Back to School Baking

   It's a gorgeous Sunday in N.J.  I'm doing wash, paperwork and getting ready for the week ahead with some baking.  This week, I decided to make carrot muffins, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.  These recipes are gluten free and sweetened with rapadura sugar, as a better sugar alternative.  I bake then freeze the muffins.  I unfreeze one in the morning and it's ready when I am.  If you want to enjoy these muffins for dessert, you could make a buttercream or cream cheese frosting, or a mascarpone buttercream for an Italian flair.  I'm just going to top them with organic cream cheese, since I'll most likely have them as a morning snack.  I will bake off a few cookies for me and some friends to enjoy tomorrow, and I will form cookie dough balls and freeze the rest of them that way.  I freeze them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and transfer to a freezer bag when they are frozen.  This way, I can grab a couple of cookies whenever I want, pop them in the oven and in 11 minutes I have fresh baked cookies.  They are a crowd pleaser, for sure!

Carrot Muffins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a stand mixer (or bowl if using a hand-mixer), combine :
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups or 1 cup for less sweet muffins rapadura sugar (I've also used coconut palm sugar and it's a tasty choice).

Next, add in and combine:
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
A generous shake of cinnamon
A generous grating of fresh nutmeg

Finally, add in and mix just until blended:
A generous handful of nuts (pecans, walnuts, or whatever you choose)
3 cups of grated carrots

This recipe is enough to make 12 Texas-sized muffins (go big or go home!).  Fill the pan liners 3/4 of the way and bake for 30 minutes or until they pass the "done" inspection.  I find I can tell when baked items are done, because you can smell them outside the oven.

Peanut Butter Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or bowl if using a hand mixer), combine:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups of natural peanut butter (I use smooth but crunchy is good too)
1 cup rapadura sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Next, add in:
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix until all ingredients are combined.  You can form dough balls right away or let the dough chill for a little while, which seems to help the cookies stay together more.  When you are ready to bake, scoop out small balls of dough, place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, slightly flatten by making cross-hatch marks with a fork.  Bake for approximately 11 minutes, until they are golden brown.  Let them cool a few minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

In a stand mixer (or bowl if using a hand mixer), beat until fluffy (ish):

2 sticks softened butter

1 1/2 cups rapadura sugar

 

Next, add in and mix until well-combined:

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

 

Now add in dry ingredients and mix until well-combined:

2 1/2 cups oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

 

Finally, add in a bag of quality chocolate chips and a generous handful of nuts of your choice.  You can mix these in by hand, or gently with the mixer.  Scoop out tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes or until done.