Chocolate Zucchini Doughnuts

Doughnuts are something my whole family loves but the gluten free doughnuts the stores offer leave something to desire. I did buy myself doughnut pans in both regular and mini doughnuts and the long ones are on my wishlist. The ingredients used in these doughnuts make them perfect breakfast food along with a glass of cultured coconut milk. 

Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Zucchini Doughnuts
adapted from BruCrew

What you need:
1/2 cup dairy free butter softened
2/3 brown sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 6oz carton dairy free yogurt (I used vanilla almond yogurt)
1 cup zucchini, shredded
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Shortbread cookie mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup dairy free mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the salt, applesauce, yogurt, milk, and zucchini and continue to combine. Sift together the cookie mix, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Slowly add to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. 

Spoon the doughnut butter into a large ziplock bag and cut one tip off. Fill the doughnut pan cavities at least 3/4 full. Bake at 375* for 10-12 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To serve top with powder sugar or dairy free whipped cream, try this one or use this, with fresh fruit.

Wonderful Wednesday - Filled Cupcakes

 

I don't know about your family but my boys long for things they see others eating. Cameron has been asking since before we were gluten free if I would make filled cupcakes. So, yesterday while he was in school I decided to try to make some. I was almost late picking him up from school but when he leaned why he was so excited to try one. The cupcake recipe is based off of this one from Elena's Pantry but I used what I had on hand.

Chocolate Filled Cupcakes
What you need for cupcakes:

1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1/4 cup dairy free butter substitute
1/3 cup sugar

What you need for the filling:
MimiCream Healthy Top
1 tsp vanilla
powder sugar to taste

What you need for the chocolate top:
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
1 tsp coconut cream

Directions:
Put the Healthy Top into the fridge and a metal mixing bowl into the freezer. Mix together the dry ingredients until combined. Add in the eggs, butter substitute and sugar mixing after each addition. Line 6 muffin tins with liners and add the batter to them. Bake at 350 degrees for 19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and making filling.

Remove the mixing bowl out of the freezer and the Healthy Top from the fridge. Add the Healthy Top to the mixing bowl and whip on high speed till thick. Add the vanilla and powder sugar if desired and whip till combined.

When the cupcakes are cooled take a sharp knife and hallow out the center leaving a plug for the middle. I ran my knife around in a circle and then at an angle to pop the middle out. Fill each cupcake with 1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp of the healthy top filling and add saved cupcake piece back into the middle. When all six are filled combine the chocolate chips and coconut cream in a small dish. Melt in the microwave 15 seconds at a time till melted and smooth. Frost each cupcake with the chocolate making sure the filling does not show. Add a few spoonfuls of the Healthy Top mixture to a zip top bag and clip the corner off to make a pastry bag. Pipe the swirl design onto the top of each cupcake. You can practice on wax paper before you pipe the cupcakes. Enjoy!

I think these would be a hit at school!

Wonderful Wednesday - Campers Doughnuts

This is a post that I am very excited to share with you. When Angela from Angela's Kitchen and I started talking about the Gluten Free Camping Series I knew I had to make doughnuts. Camper doughnuts are a staple for most camping trips and I have fond memories of making them as a child. The basic gluten filled campers doughnuts are simple and use canned biscuit dough, which is then fried in oil. Since there is no pre-made gluten and dairy free biscuit dough I had to figure out from scratch.
Before we start a few notes on cooking with oil over an open fire.
1. Have a tight fitting lid close by.
2. Don't wear lose clothing and have your hair pulled back.
3. Make sure you have everything you need before you start.

Make doughnut shape with wet hands.

Long tongs are key for flipping over the campfire.

Blueberry Lemon Campers Doughnuts
What you need:
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit & Baking Mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbs oil
1 cup dairy free milk with 4 Tbs lemon juice (let sit 5 minutes)
2 tsp orange extract
1/4 cup mashed blueberries
1 cup whole blueberries
Bowl of water to dip your hand in.

Directions:
Combine the baking mix and sugar together and make sure to break any lumps up. Add the egg, oil, orange extract, milk and mashed blueberries to the baking mix and stir to combine. Gently fold in the remaining blueberries.
For frying in oil
Heat 2 or 3 inches of oil in a large dutch oven either over a fire or camping stove. Test the oil to see if it is hot enough by dropping in a small ball of dough. You want the dough to float in the oil and sizzle not sink to the bottom. Fry till golden brown on either side using a fork or wood skewer to flip. Remove from oil when golden brown and set on a plate with paper towels to drain. You can also place them in a bag with either powder sugar or cinnamon and sugar and shake to cover.
You can also leave out the blueberries and make lemon doughnuts that turn out just as good as the blueberry ones.
If you don't want to fry the doughnuts you can bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes turning the doughnut pan half way through.

