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As you likely already know, May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month. I’ve been sharing thoughts about why I went gluten-free, tips on how to take those first gluten-free steps, and how to avoid cross-contamination of gluten in your own home. Today, I’m sharing something a little more fun! I was asked to contribute to an event called Cupcakes for a Cause, hosted by the American Celiac Disease Alliance. All throughout the month of May, various gluten-free bloggers and bakers will be sharing their cupcakes – baking the number of cupcakes needed to represent the years they’ve been gluten-free. Each entry will be pinned on Pinterest, and you are welcome to “vote” for your favorites there – just “like” it or repin; either counts as a vote.

Anyway, as I have been nearly 3 years gluten-free, I am showing 3 of these lovely, welcome-to-summer peach cupcakes. (In truth, the recipe makes more than 3 cupcakes - it’s hard to make only 3 cupcakes!) Peach season has come early to North Texas, due to the warm temps we’ve had this spring. I was astonished when I started seeing the early peaches at the farmer’s market on the first weekend in May. Since then, I’ve been buying them up - they’re superb this year, full of juicy sweetness. You bite into one, and that sticky, orange-red juice drips down your chin. It’s messy, and it’s heaven. Mostly, I’ve been enjoying them unadorned. They’re one of my most favorite fruits.

But since I needed to bake some cupcakes for this event, what better inspiration than the bounty of late spring/early summer? I opted to make this healthier gluten-free cupcake. But you don’t have to know that it’s healthier; just know that there’s the gorgeous flavor of peach throughout, and a creamy, decadent peachy frosting on top. It’s a perfect way to celebrate both a gorgeous time of year and an excellent cause.

Check them out for yourself, and be sure to go and vote for your favorite cupcakes!

Peach Cupcakes with Peachy Cream Frosting (grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)

For the cakes:

3/4 c diced peaches

1/2 c medjool dates, pitted

1/4 c coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature

3 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t almond extract

1/4 t stevia extract

1 1/2 c blanched almond flour

2 T tapioca starch

scant 1/2 t salt

1/4 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Place peaches, dates, and coconut oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, almond and stevia extracts, and process again until well-blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, salt and baking soda. Scrape the wet ingredients from the food processor and add them to the almond flour. Mix together with a spoon until well-combined. Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Peachy Cream Frosting (grain-free, dairy-free), refined sugar-free)

6 T coconut butter (such as Artisana, or you can make your own)

2 T palm shortening

2 T coconut oil

6 T tapioca starch

1/4 c refined sugar-free peach jam

3 T agave nectar

1/4 c powdered coconut sugar

6 T coconut milk

Add coconut butter, shortening, coconut oil, tapioca starch, jam, and agave nectar to the bowl of a food processor. Whisk until creamy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and add coconut sugar and coconut milk and whisk until creamy and thick, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost cupcakes as desired.

posted on Monday, May 21st, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free No Comments

Yes, I promised you a chocolate cake over a week ago. I apologize. I considered making the cake once more so I could retake the photo. Then we had an illness in our family, and that didn’t happen. (Thankfully, that family member is on the mend!) And then, this week, there has been a lot of drama about a certain (not-so) gluten-free pizza situation in the gluten-free community. I’ve been a bit distracted. No more excuses though.

Because cake just can’t wait.

Especially chocolate-y, moist, delicate cake with a rich, fudgy, coconut-y frosting.

Most especially when that cake is grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, and is a bit more nutritious than most. It also has a secret ingredient. Well, not-so-secret anymore, since I put the ingredient in the title of this post. When serving this to guests (or your kids!), however, you don’t have to tell them about the zucchini. It can be our little secret. Since the zucchini is pureed, there are no detectable little green shreds in the bite of cake. In fact, the texture is rather uniform. And since the cake is a rich brown from the cocoa powder, the green is completely hidden. What the pureed zucchini provides is excellent moisture and a bit of structure. Made alone, this cake would be an excellent “snacking” cake – rich wtih chocolate and not overly sweet, but satisfying.

