Cranberry Pecan Maple Bars

Merry Christmas!

Paying attention?  Just checking :).  I'd be impressed if you were.  Seeing it's been MONTHS since I've blogged.  Easter, actually.

I digress...

I might as well be wishing you a Merry Christmas; I'm already baking for the holiday season and listening to Christmas music.  In fact, I listened to Nat King Cole's version of Jingle Bells about 20 times earlier today.  Not because I'M obsessed.  My two year old is.  "Again!",  she cried.  And AGAIN it played.  (I also don't know how to disable the replay feature on my iPhone.  Why is my iPhone set to replay?  Because a certain 11 pound someone falls asleep to the "White Noise" track.  See photo below to find out who this someone is. :)

We cheated and had a semi-Thanksgiving dinner last week, too.

In my yard, the scarecrow wears a scarf and a Santa hat, while the snowman's got a pumpkin head (not really, but  I've considered giving him a much needed make-over).  Around here, We celebrate all the holidays together!  Why not?

But you're here for the food, right?

Back to the holiday baking topic.  I've been experimenting with two recipes, one for biscuits and the other for pumpkin bread pudding (which uses the leftover biscuits).

...Also been working on a stuffing recipe that's been tested out on a few folks already.  They survived the test!  That means it'll be on here soon.  I posted a stuffing recipe a few years back, but it's my family's colorful version, which includes all kinds of fruits and nuts--a reflection of the actual family, perhaps? ;)  Kidding!

Anyhow, last year my sister-in-law was on a quest to find the perfect stuffing recipe, the kind she grew up eating at her grandma's every holiday season.  She found the recipe!  Only thing is, it wasn't/isn't gluten free.  So I took that recipe and gave it a gluten-free make over. Because her gluten-filled version smelled so good, I couldn't resist.  The recipe called for Pillsbury Biscuits.  Man, those are good and how I miss their buttery sweetness!  Well, I think I might've found their gluten-free counterpart... stay tuned for the recipe.  I promise I'll post it before Christmas 2013 ;).

Stuffing... that reminds me.  I stopped feeling like a stuffed turkey around midnight on August 16, 2012.  Why?  Because my sweet and delicious Juliette Vera was born on that very day.  Here she is.  Don't you just want to gobble, gobble her up?!  :D

Now, here's a treat that reminds me of Boston.  My old home.  Since we're in Texas now, I made sure to throw in a few pecans.


Base of Bars:
1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup potato starch
1/2 tsp guar gum
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3/4 cup dried, sweetened cranberries

Crunchy Topping:

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Sauce:
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
pinch of salt


Frosting Drizzle:
powdered sugar
tablespoon of maple syrup
1 tablespoon water
2 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese

It's a long recipe, so let's keep the instructions simple (Is that's possible in the gluten-free world of baking? ;)

Preheat oven to 350

Mix the "Base" ingredients together, starting with all the dry ingredients.  Put the wet ingredients in another bowl, then stir to combine.

Next, prepare the "Topping" by first melting the butter with the pecans, then adding the rest of the ingredients.  Cook on low until this thickens.

Grease an 8 by 11 inch pan, then pour the "Base" in.  Next, evenly layer the topping!

Work on the "Sauce". Just throw everything together in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it all together for 30 sec increments while taking stirring breaks, until everything is nice and gooey.

Lastly, pour that over the topping and bake it for 25 minutes at 350 on the middle rack.

Lastly (I mean it this time ;), when everything is cooled, prepare the frosting glaze and drizzle it over the bars.  I don't measure this part.  It should be like a thick glaze in texture.  First add the cream cheese, water, and maple syrup, then add enough powdered sugar to give it the desired consistency.

I'm lazy, that's why I've been gone.

Gone are the days, at least for now, when I can spend hours in the kitchen baking/cooking and washing dishes/cleaning up... and still have energy left over afterward to do something else. But I've never been happier. Exhaustion has set in; I'm a bum these days, a professional couch potato of sorts. I've even gotten way behind on my blog reading! Tsk tsk. Sure, I still get dressed and cook the occasional meal, which is usually something boring and easy, but things have been pretty mellow 'round here.

Speaking of round, as each day passes, I become a little more round than the day before... and it's not just because I've been eating Snickers and lots of salty refried bean burritos (two big recent cravings). I guess I shouldn't say I haven't been baking, because I'm a 24/7 baker these days.

Truth is, I'm baking the tastiest gluten-free bun! My scrumptious little bundle will not be ready until mid May, though... talk about needing a long time to proof! I'm 9 weeks today. He/she doesn't look like much yet, but he/she does have a heartbeat, eyes and limps now! Woohoo! And he/she can move, even though I can't feel him/her. I really don't care what flavor I get; boy or girl, they'd both be a delicious treat. Don't worry, I don't plan on eating 'em... but baby fat does remind me of bread dough, hence the analogy.

You want to know another reason why I haven't been posting? Because I EAT everything I bake before I actually get to photograph it :P! Terrible, I know I'm bad. I've made some pretty tasty gluten-free blueberry muffins, some delicious angel food cake cupcakes, and gluten-free flour tortillas. So you'll have to bear with me... here's a recipe from this summer. I made them for my dad-in-law's birthday (or Father's Day? Memory fails) & he liked 'em :)... so enjoy!

Gluten Free Paula Deen Rocky Road Bars

Happy Father's Day!

So if you haven't seen these amazing brownie bars over at Taste and Tell, head on over now! If you're not on a gluten free diet, you'll want to follow her recipe to the T; it's a good one!

I really really wanted to make these for Father's Day/my husband's birthday, so this past week I made a gluten free version. I mailed some over to my parent's house and they were a hit. We also had a couple left over last night and even though they were 5 days old, my mother in law & sister in law gobbled them up too =o).

I've yet to find gluten free graham crackers, so I had to improvise there. I combined gluten free Mi-Del Cinnamon Snaps and crushed Gluten-Free Rice Chex to make a modified version of the graham cracker crust. The other change I made is that I used white chocolate chips instead of toffee; I didn't have toffee :P. Because the brownie part of the recipe is different, I noticed that I had to cook my brownies a bit longer, so the cookie crust came out a little crispier than expected, but still tasty.

Step 1: Step 2:

The brownies/bars are super moist. If you make these Gluten Free Paula Deen Rocky Road Bars, then you'll want to closely monitor the brownies when you're baking them (I kept checking them every 10 minutes or so). Also, don't expect the knife/toothpick to come out clean when you're checking for doneness because they're going to be like fudge in texture :P! It's best to let them cool for about an hour before diving in, they'll stay together much better that way. :)

OOPS! ALMOST FORGOT TO POST THE RECIPE :P