Cardamom Cherry Almond Thumbprints for Easter

A few years ago, I posted a recipe from Oh She Glows for Easter Macaroon Thumbprints on the blog, which is still my favorite gluten free cookie recipe. Unfortunately, the Hubby isn’t a fan of coconut so I decided to try a different type of thumbprint this Easter. Baking has always been a challenge for me, especially gluten free baking. It is hard to find a gluten free recipe that I can successfully pull off and that the Hubby will eat. Don’t get me wrong, he is SUPER supportive of my dietary restrictions, but he isn’t a big fan of gluten free baked goods. However, over the last year I have come across several local gluten free treasures and resources for recipes. 

My favorite gluten free flour to bake with is almond flour mostly because I love almonds. Most of the gluten free recipes that I Pin call for almond flour, which comes in handy since I splurged and purchased a five pound bag of it. I came across this recipe on The Roasted Root and made a few tweeks based on our tastebuds.

The Hubby is much happier with these thumbprints over the coconut ones. Personally, I will make them both in the future! They are easy cookies to put together and pretty difficult to mess up, not to mention versatile based on which preserves you have in your fridge or decide to make during the season.

We hope everyone has a nice Easter!

Cardamom Cherry Almond Thumbprints 

Recipe adapted from: The Roasted Root
Yields: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg white

Cherry preserves

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. In a separate small bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir into the dry ingredients until a dough forms.

Using a tablespoon, roll a small ball of cookie dough in your palms, and gently press the center with your thumb. Repeat this until all the dough is gone placing thumbprints on a cookie sheet. Spoon in a small amount of preserves into each well of the cookie. Be careful not to put too much preserves in each cookie so it doesn't overflow when cooking!

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Cool on a cooling rack and keep in an air-tight container for up to a week.

30/30 - #10 Gluten Free Almond Cake

Down to the final 10 favorite recipes!! I couldn't think of a better recipe to kick off the top 10 than this Gluten Free Almond Cake. I love it, love it! 

First posted on Kettler Cuisine on my birthday last year, it was, and still is the perfect birthday cake for anyone. I make this a lot, especially since there are a lot more gluten free folks in my life these days. It is super easy to make and requires 5 ingredients and a cake pan!

The recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs, 101 Cookbooks, which is listed on every bloggers "Inspirations" list. And the key ingredient is almond paste, which is similar to marzipan, but NOT the same thing. I always have Solo-brand almond paste in my pantry now so I can whip up this cake at a moments notice.

The Big 3-0 is getting so close! But before I turn 30, I get to experience something truly amazing, especially for a foodie like me....Food & Wine Classic festival in Aspen! For the next four days, I will be wining and dining with the culinary fields finest 8,000 miles above sea level! Don't worry, my travels won't disrupt the countdown, they just might be a bit shorter. Maybe I will get the Hubby to make this cake for my return and birthday week!

Find the recipe for Gluten Free Almond Cake here. 

Or find the original recipe on 101 Cookbooks here.

Chocolate Baked Doughnuts

2400 calories, 12 doughnuts, 5 miles, 1 hour. That was the challenge.

When you live with a runner, it's only a matter of time before you become a runner. Ryan jumped on the bandwagon last fall and finished his first race this weekend! Yay! Go Hubby!!

This race didn't only involve running, but eating as well. The Krispy Kreme challenge is an annual event held in Raleigh that challenges not only your physical ability, but your stomach strength as well. 

Probably the worst idea for a race, but it started with a few NC State students on a dare.  The race is now one of the largest charity races in North Carolina (not to mention a great shout out for Krispy Kreme).

Two of our closest friends drove up to run in the race with us. Jordan decided to partake in the dozen doughnut consuming aspect of the race, but Nancy and I were smart, we just ran and watched everyone be miserable!

Since Nancy and I stick to a gluten-free diet, it was only fair that we get doughnuts too! So I made these chocolate gluten free doughnuts for us to enjoy! I know, most people hear gluten free and run, but honestly these were amazing!

Since this was my first time making doughnuts (thanks for the baking dish bro), I did a little research to get started. I found inspiration at Running To The Kitchen, another fantastic healthy food blog that provides a lot of raw, gluten free and Paleo recipes. I started with a recipe for Chocolate Baked Donuts and went from there.

These were a great guiltless treat after the race. Here's to having your doughnuts and eating them too!

Chocolate Baked Doughnuts (Gluten Free)
Adapted from Running to the Kitchen Chocolate Donuts
Yields: 10 doughnuts
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
3/4 cups almond meal/flour
1/4 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/4 tsp baking soda (gluten free)
pinch of salt
3 eggs (separated)
3 T melted coconut oil or melted butter
4 T honey (add more for sweeter doughnut)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp espresso powder

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a donut pan.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cacao, baking soda, espresso powder and salt. In two smaller bowls, separate the eggs putting the whites in a slightly larger bowl. Set the whites aside and add the melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla to the egg yolks. Whisk to combine and add to the dry ingredients bowl, stir to combine.

Beat the egg whites with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy. Fold the egg whites into the batter until just combined. Pour the batter into a large Zip-loc bag or piping bag and squeeze the batter into the donut pan, about 2/3 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from the pan and cool before eating.

Pumpkin Recipe Roundup: Pumpkin Almond Granola

It's time for another installment of my October series: Pumpkin Recipe Roundup. For week 2, I have decided to share my pumpkin granola recipe. I eat granola almost every day with Greek yogurt for breakfast. I started making my own granola recently to control the amount of sugar and to make gluten free. I followed a recipe the first time I made granola and was amazed at how easy it is. After messing with ingredients, measurements and cooking times/lengths, I have created, what I believe is a foolproof recipe that the hubby enjoys too!

I usually double the recipe since we eat a lot of granola in our house. It will keep in an air tight container (recommend a glass jar instead of Tupperware) in the pantry for about 3-4 weeks. This recipe is VERY versitle, so play around with ingredients that you like to make the perfect personalized granola. The pumpkin flavors are great for this lovely Fall season we are having! Num, num, breakfast is served :)

Pumpkin Almond Granola

Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
Yields: 6 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-35 minutes

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup pumpkin puree
4 cups old fashioned rolled oats (can use gluten free oats)
2 cups mixture of raw walnuts, almonds, flax seed and/or pepitas
1 cup mixture of dried figs, cranberries and currants (can use any dried fruit here)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large walled baking sheet (or two if doubling) with either parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spray with olive oil (or use a paper towel dipped in olive oil to rub the surface). This helps the granola from sticking while cooking.

In a medium saute pan over medium heat, toast the nuts and seeds (except flax seed) until fragrant and lightly browned. Stir these often while toasting and watch carefully as they will burn very quickly. Once toasted, set this aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, spices, maple syrup and pumpkin puree until well blended. Stir in the oats, toasted nuts and seeds and mix well to combine. The mixture will be very moist, this is OK.

Lay the granola out on the prepared baking sheet (or two) and spreed out evenly. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes or until the granola is a nice golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes to let steam escape. Steam will rise from the granola when you stir - this is a good thing and helps make the granola crispy! Remove from the oven and stir in the dried fruit right away. Let cool to room temperature and store in an air tight container in the pantry for up to 3-4 weeks. For a chewier granola, cook closer to 20-25 minutes. For a crispier granola texture, cook for 30-35 minutes. I like crispy!