Apple Cinnamon Scones

Good Post Christmas Morning! I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Christmas yesterday! I know we sure did! Now comes the fun part, putting together mountains of toys, finding a home for the old ones and picking up paper… lots and lots of paper! I’m going to need a good breakfast to do all of that! That’s why I’m giving you this recipe today! These simple, yet delicious scones are perfect! Apples and cinnamon just go together and when you add them to a scone it’s magical! They really don’t take too long to make and you could even start the dough the night before and bake the morning of serving. Makes 8 scones.

1 cup white rice flour

¼ cup coconut flour

¼ cup almond flour

½ cup tapioca starch

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, softened

½ cup almond milk

1 egg

1 cup apple, finely chopped

1 Tbsp cinnamon

¼ cup coconut sugar

Glaze

1 Tbsp butter, melted (I used dairy free)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp almond milk (more or less for desired consistency)

• In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add in oil, milk, vanilla and egg. Blend over low speed until dough ball forms. Slowly add in apple pieces until well combined. 
• On a floured surface (or a counter with a layer of plastic wrap), form dough into a circle about 1” thick. Cut the circle into 8 pieces. 
• Place scones onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 325°F for about 20-25 minutes or until scones are lightly browned and cooked through. Let cool for about 10 minutes. 
• While scones are baking, combine glaze ingredients into a small bowl. Whisk together until smooth, adding more milk if a runnier glaze is desired. Drizzle glaze over cooled scones and serve.

Orange Currant Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been thinking of brunch recipes we could have on Christmas morning and I knew I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls. However, you can’t just wing it on the day of – trust me, I’ve tried that and it doesn’t always work. These were actually supposed to be scones but I wasn’t paying attention and following my standard cinnamon roll recipe so once I got in the middle of making the dough I knew I had to commit! Good thing I was spacing because these are great! I’m sure they’d be awesome as a scone too but the cinnamon roll works so great, we may not try the scone! I was missing my "Granny Grunt" this morning and decided to use her plate for my picture. The holidays are hard when loved ones are gone but its little things that make you remember and enjoy their spirit! This makes 12 cinnamon rolls.

Orange Currant Rolls

Dough

1 cup white rice flour

¾ cup amaranth flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup arrowroot starch

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 Tbsp yeast (1 packet)

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup stevia

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

¼ cup applesauce

¾ cup almond milk

½ cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Filling

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup dried currants

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp coconut oil, melted (or butter)

Juice and Zest from one orange

• Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together water, almond milk and yeast for dough and let set for a few minutes. Add in applesauce, coconut oil, egg and vanilla to dry mix and blend well.
•  Pour in milk mixture and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
• This part is key. Put a large rectangle piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or tabletop to roll the dough on. Pour dough onto plastic wrap and spread into a rectangle. Place another sheet of plastic wrap onto dough. Roll out into a thin rectangle. Remove top layer of plastic wrap.
• Spread the coconut oil for filling over the dough. Sprinkle on coconut sugar, cinnamon and currants. Take the long side of the dough and roll over the rest. 
• A trick here is to roll the dough using the edges of the plastic wrap. The dough is sticky and hard to roll if you use your hands. Cut dough log into 1” pieces. 
• In a greased 9x13 pan, place rolls cut side down. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until browned on top. 
• Mix together icing ingredients and spread over warm rolls. 

Cranberry Sweet Rolls - Gluten Free

I used to be a sucker for Hostess or Little Debbie snack cakes. It’s not something I’m real proud of now but I LOVED them. My favorites had to be the Oatmeal Cream Pies and those Cherry Sweet Rolls. Oh my gosh – so good! I don’t need to tell you about their nutritional values I’m sure. These Cranberry Rolls are my Christmas version of my old favorite breakfast treat! Plus a lot healthier… These can easily be made ahead and baked Christmas morning. This makes about 12 rolls. 

1 cup white rice flour

½ cup white sorghum flour
¾ cup tapioca starch
½ cup arrowroot starch
¼ cup stevia or sugar
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup applesauce
½ cup water, warm
½ cup milk, warm
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Filling
1 Tbsp coconut oil
½ cup cranberry sauce (Here’s my homemade recipe)
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
3 tsp almond milk

• In a small bowl, combine yeast, milk and water and set aside for about 5 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining dry dough ingredients. Add in egg, applesauce, oil, vanilla and yeast mixture.
• Blend over medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• Place dough onto a clean, floured surface and roll out into a ¼” thick rectangle.
• Spread coconut oil over dough and top with sugar, cinnamon and cranberry sauce. Roll up dough lengthwise and cut into about 1” thick slices.
• Place rolls cut side down  in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
• While rolls are baking, mix together icing ingredients. Let rolls cool about 10 minutes  and drizzle icing over tops and serve.

Cinnamon Orange Pecans

When you make these your house will smell awesome. I wish I could bottle that scent and sell it – I’d make millions! The aroma of the freshly roasted pecans with cinnamon spice and orange zest is just amazing! They taste pretty great too! These make perfect holiday gifts as they are easy to make but still taste wonderful! This makes about 1 lb of candied pecans.

• 2 oranges, zested and cut into slices
• 1 Tbsp almond milk
• 1 cup coconut sugar, or regular sugar, honey, other sweetener
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 lb pecan halves

In a large pot, combine coconut oil, milk, oranges, cinnamon, all spice and sugar. Bring to a boil and add in pecans. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until sugar mixture has coated the pecans and is almost absorbed. Spread pecan mixture on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and let cool and harden for about an hour or two. Break pecans apart and store in a sealed container. 

