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Small Farm Big Life

Desserts

Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (GF, DF)

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Sometimes I miss really great, gluten filled chocolate cake. The kind you can buy at any store. With rich chocolate frosting that is full of sugar. But, then I think about the calories and the inflammation it will cause and it’s not actually worth it.

It’s good to have a delicious alternative for those chocolate cake cravings. These cupcakes have a great texture that makes it hard to believe there isn’t any flour in them. They rise nicely in the oven and from what I remember taste like a store bought cupcake (I’ve been gluten-free for over five years).

The recipe I used for the “icing” is actually a chocolate avocado pudding. It has coconut oil in it so if it seems too runny for frosting you can put it in the fridge for an hour or two and it gets a more frosting like texture.

Honestly it tastes like really dark chocolate frosting so it having a little more pudding texture doesn’t bother me at all. I think the combination is delicious!

I used my Paleo Chocolate Pudding recipe for the frosting.

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Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (GF, DF)

These cupcakes are a delicious alternative for when you are craving something chocolate.

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Ingredients

1 large Banana, very ripe
1 medium Apple, cored & peeled
6 Dates, seeds removed
2 large Eggs
1 cup Almond Butter
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, melted
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until a batter forms.

Either grease or line your muffin tin (these muffin liners are my favorite). Divide batter evenly.

Bake for 18 minutes or until the muffins spring back when you lightly touch them. 

Notes

I used my Paleo Chocolate Pudding recipe for the frosting.

Paleo Chocolate Pudding (GF, DF)

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Some days just call for chocolate pudding! This dark, creamy recipe is perfect for those days. It stores well for a couple of days in the fridge and works really well for homemade pudding cups.

I don’t mind eating this chocolate pudding right out of the blender, but it’s even better when it’s chilled. It’s easy to make ahead for a perfect dessert.

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Paleo Chocolate Pudding (GF, DF)

This recipe is fast and easy to make for a quick dessert.

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Ingredients

1 Avocado, very ripe
1 large Banana, very ripe
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
6 Tbsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, melted
2 Tbsp. Almond Milk

Instructions

Peel and take the seed out of the avocado and banana. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until a creamy pudding texture is achieved. 

Pour into a bowl or individual dishes. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. This pudding will last in the fridge a couple of days.

Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (GF)

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I love rhubarb season and strawberry rhubarb anything is my favorite. The tartness of the fruit mixed with the sweetness of the topping is amazing! I’m not going to lie, I made a 9×13 pan of this and we consumed it in three days.

We still have fresh rhubarb and I will be making this strawberry rhubarb crumble again this week. I like it warm with ice cream just as much as I like it straight from the pan.

This strawberry rhubarb crumble is great package into containers for a lunch box treat. My husband likes to eat it with his coffee. I package the crumble into containers and store it in the fridge for the week of lunches.

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Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (GF)

It’s rhubarb season and this is the perfect way to eat it! I love a good fruit crumble.

  • Author: Elaine VanVleck
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
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Ingredients

3 cups Rhubarb, chopped
2 cups Strawberries, quartered
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp. Arrowroot Powder
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Topping:
1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 cup Toasted Pecans, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9×13 pan with butter and set aside.

Toast the pecans for about 10 minutes on medium low heat in skillet. They will begin to brown and smell really delicious.

Mix rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, arrowroot powder and lemon juice thoroughly. Spread evenly into greased 9×13 dish.

Put butter in pot on stove at medium high temp to melt. As soon as the butter is melted remove it from the stovetop.

Mix oats, brown sugar, rice flour, salt, pecans and melted butter until it forms a crumbly mixture. Pour over top of the fruit mixture and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling around the edges.

Notes

You can replace the pecans with almonds or walnuts. I just prefer the taste of the toasted pecans.

Keywords: rhubarb, strawberry, strawberries, crumble, dessert, gluten free

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars (GF)

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These gluten free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars are really easy to put together and work great to pack for lunch. They come together in one mixer bowl with little mess and clean up.

My favorite way to eat them is warm with a little coarse sea salt on top. They are rich and delicious! I used almond butter for this batch, but peanut butter or another nut or seed butter would work great.

GF Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars are great on the go when you need a snack. After they cool I put them in sandwich bags to have on hand to pack in lunches or to grab on the go.

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Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars (GF)

These chocolate chip oatmeal bars mix together quickly and are a delicious treat!

  • Author: Elaine VanVleck
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 26
  • Total Time: 41 minutes
  • Yield: 15 bars 1x
  • Category: Desserts
  • Method: Baking
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Ingredients

2 large Eggs
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Almond Butter (or your nut butter of choice)
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour
1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix eggs, sugars, almond butter, butter and vanilla together in a mixing bowl until well combined into a creamy mixture. Add the flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Mix until just starting to combine. Add the chocolate chips and mix all ingredients together.

Grease a 9×13 inch pan with coconut oil or butter. Spread bar mixture into the pan evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the bars are browned.

Notes

Almond butter can be replaced with peanut butter or whatever nut or seed butter you prefer.

