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Dairy-Free

Perfect Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

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stack of gluten-free sugar cookies

These sugar cookies are SO delicious, no one will ever guess they’re gluten-free! Perfectly soft, sweet, and surprisingly easy to make. Cut these gluten-free sugar cookies into your favorite festive shapes, then decorate them any way you’d like!

cutting out gluten-free sugar cookie dough into heart shapes

What You’ll Need To Make Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

Butter – I used non-dairy butter, to keep these sugar cookies both gluten-free and dairy-free. However, you can use regular butter instead if you’d like. Remember to remove your butter from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. The key to perfectly soft and light cookies is working with room temperature butter. Also, whip the butter and sugar together in the first step until super light and fluffy.

Sugar – Cane, white, or even coconut sugar will work in this gluten-free dessert recipe. Cane sugar and white sugar will blend best into the dough, resulting in a colorless cookies. Meanwhile, coconut sugar (or brown sugar, which I don’t recommend here) will turn these cookies light brown once baked. They’ll still taste good, though they’ll be a bit more grainy and won’t look the same!

Gluten-Free Flour – I used Nature’s Promise Gluten-Free Flour Blend in my sugar cookies and had amazing results! I also highly recommend the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour for any and all gluten-free recipes. While those are the only two gluten-free flours I can personally vouch for, I’m sure there are plenty out there that will work just as well. Though the one recommendation I have when it comes to any gluten-free flour is to make sure that it contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is a stabilizer, and super important to keeping your baked goods together. Without it, these sugar cookies would quite literally fall apart. Therefore, if your gluten-free flour blend does not already contain xanthan gum, add 1/2 teaspoon to your dough for this recipe.

stack of gluten-free sugar cookies

Tips and Tricks

  • You don’t have to cut these cookies out if you don’t want to! Instead of rolling, then cutting the dough, simply remove your chilled cookie dough from the fridge and use a cookie scoop to shape them. Drop tablespoon-sized scoops of sugar cookie dough straight onto your baking sheet, then flatten each cookie out slightly with the palm of your hand. Last, but definitely not least, bake off those delicious little circular cookies just as you would a cut-out cookie!
  • Decorate these babies any way you’d like! A simple powdered sugar plus milk icing with a dash of food coloring is always a solid option. Or, melt some chocolate and drizzle that on top of each cooled cookie for a fun and delicious twist.
  • Prep this sugar cookie recipe days, or even months ahead of time if you’d like! Chilled sugar cookies dough will stay good in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. If frozen, let it defrost at room temperature for a bit before attempting to roll or scoop the dough.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: To make these vegan sugar cookies, be sure to use vegan butter and milk as well as your favorite egg substitute in place of the one egg in this recipe. I recommend the Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, it’s both vegan and gluten-free, and works impressively well in most baking recipes.

Use Regular Flour: Feel free to replace the gluten-free flour with regular ole’ all purpose flour if you’d like!

Perfect Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

24

cookies
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

7

minutes
Chilling Time

1

hour

These sugar cookies are SO delicious, no one will ever guess they’re gluten-free! Perfectly soft, sweet, and surprisingly easy to make. Cut these gluten-free sugar cookies into your favorite festive shapes, then decorate them any way you’d like!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened (I used non-dairy butter)

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1 egg, at room temperature

  • 1 tablespoon milk (I used non-dairy)

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 cups gluten-free flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  • Add butter and sugar to a bowl, beat together with either a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla extract, beat to combine.
  • In a separate small bowl, mix together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
  • When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit and remove dough from fridge. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch thick, then use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes.
  • Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • For Icing: Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk in a small bowl for a quick and easy sugar cookie icing!

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Dairy-Free

Best Ever Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

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gluten-free cupcakes on a table.

I don’t mean to brag, but these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes are truly the best ever! Perfectly soft, fluffy, sweet, and moist (sorry if that word makes you cringe!). Whip up a batch of this gluten-free cupcakes for your next party as a fun treat even gluten-eaters will love.

gluten-free cupcakes with vanilla frosting and white sprinkles

We all need a solid vanilla cupcake recipe in our back pocket when the occasion arises. For me, this occasion is an upcoming Super Bowl party. But for you this could be a birthday party, baby shower, holiday party, or a simple Tuesday night when you’re craving something sweet.

Now you might be wondering, what makes these gluten-free cupcakes the best ever?? Well, for one very simple reason. They taste identical to their non gluten-free counterparts. Meaning, those with celiac disease or a gluten allergy/intolerance can enjoy these perfect vanilla cupcakes with everyone else. So no one will feel left out or dissatisfied!

