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Kaitlin Haaning

Pumpkin Muffins with Caramelized Cinnamon Apples (Gluten-Free)

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Warm pumpkin apple muffins out of the oven = pure bliss!  My kitchen smells amazing right now.  There is something so satisfying about pulling a warm batch of muffins from your oven.  I love experimenting with the flavors of the season when I bake.  I picked up some large, juicy organic honey crisp apples for my horse friend next door :), but figured I should at least enjoy a few for myself.  My boyfriend went to grab an apple yesterday and I immediately stopped him because they were “Jackson’s apples”.   Thankfully he laughed and saw the humor in the situation, but I instantly realized how ridiculous I sounded.  I felt horrible for essentially putting Jackson’s needs before his :(.  I know all the animal lovers out there can relate!   Anyways, I thought I’d make it up to him with a batch of these.  Thankfully he loved them….as you can see he is reaching for one above :).

Pumpkin adds great moisture to baked goods, allowing for less fat within the recipe.  I do use butter in recipes, but preferably the brand I linked below.  Feel free to check out my baking products page to learn more benefits of butter from grass-fed cows.  I hope you guys enjoy these and fit in all the fall baking you can these next few weeks!  It’s going to be peppermint and gingerbread before we know it :)!

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20-22 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large organic honey crisp apple, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted (I use this)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar or granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk*
• 1 cup organic pumpkin puree

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook for approximately 2 minutes until it starts to just brown.  While the butter is browning peel and dice apple.  Add cinnamon and diced apple to the browned butter.  Cook for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon, until apples are softened and butter is a medium to dark brown color.  Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the top of a muffin pan with non-stick spray and fill with paper liners.  If choose to forgo liners ensure the top and cavities are well sprayed. Set pan aside.
3. Scoop approximately 4 tablespoons of solid coconut oil from jar.  Melt the solid oil in a microwave safe dish, or in a saucepan over stove top on medium low.  Once liquefied, set aside to cool.
4. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium size bowl and set aside.
5. Place melted and cooled coconut oil, molasses, coconut sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Whisk together until well combined.
6. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula after each addition.
7. Add vanilla extract and milk. Whisk well to combine.
8. Next add dry ingredients to wet in three additions. I prefer to fold dry ingredients in via a spatula, but you are welcome to use a hand mixer on medium-low speed if preferred. Mix each addition until flour is just combined.  After adding the 3rd addition of flour, fold in cooled caramelized cinnamon apples with a spatula.
9. Lastly, fold in pumpkin puree. If using a hand mixer do not use it here; you must use a spatula to avoid harming the apples.
10. Use a large ice cream or cookie scoop to transfer batter into muffin tray. Fill each muffin cavity approximately 3/4 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes until tops begin to crack and a tooth pick comes out clean.  Baking time could vary by a few minutes depending on your oven.
11. Allow to cool in muffin tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

• I used unsweetened almond milk.  Unsweetened oat, coconut or cashew milk should also work well.
• I use grass-fed Irish butter for baking and cooking due to it’s excellent buttery flavor and health benefits.  I explain the health benefits further on my baking products page.
• You can reduce the brown sugar to and/or coconut sugar to 1/4 cup if prefer a lower sugar muffin.
•If unable to find an all-purpose GF flour blend, I prefer Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 blend, you could use a combination of other gluten-free flours.  To replace the 2 cups I have used 1 cup gluten free oat flour, 3/4 cup brown rice flour and 1/4 cup tapioca starch.  Lastly, you can use whole wheat pastry flour, or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour.

 

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

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Can you believe fall is almost over! Where did it go?!  It is my absolute favorite season, and always seems to fly by.  The cool weather and fall leaves inspire me to bake even more than normal this time of year.  A perfect fall day for me is a morning run to see my best horse friend Jackson :), followed by a warm shower, comfy clothes, an almond milk latte and then a whole afternoon of baking (with the Hallmark channel on of course :).  My boyfriend hunts quite a bit during the fall which allows me to get my Hallmark channel fix :).   I know they’re predictable and corny…but I still love them!

I posted my favorite ginger cookies a couple of months ago by Cooks Illustrated.  I will say I think about these cookies often during the fall and winter months.  Recently I began brainstorming ways to make one of my all-time favorite cookies even better…so naturally I thought of chocolate!

