Chocolate Chip Muffins with White Chocolate Drizzle

I tried this recipe the other day and WOW, was I impressed!  I would call these cupcakes, instead of muffins, they are like a decadent dessert!  So moist and fluffy, you would NEVER know they are gluten-free!  My chocolate loving son gobbled them up!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS:  The recipe comes from the 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes, by Carol Fenster.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk, warm (about 110F)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Carol's Sorghum Blend (see notes)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups gluten-free semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup slivered almonds, optional

Drizzle:

1/2 cup chopped gluten-free white chocolate, melted
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

1)  Place a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 375F.  Generously grease each cup of a standard 12-cup non-stock (gray, not black) muffin pan or line with paper cups.

2)  Make the muffins:  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds.  Add the milk, oil and vanilla and beat on low speed just until blended.

3)  In a small bowl, whisk together the sorghum blend, sugar, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour mixture into the liquid ingredients until the batter is smooth and slightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in the chocolate chips and almonds.  Divide the batter evenly in the muffin pan.

4)  Bake until the muffin tops are firm, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes.  Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool another 5 minutes.

5)  Make the drizzle:  In a small bowl, whisk together the white chocolate and enough milk to make a think smooth frosting.  Drizzle the white chocolate mixture back and forth across the tops of the muffins.  Serve immediately.

NOTES:

~If you use all of the batter, the muffin cups will be very full, not your usual 2/3 full, but don't worry, they may look a little funny in the oven, like they are exploding, but they will turn out great!

~I did not use the almonds, because I wanted to keep them kid-friendly, but I think they would be delicious with the nuts in them!  Walnuts would be great too!

~I used white chocolate chips for the drizzle, which I melted in the microwave, then added the milk.

~When doing the drizzle, I recommend doing it while the muffins are on a rack, with paper towel underneath the rack.  That way, any extra drizzle doesn't pool around the bottom of the muffins, it drips down, through the rack, onto the paper towel, for easy clean up!

~Carol's Sorghum Blend is under the "Gluten-free Flour Blends" tab on my blog!

Sweet Potato Spice Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes yesterday for the first time and they were AMAZING!  Super moist and flavorful and you'd never know they were gluten-free!!  If you've never had treats made with sweet potato, don't be afraid, it's very much like pumpkin.  These cupcakes actually remind me of carrot cake, with the nuts and raisins and the cream cheese frosting.  This recipe is a keeper for sure!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from one of my all time favorite gluten-free cookbooks called "Recipes for Gluten-Free Kids, fun eats from breakfast to treats!"

SWEET POTATO SPICE CUPCAKES

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, plus additional for garnish
1/2 cup raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1)  Preheat oven to 325F.  Line 18 standard (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups.

2)  Whisk flour blend, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, xanthan gum and allspice in a medium bowl.

3)  Beat mashed sweet potato, oil and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer at low speed until blended.

4)  Add flour mixture; beat at medium speed 30 seconds or until well blended.

5)  Stir in 1/2 cup nuts and raisins.

6)  Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.

7)  Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes.  Remove from pan.

8)  Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting.  Frost cupcakes when completely cool and garnish with nuts.

FROSTING:

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1)  Beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy.

2)  Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until well blended.

3)  Beat in the salt and vanilla.


NOTES:

~About 1 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed.  I peeled them first, then boiled them.

~The flour blend is on my blog under "Gluten Free Flour Blends" and it's the one called Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend - from the "Recipes for Gluten-Free Kids" cookbook.

~I used walnuts, but pecans would be delicious too!

~I used golden raisins, but regular raisins would be great too!  I also made some without nuts or raisins for my boys.

~The recipe made about 21 cupcakes.

Lemon Layer Cake With Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

My friend Michelle brought this delicious cake over on Easter and not only was it beautiful and delicious, but I could hardly believe it was also gluten-free!  You'd never know it!  If you love lemon, you are going to love this cake!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

LEMON LAYER CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

2 sticks salted butter
8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 lemon

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Beat the sugar and butter, then add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla.

3)  Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

4)  Pour batter into 2 - 8" round, greased and floured cake pans.

