store bought 3.4 ounce box of cook and serve pudding mix  if you don’t have cornstarch or don’t want to make it.

The pudding mix makes cookies wonderfully soft and chewy. They also hold their shape better and make much prettier cookies, in my opinion.

My husband said these are the best snickerdoodle cookies he has ever tried and when I make a batch they do not last long!  

Yum

Gluten-free Vanilla Pudding Snickerdoodle Cookies

rays of bliss

Perfect cinnamon-sugar cookies! Soft cookies and chewy centers!

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Ingredients

  

• 2 3/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1 package of 3.4 oz cook & serve vanilla pudding mix or homemade vanilla pudding mix*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Coating

• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 375° F.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, cream of tartar, and salt.
• In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add vanilla pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
• Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Mix well.
• In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon and the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar.
• Form the dough into balls (each equal to about 1 level tablespoon).
• Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Drop balls of cookie batter onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
• Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Remove from baking sheet and cool on rack.

Notes

Homemade vanilla pudding mix: 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
If the dough is soft place it in the frigde for 15-20 minutes.

This post was shared on: Gluten-Free Wednesdays