Do You Know the Muffin Man? Part 1

Oh muffins, the love child of coffee cake and cupcakes. As I attempt to detox from the sugar overload of the holidays, the search has been on for recipes are delicious but still healthy. Oranges are always great but they are especially fantastic this time of year, the citrus is a great winter pick up me up.

So my mom and sister could partake in the muffin-y goodness I made these gluten-free. Since we have the cup for cup flour, all this really meant was using that in place of the regular flour. As with most g-free baking the batter was a little thicker so I added 1/4 cup water and a just a bit more oil (stay tuned for a future post dedicated to g-free baking/substitutions!).

In the photo above I added a topping of whipped cream and extra grated rind, inching closer to the desert genre without adding a ton of extra sugar or calories since I am trying to be "healthy." Plus it just looks cool.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

   adapted from Food.com

• 2 cups gluten free flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 
• 3 teaspoons orange rind 
• 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

2. Stir in cranberries

3. In a medium bowl beat egg, oil, orange juice, and orange rind. 

4. Add to dry ingredients all at once. 

5. Stir until just combined

6.  Add water and extra oil as needed so that batter is moist but not runny

7. Spoon into muffin cups or greased muffin pan, 3/4 full. 

8. Bake 15-20min

9. (optional) Once cooled, top with whipped cream and grated orange rind. 

10. EAT 

Treat Yo Self

Mondays have always been a dark spot on the seven day week, and in the winter that darkness seems even more difficult to overcome. Can we all just agree that everything should just start an hour or two later in as long as it is pitch black and 10 degrees outside in the morning?

So when you have that Monday that involves that involves missing your alarm, unruly hair, spilled coffee, a car that also gives up in the winter AND assuming you don't have a doting significant other; sometimes you just gotta go out and buy yourself a bottle of wine, some fresh flowers and a box of licorice.  In the ever wise words of Parks and Recreation - treat yo self.

Salted Chocolate Pistachio Brownies

When it comes to a crowd pleasing party dessert it is hard to beat brownies. They have all the necessary characteristics such as easy to prepare, transportable, and able to consume without silverware. Not the mention the fact that are made with CHOCOLATE. I for one have a hard time trusting people who say they don't like chocolate, but that's for another time. 

While brownies can get saturated on the potluck gathering scene, they are incredibly easy to modify and turn into something more. So the next time you want to make sure your brownies get picked over all the other desserts in the crowd, give this recipe a try. They are like wearing a glittering black dress over a plain one - classy but memorable. 

To accommodate my mom and sister I used to a gluten-free brownie box as my base, but you could use any box or your favorite recipe. My regular flour choice of the boxed variety is Ghiradelli double chocolate, always amazing especially for the price. 

And now for the pistachio topping, the glitter on the black dress if you will. I used a generous handful of pistachios, shelled and then finely chopped. If you aren't super skilled with a knife, just chop them as small as you can without risking the tips of your fingers (you could even leave them whole). Once the batter has been poured into the dish, place pistachios evenly on top. For the final touch, add a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the nuts. 

One mistake commonly made in any kind of brownie is over-baking them. Everybody just needs to calm down on their baking times and stop being afraid of anything that isn't "golden brown" when you take it out of the oven. I would suggest cutting the recommended baking time by about 5 min and then checking the brownies with a toothpick: if they are firm on top with some batter on the toothpick, they are done. If the toothpick comes out with a runny liquid or if the top is not solid then put them back in the oven for the extra 5 min. Also, as with almost all desserts, make sure your pan is in the center of the oven for the most even bake.    

The result is a salty-sweet chocolate delight that will be sure to get a second glances and satisfied taste buds. All those all other brownies have no idea what they are up against. 

Rice Krispie Rebel

I still love Rice Krispie treats. As we grow older our taste buds evolve, gradually adapting to accept dishes more complex than hot dogs, toast and buttered noodles. As adults we are expected to desire exotic spices and unpronounceable names, not to mention strange colors that would send any child running to far away. And while I am happy to stray from the plain peanut butter sandwiches every day in elementary school, sometimes all I really want is a simple snack.

Few desserts personify American childhood better than Rice Krispie treats for reasons that aren't too hard to see. First off, they require a whopping three ingredients that include cover the plain pallet of butter, rice cereal and marshmallow, aka sugar. One would be hard pressed to find someone over the age of three that didn't enjoy one or all the previously mentioned ingredients. Second is the ease of preparation; multiple bowls, measuring cups, and even the oven can sit idle on this one. A special trip to the store might not even be necessary.

It was late on a weeknight when the need for Rice Krispie treats came to me. I wanted to experiment slightly from the recipe that I had consumed at least a hundred times and counting so I headed to my pantry for inspiration. After much debating Honey Nut O's won out as my cereal replacement. They have the right shape and texture, not to mention the same nostalgic taste. Personally I like my bars to very sweet and chewy so I always modify the recipe slightly from what is on the box. In this case I used a 12oz bag of marshmallows and roughly 5 cups of cereal (vs. 10oz of marshmallows and 6 cups of cereal). Plus sprinkles, because honestly, sprinkles make everything better.

Overall I was really excited about how well they turned out, the honey taste from the cereal was subtle but a nice change . They were a bit heavier than traditional Rice Krispies which made them even easier to justify as breakfast, with a healthy banana and glass of milk of course. I dare you to test these out on the even the pickiest eater, but make sure you save one or two for yourself first.