Caramel Apple Muffins

Another Tuesday, another day of muffins. This flavor combo is simply the best this time of year. I love having my palate follow the seasons. Apples are just the best in the fall and blueberries are just the best in July, am I right?!? I have a feeling this muffin wouldn't taste as heavenly in the heat of June or July, but today, this chilly and brisk October morning of fall colors and lights- it just seems perfect somehow.

Now, I don't usually pick 100 pounds of apples like I do blueberries, and most of my picked apples turn into sauce for baking over the winter months. But this year I did bring the kids apple picking to see what they thought. It was an adventure- like all things that we  try and do new, and ended us talking about eating the foods we can pick and how they are so tasty right from the tree.  It also involved running from bees, getting lost in an overgrown organic orchard, and tears to go home, butttttt it was still the experience HA!

The caramel flavor in these muffins actually comes from dates! Dates have a creamy, rich caramel like flavor and pair almost perfect with apples and pears this time of year. So these muffins have no dairy caramel flavor- and full great nutrients too :) And of course you want to hear that as you devour a perfectly delicious muffin in seconds :) Another great way to use dates with apples this time of year is making a caramel like dip for fresh apple slices here is a good recipe from My New Roots. ENJOY!


Caramel Apple Muffin Recipe
{free of dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy and refined sugar}

1 cup of gluten-free oat flour (made from 1 cup GF rolled oats, blended in high power blender)
1/4 cup of gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup of potato starch
1/3 cup of tapioca flour
1/3 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup of brown rice flour
2 ts. of baking powder (I use the Hain brand to avoid corn)
1 ts. of baking soda
1 ts. of sea salt
1 ts. of pumpkin or apple pie spice blend
1 ts. of ground cinnamon
1/3 cup of coconut palm sugar
1/2 cup of warmed coconut oil
1/2 cup of homemade unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup of coconut milk beverage
1 TB of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of apple cider or juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup

3/4 cup of date puree- This involves pouring 3/4 cup boiling water over 3/4 cup of pitted dates and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes and then blending in a high powered blender to whip up a creamy date-pudding like substance- this would also make a nice dip for fresh apple slices :)

1/2 cup of stewed maple syrup sweetened apples- This involves pealing and chopping 1 cup of fresh apples with a drizzle of water and a drizzle of maple syrup and letting the apples get soft and make almost an apple pie filling mixture. Use 1/2 cup of the stewed apples in the muffin recipe. I made a big batch of these apples to pour over pancakes and oatmeal earlier in the week, so they can in handy in this recipe too.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Then add in the wet and whisk together well. Pour into 12 muffin tins and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes until browned tops and stiff. Let cool 15-20 minutes before serving. 

The coconut flour and date combo in this recipe magically makes the texture of these muffins much like a gluten-filled muffin. Dense, but soft, and a crispy top too!  I hope you find ways to enjoy the fall air and flavors to help you feel balanced and no-so-deprived from the goodies of autumn foods and spices. Much love and enjoy xoxo

Caramel Apple Date Muffins

Another Tuesday, another day of muffins. This flavor combo is simply the best this time of year. I love having my palate follow the seasons. Apples are just the best in the fall and blueberries are just the best in July, am I right?!? I have a feeling this muffin wouldn't taste as heavenly in the heat of June or July, but today, this chilly and brisk October morning of fall colors and lights- it just seems perfect somehow.

Now, I don't usually pick 100 pounds of apples like I do blueberries, and most of my picked apples turn into sauce for baking over the winter months. But this year I did bring the kids apple picking to see what they thought. It was an adventure- like all things that we  try and do new, and ended us talking about eating the foods we can pick and how they are so tasty right from the tree.  It also involved running from bees, getting lost in an overgrown organic orchard, and tears to go home, butttttt it was still the experience HA!

The caramel flavor in these muffins actually comes from dates! Dates have a creamy, rich caramel like flavor and pair almost perfect with apples and pears this time of year. So these muffins have no dairy caramel flavor- and full great nutrients too :) And of course you want to hear that as you devour a perfectly delicious muffin in seconds :)

Some of my other date-filled recipes here : DATES :)

Another great way to use dates with apples this time of year is making a caramel like dip for fresh apple slices here is a good recipe from My New Roots. ENJOY!


