Monty's Specialty Muffins (aka Brownie Bites with Chocolate Truffles inside)

My son, Monty, and I came up with these yummy brownies!  This year, he asked if we could make his "specialty muffins" for Christmas.  I couldn't figure out what he was talking about until he explained it's the brownies with chocolate truffles baked inside made in muffin tins.  LOL.  These brownies are definitely not muffins, but they are made in muffin tins.  They're really delicious brownie bites.  Use your favorite gluten-free chocolate truffles OR make homemade truffles, dipped in chocolate. 

(If you are OK with gluten, you may enjoy using the Peppermint Cookie Lindor Truffles in the center.  However, Lindt (Lindor) truffles DO contain barley malt extract, which contains gluten, and therefore is NOT gluten-free.)  

The brownie batter is similar to the one used in Our Favorite Chocolate Brownie recipe.  Enjoy!

Truffle in the center of this yummy GF Brownie bite!

You can leave them wrapped or unwrapped. We only had oversized muffin liners that we could locate, so normally it doesn't look quite this small in the muffin liner. 

Cooled for an hour or so, the chocolate is still a bit melted in the middle. Yum! 

Monty's Specialty Muffins (aka Brownie Bites with Chocolate Truffles)

Makes 18 individual brownies

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners.  

Unwrap 18 GF Chocolate Truffles and set aside.  (You can make homemade truffles, dip in chocolate, and use for this recipe)

Melt in a microwave safe bowl: (I like to microwave chocolate at 50% power in the microwave in small, 30-45 second increments, stirring regularly to avoid any burning - yes, chocolate can burn and it's very sad when it does)

7 oz high-quality dark chocolate (70% is my favorite)

3/4 cup + 1 - 2 Tbsp salted butter

Add and stir in thoroughly: 

1 1/4 cups sugar

Mix in, incorporating one at a time: 

4 eggs

Add and stir, just until incorporated: 

1/3 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix (or GF mix of your choice)

Scoop 2 Tbsp. brownie batter into each prepared muffin tin.  Gently press a Chocolate Truffle into the center of each brownie.  Scoop an additional 1 Tbsp. brownie batter on top of the chocolates.  

Brownie batter divided between 18 muffin tins, each with a truffle inside. 

Bake your specialty muffins (aka, brownies) at 375 F for approximately 15 minutes, until just set in the middle.  Remove and place on a wire rack to fully cool.  Once they've cooled 10-15 minutes, you can remove the brownies from the pan to completely cool. 

Fresh from the oven! They smell SO good. 

 These are best served completely cooled (2-3 hours).  Any leftovers can be kept in a Tupperware on the counter for a couple days.  (They've never lasted longer than that at our house).  Enjoy!  

After cooling completely, these are a bit neater but still have a nice, soft inside. 

Another picture fresh from the oven. 

Monty's Specialty Muffins, aka Gluten-Free Brownie Bites with Chocolate Truffles Inside Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free! 

I have made these SO many times now.  Especially in the fall and winter when apples and plentiful.  These are a delicious alternative to regular cinnamon rolls. You can cook up fresh apple in a pan, or use freeze-dried apples if you're looking for a quicker option in these rolls.  They're great as a special treat for breakfast or a snack.  Easy to whip together in a mixer, roll out, rise, and bake.  I plan to make them for Christmas. Yum! Enjoy! 

Fresh GF apple cinnamon rolls topped with frosting.  

Without the cream cheese frosting - they have nice swirls and plenty of yummy filling. 

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Makes about 20 rolls. 

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  

In this recipe, you can use fresh apples and sauté them, or you can use freeze-dried apples for a quicker prep.  Both options are included below. 

Fresh apple option:

Sauté over medium heat until apples have softened, but are not mushy: 

2-3 Tbsp butter

6 - 8 apples, peeled, cored and diced (use firm cooking apples that retain their shape when cooked)

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Add and cook 1 minute, then remove from heat: 

2 Tbsp maple syrup

Set apples aside to cool while you prepare the dough and filling. 