I made my own take on chocolate ginger cookies, and OMG I am so happy with these!  The first trial did not go so well though.  My mom tasted my first go around and instantly gave me the “….these are great babe…” look, as she then proceeded to barely pick at the rest of the cookie.  In her defense, they were bad and she tried to be nice :).  I tested the initial version with melted chocolate, but unfortunately did not work out as planned.   The next version came out just as I hoped they would; soft, full of chocolate flavor, but still with enough spice to separate it from your standard chocolate cookie!

I decorated these with pistachio and rose petals because I love the pop of color.  If you prefer a different color or flavor feel free to change things around!  These would be great with chocolate shavings, other chopped nuts, white chocolate drizzle, etc. You can absolutely roll these in sugar before baking and skip the chocolate drizzle and garnish all together.  The cookies will continue to firm up on the baking try after pulling them from the oven, therefore remove them on the slightly underdone side.  Just a minute or two can make a big difference in soft versus hard.  I did notice they softened up even more when stored in an airtight container for a day or so.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8-10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (not dutch process)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces chocolate of choice
• chopped garnishes of choice, or 1/3 cup granulated sugar or rolling

Instructions

1. Sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, spices and salt over a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream softened butter and both sugars together for 1-2 minutes on medium speed.
3. Add molasses and combine again, another 30 seconds.
4. Add eggs one at at time on medium-low speed, scraping down the sides of bowl in between to ensure ingredients combine thoroughly.
5. Add vanilla and combine for another 30 seconds.
6. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions.  Mix each addition until flour is just combined.  After the final addition, mix dough for another 10 seconds and turn off mixer to avoid over mixing.  Finish by running a spatula around the perimeter of bowl, folding inward.  This helps incorporate the poorly mixed dough that tends to settle down in the bottom of stand mixer bowls.
7. Cover dough with plastic wrap and place bowl in fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
9. After 30 minutes, remove dough from fridge and scoop out 2 tablespoons, or a standard size cookie scoop, of dough per cookie.  If rolling in sugar do so at this time.  Set cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and place into preheated oven. I bake no more than 8 cookies at at time.
10. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes.  When the cookies are ready they will be just set on the edges, start to crack, and still appear slightly underdone in the center.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack.
11. Allow cookies to cool completely on cooling rack.  Melt 4 ounces of chocolate in a double boiler or microwave safe dish.  You may add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil for a thinner chocolate drizzle if preferred, I did.  After melting, allow chocolate to cool for a couple of minutes.  Place melted chocolate into a piping bag and cut a very small opening at end of bag.  Be ready to drizzle because it will run out rather quickly considering it is so thin.  You also have the option to ditch the piping bag all together and dip a fork or spoon into the melted chocolate.  Briskly move the fork or spoon back and forth over 1/3 of the cookie to apple glaze.  Follow with your garnishes of choice.

Happy Baking!

No Bake Blueberry Pistachio Granola Bars (gluten-free)

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Granola bars are my favorite go to snack mid-morning or late afternoon.  They are great for pre/post workout fuel, or when you do not have time to make breakfast.  I know the grocery has an entire wall of granola bars, but I prefer to make my own when time allows.  When I prepare items in my own kitchen I can control the amount of fat and sugar, as well as assure there are no added chemicals and/or preservatives. It also allows me to change up the flavor based on the season, or whatever sounds good that week!

This recipe is very versatile, so have fun playing around with your favorite flavors.  You can change around the nuts, dried fruit, sweetener and nut/coconut butter if you’d like.  For example, you may easily use walnuts, cranberries, coconut oil and almond butter.  The options are endless!  If you change around your ingredients just make sure to use a liquid sweetener and not brown or white sugar.  These would also be great drizzled with chocolate… :).

I know the holidays are coming up, and granola bars make great food gifts!  Bonus your family member or friend will appreciate a good-for-you gift, versus one full of added sugar and unhealthy fats.  Kids will love these too :)!

Prep Time 20 Minutes
Chill Time 2-3 Hours
Total Time 2.5-3.5 Hours
Servings 14 bars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned oats, **toasted
• 1 cup rice krispie cereal
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped pistachios
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons cacao nibs
• 1/3 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coconut butter** or tahini
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First toast your oats.  In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.  Add 2 cups of oats and toast for 5-7 minutes until they appear golden brown with a nutty aroma.  Watch them because they can burn quickly!