But frosting makes everything better, right? Lately, I’ve been working on a cinnamon roll recipe, and I’ve been opting to top it with a lightly sweetened coconut butter instead of a sugary icing. I fell in love with that bit of richness, and a light bulb came on - what if I tried to make a frosting using coconut butter? Adding coconut butter and even unrefined sugar alone was too sweet – but with a bit of coconut cream and some starch to thicken it, I had a lovely, spreadable frosting, fudgy and rich. Seriously, I could eat this stuff all by itself. (And I bet with a touch less coconut cream, you could totally make fudge with it. Maybe that’ll be a future project!) But on this cake, it provides that little extra something. It elevates it to “special” – perfect for a birthday celebration, Mother’s Day (hint, hint) or even because you wanted to have something chocolate.

Whatever the reason, you won’t regret this little cake.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake (grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)

3 T coconut flour

1 1/2 c blanched almond flour

1 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 c raw cacao powder

1/2 t finely ground coffee (optional)

3 eggs at room temperature

3 T coconut oil, melted and cooled

1/4 c agave nectar or honey

1/4 t vanilla stevia extract

1 t vanilla extract

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 c pureed zucchini (I just cut mine into chunks and threw it in my food processor)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together coconut and almond flours, salt, baking soda, cacao powder, and coffee. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut oil, agave, stevia, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate. Whisk in zucchini puree. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix to combine well.

Scrape batter into cake pan and spread out evenly. .

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Coconut “Buttercream” Frosting

1/4 c coconut butter (such as Artisana, or you can make your own)

1/4 c raw cacao powder

1/4 c coconut oil (cool and semi-solid, but not rock-hard)

1/3 – 1/2 c powdered unrefined sugar (I made my own in my coffee grinder with raw turbinado sugar)

1-2 T arrowroot starch

1 t vanilla extract

1 T coconut flour

1/3 c coconut cream (cream from the top of the coconut milk in a can)

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a mixer with a whisk attachment. Mix on medium until well-blended, adding a touch more starch if too thin, and a bit more coconut cream if too thick. If mixture starts to look oily or come apart, refrigerate for a while and re-whisk to get it to thicken properly and set.

Spread frosting over top of cake.

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve.

posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Vegetarian 11 Comments

Remember donuts? Those sweet, light, fluffy fun circles that went so well with a cup of coffee? For many of us on a gluten-free diet, donuts are just no longer part of our routine. They’re just not an option.

But what if I told you they could be part of your life again? While I was not a big donut person before I went gluten-free, I tried something new – I opted to bring donuts back as part of our gluten-free lifestyle as a lovely weekend breakfast treat. But I wanted them to be so good, you’d never guess they were gluten-free. After all, my kids and husband don’t eat gluten-free, so I have to convince them that my baked goods are just as tasty as what they can get down at the corner bakery. It’s a challenge for me, and one I faced gladly.

These blueberry buckwheat donuts are a healthier (because they’re baked) breakfast treat that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and full of sunny flavor. They’re also made with whole grain flours (buckwheat and brown rice), so there’s a bit more nutrition on these treats than a typical donut. What I loved most, however, was that they were light – something hard to come by in gluten-free baked goods!

If you don’t have a donut pan, don’t fret – these can be made in a muffin tin as well. You may wish to increase your baking time slightly to compensate.

Blueberry Lemon Buckwheat Donuts

½ c non-dairy milk (I used homemade cashew milk)

2 T chia seed meal

2 eggs

1 T olive oil

1/3 c sugar

1 t vanilla extract

1 t lemon zest

½ c freshly ground buckwheat flour

¼ c brown rice flour

¼ c arrowroot flour

1 t baking powder

¼ t baking soda

1/8 t kosher salt

½ c blueberries

2/3 c powdered sugar

Juice of 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a nonstick donut pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together non-dairy milk and chia seed meal until there are no lumps. Add eggs, olive oil, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and whisk until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk dry mixture into wet until combined. Gently stir in blueberries.

Spoon batter evenly into donut pan and spread out. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the donut comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan. Remove and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes more on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until there are no lumps. Allow to come to a simmer on low heat, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat.

Dip each donut into glaze on both sides and return to wire rack to allow excess to drip off.

Makes 6 donuts.