Dough:

In a large mixer, combine: (It's important to mix dry ingredients first in gluten-free baking to avoid clumps)

2 cups brown rice flour

1 cup sorghum flour (use extra brown or white rice flour or even oat flour if you do not have sorghum)

3/4 cup arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)

1/4 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp rapid-rise/quick yeast

2 tsp baking powder

Add and mix in slowly, then increase speed to medium or medium-high and let beat 4 minutes: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup milk, warmed (not hot)

1/2 cup water, warmed (not hot)

3 eggs

Add into batter, mixing until evenly distributed: 

Sautéed apples, from above OR 1.2/34g freeze dried apple slices, broken into smaller pieces

While batter is beating, stir together: 

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 - 2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 - 2 Tbsp maple syrup (Optional and ONLY if using freeze-dried apples, since the others get some added while cooking)

Lay out two large pieces of plastic wrap, overlapping slightly.   Place the dough along the center of the plastic wrap.  Cover with another two pieces of overlapping plastic wrap.  Roll out dough until you have a large, long rectangle approximately 15" x 30".   Remove the top layer of plastic wrap. 

Have a small bowl of warm water available to dip your hands/fingertips in case of any sticky dough. 

Spread the brown sugar/melted butter mixture on the dough using the back side of a spoon.  Use the plastic wrap to carefully roll up the dough into one long roll.   You can use wet hands to help with any sticky spots.  If you aren't sure how this should look, I have pictures included in several recipes, including my cinnamon roll recipe and pumpkin cinnamon rolls. 

Cut the dough (I just use a butter knife) into 1 1/2" or 2" slices.  Use wet hands/fingers to pick up and move the pieces.  Use wet hands to flatten each roll, so they're all even heights in the pan. 

Put the apple cinnamon rolls in a warm location and cover with an upside-down cookie sheet.  Let rise ~45 minutes.  Bake at 350 F for 25-30.  Top with cream cheese frosting (below) immediately, if you want the frosting to melt into the rolls.  Or, you can let the rolls cool and then pipe on the frosting.  I love these warm best.  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen and reheated.  Enjoy! 

Yummy fresh rolls drizzled with cream cheese frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Mix together until smooth: 

1 - 2 Tbsp butter, softened

2 - 3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

milk, to consistency (I find I sometimes need a little if it's a bit too thick, but sometimes I don't need any at all).  

Depending on your preference, you can make this a bit runnier and drizzle it on top.  You can have it a bit thicker and pipe it out/drizzle onto the rolls.  Or, what I often do for speed, just spread the frosting onto the rolls with the back of the same spoon used to mix together your cream cheese frosting. 

Just another batch - this one filled with a bit of extra apple. 

I left the frosting a little thicker and just quickly spread it on with the back of the spoon.  

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Crispy Gingersnaps Drizzled with Chocolate

 So, good news - If you don't want to make your gingersnaps free from dairy or eggs, you can make my chewy gingersnaps recipe and just flatten and bake them as directed below.  However, if you are serving anyone with rice, dairy or egg issues, this recipe is delicious!  Light and crispy.  Yum!   

Yummy Chocolate Drizzled Gingersnap cookies, ready to eat!

Crispy Gingersnaps Drizzled with Chocolate (GF, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free)

Makes 24 cookies

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: 

1/4 cup white corn flour OR cornstarch

1/4 cup oat flour (make sure GF if Celiac or sensitive) OR brown rice flour OR sorghum flour

1/4 cup potato starch

2 Tbsp tapioca starch

2 Tbsp sorghum flour

scant 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a mixer, beat until relatively smooth and a bit fluffy:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)

3 Tbsp oil

Add and mix in thoroughly: 

2 Tbsp molasses

2 Tbsp applesauce

Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  Scrap and give another few stirs with your spatula.  Scoop 1 Tbsp scoops onto your prepared parchment-lined cookie sheets.  These spread quite thin, so 12 per pan should work well.  

