Savory Coconut Cupcakes – gluten & dairy free

Not just an ordinary cupcake… they’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and assuredly delicious!

Coconut Cupcakes

1 c. sifted coconut flour
½ c. potato starch
½ c. tapioca starch
3 t. baking powder
2 c. sugar
1 c. margarine
6 eggs (or egg substitute)
1 c. coconut milk
2 t. vanilla

Sift together dry ingredients, set aside.  Cream together sugar and margarine.  Combine eggs, coconut, and vanilla, then add to sugar mixture.  Mix into dry ingredients.  Pour batter into muffin tins lined with paper cups.  Bake at 350º for 20-30 min.

Coconut Frosting

4 Tbsp. coconut flour
1 c. coconut milk
1 c. margarine
1 ½ c. powdered sugar
½ c. brown sugar
2 t. vanilla

Heat coconut flour and milk in a saucepan until thickened.  Set aside to cool.  Cream together margarine, sugars, and vanilla.  Beat in cooled coconut mixture until it is smooth and resembles whipped cream.  Add 1tsp. of xanthan gum to stabilize, if necessary.   *note:  Next time I think I’ll try heating the brown sugar with the coconut milk and flour, to eliminate some of it’s graininess.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

When my youngest little fella was diagnosed with a few food allergies recently, I really felt quite sorry for the little guy.   The thought of going through life without the ability to devour scrumptious cinnamon rolls fresh out of  the oven, and to have to face a plate of spaghetti without the noodles or a cheesy piece of garlic bread to gnaw on - I think I’d lose my mind… I’d definitely lose a few pounds! 

Anyway, I love to bake, and I’m on a new found quest to find delicious, not just tolerable, treats for my food challenged little guy.  The standing test on whether a recipe is a keeper or not in my kitchen is how fast it gets gobbled up, and I’m making no exceptions with the allergy recipes.  So for this cake to go from this:

to this in one short evening, you know it’s good!  and to think only one of us has the food sensitivities!

Yummy Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups brown rice flour
¼ cup almond meal  if you have it
¾ cup cocoa
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs  – or 2 Tbs. flax seeds in 2/3 cup of water for those who can’t do eggs
1 cup milk – or rice milk, or soy milk for those who can’t do dairy
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 .  Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan, or two 9″ rounds.  Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.  Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, beat on medium speed 2 min. (or if you can’t have eggs like my little guy then place the flax seeds in a pan with the water, bring to boil, and then simmer for five minutes.  Add this mixture to the other wet ingredients in place of the eggs.) Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin.)  Pour into pan.  Bake 30-35 or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

1 stick of margarine
2/3 cup Cocoa
3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup rice milk or soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Whip soft margarine and cocoa with electric mixer.  Alternate adding powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed.  Add vanilla.  Spread on cake.

Trying My Hand at Gluten-Free

Well, we discovered last month that our littlest guy is gluten intolerant, which means he can’t digest wheat flour properly.  This hasn’t been the most uplifting discovery for us to make, as we’re finding that wheat flour is in just about everything prepared… from things less obvious like taco seasoning and soy sauce, to things most obvious like pasta and nearly all breads on the grocery shelf.  I’ve finally accepted this new challenge, and am dealing with the possibilities of a new array of staples in my kitchen.  I’m not ready to give up cooking and baking as I know it, however I am prepared to delve in and try my hand with unfamiliar ingredients – xanthan gum, tapioca flour, potatoe starch, almond flour, sorghum flour…

These Gingerbread  Sandwhiches are my first attempt at baking with alternative flours, they are pretty good I must say… oldest son called them heavenly, as a matter of fact!  I can definitely see replacing my old, all-purpose flour, gingerbread recipe with this new, alternative flour, recipe.  This new recipe was in no way inferior to my previously preferred recipe..that’s great news!  Soo, that’s one down, and many more to go…

Gingerbread Cookies    recipe from Carol Fenster’s book:  Gluten-Free 101

¼ cup butter or margarine
3 Tbs. molasses
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour blend*
1 tsp. xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves
2 Tbs. water ( if needed )

*the flour blend is something that I mixed previously to use as a replacement for the all-purpose stuff.  Ings. are:  1 1/2 cups sorghum flour, 1 1/2 cups potatoe starch, 1 cup tapioca flour, and 1/2 cup almond flour.

In food processor, or with electric mixer, combine butter, molasses, sugar, and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients.  Blend until throughly mixed together and dough forms a ball.  Add water 1 Tbsp. at a time, if needed.  Shape dough into 1″ flat disk, cover, and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven to 325º.   Grease baking sheet, or line with parchment paper, set aside.

Shape dough into 1″ balls and place on baking sheet.  Flatten slightly with bottom of drinking glass.

Bake 18-20 minutes on the middle rack of oven, or until cookies start to turn brown on bottom.  Cool cookies on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container.

For the icing:  blend 1/4 cup of butter, softened, and 3 oz. softened cream cheese.  Gradually add 1 cup  of powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. Jet puffed marshmallow cream.  Spread filling between two cookies and press slightly.  Chill.

Amazing Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been on a baking kick this week.  Would you believe that these cookies are made without flour?  Yes, you heard me right, zilch!  And they are soooo delicious!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all natural peanut butter (I use Adams – creamy, prestirred)

¾ cup sugar

1 large egg, slightly beaten

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350º.  Line the bottom of a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

In a large bowl stir together the peanut butter, sugar, egg, and baking soda, until combined.  (I used my Kitchen-Aid on low setting.)  Add chocolate chips and peanuts.  Scoop dough into teaspoon size balls, and place on baking sheet two inches apart.  Dough may be a bit crumbly but blends together nicely while baking.  Bake on middle shelf for approximately 14 minutes.  Cool on wire rack – cookies will be fragile while warm, but will firm up after cooled.  Natural peanut butter is best because it doesn’t have multiple ingredients which will interfere with  ingredients in this recipe.