Dessert!



What can I say? I have a sugar addiction and hardly a week goes by when I don't bake something.  It is one of my favorite forms of procrastination. Becoming wheat and dairy free did originally hinder my sweet tooth but no more!  This blog entry includes recipes for cupcakes and cookies.  Inevitably more desert recipes will follow. 

Don't like my recipe selection? No worries.  Send me a request or take just about any recipe and substitute Earth Balance for butter, a milk alternative (soy, rice, almond, coconut) for milk, and rice flour for all-purpose flour.  I'll often mix in other flours depending on the taste or texture I want but rice is normally the base.  If you really like baking, do yourself a favor and invest in an electric grain mill. 
 
Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting (that happen to be vegan)

Quantity: 12



Photo by Travis Stevens



These are slightly denser than other cupcakes but are still tasty.  If you want bigger cupcakes, fill muffin tins until they are about 3/4s full, but you will have less than 12 cupcakes if you go this route.  Also, I tend to use what I have on hand. What I used this time is what is written.  *Items in parentheses are what the recipe actually calls for. 

Ingredients

1C. coconut milk (soymilk*)

1/3 C. vegetable oil

1/2 -3/4 C. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract (+1/4tsp almond*)

1/4 C. tapioca flour
1 C.  rice flour (1/2 C. rice flour*, 1/2 C. quinoa flour*)
1/3 C. cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

NOTE: for vanilla cupcakes use almond or masa flour instead of cocoa.

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine coconut milk, oil, sugar and vanilla.

2. In another bowl combine dry ingredients.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well.

4. Fill greased or lined muffin tins about halfway (more for taller muffins, but less of them).  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

5. For frosting, beat together 1/4 C. shortening with 1/4 C. margerine.  Add 1 3/4 C. powdered sugar and beat.  Add  3/4 tsp vanilla and up to 1/8 C. of soymilk until frosting is fluffy and to the consistancy you want.

6. Frost muffins once they are totally cool with room-temperature frosting.

Photo by: Travis Stevens

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
adapted from the Quaker oatmeal cookie recipe
Quantity: 3 1/2 dozen







Ingredients
1 C. butter (earth balance), softened
3/4 to 1 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C. rice flour (all white or 1C. white rice flour + 1/2 C. brown rice flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 C. oats
1 C. raisins

 Directions
1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Beat butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat.
4. In a separate bowl combine flour(s), baking soda, cinnamon & salt.  Stir this into the wet ingredients
5. Stir in oats and raisins.
6. Drop by tablespoon full on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute and remove to wire rack to cool completely.