Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

So that name's a bit of a mouthful, but you won't really care too much about the name when you get a mouthful of this cake, because it is the bomb diggity.

Do people still say that? Bomb diggity? Is it still common knowledge that that refers to a thing that is very good? I was never really all that up on hip lingo. Which should be evident by my use of the words "hip lingo." But I digress.

This cookie cake is so good that we need to come up with a new word to describe it. Something fantastic. How about something like... phantasmagorical!

No, wait, that's a word that already exists and means something completely different. I'll do some brainstorming and get back to you.

Here's the skinny on this cake--or not-so-skinny as it were (Get it? Because it's a cookie cake? And it makes you not-so-skinny? I made a funny) (Laugh, dammit) . Coconut flour keeps us all in the gluten free territory, and it's high protein content helps make us full faster so we don't over indulge. Which is good, because I could have totally seen myself eating the entire thing in one sitting. Thanks coconut flour! (Thumbs up! Big smile! Tooth twinkle!)

The last time I worked with coconut flour, I noticed that it had a bit of a grittiness to it, and I wasn't the hugest fan of that. But this cookie cake is so moist and gooey in the middle that you don't get any of that gritty texture (well, you get it a bit around the edges which are drier, but for the most part, zero grittiness.)

And let's talk about that gooey, peanut buttery, chocolatey center of goodness. It's almost like eating raw cookie dough, except it's totally cooked through, so you've got the best of both worlds. Plus, it's a one-bowl, no mixer necessary recipe, so it's an easy dessert to throw together last minute if you've got unexpected guests, or maybe just forgot about them.

The one downfall of this cake is that it is a little delicate. If you try to cut a slice still warm from the oven, it kind of falls apart. I actually found it easier to slice after it had been chilled. Then you can always warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave and serve it with a big ole scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or, you could not care about getting pretty slices. That's always an option.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

½ cup coconut flour

1½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch pie plate or cake tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Mix in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Recipe by Kim

Banana Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

I've noticed a trend in the recipes in the recipes that I post here. Whenever the job gets to be too much, I post something with banana. And it's generally something on the healthier spectrum, so that I'm totally justified in eating it for breakfast.

Growing up, my mom used to make banana bread for special occasions. I guess I just associate the flavor of banana with comfort food. Of course, that wasn't healthy banana bread, but it had fruit so it's still breakfast food, right?

This mug cake is no exception. Gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free. Made with a mashed banana, protein-rich coconut flour, chocolate chips, and maple syrup, this cake is a perfect breakfast treat. I've never made mug cakes before, so I was pleasantly surprised at how moist this stayed

This was my first time using coconut flour, however, and I wasn't really a fan of the grainy texture it gave. But the cake itself was moist and flavorful enough that I was able to overlook it.

The cake tastes mostly of banana. The maple syrup is there for sweetness, the flavor a bit overwhelmed. The coconut flour adds a subtle undertone of coconut flavor, and there's a ton of chocolate chips because yay chocolate!

It's also super filling. This is a cake you should most definitely share with a friend. I could not even finish it. Which, when you're eating cake for breakfast, is probably a good thing.

Banana Chocolate Chip Mug Cake
Yield: 1 cake (2 servings)

Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 egg
1 tbsp. maple syrup
Splash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
1-2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips (I used 2, obvi)

Directions
In a large, microwave safe mug, mash the banana. Add the egg, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix well. Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until fully incorporated (batter will be thick). Stir in the chocolate chips.

Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (mine was in 2 minutes 45 seconds, but I kept taking it out to check on it). Allow to cool slightly before eating (it's best still warm).

Tip: If you want to add cinnamon, add a scant 1/4 tsp.

Recipe adapted from emmycafelatte

Piña Colada Marshmallows

Do you ever just get an idea just stuck in your head that won't leave? And it just kind of sits there, rattling around inside your skull like it's a tangible thing until you do something about it?

That was me and these marshmallows.

I don't like piña coladas. I don't like coconut. I don't like rum. But the idea for these marshmallows would not leave me alone, no matter how many times I asked. I tried being polite. I tried being firm. I tried being mean. But it just kept poking at me. Lurking there just inside of my consciousness. Popping up whenever I went to bake something.

Honestly, I have less trouble with my characters, and it's usually a given that they'll find some way to rebel against me.

And the worst part was that I couldn't do anything about it, because the humidity was a killer. I wasn't going to try making marshmallows while the weather was so gross and wet and sticky. That, my friends, would have been a recipe for disaster.

But then, after 7 straight days of rain (I think I'm turning into a mushroom; it's still raining (as of when I wrote this on Tuesday)), the humidity finally cleared up, and I was able to get these marshmallows out of my head.

Not surprisingly, these are not my favorite. But I had so much fun styling them and rolling them in coconut and putting them in my pretty blue mason jars that I won from Kelli's Retro Kitchen Arts and using the little cocktail umbrellas I found in the dollar store, that I consider it an even trade. I also toasted the coconut, because I thought it would be prettier that way. :D

I also can't really speak to how much they taste like piña coladas since I don't drink piña coladas. They're sweet and cocnutty with a hint of pineappleishness. I also used a coconut bakery emulsion, which has a stronger and more complex flavor, but regular coconut extract would be fine. You don't really taste the rum, and I'm not sure if that's because I used clear Jamaican rum (it's the only kind I had, and I certainly wasn't going out to buy more), if it evaporated off, or a combination of the two. A splash of rum extract would fix you there, or skip it all together, using water in place of the rum, for a virgin version. If you want to be all inauthentic 'n stuff. :P

Piña Colada Marshmallows
Yield: Approx. 77 marshmallows

Ingredients
Approx. 4-6 oz. shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
2/3 cup rum, chilled*
3 packets unflavored gelatin2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup pineapple syrup**
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coconut extract or bakery emulsion
A few drops yellow food coloring (optional)
Non-stick cooking spray
Powdered sugar

Directions
If desired, toast the coconut: preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the coconut in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes until lightly browned, stirring once midway through. Allow to cool completely.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the chilled rum and gelatin and let soften. Spray a 7x11” baking dish with cooking spray, sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar, and spread an even layer of shredded coconut on top. Set aside.

In a LARGE saucepan, add the sugar, syrup, water, and salt. Heat on low, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Heat mixture to boiling. Let boil, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 240°F (the soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Start the mixer on low speed, and CAREFULLY add the syrup to the softened gelatin (please utilize a splatter shield, if available). Increase the speed to high, and whip until the mixture is white, fluffy, and tripled in size, about 10 minutes. Add the extract and food coloring, if using. Using a rubber spatula sprayed with cooking spray, spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle liberally with shredded coconut and press down lightly. Let sit uncovered 8 hours or overnight.

Dust a cutting board with powdered sugar. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter sprayed with cooking spray, cut the marshmallows into 1 inch squares. Toss in remaining coconut and serve.

NOTE: The sugar syrup is extremely hot and can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Use potholders and splatter shields when necessary, and always avoid distractions when making any kind of candy.

*Replace with cold water for a virgin version, adding rum extract if desired.

**I used the syrup from a can of diced pineapple in heavy syrup (combined with some light corn syrup because there wasn't quite enough for a full cup), but any sort of pineapple-flavored syrup (such as sno cone syrup) should work as well.


Recipe by Kim