After the bars have cooled a little I like to sprinkle coarse sea salt over them.

Keywords: bars, chocolate chip, oatmeal, almond butter, gluten free

Gluten Free Lemon Bars

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It’s starting to warm up in the PNW and that means I start craving lighter foods. We’ve been replacing soups with salads and heavy brownies with these delicious gluten free Lemon Bars.

These gluten free Lemon Bars are easy to put together quickly and can be stored covered in the refrigerator for a couple of days. This makes them an easy dessert to make ahead and have ready to go.

We also have an abundance of eggs right now, so any recipe that uses more than two eggs is on heavy rotation here. I made these gluten free Lemon Bars with goose eggs, so they may be darker than yours if you are using chicken eggs or store bought eggs. I love the dark yellow color goose and duck eggs produce!

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Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Gluten free Lemon Bars are delicious right out of the fridge for a quick dessert. You can make these a couple of days in advance and store them covered in the fridge.

  • Author: Elaine VanVleck
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 32
  • Total Time: 47 minutes
  • Yield: 9 servings
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups Almond Flour
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
5 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
3 Tbsp. Tapioca Flour
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, cold & diced

Filling:
4 large Eggs
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Lemon Juice
2 drops Lemon Essential Oil
2 Tbsp. Tapioca Flour
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Beef Gelatin Powder

Instructions

Make the crust first. Grease an 8 x 8 pan with coconut oil. Place almond flour, coconut flour, sugar, tapioca flour and sea salt in a mixer bowl. Dice the cold butter into the bowl in little slivers. Beat ingredients together until crumbly. Press crumbly mixture into the greased 8×8 pan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.

While the crust is baking, mix together the filling.

Put eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon essential oil, tapioca flour, sea salt and gelatin into a mixing bowl. Beat at medium high until all ingredients are combined together. Leave in mixing bowl until ready to pour into crust. Prior to pouring into crust mix one more time to combine ingredients that may have settled.

Pour filling into baked crust and return to oven for 18-20 minutes or until firm in the center. Cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar and cutting. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. 

Notes

I used lemon juice from a bottle. I didn’t have lemons and living rural I can’t always get good lemons locally.

You can omit the lemon essential oil, but it does give this dessert a more intense lemon flavor. For more information on Essential Oils you can visit my Young Living page.

Keywords: lemon, gluten free, bars, easy, quick

Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze Recipe(GF)

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We have a lot of eggs on the farm right now. The chickens have started laying a lot and though I love a good fried egg I needed some other recipes to use eggs.

This Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe uses five eggs, so it’s perfect to use the excess eggs I’ve been gathering. I love to use the duck and geese eggs for baking. I think they make the recipe richer and denser.

This Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze is easy and quick to mix together and bakes in under an hour. It is delicious served slightly warm with the glaze over it.

If you are looking for a dessert to serve for Easter dinner this would be perfect. It can be made ahead and stored covered for up to two days.

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Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze Recipe

This Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze is easy to mix together and uses some of the abundance of eggs we have on the farm right now.

  • Author: smallfarmbiglife
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Cake:
1 cup Butter, unsalted & softened
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
5 large Eggs
2 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour
1/2 cup Tapioca Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Xanthum Gum
1 cup Almond Milk (or your milk of choice)
2 tsp. Dried Lemon Peel
2 drops Lemon Essential Oil (I prefer Young Living’s Lemon Vitality Oil)

Glaze:
1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
4 tsp. Lemon Juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixer beat the softened, unsalted butter with the sugar until creamed together. Add the five eggs and beat until mixed together.

In a separate bowl combine the flours, baking powder, sea salt, and xanthum gum. Add this mixture 1/2 cup at a time to the wet ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are just combined. Add the milk, lemon peel and lemon oil. Mix until the batter is smooth.

Grease a bundt pan with butter or solid coconut oil. Be sure to really coat the pan so your cake comes out easily. Pour batter evenly in the bundt pan and tap a couple of times on the counter to get air bubbles out.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool for 10 minutes and the invert onto a serving platter or plate. After the cake cools completely mix together glaze and pour over cake. I like to put the glaze on right before serving.

Notes

Be sure you are using a cooking grade essential oil. Not all essential oils are meant to be consumed!

Keywords: lemon, bundt cake, cake

** The essential oils used in this recipe are from Young Living. If you are interested in purchasing these oils or want more information please visit my Young Living page.

Gluten Free Blueberry Oat Muffins Recipe (GF)

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Blueberry muffins are one of my favorite portable snacks. They are perfect for breakfast when I need to get out of the house in a hurry. I love them heated up with some ghee in the afternoons. They are easy to pack in lunches and they freeze well for later.

These Gluten Free Blueberry Oat Muffins combine delicious blueberries with oats to give a more substantial snack. I love to use frozen wild blueberries to give a burst of flavor.

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Gluten Free Blueberry Oat Muffins

Gluten free Blueberry Oat Muffins are a perfect breakfast or snack. These are quick and easy to make and freeze well.

