Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes for Valentines Day
Happy Valentines Day! I hope you had a great day celebrating those whom you love in your life… we sure did enjoy the evening as a family. I have been trying to “perfect” my vanilla cupcake recipe (always a challenge without gluten, eggs and dairy) and tried something new that actually worked out quite well. I omitted the starches and lowered the xanthan gum! You need the addition of the teff flour for this to be successful I think. If you don’t have teff flour, use a 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum and substitute another gluten free flour for the teff flour amount. Without the tapioca starch/potato starch/corn starch, the cupcakes were a little more dense, but had a lot of flavor and were not as sweet. The frosting more than makes up for that! In addition, even though there is coconut milk and coconut flakes, these do not have a powerful “coconut” flavor. They are more like a vanilla cake. Happy hearts day… enjoy!
Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups of the following Gluten Free flour mix: 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour, 2/3 cup sorghum flour, 1/3 cup teff flour, 1/4 cup millet flour (mix all flours together really well and then measure out the amount needed for the recipe)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut flakes
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake baking cups.
- In a separate bowl, combine the GF flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut milk, sugar and vanilla. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add in the coconut flakes and stir until combined.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the cupcake cups. Bake for 25 minutes in the middle of your preheated oven.
- Cool on a wire rack and frost with your favorite frosting when completely cool.
Gluten Free Teff Brownies… honestly there is no chocolate in these!
Now that the celebrations are over… on with the Teff Adventures! This experiment has been quite fun for us and I hope you are up to the challenge of using more alternative flours in your baking. Teff is high in protein and amino acids which helps to improve the nutrient profile of baked goods. I also am glad for the iron it provides. Here is a recipe that we recently created for Teff Brownies. Even though it looks like they are “chocolate brownies”, we did not add any chocolate to this recipe. I guess if you are able to have it and really wanted a chocolate brownie, you could substitute 1/4 cup of the teff flour with 1/4 cup cocoa powder. These kept really well in an airtight container on the counter. In addition to being gluten free, they are also free from nuts, eggs, dairy, soy and rice! I hope you give them a try and tell me what you think.
GF Teff Brownies
Amazing Teff Brownie Bars!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 2 cups dark Teff Flour
- 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbls cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch cardamom
- 2/3 cup softened coconut oil
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
Topping Ingredients (optional):
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tbls coconut sugar
- 1-2 Tbls melted coconut oil
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a glass baking dish (9×9) or square cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients except the coconut sugar with a whisk. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil, applesauce pumpkin puree and coconut sugar until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat again. Stop and scrape down the sides. Then beat again until the dough thickens slightly.
- Spread the dough into the prepared pan using a spatula. Even it out so that it is level and smooth. Sprinkle with prepared topping if using.
- Bake for 20 minutes (do not over bake). Let cool completely before cutting into bars.
新年快乐 (“xin nian kuai le”) or “Happy New Year”! However you say it, Chinese New Year is rich with traditions that are fun for everyone. While our family does not follow the zodiac signs, we always enjoy celebrating the new year with time honored traditions. In China, they follow the lunar calendar and today marked the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, 2012. As a family, we made things festive by giving red envelopes with money and eating traditional foods… long noodles (for a long life), dumplings, and vegetable stir fry with brown rice. All of us were cooking up a storm in the kitchen tonight… even our eldest child was excited to help me make the dumplings (potstickers) and mastered the art of crimping the edges by hand this year! You will see in the photo below that we have two versions of dumplings… one with Teff flour and one with Brown rice flour. Surprisingly, the Teff flour dumplings were very close to the Brown rice version with just a bit more texture. The flavors were similar though!
Dumplings can be made with many different kinds of fillings. These were filled with chicken and vegetables. I usually put all the ingredients in my food processor and add the seasonings and process all of it into a paste. Once we make the wrappers, it is easy to assemble them with the filling already made. We have also made them with shrimp in the past. These dumplings were just dropped into boiling water for about 8 minutes to cook through (they are done when they rise to the surface), but you can also steam them. And… yes! Our dumpling/potsticker wrappers are gluten free!
GF potstickers two versions
Of course, we ended our festive table with something sweet… “Almond” cookies! While my version is not made with almonds, they are very close to what I recall from years past. If you are looking for a nut free, gluten free “almond” cookie you have come to the right place. I also promised that I would be working on recipes with Teff flour. I made this cookie in a teff version (the darker cookie) as well and really enjoyed it.
GF and Nut Free "Almond" Cookies... made with sunflower seeds, two versions!