Do you have a recipe that’s so good, no one would guess it’s gluten-free? Submit it to the Udi’s Look Again It’s Gluten Free Recipe Contest on Facebook! You could win a 3 day/2 night trip for two people to California, a gluten-free cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu, or Udi’s shopping bags with Udi’s coupons!

Also, check out Udi’s Gluten-Free Living Community for a wealth of gluten-free living tips, tricks, recipes, and more!

I loved combining new flavors and gluten free ingredients to create this delicious recipe. Now I’m curious to know, what do you enjoy most about trying something new?

For your chance to win a $350 William Sonoma gift card to purchase a Kitchen Aid Mixer or other gluten free cooking tool of your choice, complete these two steps:

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine. Official BlogFrog Sweepstakes Rules.

posted on Monday, March 12th, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,breakfast,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Vegetarian 13 Comments

My dear friend Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free is a brand ambassador for Attune Foods, and a few weeks ago, she graciously asked me if I would mind reviewing some of their products. They offer quite a few gluten and dairy-free products (like Crispy Brown Rice Cereal or Corn Flakes), but what I was asked to review was possibly the most intriguing, exciting product they have – a Probiotic Chocolate Bar.

Now, mind you, I have no problem having a nice, high-quality chocolate bar stashed away in my refrigerator, just so I can nibble on it now and then when the chocolate craving strikes (and it strikes a lot!). And we always hear that chocolate has positive health benefits. But now, I have one more little reason to indulge (as if I needed an excuse)!

So when my sample arrived, the first thing I did was just enjoy a bar of the chocolate, unadulterated and pure. It was creamy and not-to-sweet, just the way I like it. Honestly, I could have polished off the rest of the box in a similar manner over the following week, if it weren’t for my commitment to post a review. You see, I wanted to share my thoughts about these bars not only just as they were, but I also wanted to play with them a bit, to see if I could create a delicious, healthier treat with the chocolate. I’d have to make something that didn’t require heating the chocolate, or else I’d kill the probiotic cultures. So I opted to go for the ever-popular “truffle”.

I’ve made healthy truffles before and have shared them here – have you seen my pecan pie or pistachio sesame truffles? How about the chocolate cherry ones? While those are all full of whole, natural ingredients, I thought I’d sneak in even more little healthy morsels of goodness in these truffles.

So, yes, my friends, I threw in beets. And spinach. In a dessert.

Now, before you click away, let me explain. These don’t taste like vegetables. Not in the slightest. The beet turns the inside a lovely pink-red color (think red velvet cake), but the spinach is invisible here, as is the earthy taste of both of these ingredients. What you taste is a lovely mix of almonds, chocolate, a faint hint of strawberries, and a nice, not over-the-top sweetness. You could totally feed these to any crowd and they’d be none the wiser. They’re a delicious little bite, perfect for curbing that little craving for a taste of something sweet.

So I encourage you to give these chocolate probiotic bars a try. Indulge your chocolate sweet tooth by enjoying one (or two) by themselves. They’re a delicious little treat. But once you’ve done that, try these truffles. I think you’ll be pleasantly delighted.

Probiotic Beet and Almond Truffles (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

1 medium beet

1 1/2 c almonds

1 T cocoa powder (plus more for rolling)

1/4 c packed spinach leaves

1/4 c strawberries (I used frozen and thawed them)

6 pitted Medjool dates

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t kosher salt

1 T coconut flour

1/4 t stevia extract (optional)

2 Attune Foods Probiotic chocolate bars, chopped

Peel the beet and cut into slices. Steam or boil beet slices until tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork. Puree the beet in a food processor or blender, scraping down the sides as needed. Portion out 2 tablespoons of the beet puree, and set aside the remainder for another use (this puree is gorgeous and tasty in a smoothie!).

In the bowl of a food processor, add almonds and process until they are crumbs. Add beet puree, cocoa powder, spinach leaves, strawberries and dates, and puree until the consistency is somewhat uniform and no large chunks remain. Add vanilla extract, salt, coconut flour, and stevia and process again until incorporated. Add chocolate bars and process once more to incorporate those as well.

