Baking with the Bolliers

My boys love strawberries and will usually eat a couple of pounds a week. This week was not one of those weeks so I found myself with a few sad strawberries that needed to be used. I decided to adapt one of my favorite sugar cookie recipes using strawberries instead of oil and was pleased with the results. I chopped up half a cup of strawberries and pureed about a cup of whole strawberries. I put the chopped strawberries in a measuring cup and filled the cup to equal one full cup of strawberries and puree to replace the oil called for in the original recipe. These little bites taste just like the biscuit version of strawberry shortcake, all in one bite. We dipped our in whipped cream but you could eat them with ice cream, vanilla yogurt or they are good on their own. The recipe makes quite a few so I froze some of the dough so we can enjoy a little taste of summer when winter comes. Also I recommend refrigerating these bites due to the fresh fruit on them. Strawberry Shortcake Bite...

We have been buying this yummy Root beer milk from our local farmers market. The kids love it but I wondered what other treats we could use it in.  We decided to make a fun topping for our homemade vanilla ice cream. You could certainly make this with regular milk if you can't find the root beer milk locally and add in some root beer flavoring. It was especially good served with some sliced bananas.  Brown Sugar Root Beer Caramel Sauce 1 C packed brown sugar 1/2 C butter 1/3 C Danzeisen Dairy Root beer milk 1/4 tsp salt In a small saucepan over medium heat combine sugar, butter and salt. Stirring occasionally until butter is melted. Add in root beer milk and bring to a gentle boil for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool before serving. Keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

I have always enjoyed baking bread. There is something so satisfying about taking a few humble ingredients and making something extraordinary.  Its also where I find my zen, bread can't be rushed. This bread is easy to make and requires little hands on time but it can't be rushed. You have to give it the time it needs to rise whether it takes an hour or two is up to the dough on that particular day. The temperature of your home, the freshness of the yeast... Find some time to take things slow and bake yourself a delicious loaf, or two, of bread. Watch us make this recipe here ! Wheat and Honey Sandwich Bread Makes two loaves 1 C warm water 1 C milk 2 C whole wheat flour 1/3 c butter 1/3 c honey 1 tbs yeast 1 tsp salt 3 C white flour, plus more if needed In a large mixing bowl place warm water and yeast to proof. In a small saucepan melt butter over medium low heat, add milk until just warm but not hot (you don't want to kill your yeast).  Add...

This recipe falls under” the healthier because I made it” category. This time of year I am on a quest for all things pumpkin and am tempted by the pumpkin-flavored-everything commercials. I like knowing that if I am going to indulge that I am eating quality ingredients. I also love the way my house smells when I bake, its better than any $10 candle (and tastier too). These bars have a soft pumpkin pie filling surrounded by a crunchy, crumbly crust. Pumpkin Crumble Bars For the Crust & Crumble 3 C. Rolled Oats 1 3/4 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 1 1/2 C Rapadura Sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 C plus 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter- Softened 1 C. Chopped Pecans or Walnuts- optional (after I made these BJ told me, "You know what would make these even better? Nuts.") For Filling 15 oz of Pumpkin Puree 3 eggs 3/4 C Heavy Cream 1/2 C Rapadura Sugar 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/8 tsp cloves) 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven...

This was by far and away most popular post on my Blog Healthy Gourmet on the GO. I was thrilled to get nearly 3,000 views on this post, which is nothing compared to other bloggers but I was proud of the accomplishment. The other day I received a call from a customer asking how she should bake a pumpkin bread with stevia. I was embarrassed that I could not give her a good answer. After a few failed attempts to make a sugar free black bean brownie I had given up on baking with stevia. After a little digging online I found a good looking conversion method for stevia which I shared with her. She was afraid to make something that wouldn’t turn out so she scrapped the idea. In my typical fashion I announced to my husband the next morning (he was barely awake) that after laying awake I had decided “ Today I will make a stevia sweetened pumpkin bread!” Those of you familiar with stevia know it can have an after taste. This bread does seem to lose it a bit overnight, so it is better the next ...

