Gluten-free Pizzelle Cookies

Gluten-free Pizzelle Cookies

by | Dec 24, 2024 | Snack and Dessert Recipes

I was so lucky that my dear college roommate often received big tins of freshly made pizzelle cookies from her grandma… and she shared them with me! These cookies, with a delightful shape, are light and crispy. I think they look a bit like snowflakes, so I especially love making them at Christmastime.  

When I first started making pizzelle cookies several years ago, I was given a wonderful authentic family recipe by another friend with Italian heritage.

When my family started needing to eat gluten-free and low-carb, I did not want to give up making these wonderful cookies, so we used this friend’s special family recipe as a starting point to make our own recipe. While our recipe is not authentically Italian, it has Italian roots. We hope you will enjoy it! 

If you are new to pizzelle making, you’ll need a pizzelle iron. We love ours from VillaWare, and it is still going strong after almost 20 years. In a quick search, we can only find the VillaWare iron used, but this one, by Cucina Pro, looks similar. 

Ready to make pizzelles?

Scroll down below the recipe card to see step-by-step visual instructions.

Please note:

Step-by-step…

Stir all ingredients together in medium size bowl. Start by stirring together the dry ingredients, then add the softened butter, maple syrup and anise extract. Finally add the beaten eggs. Batter should be sticky and firm.

Place batter, by the Tablespoonful, slightly higher than the center of each cookie shape.

Close the pizzelle iron, and let the pizzelles bake for about 30 seconds. We place our pizzelle maker on a shallow pan to catch the butter drips from the baking cookies.

When the cookies are golden brown, remove them from the pizzelle maker and place them on a cooling rack.

As the cookies cool, tranfer them to a serving plate. We recommend leaving them uncovered until completely cooled, as covering them can make them soft (they are meant to be crispy).

Enjoy!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Fairy Tale Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

Fairy Tale Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

by | Nov 2, 2024 | Snack and Dessert Recipes

Ready for a fun new treat this fall?

How about a delicious and healthy pumpkin spice smoothie?

A little background on our recipe…

At the end of long day of driving on a road trip last summer, a Google search kindly came up with a healthier option when we searched for “ice cream near me,” and we found ourselves enjoying delicious and unique smoothies at The Maca Root cafe.

The Maca Root has a great variety of healthy smoothies, but the one we all loved most was the blue power smoothie… it tasted like eating a delicious cinnamon cookie… in a smoothie!

When we got home, we wanted to recreate this amazing smoothie… it took a few tries, but we finally got it, and our whole family loves it. We hope you will too!

Spirulina can be green or blue – the blue power smoothie at The Maca Root was a vibrant blue, but the spirulina we bought turns out to make the smoothie green. The calm green color of the smoothie reminded us of fairy tale pumpkins, hence our name for the smoothie. We also decided to use pumpkin spice in our smoothie, while the smoothie we had this summer just used cinnamon (both are great options).

Our fairy tale pumpkin smoothie recipe makes 4 small servings or 2 large servings. The recipe fits nicely into a 24 oz. Ninja blender cup. Simply check out the ingredient list, then follow along with our video to make this delicious and healthy treat! It’s full of protein and makes an energizing afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

4 scoops KOS vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup almond butter

1 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. maca root powder

1/2 tsp. KOS organic spirulina powder

1 banana (fresh or frozen)

12 ice cubes

1 cup almond milk

Please note, spirulina and maca root are touted as superfoods, but please do your own research to see if they are right for you and your family.

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Gluten-free banana munchkins – Perfect for Mardi Gras!

Gluten-free banana munchkins – Perfect for Mardi Gras!

by | Jan 22, 2024 | Snack and Dessert Recipes

Looking for a donut that is a little healthier than the store bought version, but still a delicious treat? Try our fun banana cinnamon munchkins! They are gluten-free and refined-sugar-free. 

Several years ago, one of our daughters asked, “Do you think we could make gluten-free donuts?” Mama, of course, asked the question of how we could make them somewhat healthy, and we came up with this recipe together. Our children love them, and we hope your family will too!