Apple Cider Bread

I think I’ve said it before but I LOVE fall. It might be because during the summer it is simply too hot to bake every day. Not in the fall though – I can bake all day long! So one morning after breakfast, I needed to bake something. I started rummaging through my pantry and saw some apple cider. So I thought why not?! This is a slightly sweet yet savory bread recipe. I prefer eating it with a little butter for breakfast with my eggs but it also makes a wonderful PB&J!

1 package of GF bread mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill – yeast packet included)

2/3 cup apple cider (homemade – here's my recipe!)
1 ¼ cup warm almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla)
2 eggs
¼ cup apple sauce
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp brown coconut sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp apple pie spice (or a mix of cloves, nutmeg and allspice)

• In a small mixing bowl, combine milk and yeast from packet and let sit for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine eggs, apple sauce, cider, vinegar and oil. Add in bread mix and yeast mixture.
• Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine coconut sugar, cinnamon and apple pie spice.
•  Over the top of the batter, sprinkle spice mixture. Carefully using a spoon, swirl in spice mixture into dough.
• Pour dough mixture into a greased 9x5 bread pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about 35 minutes.
• Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cover bread with foil after 30 minutes of baking to prevent burning. If desired, sprinkle with additional sugar and spice mixture.

Homemade Coffee Creamer

I don’t typically drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages. However, my husband HAS to have coffee in the mornings. When I did drink coffee I had to have the flavored kind with the sweetest creamers. It was pretty much just sugary milk with a splash of coffee. We haven’t bought coffee creamer in months, mainly because I forget since I don’t use it now. I felt a little bad for my husband this morning and decided while he was out hunting – I would make him some creamer for his coffee when he got home. This is a standard base creamer with a touch of cinnamon and other spices to give it more flavor. Now I’m curious so I will probably be trying different varieties! This makes about 8 oz of creamer.

¾ cup of almond milk

2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp stevia
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice

• Place ingredients in a sealed jar, glass, container of some sort and shake up really well. That’s it!
• Store in the refrigerator for up to about a week.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles - Easy!

You can’t go the first week into October without a pumpkin recipe – so here is mine!  These were so easy. I cut out a step by using a GF sugar cookie mix and it turned out great. I don’t like using mixes all of the time but I have found some of them to be really good (with ingredients I can actually pronounce). I cut out some of the fat by using pumpkin and also boosting some extra flavor. A perfect twist on the traditional snicker doodle. These are great in the afternoon with a cup of hot tea!

 

1 package GF sugar cookie mix

½ cup pumpkin
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
1 Tbsp cinnamon
¼ cup coconut sugar

• In a large mixing bowl, combine cookie mix, pumpkin, eggs and oil until well blended.
• In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and coconut sugar.
• Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll into sugar mixture until coated.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and flatten with palm.
• Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool about 10 minutes. Store in a sealed container.

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with Bananas and Walnuts

I am not kidding when I say that this is the best French toast I have EVER made. And trust me – I’ve made a lot of French toast! For some reason, this is the first time I’ve attempted since going gluten free a few months ago. I had some bread I needed to use up quickly and this turned out to be the perfect way to not waste it! I’m thinking this may be on our regular menu for the fall…

6 slices of cinnamon raisin bread (either homemade GF or store bought)

2 eggs
½ cup milk (I used almond)
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or shortening)
1 over-ripe banana
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
1 tsp honey or maple syrup

• Preheat griddle to 375°F and add coconut oil to griddle.
• Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and 1 tsp cinnamon in a medium sized bowl until combined. Dip both slices of bread into egg mixture.
• Place “battered” toast onto a hot griddle. Cook first side for about 10 minutes or until browned and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for about 5 minutes or until crispy and brown.
• While your toast is cooking, cut banana lengthwise in half. Then cut each half lengthwise to make four long slices of banana. Add banana slices to griddle and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon.
• Top bananas with walnuts and drizzle honey on and “fry” until slightly browned. Remove toast from griddle and put onto serving plate.
• Top each serving of French toast with the caramelized banana/walnut mixture. Serve with additional syrup if desired, but really these are sweet enough already.

Cinnamon Scones

Today will be a good day. Do you know why? Because these scones will just start your day perfect. I LOVE scones, danishes, pastries, pretty much any baked good. Scones have been a challenge for me to make gluten free and lower in fat. This is the first time they have tasted great and held together well. All of my other attempts have either resulted in good tasting scone crumbs that just fall apart, or something more “rock like”. However, these stayed together, were easy to make and tasted wonderful – especially the cinnamon roll glaze on top! Enjoy one of these scones with some fruit and a warm cup of coffee to start your day off right!

1 cup brown rice flour

½ cup almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp stevia (or sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
¼ cup coconut oil, softened
1/3 cup almond milk
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp powdered sugar

•  Mix together flours, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, ½ tsp cinnamon, and stevia in a medium sized bowl.
• Add in vanilla, egg, oil and milk and mix until a ball of dough forms. If you mixture is too dry, try adding about a tablespoon of water at a time to get it to a better consistency. You want your dough to be wet and formed together but not runny or crumbly.
• Blend together the brown sugar, remaining cinnamon, honey and water into a small bowl. This will become your cinnamon swirl in your scone and part of your glaze.
• Once the cinnamon mix is well blended, pour half into your dough mix. Carefully blend into the dough just enough that you have some swirls.
• Pour the dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using your hands, shape dough into a circle about ½ to 1” thick.
• Cut the circle into 8 slices and separate into scones. You could also just take your dough and form into 8 small circles-whatever shape you like.
• Bake at 325°F for about 20 minutes or until slightly brown on top.
• While the scones are baking, finish making the glaze. Take the remaining half of your cinnamon swirl mixture and add in powdered sugar (you could also omit this step and just use the mix by itself). Mix together until well blended.
• Once scones have finished baking, let cool about 5 minutes and then drizzle on the cinnamon glaze.