Zucchini Carrot Muffins; Gluten Free

I make a lot of muffins for many reasons but especially because they are a great on-the-go snack.  On busy mornings if there is time for nothing else a muffin will at least get the day started on a healthy note, and will be filling since most of my recipes have nutritious ingredients packed in them. These muffins are perfect for this time of the year since zucchini is still abundant and the carrots at the farmer's markets are tender and delicious. Since they are so flavorful you will think of  them as a treat instead of a healthy muffin.

Notice the flecks of zucchini and carrot in the muffins

Recipe:

2 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup applesauce 

2 extra-large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk

In a large bowl mix the gluten free baking mix, oatmeal, sugar,salt, baking powder, and cinnamon.  In another bowl combine the rest of the ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine just until mixed.  Divide among 18 muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake 18-22 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over muffins prior to baking for added flavor and crunch.

For more recipes like this visit:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Gluten Free Skillet Peach Cake

This easy peach cake goes together very easily and makes for a rustic presentation when you use a cast iron skillet. The dessert is equal part cake and topping so it's nicely balanced. You get a bite of the moist cake, sweet peaches and crunchy topping in every mouthful. I make this cake when the peaches are fresh at the farm stand and are especially juicy and sweet.  It is perfect for summer outdoor parties because you can take it and serve it right from the skillet.

Recipe:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 extra-large egg, room temperature

3/4 cup All-Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

3 ripe peaches peeled and sliced tossed with 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a heavy 8-inch skillet with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl, beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients and add to the mixture alternating with the milk. Pour batter into the skillet and arrange the peach slices over the top in any pattern you like. 

Bake for 30 minutes then sprinkle the topping over the peaches and continue baking 10 more minutes until nicely browned. 

Topping: 

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup gluten free oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Mix in a small bowl with your fingers until crumbly.

Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon Vanilla Frosting

My daughter has been visiting cupcake trucks near where she works in the past few weeks and has been bring me samples of her favorites.  I loved some of them and others not so much. Recently she brought me a blueberry lemon one that I found dry and bland.  It inspired me to experiment making cupcakes using fresh blueberries and lemons with gluten free baking mixes. The results were really good. I began with the vanilla cake mix and added fresh lemon juice and berries.  The frosting was also simple using the vanilla mix made following the lemon version directions. The fresh lemon juice makes all the difference giving a nice brightness to the sweet cake taste and blueberries have that sweet tart flavor that is so delicious with lemon frosting.

I was also happy that the cost of these were a fraction of the truck cupcakes with out a lot of work!

I did go out and buy a cake decorating set for $10 to make the topping "fancy" but they will taste just as good if you simple spread the frosting on the cupcake. The simple blueberry on top makes a nice touch.

Recipe: 

1 Package Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix

1 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Jest of one lemon

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

3/4 Cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl mix the milk, lemon juice and zest and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the oil and the cake mix and blend until smooth, adding a little more lemon juice if too thick, batter should be pourable. Add the blueberries and stir until just combined.

Divide among 24 mini muffin tins lined with papers.  Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Let cool on wire racks for 25 minutes then remove and cool completely.

Frost with the Gluten Free Vanilla Frosting Mix using the directions for the lemon variation.

Top with a fresh blueberry if desired.

No Sugar Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

I have been blueberry picking a few times now over the summer and it has been fun making all my favorite blueberry recipes into gluten free baked goods. Recently I was looking through and old cookbook: "Jane Brody's Good Food Book, Living The High Carbohydrate Way" and came across a recipe for sugarless blueberry muffins that I have never tried before. I made them gluten free by substituting the flour with a gluten free all-purpose baking mix, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. I was really impressed with the results. As you can see they are bursting with berries and have a natural sweet taste from the orange juice.  I was also happy to calculate the calories in the muffin and figured out each one has only 150 calories for a  good size muffin.  Compared to the calories in a Dunkin Donut blueberry muffin with 460 calories and the reduce fat version with 410 for a similar size blueberry muffin. Even if you want a little extra sweetness with this muffin a tablespoon of regular jam is about 50 calories and this still keeps the calorie count at a reasonable level. So give them a try and enjoy a guilt free snack, that is also tasty.