What You’ll Need

All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour – I swear by the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for all my gluten-free baking needs. It does a perfect job at keeping your bakes together, and mimicking the taste and texture of regular all purpose flour. Though you can definitely use whatever brand of all purpose gluten-free flour you prefer! I’ve also tried King Arthur and Nature’s Promise gluten-free flour blends, and they work great as well.

Butter – I used non-dairy butter, but any butter will work in this recipe. Salted or unsalted butter won’t make much of a difference either, so use whichever you have on-hand! Just remember to bring it to room temperature first, so that it’s soft.

Sugar – White sugar or cane sugar both work well in these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. You can try using either coconut sugar or maple sugar in its place for a slightly healthier recipe, though I haven’t had the chance to test these options myself yet.

gluten-free cupcake cut in half, close-up on the center of the cupcake

Top Tips

  • Beat the butter and sugar together really well in the third step of this recipe. The goal is to introduce as much air to the mixture as possible. This will result in a lighter and fluffier gluten-free cupcake!
  • Use an ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop to fill your cupcake molds. This simple trick makes filling your cupcake tin much quicker and easier. This also guarantees even-sized cupcakes that will bake at the exact same rate!
  • Sub the vanilla frosting for a cream cheese frosting instead! To do this, replace the butter with 1/4 cup butter plus 1/2 cup softened cream cheese. Whip all ingredients together just as you would the vanilla frosting, then spread over your cooled gluten-free cupcakes.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter and non-dairy milk to make these gluten-free and dairy-free vanilla cupcakes! If taking this option, I recommend the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks and Elmhurst Almond Milk.

Make it Vegan: For vegan vanilla cupcakes, follow the same modifications as you would for the dairy-free version above. Then, use your favorite vegan egg replacement in place of the eggs – I recommend this one from Bob’s Red Mill.

Best Ever Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

4 from 13 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

35

minutes

I don’t mean to brag, but these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes are truly the best ever! Perfectly soft, fluffy, sweet, and moist (sorry if that word makes you cringe!). Whip up a batch of this gluten-free cupcakes for your next party as a fun treat even gluten-eaters will love.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten-free flour, see Notes

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened (I used dairy-free butter)

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 3/4 cup milk, I used non-dairy milk

  • For the vanilla frosting:

  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened (I used dairy-free butter)

  • 1-2 tablespoons milk, I used non-dairy milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with either a hand or stand mixer until fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, then add in the vanilla extract.
  • With your mixer on low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, then about half of the milk. Then, add in another 1/3 of the flour mixture, then the remaining milk, then the remaining flour mixture.
  • Once batter is fully combined, transfer ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake mold. Bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
  • Remove cupcakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  • Make the frosting by adding all frosting ingredients to a large bowl and beating with either a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Once cupcakes have cooled, decorate with frosting and sprinkles if you’d like.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Gluten-Free Flour: Make sure your gluten-free flour contains xanthan gum. If not, add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
  • Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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30 Minutes or Less

How to Make a Vegan Charcuterie Board

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overhead image of the entire vegan charcuterie board with white wine, utensils, and bread on the side

A flawless vegan charcuterie board, perfect for any occasion! An assortment of fresh fruits, veggies, crackers, bread, and vegan cheeses create the perfect spread. Have fun with this vegan charcuterie board, feel free to switch things up and make it your own!

half a vegan charcuterie board with glasses of white wine on the side

What You’ll Need

  • Hummus – Either homemade or store bought hummus will work on your charcuterie board! As much as I love a homemade hummus, I usually prefer to save myself a bit of time by buying pre-packaged hummus from the store. Whole Foods make a delicious hummus, as does Trader Joe’s and Hope Hummus!

  • Crackers – Any and all crackers are welcome on this snack board! I typically use gluten-free crackers to keep my spread gluten-free friendly. Though feel free to use whatever crackers you like best.

  • Nuts – Nuts are always an exciting, crunchy addition! You can get fancy here and purchase marcona almonds or flavored nuts for your board. Though I kept things simple with raw walnuts and pecans. I love using nuts on any charcuterie board, as they’re the perfect item to fill any empty space. Nuts are especially amazing on this vegan charcuterie board thanks to their high protein content and nutritional value, keeping things hearty yet healthy!

