Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies

After the holidays are over, I love finding seasonal merchandise marked down to basement-level clearance prices. I found these Nestle Toll House Maple Morsels for only $1 per bag! The seasonal aroma of maple and cinnamon emanating from the warm oven made our home feel so cozy and comforting while the soft, fluffy texture delivered just what you'd expect from a traditional snickerdoodle cookie. These limited edition morsels will definitely be on my radar to buy again next fall/winter!

Maple Snickerdoodle Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen

Ingredients
Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups (10 oz pkg) Nestle Toll House Maple Morsels

For Rolling:

• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In small bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
3. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla until creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.
6. In small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp sugar and cinnamon.
7. Roll dough into 1 1/4" balls (I used small cookie dough scoop) and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
8. Bake 11-12 minutes, or just until centers are set. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

(Recipe found on back of package. Pecans were omitted here.)

Cashew Cream

This versatile plant-based alternative to traditional dairy products (think: heavy cream, sour cream, and the like) can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. The cream takes on the flavor of the ingredients used to season it, and the consistency can be made as thick, or as thin, as a recipe calls for. Flexibility is the name of the game!

Cashew Cream
Yield: up to 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/3 to 3/4 cup water, depending on desired thickness

Directions

1. Place cashews in bowl and cover with water. Let soak at least 3 hours, or overnight.
2. Drain completely. Combine cashews with fresh water and blend until very smooth (about a minute in high-powered blender, such as Nutri Ninja).
3. For sweet cream: use 3/4 cup water and add 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, and 1-2 Tbsp sugar or maple syrup.
4. For savory cream: add pinch of salt and lemon juice, nutritional yeast, herbs and/or spices, to taste.
5. For homemade cashew milk: use 3 cups of water.
6. Cream lasts 3-4 days in refrigerator, or it can be frozen.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Pretzel M&M Kisses

My daughter's Christmas party for gymnastics was yesterday, so I made these simple, festive treats for her to share with her teammates! Unfortunately, instead of attending the party, she and I made a trip to urgent care where she was diagnosed with strep throat. Not the way either of us envisioned the weekend going, but now she and her siblings have all these sweet and salty snacks to enjoy themselves. (Just because *I* have to eat dairy/gluten free doesn't mean that my kids have to suffer, too!)

Pretzel M&M Kisses
Yield: as many/few as you like!

Ingredients

• twist pretzels
• milk chocolate Hershey's Kisses
• milk chocolate M&Ms

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
3. Place pretzels on lined baking sheet and top each with Hershey's Kiss.
4. Cook for 3 minutes, until chocolate looks shiny.
5. Press M&M into center of each Hershey's Kiss.
6. Cool on pan until chocolate sets back up.
7. Store in airtight container at room temperature (if there are any left!).

Recipe adapted from Shell's Kitchen.

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.

Jodie's Toffee

When I was growing up, my mom was a first grade aid one school year and this recipe was given to her by a fellow teacher. (Of course, the original ingredient list included saltine crackers, so I had to do my research to find an equivalent gluten free replacement!) It is my absolute favorite Christmas treat and makes the best homemade gift... everyone raves about it!

Jodie's Toffee
Yield: depends on how large/small you make the pieces!

Ingredients

• 2 (4.1 oz) packages Schar Gluten Free Snacker Thins or 1 (7.4 oz) package Schar Gluten Free Table Crackers
• 1 1/2 cups butter
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 3 cups milk chocolate chips (or 12 full size Hershey's milk chocolate candy bars)
• 1 cup ground/chopped almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 12x17" rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Line with foil and spray again.
2. Place crackers side by side on prepared pan. (Break into smaller pieces, if necessary, to cover all the way to the edges.)
3. On stovetop over medium heat, boil butter and sugar for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes.
4. Remove pan from oven, sprinkle chocolate (or line up bars) over top. Return to oven for 30-60 seconds to melt chocolate. Remove from oven and spread chocolate with offset spatula. Quickly sprinkle with almonds and pat down to set.
5. Once pan is cool to touch, place in refrigerator to chill overnight. Break into desired-sized pieces. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Frappe {Starbucks Copycat}

Looking to satisfy your coffee shop craving on a budget? Whip this drink together and save yourself a trip to Starbucks. Your wallet will thank you!

Double Chocolate Chip Frappe {Starbucks Copycat}
Yield: 2 (12 oz) servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp chocolate syrup
• 2 cups ice
• 1/8 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Place all ingredients into cup of high-powered blender, such as Nutri Ninja, and use setting recommended for smoothies.
2. Pour drink into two large cups and top with whipped cream, if desired.
3. Enjoy!

Recipe found on Pinterest.