Here is a delicious twist on a traditional brownie.  The pumpkin and hazelnuts give them a definite “fall” flavor.

Gluten-free/Dairy-free

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups All-Purpose Baking Mix from The Pure Pantry
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in All-Purpose Baking Mix.
4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer.
5. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts (optional)
6. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Gluten-free Linzer Heart Cookies

These elegant and tasty treats are easy to prepare for Valentine’s Day or really any day.

Ingredients:

1 package gluten-free Organic Sugar Cookie Mix from The Pure Pantry

½ cup butter or butter substitute, such as Earth Balance Buttery Spread

1 large egg  (or egg replacer)

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

½ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Follow directions on package to create sugar cookie dough.   Pat dough into disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Remove dough from refrigerator.  Prepare a work surface with waxed paper dusted with gluten-free flour.  Dust rolling pin with gluten-free flour.  Place dough on waxed paper and roll out to ¼” thickness.  Cut 20 cookies with 2 inch diameter scalloped circle cookie cutter.  Cut the center of 10 cookies with a small heart or star cookie cutter to create a window.   In the center of each of the 10 cookies that do not have a window, place 1 teaspoon raspberry jam.  Place on top of the jam a cookie that has a window cut out to create a sandwich.    Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet.  Lightly dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

One Dough – Three Easy Cookies

Here is a simple way to make a variety of Christmas cookies with one dough base.  To the base you will add various ingredients to create 3 different cookies: Pecan Tassies,  Almond Snowballs and Linzer Tarts.

Basic Dough:

Ingredients: 3 packages Organic Sugar Cookie Mix from The Pure Pantry

1 ½ cups organic unsalted butter or butter substitute such as Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

3 large organic eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Using electric mixer, cream butter.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in contents of sugar cookie packages and mix for about 1 minute.  Remove dough from bowl and divide into 3 equal parts and cover with waxed paper.  Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 2 weeks.

Pecan Tassies

Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

1 portion of prepared Sugar Cookie dough (from 1 package of Organic Sugar Cookie Mix from The Pure Pantry)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons raw agave nectar, such as Nature’s Agave Raw variety

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into sixteen 1-inch balls, and press into bottoms and up sides of cups of mini-muffin tins.

2.     Make the filling: Cream butter with brown sugar in mixing bowl.  Add egg and mix until combined.  Add agave, vanilla and saltand blend. Stir in chopped pecans. Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons filling into each muffin cup.

3.     Bake pecan tassies for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool completely on wire rack. Can be stored in single layers in airtight containers up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks.

 Almond Snowballs

                                                                                                                                                      Makes Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients

1 portion prepared Sugar Cookie dough (from 1 package of Organic Sugar Cookie Mix from The Pure Pure Pantry)

½ cup almond flour2 teaspoons almond extract

½ cup finely chopped blanched almond

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, for dusting cookies

1.     Place sugar cookie dough in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment.  On low setting add almond flour, almond extract and chopped almonds.

2.     Remove dough from bowl and form a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place parchment paper on cookie sheet or grease cookie sheet.    Remove dough from refrigerator.  Using about 1 tablespoon of dough, roll into balls to form 18 cookies.  Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart.    Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

4.     Remove cookies from oven and let cool for 3 minutes.  Place half the confectioners’ sugar in a 9 x 12 baking pan.  Place warm cookies in baking pan and put remaining sugar on top.   Roll cookies in sugar to coat and let them cool in the sugar for an additional 30 minutes. Remove cookies, shake off excess sugar, and place in air tight container.

Raspberry Linzer Cookies

Makes 10 cookies

Ingredients

1 portion prepared Sugar Cookie dough (from 1 package of Organic Sugar Cookie Mix from The Pure Pantry)

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

½ cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting cookies

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a work surface with waxed paper dusted with gluten-free flour. Dust rolling pin with gluten-free flour.

2.     Place dough on waxed paper and roll out to ¼” thickness. Cut 20 cookies with 2 inch diameter scalloped circle cookie cutter. Cut the center of 10 cookies with a small heart or star cookie cutter to create a window. In the center of each of the 10 cookies that do not have a window, place 1 teaspoon raspberry jam. Place on top of the jam a cookie that has a window cut out to create a sandwich. Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.

3.     Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet. Lightly dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

Twelve Days of Christmas | Day 12 | Chocolate Raspberry Mini Cupcakes

Chocolate Raspberry Mini Cupcakes

Gluten-free/Dairy-free Options

Makes 60 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

1 package gluten-free Dark Chocolate Cake mix from The Pure Pantry

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup hot water

Filling

2/3 cup raspberry jam

Ganache and Garnish

6 oz dark chocolate, chopped

2/3 cup whipping cream or for dairy-free option, use So-delicious coconut creamer

1 tablespoon raspberry-flavored liqueur, such as Chambord

Fresh raspberries for garnish

White chocolate snowflakes (1/2 cup white chocolate chips) optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place miniature paper baking cup in each of 60 mini muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed package using two eggs, ½ cup oil and 1 cup hot water.  Fill muffin cups three-fourths full (about 1 heaping tablespoon batter each).

2. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

3.Place chocolate in medium bowl. In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream just to boiling; pour over chocolate. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes until chocolate is melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in liqueur. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture coats a spoon.

4. Meanwhile, by slowly turning end of round handle of wooden spoon back and forth, make small, 1/2-inch-wide indentation in center of top of each cupcake, not quite to bottom.

5. Spoon jam into small re-sealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut 3/8-inch tip off 1 corner of bag. Insert tip of bag into opening in each cupcake; squeeze bag to fill opening.

6. Spoon about 1 teaspoon ganache onto each mini-cake. Garnish each with raspberry or white chocolate snowflake.   To make white chocolae snowflakes, melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips in a doulble boiler.  Place melted chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with plane tip.  Create snowflakes on waxed paper or parchments paper.  Place in freezer for 10 minutes.  Remove carefully and place on top of  cupcakes. Store loosely covered.

Twelve Days of Christmas | Day 11 | Almond Wreaths

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or butter substitute

2 eggs

3 tablespoon rice milk or regular milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 package organic, gluten-free Sugar Cookie Mix from The Pure Pantry

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter or butter substitute in mixing bowl with electric mixer.  Add eggs, milk and almond extract and blend on low speed.  Slowly add sugar cookie mix.   Continue mixing until dough in blended together. 

If using a cookie press, place portion of dough in cookie press and form wreath shaped cookies, one inch apart, on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. 

If forming wreaths by hand, chill dough for 10 minutes.   Remove from refrigerator.  Using about 1 tablespoon dough, roll into 3 inch long rope.  Bring ends together to form a wreath.  Repeat to make remainder of cookies.

Bake cookies  for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.