Chocolate cherry pecan bread -- gluten and egg free

Man, I did NOT get a good photo of this bread, but trust me, it was pretty. And tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

110 grams King Arthur gluten-free multipurpose flour

65 grams garbanzo bean flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons whole-milk yogurt

3/4 cup plus a splash of milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease one 8-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pecans, cherries, and chocolate chips. In a smaller bowl whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil and almond extract until blended, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just blended. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let loaves sit in pans for 5 minutes, then remove and transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Chocolate pecan pie -- gluten and egg free!

This is seriously the best pie I've ever made. Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:
2.5 T ice water
1.5 T sour cream
1/2 T rice vinegar
6.5 oz gluten-free flour blend (I like King Arthur's, but Cup4Cup and Bob's Red Mill also work)
1.5 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t xanthan gum
8 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and frozen for at least 15 minutes

For the filling:
4 oz. dark chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup golden syrup
A pinch or two of sea salt
2 cups (225 grams) pecan halves
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cornstarch + 6 tablespoons water

METHOD:

Make the crust: Combine ice water, sour cream, and vinegar together in a bowl. Pulse flour blend, sugar, salt and xanthan gum together in food processor until combined. Scatter butter over the top and pulse mixture until butter is pea sized. Pour the sour cream mixture over flour mixture and pulse until dough comes together.

Flatten into a 5" disc and tightly wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Before rolling let dough sit out for 15 minutes to soften slightly. Roll it between 2 pieces of plastic wrap until it's 12" around, then use the plastic wrap to maneuver it into a pie plate. Fold and crimp around the edges. Cover loosely with plastic and freeze for 15 minutes, until firm.

Heat oven to 375F and bake pie dough for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway. I highly recommend using pie weights for this since the dough has the tendency to shrink/slump.

For the chocolate layer: After rolling out and parbaking your crust, put it in the freezer until solid, about 15 minutes. Melt 4 ounces of dark chocolate chunks with 1/4 cup heavy cream until smooth. Spread over bottom of cooled crust. Freeze the crust again until the chocolate is solid, about another 20 minutes, before pouring in pecan mixture.

Make the filling: Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once or twice so that they toast evenly. Set aside until needed. If you like smaller bits, you can chop them.

In medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, cornstarch, water and pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in pecans, cider vinegar, vanilla and bourbon (if using). Pour into a bowl (so that it cools faster) and set the mixture aside to cool a little, about 5 to 10 minutes. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.

Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes. The pie is done with the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is slightly firm but a little jiggly. Cool on a rack.

Egg-free raspberry chocolate macarons

I discovered several years ago that I'm sensitive to eggs, and it was only last year that I learned about using aquafaba (chickpea water) as a substitute. It really whips up just like egg whites! I've had macarons before, but it's been a long time and I've never made them myself until recently. For that reason, I found this video incredibly helpful, especially because it provides tips on how to make sure the macarons come out well. Ignore her recipe but pay attention to her method, especially if you've never made these before.

INGREDIENTS: 

Macaron shells:
150 grams aquafaba (chickpea liquid)
1/16 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
100 grams almond meal
90 grams powdered sugar
50 grams superfine sugar
Red food coloring
4 drops raspberry essence

Chocolate ganache: 
4 ounces dark chocolate

3/8 cup cream

1 tablespoon butter


INSTRUCTIONS:

Shells: Drain the liquid from a 15-ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). You should get about 150 grams. In a small saucepan, bring the liquid to a simmer, and reduce it to 75 grams. Chill it in the refrigerator (or freezer, but don't let it freeze) until it's very cold.

Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar into a bowl. Set aside. 

Whisk the reduced, cold aquafaba with cream of tartar and salt in a mixer on high until it forms soft peaks. Make sure there is no more liquid left at the bottom of the bowl before moving on to the next step. Gradually add the superfine sugar (if you don't have superfine, you can grind regular sugar in a coffee grinder) while the mixer is turned on. Add drops of food coloring until your meringue is the color you want, and then add the raspberry essence. You should end up with a thick, glossy meringue.

Add half of the almond and powdered sugar mixture to the meringue. Fold gently with a rubber spatula. Add the rest of the almond and powdered sugar mixture, continuing to fold the batter. Keep going until the mixture is viscous and flows off the spatula like lava (again, check out the video above). 

Fill a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle -- or a large ziplock bag with a hole cut in one corner -- with the macaron mixture. Pipe it into 2-inch mounds on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat or silicone baking paper. This recipe makes about 30 individual macaron shells, so you may need to have a few trays ready.

Once piped, slam the tray on your kitchen counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Leave your trays to rest for two hours, or until they're matte and you're able to touch the surface of the shells without anything sticking to your skin. 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake each tray of macarons individually for 28-30 minutes without opening the door. Remove tray from oven and leave to cool thoroughly before peeling macaron shells off from the Silpat or baking paper.

Repeat baking process with remaining trays of macarons.

Filling: Chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl. Heat the cream and butter until it's hot and almost boiling. Pour it over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth.

Assembly: Place the shells on a kitchen counter with the flat side up (rounded side down). To fill, pipe a thick circle of ganache inside one shell, then sandwich with another shell. Repeat the process until all your shells have been sandwiched.

Place macarons in a box and leave in the fridge overnight -- this gives them time for the textures to even out.