Sometimes you just need Brownies! 1/2 C Fresh Ground Almond Butter 1/2 C Unsweetened Apple Sauce 1/4 C Agave Nectar or Honey 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 C Cocoa Powder 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1/4 C Chopped Almonds Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray, set aside. In a medium bowl stir together Almond Butter, Apple Sauce, Agave Nectar and Vanilla until blended. Then add Cocoa Powder and Baking Soda. Spread batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with Almonds. Bake 20 minutes, brownies will be set but Fudgy looking.  * adapted from ambitiouskitchen.com Here is what was left by the time I took a picture! (Originally Published on Healthy Gourmet on the Go Blog)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake adapted to be gluten free and a reduced the sugar (there is still plenty, don’t worry) from the SmittenKitchen. Check out her post for detailed pictures. She obviously didn't bake this over 2 days with a baby in one arm like I did. Although it was totally worth it! I made this for BJ’s Birthday which happened to fall in our 30 days of Gluten Free. BJ says its like a giant Peanut Butter Cup and he liked it so well he didn't share with anyone but me. Chocolate Crust 2 Boxes (14.5 oz total) of Pamela’s GF Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies (or any Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies) 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still hot Fudge Layer 1 cup heavy or whipping cream 13 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips (Be careful that the chocolate you choose is Gluten Free like Enjoy Life, also the mini chips melt very easily.) Cheesecake Layer 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1...

Who doesn't love rice crispy treats. Back in the day I used to walk to the gas station by my office and buy them at least once a week. It shames me to think I bought "food" at the gas station. Since turning my life in a healthier direction one thing I've shunned is marshmallows (and gas station food) because of the ingredients and unfortunately that included my beloved rice crispy treats. I had forgotten about my obsession until recently when I came across a recipe for a healthier version, so I tried it and it was sooo sweet. I felt there had to be a better way and I wanted to put a bit of a gourmet twist on it. Ingredients: 3 C Crispy Brown Rice Cereal 1/2 C Cashew Butter, unsweetened/ unsalted 1/2 C Maple Syrup 1/2 tsp Sea Salt Oil or Butter for Pan In a Large bowl, measure 3 cups of Crispy Brown Rice Cereal. Grease 8x8 pan, set aside. In a small saucepan combine cashew butter, maple syrup and sea salt.  Cook over medium low heat until...

I'm not above going for the sweet stuff when I'm really stressed out and recently I had to call in the big guns... Chocolate Cake. So after much inner conflict (if I bake this I will probably eat the whole thing, yada, yada, yada) I assembled my ingredients and realized I was out of sugar! But all was not lost, thank goodness I had some agave nectar! Forty-five minutes later I had the endorphin shot I needed. Sure I could have exercised, but sometimes a girl just needs chocolate cake. 1 1/3 C Agave Nectar 2 Eggs 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 1 C Whole Milk 1/2 C Melted Butter 1 3/4 C Flour 1 C Cocoa Powder 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 2/3 C Hot Coffee   Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray (this is a chocolate emergency, there is no time for fancy round layers!). In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder, set aside. In another large bowl beat together egg, melted butter, agave necta...

Ok, Grandma Ruth wasn't baking Gluten Free Cakes in her day, but she did make a mean Spice Cake. The original recipe was made yearly for my Mom and my Aunts Birthdays and I adapted it years ago for a customers Birthday. I actually just made this cake for that same customers Anniversary. I'll never forget the panicked phone call I received that day asking if I had forgotten this cake needed to be gluten free because there was no way a gluten free cake could taste this good. It comes out so light, moist and grit free (no rice flour!) you won't believe its gluten free.             Serves 8-10 ¾ C Butter Softened 1 ¼ C Brown Sugar (I use Rapadura) 1 C. Unrefined Cane Sugar 3 Eggs 3 C. Bobs Red Mill GF Flour Blend 1 ½ tsp Xanathan Gum 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon ¾ tsp Cloves ¾ tsp Nutmeg 1 tsp Sea Salt 1 ½ C. Whole Milk 1 Tbs Lemon Juice Preheat oven to 350. Grease either 3 rounds or one 9”x13” pan...

Fall is my favorite time of year. The rich smell of baked apples, pumpkin, cinnamon and cloves permeates the air. Every few years our apple trees go crazy and I'm trying to find new ways to use them. In 2011 I made cases of apple butter, apple sauce, apple juice and over 5 gallons of hard cider along with countless pies, granolas and bags of dried apples. I realized I still have a case of apple butter in the back of our pantry so I better use it up before the madness begins again. If you have never had spiced apple butter, I'm sorry and I will post my super easy crockpot apple butter recipe shortly!  If you don't happen to have any spiced apple butter you can certainly make this with applesauce using the changes I noted in the recipe. I'm making these as an easy breakfast for a picky toddler, so I didn't want something loaded with sugar but you could up the sweetness to your tastes. 2 C. Old Fashioned Oats 1 C. Whole Wheat Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 C....

