S'more Cupcakes

This week is a birthday week at my house. I strongly believe that life is meant to be celebrated, but not at the expense of feeling unwell. In our household, three out of four of us eat gluten and dairy free to ensure we feel our best. Over the years, I've become adept at creating gluten-free, dairy-free, and (mostly) refined sugar-free treats that are both indulgent and perfect for celebrations. These cupcakes have a delightful graham cracker-like flavor, thanks to the cinnamon and honey, which pairs beautifully with the rich chocolate frosting and toasted marshmallow. The recipe is too good not to share!

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S’more Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudge Frosting and Toasted Marshmallow

Author: Erica Leazenby, MD (cake adapted from Sweet Laurel)
Makes: 10 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Frosting:

4 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (allergen friendly if needed)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup smooth unsweetened almond butter

Garnish:

10 large marshmallows

Cake:

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

For the graham cracker flavored cupcakes:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees F if using the convection setting).

• Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners.

• Combine the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix well. In a separate bowel, combine the eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients until they are well incorporated. Add the wet ingredient to the dry ingredients and mix until a batter is formed. Divide the batter evenly among the 10 cupcake liners.

• Bake the cupcakes for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool to room tempature.

For the frosting:

• Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave in 15-30 second increments, stiring frequently, until the chips are nearly completely melted. Remove the mixture from the microwave. Continue to stir the chocolate until it is smooth and all the chips have completely melted. Take care to not overheat the chocolate.

• Once the chocolate mixture is complete smooth, add the almond butter. Stir until well combined.

• Allow the frosting to cool.

  • For soft, spreadable frosting, allow the frosting to cool to room temperature.

  • For more firm frosting that can be piped, cool the frosting in the refrigerator until it is firm, but not hard. This may take 15-45 minutes depending on the starting temperature.

Garnish:

• Preheat the over broiler.

• Place the 10 marshmallows on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

• Place the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven. Toast the marshmallows to desired color, about 20-30 seconds. Watch closely.

• Allow to cool.

Putting it all together:

• Top the cupcakes with chocolate frosting once they are completely cool. Garnish with a toasted marshmallow. Enjoy.

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More gluten and dairy free treats:

A PRIMER ON GLUTEN-FREE FLOURS

GLUTEN & DAIRY FREE GINGERBREAD BISCOTTI

BANANA PECAN BREAKFAST BREAD

GRAIN-FREE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

Grain-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

The squash plants in my garden have yielded an incredible amount of fruit this year. I've been creative in utilizing this bounty: crafting dinner sides of sautéed zucchini with caramelized onions and oregano, preparing zucchini fritters, incorporating zucchini into turkey meatballs and burgers, concocting zucchini fried rice, sharing the surplus with my neighbors, and even baking zucchini muffins! While I've managed to gather most zucchinis when they're small and tender, inevitably there are a few that escape notice and grow larger below the garden foliage. This recipe is excellent for utilizing the oversized produce; just remember to remove any large seeds.

These muffins fall within the realm of indulgence due to the addition of maple syrup (yep, it's still added sugar), yet they maintain a notably lower sweetness level compared to numerous renditions of zucchini quick breads. The inclusion of almond butter also introduces some wholesome, polyunsaturated fats, imparting a hint of virtuousness to the muffins.

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Grain-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Author: Erica Leazenby, MD (Inspired by Pamela Salzman)
Makes: 12 muffins
Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• Coconut oil for greasing the muffin pan

• 1 cup creamy, unsweetened, unsalted almond butter, raw or roasted

• 2 cups of shredded zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini (do not squeeze out excess liquid)

• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup

• ¼ cup cocoa powder

• ¼ teaspoon fine ground sea salt

• 1.5 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or 325 convection). Grease and/or line your muffins tins.

2. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients.

3. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan and bake until just set and a toothpick comes out clean or with dry crumbs. Do not overbake. Standard size muffins will take about 20-25 minutes to bake.

4. Allow to cool before serving.

Estimated nutritional value per muffin: Total Calories 221, Total Fat 17.5g, Carbs 19g, Fiber 2g, Protein 5g

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Other Gluten-free Treat Recipes:
PECAN BANANA BREAKFAST BREAD
TOASTED MARZIPAN
GLUTEN & DAIRY FREE GINGERBREAD BISCOTTI

Upgrade Your Breakfast

Sweet Potato with Chai Spiced Almond Butter and Bananas

Breakfast is a challenging meal for many people and often gets less priority in busy mornings while rushing out the door for work or school. However, this meal is so powerful for our bodies, it has residual effects on our sleep later that evening. If you are focused on improving your nutrition and wellness, look first to how you start your day. Overnight our bodies spend several hours repairing and rejuvenating from the activity of the previous day. The first meal after sleep provides the fuel we need to further recharge for activity and get our bodies running well. Studies show that the food we eat for breakfast influences our energy levels, cravings, emotions and clarity throughout the day.