Flatten cookies by dipping a flat bottomed glass lined with plastic wrap in granulated sugar and pressing down the tops of the cookies.  Usually once works, but you can dip and press the tops a second time if any doesn't have sugar evenly coating the surface.  

Cookies flattened with sugar coated glass cup

Bake cookies at 375 F for 6-8 minutes.  Shorter cook time will make for slightly less crisp cookies.  Let rest on the pan for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack to cool.  

Fresh from the oven. Let rest shortly before moving to cooling rack. 

Let them cool fully. These cool quickly because they're so thin. 

Place cooled cookies on a parchment-lined baking pan.  Melt the following together at 50% power in the microwave, stirring regularly: 

3/4 cup high-quality dark chocolate chips (dairy-free are readily available in dark chocolate chips)

1 tsp oil

Place melted chocolate in a small freezer ziploc.  Snip a small corner off and then drizzle over half of each cookie.  Place the cookies in the refrigerator 15 - 20 minutes until the chocolate has set.  Remove and serve!  These will store nicely in a closed container for a few days.  (They've never lasted longer than that around here).  

Gingersnaps drizzled with chocolate.

SO pretty!

Crispy Gingersnaps Drizzled with Chocolate Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

 Oh my goodness, these are SO delicious.  I've shared them with several friends now, and they all have raved over them.  The fresh ginger grated into the dough adds a wonderful extra bite to the bagels.  I even made a batch to trade for some fresh eggs with my pregnant friend since she found the fresh ginger helped her feel better.  You can make them with or without chocolate chips, as you prefer.  An absolutely delicious bagel! Enjoy!

Fresh Gingerbread Bagels - just out of the oven! 

Fresh Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Bagels - a new favorite!!!

Gingerbread (chocolate chip) Bagels

Makes ~18-24 depending on size

Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper or silicone liners.  Preheat oven to 350 F (you can wait and do this later, but I like to do it now because it helps the top of the oven become a nice, warm location for the bagels to rise).  

Combine in a 2 cup measuring cup and set aside to rest 5-10 minutes: 

1 1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup molasses

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp rapid-rise/quick yeast

In a large mixer, combine the following (it's important to mix the dry ingredients first in gluten-free baking to avoid clumps): 

2 cups tapioca starch

1 1/2 cup brown rice flour

6 Tbsp potato starch

1 Tbsp xanthan gum

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Once your yeast mixture is ready, add to the dry ingredients: 

yeast mixture, from above

6 Tbsp oil

3 eggs

Beat on low, then medium speed 3-4 minutes, until batter is nice and smooth.   Add and mix in, if desired: 

1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Scoop the batter into a large freezer ziploc bag.  Cut off 3/4" - 1" off of a corner of the bag and pipe bagels onto prepared parchment-lined baking sheets.  You can make them as small or large as you like.  I tend to have a few oval-shaped bagels, just to make them fit.  You can use 3 baking sheets, if preferred. 

Wipe/brush the top of the bagels with warm water.  Let rise ~30 minutes until nicely puffed, but not doubled in size.  

After piping, smooth the tops with water and let rise.

Chocolate chip bagels, piped and ready to have some water smoothed on top.

They puff, but don't fully double in size.  Make sure to wet them before rising or the tops can dry out too much and inhibit the rise.

Bake at 350 F for ~25-30 minutes, until you can tell they've gotten a bit browned on the top.  It's always tricky when there is molasses in the batter, but I find they're usually done in this period of time.   Let rest a minute before moving onto cooling racks to cool.  

These gingerbread chocolate chip bagels are delicious warm.  We love them plain, or toasted with a little cream cheese.  Slice and freeze leftovers.  They reheat perfectly in a toaster oven.  Enjoy!!!

Fresh from the oven!  I let them rest on the racks a minute or two before transferring to cooling racks. 

Slicing before freezing.  These are so yummy!

Gingerbread (Chocolate Chip) Bagels Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!