Pumpkin and Snickerdoodles, a match made in heaven. I've seen different versions of this cookie on various blogs, but the reviews were mixed. Some said they were too dry, others said not enough spice. I thought they didn't use enough pumpkin! So here is my soft, pillowy, spicy version of pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Makes 3 1/2 dozen 1 C. Butter-unsalted and softened 1 C Sugar 1/2 C Brown Sugar  1 C Pumpkin Puree 1 Egg 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 3 3/4 C Flour 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1 tsp Cinnamon  1/2 tsp Nutmeg **I've made it with 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg*** For the coating: 1/4 C Sugar 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Nutmeg Dash Cloves **I've made this with 3/4-1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves*** In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars, then add pumpkin and vanilla fin...

Who says pancakes have to be saved for special occasions like Saturday morning? My Easy Everyday Pancake Mix makes Monday morning pancakes possible! I was tired of buying the over priced organic pancake mixes and making them from scratch every time was time consuming. Not to mention that I didn't want a huge batch of pancakes for just the toddler and I, so I came up with this mix based off our favorite pancake recipe. I just mix the dry ingredients together and store them in a quart jar. I have a piece of paper I keep under the ring on the lid with the ingredients for the mix on one side and the directions for making pancakes for two on the other so I am never searching for the recipes when I need them! You could make this with whatever flour you like, white, wheat or a mix (you could even make them with gluten free flour and add xanthin gum). I've even started making muffins with this mix, so look for those recipes in the future! For Mix: 3 C. Organic Unbleached Flo...

Don't you just hate when you can't find a recipe that you want to make? I couldn't find the recipe I was looking for, then the brand new bag of wheat bran I had in the pantry smelled off, so I decided to scrap my original plan and go rogue and I'm glad I did. These muffin were born from what I had in the pantry and a desire to make them as healthy as possible. No refined sugars or oils here! They came out moist and flavorful, but I found their flavor improved overnight and the orange zest really shined. Each muffin has 12 grams of fiber and only 10 grams of sugar so they are a healthy and delicious way to start the morning! Cinnamon Raisin Oat Muffins Makes 24  3 oz Unsweetened Apple Sauce (I used one of the toddlers pouches) 3 Eggs 4 Tbs Blackstrap Molasses 1 C Non-fat Greek Yogurt Zest of an Orange 1 C Orange Juice 2 tsp Cinnamon 2 tsp Baking Soda 1 1/2 C Oats that have taken a quick trip through the food processor to break them up a bit.  ...

Before embarking on a car trip to San Diego I thought these muffins would be the perfect breakfast to eat in the along the way. We like to get an early start and need something easy to store and eat in the car. You could certainly add nuts to these, I skipped them. The three year-old doesn't like nuts but he did give the nut free version a thumbs up. Carrot Raisin Muffins Makes 16 Muffins 3 large Carrots, grated (about 1 1/2 Cups) 1 C Raisins 1/2 C Plain Whole Milk Yogurt 1/2 C Maple Syrup 2 Eggs 1/3 C Sunflower Oil 2 C Unbleached White Flour 2 tsp Baking Soda 1 1/2  tsp Cinnamon Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat together Yogurt, Maple Syrup, Eggs and Oil. In a small bowl mix together Flour, Baking Soda and Cinnamon. Mix dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Stir in Carrots and Raisins. Prepare two muffin tins, spray or line with cupcake papers. Fill  cups nearly to the top with muffin batter. Bake for 18-20 minutes. (Originally Published on He...

I originally posted this recipe in April of 2014 on my Healthy Gourmet on the Go blog. They have been popular with some of my mom friends ever since. Enjoy! I've been trying to come up with some healthy portable snacks for the toddler lately. He loves fruit and string cheese but I don't want to give him the same thing all the time. I've noticed that the "healthy" packaged snacks fill him up but don't provide much in the way of nutrition or calories. Since he is a little underweight for his age (His Doctor said he doesn't have a "Doritos Belly" like most kids his age, I see that as a good thing) I wanted to make a portable snack that had some veggies and fats but wasn't full of sugar. Maybe I can at least give the toddler a healthy American muffin top! ;) Zucchini Carrot Muffins Makes 18 Muffins 3 small Zucchinis 1 large Carrot 1/2 C Plain Whole a Milk Yogurt 1/2 C Maple Syrup 2 Eggs 1/3 C Sunflower Oil (Almond or Walnut ...