Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Tis the season of apples, pumpkins and earthy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin; although the rest of the family is; so I do bake with it on occasion.  However, not today!

Apples were a plenty on my counter this morning but they were getting close to being over ripe and I do so hate to waste.  What to bake?  What to bake????  I had a strong craving for a really good muffin.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a really good muffin.  Now that Rob has gone gluten free, I decided I’d make these so he could eat them too.

Along with the apples, I also had apple cider in the fridge since I made Firefly Confections Apple Pie Caramels on the weekend.  I wanted to make sure the muffins had the full apple flavour and incorporated both into the recipe.  I had some coconut oil in the pantry that I had originally bought to make homemade chocolate magic shell but never got around to it so I thought I’d give it a go in this recipe.  Don’t worry, there isn’t a strong coconut flavour.  I also used buttermilk because I had some in the fridge but you could totally use regular milk.  The rest seemed like regular muffin ingredients.  The topping doesn’t need to be added if you don’t want to add the extra sugar, but it does make them really tasty.

Recipe: GF Apple Cinnamon Muffins

• 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I use Cup4Cup)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp apple pie spice (just mix cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice if you don’t have)
• 2 cups chopped apples skin on. (2 medium sized Gala apples)
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat coconut oil until a liquid.  Warm milk in microwave for 30 seconds.  If the milk is cold, it will solidify the coconut oil.  Wisk together.
3. Wisk in the egg and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Add in apples and apple cider until just mixed.
6. Using a ice-cream scoop, scoop into prepared muffin pan.
7. Mix together the melted butter, cinnamon and sugar together.  Top each muffin with a tablespoon of the mixture.
8. Bake until knife inserted comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
9. Cool and enjoy!

The subtle apple flavours in the batter plus the big pieces of apple make this a really lovely treat.  The GF flour doesn’t change the consistency/texture of the muffin and it makes me happy that I can make treats for my hubby and my best friend, who is also GF.

If you don’t want to make these GF you don’t have too.  You can just replace the flour with all-purpose flour.  You could even split it with whole wheat flour for something completely different.

Now don’t worry, I won’t make all my treat’s gluten free but I will let you know if you can

Thank for looking!

Treat Day Wednesday–Quick & Easy Apple Turnovers

It’s 3pm on Treat Day and I’ve got nothing.  I just finished decorating 163 monogrammed cookies for a wedding and really didn’t want to make anything.  I opened the fridge and glory be, there are Pillsbury crescent rolls in the fridge!  Think, think!!

I grab and apple, chop it up, throw it into the sauce pan with some butter and sugar.  I take the dough, unroll it and decide that pinwheel turnovers are perfect.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes until golden brown, remove let cook a bit and then dust with some icing sugar.  Sometimes the quickest ideas are the best.

I’ve always claimed that using my brain when creating in the kitchen sometimes doesn’t go my way.  I just proved that, no thought was involved in the making of these awesome little tidbits!

So go into the kitchen and don’t think.  Just have fun!

Thanks for looking!

Happy St. Patty’s Day–Apple Cinnamon Cupcakes w/ Irish Cream Buttercream!

I must be on the mend because I woke up this morning with the need to bake.  It’s pretty funny considering we held an impromptu bonfire last night with our neighbours and while I have been known to stay our with the best of them, I went to bed at the crack of 10:30pm (which considering 8pm has been the latest in the last week).  Now I also haven’t been able to get up and eat anything but dry toast or saltines until today.  It’s a little funny because the rest of the group, including my husband were “overserved” and now today, since it’s St. Patty’s Day, I decided I’d make a nice treat for them all.  An apple cinnamon cupcake with an Irish Cream Buttercream.

Is that mean?  LOL

I have to say they are super yummy, a nice light cake with a really fluffy icing.  For fun I added melted chocolate shamrocks to make them complete!  I made some non-adult versions for the kids on the street too!

Recipe: Apple Cinnamon cupcakes

• 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
• 5 egg whites
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup apple sauce
• 3 cups flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream the sugar and butter, then add the egg whites. Add the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. Then, alternating between wet and dry, add the applesauce and flour mixture in two parts.
4. Using an icecream scoop, scoop into muffin tins.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Made about 21 cupcakes.
5. Cool completely before icing.

Irish Cream Vanilla Bean Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup crisco
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean
• 1 tbsp Irish Cream (or more depending on how thick or thin you want it)

1. Whip all together and ice cupcakes as desired.

Sometimes the best recipes come to me whilst I sleep, this is no different.

