Recipe Redux: Dark Chocolate-Raspberry Oat Muffins

 for this month's recipe redux we've decided to take on breakfast.

 so maybe muffins aren't always the healthiest breakfast, but i love them. paired with some protein on the side, i think these whole grain muffins definitely have a place on a healthy morning table. not to mention, muffins are not the kind of thing you can pick off the bakery shelf when you're gluten-free, so sitting down to one usually means it is a special homemade treat.

i was inspired by the delightful flavor combinations i stumbled across at simple bites. i also loved the idea of combining lots of rolled oats with my flour blend, which is already high in whole grain, to have a healthy and hearty muffin. dark chocolate and raspberries (hello, antioxidants...) were at the top of my list. yum, right!?

these pretty muffins are a great example of when avoiding gluten comes in handy in the kitchen. if you've baked many muffins, you are familiar with the admonition to "not over-mix"! over-mixing with regular wheat flour produces too much gluten and results in a tough, peaked muffin. guess what... when there's no gluten from the get-go, you can mix those suckers as much as you'd like and never have to worry about tough muffins. nice, huh? and because a tender product is the what we're going for, it is not even necessary to add gums, flax meal, or any other binder to the mix.

Dark Chocolate-Raspberry Oat Muffins

88   grams (about 1 cup) old-fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten-free)

1     cup milk

1     teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1     large egg

1/2  cup melted butter, cooled

1     teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4  cup dark brown sugar*

160 grams (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) kumquat's all-purpose flour or other gluten-free flour 

1     teaspoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4  teaspoon salt

4     ounces dark (bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped or broken

1     pint fresh, organic raspberries

turbinado sugar

Combine oats, milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Let stand for 1 hour. Remove egg from fridge to come to room temperature while oats are soaking. Melt butter and allow to cool to room temperature while oats are soaking.

Preheat oven to 375°. Add egg, butter, vanilla, and dark brown sugar to oat mixture; stir to combine. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in dark chocolate and raspberries. 

Spoon mixture evenly into 12-muffin tins lined with cupcake liners. Sprinkle each tin of batter with a finger-full of turbinado sugar. Bake at 375° for 21 minutes or until golden and a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 muffins.
*these muffins are not overly sweet. if you like yours on the sweet side, add more sugar, up to 1/2 cup total. 

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don't forget to check out all of the healthy and delicious breakfast recipes for the month... click on the link to make the jump.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

when my sweet, cookie-baking neighbor's kitchen was filled with an array of delicious smelling, gluten-laden cookies last weekend, i came to the realization that i had not eaten a homemade chocolate chip cookie in over 5 years.

tollhouse chocolate chip cookies were one of the first things i baked religiously, surely more batches in high school than i should be proud to admit publicly. considering this fact, i felt that it was surely time to take on the classic in gluten-free form. 

i am so happy to report that a fresh from the oven, warm and gooey-chocolate chip cookie (or two or three... ) passed my lips today. oh my. so delicious. 

i have to admit that they aren't quite as chewy as i'd prefer. they were a bit more tender, in the way most gluten-free baked goods can be (especially the ones without gums). but still incredibly delicious and delightful to a tummy that hasn't seen an old favorite in a long time.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

1       teaspoon golden flaxmeal

2       teaspoons hot water

350   grams (about 2 1/2 cups) kumquat's all-purpose flour

1       teaspoon baking soda

1       teaspoon salt

1       cup (8 ounces) butter, softened

1       cup brown sugar

1/2    cup sugar

2       teaspoons vanilla extract

2       large eggs

2       cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips

Combine golden flaxmeal and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in a large bowl; cream together with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flax slurry. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, until all is combined. Stir in chocolate chips until well-combined. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Spoon 1/8 cup batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Press down slightly. Bake at 375° for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies.

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Gluten-Free Ratio Rally: Sweet Buttermilk Biscuits

 

happy new year!

with the new year comes a new month of the gluten-free ratio rally. this month we baked biscuits.

as a girl with deep southern roots, biscuits are a must. biscuits make me think of my grandmother. every breakfast at her house included biscuits and sausage patties. which makes sense because her mother, my mom's grandmother, made biscuits from scratch every morning. biscuits make my mom think of her grandmother too.

it was over the holidays in my mom's kitchen that i needed to make the biscuits for this post. so i let mom decide... what kind of biscuit do i make? since she has recently determined that a gluten-free diet may be necessary for her too, she obviously was hungry for a good, basic, a little-sweet, buttermilk biscuit. the kind that goes with everything.

 ruhlman's ratio for biscuits is 3 parts flour : 1 part fat : 2 parts liquid.

Sweet Buttermilk Biscuits

2               teaspoons golden flaxmeal

4               teaspoons hot water

420           grams (about 3 cups) kumquat flour

53             grams (about 1/4 cup) sugar

1               tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1               teaspoon baking soda

1/2            teaspoon salt

1/2            cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1               cup buttermilk

Cooking spray

Melted butter

Honey

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine flaxmeal and hot water to make a slurry. Set aside

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk and flax slurry until mixture forms a dough.

Fold out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until mixture comes together and pat into 3/4-inch thickness. Cut biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch cutter, being sure not to twist cutter when releasing dough. Place biscuits a few inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush biscuits with melted butter.

Bake at 400° for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Stir honey into remaining melted butter and brush tops of hot biscuits.

Yield: 9 biscuits.

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this month i had the privilege of hosting the rally with all of my talented fellow gluten-free bloggers. please check out their delicious biscuit recipes from the links below.

amanda from gluten free maui made classic biscuits and gravy

amie of the healthy apple made wasabi parsley biscuits

caleigh of gluten free[k] made american style biscuits

caneel of mama me gluten free made whole grain pecan drop biscuits

charissa of zest bakery made eggnog biscuits with grated nutmeg

erin of the sensitive epicure made scallion biscuits with sausage gravy

heather of discovering the extraordinary made almond coconut tea biscuits

jean of gluten-free doctor recipes made jammers 

jonathan of the canary files made vegan sesame shiso biscuits 

karen of cooking gluten free! made biscuit template with dairy free substiutions

lisa of gluten free canteen made fluffy biscuits

mary fran of frannycakes made suprise flavor biscuits

mrs r of honey from flint rocks made turkey pot pie with biscuit topping

rachel of the crispy cook made hummus in a biscuit

silvana of silvana's kitchen made sausage-n-cheddar bialy biscuits

tr of no one likes crumbley cookies made lemon basil biscuits