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Sugared Cranberries (with a hint of orange!)

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close up image of sugared cranberries

Super simple sugared cranberries with a hint (just a hint!) of orange! Perfectly tart, yet sweet, and totally addictive. These sugared cranberries are a great cocktail garnish, cake/pie topping, or delicious on their own!

sugared cranberries in a small bowl.

What You’ll Need to Make Sugared Cranberries

Sugar – Sugar’s needed for both the simple syrup and the sugar coating. I used organic cane sugar for my sugared cranberries, but regular white sugar works great too!

Cranberries – Whole fresh, not frozen, cranberries! We’ll start by coating them in a 3-ingredient simple syrup, then rolling in sugar and orange zest. Fresh cranberries are extremely tart, so the sugar in this recipe works wonders to help balance that out. The end result is a perfectly tart, yet sweet dessert or snack!

Orange Juice & Zest – While you can totally make this recipe without any orange, I highly recommend adding it. A hint of citrus is the perfect compliment to fresh cranberries. Orange juice and zest brighten up this entire recipe, and make it EXTRA special!

sugared cranberries on a plate with a spoon

Tips and Tricks

  • If the sugar doesn’t seem to be sticking to your cranberries, give them an extra 30 minutes to dry out. The drying time of your cranberries all depends on the climate in your kitchen. Therefore, make adjustments as you see necessary.
  • This is the perfect holiday recipe! I love making a double batch of these sugared cranberries for friends and family. I divide them up into small cellophane bags, complete with a ribbon, and they’re the perfect little holiday treat hand-out!
sugared cranberries in a small bowl

This Recipe Is…

Sugared Cranberries (with a hint of orange!)
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Sugared Cranberries (with a hint of orange!)

5 from 4 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

3

cups
Cooking time

3

minutes
Drying time

1

hour
Total time

1

hour 

3

minutes

Super simple sugared cranberries with a hint (just a hint!) of orange! Perfectly tart, yet sweet, and totally addictive. These sugared cranberries are a great cocktail garnish, cake/pie topping, or delicious on their own!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, optional

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

  • 3 cups fresh cranberries

  • 3 tablespoons orange zest

Directions

  • Combine water, orange juice, and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently.
  • Remove from heat, then add in the fresh cranberries. Stir to coat cranberries in sugar syrup, then use a slotted spoon to drain and transfer cranberries to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread into an even layer and let dry for 1 hour.
  • Mix together remaining sugar and orange zest in a large bowl, then add dried cranberries about a cup at a time to bowl. Toss cranberries in sugar until all are evenly coated, then repeat with remaining batches until all cranberries are coated in sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe Video

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30 Minutes or Less

Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

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gluten-free cornbread with milk on the side.

This light and fluffy gluten-free cornbread is perfectly sweet and surprisingly simple to make! With just a few easy swaps, you’ll have a gluten-free and dairy-free version of a comforting classic. Slather some dairy-free honey butter on a slice of this gluten-free cornbread for a delicious snack or side dish!

overhead image of gluten-free cornbread with honey butter on the side.

One Mother’s Day I wrote my Mom a card that read “Happy Mother’s Day! I like your cornbread.” And that my friends, is a true story. My Mom always made the BEST cornbread. Not too sweet, perfectly crumbly, and always served with her own homemade honey butter. I’d dream about that stuff and request it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any chance I got.

While I wrote that Mother’s Day card many years ago, I’m still a huge fan of my Mom’s cornbread. Though her version has all of your “standard” ingredients – all purpose flour, milk, regular butter, etc. So when I set out to develop a gluten-free and dairy-free version of my Mom’s cornbread, I have to be honest, I didn’t have high hopes. But oh boy was I pleasantly surprised with how this recipe turned out! Nearly identical to the cornbread I grew up on, this gluten-free and dairy-free recipe does NOT disappoint. I was able to easily swap the all purpose flour for naturally gluten-free (and grain-free) flours, and the dairy for non-dairy counterparts. And if that hasn’t sold you on this cornbread – I was developed this recipe using just ONE BOWL. That’s right – easy baking and easy cleanup!

honey being drizzled over stacked gluten-free cornbread

What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

Cornmeal – Made from ground corn, this coarse “flour”is the star of this recipe! Though be sure to use cornMEAL and not corn starch or corn flour, which are simply not the same. And if you’re gluten-intolerant, be sure to use a cornmeal that reads “gluten-free” somewhere on the label. While cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, some brands may still contain traces of gluten.

Almond Flour – Not to be confused with almond meal, almond flour is a light, fluffy, and naturally gluten-free flour. Almond flour works in conjunction with tapioca flour to replace the all purpose flour in my Mom’s famous cornbread recipe. I’m not able to fully understand or explain the science of how these gluten-free flours work, but just trust me when I tell you, they WORK. Almond Flour and tapioca flour create a gluten-free cornbread that tastes just like any other cornbread!

