Joy the Baker

Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes and a giveaway!

April 29, 2011

Baby steps.

I need to take baby steps when it comes to gluten-free baking.

Maybe the flours confuse me. Maybe I have no idea what guar gum is. Maybe arrowroot is intimidating.

… It’s just that I know exactly what all-purpose flour is going to do when I combined it with baking soda and buttermilk… it’s going to make me delicious, fluffy pancakes. I like knowing that.

But I’m being a brat. A total brat. I like the sound of coconut flour. I learned that arrowroot is just a thickening starch that comes from a plant. I can still use eggs in gluten-free baking, and I’m totally on-board with agave nectar.

I made gluten-free cupcakes. I was a brat for thinking that it would be torture. Considering how delicious these are… I’m totally done being a brat, probably until the next time something challenges my sensibilities.

There’s a new book in my collection. Gluten-free cupcakes I can get down with. All of the recipes are made with either coconut or almond flour. They all have agave nectar, sometimes coconut oil (yum!), and arrowroot. I was amazed at how sweet coconut flour is. Seriously… amazing. And boy is that stuff absorbent! Crazy. Yes. You’re watching me learn new things. Bare with me.

I’m stoked on this book, Gluten-Free Cupcakes. Elana has made gluten-free baking feel not so daunting… not to mention that these cupcakes are totally delicious. Her recipes have as little as three ingredients, usually six or so. Totally do-able. I want one of you to have a copy of this book. I also want one of you to have a bag of coconut flour and a bag of arrowroot powder. I’ll send those along too. Get started! There’s nothing that should stop you from gluten-free goodness.

Leave a comment with this post. Tell me what you’re doing this weekend that might me just slightly outside of your comfort zone. A winner will be chosen on Sunday night and announced on Monday. Get on it!

UPDATE: Winner! Kerry Edwards! You randomly won the Gluten-Free Cupcake Book! I’m stoked! I hope you are too!!

1,004 Comments

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

April 27, 2011

Sometimes I just want to eat a color.

…Does that make sense? Does that ever happen in your brain?

Usually I want to eat things that are green (kale), milky (coffee), made of booze, made of chocolate, or made of pie.

For some reason, yesterday I wanted something orange and spicy.

I made soup. Because all I ever make is soup… then I put it in this wood bowl and take two pictures of it before I have to sit down on my couch and eat it.

That’s how it goes around here. It just does.

181 Comments

Let me be honest…

April 25, 2011

I’ve been thinking all day about what I’d write tonight.

Should I write about the peacock I saw this weekend? Should I tell you about how I was afraid of the peacock until I remembered that it is ostriches that are sometimes mean and not peacocks? Yea… I’m smart. Ostriches spit right? No wait… that’s llamas.

Get me to a petting zoo. Someone. Please.

I’m afraid I don’t have any cookies to tell you about, or brownies to share. I haven’t made soup, or scones, and I still have that Chicken Pot Pie in the fridge.

I’ve been busy busypants. There are shoes all over my apartment. Everywhere. I think my cat might start eating them.

Instead of compiling a list of muffins I’ve already made, I just thought I’d be honest with you.

I’m working on a new project for you. New project!!!!

My brain is everywhere. My body is everywhere too… with my brain… but totally not with my brain. I’m bonkers… that’s what I’m trying to tell you.

I’m working on this project with other people you might know from the Internet. Tracy welcomed me into her home and let me shove a camera in her face. She didn’t pretend to like it. I didn’t really expect her to.

88 Comments

Chicken Pot Pie with Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits

April 21, 2011

Hello Dream Boy,

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I dreamt you up. Biscuits and cream and veggies and chicken. I must must must have dreamt you up, pulled you in the oven, and put you right in my life.

I’m going to keep you around Dream Boy. I’ll get those fluffy feelings in my belly when I see you across the room. I’ll smile at you often and forever. I totally won’t stalk you on Facebook. I’ll just be here, being super cool. No biggie. High five.

279 Comments

Homemade Pistachio Pudding

April 18, 2011

140 Comments

Hot Cross Biscuits

April 15, 2011

It’s that time of year.

It’s time to put a marshmallow Peep in your hat.

It’s time to pipe a cross on your biscuit.

It’s time to eat way way way too many white chocolate Easter bunnies.