5)  Bake 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6)  Let cool completely, then cut each layer in half, for a total of 4 layers.

7)  Frost each layer with the lemon cream cheese frosting (below) and garnish with lemon peels if desired.

For the frosting:

1)  Mix the butter and cream cheese until well blended.

2)  Slowly add in 2 cups of the powdered sugar.

3)  Add the zest of the entire lemon into the frosting, then add the juice of the whole lemon.

4)  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix well.

NOTES:

~My friend used Trader Joe's brand of gluten-free flour blend, but you can use your favorite blend and I'm sure it will turn out great.

~You can use non-fat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream - it turns out pretty much the same and cuts the calories a bit!

 




 

Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

This is one of my all time favorite sweet treats!  The original recipe is not gluten free, so I decided to try making it with my favorite g-free flour mix and it was TO DIE FOR!  If you like almond flavor and cherries - you are going to love this one!

Enjoy,
Kirsten

PS: The recipe came from my sweet friend Michelle.

CHERRY ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

1 cup butter (unsalted)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups gluten-free flour mix
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can cherry pie filling

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons milk
Sliced almonds - optional

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 15x10x1 inch pan (cookie sheet).

2)  Cream butter and sugar.  Add vanilla and almond extract, then add one egg at a time, beating well after each.

3)  Mix dry ingredients separately, then add to the creamed mixture.

4)  Reserve 1 cup of batter, spread remaining batter in the cookie sheet/pan.

5)  Spread the cherry pie filling over the batter, then drop "blobs" of the remaining 1 cup of batter over the cherries (this will give it a marbled effect when it bakes).

6)  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until very lightly browned on sides and top.

7)  Drizzle powdered sugar icing over the top with a spoon while it's warm.  Sprinkle sliced almonds on top if desired.

8)  Cool well before cutting.

NOTES:

~The gluten-free flour mix that I used is from the cookbook "Recipes for Gluten Free Kids", it's on my blog under Gluten Free Flour Mixes and it's titled "Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend" - just make sure you don't use the one that says "For Bread".  Also, for the flour blend, it says to use either Almond Flour or Coconut Flour; I use Coconut Flour in mine, but I'm sure either would be just fine.

~The original recipe does not call for xanthan gum, so if your non-g-free friends want the recipe, just take that out and use 3 cups of all purpose flour.

~The original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of milk, but I find that closer to 2 is enough to get it the right consistency.  Also, I use vanilla almond milk instead of cow's milk.

~The dough will be very sticky and when you spread it out in that size pan, it will seem thin and hard to spread.  Just make sure you spread it as evenly as you can.  If it doesn't quite touch the edges of the pan, it's okay, it will spread out as it cooks.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my all time favorite desserts!  This recipe is delicious and easily made gluten-free!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

CARAMEL PECAN CHEESECAKE

1 cup gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
5 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend of your choice
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
12 Kraft caramels
32 pecan halves

1)  Mix crumbs, 3 tbsp. sugar and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 9 inch spring form pan.

2)  Bake at 325F for 10 minutes.

3)  Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla until well blended.  Add sour cream; mix well.

4)  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended.  Pour over crust.

5)  Bake at 325F for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until center is almost set.  Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan.  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

6)  Place caramels and 1 tablespoon water in microwavable bowl.  Microwave on high 1 minute or until caramels are completely melted when stirred.

7)  Drizzle caramel over cheesecake and place pecan halves on top.

NOTES:

~This looks beautiful if you toss the pecan halves in just a bit of oil first and then in sugar.

Banana Bread Bars With Brown Butter Frosting

I usually freeze any over ripe bananas and use them later for smoothies, but I had a good supply already in the freezer and quite a few seriously ripe bananas on the counter, so I decided to bake some banana goodness today.  I was about to search for a new recipe when I happened to see a post on Facebook with this recipe!  The original recipe is not gluten-free, but I used my favorite g-free flour blend and they turned out absolutely INCREDIBLE!!  Seriously, these are dangerous!  They are so super moist and yummy, you'd never in a million years guess that they are gluten free!  So save those bananas and give this recipe a try!

