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Healthy PawPaw Kitchen Sink Muffins

This healthy muffin is a variation of my kitchen sink muffin recipe; the changes include adding locally sourced pawpaw pulp and swapping sugar for coconut palm sugar *lower on hypoglycemic index.  I have grown to love pawpaws and this is my first muffin attempt.  They are tender and delicious. These are breakfast style muffins so not that sweet, great texture and totally yummy.  I do love muffins for snacks. They are healthy; more fruit and no sugary topping.  If you want to add extra sweetening use my oatmeal topping from my chocolate chip banana muffin recipe.  This time I used pawpaw puree, golden raisins and dried sweetened coconut, great combo! I swapped walnuts for slivered almonds, either is fine. 

Because they will lose moisture if they sit around, I will freeze any I won’t eat in 2 days; I love using a Ziplock freezer bag for this but cool them first.  Label carefully with date and contents…be sure to eat them within a month. kitchen sink muffins and spring flowers 001

Pawpaw Kitchen Sink Muffins 

2 cups brown rice flour mix (see below) or King Arthur Basic GF Mix

2/3 c coconut palm sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

2/3 cup pawpaw puree

2/3 c flaked coconut 

½ c golden raisins

½ c slivered almonds (optional)

2 large eggs beaten

½ c plus 2 Tbsp. milk, whole or 2 percent

½ c canola oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 375, placing the rack in middle of oven.  Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.  One batch makes 14-15 muffins.

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer or big bowl

Add fruits and nuts; stir to coat them with dry mix

Combine milk and oil, beat in eggs.  Add liquids to big bowl; stir until blended.  Note: If you used regular sugar you will need to leave out the extra 2 tbsp. of milk.

Fill muffin pans 3/4 full.  Bake 22-24 min until golden brown. Do not overbake or they will be dry.  Remove within a minute from the pans and cool on a rack.   Freezes well for up to 3-4 weeks and keeps in fridge (well wrapped) a few days.

Brown Rice Flour Mix 
2 c brown rice flour

2/3 c potato starch

1/3 c tapioca flour

Pawpaw Carmel Ice-Cream

This is all about a flavor sensation: pawpaw. They are the only native to America tropical fruit. Looks like a small funky green mango. tastes like a banana and a mango had a baby but with a touch of wild toasted coconut flavor. Squishy soft yellow flesh with dark brown seeds embedded in its flesh. Its skin can look pretty mangy but when you peel the skin off the insides are ripe and perfect for eating. They are not sold commercially as their season is very short and they are a delicate fruit that doesn’t travel well. They grow in the wild in the woods in the mid-Atlantic states, but I know someone with 2 trees, and they share with me. The first few times I ate it I was not sure I liked it; too weird a flavor. I persevered at eating a few and grew to find them interesting eaten fresh. Eventually I fell completely in love with these squishy treats.

I mostly eat them raw, but I am branching out this fall. I made a pawpaw pie yesterday, tasty especially with a dollop of freshly whipped cream on top. The other week I made a batch of pawpaw jam. Very tasty it was. This ice cream is my latest thing. I took an ice cream recipe out of my old Betty Crocker cookbook and revised it and made a small 1/3 batch.

I used coconut palm sugar and that gave it a delicate caramel flavor that was very appealing. You could use brown sugar or even plain white sugar if you can’t get the coconut palm sugar, but it won’t be as delicious. I also use the coconut palm sugar as it is low on the hypoglycemic index making it a healthy choice for a pre-diabetic diet.

It needs heavy cream for that rich texture and flavor. I don’t have any suggestions for a substitute. If you get your hands on some pawpaws, this is the recipe to try out with them!

PawPaw Caramel Ice-Cream

1/3 cup whole milk

2 Tbsp. coconut palm sugar

a pinch of sea salt

1 large or extra large egg yolk

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream.

Directions: pour the milk, sugar and sea salt in a medium 1 qt sauce pan, add the egg yolk, Beat with a whisk constantly as you heat it on medium heat. Once the outside edge has lots of tiny bubbles turn it off, add the vanilla and the cream. Pour in a dish and chill in the fridge until cold; at least an hour.

