Gluten-Free Baked Donuts

I was searching for a baked donut recipe that could easily be converted to gluten-free. I didn't want to mess with yeast or an array of GF flours either.  I wanted it simple, tasty and easy to prepare.

Persistence paid off because I located a recipe that fit all of my criteria without any gluten-free changes required. It was already done for me and was such a simple recipe that I couldn't wait to test it out.  Testing was a huge success! I now have a new favorite donut recipe that I will make again and again.

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins

I stumbled upon this gorgeous muffin recipe while surfing foodgawker the other day.  The photo lured me in and once I saw the ingredients list I was hooked.

Now, as is the norm for me, I switched things up a bit - adding some extra spices and going with my all-time fave Agave Nectar as sweetener.

These muffins are light, moist and taste just like banana bread.  Consider tossing in some mini dark chocolate chips or chopped walnuts too. They would make great additions to this yummy baked treat.

Banana Vanilla Protein Shake

As we all know, maintaining healthy eating goals can be challenging. Moderation is always key but so is great taste. How many times have you opted for the "healthier" choice and been disappointed with the the taste and texture? I cannot even begin to count the times I have had that experience especially when it comes to protein drinks. Some are just nasty - loaded with a granular texture and a wicked chalky aftertaste.

I make my own protein shakes and rarely buy pre-made. I just think homemade "anything" tastes better than store bought. This recipe for a Banana Vanilla Protein Shake puts prepackaged ones to shame.

A protein shake recipe on a baking blog?  I know, I get the disconnect but you see usually I would have posted a recipe like this on my other blog: A Baker's Journey on Low Carb but it isn't low carb given the banana ingredient. 

This recipe is too good not to share and I think it warrants a spot here on Lemon Drop for that very reason. After you try it you will agree !

Spelt Banana Bread

I know, I have a slew of banana bread recipes here on Lemon Drop but this one is a tad different.  Plus the recipe is accidentally well-timed as today is National Banana Bread Day!

This golden quick-bread is egg-free, dairy free and made with spelt flour.  It is sweetened with honey and has the added moisture of 3 big ole bananas, some glorious grapeseed oil and last but not least, unsweetened applesauce.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I am always searching for great gluten-free recipes and trying out my own creations too.  Granted, several are dismal failures and many gluten-free bakers will relate to this - those muffins that didn't rise, the hockey puck cookies, the sticky and gooey cakes.

The fact is that when you start messing around with xanthan or guar gum you will most likely run into issues. Some baked goods will be too pasty or too heavy.
It is truly trial and error.

I am happy to say that this recipe only took one attempt and I had SUCCESS!

Applesauce Spice Muffins

The work / school week started off with muffins and ended with muffins. We kicked off Monday with deep, dark and delicious Double Chocolate muffins and welcomed in Friday with the flavors of fall. These glorious little cakes are moist with applesauce and spiced with the flavors of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.

A wonderful way to ensure a moist crumb is to use applesauce whenever you can. There isn't a hint of dryness in these little babies! Plus, the apple flavor is truly heightened with the addition of all those "apple pie" spices we have loved since childhood.

I made these at 6 AM today and they were ready in 1/2 hour. So by my math, the prep time took no more than 10 minutes and they were baked to perfection in 20 minutes. To save yourself cleanup time, line your muffin cups with liners. These are parchment fluted liners but any muffin liner will work well. I love the parchment liners because they peel off so easily and are a nice change visually as well.

For this recipe, use unsweetened applesauce only. The sugar adds the required sweetness. I used a finer ground turbinado sugar for the batter and a coarse turbinado sugar for the topping. If you prefer, use a light brown sugar in the batter at a 1:1 ratio. The taste will pretty much be the same. Do not use white sugar. You will lose so much flavor if you go that route.

I like the texture and flavor of this brand
but any sugar free applesauce should do the trick

So are you ready? Let's get baking !

RECIPE:
*altered source recipe: Applesauce Spice Muffins, Epicurious.com

WHAT YOU NEED

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup turbinado sugar (not coarse ground)
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened applesauce

coarse turbinado sugar and cinnamon for topping

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 400F
LINE 12 muffin cups with paper liners

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 7 ingredients
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together eggs and sugar
ADD butter and applesauce to egg mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined
FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients blending just until combined

USING your ice cream scoop, add one scoop of batter to each muffin cup
SPRINKLE tops with turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon
BAKE 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

REMOVE immediately from muffin tray and place muffins on cooling rack

SUPERB WARM AND FRESH FROM THE OVEN !


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Vanilla Jam Donut Muffins

This week I am baking from Anna Olson's cookbook Sugar. I love this cookbook and it has been part of my collection for several years now.

I have tested many recipes from this cookbook all with great success. The book is divided into sections based on ingredients which is unique because most publishers prefer to break up segments based on type of dessert (cakes, cookies, bars, etc). Anna has an entire section dedicated to vanilla and that is where I ventured today.

To start off my baking extravaganza for the week I decided to try out Anna's recipe for Vanilla Jam Muffins which in essence are donut muffins filled with a dollop of your preferred jam.

The key to success with this recipe is to choose a thick jam. Do not go with runny or you will have a "puddly" mess instead of a fluffy, sweet, jam filled breakfast treat.

This recipe makes a lot of batter. Though it states it makes 12 muffins it made 18 for me and I had the liners filled to the top. They don't overflow and make a mess either. They puff up nicely and result in perfect muffins tops.

