Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Muffins in a hurry

 I don't often use pre-packaged gluten-free flour, but I sometimes have a little bit of fun with this one:

https://www.cuisinelangelique.com/en/products/flour-all-purpose-gluten-free

I like the texture of the baked good it generates, and when I am in a big hurry, it can be nice to just scoop a couple cups of this. Otherwise, to make 2 cups, I will probably do 2/3 cups sorghum flour, 1/3 cup millet or brown rice flour, 1/3 cup chickpea flour (or extra 1/3 cup oat flour if you want to avoid chickpea here), 1/3 cup oat flour, and 1/6 cups potato starch and 1/6 cup tapioca starch.  A good rule of thumb for swapping out flours when following recipes is to try to swap out flours of similar texture. For example, if a recipe calls for oat flour, you can swap in sorghum instead. If a recipe calls for rice, you can swap in millet, or even buckwheat. 

Anyway, I went with this golden bag of flour, bolstering it with a little almond flour and a little chickpea flour, and the result was great. Delicate crumb, nice loft, gently sweet, very satisfying little muffins. 

equipment needed:

measuring cups

measuring spoons

2 mixing bowls

whisk

mixing spoon

baking trays and silicone muffin cups

or 

muffin trays and silicone or paper muffin cups

4 tbsp muffin scoop (or soup spoon)

silicone scraper

oven 

oven mitts

cooling racks

ingredients:

a)

2 cups water

1/4 cup avocado oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

b)

1 cup coconut sugar

c)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp tonka bean powder

1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder

1/2 tsp himalayan salt

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp cream of tartar 

1 tsp baking soda

d)

1/3 cup almond flour

1/3 cup chickpea flour

2 cups cuisine l'angélique gluten free flour blend

1 cup large flake rolled oats

e)

1 1/2 cups fair trade chocolate chunks

f) 

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top

chocolate chunks to put on top

directions:

1. preheat oven to 375, prepare trays (grease your muffin trays if you are not using silicone muffin cups)

2. in one mixing bowl, combine all ingredients from part a)

3. in the second mixing bowl, combine all the ingredient from parts b), c), d), and use a whisk to ensure everything is homogeneously distributed

4. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix with the whisk

5. when fully mixed, and thickened up a little, add e) and mix with a spoon

6. scoop 1/4 cup into each muffin cups (should make 24) -- and put 12 on each tray with space between them.

7. sprinkle a little coconut sugar on top of each one, then top that with a couple of chocolate chunks

8. bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until they feel firm but not hard, swapping the position of the trays halfway through the bake

9. remove from oven to cooling racks, and allow to cool

10. when largely cool, remove from the muffin trays or silicone cups, and allow to fully cool

Little Chocolate Biscuits -- gluten free, plant-based simplicity

These little chocolate biscuits are kissing cousins with my little oat wafers. They are neither quite so simple, nor quite so homey. These are still a down-to-earth tea cookie, but you can also imagine them with ice cream. 

The light, crunchy texture is very pleasing, and there is some flexibility with regards to ingredients. You'll see!!

Because I roll these out into a large rectangle on a silicone mat, then draw lines into the dough with a spastic spatula, they are quick and easy to make. Rolled shape cookies are great, but a  lot of work. So, you do you, but I am very happy to make these as basic as possible. That being said, you can certainly cut them into any shape you like on the silicone mat as well. I just happen to like the little triangles with fork holes in them. Why? I do not know.

equipment needed:

mixing bowls

mixing spoons

measuring cups

measuring spoons

silicone mat or baking parchment

baking sheet

whisk

rolling pin

ingredients:

A)

1 cup of flour (I used 1/2 cup sorghum and 1/2 cup millet. You can also try 1/2 cup brown rice or 1/2 cup oat flour. Make sure your flours total 1 cup)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup cocoa or cacao (I used a combination of different types of cocoa totally 1/4 cup)

1/4 cup soy milk powder 

B)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

3/4 tsp himalayan salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream tartar

1/2 tsp tonka bean powder (optional!!)

C)

1/4 cup coconut oil

D)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp molasses

directions:

1. in a large bowl, combine the ingredients from part A and part B, and mix well, making sure you break up any clumps. I often use a whisk to mix dry ingredients. 

2. in a small bowl, combine the ingredients from D, and mix well.

3. add C to the large bowl, and mix with a fork

4. add the mixed ingredients from D to the large bowl, and mix well until everything comes together and forms a dough

5. turn the dough out onto your rectangular silicone mat or similarly sized parchment paper, and shape press into a preliminary log

6. sprinkle a little extra flour onto the dough, and gradually roll out into a rectangle. (I use a plastic spatula to shape the edges.) Try to keep the thickness as consistent as possible.

