Pistachio Sugar Cookie Bars

My husband's favorite pistachio dessert from childhood was full of dairy: butter in the crust, milk to prepare the pudding, whipped cream on top... you get the point! Since the two of us try to limit the amount of dairy we consume, I was super excited when I stumbled upon this recipe that would evoke similar feelings of nostalgia while still accommodating our current dietary needs. His final verdict? They are just like a Lofthouse cookie! (And our youngest daughter has asked me to make this for her birthday next fall.) I'd call that a resounding win!

Pistachio Sugar Cookie Bars
Yield: 9x13 pan

Ingredients
Cookie Bars:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant pistachio pudding mix
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Buttercream Frosting:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup Crisco (original flavor in blue tub)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp milk, plus more if needed
• green sprinkles, for decorating

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in vanilla and almond extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
3. Stir in dry pudding mix. Add one cup of flour, baking soda, and salt; mix until combined. Add remaining one cup of flour and mix until just combined.
4. Press dough *very* evenly into prepared pan. (Bars will not spread when baking, so this step is important!)
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
6. Once bars have cooled completely, prepare buttercream frosting. In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine butter, Crisco, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract; mix until creamy.
7. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat until smooth and creamy, adding milk to reach desired consistency.
8. Spread frosting over cooled sugar cookie bars and top with sprinkles.

Recipe adapted from Eat Cake For Dinner.

Coconut Cupcakes

These special cupcakes, topped with cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut, are the perfect way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, holiday, or any other important milestone event!

Coconut Cupcakes
Yield: 1 dozen

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter, softened
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

For Frosting:

• 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
• 6 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• additional sweetened shredded coconut
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
   
2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With mixer running on low, add eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
3. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In three parts, alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to batter, beginning and ending with dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in coconut.
4. Line muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each cup to the top with batter.
5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until tops are brown and toothpick comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove to baking rack and cool completely. Then prepare cream cheese frosting.
   
7. In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, blend together cream cheese and butter. Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth, scraping down bowl as needed.
8. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with additional coconut.
9. Store covered in refrigerator.

Note: Cupcakes are best prepared one day in advance to allow frosting to set.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa.

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been a bit quiet on my blog lately because I'm going through a huge personal transition... not only will I be eating gluten free, but I have eliminated all dairy from my diet as well. I have been lactose intolerant for basically my entire adult life, but I've been able to consume limited amounts of dairy without too much issue. To keep things real, a bunch of health issues collided in a perfect storm the week before Christmas, and I finally said enough is enough! After thinking about going dairy free for a few months (just ask my husband...I'm sure he got sick of me talking about it), I finally pulled the plug. Just like going gluten free totally sucked in the beginning (there's really not a nicer way to say it), I got used to it and it became my new normal. Now, I will be doing the same with dairy!

I'll admit, these cookies didn't quite satisfy my chocolate chip cookie hankering the way I was hoping they would. The cookies are not as sweet as the desserts I normally make, but maybe that is a good thing... I just need to retrain my tastebuds! On a positive note, I was pleasantly surprised by the soft and pillowy texture of these cookies because almond flour recipes often turn out dense, and these cookies were quite the opposite! I will definitely make them again and maybe play around with the extracts and/or mix of chocolate chips.

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
• 3 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup semisweet (or dark) chocolate chips (regular or dairy free, your choice!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine almond flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat coconut oil and maple syrup until creamy, but not fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract (if using) and mix for 2 additional minutes.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to egg mixture and mix briefly. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Place large rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. (I use a small cookie dough scoop for this step.)
6. Bake until set and golden, about 12-15 minutes.
7. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Bob's Red Mill.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

My good friend gave birth to a baby boy in June, so I am headed over to her house tomorrow morning to meet her little bundle of joy! I've learned through the years that the best gift you can bring to a new mom, whether it's her first or fourth baby, is freshly baked, homemade treats. I selected this tried and true recipe from my collection because it pairs nicely with a warm, soothing cup of tea or coffee, the perfect pick-me-up for any mom!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Yield: 2 loaves (or 1 bundt cake)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease 2 loaf pans with Crisco, line with parchment (fold extra over sides as shown in photo above), then grease with nonstick cooking spray. (If using bundt pan, grease with Crisco, then dust all sides with flour.) Set pan(s) aside.
2. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Pour into prepared pan(s).
3. Bake 70-80 minutes for loaf pans (80-90 minutes for bundt pan), or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool in pan(s) 10 minutes. Gently lift loaves from pans using parchment folded over sides, remove & discard parchment, and place loaves on wire rack to cool completely. (For bundt pan, firmly tap pan on counter before inverting onto wire rack to cool completely.)
5. Store at room temperature. Cake ages and freezes well!