  • Vegan Cheese – This is a totally optional addition, but I have a few vegan cheese brands I love featuring on my charcuterie board! I’m pretty picky when it comes to non-dairy cheese though, and avoid any that taste too fake and/or are overly processed. Spero Foods make some of my all-time favorite vegan soft cheeses. Their herb cream cheese and goat cheese are perfect for this recipe! They’re all deliciously tangy, smooth, and incredible on crackers or toast. Though my runner-ups for this charcuterie board are Kite Hill vegan cheeses, and a handful of Myoko vegan cheese flavors.

How to Make a Vegan Charcuterie Board

  1. Begin every charcuterie board by prepping the ingredients you’ll be placing on your board. This includes washing fresh fruit, cutting bread, slicing cheese, etc. Once prepped, you’ll be able to see every element of your board and decide in which order you’d like to place them.


  2. Pick a large board or surface to lay everything on, then place small bowls around the board. These bowls don’t have to be in any particular pattern or order, so simply evenly space them around your board.


  3. Fill those small bowl with things like hummus, soft cheese, dips, olives, or really anything that would make a mess if placed directly on your board/surface.


  4. Now that your bowls are all filled, go in with remaining larger items such as crackers, sliced bread, and fruit – working with one ingredient at a time.


  5. Once the vegan charcuterie board looks mostly complete, then fill in any gaps with your small items (in this case, I used nuts). Continue doing this until your board is fully loaded and ready to be served!

Optional Add-Ons

There really is no wrong way to jazz up a charcuterie board, so any of the following would make delicious additions to your vegan board:

  • Pickles
  • Strawberries
  • Chocolate Squares
  • Dried Fruit
  • Jelly/Jam
  • Mustard
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Apple Slices
  • Carrots
Vegan Charcuterie Board
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Vegan Charcuterie Board

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

10

minutes

A flawless vegan charcuterie board, perfect for any occasion! An assortment of fresh fruits, veggies, crackers, bread, and vegan cheeses create the perfect spread. Have fun with this vegan charcuterie board, feel free to switch things up and make it your own!

Ingredients

  • cucumber, sliced

  • olives

  • hummus

  • baguette, sliced

  • grapes

  • mandarin oranges, partially peeled

  • nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, or walnuts)

  • radishes, sliced

  • vegan cheese, see Notes

Directions

  • Prep all ingredients – wash fruits and veggies, slice or chop items, etc.
  • Lay down the surface you’ll be arranging your items on, then start by placing small bowls evenly throughout the surface. You’ll need about 3-4 bowls for your olives, hummus, and vegan cheese.
  • Fill the bowls, then begin arranging items on your surface, leaving smaller items like nuts for the end. Finish by filling any gaps on your charcuterie boards with nuts or any other ingredients that may fit.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Vegan Cheese: Vegan cheese brands I love are Spero Foods, Myoko, and Kite Hill!

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Appetizers

The Best Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

By
close-up overhead image of lemon pepper chicken wings on a plate

Incredibly zesty lemon pepper chicken wings are super quick and easy to make in the comfort of your own home! Bake ’em in the oven or air fryer, then finish off with a simple 4-ingredient lemon pepper sauce. These wings are irresistibly crispy and loaded with delicious flavor!

lemon pepper chicken wings in a bowl with beer and lemon slices on the side

What You’ll Need

Chicken Wings – Pick up 3 pounds of either drums, flats, or a combination of both for this chicken wing recipe. I typically reach for the “party pack” of wings at the grocery store, but honestly anything you can find/prefer will work. Once you unwrap your chicken wings, make sure you pat each wing dry with a paper towel before cooking. Getting the wings as dry as possible will ensure they bake up super crispy in the oven (or air fryer!).

Lemon Pepper Seasoning – You can either purchase a jar of lemon pepper seasoning, or simply make it yourself! I couldn’t find any pre-made seasoning near me, so I quickly threw together a homemade batch of my own. To do this, I cooked lemon peels in the oven at 170° Fahrenheit for 1 hour until super dried out. Then, I added the peels to a blender along with some whole black peppercorns and a pinch of salt. There are plenty of lemon pepper seasoning recipes out their on the internet, so do a little research and follow one that’s easiest for you! Or, of course, just buy lemon pepper seasoning from the store if you’d like.