Using a tablespoon, measure out even portions of the truffle “dough” (it should be stiff but a bit sticky) and roll into a ball between your palms. Roll into a bit of cocoa powder. Repeat with remaining truffle “dough”. Refrigerate until firm.

posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by altawrites Posted in Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Healthy Meals,Vegetarian 19 Comments

Today over at Daily Bites, we are sharing our favorite holiday entrees and side dishes in our continuation of A Gluten-Free Holiday. As always, there is a giveaway involved (Hallie will be giving away a copy of her new book, The Pure Kitchen) so be sure to head over there and check it out!

Our family has their fair share of holiday favorites. I’ve already shared the need for stuffing and gravy (as welcome at Christmas as it is at Thanksgiving, if there’s a turkey involved), broccoli cheese rice casserole, and tamales. But I’ve already blabbed about those favorites with you time and time again. I asked my husband to help me brainstorm on holiday dishes. He suggested gumbo (which has a cult following in our family this time of year), but the traditional recipe is a direct replica of Emeril Lagasse’s, so it wasn’t quite what I had in mind. So then I thought – why not create a new favorite?

But what? When I think of holiday food, many times, I can’t get desserts out of my head. (We’ll share desserts as part of A Gluten-Free Holiday too, on December 15, at She Let Them Eat Cake, but that’s another time, another day, another recipe.) I had to brainstorm. Savory. Side Dish. Holiday. Think! Think! What are foods eaten in fall and winter? Umm…root vegetables? Sweet Potatoes? I love sweet potatoes, but they’re not very special. How can I make sweet potatoes special? Hmm, I have some leftover pie crust dough in the fridge… And suddenly, the waters parted. I knew just what I would make, and this simple-but-special, savory, delicious pie was born.

What I love about this dish is that unlike so many other holiday foods, it’s not overly heavy or rich. In fact, paired with a nice side salad, it could easily be a welcome brunch for guests that stay at your home during the holiday season. (Or even just a good pre-holiday-shopping meal!) Truthfully, it’s not all that fussy. No more so than making a typical pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, truthfully, and if you wanted to go crustless, you could simply bake the filling in a greased pie dish (or heck, even individually-sized ramekins) and serve it that way. But if you have a bit of time to make a pie crust, go for it. In my mind, it elevates this pie to holiday status. It also provides a bit of contrasting texture. And the flavors? With a creamy, slightly sweet custard, touched with rosemary and smoked paprika, how could you go wrong?

Savory Sweet Potato Pie

1 recipe gluten-free pie crust (or your favorite gluten-free pie crust recipe -  I haven’t tried this with a nut-based crust, but I bet it would work well.)

5 egg yolks

2 c cooked sweet potato puree (if using fresh sweet potatoes, simply prick with a fork, microwave until soft, scoop out flesh, and puree in food processor)

1 c coconut milk

1 t fresh rosemary, chopped

1 t kosher salt

1/2 t fresh ground black pepper

1/4 t smoked paprika

1/8 t nutmeg

1 T maple syrup

1 T sweet white rice flour (or your favorite gluten-free flour)

1 egg whisked with 1 T water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out pie crust in between two sheets of parchment paper; transfer to 9-inch pie plate. Place egg yolks in the bowl of a food processor; process for about 30 seconds. Add sweet potatoes, coconut milk, rosemary, salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, maple syrup, and rice flour and puree until smooth. Pour into pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. (Note: you may want to use a pie shield or cover the edges of the crust with foil during the baking process to prevent excess browning.) Cool for 15-20 minutes. Serve.

Do you have a favorite holiday entree or side dish to share? Link it up over at Daily Bites!

Interested in some gluten-free edible gift ideas for the holidays? Check out my post and all of the links shared there! Want even more ideas or to chat a bit more about this topic? Over at the Udi’s Gluten-Free Community, we’ve shared some edible gift ideas!

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posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Appetizers,Baked goods,Budget-Friendly,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Main Dishes,Vegetarian 6 Comments

Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

I procrastinated, so of course, I was making my Sans Rival last night. I opted to keep the dessert-making to a minimum (seeing as how I already had 3 kinds of leftover pie in my fridge from Thanksgiving) and only made the Sans Rival. I loved that the recipe was already gluten-free (provided the cake pans were dusted with a gluten-free flour, of course) and I could easily adopt it to be dairy-free by substituting a vegan “butter” for the butter called for in the French buttercream. Which, by the way, if you’ve never had French buttercream, find an excuse to try it out. It’s incredibly rich, but also incredibly delicious. Definitely a treat to enjoy only once a year or so.