Non-Dairy Butter – I use and love Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks in my dairy-free honey butter. However, feel free to use your favorite non-dairy butter in this recipe! And if you’re not dairy-free, feel free to use regular butter instead.

gluten-free cornbread with a bite taken out

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Make it Vegan: Replace the egg with a flax egg and use maple syrup instead of honey to make this recipe vegan!
  • Add Dairy: Use regular milk instead of non-dairy milk, melted butter instead of coconut oil, and regular butter in the honey butter if you’re not dairy-free.
  • Make it Refined Sugar-Free: SURPRISE – this recipe is already refined sugar-free!
Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter
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Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

4 from 5 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

9

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

This light and fluffy gluten-free cornbread is perfectly sweet and surprisingly simple to make! With just a few easy swaps, you’ll have a gluten-free and dairy-free version of a comforting classic. Slather some dairy-free honey butter on a slice of this gluten-free cornbread for a delicious snack or side dish!

Ingredients

  • For the cornbread:

  • 1 cup cornmeal

  • 1 cup almond flour

  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk

  • 1 egg, see Notes

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

  • For the honey butter:

  • 1/4 cup dairy-free butter, softened

  • 1/4 cup honey, see Notes

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish.
  • Combine cornmeal, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Add in the almond milk, egg, and melted coconut oil then mix until well combined.
  • Transfer batter to the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  • While cornbread is cooling, mix together the softened butter and honey in a small bowl. Refrigerate the honey butter until ready to serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Egg: You can substitute the egg in this recipe for a flax egg or your favorite egg substitute.
  • Honey: Feel free to use maple syrup instead of honey to turn this into a maple butter recipe.

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More Gluten-Free Recipes You NEED To Make

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30 Minutes or Less

2-Ingredient Pineapple Ice Cream

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overhead image of pineapple ice cream in a loaf pan

Fresh, creamy, and irresistibly delicious pineapple ice cream! Made with just two ingredients, and in under 5 minutes. This non-dairy frozen dessert is the BEST healthy summertime treat.

hand holding a cone of pineapple ice cream

What You’ll Need To Make Pineapple Ice Cream

Frozen Pineapple Chunks – Either cut, then freeze a fresh pineapple yourself, or buy already frozen pineapple chunks. For tips on how to cut a pineapple, check out my step-by-step blog post here. But if you’re looking to save some time, buy two bags of frozen pineapple chunks from the frozen aisle at your local grocery store.

Coconut Milk – Thick and creamy full-fat coconut milk tastes best in this pineapple ice cream! However, you can certainly use a light coconut milk instead, or really any kind of milk you’d like. And if you don’t have milk, use a couple tablespoons of water. The liquid is introduced at the very end of this recipe and should be used sparingly, just until you achieve a thick and creamy consistency.

Food Processor or High-Speed Blender – While food processors work best to make this non-dairy frozen dessert, a high-speed blender will work as well. I made my pineapple ice cream with this (super cheap!) Hamilton Beach food processor. But I’ve also tried this recipe in my Vitamix, and it worked as well – just required more stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender.

overhead image of pineapple ice cream in a loaf pan

Tips and Tricks

  • Start with 1/4 cup of coconut milk, then slowly add in more to blend. The frozen pineapple mixture will start out icy and crumbly, but slowly turn smooth and creamy as more liquid is introduced. It’s important to start small here, as to not risk “watering down” your ice cream!
  • Swirl in some toasted coconut or fresh pineapple chunks! Right after blending, transfer the pineapple ice cream to an airtight container and stir in any mix-ins you’d like. Or, serve this healthy dessert with your favorite ice cream toppings!
  • Depending on how solid you’d like your ice cream, either serve it right away or freeze for a few hours before eating. How solid it is may also depend on how warm it is outside. During the summer months, I certainly have to freeze this for at least an hour before scooping and serving!

This Pineapple Ice Cream Is…

2-Ingredient Pineapple Ice Cream

2 from 3 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: Dessert, SnacksDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

0

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

Fresh, creamy, and irresistibly delicious pineapple ice cream! Made with just two ingredients, and in under 5 minutes. This pineapple ice cream is the BEST healthy summertime treat.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 cups frozen pineapple chunks, about 2 10-ounce bags

  • 1/4-1/2 cup coconut milk

Directions

  • Add frozen pineapple chunks to food processor and pulse until crumbly.
  • Slowly add in coconut milk, starting with ¼ cup and adding more as necessary, and pulse until smooth.
  • Either serve immediately, or transfer pineapple ice cream to a parchment-lined loaf pan and freeze for 2-3 hours.
  • To serve, remove from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping and enjoying.

