Gluten Free Raisin Bread

Can you really enjoy bread while on a gluten and dairy free diet?  Absolutely!  And thanks to Elana at Elana's Pantry, you can indulge in a heavenly slice of cinnamon raisin bread any time your heart (and tummy) desires.

The base ingredient of this recipe may surprise you.  It is none other than roasted almond butter. That's right, a nut butter is the main flour replacement in this recipe.  Add in some almond flour and arrowroot powder as binding agents and the result is spectacular.

Nutella Pretzel Brownies

Salty and sweet, packed with chocolate and a wickedly delicious crunchy crust, these brownies ROCK!

I was surfing the web for foodie ideas, as I usually do, when I stumbled across this amazing recipe for Nutella Pretzel Brownies. Seriously?  Does it get any better than this?  I don't think so.

The crust is made with a mixture of salty pretzels, brown sugar and butter.  Ummm, yes please!   Then the pre-baked crust is topped off with a rich chocolate and nutella brownie batter.  The icing on the cake, no pun intended, is the finishing touch :  Nutella spread over the semi-cooled brownies and topped with more salted pretzels.

I have always been a tremendous fan of salty and sweet - chocolate dipped pretzels have been a longtime love of mine.  But throw in Nutella and things just get crazy; in a good way!

Somerset Apple Cider Cake

With fall fast approaching, what better way to celebrate early than with a sweet apple cake?  This recipe comes from across the pond - all the way from merry old England.   Somerset Apple Cake is moist, rich, and screaming out for a side of warm custard or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

This cake requires tart apples, ones that will still have a "bite" both in taste and texture after baking.  I used Granny Smith and they worked perfectly.

If you don't have apple cider, don't panic.  You can easily switch it up with apple juice. It won't have the same depth of flavor as the cider brings to the baked treat but it works nonetheless.

This cake bakes in a springform pan and needs a good hour in a 325F oven.  You can eat it warm or cool and it is best eaten the same day.