Double Dark Chocolate Muffins

Double Dark Chocolate Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Muffins

Ok...  So as many of you gluten-free eaters out there know, it can be a difficult task to bake a delicious muffin without gluten.  It is even more challenging to bake a delicious tender gluten-free muffin without eggs!  In most gluten-free baked items, eggs (sometimes in combination with a starch such as tapioca or potato) are used to help bind and create texture due to the lack of gluten dirived texture and binding qualities. When one is not able to use the eggs, even an egg substitute falls short of this huge responsibility many times.

It took many tries, but finally I was able to acheive a muffin that is gluten-free, egg-free, free of hydrogenated fats, but yet rich, delicious and moist. 

DRY INGREDIENTS:
2/3 c. Dark Cocoa Powder, (we like Hershey's Special Dark... and it works ok with all the allergies we deal with!)
1 c. Buckwheat Flour
3/4 c. Masa Harina
1 1/4 c. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. salt

WET INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c. Flaxseed Egg Substitute Mixture*  (or two large eggs, if you don't have to avoid them)
1 c.  Milk, or your favorite milk substitute (almond milk and coconut milk are both great in this recipe!)
2 tsp. Vinegar
2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 c. Applesauce, unsweetened
1/4 c. Vegetable or Canola Oil

Optional Add-Ins:
1 c. Dark Chocolate Chips (or other favorite chips)
1/2 c. Coconut, shredded, unsweetened or sweetened
1/2 c. Chopped Pecans
1/2 c. Sunflower Seeds
 Or anything else you prefer....

Struesel Topping:
 1/4 c.  Buckwheat flour (or any GF AP flour mix that you like)
1/2 c.  Brown Sugar
2 Tbs. Butter, softened but not melted.

In a large bowl mix together all the Dry Ingredients.  Then measure all the Wet Ingredients right into the mixing bowl with the Dry Ingredients.  Then mix together well with a whisk until mostly smooth.  There is no real need here to mix all the wet ingredient together before adding to the dry as you would with full gluten muffins...  there is no gluten in these to make it tough!  Just stop mixing when the batter is just about all smooth and you'll be all set!  At this point fold in any of the "Optional Add-Ins" that you choose.  The muffins pictured above just had the dark chocolate chips added.  Scoop the batter into well greased muffin tins (or likewise use cupcake papers...) to about 3/4 full.

If you choose to add the Struesel Topping, simply mix the flour and brown sugar together well, and then cut in the butter with a pastry blender or use your fingers, until it resembles crumbs the size of peas or smaller.  Sprinkle this mixture over the uncooked batter and proceed to bake.  In the picture shown above, the middle muffin has the Struesel Topping and the two others do not. When I choose to add coconut into the muffin batter (which is absolutely delicious, by the way) I sprinkle the tops with the shredded coconut instead of the struesel topping.  It's up to you!

Bake at 425 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.  The tops of the muffins should feel firm to the touch.  I like to check a couple of the muffins by inserting a wooden skewer or cake tester into the center.  If it comes out clean (with the exception of any melted chocolate chips) then they are done!  Remove from oven and immediately remove, CAREFULLY, from the muffin tins.  Allow to cool for maybe 5 minutes or so.

These muffins are best when served warm.  At room temperature they are just a little dryer than when warm, but still quite good.  They will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days, and they freeze extremely well.  Put them in the freezer and take out just what you need the night before. Then, at breakfast, warm them in the microwave if you wish, or wrap in foil and warm in a 350 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes while your getting ready for your day!


*Please see the post called "Egg Substitutes" for more information regarding the Flaxseed Egg Substitute.  If you are not allergic to eggs, simply use real eggs instead of the substitute. 

Salmon Patties

My family loves salmon, but have you noticed the prices lately?  Fresh and even frozen salmon fillets are quite expensive to eat on a regular basis, as least for our current family budget.  In order to enjoy salmon and also it's health benefits, I make a gluten-free, egg-free version of the "old fashioned" New England favorite using canned alaskan salmon.  The "old fashioned" version I grew up eating was bound together with crushed saltine crackers, eggs, and milk.  It was delicious, but not a good option when dealing with food allergies.  So I have developed this recipe that uses no gluten or eggs.  I do use milk, but any milk substitute that you like will work well (substituted in equal amounts) with this recipe.