Peel and seed 1-3 pawpaws until you have a heaping half cup of pulp. Chop up with a knife. Add to the custard and pour in your ice cream maker; I have a Donvier hand crank machine; French and a tiny capacity so this small recipe is as much as I can make in it for a batch. You could easily double or triple this recipe for a bigger ice cream maker. Turn until firm and then scrape into a freezer container and chill 1-2 hours to allow it to ripen. Enjoy!

Blueberry Apple Cobbler September Delight!

I make a lot of blueberry cobbler when we are camping. Since the blueberry season is pretty much over, I decided to add some fresh apple cubes and they made it taste so bright and lively, cobbler delightful!

This recipe is modified from one in Bette Hagman’s book, More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet and is based on a flour mix that will give you 4 cups of the dry ingredients.  One cup is the base for an 8×8 pan of cobbler topping.  I bet two cups dry mix will make a big 9×13 cobbler. Store the dry mix in an airtight container in the freezer to keep it fresh.

I have tried a number of cobbler recipes but nothing has been better than this one, so I generally stick to what works for me.  But I have modified it a bit lately; cut out one egg, less milk, coconut palm sugar in the filling and I grate cold butter on large hole side for great dumpling texture.

I always get the fruit cooking before putting the topping together so the fruit is hot and ready for the topping and can go right into the oven. I always let it stand 10-20 minutes as it is way too hot to eat fresh off the campfire or the oven.

Dry Cobbler Mix

2 ¼ cups white rice flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup tapioca flour

1 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/3 cup sugar

Cobbler Topping

1 cup dry baking mix

1 egg

2 tbsp grated cold butter

1/4 cup milk/buttermilk

½ tsp. vanilla

Mix the wet ingredients and then add to the dry mix in a big bowl. Grate in butter BEFORE adding the wet ingredients; i stir it gently after grating it in.

Fruit Filling

2 cups blueberries

2 cups cubed peeled and cored apples; 2 medium apples was enough.

1/3 ½cup coconut palm sugar

2-3 tbsp. GF flour like rice flour, tapioca flour (use 3 if juicy)

½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Put the fruit in a thick bottomed saucepan. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon and flour and mix into the fruit.  Cook on the stove top for 3-5 minutes until it is thickened and hot.  Pour into a buttered 8 inch square or round oven pan, top with big blops of the cobbler topping. Bake immediately: at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  The top should be light brown and spring back when you poke it with your finger.  If it looks damp or squishy bake it 5 more minutes. This happens if I use more than 4 cups of fruit; slows it down, sometimes even ten extra minutes if you put 5 or so cups of fruit in it.

Let cool 10-20 minutes before serving as it will burn your mouth right out of the oven!  Some people love it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Cobbler is perfect just on its own.

Note: if you use oil and almond milk then this cobbler will be dairy free.  Spray the cobbler pan with cooking oil instead of rubbing with butter. I think you can use any sort of milk you can find or even fruit juice.

No new pictures; we were camping and I didn’t take any pictures.

Peach Cobbler Perfection – 2.0 Version

This is a modified version of my delectable peach cobbler. I swapped out the white sugar in the filling for coconut palm sugar which has a lover number on the hypoglycemic index. I am pre-diabetic, so any sugar or sugar substitute is problematic. But I do try to use the coconut palm sugar whenever possible.  It does darken the look of whatever you put it in unless you sub it in for brown sugar and there it performs perfectly in the color department.  Secondly, I grated cold butter rather than using soft butter or oil for the fat ingredient. It actually worked fantastically; the crust was a tad crunchier in a wonderful way and the texture of the cobbler topping was perfect. Definitely a great technique to use whenever possible, use the coldest stick of butter you have!

Well, this post will be a modified peach cobbler and it is peachy keen!  I often make cobbler with blueberries and even sliced rhubarb.  Most any fruit works; blackberries, raspberries, cherries, plums, nectarines and apricots come to mind.

This recipe is modified from one in Bette Hagman’s book, More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet and is based on a flour mix that will give you 4 cups of the dry ingredients.  One cup is the base for an 8×8 pan of cobbler topping.  I freeze this cobbler mix and it is super handy for a quick cobbler treat.