Happy Banana Baking!
Kirsten

BANANA BREAD BARS WITH BROWN BUTTER FROSTING

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups (3-4 large) ripe bananas, mashed
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:

1/2 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk

1)  Heat oven to 375F.

2)  Grease and flour a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan.

3)  In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, sour cream, butter and eggs until creamy.

4)  Blend in the bananas and vanilla extract.

5)  Add the flour, baking soda and salt and blend for 1 minute or until thoroughly blended.  Stir in walnuts.

6)  Spread batter evenly into pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7)  Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling.  Let the butter boil, stirring often, until it turns a delicate brown and remove from the heat immediately.

8)  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze, but thinner than frosting).  Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

NOTES:

~I did not have a jelly roll pan so I used a 15x11-inch cake pan.  I think any pan that is close to that size would be fine.

~My bananas were small, so it took 6 to measure 1 3/4 cups.

~I used my favorite gluten-free flour blend, which is listed separately on the "Gluten-Free Flour Blends" tab.  It's the one from the Gluten-Free Recipes for Kids cookbook, just make sure it's not the one for breads.

~I used vanilla almond milk in the frosting.  I put in the 3 tablespoons that the original recipe called for and the frosting was SUPER thick, so I just dumped more in until it was the right consistency.  I guess it to be an extra tablespoon, but you might have to add more or less, just play with it.

~I did not add the walnuts for this first time trying the recipe because I wanted my kids to like it, but I think adults would prefer it with the nuts, I think it would cut down on the sweetness of the frosting.

~The frosting dries very quickly, even on the hot/warm bars, so spread it out quickly and then leave it alone!

Awesome Carrot Cake

This is an old recipe that I've made for years, but after going gluten-free, I made it with one of my favorite gluten-free flour mixes and it turned out AWESOME!!  Moist and yummy; you'd never know it was gluten-free!  If you are dairy-free, you could simply make a no-butter cream frosting using dairy-free margarine.

Enjoy!
Kirsten

AWESOME CARROT CAKE

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups gluten-free flour mix
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.

2)  In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla.  Mix in flour mix, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Stir in carrots.  Fold in pecans.  Pour into prepared pan.

3)  Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

4)  For the frosting, in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except for the pecans.  Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Stir in the chopped pecans.  Frost the cooled cake.

NOTES:

~I recommend using grape seed oil.  Corn and canola oils are usually GMO, so I stay away from those.  Grape seed oil is light and very mild it flavor so it works well for baking!

~The gluten-free flour mix I like for baking is posted under the Gluten-Free Flour Blends tab.  It's called Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour Blend and it is from the "Recipes for Gluten-Free Kids (Fun Eats from Breakfast to Treats!)" Cookbook.  It has worked well in every recipe I've tried it in, just subbing it in cup for cup in place of all purpose flour.

~I do not use the pecans in the frosting, but that is my personal preference.  It would be delicious either way.

'Nana Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes yesterday and they turned out perfectly!  They are moist and fluffy, not "boingy" at all!  That is a word that I made up for many gluten-free baked goods that have that sort of jello like quality, you know, when you poke it with your finger, and it sort of goes "BOING"!  So boingy, that's my word for that!  And these cupcakes are so NOT boingy!!  They are however, extremely SWEET!!  We tried them with and without the frosting and they were incredible either way, but if you are a coffee drinker, I would recommend a strong cup with these babies.  You might not even make it through a whole one!  I'm thinking maybe these would be perfect as mini-cupcakes!  So this recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free, if you use their chocolate no-buttercream frosting recipe.  I made my own chocolate buttercream using real butter, but either way would be delish!  Oh - and they made my house smell like HEAVEN!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook for kid's recipes - it's called Recipes For Gluten-Free Kids (fun eats from breakfast to treats!)

'NANA CUPCAKES

2 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup soy milk or other dairy-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 mashed bananas
Chocolate No-Butter Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
Gluten-free chocolate sprinkles (optional)

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Line 18 standard (2 1/2-inch) muffin cups with paper baking cups.

2)  Combine flour blend, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and allspice in large bowl.  Add oil, eggs, soy milk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until well blended.  Beat in bananas until well blended.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling three-fourths full.