2. Take off heat and set aside to cool.

3. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment.  I make my strip almost as wide as the pan (~7 inches), and long enough allow a couple inches for overhang on each side.  This makes for a nice handle to lift the bars out of pan after chilling.

4. Combine rice krispies, coconut flakes, pistachios, chia seeds, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, blueberries and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

5. Place melted coconut butter (see notes below on how to melt) or tahini, maple syrup and oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Let mixture warm through for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is cohesive and runny. Take off heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside.

6. Mix the toasted oats you set aside into bowl of dry ingredients.

7. Next, add wet ingredients to dry by continuously folding mixture together with spatula. Mix until well combined.

8. Transfer granola bar mixture to your prepared 9×13 baking pan.  Spread granola evenly over pan and begin to press mixture down into pan with oiled hands.  To finish, I like to take a piece of parchment and lay it over the bars, then press down firmly across the entire surface to make sure bars are nicely compact.  This step is important considering you do not bake these.

9. Place pan into fridge and chill for 2-3 hours.

10. Remove pan from fridge. Lift bar mixture out of pan via parchment handles and lay on flat surface.  Spray a large knife with cooking spray and make one long cut horizontally, diving your mixture into two long rectangles.  I then cut each long rectangle vertically 6 times to create 7 bars.  If measuring, this is close to 2 inches per bar, 1.8 to be exact :).

11. I wrap each bar in wax paper and store in refrigerator in air-tight container.  These bars will soften some if kept out at room temperature for extended periods.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! P.S…..my boyfriend just told me these are his favorite thing I ever made!  I’m quietly beaming 🙂

Recipe Notes**

• Feel free to use old-fashioned oats if you do not need to eat gluten-free.  Also, you do not have to toast your oats.  I simply love the flavor and smell of toasted oats.
• You can sub maple syrup for honey, agave, brown rice syrup, etc.  Just make sure it is a liquid sweetener.
• Any nut butter will work in place of tahini or coconut butter.  I did not use these because they tend to have a strong flavor and I wanted the blueberry, pistachio and coconut flavors to pull through.
• Coconut butter will be very firm in the jar.  To melt, I find it easiest to place a saucepan filled with a few cups of water on low over your stove top.  You do not want to boil the water, rather warm it. Remove any plastic labels from the coconut butter jar and place it in the pan with water.  I usually put in enough water to reach half way up the jar.  Allow the jar to rest in warm water for a few minutes.  You will be able to stir the mixture shortly after it heats through.  It will have a consistency similar to tahini.  Now you can measure and carry on baking!

 

Pumpkin Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Paleo)

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This recipe is a mix between a bar and a cookie. These are oil free, aside from the natural oil in tahini.  These cookie bars are soft, moist and just sweet enough.  This recipe can easily be made in a 9 inch square pan, but mine were all in use at the time…hence round shape :).  Now that it’s done it actually reminds me of cookie cake…and who doesn’t love that?!  The tahini has a rather neutral taste, which makes it a great base for the recipe.  I have not tried almond or coconut butter, but feel they would likely work great as well.  This recipe will satisfy your soft, gooey cookie craving with good for you ingredients!

Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 25-30 Minutes
Total Time 45 Minutes
Servings 6 very large pieces, 8 standard pie slices

Ingredients

Cookie Bars

• 3/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze

• 1/4 chocolate of choice chopped
• 1 teaspoon softened coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a 9 inch round pan or 8×8 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.  Line square pan with a strip of parchment, (~ 6 in wide) long enough to leave an overhang on each side. If using a round pan, cut out a circle piece of parchment the size of bottom of pan.  I actually trace around the bottom of my pan with pencil onto parchment paper.  Cut circle just a tad smaller, to the inside, of your tracing line.  Line bottom of sprayed pan with parchment.
  3. In a large bowl combine tahini, pumpkin puree, coconut sugar and eggs. Whisk to combine. Add shredded coconut and combine with spatula.
  4. In a second small bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.  Stir with wooden spoon or spatula.
  5. Add dry ingredients to wet in 1 addition.  Combine by folding and stirring ingredients with a spatula.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips.  I used mini chips, but feel free to use your chips of choice.
  7. Transfer batter into your prepared pan of choice.
  8. Place dish into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.  The top should begin to feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pan should remove clean, or with a few damp crumbs.
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool until pan is cool to touch, about 30 minutes.  I found it best to then chill the pan for 1 hour, after resting at room temperature for 30 minutes, before removing from pan to ensure the cookie bars do not break.  I know I am asking a lot to wait this long before digging in!
  10. After chilling, if using 8×8 square pan, lift bars out via the parchment overhang strips.  If using a round pan, place a cooling rack upside down on top of the round pan.  Grip the cooling rack and pan at the same time and flip the pan upside down. The bars should easily release.  Place a large circle plate over the bars to flip them over again to turn them face up.  Slide off plate into cooling rack
  11. Melt chocolate and oil in small saucepan over medium heat, or via microwave safe dish.  Melt in 30 second increments at 60% power.  Once fully melted, stir to combine glaze and drizzle over top of bars via dinner spoon.  This is not suppose to be perfect.  You will likely get a few falling blobs like I did above.  It’s just a bigger piece of chocolate to eat – no harm done 🙂