The same is with this Sans Rival. I opted to take Catherine’s suggested recipe, and make my Sans Rival a chocolate one. It wasn’t overly loaded with chocolate, and it wasn’t too sweet, but I promise you, this is still a rich dessert. That being said, it’s a lovely gluten-free option that would be perfect at a holiday table.

I’ll definitely be keeping this dessert in mind for future events, as I love a good meringue. However, it will definitely have to be an event where I don’t end up with leftovers – I certainly don’t need any more sweets lying around!

Ingredients
10 large egg whites, room temp
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) cream of tartar
¼ cup (60 ml) (20 gm) (2/3 oz) Dutch processed cocoa (optional and not traditional)
2 cups (480 ml) (240 gm) (8½ oz) chopped, toasted cashews (chop half finely, and half coarsely)

Directions:
Note: You will need four layers which will mean that you might have to bake in two batches. Be sure to use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.

1. Preheat oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.

2. Line cake pan bottoms with parchment paper and butter and flour the sides really well. (I used gluten-free cassava flour and olive oil instead of flour and butter here.)

3. In a large clean, dry glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium until foamy (2 mins.). Sprinkle with cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat now at high speed until stiff shiny peaks form.  (about 7-10 mins.)

4. Fold in nuts, reserving enough to use for decoration.

5. Divide meringue into four equal parts. Spread in pans, evenly to edges. If doing batches, use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.

6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the meringue from the baking pans while still hot; allow to cool slightly. Peel off the parchment paper while it is still warm, it is difficult to remove sometimes when they have completely cooled.

7. When cool, trim edges so that all 4 meringue layers are uniformly shaped. Set aside.

French Buttercream:

Ingredients
5 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz)  white granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1¼ cup (300 ml) (2½ sticks) (285 gm) (10 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature (I used Earth Balance buttery sticks)
Optional Flavorings: 2 oz (55 gm) unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) almond extract, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) vanilla extract, or any flavor you like (I used unsweetened chocolate and vanilla extract)

Directions:

1. Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until the yolks have doubled in volume and are a lemon yellow.
2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the sides down only until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup reaches 235°F/112°C (or thread stage).
3. With the mixer on high, very slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, until all has been added. Be careful as the very hot syrup could burn you if it splashes from the beaters. Continue beating on high until the mixture is ROOM TEMPERATURE (about 15 mins). Still on high, beat in the soft, room temperature butter a tablespoon at a time. Add flavoring after you beat in the butter. Refrigerate the buttercream for at least an hour, and whip it smooth just before you use it.
Assembly:
Set bottom meringue on cake board with a dab of butter cream to hold it in place. Spread a thin layer of buttercream and then place another meringue on top. Repeat with a thin layer of  buttercream, meringue, thin layer of  buttercream, meringue, and finally buttercream the top and sides. Decorate with reserved nuts.

posted on Sunday, November 27th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Dairy-Free,Desserts,Eggs,Gluten-Free 5 Comments

chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, full of autumn flavors

Have you ever baked with pumpkin? Or tried to make pumpkin cookies? Pumpkin makes lovely breads and cakes. It bakes up light and fluffy, and provides lovely moisture. Unfortunately, light and fluffy aren’t good cookie characteristics, in my book. I love chewy cookies – especially chewy chocolate chip cookies. When pumpkin season came, I wanted to bake up pumpkin cookies, but didn’t want them all fluffy. What’s a chewy cookie lover to do?

So I started to think. What is it about pumpkin that turns those cookies into cake-like, fluffy treats? It dawned on me that pumpkin has a lot of moisture. Good for cakes and breads, to be sure, but it was ruining my perfect cookie. So the key? Remove some of the moisture from the pumpkin.

I got to work. I made a big batch of pumpkin butter from a gigantic cushaw squash I recently acquired. But rather than just adding pumpkin butter into a cookie recipe, I opted to reduce it further. I put some pumpkin butter in a saucepan and set it on medium-low heat, and I cooked it. And cooked it. Stirred and stirred, until it no longer looked like a pumpkin-y puree, and instead took on a thick texture more like tomato paste. Less moisture = less fluffy, I hoped.

