Pumpkin Scones: Grain Free, Egg Free, Sugar Free

Hi Guys! Glad to be back after the hectic Labor Day. It seems like everyone I know was born at the beginning of September and I've been to more than my fair share of birthday parties so far this month. More than I can count on one hand. And one of them my own. Yes, I'm a year older. But as far as I'm concerned I'm still 29. And will always be 29.

For my birthday this year I was craving the fall. The cool weather, the smell of pumpkin, and the color orange everywhere. Of course, it's still 90 degrees here but that didn't stop me from attempting these totally luscious Pumpkin Scones.

To call these scones is a bit of a stretch. Scones often have a biscuit-like texture. These came out a bit more soft, almost creamy. And based on their bake time can be more or less moist. Shorter bake time = moister. Longer bake time = drier. I've had them both ways and both are delicious.

Just so you know how delicious, check out this closeup of the moister scones.

Yes, those are chocolate chips you see. I know, I know. Chocolate chips are not SCD legal. But it was my birthday treat. Cut me some slack.

So let's get to it. The recipe, adapted from the Veganomicon.  These scones are completely grain free, egg free, and sugar free.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of almond flour
3/4 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup of honey
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of butter (can also use margarine)
1/2 cup cashew milk (can also use almond milk, any other nut milk, or cow/goat's milk)
2 tsp ground chia seeds (can also use flaxseed, or 1 whole egg)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (or golden raisins, cranberries, pecans, walnuts etc.)

Instructions:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a pan with parchment paper.
• Mix the flours and spices in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into pieces and mix it into the four mixture until it's crumbly.
• In a separate bowl mix the ground chia seeds with the almond milk until thickened.  Then add the pumpkin puree and honey and stir until fully combined.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  The batter will be moist and slightly crumbly.  Add the chocolate chips or other mix in and stir until incorporated.  Be careful not to overmix the dough.
• Squish the dough together into a large ball and flatten it onto your parchment lined pan.  You want the disc to be about and inch thick.  Then take a sharp knife and cut the dough disc into slices.  This pre-scoring will help when they're finished backing.  Or you can drop the dough onto the pan and make individual rounds.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes for moister scones.  Bake for 18-20 minutes for drier scones.  Let them cool before you make the final slices.  

Makes 8 large scones depending on shape.

If you give these a try let me know what you think!

Food Fail: Coconut Flour Biscuits

I had a wild craving for biscuits this week. Biscuits with butter and jam. Biscuits with bacon and cheese. Lovely light and fluffy biscuits with a crunchy top. So I decided to do a little experiment and see if I could get close to those biscuits I remember using coconut flour.

I've seen other SCD recipes for biscuits. But they just don't get it done. So I improvised and produced this:

The driest, heaviest, grossest biscuit ever!  Or should I say 8 of them.  My improvised recipe was a total fail.  Not enough binding ingredients.  Not enough leavening.  Common problems with coconut flour to be sure.  But still a real disappointment. 

If anyone has any tips, tricks, or recipes to try let me know.  These didn't ease my craving for biscuits at all.  Now I just wonder if I can find a way to use them. . .

Recipe Review: Comfy Belly's Coconut Flour Donuts (AKA Vanilla Cupcakes)

Today's Recipe Review is another from the amazing Comfy Belly blog. I promise it's just a coincidence that I've done two of hers in a row.

A few weeks ago I was rabid for a donut. Pre-SCD I occasionally indulged in one of THE BEST things on earth. A hot Krispy Kreme donut. Melt in your mouth sugary bliss. Those days have come and gone. But the desire to have a donut has apparently not fled. So I was delighted to stumble upon her recipe for donuts made from coconut flour.

Unfortunately, I don't have a donut maker or donut pan.  But her recipe assured me that I could make the recipe as cupcakes.  So I did. . .

They came out perfectly.  Golden.  Lightly crisp on the outside.  And check this out!  So moist on the inside you can see it in my pic. . .

And on a side note, I love to watch things bake in the oven.  I mean, I stand in front of it and look through the window and watch things bake.  These are the first grain-free anything that I have made that I could actually SEE rise while baking.  That's got to be why these are so light and fluffy.

I did modify the recipe by adding 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds (as I do to all coconut flour baked goods). This does contribute to the moistness factor. But since chia is SCD illegal you can leave it out and these cupcakes will still be amazing.

I have dubbed these "Vanilla Muffins".  They are now a permanent part of my baked good rotation.  I think this base recipe would be wonderful with several variations.  I'm planning to try adding blueberries, pumpkin, zucchini and apples.  I'll keep you all posted on my experiements.

In the meantime. . . Go make these!  Now.

Seriously.  What are you waiting for?

They're terrific!

Baking With Coconut Flour

What's the one thing that people miss the most when they start the SCD? It's simple really: baked goods. When you cut out grains and starches baked goods pretty much become a thing of the past. A very fond memory. And for me, often a temptation that can lead me to fall off the wagon. Enter Almond Flour, the hero of almost every Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook. Suddenly you see muffins and pancakes, and pizza crust and you think "I might be able to do this after all".

But if you're like me, almond flour is not the hero of your fairy tale cookbook. My stomach doesn't like it, the texture is often a problem, and frankly I just don't like the taste. Not to mention it's often too moist for things that should turn out crispy.

Just when I was about to despair of EVER having another blueberry muffin I discovered Coconut Flour at The Spunky Coconut (one of my favorite blogs about food). Kelly uses a wide variety of gluten-free flours in her baking creations, not all of which are SCD legal so be careful if you try one. But it prompted to me to do some research.

I found out that coconut flour is SCD legal though it is considered advanced. It's also quite healthy for you. But be warned coconut flour has a lot of fiber in it. So if you try it you might want to start slow.

Nutrition Facts from Tropical Traditions Brand of Coconut Flour:

Why do I like the coconut flour?  Where to begin?  Despite it's high fiber content it's much easier for me to digest.  It has a texture that's MUCH closer to all those wheat based baked goods I loved.  It has a neutral flavor - no it doesn't taste like coconut.  And it pairs well in baking with nut flours.

There are some challenges to keep in mind when using it, however.  It is a very dry flour.  You'll need to adjust the amount of wet ingredients that you use in order to get a moist and fluffy texture.  It can also be very crumbly due to it's lack of moisture.  So most recipes using coconut flour also require a lot of eggs and oil to keep the end result from being too crumbly.

Baking with the coconut flour is a totally different experience from baking with nut flours.  It can take some practice.  But everything I've made with coconut flour is leaps and bounds above what I've created with nut flours in taste and texture.  So I think it's worth it.

Three places to get coconut flour:
Tropical Traditions
Nuts Online
Bob's Red Mill

I've tried the product from Tropical Traditions and Bob's Red Mill.  So far I prefer the Tropical Traditions for price and quality.  I'll be trying the Nuts Online product the next time I purchase.

And to get you started, my favorite coconut flour recipe so far is the Coconut Donuts from Comfy Belly.  I made them as cupcakes and they are truly yummy!