Gluten-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding

If you never, ever bake anything in your life...
Or if you resolved to not eat sugar in 2013...
Make an exception for this life-changing dessert: Sticky toffee pudding!

It's one of my favorite foods.

I'll even go so far as to say that I'm sure they eat this for dessert in heaven (daily), while they peel garlic and chop onions with dull knives while dreaming of sticky toffee pudding in the underworld.

Yes, it is that good.  And friends, this gluten-free version is just as good as the gluteny one.  How do I know?  A few years ago, actually about 5, I posted a non gluten-free version on Flour Arrangements, and this one made me equally as happy.

Sure, it's quite ugly.  But you know what?  My toddler, (the biggest little food critic who happens to hate any food that doesn't look good--I mean, she won't even eat mashed potatoes because she doesn't like how they look!) yeah, she LOVES this dessert.

And your family will too.

You know how you're probably feeling guilty right about now for re-gifting your fake plastic pearls to that special someone this past Christmas?  This is the perfect way to make up for it!  Not just for them, but for you too ;).

Be sure to sprinkle some sea salt on top of the toffee sauce! mmm....


GLUTEN-FREE STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING

Bowl 1:
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 TBSP teff flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Bowl 2:
8 large medjool dates, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Bowl 3:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sea salt for sprinkling

Use this recipe to make the toffee sauce (I also added some maple syrup to it before it thickened)

Preheat oven to 350

Begin by combining in a large bowl all the ingredients from Bowl 1.

Allow all the ingredients in Bowl 2  to rest while you proceed to combine the remaining ingredients in a third bowl...

Cream together all ingredients in the third bowl, from the Bowl 3 list :).

Use an immersion blender to blend the dates, water and baking soda from Bowl 2.

Next, slowly mix in the ingredients from Bowl 3 into Bowl 1, then add the rest of the ingredients from Bowl 2.

Pour all of these magical ingredients into a greased 9 x 13 oven safe dish and bake on the middle rack in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.

You want the middle of the pudding to be a bit soft when you take it out of the oven.  Next, set your oven to broil.

Pour enough of the sticky toffee sauce to cover the top layer of the pudding; place in broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until the top starts to crackle.

Remove from oven and pour some more toffee sauce on it, then sprinkle with sea salt.  Let it cool a bit then serve it with even more toffee sauce (load up on that sugar!).  Whipped cream would be really tasty on top of this too, but this dessert really isn't missing anything.

And before saying goodbye, I have to admit that I made this in honor of the US season premiere of Downton Abbey ;).

Classic Gluten Free Stuffing

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Here's a Thanksgiving recipe for those who appreciate a traditional stuffing, and the rolls I featured on here a few days ago :).  It's based on this recipe and it's a very forgiving one.  You can easily make this your own by adding or removing your favorite ingredients.  I really like apples and cranberries, so I threw them in. But if you prefer a more savory stuffing, just make it with the celery and onion.  Sausage would be a nice addition, too.  I'd say the most important ingredient here is...butter!  Of course.  This recipe doubles nicely but please, please be sure you make sure to double the butter (at least).  The more butter, the better!

Classic Gluten Free Stuffing
Makes enough for 5 hungry folks
2 cups crumbled gluten-free rolls
2 cups crubled gluten-free corn bread
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 finely chopped fuji apple, no skin (I also added 1/2 cup cranberries)
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350

Crumble up the corn bread and biscuits, set aside in a greased oven safe platter (9 by 12) .  Toast the bread crumbs in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove then raise temperature to 375.

Sautee the celery and onion in the butter.  Then add all the spices, include the salt and pepper.  Lastly, stir in the chicken broth.  Cook on low for 5 minutes.

Pour seasonings and broth mixture over the bread crumbs in the pan.

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes on middle rack, until top is golden brown (or as toasted as you'd like it).