"All Things Pink" Cupcakes

These were originally going to be cookies, but I decided to go with cupcakes because the batter was thinner than I thought. They are actually more like a muffin, but cupcakes sound like more fun. I was on a mission to use up my beets, so they were they main influence in these pink treats. This recipe is the toaster oven size,  so double it if you plan on sharing. And, I , for some reason, always feel entitled to remind you that these measurements are not exact due to my lack of use of measuring utensils.

Cupcakes:
Dry-
1 cup gluten free flour mix (or other flour)
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Wet-
2 small beets, equal to about 1/3 cup beet puree (see note on roasting)
2 tbl ground flax seed
2 tbl coconut milk , or other milk
3-4 tbl olive oil
3-4 tbl canola oil
1 tsp molasses
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup liquid sweetener (raw honey, honey, brown rice syrup, agave- use less)
1/3 dry sweetener (raw sugar, evaporated cane juice sugar, whatever... not refined)


Preheat oven or toaster oven( :) ) to 350.  Mix dry ingredients well with a whisk or fork.

Puree  beats in food processor, scraping sides often. Add the remaining wet ingredients and blend well.

Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and fold until mixed. Don't over mix. Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way. Bake for... 15 minutes? Until they are settled, don't over bake. Cool completely and frost.

Frosting:
1/4 cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons earth balance
1/3 cup powdered sugar (more if you like)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon beat juice ( I got this from the bottom of my tupperware in which I had the beets)

Beat the coconut cream butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth again.

Garnish with coconut shreds and a raspberry.

Roasting Beets:
I scrubbed clean, chopped off the ends, wrapped in foil and baked at 425 for an hour.  I then used a sharp knife to easily peel the skin off.

peace and love,
lindsay

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

I have been dabbling with the gluten free life, just here and there. I like it.  These are some sunday morning cinnamon rolls adapted from "Cinnamon Quill", a gluten free blog.  Please keep in mind that measurements are not exact; I don't really use measuring utensils, more like spoons and one measuring cup. Ha. Anyway, I enjoyed one of these puppies with a cup of fair trade english tea. YUM!

Dough:
2 1/4 cup "gluten free flour mix" (I found this in the bulk section of my natural foods store, it had chick pea, brown rice, tapioca and a few other flours)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sugar or other dry sweetener (fair trade)

3/4 cup melted dairy free margarine and/or raw coconut butter, divided
1 cup almond milk + 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (combine and set aside)
1/2 cup rice milk (or whatever) + 2 teaspoons ground flax seeds (combine and set aside)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling:
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dairy free margarine and/or raw coconut butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon (less or more to your taste)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Frosting:
1 tablespoon dairy free margarine and/ or raw coconut butter
1/2 cup + organic powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons almond milk


Preparing the dough:
Preheat oven 375 - 400
Mix dry ingredients together with a whisk. Add the wet ingredients (more than half of the melted butter) and mix together with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in more flour or milk to get the dough to be stiff but not totally dry. Knead a few times.  Let sit for 10 -20  minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile...
Filling:
Mix together all the filling ingredients with a spoon and adjust cinnamon if necessary.

Assembling the rolls:
Spread flour on your surface and roll the dough into a 9 x 13 rectangle, use your hands and fingers to get those corners nice and 90 degree-ish.

 Brush the remaining melted butter evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the filling evenly, leaving an inch around the edges.

Now, roll it up, length wise. I did this very slowly and reassembled the log as I was rolling, maybs the "breaking apart at the seams" is normal in the gluten free-vegan world, but whatever, it was fine, just took a little more t.l.c. and time to roll it up all nice and pretty.

Slice the log into 1 inch rolls.  Place on a cookie sheet leaving 1/4" between the rolls.

Bake for 12-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.  Remove cinnamon rolls from pan as soon as you take them out of the oven, and frost.

Frosting:
Beat the butter with the powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla and more powdered sugar if you need.

This is a picture of the frosting ingredients.

I sprinkled the cinnamon rolls with some fine coconut flakes.


heart,
lindsay