Two New Recipes to Try

So I have never in my life come up with my completely own baking recipe. Ever. I have only a few times adapted a recipe to make it healthier, and this usually meant just swapping whole wheat flour for white. Well it's been a big week. I was looking over several ice cream recipes deciding which one to make when I decided to get creative and try to concoct my own. Oh man did it taste good. Do you like peanut butter? How about chocolate? Then this is the recipe for you:

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Coconut Ice Cream

2 c. unsweetened coconut milk (in a box)
1/2 c. unsweetened peanut butter
1/4-1/2c. unsweetened dark cocoa powder (depending on how chocolate-ty you want it)
1 c. hemp milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 c. agave or honey
3 drops of Vanilla Stevia
1Tbsp gelatin disolved in 1/4c boiling water

Add all ingredients except for gelatin in a blender; blend until smooth
Once gelatin has set, add it and blend a few more seconds
Pour into an ice cream machine and run for 25-30 min. Since I was having a serious chocolate craving, I also threw in two handfuls of chocolate chips during the last few minutes.

You can substitute whole or 2% milk for the coconut milk, but the coconut milk gives is a richness and thickness to it you can't get with the dairy milks. If you don't have a non-dairy milk to use for the hemp milk, you can substitute any dairy milk (although nonfat won't give you great consistency). If you don't have Stevia, just use a little extra agave or sweetener of choice.

My second major brainstorm came during my last craving for cookies. I again was reading over several recipes I'd tried, but hadn't been quite happy with, when I decided to be adventurous. Here's what I came up with:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick of butter or dairy-free margarine
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. brown rice syrup (you can play with these proportions)
1 egg or egg substitute
1 tsp vanilla (optional for added sweetness, but I don't think the recipe really needs it)
3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp brown rice flour
1/4 c. coconut flour (this is really what makes the cookie amazing)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum
1 1/2-2 c. chocolate chips

Blend softened butter and sweeteners until thick and creamy. Add egg or substitute and vanilla if using and blend briefly. Then add the flours, soda, gum and blend. Then stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, checking before you take them out of the oven. They should be puffy and soft to the touch, but not mushy. They need longer cooking if they are mushy. If you don't want to use the gluten free flours, you can probably just substitute white or whole wheat flour and omit the xanthan gum, but I can't promise anything since I haven't tried it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.

So this is what the hubby and I are enjoying tonight as we sit down to watch the second to last episode of Friday Night Lights...sigh....but at least our tummies will be full of delicious goodness!!