I also opted to remove the egg white from the cookie recipe, figuring that an egg white would contribute to lift – something I didn’t want in my cookies. I left the yolk in, however, to hold things together and provide some additional fat.

Finally, I proceeded to wing it. I wanted to keep the cookie grain-free, so I went with almond flour. And while this recipe isn’t technically dairy-free (I used ghee), it is casein-free, so those with casein intolerance can still indulge. (I find that while I can’t tolerate regular or even grass-fed, cultured butter, I can tolerate a bit of ghee here and there.) If you can’t do ghee, try substituting coconut oil. Because I really wanted the pumpkin pie spice effect, I threw in extra cinnamon and nutmeg. I also added chocolate chips and some chopped pecans, just because.

It’s my cookie, and I can do what I want.

The result was more than I’d hoped. These cookies are tender, but chewy. Moist, but not overly so. They are indeed chocolate chip cookies, but they are so much more than that. They are like chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin pie got together and had a love child.

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

7 T pumpkin butter paste (simmer pumpkin butter over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until texture resembles tomato paste)

1/4 c melted ghee (or coconut oil)

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

3/4 c brown sugar or coconut palm sugar

2 c almond flour (I tried this recipe with both Honeyville blanched almond flour and Bob’s Red Mill – both work, but I prefer Honeyville)

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t kosher salt

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 c dairy-free chocolate chips

1/3 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin butter paste, ghee, vanilla extract, egg yolk, and brown sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until just starting to brown on the edges. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Desserts,Gluten-Free 11 Comments

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat! Jenni explained in our challenge that Povitica (pronounced po-va-teet-sa) is traditional Eastern European dessert bread that is traditionally served during the holiday season. It is also known as Nutroll, Potica, Kalachi, Strudia, just to name a few. Basically, the dough is rolled so thin that it’s see-through, and filled with a nut paste, rolled up, and baked so there are lovely layers of nut filling and sweet bread all over. It’s gorgeous. Just look at it.

I am enamored by the work and beauty that goes into this baked treat. But how to make it grain-free and dairy-free? I have been staying away from grains for a while now, and I didn’t want to work on a bread that I wouldn’t eat. (Guess I’m kinda selfish that way!) So obviously, I’d have to take the spirit of the challenge, and adapt to my own needs. I imagined what this bread would taste like (having never indulged in it before), and thought about creating a nut paste of my own and incorporating it into a grain-free bread. I’d noticed that Elana over at Elana’s Pantry recently posted a paleo bread recipe that I’ve been dying to try. However, I knew this bread would be a quick bread – a batter that definitely wouldn’t be kneaded or rolled. I’d have to swirl my nut paste into the bread, which obviously wouldn’t be an exact replication of a true povitica, but I hoped it’d be a good approximation.

Whether it was indeed an approximation to the original, flavor-wise, I won’t know. However, this was a tasty, not-too-sweet bread that held together well (a definite plus for gluten-free/grain-free bread!), with a subtle flavor of chocolate and cinnamon in the swirl. It also had the bonus of filling the house with a delicious aroma (even my husband commented about how good it smelled). I’d love to continue to work on various flavors of “swirls” in the bread – I used to be a fan of cinnamon raisin bread back in my gluten-eating days, and it’d be lovely to enjoy a slice of it again as a treat. A big thanks to Elana for working on a paleo-friendly bread that’s sandwich-worthy and delicious – it definitely helped make this challenge a possibility in my kitchen!

Grain-Free, Dairy-Free “Povitica” (a.k.a. pecan-swirl bread)

1 recipe paleo bread

1 cup raw pecans

5-6 pitted dates

1 T honey

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1 t cocoa powder

1 T coconut oil

3 T coconut milk

1/8 t Vanilla Creme liquid stevia

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small loaf pan and set aside. Prepare the Paleo Bread batter as directed in the recipe, and scrape out of the food processor into a bowl. Place the pecans in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until they resemble a coarse meal. Add dates, honey, cinnamon, cocoa powder, coconut oil, coconut milk, and stevia. Process until everything comes together into a paste, stopping and scraping down the sides as necessary.