When purchasing canned salmon I always make sure that it specifies on the can that it is a product of the US, specifically wild Alaskan salmon, for best quality for the price.  Red Sockeye or Pink will both work well.  About the only difference is the Red Sockeye salmon will be a brighter pink color, but when used in this capacity, it renders the same result as the Pink, except the end result with be more pink in color.  Pictured above is Salmon Patties made with the Pink salmon.  I usually get pink for this on an everyday basis because the price is cheaper. If I was going to make these for a special occasion, like an appetizer for a holiday gathering for example, I might pay a little more for the brighter color.

(2) 14.75 oz. cans of Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon
1/4 c. Coconut Flour
1 Lime, juiced and zested
1 Tbs.  milled Flaxseed
2 Tbs. Buckwheat Flour
1/2  Medium sized Sweet Onion, finely diced, caramelized
1/3 c. milk (or favorite milk substitute)
Salt & Pepper to Taste

After opening the cans of salmon, hold lid in place and pour out the liquid that the salmon is packed in.  Then, gently turn salmon out of cans onto a plate and scrape away and discard any skin that is present and also remove and discard the back bones.  Any other small bones found in it will easily break up into the mixture when stirring and is good to leave in for extra calcium (no, they don't crunch when you eat them, you will never know they are there..).  Place salmon into a mixing bowl and add to it the coconut flour, lime juice and 1/2 the zest (save the rest for another use, flaxseed, buckwheat flour, caramelized onions, milk, salt and pepper.  Mix together well with fork or fingers.  You will know that you have the right amount of moisture and dry ingredients (the binders) when you can squeeze some of the salmon mixture lightly in your hand and it holds together, without liquid squeezing through your fingers (which means you need a little more buckwheat flour...) or having to pack it like a snowball (which would mean you need a little more milk or milk substitute).  Form mixture into patties, cook on a medium low greased skillet until golden brown, then turn over and cook until golden brown on the second side.  Serve immediately with ketchup, tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, or other favorite condiment (tartar sauce and remoulade sauce are not usually egg-free, so please be careful if allergic to eggs!).  If you have any leftovers, they are great the following day as a sandwich, either hot or cold. Wow... there's a fond childhood memory coming back of salmon sandwiches in my school lunch!  With ketchup of course!

Serving suggestion:  We like to eat them with rice and fresh pineapple or mango.  A nice fruit salsa would be great with these too.  Below, is a salmon patty pictured with rice, pineapple and a chili lime remoulade sauce made out of a combination of things I had in the fridge:  mayo, thousand island dressing, hot sauce, chili powder, lime juice/zest, salt, pepper... I didn't measure just mixed until it tasted good.  ;o)  Have fun eating your weekly dietary seafood allowance!

Salmon patty with rice, fresh pineapple, and chili lime remoulade sauce

Coconut Buckweat Pancakes

Coconut Buckwheat Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. Coconut Flour
1 1/2 c. Buckwheat Flour (light or dark)
1/4 c. Sugar
2/3. tsp Bakewell Cream*
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 Tbs. Veg. Oil (or melted butter)
2 c. Milk (or favorite milk substitute)
1 c. water
1/4 c. flaxseed egg substitute

Procedure:
Combine all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Add all of the wet ingredients and stir together.  In working with coconut flour, you may find that it absorbs quite a bit of moisture (please see tomorrow's post when I discuss my experience trying out coconut flour).  This batter will be thicker than a "normal" pancake batter, but it should still be able to spread on it's own a little bit when poured onto the griddle, you may have to spread it out with a stroke or two of a spoon, but it should not sit idle in a clump on the pan, or be so runny that is spreads really thin.  Cook on a medium hot skillet, well buttered (or oiled).  Until the bottom is golden brown and the top should be starting to set.  These will not get bubbles in the raw batter on the top while they cook like "full gluten" pancakes (please see bottom left picture).  Carefully loosen them from the pan, as they will be prone to stick because of the high protein content of the coconut flour.  Flip them over and finish cooking the other side.  They will be firm to the touch and seem somewhat heavier than "full gluten" pancakes.

