Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These yummy, moist cupcakes are also dairy-free and you can always make the cream cheese frosting with goat cream cheese for people who can't eat cow dairy. Feel free to play around with spice combos and amounts- some folks prefer more allspice, some like a more nutmeggy treat. (I've included instructions for prepping the pumpkin at the bottom of the recipe- freshly roasted pumpkin really makes a difference!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill pan(s) with 18 cupcake liners.

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 3/4 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup arrowroot or white rice flour
2 TBS potato starch
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
3 large to extra large eggs (not jumbo)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin (roasted and pureed is best)*
1/2 cup almond milk
3/4 cup canola oil
1 TBS vanilla extract


In a smallish bowl, combine the pumpkin and almond milk. In another small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the oil, eggs, and vanilla.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the oil mixture to the dry ingredients and then mix in the pumpkin and almond milk.

Fill each cupcake three-quarters full and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the tops spring back to the touch and/or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1/2 to one stick of butter and one cup of powdered sugar. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and continue to mix until fluffy. Add a twist or two of freshly ground nutmeg if desired.

Roasting Pumpkin/Winter Squash for Various Recipes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut a sugar pie pumpkin, red or green kabocha, butternut, or acorn squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Brush the cut halves with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a rimmed baking sheet, jelly roll pan, or pyrex dish. Bake for one hour or so, until the juices are bubbling in the pan and the rinds are soft to the touch.

Let cool and then scrape the flesh from the rinds. Puree in blender of food processor. Freezes well so you can make a big batch ahead of time and then make cupcakes, breads, soups and of course, pie.

Tonight, or should I say, tomorrow morning, a new chapter begins. At around 2:30 am, I will toss off the covers and totter into the bathroom. In all likelihood, I'll look in the mirror and grimace at my stupid o'clock in the morning tired and groggy, sleep-lined face and wonder WTF I was thinking when I signed up to be a baking intern.

But perhaps not. Only time will tell. I'm hoping to fall asleep at 9 tonight. The red wine isn't helping thus far and I'm wired as a Ren & Stimpy short. Perhaps it was that extra dark and delicious Theo salted almond dark chocolate bar I nommed at the office this afternoon. The Big W is snoozing on the couch and I'm updating my blog and thinking of all I could accomplish if I just stay the course and skip sleep altogether.

My pies (A&B) for the Oakland Museum's Seed Circus Pie Contest - A was the winner

How did I get here? I won a pie contest and chatted up one of the judges. It turns out we have a lot in common- a freakish lot- and now I am interning and also working the farmer's market, selling plump and scrumptious scones, galettes and the like. I am seriously grateful to her for letting me tag along. I try not to appear too overexcited about our adventures, but I'm having a lot of fun and my brain is exploding with ideas.

Soooo.... here's to waking before the sun and baking away the morning. More when I return...

Tasty Collard Greens with Brown Butter

I have fond childhood memories of my dad's friend's collard greens dish. Salty and heavily leaden with the fat of some ham hocks or bacon, they were delicious alongside fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and the occasional hushpuppy. But those fond memories have stayed memories and I don't think I've tasted collards in years.

...Until they appeared my RiverDog Farm veggie box. I found a simple recipe and served them to the fam that night. There was nothing left in the bowl after we were through, which says a lot considering this was a new kind of green veggie gracing our table. 

Here's how I prepared the collards. This is adapted from a few different recipes, primarily from Deborah Madison's Braised Collards in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Take one large bunch of fresh organic collard greens and strip the leafy green parts from the stems. If you like, you can then chop the greens into bite-sized strips or shred them with your hands. Rinse thoroughly and plunge into a pot of boiling salted water. Let the greens cook for 5 minutes and then put them in a bowl with about half a cup of the cooking water. 

Toss two to three tablespoons of salted butter into a pot or large frying pan. Over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns brown. Make sure the butter doesn't brown too quickly- stir it frequently and make sure it doesn't burn or smoke. 

Once the butter is browned, toss in the greens and the half cup of reserved cooking water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes and then add salt to taste. Any salt will do, but kosher sea salt is extra tasty here. 

Cook for up to 20 minutes more, tasting along the way for tenderness and flavor. Feel free to add red pepper flakes for an extra kick, but I like mine plain and buttery!