Whoopie Pie Cupcakes -With Coconut Oil "buttercream" Frosting

Yes I went there!  My oldest has been badgering me to make cupcakes with "Halloween sprinkles" for days now...so we did just that. I just used regular old sprinkles from Target. Got to say though, next time I would plan better and get some without all the food dye and corn syrup :(  Kinda nasty, when i read the ingredients. 

 

If your not a huge fan of coconut flavor, you could substitute the coconut oil frosting for the traditional marshmallow fluff recipe in the original recipe over at Yankee Magazine

I modified a recipe from Yankee Magazine for these whoopie cakes!  The frosting I just made up, and I think it came out amazing!  

Whoopie Pie Cupcakes

 

• 2 cups all-purpose organic flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 TBS organic cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon pink sea salt
• 1/2 cup room temperature coconut oil or room temperature grass fed butter
• 1/2 cup organic brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup succant
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Mix the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside

-Cream together the coconut oil and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy

-Add the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well

-Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until combine

-Fill a lined muffin tin with batter about 3/4 full. 

-Makes about 1 1/2 dozen cupcakes

Coconut Oil "buttercream"Frosting:

1 cup coconut oil (soft solid at room temp)

4 cups of organic powdered sugar

1-2 tsps of vanilla extract

-Whip coconut oil with an electric mixer until fluffy

-Add the vanilla extract

-Slowly add in the powder sugar

-Mix on high until fluffy

Sourdough English Muffin Bread

So the SD English muffins are easy to make for the most part, but I just get annoyed sometimes by the amount of cleanup from the flour, rolling out the dough, cutting out the rounds, and letting them rise.  You have to cook them on the stovetop. It's not difficult, just takes a few steps...well I'm busy, but don't want to sacrifice my families health so I'm always trying to come up with ways to simplify everything.

This I the same exact recipe and method for my Sourdough English Muffins, just a bit modified/simplified.
 

Sourdough English Muffin Bread
 * Recipe modified from The Fresh Loaf

1/2 C starter (mine is a 100% hydration white starter)

1 C milk

2-3/4 C all purpose flour

1 TBSP sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda


- Combine starter, 2 C of flour and milk in a large bowl. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and leave out for 8 hours or overnight.

- After the overnight rest, add the sugar, salt and baking soda and mix well. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4-5 minutes.  Place into a well greased bread pan (I use coconut oil to grease)  Let rise anywhere from 1-3 hours.  The longer the rise, the fluffier less dense the loaf.  I like mine on the 2-3 hour side.

-Once bread has risen, Preheat oven to 375 degrees

-Bake about 20-23 min

-Let cool in pan 5-10 min then use a knife and separate from the bread pan, gently turn out onto a cooling rack and let cool. 
 

Super Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Mini Muffins

 

 

*These are also EGG FREE

 

1 cup Bobs Red Mill Baking Mix

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 TBS Sugar (I used organic Sucant)  *Love this stuff by the way here is a link to what it is and where to buy it.  Stay tuned for my post on Natural Sweeteners! Sucant

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

1/3 cup milk (or any milk substitute)

1/2 TBS vanilla extract

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

 

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

-Whisk wet ingredients together into a large bowl.  Mix dry ingredients into a separate bowl.

 

-Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually.  Stir just until blended. 

 

-Gently fold in the blueberries.

 

-Grease mini (or standard) muffin tins with coconut oil.  I just use my hands for this.  Your body heat helps melt the oil and really spread it evenly. 

 

-Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full

 

-Bake 6-7 minutes, rotate the muffin tins, then bake another 6-7 minutes.

 

ENJOY!!

Tri Tip Spinach Salad

Tri Tip Asian Salad

Tri Tip Roast

(Slow cook the beef roast in the oven.  I seasoned with sea salt and pepper, and a smoked sea salt seasoning I have. Seared the outside in a hot skillet, then placed in a covered roasting pan in a 300 degree oven.  Add a little water or chicken or beef stock to keep the roast from drying out. (about a cup).  Also add  a few cloves of crushed garlic (I pressed them into the roast).  Cook anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on the tenderness you want.  The meat should just shred and fall apart when it is done)

 

Baby Spinach, Kale, or any type of hearty green

Red onions sliced thin

Carrots (shredded)

Sesame Seeds

Asian style salad dressing (I use Annie's Asian Sesame)

 

A squeeze or two on lemon or lime juice

 

Sesame seeds

 

-Shred your beef, add a little of the au jus from cooking on top, mix your dressing and your greens, top your greens with your tri tip, veggies, and a little more dressing and citrus juice.

 

ENJOY!!!

 

*The wonderful thing about this recipe, and many of my recipes, is there is always room for experimentation.  This gives you a basic outline, have fun, and throw some "add ins" in there!  I rarely make the same (exact) recipe twice!