Babycakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes From Donuts to Snickerdoodles (6 page)

Even more perfect? Making them chocolate-chipped! The next time you’re roaming the grocery store aisles and you happen—accidentally or otherwise—onto that wonderful section stuffed with every known variety of organic and sweetened and unsweetened and flavored chocolate, make sure to attack it full force. Then head immediately for the vegan whipped cream and pick it up. Find some vegan powdered sugar and place it in your basket. Load these groceries into your trunk or into your little go-cart to push home and get on your phone and offer up your waffle-making services to anyone willing to clean up the mess you’re about to make.

Preheat a waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Brush the iron with oil, or spray with gluten-free, vegan nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt,
and xanthan gum. Add the rice milk, ¼ cup coconut oil, agave nectar, and
vanilla (and chocolate chips, if desired) and stir with a rubber spatula until
combined.

Pour ⅓ to ½ cup of batter onto the waffle griddle and bake to
desired doneness (or according to the manufacturer’s instructions). Remove
the waffle from the griddle and serve with the Agave Maple Syrup (and with a dusting
of powdered sugar for chocolate-chip waffles). Repeat with the remaining
batter.

Makes about 12

Agave Maple Syrup

Listen up: Maple syrup is chock-full of manganese and zinc (good things!) and to this day it remains one of the world’s most delicious sweeteners. Unfortunately, the stuff will land me in the infirmary with its massive sugar content if I so much as look at it too long. So, without peeking at the name of this recipe again, can you guess what I did to compensate? Did you just whisper under your breath the word
agave
? I think we’re starting to finally get somewhere, you and I. In between the hours I spent tweaking and refining the
pancake
and
waffle
recipes, I worked tirelessly on formulating this substitute maple elixir I promise you’ll love.

Put the agave nectar in a small bowl. Add the maple flavor and stir until
fully combined. Taste and adjust maple flavor to desired intensity. The syrup can be
stored at room temperature, covered tightly, for up to 1 month.

Makes 1 cup

Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Cheese Crepe

Are you the type that religiously grabs whatever savory dinner leftover is in the refrigerator the following morning? Or maybe you’re the sort who is just as inclined to pull together a little salad as you are to devour a donut the second you roll out of bed. How about this: Do you prefer pancakes for dinner? I get it and I am right there with you. There’s no real rhyme or reason to what I eat and when, and some mornings I just can’t cope with the thought of an indulgent sweet, no matter how perfectly prepared. To this end, we need to give the savory breakfast back its gluten-free dignity. So I made some crepes. These guys are unimaginably easy to whip up, and it will take you no longer than fifteen minutes to have a hot, cheese-dripping meal set out before you. Plus they are pretty fancy-sounding, no? If you are too sleepy to caramelize the onion, these are just as good without it.

To make the crepes, in a medium bowl whisk together the flours, xanthan gum,
and salt. Add the coconut oil, rice milk, and hot water and stir with a rubber
spatula until a thin batter forms.

Heat a low-sided 8-inch skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Add
⅛ teaspoon coconut oil to the skillet and brush to coat the bottom of the
skillet. Pour ⅓ cup batter into the pan and rotate it so the batter coats the
entire surface. Cook the crepe until the top is dry, about 1 minute. Slide the
spatula under the crepe and flip it. Cook until golden, about 1 minute more, and
transfer the crepe to a cooling rack or a plate. Repeat with the remaining
batter.

To make the filling, in a large sauté pan melt 1 tablespoon of the
coconut oil. Add the onion and cook until soft and nearly translucent, about 4
minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and cheese and cook until the cheese is
melted.

Lay the crepe on a work surface and spread a layer of filling over the crepe.
Sprinkle with a dash more salt and close the crepe. Continue until all the crepes
are dressed. Serve immediately.

Makes 12

So you went and invited everyone over for brunch one fateful Sunday morning. Sunday! The day you ordinarily sleep until eleven, don’t bother to wash your hair or change out of your pajamas, and end up watching TV upside down on the couch with newspapers and gossip mags strewn all over the floor. Tsk-tsk—it doesn’t sound to me like you’re quite ready for that hostess habit you picked up somewhere along the way. And yet here we are! Thank God there is this brunch-ready recipe you can prep the night before without even the most obnoxious of your foodie friends being any the wiser. Just get your dough and vegetables all set up and let them chill in the refrigerator overnight. Come morning, simply follow the quick baking instructions. If sweet potatoes sound too mushy for you, swap them out for ¾ cup sautéed mushrooms.