Cinnamon Apple Muffins (GF, Grain Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free)

This recipe was inspired from a GF zucchini loaf found here. Given the amount of changes I was making and the lack of success I've had with these kinds of recipes in the past my expectations were low.

Then I was blown away!  My kids and I could not stop popping these delicious bites in our mouths!  Absolute winners!

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups shredded apples (approximately 3 large-med apples)
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup natural apple sauce (no sugar added)
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 ½ cups almond flour
• ½ cup coconut flour
• 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. fresh lemon zest
• Optional – Cinnamon Sugar garnish of 3 Tbs coconut sugar + 1.5 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl; beat egg whites until they are fluffy. Add apple, vanilla extract and coconut sugar and lemon zest; mix well. Slowly add coconut oil and continue to mix.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients; mix well to combine, then add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir well until wet and dry mixtures are combined and there are no lumps in the batter.  This will be like very wet cookie dough.
4. Prepare your mini muffin tin with oil, butter, or cooking spray, whatever you prefer. Drop batter into mini muffin tin cups using a rounded half tablespoon. Shape as desired, trying to keep the size even across all of the muffins. If using the optional sugar garnish, sprinkle that on top of the muffins at this point.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until they feel solid throughout when punctured.  Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.
   

Sinless Banana Oat Cookies

A Sinless Banana Cookie recipe was going viral on Facebook last month.  I made it, but thought, "I can do better."  Here's that recipe but with some Kim touches. 

A play on baked oatmeal, but put into a cookie form.  Good as a snack, on the go breakfast or dessert, just be prepared for a very soft cookie.

Sinless Banana Oat Cookies

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 heaping Tbs natural PB
• 1 Tbs coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ c mini chocolate chips (optional but recommended)

Mash bananas well. Mix all ingredients with the bananas. Scoop by rounded ½ Tbs onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 12 mins.

Banana & Berry Bread (Vegan)

Don't let the vegan name throw you, this banana bread is awesome.  Hubby and I stood around devouring it while it was still hot all the while saying, "It doesn't taste like health food!"

Banana & Berry Bread (Vegan) - from Chocolate Covered Katie.com, slightly altered by me

• 2 c spelt flour (I did a mix of 1.5 c all purpose & .5 c whole wheat white, but I'm going to play with the ratio & types of flours in the future)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt 
• 1/3 c nondairy milk (I used plain soy milk) 
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T more sweetener (could be agave, honey, syrup, or sugar)
• 1 and 2/3 c tightly-packed, mashed banana (measured after mashing)
• 1/3 cup berries of choice, or more banana (I used the triple berry mix from Costco & some dark cherries as well - I first defrosted them, then pureed them in my food processor)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients, and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix into dry. (Mix by hand, and don’t over mix.) Pour into a greased loaf pan and cook for around 40-45 minutes. Check, if the top is getting dark, but the inside still feels mushy with a toothpick test, cover the bread with foil & bake another 10 minutes & test again (this method worked perfectly for my bread).

When it's done, remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before slicing. Goes great with natural peanut butter!

After the first day, this bread is best stored in the fridge. You can also cut into slices and freeze for later.

Oatmeal Spice Cookies

A new favorite healthy cookie - no butter, tons of flavor, and options for making them what your family wants. The original recipe came from Whole Grain Gourmet with raisins mixed in, but we aren't raisin people around here, so other options are to just leave them plain, stir in some walnuts, or chocolate chips.

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies from Whole Grain Gourmet

• 1 cup whole wheat white flour
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tb cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tb molasses
• 1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup mix in of your choice (optional - raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts, etc)

Preheat oven to 335 degrees (a better temp for honey). In a large bowl, add all wet ingredients, top with dry, then mix all the ingredients together.  Spray your cookie sheet with nonstick spray and drop by spoonfuls onto your baking sheet.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie.

Zucchini Bread Brownies

A college roommate and friend of mine is a baking genius. I’m lucky to have her.  I’m a baking bumbler.  I do it only for birthdays, when I want a treat, and when I feel at peace enough with myself to do it (since I generally end up laughing at my foolishness).

Her baking blog (Completely Delicious) is an inspiration and I’d highly recommend it for baking enthusiasts.  I saw her post about Chocolate Zucchini bread and knew I’d have to give it a try, but with a few switcheroos to make it a little more healthy/easy.

Zucchini Bread Brownies

• 1 1/2 cup (about 1/2 pound) fresh grated zucchini (cheese grater works, but the food processor is even better if you want the veggies to be hidden)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup natural applesauce minus 1 Tbs
• 1 Tbs canola oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 pan. In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice.