Caramel Apple Date Muffin Recipe
{free of dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts, seeds, soy and refined sugar}

1 cup of gluten-free oat flour (made from 1 cup GF rolled oats, blended in high power blender)
1/4 cup of gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup of potato starch
1/3 cup of tapioca flour
1/3 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup of brown rice flour
2 ts. of baking powder (I use the Hain brand to avoid corn)
1 ts. of baking soda
1 ts. of sea salt
1 ts. of pumpkin or apple pie spice blend
1 ts. of ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of warmed coconut oil
1/2 cup of homemade unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup of coconut milk beverage
1 TB of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of apple cider or juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup

3/4 cup of date puree- This involves pouring 3/4 cup boiling water over 3/4 cup of pitted dates and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes and then blending in a high powered blender to whip up a creamy date-pudding like substance- this would also make a nice dip for fresh apple slices :)

1/2 cup of stewed maple syrup sweetened apples- This involves pealing and chopping 1 cup of fresh apples with a drizzle of water and a drizzle of maple syrup and letting the apples get soft and make almost an apple pie filling mixture. Use 1/2 cup of the stewed apples in the muffin recipe. I made a big batch of these apples to pour over pancakes and oatmeal earlier in the week, so they can in handy in this recipe too.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Then add in the wet and whisk together well. Pour into 12 muffin tins and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-28 minutes until browned tops and stiff. Let cool 15-20 minutes before serving. 

The coconut flour and date combo in this recipe magically makes the texture of these muffins much like a gluten-filled muffin. Dense, but soft, and a crispy top too!  I hope you find ways to enjoy the fall air and flavors to help you feel balanced and no-so-deprived from the goodies of autumn foods and spices. Much love and enjoy xoxo

Homemade Honey Sweetened Strawberry Jam

After googling some strawberry jam recipes, along with some instruction from the pectin package, I came up with this super simple and delicious strawberry jam recipe. Not even sure I can take any credit here really... Just reporting what I did and sharing it with you all.

I wanted to use honey because raw honey mixed with fruit is just a fabulous match. Plus, honey to me seems like what a great grandma would do back in the day if she picked berries from her own field and collected honey from her own beehive. And, since I aspire to be an ol' great grandma someday ;) I decided that honey was my sweetener of choice for my jam. I know you can go sweetener-less or try even stevia extract or powder if you prefer, but I decided to try it this round with some local honey.

I bought this (Pomona's Universal Pectin). Which is pretty important if you plan on using no sugar, and want it to be like jam. Also, it has no preservatives but helps the jam stay fresh after being canned because of the amount of citric acid and pectin.

Homemade Honey Sweetened Strawberry Jam Recipe 
(all ingredients are in bold below)

First step, I washed and crushed 16 cups of whole strawberries (around 4 heaping quarts) with my bare hands (in two batches). Don't dice the strawberries because this will cause too much separation in your jam (berries on top, jelly on the bottom). Then I put the crushed berries in a very large (8.5 quart) pot on low heat with 4 squeezed limes over top and mixed through (or use 2 large lemons). Mix well and add some of the citrus zest if you prefer more flavor.

Second, add 1 1/2- 2 cups of honey to the warming strawberries. Then in the liquid of the lime juice and honey pour in 8 ts. of pectin powder (about the whole packet of the pectin which equals 8-9 ts. of powder) and 8 ts. of the calcium water solution (that is included in the pectin box mixed with water in a pint jar and then saved in the fridge for later use). Then mix well or use a whisk to guarantee that you mix all of the pectin and calcium water thoroughly into the strawberries.

Then after the strawberries start to bubble and boil, turn off the heat and let them cool for just a few minutes. Then pour the hot strawberry jam into 8 sterilized pint-sized jars or 16 8-ounce jars (that are ready to use on the counter on a clean towel). I use wide-mouth jars so to scoop out jam easier later on. Then use wet paper towel to clean the rims and sides and then use a magnetic top gripper and place each lid with the seal over the jam jar. Then use a towel and place each screw top on each lid and turn the screw top over the lid tight on the jar. Then in a traditional canning pot full of boiling water (or use a very large kitchen pot with boiling water) place 4-6 jars at a time and boil non-stop for 10 minutes. Make sure the jars are not touching and that they are submerged under the water by 2 inches.

After boiling for 10 minutes, then you can pull with a canning gripper utensil the HOT jars from the boiling water and place on a clean kitchen towel on an open space on the counter. Let cool for 8-10 hours and then check to see that the lids have sealed properly by not being able to snap or pop the lid into the jam. The lid should be stiff and not be able to make any sound when touched.

Keep in a cool place in the pantry to eat over the next year! Yummmmmmy.

You can obviously half this recipe if you do not want to make 8 pint-sized jars of jam. Or get another box of pectin and double the batch if you have the strawberries! I made 2 batches and have 16 jars to savour.

Then you can make this yummy biscuit recipe, or this one, or even this oldie, and top with some yummy homemade jam. Or use some of that jam with some leftover fresh strawberries to make this yummy dessert. Homemade strawberry jam without a huge sugar hit will make you so happy! Trust me, with fresh picked strawberries you do not need all that sugar. Honey is a very nice match to the strawberries and I love how it all turned out.

The best part is that I have lots of jam jars saved in the basement pantry to enjoy all winter long (here's to hoping I save enough for the winter months and don't eat it all before then!)

