Gluten & Dairy Free Peppermint Chocolate Crownies

Lately I have been a very chocolately mood.  This means a lot coming from a girl who can take it or leave it where chocolate is concerned.  I was looking for an after school snack for my kids who were scheduled to have a play date.  I was a little tired of the granola bar scene and wanted something a bit surprising. So I stumbled upon a recipe from the Gluten Free Goddess that gave me some inspiration.

Some notes:
I make my own gluten free flours but have been known to obsess over Astoria Mills a little.  The recipe that gave me the inspiration doesn't use a flour mix so you can have a look at what she does if you need  to.

I use a pure extract that is very concentrated.  I find mine in the Bulk Barn where I live.

When you make these for your children they will want to inhale the whole batch (if you don't do it before they do).  I suggest you freeze some for later.

Crownies: Cookies that were brownies in a former life.

Makes almost 2 dozen depending on size.

Preheat oven to 365.

1 1/2 cups of gluten free flour mix
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3/4 teaspoon of sea salt
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1/4 heaping cup white sugar

3/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)
2 teaspoons of honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
couple drops of mint extract

Mix dry ingredients until combined.  Whisk the wet ingredients.  Its okay if there are little bits of coconut oil left after whisking.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Mix until it is properly incorporated.

Spoon a tablespoon of batter onto cookie sheet leaving 1 1/2 inches in between cookies.  Bake for 10-13 minutes or until cookies are firm and soft but no longer wet.

Gluten and Dairy Free Pizza

Since my neurofit practitioner, Bharat Oza told me to eliminate gluten and dairy from my diet I have been in no man's land with my kitchen. What would I do without my beloved dairy and wheat?! Bharat was clearly unaware of my love affair with butter, cheese and wheat. I loved the way dough would rise and the things I could do with butter and sugar- oh my!

Well as I mentioned in a previous post I have found my way back to my sweet love (minus the sugar and all of course!). This renewed passion is due to finding the best gluten, soy and dairy free products. Hallelujah people!

The best gluten, dairy, soy colour free cheese.  Can you believe it?  I almost want to cry!

I use Astoria Mills enriched gluten free flours and I love them. I followed the directions on the back of the package. The only thing I did differently was I baked the crust first. You should brush the crust with olive oil before you prebake it. Also remember not to knead the dough too much after it rises. I did it gently for under 30 seconds.

The baked dough turned out light and had a nice crust. My youngest daughter had 3 slices! I decided to use one of the pizza crusts for sandwiches because it was so good.