Giada's Feel Good Food (38 page)

These are a tiny, sweet little pick-me-up. If we have leftovers, Jade knows this is the one cupcake she can eat for breakfast, too, making it a favorite in our house.
makes 32 mini muffins

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 mini muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, and egg. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Mix in the carrot, zucchini, and raisins.

Using 2 small spoons, fill the prepared muffin cups three-quarters full with the batter. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Brown rice cereal makes these taste like the crunchy, chewy, Rice Krispies treats I loved as a kid, except that these have the wonderful addition of chocolate! I use a Microplane zester to grate the chocolate. A couple of these as dessert at night and I go to bed happy.
makes about 36 cookies

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

In a 5-quart saucepan, whisk together the honey, egg, butter, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, whisking regularly, for 15 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, almonds, and rice cereal until combined. Let the mixture cool in the pan for 45 minutes.

Put the grated chocolate in a small bowl.

With slightly damp hands, firmly press the rice mixture together into 36 balls, each about 1 inch in diameter. Roll the cookies in the chocolate until coated and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or for up to 3 hours before serving.

These are red with dark blueberry spots that make them look like ladybugs. They are pure fruit with a little bit of honey to sweeten them. Fantastic on a hot day.
makes 22 pops

In a blender, puree the strawberries, orange juice, lemon juice, and honey until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ice cube tray, filling each cube three-quarters full. Push some blueberries into each ice cube cup. Freeze for 1 hour.

Insert a stick into each cup and freeze until firm, another 4 to 5 hours.

Twist the ice cube trays to remove the ice pops and serve.

These are nice and moist and chocolaty and studded with chocolate chips—just like a good chocolate muffin should be—but I don't have to feel guilty about eating these before bed. Applesauce replaces the usual butter and maple syrup replaces the white sugar.
makes 12 muffins

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until blended. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin liners. Bake until the tops of the muffins crack and a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 minutes. Unmold and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

I adore banana muffins. Which is good, because when you have a five-year-old in the house, you've got a lot of bananas! To use them up before they go bad, this is now my go- to recipe. Blueberries add a little tartness to the mix. I make these after dinner, serve them warm out of the oven (our favorite way to eat them), and then enjoy leftovers at breakfast.
makes 12 muffins

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until blended. Stir in the bananas and blueberries. Add the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Spoon ⅓ cup of the batter into each muffin liner. Bake until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Unmold and cool completely on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.