I guess you could say that our table had a bit of “yin” and “yang” this year! Enjoy the recipe below. If you want the Teff flour version, just follow my tips.
Gluten Free, Nut Free “Almond” Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp gf vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup finely ground sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 3/4 tsp GF baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- extra whole sunflower seeds
- 1 egg mixed with water for egg wash
Method:
- In a large bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until light. Add egg and vanilla and beat well.
- Combine dry ingredients (except whole seeds) in a separate bowl. Add to wet mixture and beat just to combine.
- Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log, wrap the logs individually in waxed paper or parchment paper and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one dough roll from fridge and slice into 1/4 inch coins. Place cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet about 1 – 2 inches apart. These don’t spread much.
- Press a sunflower seed into the center of each cookie. Brush with egg wash and Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overbake. (Especially the Teff flour version, take them out at 15 minutes or the bottoms may burn. They will firm up as they cool.)
- Let cool on pan before removing.
- 1/4 cup palm oil shortening
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/8 cup agave
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
- 2 Tbls coconut milk
- 1 egg OR 1 Tbls flax seed, grd mixed with 4 Tbls hot water
- 1/4 tsp gf vanilla
- 3/4 cup teff flour
- 1/4 cup finely ground sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup arrowroot
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp GF baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- extra whole sunflower seeds
Note: If you are allergic to eggs, use the flax seed gel instead of the egg and omit brushing the cookies with the egg wash before baking. They are just fine without it!
GF Teff Cookies
Just as I promised, a new series highlighting Teff. This little nutritious seed has been the focus of attention in our house as of late. At the end of last year, we felt it was time to venture off of strict SCD and onto adding back some complex carbohydrates for our youngest child. My first pick for this dietary change was to try Teff. Given that this tiny seed is packed with nutrients (Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron, Copper, Barium, Potassium, Thiamine, Amino acids, and especially high levels of lysine), I felt it was a good first step. We have been enjoying mornings with Teff porridge and pancakes courtesy of The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen.
Today, I thought it was time to branch out and see what this great (little) seed has to offer for baking. I came up with a recipe based on a gluten free chocolate chip cookie that we really love. The challenge here was to recreate this cookie to be dairy free, nut free, egg free, refined sugar free, and use teff as the only flour. The result was absolutely amazing! You can see it just from the picture how great these turned out. I would say that they are sweeter than I had intended… so, my next try will be to decrease the agave and see what happens. The other thing is that for this cookie to be “free from” that entire list above, you really have to use the Sunbutter. My guess is you could use any of the nut butters if nuts are not a problem. These “butters” provide the fat needed to create a cookie that is flavorful and moist at the same time. I did not use chocolate chips, but you could substitute your favorite chocolate chip for my mix in’s. Here’s the recipe!
Teff Cookies
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup Teff flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbls ground flax seeds
- 1/4 cup mix-in’s (I used chopped pumpkin seeds and dried apples)
- 1/2 cup Sunbutter (I use the Organic, unsweetened variety to avoid the refined sugar)
- 1/2 cup Agave syrup (make sure yours does not have added corn syrup)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium size bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
- In a small bowl, mix the Sunbutter and Agave syrup until well blended.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until all the flour is incorporated.
- Drop tablespoon size spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet (these do not really spread) and flatten slightly with a fork.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes. They may look underdone but take them out anyway. As the cookies cool you will find they are just right.
The interesting thing with Teff is that when paired with Sunbutter it has an amazing resemblance to chocolate. So, if you cannot use chocolate chips either… I don’t think you will miss them in this cookie! Give it a try.
My favorites from 2011
Hello everyone! I hope the turn of the New Year was welcome for all of you. With all the going’s on… I did not have time to organize our monthly meeting for January. Before I knew it the third weekend was upon us and I had not done any planning or communicating! I apologize for that and will work harder at getting our February meeting (on February 19th) ready in advance.
So, that brings me to what I wanted to share with you all that really helped me out in the gluten free kitchen this last year. Here are my top five new finds from 2011 that I hope stick around:
- Teff (flour and whole seed). This wonderous seed has many grain like features and is touted as the world’s smallest “grain”. It’s name literally means “lost”! What it lacks in size it makes up for in nutrients. Boasting a healthy serving of: Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron, Copper, Barium, Potassium, Thiamine, Amino acids, and especially high levels of lysine. Teff is quite versatile and can be prepared many different ways. It can be boiled and prepared as a simple hot breakfast cereal… or, ground and used as a flour replacement… or, since it has slight mucilaginous properties, it works well as a thickener in sauces or stews. Teff can also be sprouted and used as a topper on sandwiches or salads. We have come to love the addition of teff to many dishes (cooking and baking alike) and one of our favorites is simple porridge. Watch out for a series on the “Gluten Free Adventures with Teff”… coming soon!