Pancake ready to flip

Pancake, after being flipped

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The flavor of these is very good.  The sweet coconut flavor blends well with the buckwheat flour (which can sometimes overpower an item) making the buckwheat taste more like a whole wheat blend.  The texture is heavier than that of the other buckwheat pancakes that I have posted, and much heavier than "normal full gluten pancakes".  When warm the pancakes have almost a creamy inside texture, when cool they become sturdy enough to make a delicious almond butter (or SunButter) sandwich out of.  My son really likes them for a snack as well as breakfast!  In the picture above, they are shown with the Citrus Prickly Pear Sauce, which was a great combination.  My son tends to eat them warm with butter and a sprinkle of sugar or cinnamon sugar.  Because of their heavy nature, and high protein content these are very filling and a healthy start to the day!  These would be great with mini chocolate chips added or maybe some mashed banana...  or Both!  Sounds like a good experiment to try next!


*Bakewell Cream is a leavening again manufactured in Maine, and usually only found in stores in Maine and other parts of New England.  I highly recommend using this in most quick breads and especially biscuits.  If you are not able to procure the Bakewell Cream, you can simply use 1 tsp Baking Powder and 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda, it will still work good for these pancakes with the coconut flour.

Biscuits (GF/EF)

Gluten-Free/Egg-Free biscuits are another one of our staples here, where I don't buy the pre-made, gluten-free breads, and am still working on a good recipe for that.  We like them for breakfast, toasted on a hot cast iron pan or with supper in place of regular bread...  sometimes with a burger on them, using it as a bun.  It took me a little while to get them to come out somewhat tender and not too dry, while still holding together.  Most recipes were either way too hard, heavy, dry, crumbly, or just plain tasteless!  Finally this one is nice- soft enough to eat with just butter, and sturdy enough to eat with sausage gravy or shrimp wiggle.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

I do use Bakewell Cream for these...  I am a fan of the biscuit recipe on the can, and that is what I use for my "normal" biscuits.  This is an adaptation from that.  Bakewell Cream is a Maine made item, I never used to be able to find it outside of the state, not sure about now.  If you live in an area where you cannot purchase this in your local grocery store you can order from this website:  http://www.newenglandcupboard.com/bakewell-cream.php, and I tell you it is worth it to get it.  I like to use it in some recipes in place of the baking powder (the substitution ratio is on the can).  You can substitute baking powder in place of the Bakewell Cream if desired: 1 tsp baking powder for every 2/3 tsp Bakewell Cream.  The results will not be quite as good, but it will still be a decent biscuit.

Regarding other allergies:  you can use any form of dairy-free milk for these, or all buckwheat flour if you cannot have the corn, or if you run out, like I do occasionally.  I have not tried another form of fat in these, other than shortening which works, but I do not use anymore, due to avoiding the hydrogenated fats.  Coconut oil may work in its more solidified room temperature form, I have not tried this yet...  I would not use vegetable or olive oil however.

2 c. Buckwheat Flour
3/4 c. Masa Harina
2 tsp. Bakewell Cream
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbs Butter (or you can do 3 Tbs butter and 3 Tbs cream cheese, also comes out delicious!)
2 Tbs Flaxseed egg substitute
1 1/4 c. cold milk

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Mix the dry ingredients together.  Cut in the butter (and cream cheese if you chose to use it) into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, the fat pieces should be smaller than the size of baby peas.  Add the flaxseed mixture and cold milk and stir until all is moistened.  This dough will be very soft and tacky, but not so tacky that it is impossible to work with.  If that happens simply add a little more of one of the flours.  You don't have to worry about over mixing these, because there is no gluten to get tough.  Although be careful not to get too much flour, or the result will be a dryer more crumbly biscuit.  Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and pat out with your hand into a circle that is about 3/4" thick.  Cut with a floured biscuit cutter and place biscuits on a greased sheet pan.  They may seem quite soft when moving them to the pan, this is ok, simply use an offset metal spatula to move them they will bake up nicely!  I like to place them together so that they touch to help them rise upwards instead of spreading out, it also keeps the sides of the biscuits soft and not dry.  Please remember, they will not rise as much as "normal" biscuits, this is ok, they should still be soft and tender inside.  Place pan in oven and bake for 5 mins and then turn the oven off, keeping the door shut, bake for another 5-10 mins until firm to the touch and bottom should be golden brown.  The tops don't always get very brown, that is ok, just don't judge their "doneness" by that!