Recipe Notes

•You cannot replace coconut flour with another flour in this recipe.  Coconut flour is highly absorbent, therefore you do not need nearly as much of it.  If I had to estimate I would say 1 tablespoon of coconut flour is equal to 1/4-1/3 cup of other flours.  I again cannot vouch for other flours. The coconut flour allows this to be paleo as well.

•I have not tried flax eggs in this recipe.

•You could replace coconut sugar with brown sugar or granulated sugar.  Brown sugar will keep the bars soft and moist.  Granulated sugar should also result in a soft bar.  In a standard cookie recipe granulated sugar produces a crisper cookie, but these bars have a lot of moisture and do not foresee them becoming crisp.  A thin crisp top would not be a bad thing though :).

 

Soft, Slow-Baked Autumn Granola

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I love yogurt and granola…I could probably live off it if, plus peanut butter, if I had to.  We have a brunch spot in Indianapolis called Cafe Patachou.  Their granola is soo good!  I have tried to re-create it on my own a few times, but been unhappy with the outcome.  You can order their granola, but it does not provide the ingredients aside from oats, cherries and raisins.  Based on taste I feel it likely includes maple syrup, but again am really unsure.  I was out of granola the end of this week and became inspired to give it another try.  I am happy to say this granola got me a little excited :).  The foundation of this recipe is just what I wanted, and can swap flavors in and out depending on the season.  I baked the granola low and slow, and am so glad I did.  This baking method results in a soft granola, and allows the sugars to really caramelize on the oats…drool.  I have burnt more batches of granola than I can count when cooking at higher temperatures, but this method is more forgiving.  I strongly prefer the soft texture to this granola, versus oats baked at higher temperatures.

Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 45-50 Minutes
Total Time 65 Minutes
Servings 4-5 Cups

INGREDIENTS

Granola

• 2 1/2 cups oats, gluten free if needed
• 2/3 cup chopped unsalted nuts (I used walnuts and pecans)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg white, beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

Granola

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Melt 1/3 cup coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or in saucepan on stove. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine oats, nuts, pumpkin spice, coconut flakes, salt, chia seeds and hemp seeds in a large bowl.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl combine coconut oil, tahini, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry.  Combine by folding ingredients together with a spatula.
6. Next separate one egg and discard the yolk.  Whisk with a fork until frothy.  Add egg white to granola mixture and combine with wooden spoon or fold well with spatula.
7. Spread mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet.  It will appear slightly on the wet side, but this is okay, it is suppose to.
8. Place granola into preheated 275 oven and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
9. When done the granola will begin to feel a little firm, but still soft.  The wetness will be gone. The granola will continue to firm up a bit while cooling on baking tray.
10. Allow granola to cool completely on baking sheet.  Add any dried fruit you desire.  Enjoy immediately over yogurt (I did :)).

Recipe Notes

• You may use regular or gluten free oats, depending on your dietary needs.
• You may add dried fruit to this granola, just do so once it is cooled.  If you add it before you break the dried fruit becomes rock hard.
• You can replace the coconut with any oil you would like…or melted butter :).

