Carrot Ginger Muffins

As I write this I am realizing how very often I make/post about muffins and other breakfast pastries. But, it's nice for me to have a food to look forward to eating as my stomach grumbles at work and everything in sight is filled with butter, flour, and ridiculous amounts of processed sugar. It's comforting to know that I have something healthy to eat for the most important meal of the day.

These ginger carrot muffins are not only gluten-free, but also devoid of any butter, and are sweetened naturally by carrots and agave nectar. As a bonus, they are also packed with a lot of flavors and textures, and are super moist!

Carrot Ginger Muffins (gluten-free)
Makes 6 large or 12 regular-sized muffins


2/3 cup canola oil
6 oz shredded carrots
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 6 large muffin tins, or set up paper liners (like I used) on a baking sheet.*

In a medium bowl, stir together canola oil, carrots, eggs, agave, and vanilla. Set aside

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Stir into the medium bowl. Stir in walnuts (reserving a few if you wish to sprinkle them on top).

Divide batter evenly between the 6 baking cups. Sprinkle remaining walnuts on top of the muffins, if desired. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Turn off oven, prop open door, and leave muffins in there for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.


*Note: if you do not have a large muffin tin, you can bake 12 smaller muffins at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Still allow them to sit in the oven for 5 minutes after you've turned it off.

Perfect Buttercream Frosting

In the last month I've done quite a few cakes for people in my community: a fun pink baby gender reveal cake for a good friend, a whiskey cake for guys' pipe night, and a a few kids' birthday cakes; including these ones for a dinosaur-themed birthday party for the sweet little daughter of my friend, Julia.

The cake was lemon with blueberry filling, which I'm sure was fine, but the frosting (oh, the frosting!), was phenomenal.

I learned to make swiss meringue buttercream in my short stint in culinary school. The subtraction of a bit of butter (I know, it seems wrong to take away butter, but seriously, you were supposed to use a WHOLE POUND), and addition of powdered sugar and vanilla bean powder were welcome changes (it really is perfect now). And by welcome, I mean that making this frosting at 6:30 AM involved me eating leftover frosting with a spoon. I'm not proud.

If you make this frosting, it goes well on citrus-y cakes (especially orange), sandwiched between 2 cookies, and basically anything else onto which you'd want to put frosting. I hope you find it as bowl-licking-ly delicious as I do!

Perfect Buttercream Frosting
Makes enough to frost one two-layer 9" in round cake

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract)

Set a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water (about an inch worth-make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water).

Pour the sugar and egg whites, into the bowl and whisk constantly. Check the temperature every few minutes, while whisking, until it reaches 160 degrees F.

Pour hot sugar-mixture into a bowl of a mixture fitted with the whisk attachment (don't worry, guys, if you only have a hand mixer, it will work, too. It's more difficult but I did it this way for a year before I got my purple Kitchenaid mixer.) Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form and the mixture is cool.

With the mixer still running, add the butter, one piece at a time, until it is all fully incorporated. Add the vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract, if you don't have the obsession with the powder like I do!).

Turn off the mixer. Add the powdered sugar and turn the mixer on low and mix until fully incorporated.

Vantine's Day Blueberry Tartlets

All photos by Amy Beckler

Last week, I was blessed enough to be asked by the very talented wedding photographer, Amy Lashelle Beckler, if I would make some cute treats for a Valentine's day-themed photo shoot for her blog. I immediately jumped at the chance to have such beautiful photographs of desserts I'd made be part of her blog.

So I put together a few cute ideas, perfect for valentine's day, and I spent an hour outside in the freezing rain, moving things around to see what looked best, holding up scenery, and standing in awe of how she captured the beauty in something so simple as blueberry tartlets.

The deep purple color of these tartlets are perfect for Valentine's day. I hope you try them and have as much fun making them for someone as much as I enjoyed making and watching them be photographed. To see the rest of Amy's gorgeous pictures in this shoot, you can visit her website here.

Model: Janelle Ingram

Blueberry Tartlets (gluten-free)

1 1/3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons butter, cold
2 tablespoons shortening, cold (or you can use more butter, in a pinch)
1 egg, beaten

Throw all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until it all comes together. If you dont have a stand mixer, you can mix this with your hands too, Add the beaten egg after all of the other ingredients have been well-mixed.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set 12 miniature tart pans on a baking sheet.

Divide the chilled dough into 12 equal-sized balls and press into the bottom and up the sides of the mini tart pans. Prick the dough of each tart with a fork a few times.

Bake 10 minutes, until lightly golden.

Make the blueberry filling
2 cups frozen blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch


Heat blueberries, sugar, 1/2 cup water and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.


In the meantime, mix together the corn starch and 1 tablespoon cold water in a separate small bowl. Whisk into blueberry mixture. Return to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Turn off heat and let sit for 2 minutes. 


Divide filling evenly between the 12 baked and cooled tartlet shells. Cool completely in the refrigerator. Garnish with whipped cream and a blueberry, if desired. 