The munchkins are pictured here with Mardi Gras decorations because they can make great “Beignets de Carnaval,” but they can make a yummy treat at any time of the year.

The main ingredients are bananas and light buckwheat flour. To read more about how we came to love light buckwheat flour – a gluten-free flour with a light color and mild flavor – click here. These munchkins are fried in oil, but if you prefer a baked donut, check out our paleo donut recipe.

gluten-free munchkin

Let’s make munchkins!

Gather your kitchen supplies:

  • Mixing bowl
  • Potato masher (or fork)
  • Mixing spoon
  • 1 Tbsp
  • 1 tsp.
  • 1/2 tsp.
  • 1 cup
  • 1/4 cup
  • sauce pan
  • cookie scooper
  • slotted spoon
  • plate
  • paper towels

Gather your ingredients:

For the batter:

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cup light buckwheat flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

For frying:

  • vegetable oil – enough to fill 2″ deep in pan 

For dusting:

 

Measure, mix, cook, enjoy!

Step 1

Peel 2 ripe bananas and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2

Mash the banana well, using a potato masher or a fork.

Step 3

Measure 1 Tbsp vegetable oil.

Step 4

Add the 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to the mashed bananas.

Step 5

Measure 1 cup light buckwheat flour.

Step 6

Add light buckwheat flour to the bowl.

Step 7

Measure 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Step 8

Add cinnamon to the bowl.

Step 9

Measure 1/2 tsp. baking soda.

Step 10

Add baking soda to the bowl.

Step 11

Mix all ingredients well, adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup water to get a thick, but moist, batter consistency.

Step 12

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. (Use enough oil for about 1.5 to 2 inches of oil in the bottom of the pan.)

Step 13

To test if the oil is the right temperature, place a wooden spoon handle into the oil. If bubbles form around the wood, the oil is hot enough.

Step 14

Using a cookie scooper, drop a number of munchkins into the oil. Be careful to be gentle so that the oil does not splash. Do not overcrowd the pan.

Step 15

Tip: Use a metal spoon to gently loosen the munchkins from the bottom of the pan, if necessary. The munchkins need to float in the oil.

Step 16

Let the munchkins cook in the oil until they are golden brown. (This only takes a few minutes.)

Step 17

Use a slotted metal spoon to remove the munchkins from the oil one by one. 

Step 18

Place the munchkins on a paper towel covered plate to let them cool (the paper towel absorbs excess oil).

Step 19

Tip: You may want to cut into a munchkin to see if it is cooked thoroughly in the middle. (Cook a little longer if necessary.) Repeat steps 14 to 18 until all munchkins are cooked. Let them cool while making the cinnamon “sugar” coating.

Step 20

Make the cinnamon “sugar” mixture by mixing together ground cinnamon and stevia powder. (About 2 packets stevia powder and 2 tsp. cinnamon should be enough, but make more if you prefer.)

Step 21

Roll the munchkins, one by one, in the cinnamon “sugar” coating. (Note: the cinnamon “sugar” coating is optional. If you prefer a munchkin that is less messy, skip the coating.)

Let the party begin!

Looking for masks and bead for Mardi Gras? We had so much fun decorting these masks last year, and thought these beads were great too. Enjoy!

We’re so glad you stopped by sparklesandsprinkles.blog today!

If you would like to find out when we post new ideas, simply subscribe.

Have a beautiful day! Bonne journée!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Bûche de Noël {gluten-free, low-carb, all natural}

Bûche de Noël {gluten-free, low-carb, all natural}

by | Jan 8, 2024 | Snack and Dessert Recipes

Bûche de Noël – A French Christmas Tradition

At sparklesandsprinkles.blog, we love French, and we don’t want to let being gluten-free and avoiding refined sugar stop us from enjoying French treats, especially at Christmas! This decadent cake is all natural and fruit-sweetened. 