Scoop half of the Paleo Bread batter into the loaf pan. Spoon out half of the nut paste and place spoonfuls all over on top of the batter. Scoop remaining Paleo Bread batter over and spread out. Spoon out remaining nut paste and place evenly over the top of the batter. Using a butter knife, swirl batter around, making a zig-zag motion, from one end of the pan to the other. If needed, smooth out the batter on the top with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, and remove from pan and place on wire rack to finish cooling.

posted on Thursday, October 27th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free,Vegetarian 15 Comments

 The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

Yeah, when I read that, I got a lump in my throat. You know the kind – it was exactly like a cartoon character, facing imminent doom, swallowing that lump with the audible “gulp”. Scary.

Why so scary? Well, in addition to making gluten-free croissants (Kate over at Gluten-Free Gobsmacked has successfully made those, and they look amazing), since I really haven’t been consuming grains lately, I wanted to make them grain-free. And who has heard of grain-free, dairy-free, yeast-free croissants? Not me. But I figured I’d give it a shot. They wouldn’t be flaky in the traditional sense, but I’d try my best to make something edible and resembling a croissant.

And so I got started. I made a stiff dough and chilled it. I pounded out butter and chilled it too. I then read through the instructions posted on the Daring Bakers challenge, and in the spirit of how Julia Child makes her croissants, I folded over the dough multiple times, rolled it out, and eventually (very carefully) rolled up my croissants.

How did they come out? Well, like I said, not flaky in the traditional sense. However, they were edible. Tender even. I would have liked them a touch sweeter, actually, but overall, I was surprised that they came out. They’d definitely be tasty to dip into a sauce at dinner. It’s definitely a recipe worth investigating further.

I’ll consider this a win for me!

Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Croissants

1 c almond flour

1/2 c coconut flour

1/2 t baking soda

1 t salt

2 eggs

1/4 c non-dairy milk (I used So Delicious unsweetened coconut beverage)

1/4 c vegan butter*

1 egg white, for brushing

1 t turbinado sugar

Whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs until frothy and add the non-dairy milk and whisk in. Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir to incorporate. The dough should be barely sticky; add additional almond flour as needed. On a large sheet of parchment paper, pat out dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, take another sheet of parchment paper and stick the butter on it. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top, and using a roller pin, pound out the butter until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle with a bit of almond flour and roll out into 1/4 – 1/8 inch thick rectangle between the two sheets of parchment (if you’re having difficulty with the parchment sticking to the dough, sprinkle with a bit more almond flour. With some care, you ought to be able to peel away the parchment and leave the dough in one piece). Scrape butter from the paper and spread out onto the top two-thirds of the dough.

spreading out butter on my not-so-rectangular rectangle of dough

Fold the bottom third up. Fold the top third over the bottom third.

dough folded into thirds

Turn the dough 90 degrees, and roll out again to 1/4-1/8 inches.

turning dough 90 degrees

Repeat the process of folding in thirds and rolling out 4 times. After it’s rolled out for the final time, cover with parchment and stick in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the dough from refrigerator and cut into about 9 squares with a pizza cutter. Cut each square in half diagonally to make two triangles out of each square.

cutting dough into triangles

Carefully roll up each triangle into a croissant shape, and place on a lined baking sheet. Curve the ends.

rolling up croissants

Brush each croissant with the egg white, and sprinkle a bit of turbinado sugar over each.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

 *vegan butter such as Earth Balance isn’t entirely grain-free, as it has ingredients derived from corn and soy, but you could possibly substitute shortening for the vegan butter. I’d be interested to see how it turns out.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays over at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

posted on Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Kid-Friendly,Side Dishes 11 Comments

Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef announced on Facebook a few days back that it was Pie Day on July 5. We were to have a Pie Party! Who was I to turn down that opportunity? I love pie. All kinds of pie – fruit pies, cream pies, pecan pies – you name it, I’m up for it. I would take pie over cake any day of the week. So I made plans to make pie this past weekend. Besides, I’ve been working to perfect my pie crust recipe, and so what better time than now?

