Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: apple shortbread gluten-free

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

#Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl:

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Are you prepared? Still have the turkey to cook? What about those sides? And the gravy? Got veggies? Last minute stop to the store? I hope not. Everyone will be there!

I also hope you have help from family or friends because this is one holiday that requires all hands on deck. Dishes galore.

And did I mention dessert? What do you like to serve for dessert? I like options. Pies, cakes, individual candies. One of my grandsons wants to make specialty cupcakes and have all the kids decorate them. I've purchased the decorations. Will that be chaos or fun?

Whatever you're doing, don't fret. You've got this. I'm sharing an easy muffin below that is right for dessert or breakfast/brunch. If you don't have the ingredients for these delicious muffins (as I said I'm sure you don't want to go to the store again), just know that these are perfectly fine to eat next week and on into the winter months. So yummy.

Have a great holiday. Enjoy whomever you are with.

PS I found this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction blog. I tweaked it to make them gluten-free and I added a few things. If you want to see the original, follow the link https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-muffins/

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE MUFFINS (GLUTEN-FREE and REGULAR)

Note: I made these slightly differently when it came to layering. They grew really big. I liked them that way.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for GF, use ¼ cup tapioca starch and ¼ cup cornstarch)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cupcakes:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (for GF, I used half tapioca starch, half sweet rice flour + 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)

1 teaspoon baking powder (for GF, use 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see note below)

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed (I used light)

2 large eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

(*On the website, Sally uses less; but comments from fans recommended more filling, so I increased the amounts)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 egg yolks (about 2 tablespoons egg)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sally recommends this because she likes to bake for 5 minutes at high temperature – helps cupcakes rise – then you will REDUCE the temperature to 350 degrees F. (See below)

Line 12 cupcake tins with liners. Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping:

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour (or GF combo) and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until crumbs form. Set aside. (Mine turned out to be more of a packed mixture; not crumbs.)

Make the muffin batter:

In a large bowl, toss the flour (or GF mixture), baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. (If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, Sally recommends a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice.) Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient and stir until just combined Do NOT overmix the batter.

Make the cheesecake filling:

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric handheld (or stand) mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar. Beat until combined.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into the cupcake cups. Layer with about 2 tablespoons spoonful of cheesecake filling, then 2 more tablespoons of cupcake batter (or however much batter is needed to fill the cups all the way to the top). Yes, you will fill the muffin cups to the very top. Some cheesecake filling may poke out of the top or on the sides. Top each evenly with crumb topping (it does not sprinkle, as Sally says in her blog so not sure what I might have done wrong) and press the topping down into the muffin so it sticks.

Bake for 5 minutes 425°F then, keeping the cupcakes in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 15-16 minutes. The total time these cupcakes should be in the oven is around 20-21 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to eat. Cupcakes taste best on the same day, though they may be stored covered tightly at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

For longer storage, freeze cupcakes for up to 3 months. Wrap really tightly in plastic wrap to keep out all air. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat up in the microwave if desired.

Yummy creamy!

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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Sheila's apple shortbread gluten-free #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl aka Avery

Recently, I've been making recipes for my new FRENCH BISTRO MYSTERY series, which comes out in November. I have to admit that I've probably put on a few pounds because here's what I've been making:

Eclairs, Eggs Benedict, Orange Madeleines, and Steak au Poivre

Rich, rich, rich. And delicious! And I made all of them gluten-free so I could taste test them. I KNOW they work with the real deal (flour).

Here are a few pictures just to whet your appetite...but I can't share the recipes with you until the book comes out in the fall. I'll keep you posted. I've put other photos on my Pinterest page.

Yes, this is gluten-free!

Found gluten-free English muffins. Quite good!

Had these with a delicious read.

Wow, wow, wow! That's all I can say.

In the meantime, I'm writing away, and, when I write, I like my sweets in the morning. I had a craving for something with apples, and I recalled that a few months back, Sheila made an apple shortbread that looked divine. However, as you know (from comments above), I have to eat gluten-free. Of course, not all recipes turn out well if made gluten-free -- not if they need to rise -- but this shortbread doesn't have to "rise", which is why I HAD TO TRY IT.

Delicious! A winner!

Thank you, Sheila.

Sheila’s Apple Shortbread recipe

Gluten-free version

(Serves 6 to 9)

Takes refrigeration time; so 1 ½ hours to make.

The Crust

1/2 lb butter (1 cup or 2 sticks) at room temperature

1/4 cup soft brown sugar

1 1/2 cups sweet rice flour (or your choice gluten-free flour)

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In a stand mixer, mix the butter, sugar, GF flour, xanthan gum, and salt.

Roll the dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes (this makes it easier to handle).

Line a 9” square pan with parchment paper. Press the dough into the bottom of a baking pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes (this will be cooked, but don’t let it brown). Let cool partially.

The Apple Layer:

Peel, core, and thinly slice three to four cooking apples (depending on size). I used Galas because that was what I had on hand. Granny Smiths would be great!

Arrange the apples on the crust in a single layer (some overlap is okay, but it shouldn’t be a thick layer). Taste the apples, and if you think they need it, sprinkle with a little sugar and some cinnamon.

The Gluten-free Topping:

1/2 cup sweet rice flour (or oatmeal flour)

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

(Note: you can use a gluten-free flour mix - if so, 1 cup GF flour substitutes for the sweet rice flour and tapioca flour above)

Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl to make coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apple layer.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the apples are soft and the topping begins to brown.

Remove from oven and let cool about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cut away the parchment overlaps. Set on a pretty serving plate. Cut in 6 or 9 pieces. Enjoy!