In another mixing bowl stir together the zucchini, apple sauce, oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until combined well. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing between each until the batter is just combined. Add the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan, but on a rack at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.

86 calories per serving when cutting pan into 5×5 squares.

Happy Cooking!

Blender Cheesecake (best low fat cheesecake in the world)

I have discovered it – a cheesecake that is just like a normal cheesecake, but that won’t make you cry over your thighs after you eat it.

Did I also mention that it’s easy to make and delicious.

I just had a second slice… sneakily while under the guise of looking for saran wrap.

Reason’s I love it:

1. Texture and flavor of real cheesecake.
2. Flavorful, but not so overly rich that you can only eat one bite and then you’re done.
3. The crust is so light – not weighed down and dripping with butter (in fact, this recipe has NO BUTTER).
4. It serves SO EASILY!  I cut the thing with a butter knife and the slice with the crust intact just popped right out!

Blender Cheesecake (adapted from the Egg Beaters Website)

• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, divided
• 12 oz (about 1.5 cups) non-fat cottage cheese
• 1 pkg (8 oz each) non-fat cream cheese, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 container (6 oz each) vanilla non-fat yogurt (I used Dannon and it worked great)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place cottage cheese, cream cheese, eggs, the 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla in blender; process on high just until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Reserve 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs; set aside. Place remaining graham cracker crumbs in pie plate; shake to coat bottom and sides. Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.  Combine yogurt, the 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice until blended. Spread evenly over cheesecake, leaving 1/4-inch border around edges. Sprinkle top with the remaining 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs. Return to oven and bake 5-10 minutes more (or until edges are just starting to brown like in picture).  Center will still be a little jiggly, but that’s okay.

Let cool on wire rack. Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Kim’s Notes:  I didn’t have any toppings to put on it, and even though this cheesecake does stand alone, having some toppings would be fun.  I was also thinking of trying a berry yogurt next time so that the top layer is almost a topping itself.

Molasses Ginger Cookies

Oh this is a beautiful cookie:

Whenever there's a cookie recipe that calls for less than a stick of butter but yields up to 4 dozen cookies, I'm there.  This gem came from the Better Homes and Gardens website and is everything that I'm looking for in a cookie - chewy, sweet, and around 50 calories.


The boys loved them too.  I was worried that my son wouldn't be on board with such a strong flavor, but he loved them, begged for them... probably ate about half of them.

One negative thing that I will say is that rolling the dough balls was a long and messy process - the flavor is worth it, but this isn't a simple, throw-together cookie.

Molasses Ginger Cookies (from Better Homes and Gardens, slightly adapted)

• 1/3 c. margarine, softened
• 2/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. dark molasses
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl combine the margarine with  the brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, egg and molasses. Blend until all is moist and mostly smooth, then add flour.  Stir until well combined then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

*This is where things got messy, even using the fridge the dough still got all over my hands - I think next time I'll try the freezer.

Combine the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon on a plate. Shape dough into a 1-inch ball. Roll ball in sugar-cinnamon mixture, then place 2 inches apart on a prepared cookie sheet (use parchment paper, rubber mat, or a light cooking spray to avoid sticking). If there's dough that isn't being used during a baking cycle, cover it and return to fridge or freezer.  Bake cookies in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until set and tops are cracked. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on a wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen.

Banana Oat Cookies

This is actually another semi-healthy cookie recipe.  The banana flavor pounds your taste buds, the oats give it substance, and with only 3 Tbs of butter* (I used a light spread) there isn't too much to be guilty about...

UNLESS... you choose to make them so (the cookies pictured have chocolate chips and crushed up Reese's pieces as mix-in's).

*I have yet to try these with beans instead of butter, but I think they may do well. I'll update this when I try it.

Banana Oat Cookies
(adapted from Spark Recipes)

• 3 Tbs butter, softened (I used light spread)
• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 c. quick oats
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 c. mix in's (in the pictured cookies I used mini chocolate chips and crushed Reese's pieces, but to be healthy you could use some raisins, chopped nuts, blueberries, whatever suits your tastes)

Combine all wet ingredients and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Add dry ingredients and stir well. Add mix in's and blend until evenly distributed.  Spoon cookies out onto cookie sheets (I baked mine on parchment paper) in about tablespoon sizes, not too big.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cookies will be soft, cool on baking sheet and then on wire racks.  Makes close to 2 dozen.

Happy Cooking!