My Almost Famous Holiday Cranberry Sauce!

Gluten-Free Maple Banana Walnut Cupcakes

       Okay, I just have to say I can’t wait for you to try these cupcakes!!!  They may be my most popular dessert creation yet.  They sold out in  just a few hours!  Customers bought them, ate them, then quickly returned to buy more before I sold them all.  If you love the delicious combination of maple-y goodness, crunchy walnuts, and classic banana flavor, then this is a NO FAIL dessert for you.  Not a fan of cupcakes?  That's okay, just use two 9" round cake pans instead.  Although I don't know why you wouldn't like cupcakes...

  
You'll need:

1/2 cup Kerrygold butter- Salted

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp maple extract

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill coconut flour

1 ½ tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 1/3 cup ripe banana, mashed

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup walnuts, chopped

       Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare two round jumbo sized muffin tins by greasing.

       In a medium bowl, cream the Butter, sugars, and extracts until light and fluffy.  Then add in eggs and whip together.

    Combine the maple syrup, milk, and banana then set aside until needed.

       In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Then stir into the creamed mixture a little at a time, alternating with the banana mixture.  Finally, fold in the walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for about 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

       Once the cupcakes have finished baking, allow to cool for about five minutes in the pans before transferring to a cooling rack.

       To assemble cupcakes:

        Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, core out the centers using either a coring tool or butter knife.  After you’ve cored out about an inch of cupcake from the centers, scoop the prepared filling into a piping bag and squeeze into the centers of each cupcake.

Maple Crème Frosting

 

1 cup Kerrygold butter

1/2 cup palm shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp maple extract

1 Tsp vanilla extract

       In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whip the shortening and butter until fluffy.  Whip in one cup of powdered sugar and extracts, followed by the second cup of powdered sugar. Finally, whip in the last cup of powdered sugar, adding a splash of cream if needed.  

       After filling the cupcakes, spread the rest of the frosting generously across the top of each cupcake.  You can garnish by drizzling with a touch of maple syrup.

       Enjoy!

Cinnamon Cream Pumpkin Spice Muffins DDK EP 12

Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles

       For some reason I’m having an urge to make candy lately!  Maybe I’m just getting excited for thanksgiving, and all of the joy that day brings for me!  Whatever the reason that inspires you to make this delicious mint treat, I know you’re going to enjoy it...as long as you don’t mind getting your hands a little messy!

You’ll need:

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 tsp mint extract

-

Coating

1 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp dark cocoa

Prepare a large cookie sheet by covering with a piece of parchment paper.  Set aside until needed.

     Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl.  In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once the cream comes to a boil, remove from heat, stir in the mint extract, then pour over the chocolate chips.

       Let this sit for several minutes.  Then whisk briskly until the chocolate is smooth.  Refrigerate (uncovered) for about a hour to allow the chocolate to become somewhat firm. 

      Drop generous spoonfuls of chocolate onto the prepared baking.  I used a  heaping tablespoon for each.  Return to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

With (clean!) hands, roll the chocolate into balls.  Mix the powdered sugar and cocoa in a  shallow bowl, then roll the chocolate balls in the coating, being sure to cover the truffle completely.  Return to baking sheet and allow them to chill until set, which should take about 30 minutes.

       Now it’s time to sit back with a glass of chilled eggnog, and take a bite of this delicious goodness!

Vegan Gluten-Free Sliced Almond Pumpkin Spice Carrot Cake

       I just adore a lovely slice of carrot cake!  But since it's pumpkin season, I decided why not do a mash-up of two delicious flavors in one amazing cake?  So today I bring you a dessert that ended up being very popular in my store…Sliced Almond Pumpkin Spice Carrot Cake!

You'll need: 

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 ¼ cups coconut oil, melted 

2 cups sugar 

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

-
1 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour

1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Flour

2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

2  tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp clove

1 tsp nutmeg

-

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup Sliced Almonds

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup golden raisins

       Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two 9” round pans by greasing and lining with 9” parchment paper.

       In a medium bowl, combine together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and extracts.

       In a separate bowl, mix together flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and Spices. Then slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Next, fold in the carrots and coconut, followed by sliced almonds and raisins.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for about 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

       Once the cakes have finished baking, allow them to cool before assembling.

Cinnamon Crème Frosting

1 ½ cups coconut palm shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp of Cinnamon

1 tbsp vanilla extract

coconut milk, as needed

       In a bowl using an electric mixer, whip the Shortening until smooth.  Add in one cup of powdered sugar and cream until the mixture is thick and crumbly.  Next, mix in the vanilla, Cinnamon, and a splash of coconut milk then whip until smooth.  Add in another cup of  powdered sugar followed by another splash of coconut if needed.  Repeat this step, using the last of the sugar.

              Assemble the two-layer cake by placing a generous amount of frosting on the bottom layer, then placing the second cake on top of it.  Use the rest of the frosting to cover the whole cake.  Enjoy!

Vegan Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cream Chocolate Candy

   

This weekend, on a whim, I decided I really wanted some kind of chocolate.  And peanut butter.  Better yet, a chocolate and peanut butter creation. But instead of my normal go-to cake, this time I decided to whip up a batch of candies.  If you’ve never made this type of dessert before, don’t worry, they're super simple and easy to make.  I'll show you how you can whip up this chocolaty goodness in no time flat...

You’ll need:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup palm shortening

2 1/2  cups powdered sugar

2 cups vegan chocolate chips

Prepare a large cookie sheet by covering with parchment paper.

       In a large bowl with an electric mixer, whip the shortening and peanut butter until fluffy.  Beat in one cup of powdered sugar, then the second cup of powdered sugar.  Finally, mix in the last half cup and whip until smooth. 

       You can use either a double boiler or a microwave for this next step.  Melt the chocolate chips, stirring until they reach a smooth consistency.  Allow the chocolate to cool just enough that it won’t melt the peanut butter, but is still a pourable consistency.

        Next, use a spoon to scoop up a small amount of the peanut butter mixture, then carefully dip that into the chocolate.  Be sure to completely cover the peanut butter!  We want the chocolate all over that little baby. Place the peanut butter ball onto the covered cookie sheet. 

       Continue this process until you’ve used up all of the peanut butter mixture.  Put the cookie sheet into the fridge and allow to cool until the chocolate hardens.

       Now just serve and enjoy this delicious little treat!  

Hug A Fat Month!

I would first like to thank Chocolate-Covered Katie for coming up with this amazing celebration!

 I personally can’t believe how many people are afraid of fats. I personally believe our bodies need fat to be healthy and balanced. My personal favorite has to be AVOCADOS!!! I love them in any and every form. Grilled, stuffed, as guacamole, and even plain with a dash of salt.

 Be sure to share your favorite fat with Chocolate-Covered Katie and while you’re at it post it below as well.