I found some amazing, deliciously ripe strawberries at the farmer’s market on Saturday. Due to the sweltering heat, however, they weren’t going to last. They were “eat-today-or-die” strawberries. I immediately took that as an opportunity to make a pie stuffed with strawberries. I opted to throw some blueberries in the filling as well, as I didn’t have enough strawberries, and besides, red and blue just seemed appropriate for the Independence Day weekend.

After rolling out my pie crust, stuffing the pie with sweetened berries, and successfully topping it with a second crust (not easy to do with a fragile gluten-free crust!), I anxiously waited while the pie bubbled away in the oven. Which also had the unfortunate side effect of heating up the kitchen – it seems that even though our house is pretty efficient, our air conditioning still can’t keep up with a 100-degree day and the oven, once 4 or 5 o’clock rolls around. It was a somewhat sweaty affair by the end. So you see, I made some pretty serious sacrifices, all in the name of pie.

Once the pie cooled, we dug in. It was juicy, with a crisp, flaky crust. The verdict? Definitely tasty enough to consider a success. However, I’m still tweaking that pie crust recipe – I am considering omitting brown rice flour and using another flour next time. The crust still seems gritty in texture to me. Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with it. It rolls out nicely and with a bit of help from some egg wash, browns well. As for the filling, I think I cut the sugar back a bit too much, but it did make for a lighter dessert. Next time, however, I think another 1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar would do the trick. Regardless, I was happy to enjoy another piece the following evening. And I’m half-wishing I had a slice right about now, as a mid-morning snack. Because after all, it’s pie.

Strawberry-Blueberry Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

Pie Crust (adapted from Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free)

1 c brown rice flour (considering using millet flour next time, or a mix of different flours)

1/2 c sorghum flour

1/2 c potato starch

3 T sweet white rice flour

1/2 t fine sea salt

7 T palm shortening, placed in freezer for about 20 minutes to harden

1 cold large egg

2 T apple cider vinegar

2 T agave nectar

1/4 c ice water

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, sweet white rice flour, and salt. Remove the shortening from the freezer and dice into small pieces. Place it evenly around the flour, and with a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands, mix until the flour has a mealy texture and the largest pieces of shortening are the size of small peas.

Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl. Add the vinegar and agave to the egg and beat well. Pour egg mix into the flour mix and stir until just incorporated. Next, drizzle some of the water over the flour mixture and stir in, just until the dough starts to come together. Add more water as you need, but don’t make the dough too wet. It should look “shaggy”. Push the dough together with your hands and place on a large piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a ball, and flatten with your hands. Wrap the plastic wrap around the dough and place in refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or up to overnight.

If it’s been several hours since your dough was placed in the refrigerator, allow it to sit out on the counter for 15-20 minutes before working it. Otherwise, place a handful of the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (tape bottom piece to the counter for easy rolling) and roll out in a large circle about 1/8 inch thick. (You can store the rest in the refrigerator while you work on the dough piece by piece) If the plastic gets wrinkles in it, you can pull it up from the dough and lay it back down to keep rolling.

Peel top piece of plastic wrap from dough, and un-tape the bottom piece from counter. Place 8-inch pie pan upside-down on top of dough, and lifting from underneath the bottom piece of plastic wrap, quickly flip the dough and pie pan simultaneously so that the pie crust is now laying on top of the pan, right-side up. Press the dough down into the pan, and carefully peel away the plastic wrap. Pinch away the excess pie crust. You should have enough to roll out another, slightly smaller, circle using the same technique.

Filling

1 lb strawberries, hulled and cut in half

1 lb blueberries

1/4 c coconut palm sugar (considering doubling next time)

1/2 c potato starch

2 T lemon juice (or juice from 1 lemon)

2 t lemon zest (or zest from 1 lemon)

1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Combine filling ingredients together in a medium bowl. Fill bottom pie crust with filling. Place second crust on top, and crimp around edges to seal. Cut holes in center to vent.

1 egg +2 T water, whisked (for egg wash)

Brush crust with egg wash. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until crust is browned and berries are bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing. Serves 8.

This post is linked to Real Food Weekly at The W.H.O.L.E. Gang and RecipeLion’s April Blog Hop.

posted on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011 by altawrites Posted in Baked goods,Dairy-Free,Desserts,Gluten-Free 10 Comments