Buckwheat Pancakes (GF/EF)

These pancakes come out soft and tender, of course not as light as a regular pancake but superior to most other recipes I have tried for Gluten-Free, Egg-Free.  This particular recipe does have milk in it, but it works great with other non-dairy milks if you are dairy-free.  One of our favorites is the almond milk, but it also works great with soy, coconut, and rice.  I have made pancakes with part orange juice as well - makes a great orange ginger pancake, by adding about 1/2 tsp ground dry ginger.  Be creative with these!  We like them with apples and cinnamon or blueberries.  They are good with mini chocolate chips as well.  Sometimes I just add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the plain batter just to liven up simple pancakes.  And, of course, always serve them with REAL maple syrup!


1 1/2 c. Buckwheat Flour*
1/4 c. Granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
2 Tbs. oil (vegetable oil, light olive oil, or coconut oil)
1 c. Milk (regular or non-dairy)
1 tsp. vinegar
1/4 c. flaxseed egg substitute (see info on "Egg Substitutes" post)
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs. applesauce

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Add all the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry, and whisk until smooth.  That is one beautiful thing about working with gluten-free flours, you really can't over mix a batter.  For instance, with regular pancake batters or muffin batters made with wheat flours, over mixing will produce a heavy, tough product.  I have not found this to be true of the gluten-free flours.

Pancake is ready to flip!

Heat a skillet to medium low heat.  When skillet is hot, grease it with butter.  I use butter to grease pan, but again if you are dairy-free, veg oil, coconut oil or light olive oil will also work.  Ladle batter onto skillet into pancakes, I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup as a ladle for small pancakes, or a 1/3 cup measuring cup for slightly larger pancakes.  Flip pancakes when they start to get bubbles on the top and edges and parts of top look set.  See photo to the left.  Both sides should be a nice golden brown color.  If the pancakes are not getting golden but are cooking through, turn the heat up, if the opposite is happening where they are getting too dark, but the middle is not setting up fast enough to turn them, turn the heat down slightly.

This recipe makes about 8 pancakes when using a 1/3 c. measuring cup as a ladle.  Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, reheating them quickly on a hot skillet works great!  They are also good eaten like toast with Sun Butter or almond butter (if you can have those.).

*This recipe does work well substituting 1/2c Masa Harina for 1/2 c. of the buckwheat flour.  I do this when I am running low in buckwheat flour, but have plenty of Masa.  

 YUM!  ENJOY!

Molasses Crinkles, Gluten-Free/Egg-Free

A GLUTEN-FREE COOKIE IS A HAPPY COOKIE!

These cookies are absolutely delicious!  They are soft and chewy with only a slight buckwheat taste and the texture is not too far off from a regular "glutenous" molasses crinkle.  This is one of those recipes that my daughter and husband likes even though they have no allergies.  And it is so easy!

1 stick of butter (4 oz.)
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. flax seed egg substitute (see information in the Egg Substitutes post)
1 1/2 c. buckwheat flour
1 c. masa harina
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves

Cream together the butter, sugar, molasses, applesauce, and flax egg substitute in an electric mixer.  Add the buckwheat flour, masa harina, salt, baking soda cinnamon, ginger and cloves and mix until well combined.
Refrigerate dough for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Roll into 1" balls and dredge in granulated sugar.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 mins at 350 degrees.  They should be slightly soft when touched in the top with finger, but not gushy.  After removing from oven let cool on baking sheet, removing them hot will result in breakage.  Makes about 2-2 1/2 dozen cookies.  Store in an airtight container, they stay moist and delicious for up to a week, if they don't get eaten up first!!  :o)

If you like molasses cookies or ginger snap type cookies...  you will love these!

Gluten-Free Flours

Buckwheat Flour

Kasha

Buckwheat Flour

Even though the name includes the word "wheat" it is not a type of wheat at all.  It is actually a seed that is in the rhubarb family.  In seed form it is referred to as "kasha" and you can find it toasted or raw, it can be cooked in boiling water and eaten as a side dish, like you would a pilaf.  I have tried this and really like it as a savory dish, not so much as a cereal.  My son did not like it at all!  In flour form it has a wonderful texture, very soft like a light or white whole wheat flour, when you touch it.  It bakes up lighter than any of the rice, potato or tapioca flours that I have tried.  Also at room temperature, the baked product is softer than when using the rice flours, which are heavy and dry at room temp.  This is one of my favorites to work with so far!  There is a light variety and a dark variety, at this point I mostly use the light since it has a milder flavor than the dark, it is more appealing to my son.  Buckwheat flour in general has a much stronger flavor than regular white all-purpose flours.  I compare it to a strong whole wheat flavor, that does come through as an undertone in many of the baked items.  My opinion is that I would rather have a little bit of the flavor with a much better textured item in relation to other gluten-free flours, that may be mostly flavorless, but produce very heavy baked items.