7. When the dough is rolled out, use a plastic spatula or similar to cut the dough into squares or triangles (or your idea) on the silicone mat (or parchment). Put the mat onto a baking sheet, and bake at 345 for 25 or 30 minutes. (make sure it doesn't get too brown)

8. You can further dehydrate the biscuits to full crispness in a low oven over night. (my oven's lowest setting is 170, and this seems to do the trick)

Epic Peanut Butter Granola Bars for renegades and rebel bakers

Anyone who doesn't understand the importance of salt to bring sweetness to life will probably hate everything I make. I hold nothing against you, if salt in a sweet food just isn't your jam. I know that you are out there -- and judging by the desserts I've had at high end restaurants that were bland and simply sweet and flavourless to my palate, I may indeed be the renegade that nobody speaks about in polite company.  

The right salt makes all the difference. That is to say, refined 'table salt' doesn't do your body any good, and doesn't do flavour much good. Himalayan salt, or any other simple earth salt will usually do the trick. I don't get fancy with it. Remember when we all used to be all about the sea salt? Unfortunately, because of the high concentration of minute plastic particulate in the oceans, sea salt has become a bit of a  risky proposition. 

This is my long winded way of saying that these granola bars are absolutely epic, but inadequate salt will be their downfall. In my opinion, any dessert or snack that involves peanut or almond butter will absolutely beg for a little salt. 

I grew up in a house that eschewed salt under the umbrella of health-consciousness. I was once made to feel like a sinner for attempting to sprinkle a couple grains of table salt on a slice of cucumber. However, rest assured, renegade bakers, earth salt will not cause you the problems associated with refined salt. I do urge you to use it as an enhancer, not as a flavour on its own, but I don't think you need to be shy. Other things also bump up flavour -- a shot of acid (in this case, apple cider vinegar) some other layers of mystery and nuance (hello, tonka bean powder, vanilla, cinnamon). But without our old friend NACL, even these tricks will fall flat. 

Toasting the oats, and then the coconut, before combining ingredients will elevate these little bars, and the combination of ingredients give them a bit of a caramel hit. My partner is a pretty big fan, and finds them to be a very satisfying snack when he needs something to keep him going. 

Finally, use the highest quality raw ingredients you can -- these will still be loads more economical than any box of granola bars you can buy.

equipment needed:

whisk

mixing spoon

mixing bowls

scraper

measuring spoons

measuring cups

square silicone pan or glass/metal pan lined with baking parchment

a square of baking parchment (used when pressing the concoction into the pan)

microwave (or use a double boiler on the stove if you prefer)

microwave safe bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup)

spatula or other dull edge

ingredients:

A)

1/2 cup coconut nectar

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I used crunchy, the organic one made by Nuts To You because it's awesome)

1 tbsp molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

20 g cocoa butter (I have cocoa butter pastilles that I can melt to use in baking and confection. Pastilles or chips will be easier to use than large chunks just fyi)

B)

1 1/4 cup oat flakes

1 1/4 cup fine desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

2 tbsp date powder

1/2 tsp himalayan salt

1/2 tsp tonka bean powder

C)

1/2 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts (I buy blanched organic peanuts,  toss them with water and himalayan salt, and then oven roast them on a low temperature, often further dehydrating them overnight on the lowest temperature in the oven)

directions:

1. in a large skillet on the stove, dry toast the oat flakes until lightly browned, and then remove to a large bowl.

2. dry toast the coconut in the skillet until lightly brown. This will happen very quickly so don't take your eyes off it. Add to the large bowl

3. add the date powder and salt, mix well, and set aside.

4. In a microwave safe dish, combine the ingredients from part A, and heat them in the microwave until they can be easily whisked together. Mix really well.

5. pour the part A concoction over the part B melange in the big bowl, and mix well.

6. finally, add the roasted peanuts, and stir them in.

7. press the resulting mixture into your square pan -- I use silicone because it's very easy to work with. If you prefer pyrex or metal, please make sure you remember to like it with baking parchment!!

8. cover the mixture in the pan with a piece of parchment so you can press it down really well. I sometimes also use an extra silicone mat for this step. That works too.

9. once the mixture has been pressed down and looks tidy and flat, you can score bars using a dull edge like a spatula. You don't want to cut through the parchment or cut the silicone mat.

10. allow to fully cool, then chill (i flash chill in the freezer)

11. when chilled, remove from pan and break apart along score lines. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Pain au Chocolat -- the gluten free, whole foods, plant based version

The intersection of bread and chocolate.

