Some weekends I don’t want to cook a thing.

I want to go out to eat for every meal, forget I have a blog, and never pick my camera up.

Maybe it’s guilt, or maybe it’s sensibility. Maybe it’s something in between. I’ll inevitably find something to make, for myself or a friend, and at the end I’ll be happy I have something delicious that’s homemade, that I can call my own, and that cost a quarter as much as if I got it somewhere else.

I baked these brownies reluctantly, took photos of them frantically, and shared them happily. Sometimes the best push to cook something comes not from doing it for yourself, but from doing it for others. Do yourself a favor and bake some brownies for someone else.

Oat flour is more crumbly than regular flour and even other gluten-free flours. When baking with it, make sure to grease your pans liberally and add a dusting of powdered sugar on top before frosting to keep the top intact.

Bailey’s Frosted Brownies

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 8 x 8 pan):

For the brownies:

• 3/4 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4oz bittersweet baking chocolate
• 1/3 cup Irish cream

For the frosting:

• 6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Irish cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the oat flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, melt together the chocolate and butter.
4. While the chocolate is melting, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and Irish cream.
5. Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking until fully incorporated. Don’t go too fast so that the raw eggs don’t cook upon contact.
6. Add the chocolate mixture in with the dry ingredients and mix completely.
7. Pour the batter in a greased 8 x 8 pan.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let these cool completely before frosting.
9. To make the buttercream, beat the powdered sugar, butter, and Irish cream heavily until it’s entirely mixed. Add a touch more buttercream if it’s too dry at first.

Everyone says it’s better to give than to receive. And I think that’s true; but getting gifts feels pretty awesome, too, right?

I saw a couple coworkers earlier this month enjoying Peanut Butter & Co peanut butter, so I tweeted them since they’re a company I love and have blogged for in the past. Not only did they tweet back but they were nice enough to give the office a bunch of jars to sample.

Since then, my coworkers have all been trying new flavors by the spoonful and finding new favorites that none of us want to share. I took a jar of Mighty Maple from our stash but plan on giving back by bringing these brownies into the office to share with everyone.

I made these with Mighty Maple peanut butter. You can make it using any flavor or brand of peanut butter(though Dark Chocolate Dreams certainly wouldn’t be a bad choice).

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 16 servings):

For the brownies:

• 4oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour OR all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 2 eggs

For the swirl:

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons milk or cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In the microwave or over the stove, melt the chocolate, butter, peanut butter, and milk together into a smooth sauce.
2. Gently add in the sugar, flour, and cocoa powder and begin beating.
3. While beating, add in the eggs and beat well until the batter is smooth and silky.
4. Pour the batter into a 9-inch cake pan or similarly sized baking pan.
5. In a small bowl, melt the peanut butter and butter.
6. Beat the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
7. Pour the peanut butter sauce across the top of the brownies and swirl in using a fork or knife.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the batter has set.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting.

And if you’re also a peanut butter fanatic, There’s still time to vote on the National Peanut Board’s app and be entered to win a peanut butter prize pack.

A better title for this recipe might be “My Boss’ Brownies”

Recently my boss, Dave Kerpen, has been on a healthy eating kick. He asked me if I knew any good gluten-free, sugar-free dessert recipes made with stevia. While gluten-free is nothing new for me, I haven’t done much sugar-free baking before, but since I love making food for other people this seemed like a fun challenge to me.

My first attempt at making sugar-free cookies came out edible but hardly servable; those are sitting in my freezer now for when I need a dessert and have nothing else. My second attempt—these brownies—were amazingly a winner. They aren’t my favorite brownies(those would be almond flour brownies), but they taste incredibly fudgy for something that’s low-fat and without added sugars.

These are sweetened with a combination of date paste and stevia which I find balance out the aftertaste stevia has. There’s also a little added cinnamon to mask the flavors of those. You can buy date paste at some stores or make your own by soaking dates overnight and pureeing them with a food processor and a little water.

Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Brownies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 8 brownies):

• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup date paste
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons stevia powder
• 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well until they form a batter.
3. Grease a small loaf pan and scoop the batter in. Spread it out into an even layer.
4. Bake for 25 minutes until the brownies are cooked and set.
5. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly before slicing.

When you go to Starbucks there are almost too many decision. First you have to choose a drink, then a size, then a milk, then any other number of questions—what happened to plain old coffee? I’m just kidding; of course you should go with a tall caramel frappuccino with whipped cream.

I tried making this recipe because a friend told me vanilla soy milk makes the coffee taste better. If I didn’t buy the ingredients and make it myself I probably wouldn’t know this was dairy-free at all. The flavor is rich and dark and sweet.

I suggest anywhere from 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup of sugar for this recipe because it depends on the other ingredients you use. If you use a flavored creamer and milk, use less sugar than you would if you use unsweetened varieties. At any point you can grab a spoon and taste how sweet the mix is, but keep in mind that the colder it is the less sweet it will taste.

Dairy-Free Coffee Ice Cream

Prep time: 40 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 8 servings):

• 2 cups soy milk creamer
• 2 cups soy milk
• 3 6oz instant coffee packets
• 1/4-3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

1. Pour 1 cup of soy milk creamer into a large bowl.
2. Add the contents of the instant coffee packets and whisk until they’ve completely dissolved.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and continue whisking until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.
5. Move the ice cream to a safe container and freeze for an additional 2 hours until the ice cream has frozen.
6. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften before scooping.