Top Tips

  • Don’t crowd your baking sheet/rack with chicken wings before baking. Place each wing at least an inch apart to ensure that all sides crisp up evenly!
  • Switch up this lemon pepper chicken wings recipe however you’d like! For a little more spice, add in an extra pinch of freshly cracked black pepper. For extra tang, finish off with an extra squeeze of lemon juice. And for a bit more sweetness, use an additional teaspoon or two of honey!
  • Avoid using frozen chicken wings! If your wings are frozen, thaw them completely in the fridge before baking.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

  • Make it Dairy-Free: Sub the melted butter in this recipe for non-dairy butter to have a completely dairy-free and delicious appetizer!
  • Make it Paleo: For paleo lemon pepper chicken wings, simply use ghee instead of butter and make your own seasoning by drying out lemon peels in the oven and grinding them with black peppercorns and salt.

How to Cook Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer

  1. Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel, then add to a bowl along with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Toss to coat wings in oil and seasoning.
  2. Transfer chicken wings to air fryer tray or basket in an even layer (work in batches if necessary), cook at 360° Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, flip the wings over then cook for another 12 minutes.
  3. Once all wings are cooked and crispy, toss in your homemade lemon pepper sauce and enjoy!
The Best Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
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The Best Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

5 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

50

minutes

Incredibly zesty lemon pepper chicken wings are super quick and easy to make in the comfort of your own home! Bake ’em in the oven or air fryer, then finish off with a simple 4-ingredient lemon pepper sauce. These wings are irresistibly crispy and loaded with delicious flavor!

Ingredients

  • For the wings:

  • 3 pounds chicken wings

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

  • For the lemon pepper sauce:

  • 1/4 cup melted butter, I used non-dairy

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

  • chopped parsley, for serving

  • lemons, sliced

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with foil, and top with a wire baking rack.
  • Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel, then add to a bowl along with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Toss to coat wings in oil and seasoning.
    • lemon pepper chicken wings step 1
  • Transfer wings to an even layer on the prepared baking sheet with baking rack and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
    • lemon pepper chicken wings step 2
  • Mix together all lemon pepper sauce ingredients in a large bowl, then once wings are cooked toss them in the sauce until evenly coated.
    • lemon pepper chicken wings step 3

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30 Minutes or Less

Avocado Crema

By
avocado crema being scooped from a bowl with a tortilla chip

This avocado crema is tangy, creamy, and delicious! Whip this naturally vegan recipe together for friends and family with just five super simple ingredients.

We love a good guac around here. And while yes, guac is pretty easy to make, this avocado crema is even easier! It requires just five easy-to-acquire ingredients and is blended together in a few minutes. Before I forget, I must mention my most FAVORITE thing about this simple recipe. You know how when you make guacamole it pretty quickly turns brown? Well friends. this avocado crema stays bright green for hours! The lime juice gives this recipe a delightfully tangy flavor and helps to preserve the color of this dish. I just love throwing this easy dip recipe together when friends or family come over. Not only does everyone go crazy for it, but it looks delicious and appetizing until it’s all gone!

What You Need To Make Avocado Crema

Avocados – Use perfectly ripe avocados in this recipe. To know when an avocado is ripe, gently but firmly press on the outside. If the avocado gives a little without feeling too mushy, then you know it’s ripe and ready to eat! However, if the avocado feels hard, place it in a plastic bag with a bunch of bananas to help it ripen quickly (typically in a day or two).

Lime Juice – If you love a ton of lime in your guac, you’re gonna go insane for this avocado crema recipe! Loaded with fresh lime juice, it’s incredibly zesty and bright. However, feel free to adjust the amount of lime juice to your preferences. And while fresh lime juice is always best, bottled lime juice will work in this recipe as well.

Garlic – If you’re anything like me, you add garlic to literally everything. A single garlic clove contributes a bit of spice and an essence of that delicious garlic flavor to this simple dip recipe. If you’d like, you can add even more garlic to this recipe or leave it out altogether!

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Add Dairy: If you’re not dairy-free, you can add 1/2 cup sour cream to make this avocado crema even creamier!
  • Sub Cilantro: I know a handful of you are averse to cilantro, therefore you can easily swap the cilantro in this recipe for some fresh parsley instead.

Ways To Enjoy This Avocado Crema

  • with chips
  • in tacos
  • in burritos
  • over chicken
  • in salad
  • …or by the spoonful!
Avocado Crema
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Avocado Crema

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: SidesCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Total time

5

minutes

This avocado crema is tangy, creamy, and delicious! Whip this naturally vegan recipe together for friends and family with just five super simple ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 medium-sized ripe avocados

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice

  • 1/4 cup cilantro

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 garlic clove

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Store any leftover avocado crema in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

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