We love making this cake each year at Christmas time, and we often put a candle in the cake and sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus on Christmas day.

If you have made other recipes from sparklesandsprinkles.blog, you’ll notice that this one is not in our typically kid-friendly step-by-step photo format.  This is really a cake that is best suited for adults or teens to make (but we have some tips on how children can help). 

If you have young children who need a lot of attention, it’s probably best to have someone to watch them while you make this cake… and set aside a good few hours to make it. (We’ve learned this from experience!)

The good news is, this cake can be made ahead and frozen, so if your Advent and Christmas season is busy, making it early is a great idea. We also love it that the Christmas season lasts for so many days… if we are busy before Christmas, we make this cake after the 25th of December, and enjoy it on one of the 12 days of Christmas.

There are a few steps that little ones might like to join in on… mixing the dry ingredients of the cake, mashing the banana, and the final step – using a fork to make the frosting on the cake look like rough tree bark.

Please note that there are 3 different sections of ingredients and instructions for this recipe (the cake, the filling, and the frosting), please look at all of them in advance as you gather ingredients and plan for time to make the cake. Enjoy!

 

Cake 

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 Tbsp psyllium husk powder
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 6 eggs – separated
  • 3  whole eggs
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup mashed banana (if you mash 2 large bananas, some can be used for the cake and some for the filling)

Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a rimmed baking pan (about 12″x17″ – we like this half sheet Nordic Ware pan) with parchment paper.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Use a spoon to break apart any chunks of coconut flour, so the mixture is smooth. (Alternatively, put the mixture through a sieve – we have not done this, but it could be helpful.) Set aside.
  4. Take out the bowl for your electric mixer, plus another bowl. Separate 6 eggs, pouring the whites of the eggs into the electric mixer bowl and the yolks of the eggs into the other bowl. Crack 3 more eggs, pouring both the yolk and the white of these 3 eggs into the bowl that contains the 6 yolks. (See photo below for help.) 
  5. Using an electric mixer, beat the 6 egg whites until still peaks form. Transfer the stiff egg whites to another large bowl (as you will need your electric mixer bowl for the next step).
  6. Pour the bowl of 6 egg yolks and 3 whole eggs, the cream, and the mashed banana into your electric mixer bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat together the egg yolks and whole eggs, cream, and banana.
  7. Add the coconut flour mixture and beat well.
  8. Add in 1/3 of the stiff egg whites to lighten the batter.  Beat again with your electric mixer.
  9. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently by hand, using a silicone spatula.
  10. Spread the batter on the parchment-lined pan, forming a very thin rectangle-shaped cake.
  11. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Be sure not to overbake the cake, or it will crack when rolled.
  12. While the cake is baking, it’s a great time to wash your electric mixer bowl and beater, as you will need this to be clean to make the filling.
  13. Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven.
  14. (Note: For steps 14 to 17, watch our video on how to roll the cake.) While the cake is still warm, cover the cake with another sheet of parchment paper, and place a damp tea towel (run the towel under water, then wring out the towel so that it is damp, but not dripping wet) on top.
  15. Place another baking sheet over the damp tea towel.  Hold the two baking sheets together on the sides, using pot-holders, and flip the cake upside down.
  16. Remove the baking sheet that is now on top, and slowly peel away the parchment paper.  Place that same parchment paper back on the cake. Cover with another damp tea towel.
  17. Roll up the cake (along with the tea towels and parchment paper) to form a log. Roll the cake starting from a short side, which will make a thick/wide log, rather than a skinny/narrow log.  Allow the rolled- up cake to cool. (You will be unrolling the cake, filling it, and rolling it up again in a later step.)

