I always end up with a nearly full packet of fresh rosemary kicking around in my produce drawer for months on end as unlike other fresh herbs, it just drys out instead of going bad & I rarely make recipes that call for it.

So when I came across Vera’s recipe for Yogurt Panna Cotta with Rosemary Cornmeal Cookies over at Baking Obsession, I made sure to save the recipe for the cookies, and they quickly floated to the top of my dessert recipes to try (quite a large collection as we rarely eat dessert).

Of course I made a few modifications, Vera’s recipe claims to make 5 1/2 dozen cookies and that would be way too many for us to handle, so I halved it and still wondered how I was going to fit them all on my one cookie sheet. Somehow I came out with 14 cookies, which was a relief & the perfect amount for us and our guests. I also made these cookies gluten free by substituting in quinoa flour and I used less sugar.

They came out wonderful with a delicious unique flavor. Next time I think I’ll attempt a zabaione with them.

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Quick tip - if a recipe calls for applesauce (not something I generally keep in my pantry), it’s fast and easy to make it from scratch.

To make one cup of applesauce simply peel and core two apples. Place in a pot with an inch of water covering the bottom. Cover the pot and heat on high. Once the water is at a strong boil, reduce the heat to medium high. When the apples are completely soft (approximately 20 minutes from start to finish I think, I wasn’t paying a ton of attention) drain them, reserving the water, and mash them using a ricer (I’m sure just mashing them with a fork or in a blender would have decent results as well). Add cinnamon and/or sugar if desired, use the reserved water to thin out the consistency if necessary - I did neither.

I used the applesauce to make these Facon, Apple & Cheddar Fritters, if you use a soy based facon they just happen to be gluten free.

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When I was in University & my parents would bring massive boxes of food up every time they visited, I used to make cornmeal pancakes from boxes of Jiffy Cornbread mix. Lately our local brunch spot has been serving the salmon eggs benny on top of a corn pancake & I’ve been jealous. This morning I decided to make some for myself.

While my version is certainly not as sweet as the sugar laden prepackaged mix, that can certainly be remedied with a bit of maple syrup. These have a pleasant crunch and a good amount of protein from the egg and the quinoa flour. Top with an egg and some sauteed greens, with a bit of creme fraiche and some fruit, or with butter and maple syrup.

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Every now and then I crave some variation on the chocolate & peanut butter theme. Since I generally don’t like to eat a lot of sugar, and most recipes for chocolate & peanut butter confections involve a lot of powdered sugar, I usually end up with a delicious failure since cutting the sugar in half or more completely changes the texture.

I had thought to replace some of the sugar with flour, and went one better today when I made these Peanut Butter Buckeyes using protein rich quinoa flour.

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