The crowing glory is the topping. After they are baked you simply dip the tops in melted butter then in a sugar/cinnamon blend. This step really is important as it creates that donut flavor we all love.

I did alter her recipe as I went along. I wanted to use my new vanilla bean paste so went that route (along with pure extract) versus steeping beans in warm milk. I also found that the recipe called for a large quantity of nutmeg: 1 teaspoon. I added 1/2 teaspoon instead. I find nutmeg is a wonderful addition but be careful with the amount. Too much can overpower all the other flavors.

I also filled a few with Nutella instead of jam for my daughter who loves Nutella. They turned out very well too and she was one happy kid. Happy Kid = Happy Mommy!

So let's get started!

It's muffin time !

RECIPE:
*source recipe, Vanilla Jam Muffins, Sugar by Anna Olson

WHAT YOU NEED

MUFFINS

1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cups vegetable oil (neutral flavor)
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup jam (thick variety)

TOPPING

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 12 muffin cups with paper liners

IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together first 6 ingredients
IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together remaining muffin ingredients except jam
FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients blending just til combined. Do not overmix!

FILL muffin cups 2/3 full with batter
SPOON tablespoon jam on top of each muffin
TOP with muffin batter filling to top of paper liners

BAKE 35-40 minutes (do not over bake or bottoms will be dry). Mine were perfect at 35 minutes
LET cool in pan 5 minutes
TRANSFER to cooling rack

PREPARE two bowls for toppings: one with melted butter, one with combined sugar and cinnamon
DIP warm muffin tops in melted butter then in sugar/cinnamon mix

DIG IN !

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Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes for One

Why a recipe just for one today? Well, I ended up eating later than the rest of the family today and was on my own. I started contemplating what to eat "solo". I am sure many of us find ourselves in that situation from time to time and a bowl of cereal or a bagel just won't cut it. Why do we have to wait for a family meal or a breakfast out to enjoy pancakes? Wait no more!

I love pancakes but let's face it, most recipes bake up enough to feed a small country. I didn't want to start messing with reducing ingredients with the hopes of getting that "just right" consistency on a scaled down version of our family favorite Banana Sour Cream Pancakes.

Plus I was craving, and I mean CRAVING, blueberries. I had about 1 cup left over from the weekend and knew that would be a superb amount for pancakes. Now add that to pancakes for one and you have puffed up blueberry pillows !

The original recipe can be found at Healthy Food for Living. I did stray from the recipe a tad adding extra flavorings as I went along. For some reason though my batter did not look remotely like the batter photos on the source recipe blog site. It was far thinner. Next time I will add a bit more flour to get the desired consistency.

Top these guys off with pure maple syrup and you have a single serving delight on your hands! In fact, this recipe would feed 2 as it made 6 pancakes when I tested it out today. Add a side of turkey bacon and boom, you are in heaven!

So brew yourself a cuppa and let's get crackin' !

p.s. My apologies for the lack of photos.
It was early and my ability to stand steady enough
to take anything without blur was a challenge!

RECIPE:
*source recipe: Buttermilk Pancakes for One, Healthy Food for Living

WHAT YOU NEED

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
tiny pinch of salt
1 egg white
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk, well-shaken
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 cup fresh blueberries, preferably organic
canola oil cooking spray
pure maple syrup, preferably grade B

MAKE IT

IN MEDIUM MIXING BOWL, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
IN LARGE MIXING BOWL, whisk together the egg white, buttermilk and orange blossom water.
STIR dry ingredients into the wet just until moistened.
FOLD blueberries into batter. Set aside to rest - 5 minutes should be sufficient.
HEAT a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray.
WHEN HOT, spoon the batter into the skillet by the 1/4 cupful.
WHEN BUBBLES APPEAR on the surface of the batter, (about 1-2 minutes), the pancakes are ready to be flipped.
FLIP pancakes and let cook for another minute or so, or until golden brown.
SERVE with maple syrup.

GREAT SERVED WITH A SIDE OF BACON OR HAM
ENJOY!

Blueberry Orange Muffins

I cannot get enough of blueberries lately. It doesn't hurt that they are selling at incredible prices right now in the grocery stores too. I had another large pint aching to be eaten and today I was craving a muffin for breakfast. That craving led me to this glorious recipe and in turn, a perfect Friday morning breakfast. I had a fresh muffin within 1/2 hr from start to finish.

Most people add lemon zest to blueberry baked goods and hey, I am not knocking it at all. But sometimes switching things up a bit can add a fantastic fresh take on things. Today was one of those days. Instead of lemon zest I added the zest of an orange. A wonderful flavor enhancer when paired with plump and juicy blueberries.

To top these off, I sprinkled 1/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar on each one right before baking. The result is a golden and crunchy topping that is absolutely delicious.



So let's get started!

RECIPE:
adapted source recipe: Family Circle, Ultimate Comfort Food Cookbook

WHAT YOU NEED

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar plus more for topping muffins before baking
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola works well - stick with a neutral flavor)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup fresh blueberries

MAKE IT

PREHEAT OVEN to 375F
LINE muffin tin with paper liners. This recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 7 dry ingredients
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together remaining ingredients except blueberries
FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined
GENTLY fold in blueberries
FILL LINERS to top with batter
SPRINKLE 1/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar over top of each muffin

BAKE 23 minutes. Toothpick inserted in center should come out clean
COOL in pan 5 minutes
REMOVE and cool completely on cooling rack

ENJOY !

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