Salted. Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

Sometimes when I'm writing recipes, they come to me as a fully formed idea. All the pieces already in place, I just have to actually pull out the ingredients and make the recipe. Other times they are vague ideas, more a possible combination of flavors and/or textures than an actual, fully-realized recipe. It's these recipes that become an obsession for me. I oftentimes feel the need to compulsively make them over and over again until they are right. These Salted Caramel Popcorn cupcakes definitely fall into the second category.

For me, the key to this cupcake was the combination of crunchy popcorn and creamy salted caramel buttercream. Once I got the salty-sweet popcorn-caramel combo in my head, I got a little obsessive about turning it into a vegan, gluten-free cupcake. The final product combines all the best elements of a movie night snack into one delicious cupcake wrapper. The salty, crunchy popcorn, sweet caramel gooeyness and buttery vanilla cake--it's all there! Plus, they're super cute too!

The magic starts with a simple vanilla cupcake. I cheated just a little bit here and used one of the Betty Crocker Gluten-free Yellow Cake Mixes. For the most part, I love these mixes. They are easy, quick, gluten-free and dairy-free. They can easily be made vegan (with the help of a few flax-eggs, vegan butter and non-dairy milk), and yield moist, flavorful cupcakes.

As good as these vanilla cupcakes are on their own, I wanted to amp up the caramel flavor. Since I kept the cupcake quite simple, I wanted to make sure there was caramel goodness in every bite. Enter my vegan caramel sauce. Now, this stuff is delicious in the center of a cupcake, but also would be quite nice on top of ice cream, added to an iced coffee  or drizzled on pound cake with some fresh fruit. YUM! Here, it adds a nice additional layer of sweetness and stickiness to the center of the cupcake.

Topping off the cupcake is an knockout vegan buttercream. This frosting was my nemesis. I think I made at least 5 different batches before I finally got what I was looking for. The key is the shortening/vegan butter combination. The hydrogenated fats in the shortening help the frosting hold its shape and the vegan butter provides a bit of buttery flavor, as well as giving the frosting a smoother, creamier texture. The end result is a fluffy, salty-sweet frosting that can withstand a little heat without turning into a drippy mess.

The cupcakes are topped with crunchy, unsalted popcorn. I picked mine up at the St. Paul Farmers' Market from Farmer Bill's Gourmet Popping Corn. It's perfectly crunchy, light, great at soaking up flavors (can you say olive oil, sea salt & Italian herb popcorn? Yes, please). And, it's locally grown. Plus, it stays crunchy much longer than the supermarket variety. If you haven't tried local popcorn before, check it out the next time you're at the farmers' market.

Altogether, these components make a salty-sweet delight. Though they might not be the most healthy option, they are a great little treat that ensures that just about everyone can enjoy dessert together. They'd make a great addition to your next movie night! Happy snacking!

 

Gluten-free Vegan Salted Caramel Popcorn Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

Yellow GF Cake mix (Betty Crocker)

2/3 c. non-dairy milk

2 tbsp vanilla extract

3 flax eggs (3 tbsp ground flax 9 tbsp water à let sit 15 minutes in fridge)

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ c. vegan butter

Combine finely ground flax seed with water and let sit for 15 minutes in fridge. Cream butter with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in flax egg mixture, vanilla and non-dairy milk slowly. Mix until well combined. Scrape down the side of the bowl and then slowly add in cake mix , followed by baking powder.  Scrape down the edge of the bowl and then beat the batter on medium high for 2 minutes. Once the batter is light and fluffy, add in approximately ¼ c. of batter to each paper liner in the cupcake pan. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes or until a tester (toothpick) comes out clean.

Frosting:

½ c. vegan butter

1 cup dark brown sugar (not packed)

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

¼ cup non-dairy creamer (or milk)

½ c. shortening (cold)

5-6 c. powdered sugar

Combine vegan butter and dark brown sugar into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook for 1-3 minutes or until dark brown. Remove from heat, and whisk in the creamer, salt and vanilla extract until smooth. Allow this mixture to cool completely (30-40 minutes in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer).

Once caramel mixture is chilled, beat together cold shortening and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl until the shortening is well combined (the texture should be crumbly and sort of resemble wet sand). Turn mixer onto medium and slowly add in about 1/3 of the brown sugar caramel mixture. Once completely incorporated add in 1 cup of confectioners sugar.  Repeat this process with the remaining two portions of the brown sugar mixture and the 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar. Scrape the side of the bowl as needed to ensure the frosting is evenly mixed. Beat on high for 5 minutes. Once combined chill the buttercream for  30 minutes in the fridge.