3)  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.  Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

4)  Prepare Chocolate No-Butter Buttercream Frosting.  Frost cupcakes; decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Makes 18 cupcakes

NOTES:

~You can find the recipe for the flour blend in the "Gluten-Free Flour Blends" tab on my blog.  Make sure it's the one for this cookbook (mentioned above in green).

~I used grapeseed oil.  Canola oil would be a good choice if it weren't GMO!

~I used vanilla almond milk, I stay away from soy because it has estrogen in it and it is also GMO.

~I also used the vanilla almond milk in the frosting.

~Make sure your bananas are over ripe for the best flavor!

Carrot-Spice Snack Cake

I just got this new cookbook and after making their recommended all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, I made this yummy snack cake.  It was AMAZING!!!  You'd never know it was gluten-free!  The recipe is also dairy-free, but I chose to use butter, instead of the dairy-free margarine.  I used almond milk instead of soy and I omitted the raisins, just because I am not a big fan and I figured it would also be more kid-friendly that way.  My kids kept asking what kind of cake it was and I just said "snack cake"!  I knew if I said the word carrot - they would turn around and run.  The verdict - Drew loved it, Will said he didn't like it, but I really think it's because we served it warm, right out of the oven and because it was something new.  I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on top and it was just incredible!!  I will definitely make this recipe again and you can bet I'll be posting more recipes from this cookbook as I try them!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The cookbook is called Recipes for Gluten-Free Kids (Fun Eats from Breakfast to Treats!)

CARROT-SPICE SNACK CAKE

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup dairy-free margarine
2 eggs
1/2 cup soymilk or other dairy-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend (see that recipe under "GF Flour Blends")
3/4 cup finely shredded carrot
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup golden raisins
Powdered sugar for sprinkling on top

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2)  Beat sugar and margarine in medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended.  Beat in eggs, soymilk and vanilla.

3)  Stir in flour blend, carrot, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, xanthan gum and salt.  Stir in raisins.

4)  Spread batter in prepared pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

NOTES:

 ~In my Gluten-Free Flour Blends tab - you will find the recipe for the flour blend above.  You have to look in the body to make sure it is the one from above mentioned cookbook.

~As mentioned above, I used butter instead of the dairy-free margarine, but if you are completely dairy-free, stick with the recipe as shown!

~I try to stay away from soy as much as possible because it is all GMO and it has estrogen in it, but we love almond milk, so that is what I used for this recipe.

~You could add nuts to this cake if you wanted and that would be delicious, but maybe not as kid-friendly.  I omitted the raisins for myself, as well as the kids.  I just have never been a big raisin fan.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

This is one of the first gluten-free recipes that I tried after I was diagnosed with Celiac disease.  One of my "sisters" came over to cheer me up and she brought me a piece of this super duper chocolatey cake!  You have to cut the pieces small because it is CHOCOLATE OVERLOAD, even for the chocolate lover, like myself, but a small piece with a little raspberry sauce on top is pure heaven!  You've gotta try it!  Now if you are dairy-free, you won't be able to use the Ghiradeli Bittersweet Chocolate that I recommend, but there are dairy-free chocolates out there that we can substitute, and for the milk, just use a little almond milk or a milk substitute of your choice!  You are going to love this recipe!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from wholefoodsmarket.com.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs (no, this is not a typo!)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1)  Prehead oven to 375F.  Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.  Spray the paper with cooking spray too, then set the pan aside.

2)  Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.  Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended.  Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.

3)  Add sugar and mix well.  Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.  Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

4)  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust.  The cake should be just firm in the center when done.  Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan.  Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

5)  Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze.  Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla.  Set aside to cool slightly.

6)  When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center.  Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake.  Chill cake, uncovered, for 30-60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.

NOTES:

~I recommend using Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate (if you can have dairy), if not, find a dairy-free dark chocolate and substitute almond milk or your favorite milk substitute for the milk.
~Serve this in small pieces, because it is very rich!
~Top with raspberry sauce to cut the sweetness and for a beautiful presentation!  (Raspberry sauce recipe to come soon!)