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Ingredients

1 cup Apple Sauce
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil, melted
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
3/4 cup Almond Milk (or your milk of choice)
1 1/4 cup Almond Flour
1 1/4 cup Gluten Free Flour
1 1/4 cup Rolled Oats
1 cup Blueberries, frozen or fresh

Instructions

Set oven to 350 degrees. Line a twelve muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine apple sauce, vanilla, eggs, sugars and honey in a mixer. Add melted coconut oil and blend. Add baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, almond milk, almond flour, gluten free flour and rolled oats. Mix until just combined. 

Add the blueberries and mix until just blended together. It may be easier to do this by hand especially if you have fresh blueberries so they don’t break up too much.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Pancakes Recipe (GF)

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These are the pancakes I have had on rotation lately for breakfast. They are easy to mix together and will last a few days in the fridge. I like to make a double batch to have a quick breakfast for a few days in a row.

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Gluten-Free Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

These pancakes are easy to make and a delicious morning start.

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Ingredients

3 eggs, large
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

Instructions

Combine eggs, almond milk, ACV, maple syrup, vanilla together using a mixer. I like to make mine with my hand mixer in my batter bowl. Add dry ingredients with melted coconut oil on top. Doing the steps in this order will help the coconut oil to mix into the cold, wet ingredients without clumping.

Cook pancakes on medium heat until beginning to bubble and flip. This should produce golden pancakes with a touch of crispiness at the edges.

I highly suggest eating warm with syrup or sunbutter, but they can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.

Keywords: pancake, breakfast, cinnamon

Gluten Free Apple Spice Cookies Recipe (GF)

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I’ve been making batch after batch of these cookies using the apples from our trees. They are spicy, chewy and delicious. They are the perfect way to use up the abundance of apples we have this year.

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Gluten Free Apple Spice Cookies

Yield 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour

1 tsp. xanthum gum

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 large apple, chopped (approx. 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix brown sugar, butter and egg until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Add the apple and mix until completely blended.

I use a cookie scoop and put four rows of five on a large cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Gluten Free Blackberry Mug Cobbler Recipe (GF)

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I know blackberries are out of season, but I found some frozen in my freezer. They looked so good and I could just taste summer. I really didn’t want an entire pan of cobbler so I decided to make an individual mug cobbler.

It turned out delicious! It was quick and easy to put together for a warm after dinner dessert or snack.

 

Blackberry Mug Cobbler

1/2 cup Frozen Blackberries
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
3 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Stevia Blend sweetener
1 teaspoon Pure Maple Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Sea Salt

Using a small mixing bowl chop the butter into pieces and microwave until melted (approximately 30 seconds). Add the almond flour, shredded coconut, coconut flour, stevia blend, maple sugar, sea salt and vanilla to the butter. Blend together. This will make a thick paste.

In a mug or ramekin place 1/2 cup frozen blackberries. Put the cobbler batter on top of the blackberries. You will need to press the cobbler batter into place as it’s very thick. Put five or six holes in the cobbler batter with your finger so the blackberries can vent (and to prevent blackberry juice from oozing all over you microwave, trust me, it will).

Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Carefully remove the mug or ramekin from the microwave and set on a towel to cool. Enjoy warm!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe (GF)

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I made this cake for my birthday and it was delicious. The cake it light and fluffy and the cream cheese frosting is decadent. I use a few different flours for gluten-free baking, but I think the best flour for this cake is the King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour. They aren’t paying me to say that. I just think their flour gives a light, fluffy texture where other gluten-free flours may make the cake too heavy.

I have been gluten-free for a few years now and sometimes I crave things that I used to make with regular flour. For my thirty-ninth birthday I was craving the snack cakes that we got as treats when we were kids. I really wanted a cake that had a similar taste and I think this cake really hit the mark.

I don’t love when things are too sweet, so I didn’t put a thick layer of frosting or frost the sides of the cake. For me, this gave the right cake to frosting ratio. If you love sweet things, then I encourage you to frost the sides of the cake. The recipe I use for cream cheese frosting makes plenty to frost the entire cake. I made t

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Yield 2 9-inch cakes

This moist chocolate cake has quickly become one of my favorites. I love to pair it with cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Gluten-free flour (I prefer King Arthurs GF Flour for this cake)1 cup Sugar1 cup Cacao powder2 1/2 tsp. Baking powder1 tsp. Sea salt2/3 cup Avocado oil4 large Eggs1 1/3 cups Water2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 round baking pans.

Mix oil, eggs, water and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix flour, sugar, cacao, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.

Pour flour mixture into batter 1/2 cup at a time until combined. Once all ingredients have been added blend on medium-high speed until a smooth batter forms.

Pour batter into the two 9 inch pans and bake for 30 mixtures or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans and allow to cool completely before icing.

wo cakes using the same batch of frosting when I skipped putting frosting on the sides.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Delicious and airy cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

2 - 8 ounce packages of cream cheese1 cup unsalted butter, softened1 tsp. vanilla2 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Blend on high until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Frost cake after it has completely cooled.

This is enough frosting to frost the entire cake or if you only want to frost the tops of each cake, this frosting will be enough for two cakes or a batch of cupcakes.