I live with two people for whom both bread and chocolate hold special and exalted places in their palates and in their diets. That is to say, neither of them ever gets tired of these goodies. I thought, why not combine the two? Especially right now, everyone is showing off their COVID bread, and here we are, all sad and gluten-free. I figured it was time to kick it up a notch. Enter, the pain au chocolat, or what we could call the best of both worlds.

I decided to take a fairly typical but soft gluten free bread dough, sweeten it a little extra with coconut sugar, roll it out flat, sprinkle it with goodies, cut it into long triangles, and roll them individually.

I wanted these buns to be more like bread than pastry, but next time I may enrich them with coconut milk, coconut butter, or some avocado oil just to see what happens. People who enjoy butter on their bread may enjoy more richness in their bread. Still, they were very well received, and make a satisfying Sunday morning nosh with a cup of tea.

roll your dough out into a nice big rectangle! I roll it out on a jumbo silicone mat, but I also use plenty of flour underneath and on top to keep it from sticking to the mat, and to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin

brush the rolled out dough with coconut nectar -- about 1/4 cup. No coconut nectar? No problem. What  do you have in the way of liquid sweeteners? Rice syrup?

sprinkled the dough 'evenly' with your mixture of date sugar, kinako, and salt

fair trade, organic chocolate. Only have chunks? no problem.

grab a big knife and chop your chunks up!

evenly distribute the chopped up chocolate over the whole surface

cut the dough using something that won't damage the surface you are working on!  Triangles please!!

roll the dough triangles starting at the wide end, and finishing at the narrow end, so the inside part is the widest part

put the rolls with the end face down on your silicone mat-lined tray. No silicone mat? No problem! You can use baking parchment. No parchment? Please use plenty of coconut oil and flour on that pan so your buns don't stick.

let 'em rise

rise for a couple hours, maybe

fresh out of the oven. Can you smell them? So good.

hello I'm a super cute chocolate roll. Won't you be tempted by me?

how about now???

mmmmm ....

full of chocolate goodness

equipment needed:

whisk
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing bowls
kettle or other way to heat up water
oven
baking sheet
baking mat or parchment
dull edged tool for cutting dough into long triangles (like a pastry cutter or a plastic spatula)
large counter surface for rolling out dough
large silicone mat for rolling dough on (optional)
spoon for sprinkling ingredients
brush for brushing coconut nectar
timer
rolling pin


ingredients:

A)
1 1/2 cups warm water (or plant based milk for extra richness)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp vanilla
(1/4 cup coconut butter -- optional)

B)
1 tsp himalayan salt
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp tonka bean powder (optional)

(1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar)

C)
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup soy milk powder
1/2 cup cassava flour (or tapioca starch if you don't have cassava flour)
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup oat flour

D)
1/4 cup coconut nectar (or other liquid sweetener of your choice)

E)
1/4 cup date sugar
1-3 tbsp kinako (roasted soybean powder) (optional)
1/16th - 1/8th tsp salt

F)
1 cup chocolate (I use fair-trade, organic dark chocolate chunks, and chop them into bits with a big knife). You can also use chocolate chips if you like!)


directions:

1) combine A, and set aside to proof
2) in a large bowl, combine B and C. I like to use a whisk (gently) to make sure these dry ingredients are all perfectly combine
3) once the yeast mixture has foamed, pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix well
4) once out your dough has successfully formed, turn it out onto a well floured surface (I use a large silicone mat on my kitchen counter, but that's not necessary)
5) roll out the dough (with enough flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking!) Try to make a nice big rectangular shape.
6) brush the dough with your coconut nectar
7) combine the ingredients from E and sprinkle all of it on the dough
8) chop your chocolate if necessary, and distribute evenly on the dough
9) cut the dough into long triangles. I got 9 (That was entirely random. If you cut rectangle in half half length wise, you  can make smaller roll ups -- approximately 20)
10) starting at the wide end of each triangle, roll the pieces of dough up (try to roll tightly, but handle them with care), and put them with the end face down on a lined baking sheet (I like silicone mats for lining my trays, but some people prefer parchment)
11) let them rise!
12) be patient
13) bake at 345 for around 40 minutes, depending on how big they are. (for little ones, bake for 30)
14) cool for at least 10 minutes before serving

ready to bake

baked for about 40 minutes

a cute pain au chocolat

imperfection is perfection

Double Chocolate soft cookies -- whole foods, plant based, gluten free deliciousness

For when oatmeal chocolate chip is not going to ring that bell, these double chocolate pieces of fabulousness may be just what you need.

These big, soft, puffy cookies are halfway between cake and cookie -- and they are chocolatey enough for even the most thorough-going of chocolate lovers. The best part is how good they are for you. All the decadence and satisfaction you could want, all while fuelling you well.