Pillow Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze (Gluten Free)

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Soft, melt in your mouth pumpkin cookies! Do you remember Loft-house style sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles?  These were my favorite when I was younger!  I do not though, love the amount of butter and sugar within them.  I was craving a really soft cookie this weekend and decided to try and create a more forgiving version for your overall health :).  My first trial replaced half of the flour with almond meal, but strongly preferred the end result below with solely oat flour.  The glaze is the same cinnamon cream cheese glaze I use for my pumpkin bundt cakes, but could easily make this dairy free using full fat coconut milk/coconut cream and powdered sugar.  To me, these cookies taste better cold, and should be stored in the fridge if they are frosted.  You can easily store them bare at room temperature and frost as you go.  The glaze is of course optional, but makes the entire cookie if you ask me :).

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings approximately 14 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup gluten free oat flour**
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 6 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup canned organic pumpkin puree

Glaze

• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• 3 oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2-3 tablespoons milk (any milk of choice, I used unsweetened almond milk)

Instructions

Cookies

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine oat flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  3. Place butter, brown sugar and honey in a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer.  Mix on medium speed with hand or stand mixer until combined, about 60 seconds.
  4. Add egg and vanilla.  Mix on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add pumpkin puree and mix to combine, another 30 seconds.
  6. Scrape down bowl with a spatula to ensure all wet ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  7. Add dry ingredients in two batches, mixing on low speed until combined.
  8. Scrape down bowl for a final time.  Now allow batter to rest for 10 minutes.  This allows the coconut flour set in.
  9. Use a standard cookie scoop, or two tablespoons, and drop batter onto cookie sheet.  Push the tops of the cookies down to flatten just a little to give yourself a surface to frost.  They will hold their round shape fairly well if not lightly pressed down.
  10. Bake for approximately 15 minutes.

Glaze

  1. Beat butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl via hand mixer or stand mixer.  Add cinnamon and salt and mix again.  Sift powdered sugar directly over the bowl and mix in 1 cup at a time.  Lastly, add milk in 2 batches.  I recommend adding slowly to ensure you get the consistency you desire.  I made this a tad thicker than the glaze I use on my bundt cakes to ensure the icing holds its shape.

Recipe Notes**

•You can make your own oat flour by placing old fashioned oats, no quick or instant, in a food processor. Run processor for about 2-3 minutes until you reach a flour consistency.
•Store cookies frosted in refrigerator.  If prefer to frost as you go, the bare cookies can be stored at room temperature.

 

Lightened up Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Banana Crunch Muffins

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No banana muffin beats Ina Garten’s Banana Crunch muffins.  I owe all my inspiration for these to her!  I wanted to create a muffin full of whole grain carbohydrates, fiber and decrease the sugar content to prevent a mid-morning crash.  Many of us stay rather busy throughout the morning, and benefit from a breakfast we trust to carry us through to lunch.  These are just the muffin!  I like to top my muffins with nut butter for an extra serving of healthy fat and protein.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal/flour
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup yogurt (I used So Delicious coconut yogurt in plain)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 very ripe banana mashed
• 1/2 banana, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• chopped walnuts for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray top of muffin pan with cooking spray, or rub with coconut oil via a paper towel. This prevents muffin edges from sticking to the pan if they rise over.  Line with parchment baking cups, or liner of choice.
2. Melt 1/3 cup coconut oil and set aside to cool. Whisk egg in small bowl and set aside.
3. Add flour, almond meal/flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and cinnamon to a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl whisk oil, honey, egg, yogurt, vanilla, milk and mashed banana.
5. Next, fold in dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined.
6. Add chopped banana and coconut. Fold in with spatula
7. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan. Fill approximately 3/4 full.
8. Top with chopped walnuts, or nut of choice
9. Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes until edges are just golden and tooth pick comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, when inserted into center.
10. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.  I find it best to run an offset spatula along edges to ensure the muffins did not stick anywhere.
11. Remove from pan and allow to cool on cooling rack.  I use my offset spatula to help me lift the muffins out of the pan.

Recipe Notes

• You may replace gluten-free all purpose flour with 1 cup all purpose flour, of 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• I use plain coconut yogurt.  I posted the type I use in my baking page.
• You may replace the almond milk with any milk of choice.
• I prefer my chopped banana to not be as ripe as my mashed banana.  I tend to use a banana just starting to brown.
• You may replace coconut sugar with white sugar.

Honey Lavender Granola

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If I have not said it before…I love lavender!  It takes this granola up a notch, and makes you feel you are eating something a little extra special :).   Lavender not only tastes wonderful, but helps remind me to relax and slow down.  It makes me want to throw on a big comfy robe, brew a cup of tea, put on a face mask and read a good cookbook!

