Product Review- Miss Jones Organic Frosting- Corn free, Soy Free, Gluten-free, Vegan

Now don't get me wrong, home-made frosting is absolutely amazing and much preferred, but sometimes, you really just need something quick and easy to throw on a cake (or eat with graham crackers, mmmm- super easy treat!  I've got a super easy oat flour graham cracker recipe that I will post in the near future).

Most store-bought frostings are full of unnecessary ingredients (that also happen to be common allergens), like high fructose corn syrup, and soybean oil.  Even homemade frostings usually contain dairy (another common allergen), although it is fairly easy to substitute alternative milk and shortening options to make frosting either allergen-free or vegan (depending upon your needs!).  These common ingredients make it difficult to find an easy frosting option when you have special dietary needs, so I was very excited when I learned about Miss Jones Organic frosting.  Please note- this post is in no way sponsored,  I just found the product at Target, and was pretty shocked when I read the ingredient label, and discovered I could actually eat the frosting- definitely a rarity with my particular allergens!

My local store had the Vanilla Buttercream frosting, and the Chocolate Buttercream frosting, so I bought one of each.  Both products were soy-free, corn-free, vegan, dairy free, nut free (and made in a nut-free facility), and gluten-free.  The price was definitely higher than other brands of frosting, but that is to be expected with an Organic product. They were, fortunately, on sale when I bought them, and I was also able to utilize iBotta to get an extra rebate!

Overall, I was very impressed with both products, and would love to try the other flavors (they also have Cinnamon Sugar, Salted Caramel, and Cream Cheese frosting).  The consistency is very light, fluffy and creamy.

The vanilla flavor reminded me of the middle of an oreo- but fluffy and soft, I served it on my Grandma's Eggless Chocolate Cake recipe, and it was really tasty- I got rave reviews from some Vegan friends who rarely get to enjoy frosting- or cake.  This frosting is definitely fluffier than standard buttercream frosting, and not as sugary sweet (I actually prefer that it is a bit less sweet).  The texture is a little bit more slippery, most likely due to the use of a vegetable shortening rather than butter (I know slippery sounds weird, but I don't know how else to describe it!  It's not a bad thing, just a bit different from standard frostings).  The chocolate frosting had a nice deep chocolatey flavor and the same texture/consistency as the vanilla flavor.   I used the chocolate frosting on a chocolate cake, with some caramel drizzle, and caramel buttercream frosting (I made that frosting from scratch).  Both frostings went on the cakes very smoothly, and it was easy to decorate with them.

Overall, I was very impressed with the product, and plan to keep a container on hand at all times, you know- for baking emergencies!

A few other things that I thought were pretty cool about the brand:
1.  Their products are USDA certified Organic, non-GMO and plant based (great for Vegans!)
2.  All of their products use only Rainforest Alliance certified Palm Oil (hooray- save the rainforests!)
3.  Miss Jones Organics is an American company, and their products are made in San Francisco, California

Customizable Granola Bars (gluten-free, Top-8 Allergen Free, Rice-free)

Granola bars are an ideal snack- full of nutrients, tasty, portable.  When I was diagnosed with food allergies, I thought Granola bars would be an easy item to keep with me, so I would always have something available that I could eat.  However, after reading label after label, I discovered that almost all granola bars contained at least one of my allergens.  I have found a few bars that work for me, but my choices are very limited, so, I decided to make my own!  The following recipe is DELICIOUS, and very easy to customize!  My personal favorite is Cherry-Almond-Chocolate (soo yummy!), but there are so many different options, that you can create something that is free of your personal allergens, and full of your favorite flavors.

Customizable Granola Bars

Ingredients:
-4 1/2 cups gluten-free oats (I have used both rolled oats and steel cut oats, if you have an oat allergy try crisp rice and toasted quinoa instead of the oats)
-1 cup oat or rice flour
-1 cup coconut oil (Alternatives- butter, palm oil spread)
-1 tsp vanilla extract (Alternatives- Almond extract, Rum extract, any other flavor your heart desires)
-1 cup honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup (I like honey or maple syrup best)
-1 tsp baking soda
-2 cups add-ins (this is where you can get really creative! Dried fruits, seeds, nuts, coconut, flax seeds, chocolate chips, other toasted grains, your favorite cereals etc.  See suggestions below)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325, and grease a 9x13 baking pan. It's easier to get the granola bars out if you line the pan with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper.