Well friends, that is how I made strawberry jam sweetened with honey and lime. What is your favorite way to make homemade strawberry jam, and what is your favorite gluten-free treat to top with some jam?

I hope you enjoy! And, if you haven't be able to get some of those fresh strawberries yet then I suggest you head to your local farmer's market very soon or even check out some local farms to see if you can pick your own before the season is gone. Hurry up though, because the season will be gone before you know it!

Much love as always!

Strawberry Jamberry Crumble Bars

I think I can call it quits. I have been picking strawberries all week long with a very busy and friendly 20 month old. We have been making our rounds to a few farms in the area and have picked around 75 pounds of berries all together. I froze about 40 pounds and made jam with about 20 and we ate the rest fresh in pies, smoothies and treats (I will share some of those recipes very soon). 

I am so glad that my son and I have been able to have fun and enjoy the process too.  There is something really healing about picking your own food. You have more ownership over each piece and you can find more appreciation for God's gift of good food from the earth. I would encourage you to do the same for your health...physically and emotionally as well. It is good for the mind, body and soul to connect with the Creator, earth and the food you eat. 

So, you see, after so many strawberries, I think I can call it quits as the 2012 strawberry season winds down this weekend. We can take a little break and wait until blueberry and raspberry season start up in a few weeks. Because Michigan has so many local farms to pick and buy your own berries I just can't sit around and watch the season slip by. It is what summer is all about at our home...

Eating your local produce has more vitamins and fresh quality because you don't have to wonder how long it has been sitting in a truck or refrigerated box in transit. I think anyone would agree that fresh from the plant just tastes better too. It must be all those fresh vitamins and antioxidants!  I am so thankful to live in a place where lots of fresh healthy farm produce is available. What a gift!

And what am I going to do with all these berries you ask?! Well, the frozen ones are reserved for mostly smoothies and other baked treats, and the jam is reserved for topping oatmeal, muffins, and other treats, and the fresh ones are just cute to have around for a few weeks and add to everything...like this yummy crumble dish. Super easy, only a few ingredients and its absolutely delish! Enjoy!

Strawberry Jamberry Crumble Bar Recipe 

(gluten, dairy, soy and nut-free)

Crust Crumble:

2 cups of freshly ground gluten-free oat flour

    *grind 2 cups of certified gluten-free rolled oats in a grinder or food processor to make flour*

1 cup of certified gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

dash - 1/2 ts. of sea salt

3 TB of local raw honey or maple syrup

2/3 cup of organic extra virgin coconut oil

Put all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well together with a rubber spatula or your hands. Then cut the batter in half and spread half of the dough in a 9x13 pyrex glass pan. Spread thin and press firm with a spoon or cup to evenly spread the crust over the whole pan. Then put the crust in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before adding the strawberries...

Strawberry Filling:

1 cup of homemade strawberry honey jam (I'll share my recipe version soon)

2 cups of thinly slices fresh strawberries

drizzle of honey and lime juice over the strawberries to give them a sweet juice

When the crust is cooled a bit then you can spread 1 cup of strawberry jam over the crust. I used homemade because I had it and it didn't contain cane sugar but honey. But you could use any of your favorite fruit jams if you prefer. Then after spreading jam, spread 2 cups of thinly sliced strawberries that had been sprinkled with lime juice and a drizzle of honey. 

Spread the berries over all the jam and then finally top the whole pan off with the remaining crust/crumble dough. You do not need to spread thin the crust on top, just crumble the topping with your fingers over the top.

Then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely if you want to cut into neat bars. Or scoop out the bars warm with some coconut ice cream or coconut whipped topping.

Enjoy with some iced sun-tea, outdoors or with friends! Delish!

These can be a bit messy and crumbly so you may take that into consideration. But every crumb is perfectly delicious and I hope you try out this super simple recipe before strawberry season escapes us!

Much love to you as always!

Fall Favorites

Hello Friends, It's been a busy few weeks. I have to announce the coming of my beautiful son, on October 6th, at 11:14pm. It was a long 30 hour labor and a busy few weeks adjusting and healing, but I thought I needed to put up a post to explain my absence. He is 2 1/2 weeks old and it seems like time has stopped and is revolving around his adorable face. Many of my closest friends have been delivering meals and food for my family and I couldn't be more grateful. So, I have taken a sabbatical from the kitchen for now, and even though it has been nice and obvious a must-do with a new baby, I am looking forward to cooking and baking again soon. Until then, I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes to make this time of year with the abundance of fall produce and spices.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Homemade Applesauce

Hazelnut Apple-Pear Crisp

Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Those are just some of my favorites, I hope to be using the bushels of squash I have in my kitchen soon. Stay posted :) Until then, enjoy the fall flavors, scents and weather. Much love to you!