If you are not a huge fan of lavender no worries!  I recommend replacing the lavender teaspoon for teaspoon with cinnamon.  The first time I made this I put in too much, but since have cut the amount in half and feel its just right!

Prep Time 15 Minutes
Cook Time 15 Minutes
Total Time 30 Minutes
Servings 2.5 Cups

INGREDIENTS

Granola

• 2 cups old fashioned oats, gluten free
• 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts (unsalted)
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon minced lavender

INSTRUCTIONS

Granola

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Melt 1/4 cup coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or in saucepan on stove. Set aside to cool.
2. Combine oats, nuts, coconut flakes, coconut sugar, lavender and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl combine coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry.  Combine by folding ingredients together with a spatula.
6. Next separate one egg and discard the yolk.  Whisk with a fork until frothy.  Add to granola mixture and combine with wooden spoon or fold well with spatula.
7. Spread mixture onto parchment lined baking sheet.  This granola will clump a little, therefore I like to spread mine out fairly thin, but also keeping the mixture somewhat touching.
8. Place granola into preheated 275 oven and bake for ~45-50 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes. When done the granola will loose its wet appearance, begin to feel firm, but still be slightly soft.  This granola is not meant to fully crisp on the oven.  When you reach this point remove tray from oven.
9. Allow granola to cool completely on baking sheet.  Store in large mason jars or airtight container

Recipe Notes

• You may use only old fashioned regular or gluten free oats, depending on your dietary needs.
• You may add dried fruit to this granola, just do so once it is cooled.  If you add it before you break the dried fruit becomes rock hard.
• You can replace the coconut oil with any oil you would like…or melted butter :).

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream

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I LOVE carrot cake.  I have tried lots of different recipes in the past and enjoyed them, but never felt they were quite right.  This final recipe is a combination of 4 different carrot cake recipes I’ve tried over time.  I took the bits and pieces I liked from each recipe and combined it into one awesome final product. I did make these gluten-free, but have used equal parts whole wheat pastry flour and regular flour when baking for others who do not need to eat gluten-free.  I prefer cupcakes themselves to not be too sweet due to the sweetness of buttercream frosting.   These cupcakes are incredibly moist, flavorful and can assure you they will not disappoint!

Prep Time 30 Minutes
Cook Time 15 Minutes
Total Time 45 Minutes
Servings 16-18 Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes

• 2 cups grated carrot
• 6 ounces crushed pineapple, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• 3 eggs (at room temperature)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour/meal, blanched (see recipe notes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg (shy 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 8 tablespoons softened butter, unsalted
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• dash salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

INSTRUCTIONS

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the top of two 12 cup non-stick muffin tins with softened butter or coconut oil. This will ensure the cupcakes do not stick to the sides in case they rise and brim over the sides of liners when baking.  Line with parchment baking cups. Set pan aside.
3. Melt 1/3 cup coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or in saucepan on stove top. Set aside to cool.
2. Peel carrot and grate on box grater until you have 2 cups. Set aside in a small bowl.  In a large bowl whisk eggs, brown or coconut sugar, granulated sugar, oil and vanilla.  Stir in grated carrot, coconut flakes and drained pineapple.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl combine almond flour, gluten free all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir with wooden spoon until evenly combined.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet by folding ingredients together with a spatula.
8. Use a large cookie scoop to transfer batter into muffin tins. Fill cups only 3/4 full, as they will rise some.
9. Place into preheated 350 oven and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes.  Baking time may vary with different ovens.  I always check my baked goods a few minutes earlier than baking time to ensure they do not over bake. Cook until toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.  Allow to cool in baking pan for 10 minutes.  Remove by lifting out with offset spatula.

Buttercream

1. Sift 4 cups powdered sugar with sifter or fine mesh strainer into large bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat softened butter and cream cheese via stand or hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add vanilla bean paste, pinch of salt, and cinnamon (if using). Beat for 30 seconds.
3. Add sifted powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until combined.  Once all combined beat for another 2 minutes over medium- high speed until light and fluffy.

Happy decorating!