Caramel:

1 cup white sugar

¼ c water

½ c. non-dairy creamer

1 tsp salt

Combine 1 c. white sugar and ¼ c. water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the sugar-water mixture starts to come to a boil swirl the pan constantly until it begins to darken in color. This entire process (from adding the sugar and water-until the sugar darkens will take about 15 minutes). (DO NOT STIR WITH A SPOON OR WHISK, THIS WILL CAUSE THE CARAMEL TO LOOSE HEAT AND WILL ULTIMATELY BURN THE SUGAR). This is tedious but it works. Once the sugar starts turning a dark brown/amber colored remove from heat. Immediately start whisking the mixture and SLOWLY drizzle in the non-dairy creamer. The sugar will bubble up a lot as this happens, just keep whisking and it will come together. Once all the creamer has been add stir in 1 tsp of kosher salt to the mixture and return to heat. Bring the caramel back up to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly to avoid caramel sticking and burning. Once completed, pour into a heat-proof container and allow to cool (30-45 minutes in the fridge or 20 minutes in the freezer).

To Decorate:

Pipe approximately 1 tbsp of  caramel into the middle of the cooled cupcakes. (I used a squeeze bottle to fill these and let the caramel soak in a bit before frosting). Once filled, frost the cupcakes with the vegan buttercream. Ideally there should be a little less than 1/4 cup of frosting on each cupcake. This allows enough frosting for the popcorn to stick to and makes sure each cupcake has a nice frosting to cupcake ratio. Finish by pressing popcorn into the frosting until covered to desired appearance.

Soft Spiced Gingersnaps (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Sometimes on a rainy day all you want to do is curl up with a warm drink and a a little something sweet. These gluten-free vegan gingersnaps are just the thing! These bite-size cookies are full of spiced goodness. The aromatic combination of ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon is nicely balanced with a simple powdered sugar icing. A great all purpose gluten-free flour blend and the right balance of healthy fats and sugars result in a very tender cookie with a fine crumb. This means a chewy, but tender cookie that is just about perfect. Check out the recipe below!

Soft Spiced Gingersnaps  (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

• 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax + 5 Tbsp water)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup almond butter

• 6 Tbsp molasses

• 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened

• 2 tsp ground ginger

• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend

• 2 Tbsp melted vegan butter

• 2 Tbsp almond/coconut/soy milk

• 2-3 cups of powdered sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, prepare flax egg by mixing flax and water and letting sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add in softened butter, molasses, almond butter, brown sugar, salt, spices and baking soda. Beat on low with a mixer or whisk vigorously.

3. Add in the gluten-free flour to the wet ingredients. Add flour in a little at a time and stir to combine. Add more flour as needed until the dough is able to hold its shape when pressed but does not feel dry. (This is normally between 2 and 3 cups of gluten free flour depending on your blend).

4. Cover the dough and chill for at least one hour (preferably overnight) in the refrigerator.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Roll dough into 1 Tbsp balls. Place in freezer for 5-10 minutes to chill.

7. Transfer balls onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and press them down slightly to form disks. Leave about 1 inch between balls as the cookies spread slightly.

8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they appear slightly golden brown on the edges. Let them rest on the pan for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

9. Once cooled, decorate with icing. To make the icing combine melted butter and milk in a small bowl. Add powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your desired thickness. I prefer it to be relatively thick so that it doesn't run off the cookie. To decorate drizzel the frosting over the top of the cookie. A squeeze bottle works well for this. Allow the frosting to set up before serving.

10. Store covered at room temperature for several days or freeze for later. The batch should make between 35-40 cookies.

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

Let's get nitty gritty with gluten-free flour. The key to good quality, low fuss gluten-free baked goods is a really good gluten-free flour blend. There are a ton of prepackaged flour blends on the market currently. Many are widely loved, others liked for specific purposes or certain recipes. Overall, if you are looking for a no-hassle way to adapt a few recipes without much guesswork, go pick up a gluten free-flour blend. Bob's Red Mill has one that is quite popular.

Personally, I think that if gluten-free eating is a lifestyle you are looking to take on even part of the time, making your own flour blend is the way to go. First off, you get to control the texture, consistency and ingredients in your blend. This may seem overwhelming, but it actually makes it much easier. Once you have a blend you like, you can count on it working how you want it to in most recipes. Secondly, the flavor payoff is huge. The taste of a specific baked good is a big deal for most people. The reason I no longer use a premade blend is I could never find one my entire family . Bob's Red Mill was too garbanzo beany (with its bean flour metallic aftertaste). Cup4Cup was dry and didn't have that slight nuttiness we were looking for (it tasted far to much like very bleached white flour). Countless others just fell flat or didn't work as an all-purpose blend.

