Apple Cider Cupcakes with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Buttercream

I had run across a recipe for these cuppeycakes on Facebook. I knew I had to make them. Of course I can't just follow a recipe, I have to put my own spin on it. This is MY version of the recipe I ran across. They are GOOD!! Like.....I may of had 2 for breakfast good.

Apple Cider Cupcakes with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Buttercream- Gluten Free

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 2 eggs
• 1⅔ cup GF Flour
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup apple sauce
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. Pie Spice (cinnamon will also work)
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla

• Frosting:
• 1 cup softened butter
• 3 cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Pie Spice (cinnamon will also work)
• 2 tbsp apple cider
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Cupcakes:

Cream together butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer). Add the eggs, vanilla and apple sauce. Mix until fully incorporated.

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the apple cider and the mixture of dry ingredients, alternating between the two, slowly incorporating them into the butter/sugar/egg mixture.

Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full and bake at 350º for 17-19 minutes. Bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Whip butter, brown sugar, pie spice, and vanilla together with a mixer until light and fluffy.

Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until incorporated.

Add apple cider until you reach desired consistency (more for thinner frosting).

Transfer to piping bag and frost each cupcake once they have cooled.

Easy Peasy Apple Dump Cake

Fall is here! That means comfort food to me. I love it when my house is warm from the oven being on & the smell of cinnamon filling the house.....ahhh! This recipe is easy & fits the season perfectly.

Easy Peasy Apple Dump Cake

Ingredients 

3C. Diced apples (about 4 large apples)
1/3 C. Sugar
2T. Lemon Juice
1 Box yellow gluten free cake mix
1Tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Pie Spice
1/2 C. Buttermilk (1tsp lemon juice to regular milk as a substitute )
8 T. Butter thinly sliced or grated

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Spread the apples over the bottom of a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Toss apples with sugar, spices, lemon juice, & 2T. of cake mix. Top with butter & remaining cake mix. Pour buttermilk over the top & sprinkle with extra cinnamon if you wish. Bake at 350* for about 35-45 minutes until the top is slightly golden and the apples are hot and bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice cream for extra yumminess.

Dice apples & place in bottom of pan

Toss apples with sugar, spices, lemon juice, & small amount of cake mix

Top with butter, remaining cake mix, buttermilk, & sprinkle with cinnamon 

Cook until apples are tender & cake is fluffy & golden

Basic Muffins turned into Three Different Kinds of Muffins!!

   I have been preparing wildly for tonight's Relay for Life event. I have been packing my bags of campsite decorations, gathering donations, checking with my team to be sure they are ready...and then it hit me...what in the world are you going to eat? The snacks and such that are served are not usually gluten free. You will have to take FOOD!! UGH....so I decided to bake muffins. I couldn't decide on a flavor though...so I just made three kinds. They turned out pretty good so I thought I would share the recipe with you!

Basic Muffins

2 C. Gluten Free Flour Mixture
1/2 tsp. Xantham Gum
1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
2tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/4 C. Milk
2 Eggs
3 T. Oil OR 5 T Applesauce
1tsp. Vanilla

Combine all ingredients. Divide batter into muffin tins generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 Deg. for 15-20 minutes.

I divided my batter into thirds and added the following ingredients in to make 3 different kinds of muffins. 

Blueberry Muffins
1/3 of the batter recipe from above
1/2 -1 C Fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp. Almond Extract.

Mix together and bake as directed

Apple Cinnamon
1/3 of the batter recipe from above
1/2 C Applesauce
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. Pie Spice

Mix together and bake as directed.

Lemon Yogurt
1/3 of the batter recipe from above
2 tsp. Lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Lemon extract
1 Cup Lemon yogurt

Mix together and bake as directed.

I used applesauce instead of oil in the basic batter.

Adorable cuppeycake wrappers with awareness ribbons on them.

Divide the batter into thirds.

Lemon yogurt muffin batter

Blueberry!

The 3 different kinds of muffins.

The recipe came out making 15 muffins, so I had to use a 2nd muffin tin.

Yummy finished product! Mm Mmm Mmmm!

Blueberry came out super fluffy and yummy!

Applesauce was very moist and good flavor.

Lemon yogurt came out very very moist, could use a little more lemon flavor. Next time I will buy a lemon and put in some zest.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

     The other day on the news a local nutritionist was making a Cranberry Apple Crumble. It peaked my interest. I had some cranberries in the fridge that needed to be used.....hummmmmmmm The lady on the news was making hers all healthy (she was a nutritionist after all). I wasn't wanting to go overboard with the healthyness. So I decided to use my regular old apple pie filling recipe, but add in the cranberries. Then for the topping I would use a topping that I sometimes use for crisps and crumbles. So here is what my result is:

Apple Cranberry Crisp

5-6 Apples (peeled and diced into chunks)
1 C Cranberries (washed)
1 T. Lemon Juice
1 T. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Pie Spice
1 C. Sugar (more or less depending on the tartness of the variety of apples you chose)

Crisp Topping Ingredients:
1 C. Gluten Free Flour Mix
3/4 C. Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/3 C Butter (melted)

     Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Spray a 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray. In the pan place apples, cranberries, spices, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Mix well coating all of the apples and cranberries.
     In a small bowl Mix the ingredients for the crisp topping. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt until combined. Add egg and mix with a spoon until combined. Mixture will be crumbly.
     Sprinkle topping mixture over the apple/cranberry mixture. Pour melted butter over the topping mixture. Bake in a 350 deg. oven for 50 min. or until apples are cooked through and top is golden brown.
   Serve it warm, and with ice cream if you dare :)

Diced apples and cranberries

Combine cornstarch, sugar, spices and lemon juice

Combine to coat the apples and cranberries

Combine the Ingredients for the topping. Mix with a spoon until combined and "crumbly".

Spread the topping over the apple/cranberry mixture. Pour melted butter over the topping. Bake at 350 until golden brown (about 50 min.)

Mmmmmm!

If only I had some vanilla ice cream.......I should have planned ahead!

Well the recipe turned out very well. I liked the flavor of the tart cranberries with the apples. I would try it again! It was something different instead of the same old apple crisp or crumble. If only I had a little vanilla ice cream to go with it, that would have made it heaven!! Let me know what you think!

-Jessica