 

Filling

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 to 2 tsp. instant coffee
  • 4 to 8 oz. mascarpone
  • 2 T maple syrup (or mashed banana to taste)

Steps:

  1.  Combine instant coffee granules (more for a stronger flavor, less for a subtle flavor) and heavy cream.  Whip the cream with an electric mixer until it is the consistency of whipped cream (but not so long that it turns to butter). Transfer to another bowl if you only have one bowl for your mixer.
  2. Place 4 to 8 oz. mascarpone in your electric mixer bowl. Beat until fluffy. Note: We have found that sometimes mascarpone becomes fluffy when whipped, and sometimes it becomes runny. If it becomes nice and fluffy, you could use a full 8 oz. container of mascarpone in this filling.
  3. Add the fluffy mascarpone into your whipped cream little by little, stirring to combine (if your mascarpone became runny when whipped, be sure not to add too much, as the filling should not be runny).
  4. Add maple syrup (or some mashed banana) into the mixture. Stir gently. Taste the mixture and add more sweetness if desired.
  5. Gently unroll the cooled cake. Remove the top parchment paper and towel.  Spread the cake with filling.
  6. Carefully roll the cake again (without the parchment paper and towels).  Place on a large oblong serving tray.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or more. (In a pinch, you can skip the refrigeration time, and go directly to frosting the cake. Alternatively, you could stop at this step one day, and finish making the cake another day. Whatever works best for you… Christmas is meant to be a time of joy and rest!)

Frosting

  • 3.5 oz 85% dark chocolate bar
  • 2 tsp. freshly zested orange rind.
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 3 to 6 drops orange essential oil

Steps:

  1.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave (check after 1 minute, and add more time as needed).
  2. Use a zester to zest about 2 tsp. orange rind.  Add to melted chocolate.  Stir and allow to chocolate to cool.
  3. Whip the cream until whipped cream consistency.  Add the softened cream cheese and essential oil (more for a stronger flavor, less for a subtle flavor).  Whip again.
  4. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the cream mixture.  Whip again until well combined. 
  5. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Frost with frosting.
  6. First spread the frosting on smoothly, then use a fork to add lines, making it look like rough tree bark.  This is a great step to have children help with… and of course someone needs to finish off any frosting left in the bowl or on the beaters!
  7. Many embellishments can be added to a

    Bûche de Noël – so use your own creativity to make it your own… or a google image search for inspiration. It can be fun to cut of a portion of the log and place it on the side of the main log to look like a branch.

  8. Enjoy your cake!  The cake can be served immediately, refrigerated and served up to a few days later, or frozen and served weeks later. We find the flavor becomes richer waiting a day or so to eat the cake… but it’s delicious right away as well.

We want to thank lowcarbyum.com for helping us to have a good starting point for our gluten-free and low carb recipe. We have made tweaks to the recipe from lowcarbyum to make it work better for our family (including making it fruit-sweetened), but we would not have known where to start without the lowcarbyum recipe. Merci!

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins {gluten-free, low-sugar}

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins {gluten-free, low-sugar}

by | Sep 29, 2023 | Breakfast Recipes, Snack and Dessert Recipes

gluten free pumpkin muffins

Enjoy these healthy gluten-free pumpkin muffins with a cup of tea or coffee for a treat on a cozy fall day!

pumpkin muffins gluten-free
gluten-free pumpkin muffins

For this recipe, we simply modified our healthy gluten-free cupcake recipe.  If you would like the kid-friendly, visual instructions, follow our cupcake recipe, with these modifications:

  • reduce Greek yogurt from 2 to 1.5 cups
  • use 4 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • add 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • add 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • add 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • add 1 cup dark chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips

P.S. We love light buckwheat flour for gluten-free baking. Light buckwheat does not have the strong taste of regular buckwheat, and it has a nice light color. We order our light buckwheat directly through Bouchard Family Farms (with a quantity discount), but if you would like to try just one bag, it is also available on Amazon. 

Enjoy!

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Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.

