Baked

Happy hump day! Hope your week (and year!) is off to a good start.

Speaking of good starts, I'm trying to be just a touch healthier for at least the first month of 2012 ;) Cutting out gluten and a little sugar, when I can, is a start, and it needn't be dry, dusty, and boring. I found a recipe awhile back while in a waiting room. I couldn't tell you where it's from as there were too many people around to rip out the entire page, so I wrote it down. Heh, heh. These are so flipping good - I hope you give them a try!

Mini Chai Tea Muffins - makes 48 mini muffins

1/4 cup cane sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup apple butter or applesauce, unsweetened
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons unsweetened powdered cocoa
1/2 cup wheat free oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chai tea mixture - steep 4 chai tea teabags in 1/2 cup hot milk. Allow to cool.
1/2 cup diced apple

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Heat milk and steep 4 chai tea teabags, and set aside to cool.

Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in apple butter and honey until well combined. Stir in the flour, almond meal, flax seed, cocoa, oats, baking powder and baking soda, while slowly pouring in the chai tea mix. Stir batter until smooth. Fold in the diced apples.
Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean.

Baked

Hope your week is off to a good start!

I'm a huge fan of the humble cracker, and I make them a lot this time of year. They have so many uses. Dips, soups, and just snacking. Love them. I baked a batch of gluten free crackers with middle eastern spices. So flipping tasty. You can use any spice/herb combo you like, really. I'm loving experimenting with gluten free recipes too. Not that I have to steer clear, but it is a bit healthier especially if you're constantly baking, and eating what you bake. ;)

Snack Crackers - makes about 4 dozen

(a re-worked version of Bob's Red Mill crackers)

3/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 tablespoon ground cumin

3/4 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons water

coarse salt to sprinkle on tops of crackers

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl (except coarse salt) and whisk until well combined. Add olive oil and water and stir until it forms a ball ( I use my hands for this bit). If the dough is too crumbly (see pic at left, below), add a teaspoon of water to form a ball of dough. 

Divide the dough in half, and roll out to about 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch. Best to sprinkle a little flour on your rolling pin before rolling out. Use whatever kind of cookie/biscuit cutter you like, to cut out shapes. I used a 2" circle for this batch. Poke a few holes, with a fork, on the tops of each cracker. Transfer, using a thin spatula, to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with a little coarse salt. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and place crackers on a wire cooling rack. Place rack back on baking sheet, and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack. 

I created a small card and packaged some up to give as a little thank you gift, along with some cheese and chutney. They are so good. It's hard to stop eating them! If you make some, let me know what you think.

One more thing...I did up a holiday gift guide over at Poppytalk. If you've got shopping on your mind, check it out!

Back soon,

Janis