Triple Chocolate Cherry Brownies

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's probably about time to figure out what you're going to make for your loved one(s). I'm a big advocator of making something for valentine's day . . . it means more! Also, if you make your own edible gifts, maybe you won't come to where I work, meaning I have to frost one less sugar cookie or dip one less chocolate-covered strawberry :)

These brownies are pretty easy to make, but will be no less loved by the recipient(s) of them. Filled with dried sour cherries, cocoa powder, and both semi-sweet and white chocolate chips, these brownies are the perfect romantic treat for your honey.


Triple Chocolate Cherry Brownies
Makes one 8"x8" pan

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, separated
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup gf all-purpose flour (or regular)
1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dried sour cherries
1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" x 8" baking pan.

Stir together butter and 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is completely melted. Remove from heat.

Stir together all dry ingredients. Set aside.

Add sugar and eggs to the butter-chocolate mixture, stirring to incorporate quickly. Stir in dry ingredient mixture. Sir in remaining 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate and dried cherries.

Pour Mixture into greased pan. Bake about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Make the ganache


1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
a few drops pink food coloring (if desired)
a few drops cannola oil

Place semisweet chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat just until it simmers. Pour over bowl of chocolate. Let sit 5 minutes.

In the meantime, slowly heat the white chocolate chips, stirring often, until melted. Add food coloring and a few drops of cannola oil. Stir together until smooth. Place in a small plastic bag and snip off a corner.

Stir the cream and chocolate mixture until it is no longer streaky. Pour over cooled brownies and spread to smooth. If desired, pipe the white chocolate in a zig-zag pattern over the ganache. Cool in the refrigerate about an hour. Cut into squares.

*if you use regular flour, omit the xanthan gum

Cinnamon Roll Muffins (Gluten-Free)

Breakfast pastries may be the hardest to find in the gluten-free sector. It's probably because of the texture the gluten-causes; or the flakiness from all of the flour; or how yeast doesn't react as well in gluten-free flour; or something else, I'm not a scientist. So, when my friend Kora asked me if I could make gluten-free cinnamon rolls, I said yes, because, well, I always say yes, even though I wasn't actually sure. But I was going to figure it out.

A few months later, I made a first stab at it. I made traditional cinnamon rolls, merely substituting gluten-free all-purpose flour for the regular stuff. Long story short, it was a colossal failure.

Resisting all of my natural instincts to throw in the towel and move on to something I was actually good at making, I tried again, this time looking in my only gluten-free cookbook that had a cinnamon roll recipe. Knowing that they weren't going to be the big, gooey, cinnamon rolls of my gluten-filled days, I decided to try something similar to these monkey muffins from the lovely Pioneer Woman. 

Well, second time's the charm (that's how the saying goes, right?). I had some very successful cinnamon roll muffins with a gooey glaze and creamy cream cheese frosting. Now, I know that these aren't actually rolls, but I think calling the cinnamon muffins would make them sound just like, well, muffins. So here you have it, gluten-free cinnamon roll muffins. Enjoy!

 

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Adapted from Gluten-Free Baking Classics and The Pioneer Woman

Makes 12

1/2 cup milk, at 110 degrees F

1 tablespoon dry yeast

1 tablespoon sweet rice flour

1/4 cup sugar, separated

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix

1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir together milk, yeast, sweet rice flour, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a small bowl. Cover with a towel and set aside 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy.

Mix together baking mix, xanthan gum, and salt in a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add milk mixture, eggs, and oil. Mix just until blended. Scrape down bowl and mix on high speed for 3 minutes.

Lightly dust a clean work surface with white rice flour. Dump dough onto it, cover with a bit of flour, and form into a ball.

Place dough in a glass bowl greased with some melted butter. Brush the top with melted butter and cover loosely with a towel. Place in a warm place (of at least 80 degrees F-preheat an oven and then turn it off and prop the door open, if this is the only place you have). Let rest an hour.

Prepare the pans:

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Put 1 teaspoon of butter in each of the 12 muffin tins. Melt the rest and set aside.

Mix together brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Distribute half of the mixture between the buttered muffin tins. 

Take risen dough and pull off walnut-sized pieces of dough from he large hunk. Drop pieces into muffin tins until they're just above full. Melt the tops with the leftover melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar mixture.

Bake for 15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the glaze. Cool for 5 minutes. Prick the tops of each muffin a few times with a fork.

Prepare the glaze:

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons corn syrup.

Stir all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it boils. Pour over the baked cinnamon roll muffins. Remove from muffin tins.

Prepare the frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add milk until combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Warm the cream cheese frosting in the microwave, stirring often, just until it's pourable. Pour over the muffins.

*Note: these take a bit of time to make, so, if you're not going to get up at the crack of dawn to make these, they can be made the night before, sans frosting, warmed up in the oven wrapped in aluminum foil, and then covered in the frosting.