Mollie Bakes: No Mixer Needed. Three treats for right now.
I know what you’re thinking. I won’t even disagree. It has been way too long since I’ve shared a baking adventure with you. Life happens! People get busy, distracted, or forgetful. It’s all possible and it’s all OK.
Now that I’ve had plenty of time to gather my thoughts, get organized, and spend plenty of time at home (like all of us), I wanted to share with you a collection of three excellent recipes to make right now that do not, I repeat do not, require an electric mixer. That’s right my friends, three great treats that you can make on the spot, no electricity required. Well, that’s not true. I hope you’re not baking in the dark.
Also, it is not a coincidence that all three recipes are by Alison Roman. You’ve heard my praise for her cookbooks before and I will reiterate once again: buy her books. Not only are they filled with incredible recipes for all times of the day, but the dessert/sweets chapter in each book is just fantastic. She’s also a contributor to New York Times Cooking, so watch out for her recipes there.
For the three recipes below, I swapped out regular flour for Cup4Cup gluten free flour, which was the only change necessary to make each treat gluten free. What’s better than that? The cookies are actually naturally gluten free! So for that one, you won’t need to make any changes. This is the best.
Let’s get to it - corresponding cookbooks are listed below each recipe’s title.
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Lemony Turmeric Tea Cake
Recipe from Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman
The great thing about cakes is that the’re pretty easy to put together. They require few cooking tools, not too many ingredients, and it’s easy to take care of clean-up while the cake is in the oven.
The joyful part of this cake in particular is that it’s bright and sunny thanks to turmeric and lots of lemon. The even more joyful part is that it comes together quickly, no mixer necessary, and then all of a sudden you have a scrumptious tea cake. This one is perfect for breakfast, lunch, snack time, tea time, or honestly, whenever.
My tip regarding this cake is that it does need a lot of time in the oven and due to that the sliced lemon on top will get fairly dark/caramelized. That’s a good thing! But if you don’t want those slices too “burnt,” then I would advise to cover the top ever-so-carefully with a piece of tin foil so that the cake continues to bake without the top pieces of lemon getting too dark.
Finally, be sure to use a cake tester to test if the cake is ready. The tester should come out clean (without crumbs or cake batter) when the cake is finally done. Patience! The end result will be so delicious and cheerful.
Tiny, SALTY, ChocolatEy Cookies
Recipe from Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman
Each time I’ve baked these cookies I’ve gotten so many compliments; mainly in the form of people taking two or more at a time from the plate. ;) There’s nothing better than a sweet treat that’s not too sweet, in my opinion, and that’s truly what these cookies turn out to be.
They are rich and chocolatey, but not too sweet, and the sprinkle of sea salt on top is just the perfect touch. Very much a brownie-cookie hybrid, these cookies are some of the most “balanced” I’ve ever baked. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t often crave a cookie that’s entirely chocolate. I could eat a dozen of these. Right now.
Since these cookies are flour-less (hooray!), the batter is made up of unsweetened, Dutch-process cocoa powder and confectioner’s sugar. There is also a good amount of chocolate chips, and whichever type of nut you prefer. I’ve used toasted pecans each time, but mostly since that’s what I had available. I suppose you could leave the nuts out, but I do think they add a good crunch/texture to the final cookie.
As mentioned above, these cookies are naturally gluten free and don’t require a mixer! Hooray! They do require some arm strength; get ready to work! Mixing the chopped chocolate and nuts into the batter is not a light workout.
Also, be aware that the batter is “gooey,” and will cling to the spoon as you put small mounds of batter onto the baking sheet ( I have gotten around 45-50 cookies per batch). Don’t get discouraged. It creates a bit of a mess, but don’t worry, it all works out in the end. These are ridiculously delicious, fairly small, and ultra-chocolatey cookies.
Buttermilk Biscuits “Luckiest Biscuits in America”
Recipe from Dining In by Alison Roman
Maybe you missed my deep-dive into buttermilk biscuits (find it here), but let me refresh your memory: I absolutely love buttermilk biscuits (a divine treat for breakfast or any time). And now that I am able to make them at home, using GF flour, one of my favorite activities is baking them on the weekends and devouring them all before Monday. So if you’re looking for great biscuit recipes, I’m here for you. And this one in particular has to be among the best I’ve made.
As with all biscuit recipes, the same rules apply here for creating a dough that transforms into beautiful biscuits in the oven: use very cold butter, very cold buttermilk, and mix it all with your hands. OK, fine. That last one is suggested in the recipe itself, but I wholeheartedly agree.
Sure, using a wooden spoon is possible to incorporate the buttermilk into the dry ingredients, but it’s much more fun, and effective (I think) to use your hands. Besides, if you’re not making some sort of mess, are you really baking? Debatable.
The dough is cut into eight biscuits, which are brushed with buttermilk, then baked in the oven for around 24 minutes (rotating once half way through). I have found that the gluten free flour does have an effect on the total baking time so watch them closely after about the 22-minute mark.
The toughest part is that once the biscuits are done, you’ll want to eat them all while piping hot. I’d advise waiting a minute so you don’t burn your mouth, but don’t wait too long. There are few flavors more incredible, and perfect in the morning, than a hot buttermilk biscuit slathered with butter. Or how about this: get fancy and whip up some eggs and bacon. A beautiful, gluten free, breakfast sandwich awaits.
So, now that I’ve offered you three, delicious no-mixer-needed treats, which one will you bake first? I can’t wait to find out. 🙂
Enjoy!