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Marshmallow Fruit Dip (just 4 ingredients!)

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fresh strawberry in marshmallow fruit dip.

A perfectly sweet, light, and fluffy marshmallow fruit dip! Comes together in a few simple steps with only four ingredients. This fruit dip is both gluten-free and dairy-free, perfect recipe for potlucks and/or summer parties!

overhead image of marshmallow fruit dip in a bowl with berries and sliced pears.

What You’ll Need To Make Marshmallow Fruit Dip

Egg Whites – Use your favorite method to separate four egg whites from their yolks. I use this method to separate my eggs, which takes some practice but doesn’t require any special kitchen tools. And don’t discard your egg yolks! Instead, save and add them to your morning scramble for extra vitamins and minerals.

Sugar – Either cane sugar or white sugar will work in this recipe. I used unbleached cane sugar, for the simple fact that it’s less processed than white sugar. However, feel free to use whichever sugar you have on-hand. And for a paleo option, check out the “adjust this recipe to your dietary needs” section below!

Cream of Tartar – I know what you’re thinking …cream-of-what?? Cream of tartar is a white powder, found in either the baking or spice aisle of most grocery stores. It’s a stabilizer that gives this marshmallow fruit dip it’s ultra-fluffy texture. Sure, you can make this recipe without it, but your egg whites won’t whip up as nicely.

Vanilla Extract – A touch of vanilla extract makes this fruit tip taste just like homemade marshmallow fluff! While you can certainly leave the vanilla out, it does add a nice hint of extra delicious flavor.

strawberry being dipped into marshmallow fruit dip.

Serve This Marshmallow Fruit Dip With…

  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries
  • Sliced Apples
  • Pears
  • Grapes
  • Pineapple
  • Melon
  • or whatever fruit you have on-hand!
marshmallow fruit dip on a fresh strawberry, on a fork.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Sugar-Free: For a sugar-free dessert recipe, replace the regular sugar with your favorite granular sugar substitute. I recommend either granular monk fruit sweetener, or swerve.

Make it Paleo: Use coconut sugar for a paleo marshmallow fruit dip! If taking this option, your dip will appear a caramel/brown color, rather than the white you see in these photos.

Marshmallow Fruit Dip (just 4 ingredients!)
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Marshmallow Fruit Dip (just 4 ingredients!)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

A perfectly sweet, light, and fluffy marshmallow fruit dip! Comes together in a few simple steps with only four ingredients. This fruit dip is both gluten-free and dairy-free, perfect recipe for potlucks and/or summer parties!

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg whites

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • fresh fruit, for serving

Directions

  • Place the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tarter in a large bowl.
  • Bring 2-inches of water in a saucepan to a simmer, then place the bowl on top of the saucepan. Do not let the bowl touch the water.
  • Whisk egg white mixture constantly for 3-4 minutes, or until thin, smooth, and sugar has completely dissolved. If you have a kitchen thermometer, check that the temperature has reached 160° Fahrenheit.
  • Remove bowl from saucepan, add in vanilla extract, then while still hot beat with a hand or stand mixer until super light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Serve marshmallow dip alongside fresh fruit.

Recipe Video

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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

5 from 6 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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