At first when I dove into the world of making my own blend of gluten-free flours, I found it completely overwhelming. This is because wheat flour is not as simple as you might think. Wheat flour is not made up of all gluten protein. Instead, wheat flour consists of a balance of protein (which contains the gluten), fiber (bran/germ) and starch. The proteins of regular wheat flour make up the matrix that traps the gases released when the flour is cooked/baked. The starches function to hold the finished baked goods together. The bran adds bulk and flavor (whole wheat varieties have more bran/germ than all-purpose varieties). This means the individual gluten-free flour varieties must be combined to fill the same roles in the same proportions found in regular wheat flour in order for it to be a cup-for-cup all-purpose blend.

After a lot of research, here's what I found. Most all-purpose gluten-free flour blends often consist of a 40/60 ratio of protein to starch. This means that it should be made up of 40% whole grain flour and 60% white flours/starches. With that in mind, it was next necessary to choose a mixture of flours that would represent this ratio properly. In order to do that, I needed to look at the most common gluten-free flour varieties.

Whole Grain Flours

-      Brown rice flour

-      Buckwheat flour

-      Corn flour

-      Mesquite flour

-      Millet flour

-      Oat flour

-      Quinoa flour

-      Sorghum flour

-      Sweet potato flour

-      Teff flour

White Flours/Starches

-      Arrowroot flour

-      Cornstarch flour

-      Potato flour

-      Potato starch

-      Sweet rice flour

-      Tapioca flour

-      White rice flour

Nut Flours

-      Almond flour

-      Chestnut flour

-      Coconut flour

-      Hazelnut flour

Bean Flours

-      Fava bean flour

-      Garbanzo bean flour

-      Kinako (roasted soy bean) flour

In general, nut flours and bean flours are always added into a blend as a whole-grain flour. Also its important to keep in mind that within each category (whole grain/ white flours & starches), each flour will work slightly differently. Because of their slight metallic aftertaste, I rarely cook with anything containing bean flours. Nut flours, although not a part of my all-purpose blend, are present in a lot of my baked goods. These are rich in good fats, which makes them delightful in some baked goods, but it does throw off the balance of fats in your recipes.

The ultimate result of tweaking these flours over time, is my favorite all-purpose flour blend (which I've used in everything from cakes, cookies, bars, breadings, biscuits, sauces, and gravy). This blend consists of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, and potato starch. Like most gluten-free flour mixes, making the blend requires working by weight instead of volume. This ensures that the the final mixture is not improperly proportioned because some flours are easy to improperly measure volumetrically (resulting in an incorrect ratio and cause your goodies to flop). Here's the scale I use. I love it and its pretty reasonably priced. (Plus, food nerd alert: it's the same one Alton Brown uses. And, he's just the best!) Here's how my all-purpose blend comes together.

Brown rice flour: This flour is high in protein, iron, fiber and vitamin B. It is also rich in manganese (good for development of bones and cartilage) which aids in the absorption of calcium. It has healthy bran and will lend a darker color to baked goods. The superfine grind is important here because otherwise your flour might leave your food tasting a little gritty (a common issue with rice flour).

Sorghum flour: Sorghum flour is highly nutritious and adds a really nice flavor to gluten-free baked goods. It is high in protein, iron and dietary fiber. It is also high in antioxidants, which are a necessary component in cardiac health. This flour also has a lower glycemic index than other flours because it's starch and protein takes longer to digest.

Sweet white rice flour: This flour is milled from “sticky rice” that is very starchy and has binding qualities. The higher starch content results in added moisture in baked goods. Despite its name, the flour itself is not sweet, but rather is commonly used in desserts (like Japanese mochi).

Potato Starch: This starch comes from crushed potatoes producing a very refined starch that contains minimal protein or fat. This starch is often used as a thickener for soups, stews and sauces. In baked goods, it's starch functions to help add moisture. It also helps with binding and texture within gluten-free baked goods.

In the end, making the gluten-free flour blend is as simple as measure, weigh, mix and dump in a plastic storage container. I tend to label mine with the proportions so it's easy to make next time. Then when it comes to baking, I simply add 1-2 tsp of xanthan gum (or guar gum works too) for every 1 cup of flour you use. It's simple, easy and totally worth the little bit of prep work.

Gluten Free Flour Blend

200 g Superfine Brown Rice Flour

200 g Sorghum Flour

300 g Superfine Sweet Rice Flour

300 g Potato Starch

Measure out each flour by weight. Combine in a large bowl or plastic container mixing well to combine (if using a plastic container just shake it for a minute or two until evenly combined).

Will keep up to 6 months (or freeze for up to a year).