Recipe Notes

• If you do not need to bake gluten- free you may use 2 cups of regular all-purpose flour, or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (WWPF).  I like WWPF because it makes your baked goods extra soft and fluffy. I have also tried these with only gluten-free all purpose flour (2 cups)…I replaced the 1/2 cup almond meal with gluten-free flour.  These are still excellent. The almond meal just adds a little more moisture, but are still absolutely moist when only using standard flour.
• You may add 1/3 cup of raisins if preferred.
• Almond flour and almond meal can be used interchangeably as long as it is “blanched”. This means the almonds are without the skin.  This combines differently than non-blanched, which tends to have a more coarse texture.
• I decorated mine with chopped dried rose petals, coconut flakes and sprinkles. Sky is the limit with decorating. You could go seasonal with your decorations, or incorporate carrot or pineapple to showcase the main ingredients.  BONUS – when you experiment with different design ideas you’ll need to eat those few extra who do not match your final design :).  I linked the rose petals in my baking products page.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Morning Glory Muffins (with Crispy Tops)

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If you want to guarantee yourself a great morning, bake up a batch of these morning glory muffins! These muffins are full of zucchini, apples and carrots, which offer moisture and natural sugar.  This helps keep the added sugar and fat content low.   They are incredibly soft, fluffy and just sweet enough. The best part of these are their crisp top with soft and moist center. I actually discovered how to make the crisp top by accident. I was packing a cooler of goodies for my boyfriend before he went to southern Indiana on a hunting trip. I baked half the batch of muffins right away, but covered the rest and placed the batter in the fridge overnight. I only did this because it was late and I did not want to keep him up by banging around in the kitchen. The next morning I decided to make myself a few muffins and finish off the batter. I was actually skeptical of how these would turn out, considering the recipe has baking soda as the leavening agent. I talk about this more in my science of baking page, but when a recipe with baking soda sits for too long it can loose it’s rise. I will say I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. The overnight sitting/chilling caused these muffins to develop a crisp top and edges, while the inside stayed the same as it has always been – incredibly soft and moist. If you prefer a soft top simply throw these muffins in the oven after mixing. If you feel the crisp top is worth the wait, and I feel it is, plan ahead and make these the night before. Mine only chilled for about 4-5 hours and worked great.

Servings 10-12 Muffins
Prep Time 30 Minutes
Cook Time 15 Minutes
Total Time 45 Minutes
Chill Time (if choose)  4-6 hours

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup grated carrot, peeled
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini, skin on
• 1/3 cup grated apple, peeled
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 tablespoons milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 12 cup non-stick muffin tin with softened butter or coconut oil, or line with parchment baking cups. Set pan aside.
2. Peel carrot and grate on box grater until you have half a cup. Set aside in a small bowl.  Next grate 1/2 cup of zucchini and place in a fine mesh strainer.  Lastly, grate apple, skin on, until have 1/3 cup and place in strainer with zucchini.  Set aside and allow carrot and zucchini to sit for 30 minutes.
3. Melt 1/3 cup coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or in saucepan on stove. Set aside to cool.
4. In a medium size mixing bowl combine 3 flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl lightly whisk 2 eggs.  Add coconut sugar, cooled coconut oil, shredded coconut, vanilla and milk. Whisk to combine.
6. Go back to the mesh strainer with zucchini and apple and push the mixture against the bottom and sides to release excess liquid.  DO NOT put in a dish towel and ring out liquid.  You still want some moisture in them. Add the carrot, zucchini and apple wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Fold mixture together with spatula until combined. This batter will feel thick and look like mostly shredded carrot, zucchini and apple, but its ok! You’re doing it right. Fold in nuts.  May also add 1/3 cup dried fruit if desire, I usually pick raisins.
8. Use a large cookie scoop to transfer batter into muffin cups. Fill cups 3/4 full as they will rise some.
9. Place into preheated 350 oven and bake for approximately 22-25 minutes.  Baking time may vary with different ovens.  I always check my baked goods a few minutes earlier than baking time to ensure they do not over bake. Cook until toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.  Allow to cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes.
10. Time to enjoy! Now you can start your day off right.

Recipe Notes

• You may use only gluten-free all purpose flour versus the variation above.  The buckwheat flour provides a nice lightness to baked goods.  If you do not need to be gluten free replace all flours above with standard all purpose flour, or half all purpose flour and half whole wheat pastry flour.
• You may use any nut of choice.  Feel free to add a small handful of dried fruit also.
• I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any dairy free milk will do.
• I have used all sorts of apple varieties.  My favorite is Granny Smith or Honey Crisp.

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