Category Archives: coconut oil

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Ever been to Paul Bunyan’s? I don’t know if they are across the country but in Wisconsin Dells this restaurant houses the most amazing (and not diet friendly) sugar donuts one could imagine. I don’t have a donut pan, deep fryer or even a mini bunt pan to even come close to baking something that resembles a donut. But sometimes muffins are just as good. So I searched for sugar donut recipes that I thought might work for my purpose and gave it a whirl. Or two. Or three. They definitely (I’ll be honest) are NOT the same as the Paul Bunyan sugar donuts I grew up enjoying, but still satisfied the child in me.

Ingredients

2 cups flour (I used 1 cup Gluten Free AP & 1 cup whole wheat)

1 cup plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbs coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbs flax meal + 6 Tbs water (used as an egg replacer)

turbinado/raw sugar for sprinkling

What to do…

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl/cup mix the flax meal and water together and let the mixture sit.

2. Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in  a small bowl.

3. In a larger bowl, stir together the yogurt, oil, vanilla and flax/water mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients just until everything is mixed. The batter will NOT be smooth and easy to work with, so be careful to not overmix it.

4. Drop the batter into lined muffin tins and bake for 12 minutes. Let the muffins cool on a rack before topping with more sugar. Yes, more sweetness!

5. You can melt a little non-dairy butter or use coconut oil (you don’t need a lot!), and brush the tops of the muffins. Then either dip the muffins into a bowl of sugar or sprinkle some sugar on top and then flip the muffin over to let the excess fall off. This adds an extra coating of sugar to the muffins and makes them a little less healthy, but even more delicious and dessert-like!

Orange Cranberry Bread

Thanksgiving Orange Cranberry Dessert Bread

Paula Deen makes everything with sour cream, cream cheese & milk. I love watching her cook, but I can hear my arteries clogging as she does. Not necesary Paula, not necessary… But it’s okay. I adore her and the Orange Bread I saw her make one day. About a month ago, I made some (Lori-style) and loved it. I replaced her eggs with a flax meal & water mixture and made sure to keep everything else light. It had just enough orange zest to bring that orange-y flavor but wasn’t overwhelming.

Fast forward to my Thanksgiving planning…Our menu is pretty simple: My husband wants ham for the carnivores in the family, and I’ll make a Tofurkey for me (it better be good!). I’ll include the usual sides of vegetables and potatoes. But since we’re not Pumpkin Pie eaters I figured I would make a loaf of dessert bread ahead of time. So I found the recipe for Paula Deen’s Orange Bread that I had previously doctored and decided to add in some fresh cranberries for a little extra zing….

Ingredients

1 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 bananas)

1 Tbs orange zest (1 large orange)

1/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt (I usually use soy or coconut yogurt for cooking)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbs flax meal + 6 Tbs water (to replace 2 eggs from the original recipe)

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I prefer fresh)

What to do… (It’s not difficult, I promise!!!)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl or cup mix the flax meal and water, and let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda & salt.

3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas (mash them very well!) and add the coconut oil, yogurt & vanilla. Add in the flax meal/water mixture and mix completely.

4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet banana mixture. Stir in the orange zest, cinnamon and cranberries until its all incorporated.

5. Line a loaf pan lightly with coconut oil and add the dough. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick/tester comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a rack before cutting. Garnish with banana slices, nut butter or honey!

*Other optional ingredients instead of the cranberries can include nuts, raisins, chocolate chips…The possibilities are endless! That’s why I love easy breads. Make it yours!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Pumpkin Cupcakes

I have been playing with this cupcake recipe for over a week. I have made them 3 times and am finally very pleased with the outcome. Definitely more pleased with the cupcakes than I am with the weather right now. I’m ready for the Fall season, changing colors and Halloween, but if it could be 80 degrees year round I would be eternally happy. Oh well. I’m pretty exctied about these cupcakes though. Maybe they’re muffins. I really don’t know the difference, so I guess they could go either way. Maybe if I plan to eat them for breakfast, I’ll just forget the icing…

That said, here’s my disclosure: This list may look like a lot of ingredients, but its actually really simple so don’t let it scare you. The recipe is easy and you can always not include the nutmeg and/or pumpkin spice if you don’t have any. But I like the extra pumpkin flavor that the spices add!

Ingredients

1/2 c pumpkin puree

1/4 c soy milk

1/3 c of turbinado

1/3 c of brown sugar

1 c of whole wheat flour

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

3 Tbs coconut oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

muffins or cupcakes??? you decide!

What to do…

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cups.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the soy milk and vinegar. Allow it to sit and curdle, this will create soy ‘buttermilk.’

3. In a large bowl, mix the turbinado and brown sugar. Then add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin spice.

4. In a smaller bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, applesauce and coconut oil. Add the vanilla last.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, adding the ‘buttermilk’ last. Mix the ingredients just until they’re combined. Fill the cups halfway and bake for 18-22 minutes.

*recipe will make 12 cupcakes

Vanilla Icing

I made the icing while the cupcakes were cooking. In a bowl, mix 1 cup of confectioner’ sugar, 1/2 Tbs coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 Tbs soy milk. If the icing is still too thick, add a tiny bit of milk until it thins out to your liking. I wanted it a little thicker so that it stayed on top of the cupcakes. Top the cupcakes with the icing after they cool.

Look for more Fall recipes…I’m so excited to cook with pumpkin, squash and all the produce the Fall season has to offer!

nutritionella