Regular recipes (simple cookies, sauces, gravies, muffins): 1 tsp xanthan gum + 1 cup flour blend per 1 cup all-purpose regular flour

Super fluffy or raised recipes (cakes, breads, biscuits): 2 tsp xanthan gum + 1 cup flour blend per 1 cup all-purpose regular flour

Chicken Spring Rolls with Sweet & Sour Quick Pickles

These chicken spring rolls are the most delicious weekday dinner. They are the epitome of fresh food and endlessly customizable. Sweet, sour, spicy, crunchy, saucy, there's something for everyone! If you haven't made spring rolls at home yet, add them to the menu tonight! The best part of these bad boys is that the individual components (rice noodles, Hoisin-Honey chicken, quick pickles, cilantro and peanut dipping sauce) can all be prepared ahead of time. This allows everyone to not only eat at their convenience, but also customize their spring roll to their personal preference (though why you wouldn't want to pile it high with everything is beyond me)!

The chicken is dressed in a great sweet-spicy Hoisin-Honey sauce that is jazzed up with a little sriracha (to your spiciness preference). When you top some soft rice noodles with this chicken, a little cilantro, and those delicious pickles, it is a match made in heaven! Pro tip: if spring rolls aren't your thing or you are looking for a more travel-friendly lunch, these different components also make a fabulous rice noodle salad.

To top it all off, I strongly recommend making this peanut dipping sauce. Using the same flavors as the chicken, with a little peanut butter for creaminess, I made a dipping sauce for the spring rolls that is as close as possible to that delicious peanut sauce that comes with every Thai food takeout spring roll. It's a little sweet, really cream and still has the asian zing to it! Without a doubt it is the perfect finishing touch to these spring rolls (it also works as a great dressing for a noodle salad)! All in all, these spring rolls are seriously delicious! They are pretty easy and a great, fresh make-ahead meal for your next week night dinner.

Chicken Spring Rolls with Sweet & Sour Quick Pickles

Hoisin-Honey Chicken:

-      ½ cup Hoisin Sauce

-      ¼ cup Honey

-      ¼ cup Sriracha

-      1 whole roasted chicken

Shred the entire chicken into small pieces (removing skin and bones). In a separate bowl combine hoisin sauce, honey and sriracha, stirring until evenly incorporated. Toss the shredded chicken in the sauce. Refrigerate until ready to assemble spring rolls.

Sweet & Spicy Quick Pickles:

-      ½ cup White Wine Vinegar (or Rice Wine Vinegar)

-      2-3 Tbsp Honey

-      4 Tsp Soy Sauce

-      1 Tsp Dried Red Pepper Flakes

-      2 English Cucumbers, peeled

-      4 Carrots, peeled

Thinly slice English cucumbers into very thin strips (I like to peel and section my entire cucumber into 3 sections, then halve each section and slice lengthwise in thin strips). Finely chop carrots into thin strips as well (you can use a similar method to the cucumber prep or use a another method to julienne the carrots). The ultimate goal is thin, manageable, relatively uniform pieces of carrots and cucumbers that will make the spring roll easier to eat. In a bowl large enough to fit all your vegetables, combine white wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, and dried red pepper flakes. Stir until the honey is dissolved and then add in the vegetables. Allow the pickles to sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours in the fridge before serving. The longer they sit the more “pickle-like” they will become.

Peanut Dipping Sauce:

-      ½ cup Hoisin Sauce

-      ¼ cup Honey

-      ¼ cup Peanut Butter

-      Up to ¼ cup Sriracha

In a small bowl combine Hoisin sauce, honey and peanut butter. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Add in 1/8 c. (2 tbsp) of Sriracha. Combine, taste and add more as desired (up to ~ ¼ cup).

Additional ingredients:

-      1 Bunch of Fresh Cilantro (Stems Removed)

-      1 pkg of Thin Rice Noodles (Prepared According to Package Directions)

-      Rice Paper Wrappers (Round Versions for Spring Rolls)

Spring Roll Assembly:

Soften the rice spring roll wrapper in lukewarm water for about 30 seconds. It should be bendable and soft but not mushy. Gently remove from the water and place on a plate. Add ¼ c of rice noodles in a line down the middle of the wrapper.  Top the rice noodles with ~ ¼ c. of chicken mixture.  Top the chicken with desired amount of pickles and cilantro. Once you have the desired amount of filling, gently roll up the spring roll. This is best done by orienting the spring roll so that the line of filling is running horizontal (or as a kindergarten teacher would say like a hamburger not like a hotdog). Then take the bottom edge of the wrapper and pull it over the edge of the filling. Tuck in the outside (left and right) edges of the wrapper. By this point the filling should be completely covered by the rice paper and should form a tight roll. To finish the spring roll, roll from the bottom up onto the remaining  rice wrapper section, tucking in edges where necessary to form a tight roll. If you are looking for more help or find my directions to be completely hopeless, check out this post.