They are even yummy baked!

Misc. Monday - Ice Cream Cones!!

I teased you all a while back with a picture of a homemade ice cream cone that is gluten and dairy free. After much work and tweaking I am ready to share it with you. These cones are crunchy even the next morning and have such a light flavor you can't tell that they are gluten free. My neighbors who are not gluten free ask for them if I make dairy free ice cream and they are so good I was doing a happy dance last night. It was the first ice cream cone I had eaten in over a year since going gluten free and I was in heaven eating it last night. My kids loved waking up and finding them filled with fruit for breakfast and still just as crisp as they were when I made them.

Gluten and Dairy Free Ice Cream Cones
What you need:

1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose flour  
1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut flour
4 T butter or butter substitute melted
1 tsp Almond extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Directions:

You can leave them flat too!

Sift together the all purpose flour, hazelnut flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Make a hole in the middle and add the butter, eggs and almond extract. Mix to combine. Preheat your waffle cone maker (I have this one) according to the directions. Place a tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half in the middle of the waffle cone maker and close the lid. Cook the waffles for one minute or until they are lightly brown. I have a pair of salad tongs that are flat which I use to pick up the edge of the waffle cone. Use the provided cone and roll the waffle cone into a cone shape using the table or counter to help. When cooled store in an air tight bag and take as much air as possible out of the bag. You can then serve them with ice cream, fruit or make them into camping cones. What are you going to try first?

Wonderful Wednesday - Orange Brownies

This summer Angela from Angela's Kitchen and myself have been doing a gluten free camping series. I have also teamed up with Bob's Red Mill to work on a camping series with them as well. (I camp all summer so this is what we really eat!) Today's recipe/technique is a bit different but is tons of fun. We are going to bake our brownies in an orange. Yep an orange and it really turns out yummy.

Orange Campfire Brownies
What you need:
1 Bob's Red Mill gluten free brownie mix
3/4 cup warm water
2 tsp orange extract
1 egg
3/4 cup melted butter
12 - 14 oranges

Directions:
Cut the top off an orange and run a knife around the inside edge of the orange. You want to get most of the orange out because that is what we bake in. There will be some left in the bottom that you can't easily get out and that is alright. You can also try a grapefruit spoon but it works about as well as the knife does. After you have the orange hollowed out place the lid back on the top and repeat with the rest of the oranges. When all the oranges have been hollowed out make the brownie batter as directed on the package, substituting the orange extract for the vanilla. Fill each orange almost full with the brownie batter and tap gently to help batter settle in. Top with the top slice of orange peel and wrap with foil, making sure to keep the orange upright. Next place the oranges around the coals of the fire and turn every 2 1/2 to 5 minutes depending on the heat of your fire. They bake 12-20 minutes depending on the heat of your fire. They will still look wet on top of the brownie but that is from the orange top. Let cool a few minutes and enjoy!

They were voted as yummy.

Freezer Friendly - White Chicken Chili

This is another classic that is out of our cooking rotation that is an easy meal for during the week. To make it extra special you can add the cornmeal dumplings that follow.

Chicken Chili with dumplings and cheese.

White Chicken Chili
What you need:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 4oz can of diced green chilies 
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cups chicken broth
2 (15.5 ounce) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

Directions:

In a large pot combine the oil, garlic, green chilies and onion and saute until the onion is soft. Next add the broth, beans, cilantro, lime juice, cumin and cooked chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. If freezing let cool and freeze in zip top bags or jars.

To Serve:
Thaw the white chicken chili and warm over medium low heat in a large pot. You can stir in sour cream, radishes, salsa or raw onion if desired. It is also wonderful with the cornmeal dumplings.

Cornmeal dumplings
What you need:

1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread mix
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup boiling water

Very stiff dough!

Add them in.

Directions:
Mix together the cornbread mix and the salt in a large glass bowl. Carefully add in the boiling water and stir until a firm dough starts to come together. You will need to kneed the dough with your hands to work in the last of the cornbread mix. It will all absorb in to make a very stiff dough. Next take the dough and roll into quarter size balls. When you have all the dough rolled into balls carefully add them one at a time into the simmering chicken chili. Cover with a tight fighting lid and let cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Do not open the lid while they are cooking except to check how they are cooking after 15 minutes have passed. They make the chili nice and thick and round out the meal nicely.

All done simmering.