- Glutino’s Classic Gluten Free Crackers. While I really wish that they would work on the packaging… I really love this cracker! It is nice to have a cracker that stands up to cheese, sunbutter and jelly or as a side for a bowl of soup again. Thank you Glutino!
- Coconut Sugar. It is amazing to me what the simple coconut has to offer. Everything from the coconut meat to nutritious water, it is just amazing. Earlier this year I discovered Coconut Sugar… which now makes it possible to make sweet treats again without using cane sugar or other sugar alternatives that our bodies don’t have a clue how to process. I have welcomed its subtle sweetness that does not overpower baked goods.
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk. Okay, another “coconut” item… but I have to say this is another winner this year in our kitchen. Number one, it is very easy to make with flaked, unsweetened coconut, hot water and a blender. Second, So Delicious and Trader Joe sell an unsweetened version in a carton, making it just that much easier to use. I love it as a milk alternative in everything! I have even used it to make coconut ice cream… turned out awesome! Next up for this milk is attempting coconut milk yogurt… anyone done this yet? I could use some pointers I think.
- Freeze dried fruits, especially blueberries! In our house, we have to watch out for gluten and nuts (as well as eggs and dairy) when it comes to snacks. Freeze dried fruits are so helpful as they are just the fruit… NOTHING else! Trader Joe is a godsend here as they stock many varieties. Plus, freeze dried fruit bits are easy to add to cereals, porridge, muffins and homemade trail mix!
So, what are your favorites new on the gluten free and/or allergy free scene this last year? Let me know what you have found as we are always looking for new products to try out and use in our kitchen.
In the weeks ahead, Chinese New Year is approaching. The Year of the Dragon. I will share some of our family favorites in the week to come as we enjoy a lot of food for this traditional celebration. Looking forward to discovering what 2012 has to offer with you all. Stop and write a note when you can. I would love to hear from you this year!
2012... Happy New Year!
As every year passes, I do my best to usher out the old and start new… cleaning up from the year before and setting out to make this year better than the last. 2011 was a very busy year for our family. There was much to be thankful for; however, it was not a year without difficulty and life stress. “Life” just seems a bit harder these days. Maybe it’s the whole “economy thing” or having to live life without certain foods or maybe it is just the choices we make. I always come back to the fact that God wouldn’t give me (or my family) anything more than I (or we) can handle. At times it feels like a lot, but I trust that He knows what He is doing!
As a mom, I am always reaching for ways to bring a smile to the faces of my kids and the friends that come our way. Here is a really simple way to bring joy to snack time… Snack Cones! And, they are gluten free!! Look for GF ice cream cones the next time you are at the grocery or your favorite health food store. One of our favorite brands is Goldbaum’s GF Cones (they come in wafer style like this one above or sugar cone varieties). Just add your favorite gluten free snack mix (we make our own with GF pretzels, Rice Chex, raisins or dried cranberries, marshmallows, pumpkin seeds and Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips) or granola. The kids can enjoy their snack and the cone treat at the end! In our house, GF Snack Cones are a fun way to end a very busy school day… just before tackling all the homework.
Our church’s youth pastor recently said, “The flip of the calendar reminds me that God is in the business of making things new and by faith, each of us can be made new; new life, new habits, new character, new hope.” I hope that this year, 2012, you can find the resolve to start things new. Maybe even put God at the center of it all, finding new hope with what life sends your way this year. I truly hope your New Year is full of blessings. I look forward to sharing ours with you in 2012!
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Merry Christmas to you all. We hope your time with family and friends is safe, wonderful and fulfilling this year.
–Nicole
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23
Gluten Free Neapolitan Christmas Cookies
Wow, the days are just flying by… I wanted to share another recipe but will make this quick! These gluten free Neapolitan cookies are fairly easy to make. The best part is you store the dough in the fridge or freezer and bake off what you need. Here is the recipe:
GF Neapolitans
"Neat" Gluten Free Neapolitans
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dairy-free shortening – or coconut oil or butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp egg replacer by Ener-G mixed with 1 Tbls rice milk
- 2 ¾ cup GF flour mix
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1-5 Tbls rice milk (depending on how dry the dough is)
- 2 Tbls cocoa powder + 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- Green food coloring
- Red food coloring or about 2 Tbls juice from maraschino cherries
Method:
- Line a small square or rectangular baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer on medium, cream shortening, sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla extract and egg replacer and blend.
