This past week I wanted a treat, but wanted to make something that didn’t make me feel guilty afterwards. I LOVE coconut candies, so I decided to do some research on homemade Almond Joy bars. I found two recipes from The Clothes Make the Girl and Living Healthy with Chocolate and merged them. Then, I tested them on my “guinea pig” coworkers and they LOVED them!

To make coconut butter:
Put 1.5-2 c. of unsweetened flaked coconut in a blender or food processor with 1 tsp. melted coconut oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and 1/2 tsp. coconut extract. Process for about 10 minutes, scraping down sides occasionally, until smooth...

My husband usually isn’t one to eat lots of sweets, but he CHOWED on these cookies. He had no idea they were gluten free! (Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GFAFRecipes )

Cookie Ingredients:
1/4 c. butter or non-dairy butter
1/4 c. palm shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs (I haven’t tried egg free yet, but I’d think it would turn out fine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. gluten free flour blend (I use THIS one, but keep in mind it contains dairy)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt

Filling Ingredients:
1/4 c. smooth peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 Tbs. milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
...

I ran across THIS recipe on Pinterest not too long ago and my mouth instantly started to water. I already have a to-die for gluten free brownie recipe that I used for the base of this ice cream cake, and I just followed the rest of Life, Love & Sugar’s recipe. I’ll be trying this recipe again to see if I can manage to make the entire thing dairy-free, so stay tuned for that. It’s a little labor intensive, but if you have kids, put them to work chopping mini Snickers bars with butter knives while you prep the rest. (As an FYI, if you go this route, you might need to buy more mini candy bars because the “helpers” will likely eat their body weight in candy). P.S...

If you follow me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GFAFRecipes), you know that we went on a blueberry picking expedition yesterday and came home with bags full of blueberries. So, this morning, it was only natural to make a blueberry coffee cake for breakfast. This recipe was modified from a recipe in Southern Living. I hope you like it!

Blueberry Coffee Cake:
1 egg (I haven’t tried flax gel as a replacer yet, but you can try it for an egg-free version. 1 Tbs. flax meal mixed into 3 Tbs. warm water)
2/3 c. milk  or nondairy milk
1/2 c. sour cream or nondairy sour cream
3 Tbs. oil
2 c. gluten free flour blend (I use this one: http://amzn.to/UV5Rru)
1/2 c. sugar
4 tsp...

My sister gave me this recipe a while ago and it is so yummy! I converted it to be gluten free with vegan options if your diet requires dairy free, egg free and/or vegan options. I hope you like it!

2 1/2 c. gluten free flour blend (I like this one: http://amzn.to/T0hi09)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter or nondairy butter alternate
2 eggs (alternately use 2 Tbs. flax meal mixed into 6 Tbs. water–allow to sit until it becomes gel-like)
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 c. dried cranberries
1 c. good quality white chocolate (optional), chopped or in chip form 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3...