No bake healty gluten free chocolate balls for Valentine's Day!

SWEETS FOR YOUR SWEETIE FOR A

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

If you have an avocado, and some cocoa you can make these fast and so healthy and yummy (especially if you use the stevia.)

Ingredients:

1 large avocado
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 teaspoon stevia (to taste) (or 1 tsp additional sugar, again to taste)
2 tsp. powdered sugar (optional)
1 cup old fashioned oats, processed with a food processor into flour ( make sure to use Gluten-Free)

Instructions

Add parchment paper to a plate or half size baking sheet or if you have a nonstick cookie sheet that will also work.
In a bowl mash the avocado, until smooth. Mix in cocoa powder, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated. Taste test it, to see how much stevia/sugar you want to use adding slowly. Add oat flour and mix well.
Take about a tablespoon size of batter in your hands and roll into a ball and place on prepared baking. The batter will be soft. If you want a more firm batter, add a pinch more rolled oats, but be careful not to get too dry.
Optional: roll the balls in the powdered sugar before placing on the plate. Pretty!
Place the baking sheet in the freezer or refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Once frozen or hardened place your balls in a ziplock freezer bag and store in the freezer or refrigerator and let warm for a few minutes before indulging.

ENJOY!

And through today, Valentines Day, my dessert cookbook The Mall Fairies Sweet Tooth Cookbook is FREE. More sweets for your sweetie!

Easy Gluten Free Flour Recipe for baking Valentine sweets!

A Valentine's Day Valentine with a few of my covers, created by the incomparable Kim Scott!

This is the best and easiest gluten free flour I've found. But make sure you see the baking tips at the end of the recipe for close-to-regular-flour baking. I have yet to find an exact substitute for wheat flour--any of my readers have recipes? This comes close, but will have a slightly different texture.

4 cups brown or white rice flour
1 1/3 cups potato starch (not potato flour)
2/3 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) 

When measuring scoop the amounts lightly and don't pack into the cup. I double the amounts and put in a large plastic bin container and then shake the container over and around and up and down and side to side until well mixed. Great exercise! If you use the flour as a one to one substitute then baked goods will be a little dry, but here's a couple of tips:

For desserts: halve the liquid and/or oil amount and use non-sweetened applesauce instead. There is something about the fiber in the applesauce that retains the moisture. 

For all baked goods:

Xanthum gum: I often add a scant teaspoon to a recipe, again this retains the moisture while baking. Be careful with Xanthum gum, too much and it will cause an odd, bitter taste.

Often I also add a teaspoon or two of egg replacer as again this helps the texture. (Note: if you can use real eggs, they are best to use.)

You can find lots of recipes to use this flour with in my dessert cookbook The Mall Fairies Sweet Tooth Cookbook! 

Enjoy! And any tips/recipes happily accepted!

An Egg Free, Dairy Free, Delicious Chocolate Cupcake Recipe for Valentine's Day, Fast and Easy to Make!

Wacky Cake Cupcakes, Yum!

No time to make a spectacular sweet for your sweetie for that special day? No worries, here's a quick, easy and delicious recipe!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (may be omitted)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon white or apple or coconut vinegar

 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola oil works well or coconut oil warm to liquid, but not hot!)
1 cup cold water

Directions:

Preheat 350 degrees F.

Mix the dry ingredients well in a bowl. Make 3 small holes in the mixture. Pour the vanilla in one hole, the vinegar in another and vegetable oil in another. Pour water over the top and mix. Pour into cupcake papers in a muffin tin and bake for around 15 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 8-10 cupcakes, depending on size.

Plenty good plain or you can frost using one of the frosting recipes in The Mall Fairies Sweet Tooth Cookbook.

ENJOY!