Gluten Free Apple Muffins With Crumb Topping February 27, 2010

Muffins are so practical. They are great for a quick breakfast, snack or even dessert. I have tried more than a few gluten free muffin recipes, but the end products have had an off-texture and usually do not rise above the paper liner. However, I have successfully adapted many of our old favorites, producing gluten free versions that are very similar to the originals. If you have a reliable gluten-filled favorite muffin or cupcake recipe, you can probably just make a few minor changes and be enjoying muffins again in no time.

The first thing you need is a good gluten free flour blend, I have a favorite, but use whatever one you like. I try to stay away from the bean based flour blends in general, I find they leave my baked goods tasting like beans. Also, it helps to use a fruit or vegetable based muffin, this adds moisture; think apple, carrot, pumpkin, etc. And lastly, adding yogurt or sour cream helps the texture tremendously; if you don’t eat dairy, try adding some applesauce. I like to add flax meal to make them more nutritious, but this is completely optional.

Here is one of my family’s favorite muffin recipe. I think the kids are particularly fond of this muffin due to the sweet, slightly crunchy topping. For variety, I occasionally add raisins to the batter (we have a tree nut allergy in our house, so we can’t do walnuts, but I think they would be delicious in these).

Gluten Free Apple Muffins

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• dash salt
• 2 cups gluten free flour blend
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tb flax meal, optional
• 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (you could also use sour cream)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 cups diced apples
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or raisins, optional

Crumb Topping (tasty, but optional)

• 1/4 cup sugar (brown or white will work)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 Tb gluten free flour blend
• 2 Tb butter, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add eggs, one at a time.
3. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Stir in dry ingredients alternately with yogurt and applesauce. Mix until incorporated. Fold in apples and nuts or raisins if using.
4. In a small bowl, combine crumb toppings and blend with fork. Mixture will be lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into muffin cups 3/4 full. Lightly sprinkle tops with crumb topping.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until center tests done.

Double Corn & Fruit Mix February 21, 2010

I have a food confession. Maybe it’s more of a parenting confession. Since going gluten free, I have been spoiling my kids with “snack food” when we grocery shop. Maybe this is out of guilt, because there are so many foods off limits now, whatever the reason it has to stop. Even if it is organic, gluten free junk food, junk food is still just junk food, and it really doesn’t have a place in our kids’ diets. I like desserts and treats as much as the next person, but I am going to really make an effort to stop buying the kids candy, chips, and other gluten free junk food items.

If you eat gluten free, you know how hard it can be to find healthy snack foods to take in the car or pack in a lunch. I have been trying to find some good recipes, but they seem to all consist of  ingredients we can’t eat or contain copious amounts of corn syrup or marshmallows. I bought Arrowhead Mills puffed corn cereal (these come in bags and are a real bargain for a gf cereal). I am assuming it’s gluten free because it only has one ingredient-puffed corn. And wouldn’t you know on the back of the bag was a recipe for Double Corn Mix. It called for popcorn, puffed corn cereal, dried fruit, oil and honey. I made a few modifications, using butter in place of the oil and adding peanuts; and my 2 year old loved helping me mix the ingredients. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted, a nice combination of salty and sweet, with just enough crunch thrown in. A perfect snack food, and it is semi-healthy to boot.

It is a very simple recipe and could be altered in almost infinite ways. I am thinking coconut and dried tropical fruits would be fantastic, or maybe chocolate chips, cranberries and walnuts, the combinations seem endless. Hope this recipe inspires you to come up with your own version of Double Corn & Fruit Mix.

Double Corn & Fruit Mix

• 3 cups puffed corn cereal
• 2 cups popped popcorn, kernels removed
• 1 cup dried fruit, diced if necessary (I used cranberries, cherries, raisins and chopped prunes)
• 3/4 cup lightly salted peanuts
• 2 Tb butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In large bowl, combine corns, fruit and peanuts.
3. In separate bowl, combing butter and honey. Pour honey over corn mix and stir to combine.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely before eating. Store in airtight container.