Masa Harina

Masa Harina (corn flour)

A delicious flour made from corn!  It is the same flour that is used to make corn tortillas.  If you have ever heard that corn has gluten in it, that is correct, however, to my understanding, it is a different type of gluten so most people who only have wheat gluten allergies can have corn gluten.  I know of a few people who have to avoid corn gluten as well as wheat gluten.  Many of the recipes posted in this blog contain a combination of buckwheat flour and masa harina.  If you are not able to have corn gluten, please do not use the masa, simply use all buckwheat.  It works just as well.  I use the masa combined with the buckwheat because the masa has a slightly sweeter flavor than the buckwheat so it seems to balance the stronger flavor of the buckwheat well.  I would not advise using all masa in a baked item without combining it with another flour.  The baked item will tend to be heavier, although it will retain some moisture.

Garbanzo Bean Flour
What I like about this flour:  It is very high in protein - a super plus when feeding an ADHD child :o), and it is great for savory applications such as pizza crust, the flavor goes especially well with it.  I would not recommend this flour for baked items simply because of the strong "beany" flavor.  Although I love garbanzo beans in general and also hummus, this flour is just a little too overwhelming in the flavor department for most of my baking.  However, I am going to try it for brownies at some point, I have heard that it works pretty good for that, but have been apprehensive about it due to the intense flavor of it.  I hate throwing out food - and wonder if that would be the outcome. I will keep you posted as I find out!

Quinoa in grain form

Quinoa Flour
Ok, so I am dying to try this flour!  I just saw it in the natural food store the other day, but didn't have enough funds that particular day.  It is a little more expensive than the buckwheat and the masa harina, but I LOVE quinoa grain itself cooked like a pilaf or made into a salad.  The quinoa grain, white or red variety, is said to be a "superfood", in that it contains complete protein, so it can substitute for meats.  Would love to hear comments from anyone who has tried this flour.  I am going to try it out soon and will post my results!

Rice, Potato, Tapioca Flours
I have found that these flours work well when combined with other flours or in a baking mix.  I don't care for the results of baked goods made with just one of these or a combination of just these three.  The flavor is ok, but the texture tends to be grainy, and the final product, when cooled to room temperature becomes very heavy and dense.  At that point, it is only good to eat if reheated, but even still, it's not quite the same as fresh.

Gluten-Free Baking Mixes and All-Purpose Flours
I do not use very many baking mixes simply because I usually have so many ingredients on hand doing everything from scratch.  Also many of them have the xanthan gum (or other gums) that I try not to use very often.  I have used "Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix" because a friend gave me a bag of it to try.  It contains rice flours, tapioca and potato starches, almond meal, buttermilk, xanthan gum, and leavening such as baking powder/soda.  This is not a mix that is acceptable for people with tree nut allergies or dairy allergies.  I did try it, and I admit that it worked pretty good.  I tried out the chocolate chip cookies that were on the back of the bag, and it was a decent product.  Still, for the price, I can make a larger variety of items out of the buckwheat and masa combination.  It would be worth the price for a special recipe that worked the best with only that mix it, or for a treat on a special occasion.

For the all-purpose flours, I have tried the "Gluten-Free King Arthur Multi-Purpose Flour" and the "Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour".  I am a King Arthur fan when it comes to their regular wheat flours, but not so with the gluten-free.  I found it to be WAY over priced, first of all, and the quality of the baked items was not so great that I was willing to keep paying the almost $8 for 24oz.  It is mainly comprised of the rice flours with potato and tapioca starches, so at room temp most baked items were very dense and solid.  The "Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour" was not a success in my book either, however I do know of a few people who use this for most of their gluten-free baking.  I found it to be overly strong tasting and still did not find that the texture was as mouth appealing as the masa or buckwheat.  This flour contains mainly potato starch, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, garbanzo bean flour and fava bean flour.  I think maybe it is the bean flours that I don't care for in this one too.  Although, like I said before, I love beans in general, but am not having good success with flavor in using their flours in sweet baked goods.