- In separate bowl, combine flour mix, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt. Stir thoroughly.
- Set mixer on low and add flour mixture. Mix well. Add additional rice milk in 1 Tbls increments until dough pulls together.
- Divide dough in thirds. To one third of the dough, add 2 Tbls cocoa powder and mix well. Then press the chocolate dough into the prepared square baking dish, working the dough as flat and even as you can get it.
- Add the green food coloring (about 2-3 drops) and the chopped seeds to the 2nd third of dough and mix well. Press evenly on top of the chocolate layer in the baking dish.
- Add the chopped dried cranberries and the red food coloring or maraschino cherry juice to the last third of dough and mix well. Again, press evenly on top of the green cookie dough layer.
- Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from fridge, remove saran wrap and pull the dough out of the pan (use the parchment paper to help). Slice with a sharp knife about 1/8” thick. Arrange on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. These should not color, you want them “just baked”.
GF Sunbutter Shortbread… a revision to be nut and gluten free!
Okay, the cookie exchange last weekend got me really in the swing of Christmas and sharing recipes! Here is one of the cookies that I adapted this year from our old favorites. It “used to be” peanut butter shortbread… now I have revised it to be Sunbutter Shortbread (complete with gluten free flours as well). You can make them with traditional GF flours (cookie on the left) or with Teff flour (cookie on the right). The teff version also uses coconut sugar… let me know which you like best!
Sunbutter Shortbread (GF Flour Blend)
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups GF flour blend
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup Sunbutter, smooth
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, GF
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
Method:
- In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and Sunbutter together until smooth. Add in the sugars and cream again until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix again until well blended.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed until incorporated. Then, increase the mixer speed to blend all ingredients well and a smooth dough forms.
- Remove dough to a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper and form the dough into a long round log. Roll the dough up in the parchment and refrigerate for several hours or until firm.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Slice the firm dough into 1/4 inch slices. Place them on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly colored.
Tip: You can make them more festive like the one’s I did by rolling the log in step 5 in crushed sunflower seeds before rolling up in the parchment paper.
Sunbutter Shortbread (Teff Flour version)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Teff flour
- 1/2 cup Tapioca starch flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter or palm oil shortening or coconut oil
- 1 cup Sunbutter (if you use the organic version it will be free from the sugars)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, GF
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or use the regular sugar amounts above)
- 1 egg (or flax seed gel for replacement of 1 egg)
- 2 Tbls coconut milk or milk of choice (or more)
Method:
Follow the steps above; however, you may need to add more coconut milk or milk of choice to get the dough to come together.
Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Pinwheel Cookies... Merry Christmas!
This afternoon was our Annual WildFlours GF Christmas Cookie Exchange… there were so many really great cookies on the table! This year, I was determined to convert a few of our favorite Christmas cookies from years past to a gluten free version. These Snickerdoodle Pinwheel cookies worked out great on the first try! They can even be made dairy free very easily. I used Tofutti dairy-free cream cheese in this recipe with really good results. Everyone at our Christmas Cookie Exchange really liked them, so I hope you will too…
Merry Christmas!
GF Snickerdoodle Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter (or other non-dairy alternative), softened
- 3 oz. cream cheese (or Tofutti dairy free cream cheese), softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp gf vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups GF Flour Blend
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 Tbls melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbls ground cinnamon
Method:
- In a small bowl, combine the GF Flour blend, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese until soft and light. Add the 3/4 cup sugar and cream again until well mixed and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides and beating until fluffy again.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the reserved flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and mix again until the dough comes together. Then, beat on high speed for 30 seconds.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator until it is slightly firm, at least a half hour. Meanwhile, mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, set aside.
- Remove from the refrigerator and roll the dough into a rectangular shape between two sheets of parchment paper to approximately 1/4″ thickness. Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture, liberally.
- Starting along one of the long sides, roll up the dough (jelly roll style) into a log and wrap in saran wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. (Tip: to avoid a flat side and keep the round shape, store the dough in an empty paper towel tube in the refrigerator.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and slice thinly (about 1/4″ thickness) into rounds with a very sharp knife. Make sure to do this while your dough is still cold. Transfer the rounds to the prepared cookie sheets. These do not spread much so you should be able to put 12 cookies on one sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven 12-15 minutes, rotating the pans every 5 minutes.
- When done (they should just be starting to brown and still be a bit soft to the touch), remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