Cacao is a dark flavour, and my rule of thumb tends to be you need an addition of sweetener on a 1:1 ratio with however much cacao you put into something. Hence, since there is 3/4 cup cacao in these, there's an additional 3/4 cup date sugar on top of the coconut sugar in them. However, you are welcome to reduce that to whatever suits your own palate.

Finally, when it comes to grain flours, they are not all equal. However, these 'cakies' are super forgiving, and you can certainly sub in your favourite gluten free flours instead of millet. I love sorghum (super high in protein! tastes nice! delicate texture!) and oat flour, some people like brown rice flour or whatever. You do you. You may have to play around a little with quantities to make it work out perfectly, but what's a 1/4 cup rolled oats more or less between friends?

equipment needed:

measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing bowls
whisk
4 tablespoon scoop (optional) or soup spoon
fork and cup of water
baking sheets and silicone mats (or parchment)
oven
timer


ingredients:

a)
2 cups water
1/4 cup avocado oil (or 1/4 cup melted coconut oil)
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

b)
1 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup date sugar

c)
1 cup almond flour (or sunflower seed flower for a nut-free version)
1/2 cup tapioca powder
1/4 cup millet flour
3/4 cup cacao powder

d)
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup soy milk powder

e)
1/2 tsp salt (earth salt, why not)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp tonka bean powder (optional!)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

f)
1 cup oat flakes

g)
1 or 2 cups of chocolate chunks


directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the ingredients from a) and b), and whisk well
2. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients from c), d), e) and f), and whisk or stir until fully mixed
3. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir very very well, until completely incorporated
4. add in g)
5. using a 4 tbsp scoop, deposit equal lumps of the cookie dough onto the lined cookie sheets, aiming for about 12 per cookie sheet, until all the cookie dough is used up (I squeeze them all onto 2 baking sheets -- they won't spread at all)
6. using a fork dipped in water, (slightly) flatten and shape the cookie dough
7. bake at 345 for 25-30 minutes
8. allow to cool on the baking sheets, and then remove with a metal spatula

LOVELY chocolate cake -- a gluten free, plant based confection

Despite the non-traditional ingredients, this cake is delicate and soft, with a lovely sponge texture that  upholds everything you want in a chocolate cake. We've been known to eat it plain as little baby-cakes. We've made layers, and turned it into a gorgeous frosted birthday delight. And we've thrown in chocolate chunks for double chocolate decadence.

Even picky kids have been won over by this lovely cake, and it's definitely a recipe I have a lot of confidence in.

I use a few different types of flours, but it's not entirely necessary. If you prefer to choose only sorghum, that's fine. I would caution against using exclusively oat flour, however, as it could be a little gluey if you do. The flours I select all contribute something special to the texture, so if you can access them, I would advise using all of them.

equipment needed:
2 mixing bowls
measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing spoons
whisk
muffin trays and papers or silicone muffin cups and baking sheets
kettle 
oven


ingredients:

A)
2 cup warm water
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted) or avocado oil 

B)
1/4 cup coconut nectar (or honey or maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

C)
1 1/2 cup coconut sugar 

D)
1/2 tsp mountain salt
1 tsp xanthan gum 
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
4 tbsp tapioca flour
4 tbsp chickpea flour 
2 tbsp soy milk powder

E) 
10 tbsp millet flour
10 tbsp sorghum flour
1/2 cup cacao
1/2 cup oat flour


F)
 1 heaping cup chocolate chip for double chocolate (OPTIONAL)


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345
2. in the 1st mixing bowl, combine the ingredients from A, B, and C, ensuring that the coconut oil is melted and the sugar is dissolved
3. in 2nd mixing bowl, combine the ingredients from D and E Make sure this is completely mixed
4. combine the contents of both mixing bowls (adding dry to wet is best) and whisk well
5. stir in any ‘mix-ins’ if applicable. (F)
6.
a) for muffins or cupcakes: scoop into paper lined muffin trays or silicon muffin cups on baking sheets (for the later, don’t crowd  — spread them out on the tray) (I love using a 4tbsp scoop for this) (makes about 10 little cakes or muffins depending on how many mix ins)
b) for little round pans for layer cake: line each round with parchment and also brush with coconut oil — trust me (this will make about 2 little round layers — or double it to make 3 8 inch layers)
7. bake for 40 to 55 minutes at 345 depending on size of cake -- cupcakes and muffins will take less time than a bigger cake!!  Bake until the cake feels springy and firm, but still delicate to the touch. Trust your finger tips!! You can also poke it with a toothpick to see if it's done.
8. remove from the oven and cool