Gluten Free Dump Cake

If you live in the South, you've probably had Dump Cake at some point in your life. The premise behind Dump Cake is that you dump in some variety of canned fruit pie fillings, box cake mix, cover with pats of butter and bake. Simple as that. Having eaten and baked my fair share of Dump Cakes growing up, I set out to make a gluten free, organic version that has slightly less sugar by using real fruit instead of pie fillings. 

The measurements are not exact AT ALL. It's really just a method. You could use any combination of fruit you'd like. In mine I used Granny Smith apples and peaches. It turned out delish!

Ingredients:
4 organic Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1 bag of frozen organic peaches, slightly defrosted (I used 365 brand from Whole Foods) 
2 TBS of organic extra virgin coconut oil (Nutiva Certified Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil)
1 TBS of lemon juice
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 stick of butter (salted or unsalted)
1/2 a box of gluten free yellow cake mix (any brand works)

Spread the 2 TBS of coconut oil in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Toss the apple slices in lemon juice and add to the dish. Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples. Add the peaches. Spread the dry cake mix over the top. Place pats of butter all over the top of the mix, keeping the pats of butter very close (as this melts, this is what will cook the cake mix). I used almost the whole stick. Bake at 350 for 1 hour until the top is brown and bubbly.

Enjoy!!

Kid Approved Pumpkin Pie | Gluten Free | Sugar Free

My friend challenged me to find a gluten free pumpkin pie recipe. I think I did pretty well with it! My kids love it, and practically licked their plates clean! 

I used this recipe for the filling:

http://www.againstallgrain.com/2011/11/22/grain-free-and-dairy-free-pumpkin-pie/

And this one for the crust:
http://www.againstallgrain.com/2012/02/10/honey-graham-cracker-pie-crust/

I used an 11 inch pie pan, and pricked the dough so that it would not puff up when it baked.  I baked it for 5 minutes, let it cool, then put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.

For the filling, I used a 15 oz can of Trader Joes Organic Pumpkin. I used 1 TBS of pumpkin pie spice instead of the combo of spices (but still added a little fresh lemon zest), and used Grade A maple syrup instead of Grade B. I used these awesome Wilton Bake Even Stripswhen baking the pie so that it baked evenly, and it only need 30 minutes in the oven.

I can't wait to make this again for Thanksgiving!

Berry Cobbler | Gluten Free | Sugar Free

This mixed berry cobbler is super simple and quick to make. You can use any combination of fresh or frozen berries. I've made fresh strawberry and raspberry cobbler, and pictured here is a frozen berry mix of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry (Trader Joes, of course ;) ). Adapted and slightly modified from this recipe.

Filling:
about 2 cups of berries (I use 1 bag of frozen mixed berries)
1/2 TBS Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 
1 tsp lemon juice

Cobbler:
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour 
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/8 cup Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1/8 cup raw honey
1/4 almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together the filling ingredients. If you use frozen berries, heat them slightly so you can cut up the larger berries. Pour the mixture evenly between 2 small circle baking dishes. Mix the cobbler dry ingredients in 1 bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Spoon half the cobbler mixture over the berries in each baking dish, and smooth evenly over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

The cobbler is delicious topped with whipped cream or frozen yogurt ;)

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Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins | Gluten Free | Refined Sugar Free

These red velvet mini muffins are decadent, moist and delicious. They totally satisfy sweet, chocolatey cravings. And the best part is that they are gluten and refined sugar free! They have 2 unexpected ingredients, prunes and beets :) My kids gobble them up.

Adapted from this recipe.

Yields about 24 mini muffins

1 cup beet puree
1/2 cup prunes
2 eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour

1 1/2 TBS cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


Peel and cube the beets, then boil them for about 10 minutes to slightly soften them.

Add the beets, along with the rest of the other wet ingredients to a food processor (I like using a Vitamix because of how well it blends the ingredients).

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add chocolate chips. Spray a mini muffin pan with baking spray. I prefer to use Trader Joe's coconut oil spray. Fill the muffin pan about 3/4 of the way.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Let them cool for several minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. I like to store them in the fridge.

Enjoy! 

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Chocolate Chip Cookies | Gluten Free | Refined Sugar Free

I am on a mission to find the most delicious gluten free and refined sugar free recipes for baked goods.  I have read and tried many such cookie recipes. I look for recipes with few ingredients and I prefer to bake with almond flour. I also prefer to use low glycemic index sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.

I've combined ingredients from several recipes and added a few of my own to make my version of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. These are soft and delicious and have almost a cake-like consistency inside :)

Yields 1 dozen (I like to bake in small batches, but you could easily double this recipe to make more)

1 cup Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour

1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbs melted Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips


Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add chocolate chips. Drop tablespoons of batter onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, or until edges turn slightly brown. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

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