Unfortunately, many people skip it altogether, while others may reach for something quick, processed, and packaged. Often these quick choices are high-carbohydrate, dessert-like foods which do more harm than good. These foods spike our blood sugar, drain our energy, leaving us searching for our next “fix” of sugary foods as well as caffeinated beverages to keep this false sense of energy up and prevent a sugar crash.

Luckily, a nutritious breakfast can be easy, and help us get in the habit of including nutrient-dense foods at every meal. Listed below are a few tips to help set you up for a delicious day.

Tip 1: Prioritize your P’s at breakfast: Protein and Produce

Meals that contain healthy fats, good-quality proteins, and colorful vegetables, will provide a sense of balance and satisfaction. Having balanced macronutrients creates lasting energy and brain function that encourages you to continue making healthy choices all day.

Consider incorporating these quality ingredients into your morning:

• Proteins like eggs, wild salmon, leftover poultry, and for those that tolerate dairy it may include plain organic yogurt, or a high-quality plant-based protein powder 

• Healthy fats like avocado, natural almond butter, natural peanut butter, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, avocado oil, pesto, or high-quality cheeses

• Green vegetables such as spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli. These are just a few greens that work well. You can add any vegetables that you like.

• Complex carbohydrates: black beans, chickpeas, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, steel cut oatmeal

Tip 2: Make your carbs slow burning

When we eat refined carbohydrates like simple sugars and refined flours our blood sugar and insulin levels spike. Unfortunately, our bodies were not designed to handle the blood sugar and insulin roller coaster that many of us are on.

When we eat sugar, whether it’s in an obvious form like a donut or a non-obvious form like a sweetened yogurt cup, our blood sugar increases quickly. This fast increase then spikes insulin. When insulin removes blood sugar, you can then have a blood sugar crash, and then cortisol (our stress hormone) moves in to compensate and try to move sugar out of storage and back into the bloodstream. This process can be responsible for many carb and sugar cravings.

A simple solution to prevent blood sugar crashes is to eat a savory breakfast that includes fiber, good fats, and proteins. This will balance your blood sugar and give you more sustained energy and focus.

Tip 3: Fiber, Fiber, Fiber

Fiber is your friend for so many reasons. We know that it helps with digestion and keeping us regular, but it is also helpful in blood sugar control. Fiber slows our body’s absorption of sugar into our blood stream so that our blood sugar spikes are less significant. Fiber also feeds the good bacteria in our digestive tract that influences our metabolism and immunity. Breakfast is an easy and ideal meal to prioritize fiber consumption because again it sets the stage for the rest our day. If you are a woman then aim for at least 25 grams of fiber daily. Men should consume at least 38 grams of fiber daily.

Looking or some breakfast inspiration? Check out the recipes located at RelishHealthMD.com.

Here is a “produce and protein” recipe below to get you started:

Chai Spiced Sweet Potato

Combining good fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates are the secret to a breakfast that sustains you through the day. Sweet potatoes are a delicious and vitamin rich way to add fiber and slow-burning carbohydrates to your day. Top with almond butter for a healthy fat source that will enhance vitamin absorption and keep you full even longer.

Author: Erica Leazenby, MD

Time: 5 minutes hands on

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 small baked sweet potato

• 2 Tablespoons chai spiced almond butter

• Optional toppings: banana slices, raisins, pumpkin seeds, or hemp seeds

Directions:

1.     Three options for preparing the sweet potato.

a.    Place the whole, clean, pierced sweet potato in the microwave for 4-8 minutes.

b.    Or, if you are really short on time, simply cut the sweet potato in ¼ inch thick slices and “toast” in the toaster until the slices start to brown and blister. This may take multiple cycles to get the optimal “doneness.”

c.    Or, if you can plan ahead the night before, then preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Puncture the clean sweet potato several times with a fork then lightly coat with oil. Place the sweet potato on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Place in refrigerator until morning and reheat in microwave.

2.     Top with almond butter and optional toppings. Enjoy.

Chai Spiced Almond Butter

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almond butter

• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 1-2 teaspoons honey (optional)

Directions: Combine all ingredients. Store in an air tight container up to several months.

Calories (per sweet potato with 2 Tablespoons almond butter) 315; Fat 19 grams; Carbohydrates 33 grams; Fiber 5 grams; Sugar 7 grams; Protein 7 grams