Or maybe you gave up sugar for Lent… in which case… I’m sorry to torture you with dessert everyday. I’m sorry.

140 Comments

Brown Butter Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 11, 2011

I think what I need is someone to catch a grenade for me.

… perhaps someone to throw their hand on a blade for me.

Someone to jump in front of a train for me?

Wait. What? Clearly I have a problem. I can not stop listening to this silly song.

… and now I want people catching grenades. Please.

Actually, no. All I really need is someone to make cookies for. … and maybe someone to push a piano around Los Angeles for me. That would be… odd.

Just listen to the song… most of the words I’ve written will make more sense.

318 Comments

Breakfast Quinoa with toasted coconut, almonds, and fresh mango

April 11, 2011

Good morning!

I made us breakfast.

There’s not an ounce of butter in it. Clearly I’m not feeling myself.

Grains and applesauce and fruit and nuts. Delicious. Wholesome. True.

We’ll eat it and feel utterly contented. Then we’ll have butter for lunch. Let’s be real.

127 Comments

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble

April 8, 2011

.Sigh

It’s a good thing you’re not here. You. You specifically. It’s a good thing you’re not here right now.

If you were here, you’d be witness to some truly horrific sweatpants choices. You’d have to see my raccoon face, from furiously rubbing my eyes with mascara on. I just yelled at my cat… you would have seen that. I threw a pillow at him. A small pillow. He ran. You would have seen that too. I have bras all over my bed. My desk could use some work. I don’t really want to talk about the state of my shower. It’s a good thing you’re not here.

I’d have a hard time telling you all the things I tell you if you were actually sitting here in front of my face. Sure, there’s the stuff about how I want to turn my cat into a spider hunting helicopter…that’s easy. I’m talking about the other stuff. When I write dorky letters to my future husband. When I freak out about turning a year older. When I date people. When I stop dating people. When I wrestle with Lent and sacrifice and openness and vulnerability…. I’d have a hard time sharing all that if you were here… in front of my face… with all your eye contact. That would freak me out a little.

But you are here. Just the there sort of here, and I’m so thankful for it.

Someone needs to know when I’m happy and sad and scared and freaked out and coupled and dumped and hungry and such. I’m glad it’s you. Even though I mostly don’t know you… I’m still glad it’s you.

Ok… enough with all the eye contact.

Can we talk about dessert now?

280 Comments

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

April 6, 2011

Two things are unacceptable: I keep forgetting to buy butter, and there’s a spider on my ceiling that my cat can’t reach.

Two solutions have presented themselves: Make vegan cookies, and construct some sort of winged apparatus to send my cat into flight, thus into spider hunting range.

So far, I’ve got the cookies. The cat wings have proven more difficult. This mancat of mine doesn’t seem very aerodynamic. Why don’t cat tails double as some sort of cat helicopter blade? That would solve this stupid spider situation for sure.

Sunflower seeds covered in chocolate and a hard candy shell. The candy shell makes them precious, darling, and edible by the fistful.

Ps. The sunflower seeds are less than vegan. Vegan chocolate chunks are a great replacement for those of you who are down with the vegan thing.

218 Comments

Buns. Biscuits. Brownies.

April 3, 2011

ooh friends.

Some of you were a little peeved that I live in a world where I can drink milkshakes and wear shortshorts in early April. I live in Southern California… we don’t have real winter… or spring, or fall. We have real summers. Does that count?

Wait… I’m not making this apology any better. Forget the part about the endless summer. That’s dumb. Nobody likes that.

Since some of you are still suffering with cold and wet and windy and snowy, I thought I’d share some comfort food with you.

Buns. Biscuits. and Brownies.

This is me caring about you. And I’m not wearing shorts right now. I swear. I promise. I’m totally wearing pants. Warm pants and socks and a scarf. Oh! Umbrella too, just in case something crazy goes down in my house.

112 Comments

Recipe Index

Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes and a giveaway!

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

Let me be honest…

Chicken Pot Pie with Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits

Homemade Pistachio Pudding

Hot Cross Biscuits

Brown Butter Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Breakfast Quinoa with toasted coconut, almonds, and fresh mango

Strawberry Pineapple Crumble

Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buns. Biscuits. Brownies.

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