"Egg-less" Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

I haven't been putting "egg-less" in the titles of my posts because lately it seems so tacky to me, but as you have probably noticed the term "egg-less" has made a reappearance into this title. It wasn't that my other recipes weren't "egg-less", it just seemed tacky to always be adding that to the title.  But I decided this week that the term "egg-less" sets my recipes apart from other recipes, hence it is back to stay.

So, today's recipe took me FOREVER to perfect. I can't even remember how many batches I made to get this one right. I even tested a few different recipes, trying to find the perfect one. One batch was so crumbly they were near impossible to eat, another batch pretty much overflowed their muffin cups and and went all over my oven. Not pretty!

Anyway... I finally made the perfect cupcakes! I LOVE molasses - almost as much as I love spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves... those yummy spices) so when the two get put together with some maple frosting on top, it is the perfect combination. And gingerbread is so christmasy and festive. These would be great for that holiday party coming up!

"Egg-less"Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

For Cupcakes:

2 1/4 cups wonder flour (or other whole grain flour like spelt or kamut)*

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

1/3 cup raw sugar

pinch salt

1 cup no-sugar added applesauce

1/2 cup molasses

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

For Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. maple syrup

Almond milk  (if further thinning is required)


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners (the more festive the better - since it is Christmas).

Mix the dry ingredients together. *If you end up using white flour, cut the measurement back to 2 1/3 cups.

In a separate bowl, whisk wet ingredients until well combined. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan. The batter should come just short of the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting by putting butter in a large bowl and beating until whipped. Add powdered sugar and beat for another minute. Scrape down the sides and add the maple syrup. Mix for another 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

Cool in muffin pan for a few minutes, than remove to wire rack.

Once cupcakes are completely cool, frost in desired manner.

Recipe adapted from The Village Vegan

Jana

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Cinnamon Caramel Corn

I promised more allergy friendly dessert recipes... so here is another one. I LOVE caramel corn - who doesn't really? OK, Brother #1 thinks he is allergic to caramel because it makes his mouth feel "funny" (aren't kids silly), so he won't eat it, but most people like it.

I like to use an air-popper when I make popcorn. They are inexpensive and so easy to use. Air-popped popcorn also makes a delicious, quick and healthy snack for after school or when you have the munchies.

I discovered brown rice syrup about 6 or 7 months ago and it is one of my new favorite finds. It is so much healthier than corn syrup, but can be used to replace it in recipes. You can also use honey to replace corn syrup  but I like using brown rice syrup better because it doesn't change the flavor of the recipe like honey does. I buy mine through Azure Standard (it is a little bit cheaper than Amazon). I order a few jars when I am ordering my grains and coconut oil in bulk and it will usually get me through 4-6 months (depending on how much popcorn I make). I also buy my molasses through Azure Standard. I prefer to buy unsulphured black strap molasses, but any molasses will do.

Cinnamon Caramel Corn

12 cups air-popped popcorn (about 1/2 cup unpopped kernels)

3/4 cup sucanat

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 Tbsp molasses

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter*

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 squares almond bark (optional)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil or spray with non-stick spray.

Air pop popcorn, pull out all unpopped kernels (I cracked a tooth once on an unpopped kernel and had to get a crown put on. So, for safety sake, it is best to remove them) and set popcorn aside.

Combine sucanat and cinnamon in a 2-liter microwave safe bowl. Mix well. Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sucanat mixture. * I have never used coconut oil, but I bet it would work if there is a dairy allergy. Pour brown rice syrup and molasses over everything in bowl.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir everything together.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir than microwave for 2 more minutes.

Remove from microwave and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. The mixture should foam and rise. Pour over popcorn and stir very well to coat (although don't worry too much if all your popcorn isn't coated - you will be able to stir it better after it has been heated).

Spread popcorn mixture onto baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing every 10 minutes to stir. This is where you can make sure that all of your popcorn kernels are well coated.

Remove from oven and spread out on wax paper or parchment paper.

Melt almond bark (I like to use 1 brick of vanilla and 1 brick of chocolate) according to package instructions. Drizzle over popcorn. When almond bark is hardened and popcorn is cool, break into chunks and give away (or you will be tempted to eat the whole batch!).

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

Jana

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Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars

Christmas can be a very hard time of year for kids (and adults too!) with food allergies. With all the holiday parties, neighbor treats and goodies that are passed out everywhere -it seems,  there is often so much that isn't safe to eat. Being that The Princess is still young, we haven't yet had to deal with her feeling left out because she can't eat the treats that are brought, given, etc... It also helps that most people in my neighborhood know that we (my family) are trying to be more health conscious and eat less sugar (I think some people think I am anti-sugar!) and processed foods in general and so we don't get many treats brought to us - which annoys The Brothers sometimes. Maybe one day they will be grateful. But that is another story. 

I have a friend who has told me that her daughter sometimes has a hard time with her allergies and the restrictions that come with them, especially around the holidays. Every time the door would ring, she would hurry to answer it, hoping that just one time it would be something that she could eat. But, it usually wasn't. Of course my friend would have safe treats available to give her daughter so she wouldn't be completely left out, but that just isn't the same, especially for a child.

In case you have experienced this as well, I am coming to the rescue. My next few posts will be Christmas "treats" that (most importantly) are safe, but are also delicious! All the non-allergy folks will be wanting to eat them too.

This first recipe is a twist on my basic egg-less sugar cookie recipe. We love sugar cookies here at our house but they can be time consuming. Baking them in "bar" form makes it so much faster yet they are still just as delicious. Smashed candy canes on top add a festive holiday look. Plus, sometimes it is super fun to smash things - especially if you are a bit stressed by your holiday schedule and need to hit something!

*Note: these are NOT healthy in any sense of the word. I'm sure you can sub out the white flour for whole grain flour (like wonder flour or even spelt flour) but I haven't tried it yet. I also used butter and straight up refined sugar when making the ones pictured, but coconut oil and raw sugar would work just as well. In my defense, I took them to a Christmas party at our church and I wanted to make sure they would turn out. One day I will try and 'healthify' them.

Peppermint Sugar Cookie Bars

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups butter (or coconut oil)

1 1/4 cups sugar (or raw sugar)

3 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 9 Tbsp. water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 oz. cream cheese (or tofutti, if there is a dairy allergy)

5 1/2 cups flour

3 tsp baking soda

Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter (or coconut oil), softened

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 to 2 Tbsp water (or non-dairy milk)

1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional)

3-4 peppermint candy canes, crushed


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray bottom of 9X13 inch pan (or line with parchment paper); set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (trust me, you will want to use one for this), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in flax seeds mixed with water, vanilla, and cream cheese; mixing well after each addition.

In separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Gradually add to the dough in the stand mixer.

Spread evenly in prepared dish, smoothing top. Bake until light golden brown or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Place pan on wire rack to cool completely.

While bars are cooling, make frosting.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar until almost granular. Gradually stir in vanilla and water (adding more water to reach desired consistency). Add in peppermint extract, if using. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

When the bars are completely cool (I had to put mine outside in the freezing cold to hurry up this process; don't worry, they were covered! The frosting doesn't spread well if they are warm at all),  cover them in icing, sprinkle with crushed candy canes and cut into bars.

Recipe inspired by The Busty Baker

Jana

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