Paleo Donuts {baked, gluten-free}

Paleo Donuts {baked, gluten-free}

by | Sep 1, 2023 | Breakfast Recipes, Snack and Dessert Recipes

On a recent trip to Nashville, we had the opportunity to go to Five Daughters Bakery. What a treat! They have delicious paleo donuts that we all sat down to enjoy one sunny afternoon… and perhaps the best part is that everyone was happy afterward (rather than the cranky behavior effect of regular donuts). We love the sweet theme of love and family at Five Daughters Bakery, so we had to snap a picture of the donut box…

5 daughters bakery box

Nashville is way too far away for us to be able to get these delicious donuts again any time soon (though a 10 hour drive might almost be worth it!), so upon arriving home, we experimented with recreating these delicious donuts. Our daughters (who are quite the food critics) actually said they think our homemade donuts are even better… Mama thinks the Five Daughters Bakery donuts are the winner, but then again, for a mama, it’s quite a treat to be able to find a healthy gluten-free snack for everyone without having to make it.

In this post, we share with you our recipes for chocolate chip donuts with chocolate ganache, and fresh raspberry donuts with creamy frosting.

* Plus – scroll down for a fall favorite we just added – apple cinnamon donuts *

The donuts can be made strictly paleo, using coconut oil, or the version our children like best, with butter.

paleo donut recipe

Ingredients for 12 donuts (for complete instructions, please scroll down):

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons tapioca flour

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup milk of choice

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips or fresh raspberries

Frosting/topping of choice

If you are looking for a donut pan, we recommend this one from Nordic Ware:

Let’s make donuts!

Step 1: Measure dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 Tablespoons tapioca flour

Step 2: Stir dry ingredients together well.

Step 3: Measure liquid ingredients into a separate large mixing bowl.

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup milk of choice

Step 4: Whisk liquid ingredients together well.

Step 5: Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together well.

Step 6: Add mini chocolate chips or fresh raspberries.

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

or

1/3 cup washed fresh raspberries

Step 7: Grease donut pan and generously pipe in donut batter.

Cut about a 1 inch opening at the tip of the piping bag prior to filling the bag with batter.

This recipe makes 12 donuts. 

Need a donut pan? We love this one from Nordic Ware.

Step 8: Bake in 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes.

We have found 13 minutes is enough. Try not to overbake.

Step 9: Let cool slightly in pan, then transfer to cooling rack.

Step 10: Top with chocolate ganache or raspberry cream

Once donuts are completely cooled, top them with chocolate ganache or raspberry cream. This is optional, the donuts are great even without topping.  (See instructions below.)

Chocolate Ganache

For the chocolate ganache in the photo, we made a super simple microwave version using just dark chocolate, butter and stevia. Simply place a dark chocolate bar in a microwave safe bowl. Melt chocolate in microwave (about 1 minute and 30 seconds). Add a few Tablespoons butter (or coconut oil), and stir with warm chocolate until well combined. Stir in sweetener to taste. Dip the top of donut into the ganache, then lift up the donut and place on a plate. Beautiful and so fun!

Raspberry Cream frosting

For the raspberry cream frosting in the photos, we used coconut cream. Refrigerate a can of coconut cream over night (make sure it is cream, not milk). Pour off the liquid and discard it. Place the cream (should be solid) in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip until fluffy.  Add sweetener to taste (such as stevia or honey). Add a small amount of fresh raspberries. Whip again until well incorporated. Use a piping bag to frost the donuts. You could also use whipped cream instead of coconut cream, or use our low sugar butter cream cheese frosting.

Try a fall favorite – Apple Cinnamon Donuts!

Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/3 cup applesauce to the plain donut batter. Once donuts are baked and cooled, dip the tops in a mixture of ground cinnamon and stevia powder. This makes a yummy apple donut, like you might find at an apple orchard or fall festival, but our version is gluten-free.

ENJOY!

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Note: Sparkles and Sprinkles is not affiliated with Five Daughters Bakery. Our four daughters are big fans of Five Daughters Bakery, though, so we tried to create some similar donuts at home.

Note:  Some links on this page are Amazon Affiliate links.  Sparkles and Sprinkles is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Other links may or may not be affiliate links.  We provide links because we have found these products or services beneficial, and we think you might too.