Mix together your dry ingredients in a large bowl, and set aside. Combine coconut oil, sweetener, and extract in a separate bowl, mix well.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients, and stir well to combine.  


Dump the mixture into your greased pan, and press down firmly.  The mixture will be sticky (you probably already knew that...),  so put some water or a bit of oil on your hands as you press down.   To help with pressing down firmly, I like to place a layer of wax paper on top of the mixture, then place a second baking pan on top of the mixture and press down firmly on the second pan.  This helps to create a uniform, flat top, and helps to distribute the mixture evenly.

Throw that baby in the oven, and bake for 15-25 minutes.  The bars will be a beautiful golden brown color.  When you first take them out of the oven, they still look wet and unfinished, but they will firm and dry up as they cool.  Once they are totally cool, cut them into bars (or stars or circles- whatever shape you want your granola bars to be! There are no rules here!).

Store in the fridge in a sealed container, I like to put waxed paper between the layers of granola bars.  These can also be frozen for a later date!  These hold together well when stored in the fridge, but start to crumble a bit when warm (they still taste amazing when crumbly).  I put mine in a ziplock bag and take them with me when on the go.

Flavor combination suggestions:
*I add 1/4 cup of flax seed to any combination for the health benefits
- Cherry, Chocolate, Almond:  3/4 cup dried cherries, 3/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/2 cup chocolate chips (enjoy life brand is good for people with Top 8 allergies), substitute Almond extract for the Vanilla extract
- Tropical: 1 cup dried tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple), 1/2 cup flaked coconut, 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (sub sunflower seeds for nut allergies)
Fall Fun: 1/2 cup cranberries, 1/2 cup dried apple pieces, 1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds).  Use maple syrup as your sweetener, and add 1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice to your dry ingredients.
Berry Tasty: 3/4 cup dried berries (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry),  3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup nut or seed of choice (macadamia nuts or pecans would be excellent)

Combine wet and dry ingredients, and mix well

Press the mixture firmly into your greased pan

Fresh out of the oven!  Golden brown, toasty deliciousness

Grandma Evelyn's Eggless Chocolate Cake- MODIFIED! Vegan, gluten-free, deliciousness

I knew my very first recipe had to be an extra special one, which is why I chose a classic family recipe.  This is a modification on my Grandma Evelyn's eggless chocolate cake.  Grandma created this cake recipe during the depression when things like butter and eggs were expensive.  This has been a standard favorite in our family for generations, and is typically served with fresh whipped cream, simple and delicious!  I modified the recipe slightly from Grandma's original version, to make it wheat-free after I was diagnosed with food allergies.  My good friend Sanoe has told me that she can't stand when recipe blogs ramble on for ages before getting to the actual recipe, so, without further ado, I present to you:

Grandma Evelyn's Eggless Chocolate Cake~ Modified

-1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (I make my own blend of 1 cup OAT flour and 1/2 cup Tapioca flour, but feel free to use your favorite blend)
-3/4 tsp Xanthan or Guar Gum (omit if your flour blend contains already, OR if you are using wheat flour)
-1 cup sugar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/3 cup cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/3 cup oil (I use olive oil, but any mild vegetable oil works, coconut oil also works well)
-1 cup liquid (water works just fine, but coffee or red wine add a nice richness!)
-1 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
-1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a ring mold (if you double the recipe use a 9x13 cake pan).

Sift dry ingredients together in 3 times into a large bowl.  Make 3 wells in the flour mixture for your wet ingredients.  Pour oil into one well, vanilla and vinegar into another well, and your liquid into the final well.  Mix well, but do not beat (this recipe is best mixed by hand with a wooden spoon).  Pour batter into greased ring mold.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Toppings:
This cake is delicious as is, but can be spiffed up with various toppings!  I like a chocolate ganache drizzle, fresh fruit, fresh whipped cream, or a light sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Make 3 wells in the flour mixture to add your wet ingredients (I used coffee- sooo good!)

Pour your batter into a ring mold, I recommend lightly dropping cake pan onto the counter a few times to get rid of bubbles and flatten out the batter

This was made for a birthday celebration, so I drizzled chocolate ganache across the cake, and topped it off with fresh raspberries.