Pumpkin Spice Donuts

I decided to surprise my kids with donuts when they got home from school today - since they had school and I did not.  They've been looking at the recipes I've looked up and wanting pumpkin spice donuts - so I created them from several recipes to be Mandie safe.  

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1 1/2 tsp. Hain Featherweight Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. guar gum
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla powder
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup hot apple cider
Cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Brush donut pans with oil (this recipe made 12 regular size and 12 mini donuts).   Whisk together dry ingredients.  Create a well in the center of dry mixture.  Add in oil, pumpkin, and hot cider.  Mix until just combined, but don't overmix or batter will be tough.   Add batter to cavity on pans so each is 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar.   Bake for 6 minutes then rotate pans in oven and bake for another 6 minutes.  Test with toothpick inserted in center.  Cool in pans for 2 minutes, then remove to rack to cool.  May top with icing, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar.    I topped donuts for everyone but Mandie with Enjoy Life chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar. 

Top: boys donuts with chocolate chips
Bottom:  Mandie's with cinnamon sugar

Apple Butter Pancakes and Breakfast Sausage Patties

Yesterday was National Pancake Day, so what better to serve my family for dinner than their favorite meal - pancakes and sausage!  Since it was feeling and looking a whole lot like fall outside, I decided to switch up my pancake recipe a bit and use my mom's wonderful homemade apple butter.  OH YUM!!!  They were a HUGE hit!   I use the same basic pancake recipe, but change it up depending on what the kids or Steve (or I am) are hungry for.  Sometimes I use plain applesauce in place of the apple butter, and use cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; often I use pumpkin, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger. The kids love mashed banana with a bit of ginger, and a handful of toasted pecans tossed in. Another favorite is plain applesauce with blueberries and a pinch of ginger and nutmeg (You can't taste the plain applesauce, and I prefer it to using over 1/2 cup of oil).  Before discovering Mandie's chocolate allergy, we'd make pumpkin pancakes and toss in a cup of Enjoy Life chocolate chips.  And no, the kids can't decide which kind are their favorites!  They always beg for leftovers in their lunch the next day, complete with pure maple syrup (or Grandma's peach syrup) to dip them in, which is why I make a large batch.  These freeze very well, and reheat nicely in the microwave or toaster.

Apple Butter Pancakes
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup BRM All Purpose GF flour
1 tsp. guar gum
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. Hain Featherweight Grain Free Baking Powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds

Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. Grapeseed oil
 1/2 cup apple butter (we used some my mom made)
 2 tsp. pure vanilla (I use our own, made from vanilla beans and potato vodka) 
4 beaten eggs*
 5 cups water

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  I cook mine on a large electric griddle, getting 8 pancakes per batch.

*Can also use 4 Tbsp. flax meal dissolved in 3/4 cup hot water

 Sage Breakfast Sausage Patties

 1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
5 Tbsp minced fresh sage or 2 Tbsp dried sage
5 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
6 cloves of minced garlic
 4 tsp. ground fennel seed
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper


Combine all ingredients - I use my hands and squish them together.  Using about a 1 Tbsp. measure, form sausage into balls and flatten slightly.  We cook ours on our George Foreman grill, for 3-4 minutes.  You can also cook them 3-5 minutes per side, in a skillet coated with about 1 Tbsp. of grapeseed oil.  

Linked to: Whole Intentions Weekend Whatever Linkup #40
Vegetarian Mama Gluten Free Fridays #7

Harvest Day Cake and Maple Frosting

This cake is my hands down fall favorite, and I often choose it for my October birthday - even over chocolate!!   Steve's birthday was Monday, and we got to celebrate with the kids Tuesday night.  I am not surprised that this is what he chose for his cake.   This cake is very moist and dense and is a fanatastic spice type of cake.  I love pumpkin in absolutely anything, and this is no exception. The frosting recipe is amazingly simple - even after making Powdered Sugar in my Magic Bullet!   The maple is an amazing compliment for the pumpkin in the cake.  I'm sure it will become as requested in your house as it is in mine!

Harvest Day Cake

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend***

½ cup tapioca starch

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. Hain Featherweight Baking Powder

1 ½ tsp. guar gum

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. sea  salt

1 ¼ cups grapeseed or canola oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 Tbsp. flax meal combined with 9 Tbsp. hot water (let stand 5 minutes) **

1 can (15 oz) pumkin

¾ cup Craisins brand dried cranberries

¾ cup toasted chopped pecans

1.        Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of “9x13” pan, or two 9” round pans.  Set aside.   Combine flours, baking powder and soda, spices, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

2.         Add oil and flax goo, and  mix for one minute.  Add sugars and beat another couple of minutes.  Add in pumpkin and flour mixture.   Stir in cranberries and pecans.  Pour into greased pans.

3.       Bake rectangular pan for 47-55 minutes, and rounds 38-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and center feels firm.   Cool on a wire rack.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with Maple Frosting.

** May use 3 whole eggs instead of flax, or the equivalent of egg replacer

***Whole wheat or all purpose flours may be substituted for gluten free flours.

Maple Frosting

3 Tbsp. lard*

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/8 cup maple syrup**

Combine all ingredients in your mixer (I use my Kitchenaid) and whip until it reaches spreading consistency.  Sometimes I have to add 1/8 cup of additional maple syrup.

    * Instead of lard you may also use butter or shortening of choice

     **  Instead of maple syrup, you can use milk of choice

Linked to: Third Thursday Blog Hop , Gluten Free Fridays, Whole Intentions Weekend Whatever Linkup,            
LauraGluten Free Pantry Allergy Free Wednesdays