Happy St. Patty’s Day everyone!  I hope your year brings you love and wonder and may you find your pot of gold!

Thanks for looking!

Caramel Apple Spring Rolls

My inspiration for these came at the grocery store.  I happened upon the egg roll wrappers and thought they would make some great treats.  My first attempt is possibly my favourite fruit combination, apples and cinnamon.  Now you could probably use whatever you’d like, I’m betting chocolate would work well too!

Now these are really tasty, however, they don’t last over night.  I mean I ate one the next morning and it was good but they had lost the crunch factor. 

Here’s how it’s made.  I chopped up an apple and tossed it with some butter and brown sugar and then placed it in a sauce pan and cooked them until they became tender.  Then I took a egg roll wrapper and folded them up as per the packaging, sprayed them with a little oil and sprinkled with sugar.  Bake them at 350 until golden brown (you could deep fry them too :))  Let them cool a bit then enjoy!

Recipe:

• 1 apple sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• egg roll wrappers

1. Toss apples, butter and brown sugar and then saute until apples become tender.
2. Wrap in wrappers, spray with oil and sprinkle with sugar
3. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until browned.
4. Let cool and enjoy!

There are so many variations you could combine and would be wonderful!  So I hope you enjoy.

Thanks for looking!

Baked Apples with Blueberry Struesel

I’m trying to make simple, somewhat healthy desserts lately.  I mean I love a good old fashioned fatty, ooey gooey goodness dessert but since we are trying to be better I thought why not change up desserts.

Now apple and blueberry is probably one of my favourite fruit combinations especially when baked.  The apples get sweeter and the berries get tarter and the mixture is divine!  Add a little oatmeal streusel on top takes this dish a little farther!

Recipe:

• 4 apples
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 3 tbsp melted butter

1. Slice the top of the apple and core out the centre.
2. In separate bowl, mix oatmeal, flour, sugar and melted butter.
3. Add blueberries to oatmeal mixture.
4. Scoop mixture into centre of apples
5. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes
6. Serve warm!

These are so delicious and relatively healthy.  If you like your apples a little softer than bake longer.  I like a little crunch to mine.

Thanks for looking!

3.14

That’s Pi!  You know that silly little number everyone knows but few know why.  It’s also March 14th and an excuse to combine the two and celebrate with…

YES THAT’S IT… PIE!

So for those who need a quick refresher, PI is a mathematic constant that is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to it’s diameter.

HUH? Oh sorry, what was I thinking. You want the definition of the other PIE.  Pie is a baked good that uses pastry dough, usually in a circle dish that encases a filling either sweet or savoury. And for our purposes today, sweet!

When Dorothy at Crazy for Crust asked if I wanted to take part I immediately said yes.  I love a good play on words :)  I also immediately thought of this pie.  I’ve shared several pie recipes on here so I wanted something I hadn’t thought of in years.  My mother use to make this tart, a thinner version of pie, all the time.  It’s so simple too, which I love.

I’m sharing an apple apricot tart.

Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• large egg*
• 4 apples thinly sliced
• 1 jar apricot preserves

1. In food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, zest and butter.  Until it looks like oatmeal.
2. Combine the egg until it just starts to come together.  Press into tart shell.
3. Slice apples into thin slices and place into tart shell in circles.
4. Cover with apricot preserves
5. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with icing sugar
7. Enjoy!

{Nutrition Data per serving: Calories: 232; Carbs: 38g; Fat: 8g; Protein: 3g}

See! it’s so simple and oh so tasty.  I ate that piece and childhood memories came flooding back!

So hop around and join us for PIE day!

1. Bake it with Booze  Amaretto-Cherry / Brandied Apple with Cheddar Cheese Crumb
2. Kristin's kNook Caramel Apple Galettes
3. Something Swanky  Baltimore Bomb Pie
4. Crazy for Crust  Carrot Cake Pie
5. The Domestic Rebel  Grasshopper Thin Mint Pie
6. BruCrew Life  Banana Split Brownie Pie
7. Shugary Sweets  Irish Banana Cream Pie
8. Mandy's Recipe Box  Reese's Fudge Pie

Thanks for looking!

Linking with:
Cast Party Wednesday
Mrs Fox's Sweets
These Chicks Cook
Success U
Full Plate Thursday
It's a Keeper Thursday
Sweet Treat Thursday