Notes: I always get the fruit cooking for just a couple minutes before putting the topping together so the fruit is hot and ready for the topping and can go right into the oven. I recently cut the eggs down from 2 to 1 and I like the texture of the cobbler topping better. The grated butter improves the crust texture and the sugar change is healthier for us pre-diabetics.

apple muffins 007

Dry Cobbler Mix

2 ¼ cups white rice flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup tapioca flour

1 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/3 cup sugar

Cobbler Topping

1 cup dry baking mix

1 egg

2 tbsp cold butter – I peeled back the waxed paper and grated it into the dry flour mix using the biggest hole

1/4 C buttermilk

½ tsp. vanilla

Mix the wet ingredients and then add to the dry mix in a big bowl.

Fruit Filling

4 cups sliced ripe peeled peaches or nectarines

½ tsp. almond extract

½-2/3 cup coconut palm sugar – amount depending on how sweet you want it

2-3 tbsp. GF flour like rice flour or my preference, tapioca flour (use 3 if juicy)

½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix the fruit and almond extract in a thick bottomed saucepan. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon and flour and mix into the fruit.  Cook on the stove top for 2-3 minutes until it is thickened and hot.  Pour into a buttered 8 inch square pan, top with big blops of the cobbler topping. I have used 1/4 cup milk or buttermilk. Bake immediately: at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  The top should be light brown and spring back when you poke it with your finger.  If it looks damp or squishy bake it 5 more minutes. This happens if I use more than 4 cups of fruit; slows it down, sometimes even ten extra minutes if you put 5 or so cups of fruit in it.

Let cool 7-10 minutes before serving as it will burn your mouth right out of the oven!  Some people love it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  I feel fruit cobbler is perfect just on its own.

Original recipe posted on my blog in August 2014. I made some changes to the recipe to lower the sugar impact and improve the texture of the cobbler crust.

Peach Cobbler Perfection!

Peaches in late summer: ripe peach chunks on my cereal, peach ice cream, peach pie, peach tartlets and peach cobbler.  Well, this post will be on peach cobbler and it is peachy keen!  I often make cobbler with blueberries and even sliced rhubarb.  I am guessing most any fruit might work; blackberries, raspberries, cherries, plums, nectarines and apricots come to mind.

This recipe is modified from one in Bette Hagman’s book, More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet and is based on a flour mix that will give you 4 cups of the dry ingredients.  One cup is the base for an 8×8 pan of cobbler topping.  I bet two cups dry mix will make a big 9×13 cobbler. Store the dry mix in an airtight container in the freezer to keep it fresh.

I have tried a number of cobbler recipes but nothing has been better than this one so I stick to what works for me.  If you use nectarines there is no peeling involved which makes it easy to throw together.

I always get the fruit cooking before putting the topping together so the fruit is hot and ready for the topping and can go right into the oven. I cut the eggs down from 2 to 1 and I like the texture of the cobbler topping better.

apple muffins 007

Dry Cobbler Mix

2 ¼ cups white rice flour

½ cup potato starch

½ cup tapioca flour

1 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1/3 cup sugar

Cobbler Topping

1 cup dry baking mix

1 egg

2 tbsp melted butter or canola oil

1/4 to 1/3 cup milk/buttermilk

½ tsp. vanilla

Mix the wet ingredients and then add to the dry mix in a big bowl.

Fruit Filling

4 cups sliced ripe peeled peaches or nectarines

½ tsp. almond extract

½-2/3 cup sugar depending on how sweet you want it

2-3 tbsp. GF flour like rice flour, tapioca flour (use 3 if juicy)

½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix the fruit and almond extract in a thick bottomed sauce pan. Stir together the sugar, cinnamon and flour and mix into the fruit.  Cook on the stove top for 4-5 minutes until it is thickened and hot.  Pour into a buttered 8 inch square pan, top with big blops of the cobbler topping. I have used 1/4 cup milk and that is less runny than using 1/3 cup.  Frankly it works either way. Bake immediately: at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  The top should be light brown and spring back when you poke it with your finger.  If it looks damp or squishy bake it 5 more minutes. This happens if I use more than 4 cups of fruit; slows it down, sometimes even ten extra minutes if you put 5 or so cups of fruit in it.

Let cool 7-10 minutes before serving as it will burn your mouth right out of the oven!  Some people love it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Cobbler is perfect just on its own.

Note: if you use oil and almond milk then this cobbler will be dairy free.  Spray the cobbler pan with cooking oil instead of rubbing with butter. I think you can use any sort of milk you can find or even fruit juice.

Originally posted on my blog in August 2014. I made some small changes to the recipe.