Recipe: Gluten Free Buckwheat Brownies

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Oops! I thought I would have a lot more time after quitting my day job to post more regularly but I have been keeping busy with kid stuff and freelance work...oh, and getting a bit politically active.  Honestly, what did I do when I had my other job?

Anyway, I'm back (mostly) with this awesome recipe for Gluten Free Buckwheat Brownies from the Alternative Baker book by Alanna Taylor-Tobin. The original recipe calls for Chestnut Flour but says a good alternative (to the alternative flour) is buckwheat flour which is what I had on hand. These brownies were dark and fudgey with that familiar crinkly top. So good! I ended up slicing them up into narrow rectangles to feed Lucas' soccer team (one of the kids on the team is gf) so I could have some too. ;) Enjoy!

+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper), Twitter (@good_on_paper),
Pinterest (@goodonpaperdes) and Tumblr (hellogoodonpaper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox.
+ You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Oh Yeah, Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been a few weeks since I've posted a recipe -- the last post was about these Soft Baked Pretzels. It's not that I haven't been baking and cooking away, but rather I've been trying to perfect my version of the best classic chocolate chip cookie. After numerous recipe testings and listening to feedback from my select group of cookie critics, I finally found "the one" that met all my chocolate chip cookie criteria -- crispy around the edges, on the thinner side but not flat, chewy in the center, not too sweet, a little salty, perfect chocolate to dough ratio, puddles of melty layered chocolate, good the next day, and most importantly, not cakey. I hate cakey.

The recipe comes from Ashley Rodriguez of Not Without Salt on Food52 (one of my favorite blogs -- have you seen their dreamy office kitchen workspace makeover on Remodelista?). I even tried altering the recipe just a bit to see if some of my favorite elements (espresso powder, semi-sweet chocolate chips, etc.) from other recipes would make this even better. But it is perfect as is according to me and my taste buds.

Puddles and layers and flaky salt -- oh yeah!

A few must do's to make this cookie perfect:
+ Use a high quality (it really makes a difference -- the cheap stuff doesn't melt/puddle the same or taste the same) dark chocolate bar such as Divine or Valrhona and chop it up. Don't think I'll ever go back to chips unless it's an emergency.
+ Don't overmix
+ Always refrigerate the dough
+ Always sprinkle that flaky salt on top before baking
+ Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes

+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox.  You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Lemon Meringue Marshmallows

Each year for the holidays I try make small handmade gifts -- last year it was hand screen printed tea towels, the year before that was homemade caramels, and the year before that was chopping blocks hand carved in the shape of a slice of bread (thanks to Nick who did the actual hand carving). The holidays creep up on me every year but this year was the craziest. Ummm, maybe it's because I have two kids now!?!

My friend Nancy gave us a huge bag of meyer lemons from her tree and and when my friend Sarah posted this recipe for Lemon Meringue Marshmallows, I knew I wanted to make them. I have never made marshmallows before and they seemed intimidating -- candy thermometer, sticky mess, oiling a knife, wtf?! But they were surprisingly really easy to make! During the whole process from the sugar boiling, to the fluff forming, to the marshmallows setting, I kept saying, "I can't believe I'm actually making marshmallows!" They came out so light and fluffy with flecks of meyer lemon zest and just the right hit of sweetness. 

I packaged them in glassine bags wrapped with some easy homemade wrapping paper printed with a quick hand written "lemon meringue marshmallows".

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox. Just click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Easy Apple Turnovers with Vanilla Custard Sauce

I have to say I have been a little obsessed with puff pastry. I had no idea how easy it is to use. Plus, it looks like you spent hours making something when really it was easy breezy. Back in college, my friend Annie turned me on to those Pepperidge Farms raspberry turnovers. It was the perfect dessert to pop in the oven and eat with ice cream, whipped cream, or just plain.

Savory or sweet, you could doctor up the puff pastry with Mushrooms, Ricotta, and Thyme, or  simply add pears and cardamom for a quick and impressive dessert. Today, I'm sharing my recipe for Easy Apple Turnovers and combining it with a recipe for Vanilla Custard Sauce from Oana Iancu at Through Oana's Lens. It's a fun and easy recipe to make with kids too. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

+ Click here for a printable PDF
+ Find me on Instagram (@good_on_paper)
+ Subscribe to receive the latest posts and Good on Paper updates delivered to your inbox! Simply click here. You could also use Blog Lovin' or Feedly to follow along.

Recipe: Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes I crave a really good chocolate chip cookie. I have a great recipe for that which I will post in the near future. But sometimes I want a cookie that makes me feel slightly less guilty while I'm devouring three or four in a row. At night. Before bed. A coworker of mine shared this recipe with me and I've been whipping it up quickly and easily with Lucas. It's healthy (I mean, less bad for you) because it's packed with protein, gluten free, and best of all, it tastes pretty awesome.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy because that's what I had on hand)

• ¾  cup organic sugar

• 1 large organic egg

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

• Parchment paper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together peanut butter and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Stir in chocolate morsels.

2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350° for 12 to 14 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes.

Sign up to receive Good on Paper posts directly in your email inbox.