For more blueberry recipes and other gluten free baked goods visit:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Blueberry Coffee Crumb Cake-Gluten Free

Blueberry Season is a great time to get out some of those old recipes that have been handed down for a few generations and try a new twist to make them even better. I find that the basics are already there, and with a few minor changes most of my old recipes can become new favorites.  This is a recipe my Husband's Aunt Betty gave me when we were first married.  It has lots of blueberries and the crust is delicious.  I made it gluten free by using a convenient baking mix and eliminated some of the butter in the topping, otherwise left it alone. It's still great for breakfast with a cup of coffee and also my kids love it with a big glass of milk!

For the recipe go to:http://www.mdillon.applybuilder.com/blueberry-coffee-crumb-ca.html

Blueberry Peach Crumble

A few days ago I went blueberry picking at a local farm that pretty much has acres and acres of blueberry bushes that have the most delicious berries. I find myself going there a few times during the months of July and August. I then come home and go over my recipes and make the family favorites to enjoy with the fresh berries. Of course half of the blueberries get eaten straight out of the refrigerator as snacks but they are so healthy that's okay. One of  my favorite desserts that I  make all year long are different types of  crumbles. They are so simple and work well with any fruit so they are good for all seasons, but this combination of blueberries and peaches is especially delicious and the fruit is available at the same time of the year.This recipe makes eating gluten free a breeze.

Blueberry Peach Crumble

1 cup blueberries

1 peach, skinned and diced

1 tablespoon Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

1/2 teaspoon Lemon zest

1  teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon sugar

Combine all above ingredients and let sit while you make the topping.

 Topping:

1/3 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Mix the all-purpose baking mix, sugars, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add butter and mix with an electric mixer or your fingers until crumbly.

Put fruit into a 5" x 5" square baking dish or two individual size ramekins  Sprinkle topping over fruit to cover.  Bake 40 minutes @350 degrees until bubbling and golden brown on top. 2 servings

For other delicious gluten free recipes go to:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com

Gluten Free Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins

It's that time of the year again, Blueberry Picking. As a little girl when my family lived near Boston we would go into the city and always stop at the Jordan Marsh Store to get a blueberry muffin before we started our shopping day. Over the years I have made different attempts to re-create this muffin with some success, but now that I had the original recipe I was so excited to make them and do a gluten free version at the same time. 

 Here in Connecticut there are many towns that have the most wonderful blueberry farms that grow huge blueberry bushes that supply me with as many blueberries to make all my favorite recipes, as well as enough to freeze for later. It's  fun to go early in the morning (cooler) and taste as you pick. I really appreciate the quality of fresh picked berries, but if you don't live in an area where blueberry picking is available or it's just not your thing, farmer's markets are a great source for delicious fruit and sometimes supermarkets have pretty good berries in season as well.

There is something that sets this muffin above the average muffin you get in a bakery, it could be that it is just very simple and doesn't have any fancy ingredients, not even some lemon or cinnamon so the true taste of the blueberries shine. 

The recipe was  included in this article for a reason. So make a batch and enjoy  the experience so many people savored when the store was open. These were a special treat many years ago and soon will become a family favorite, I know I am happy!!  

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 extra large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk 

2 cups blueberries

sugar for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup regular muffin pan and a 12 cup mini muffin pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl mix gluten free all-purpose baking mix, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl mix with an electric mixer combine the butter and sugar until fluffy  Add the eggs one at a time until batter is smooth, blend in the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture to the batter alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.  Don't over mix.  Fold in the blueberries gently just until combined.  

Divide the batter among the 12 regular and 12 mini muffin pans filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops with a little sugar.  Bake the regular muffins for 27 minutes and the mini muffins 12-15 minutes until golden.

For other recipes like this go to:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com