I was asked to bake something gluten free after seeing my cupcakes last week. I have baked some gluten free treats before but never cupcakes so this was a new adventure. Some came out better than others but that is expected! Hope you try/enjoy :)

Coconut Flour Cupcakes 

½ cup coconut flour
4 Eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
a pinch of sea salt 

 
Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tin with liners.

2. add eggs, honey, oil and flour to your mixing bowl and mix.

3. add the baking powder, soda, salt, vinegar, vanilla, vinegar, and milk to the bowl and mix until combined. 

4. bake 12-15 mins. until golden brown. Let cool and frost with your favorite frosting recipe! 

recipe adapted from: 

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9216118739662657689#editor/target=post;postID=2491296499867895577

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Blondies

It is a holiday weekend.....or more like a four day holiday for some people and of course with this brings BBQ after BBQ. Tried a new blondie bar recipe. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups packed light brown sugar
hearty pour of pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup cake flour
1 cup AP flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 Trader Joe's dark chocolate bars chopped.


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Line a 7x 11 baking dish with parchment paper.
3. Mix in the sugar and butter until fluffy.
4. Add in the vanilla and eggs. Mix until combined.
5. Add in the flours, salt, and baking powder. Mix until combined.
5. Mix in the chocolate bars (chopped up).
6. Place batter in prepared dish and bake for 35-40 minutes ( edges will brown and middle should look gooey but cooked.)
7. Cool , cut and enjoy!

recipe adapted from:

http://www.somethingswanky.com/classic-chocolate-chip-blondies/

Raspberry Rhubarb Pie

Well,  it is summertime anddddd one of my favorite things to do in the summer is go berry picking! I know that I could just buy them at the farm, farmers market, or at the market but I don't know why they just taste so much better knowing that you picked them. Or maybe (the real reason) is because they were just picked! I also use summer to try and bake more because I have more time to experiment. I love to bake anything new and I like to repeat recipes that I/ or other people really like. But for some reason I don't make pies too often or really at all. I am thinking it is probably because I tend to bake and give the goods to different groups of people (and myself) and you can't split a pie like that. So when I do bake pie like treats, they tend to be smaller tarts or mini pies. I have a go to pie crust recipe that I usually use but was unsure if it would make enough to make a top as well (because I usually just make tarts with it). Also my first real attempt at a lattice top! I tired once last summer or the summer before but sort of half tried and then said never mind....whoops. Didn't end up the prettiest but could have put more effort into slicing the strips! (Next time......apple raspberry...come apple season.) So today I tried all new recipes after I did some raspberry picking! Enjoy a raspberry rhubarb pie NOT a strawberry rhubarb pie (we are having strawberry shortcake as well so I didn't want to have so many strawberry things).

Ingredients:

• For the crust: 
• 2 1/4 cups flour ( I used 1 cup cake, and 1 and 1/4 white wheat)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, cold (in slices)
• 2 eggs
• 4 TBS cold water ( I only ended up using 3 but depends) 
• hearty pour of pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• For the filling: 
• About 4 and 1/2 cups rhubarb (sliced and chopped) 
• 2 cups of raspberries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
•  milk for brushing the pie crust

Directions: 

Crust: 
1. In a  bowl, mix the flour and salt together. 
2. Cut the cold butter into the bowl in small pieces. 
3. Add the flour and butter into your mixer and mix with the dough hook until small pea sized crumbs form. 
5. Add the cinnamon and vanilla 
4. Add the eggs and water.
5. Mix together using the dough hook until just combined and a ball forms. 
6. When the ball forms and holds in a ball wrap in plastic and chill for 30-45 minutes. 

Filling: 
1. Add the  rhubarb, sugars and then raspberries. 

 

2. Stir with a wooden spoon until the fruits and sugars are mixed. 

3. Add in the cornstarch. Stir gently until all combined. 

4. Place in fridge while dough finishes chilling. 

When ready to bake: 
1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. Take chilled dough out and roll out 2/3 of the dough. 
3. Line your pie dish with that dough making sure there is enough dough going up the sides. 
4. Add in the filling ( if you have a lot of excess liquid I would not add all the liquid). 

5. Roll out the remaining dough and slice into thin slices. 
6. Place the slices into a lattice pattern on the top of the filling and then I also lined the circumference with a strip of dough. 
7. Brush top of pie with milk and sprinkle more white sugar on top. 

8. Place in oven and bake for 20 mins at 400. 
9. Turn the oven  down to 350 and bake for 40-50 more minutes until crust is browning and filling is cooked.
10. Let cool and enjoy topped with some ice cream, more berries, and whipped cream (make your own!)

(and yes that is my hot plate I made in middle school IA class circa. 2000. HA)

recipe adapted from: 
http://katieatthekitchendoor.com/2017/06/17/strawberry-rhubarb-raspberry-pie/