Recipe Video

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Breakfast

Almond Flour Banana Bread

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sliced almond flour banana bread with chocolate chips

Super healthy and delicious almond flour banana bread! Made with whole, good-for-you ingredients, perfectly sweet, and totally irresistible. Toast up a slice of this grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free banana bread as a comforting, yet nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert.

overhead image of almond flour banana bread

What You’ll Need To Make Almond Flour Banana Bread

Almond Flour – The one and only flour we use in this grain-free recipe is almond flour. Almond flour is a favorite among low-carb, gluten-free, and paleo recipes. It yields little-to-no flavor and, when done right, bakes up beautifully soft and tender. If you don’t already have a bag of almond flour in your pantry, I highly recommend you go pick some up. I’ve tried pretty much every brand of almond flour out there, and my favorite so far is this Anthony’s Almond Flour. Though whichever brand of almond flour you decide to use in this recipe, make sure it’s blanched almond flour, and not almond meal.

Coconut Sugar – A quarter cup of coconut sugar is all you’ll need to sweeten up this healthy dessert recipe! The bananas yield some natural sweetness of their own, and a touch of coconut sugar helps bring that out. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use brown sugar in its place.

Bananas – About two very ripe bananas should do the trick here! Or, however many mashed bananas you need to equal one cup. And while I feel like this goes without saying, make sure your bananas are super ripe for this recipe. You can tell a banana is ripe when it’s beginning to form large brown spots all around the outside peel.

Chocolate Chips – While optional, chocolate chips make this almond flour banana bread extra indulgent and delicious! If you don’t have chocolate chips, you can easily use one cup of chopped chocolate instead. I recommend semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate for this recipe. And if you’re looking to keep your entire loaf paleo, use your favorite paleo chocolate chips, such as these Hu Kitchen Chocolate Gems.

almond flour banana bread sliced

Tips and Tricks

  • Instead of greasing your loaf pan, line it with parchment paper. Also, cut your parchment paper larger than the loaf pan, leaving its edges sticking out from the sides of your banana bread. This’ll make it easier to lift and remove your bread from its baking pan!
  • Leave the almond flour banana bread to cool completely (about an hour) before slicing. Then, once cool, I recommend slicing the bread all at once, before storing. Lastly, store the slices in an airtight container at either room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months!
  • For the ultimate slice of banana bread that’ll leave your tastebuds singing, toast it before eating! Then, once toasted, top that baby off with some vegan butter, ghee, peanut butter, and/or almond butter. Let me tell ya, toasted almond flour banana bread makes for the perfect afternoon snack or nightcap.
the inside of almond flour banana bread

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: For a vegan grain-free banana bread, try replacing the eggs with three flax eggs. One flax egg equals one tablespoon of ground flax seed meal mixed into three tablespoons of water. While I haven’t tried this vegan option myself yet, I’m sure it’d work just fine!

Make it Added Sugar-Free: Because the bananas are so naturally sweet, you can totally leave the coconut sugar out of this healthier dessert recipe.

Almond Flour Banana Bread

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

10

slices
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

50

minutes

Super healthy and delicious almond flour banana bread! Made with whole, good-for-you ingredients, perfectly sweet, and totally irresistible. Toast up a slice of this grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free banana bread as a comforting, yet nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups almond flour

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

  • 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 very ripe bananas)

  • 3 eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 cup chocolate chips, optional

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • Whisk together the almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
  • Add in the melted coconut oil, mashed banana, eggs, and vanilla extract – mix until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips if using, until evenly dispersed throughout batter.
  • Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted down the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack, cool bread completely (about 1 hour) before slicing.

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30 Minutes or Less

How to Cut a Pineapple

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how to cut a pineapple

Cutting a pineapple is easy, when you follow these simple steps! A sharp knife, cutting board, and whole pineapple is all you’ll need. I even provide helpful tips on picking out a perfectly ripe pineapple, and what to do with it once it’s cut!

cut pineapple in a bowl with limes on the side

How To Select The Perfect Pineapple

  • Color: Every pineapple starts off green, and turns yellow as it ripens. Therefore, a pineapple with a more yellow skin will be sweeter, and more ripe!
  • Smell: I never buy a pineapple before smelling it! There’s so much to learn about how ripe a pineapple is based on its scent. So pick up that pineapple and give it a big ole’ whiff. If the pineapple smells sweet and like ..well, pineapple… then it’s perfectly ripe! Though if the pineapple has no smell at all, then it’s not yet ripe.
  • Leaves: The last step to ensuring your pineapple is ripe and ready to be cut, is by checking the leaves. Give those long, tough leaves at the top of the pineapple a gentle tug, and if they come away easily, then your pineapple is definitely ripe. If the leaves are a challenge to pull, then the pineapple likely isn’t yet ripe.
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step 3
  • Step 4
  • Step 5
  • Step 6

Is Pineapple Healthy?

Sure is! Pineapple is pretty much bursting with nutrients. Just one cup of cut pineapple will fill you with fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, folate, potassium, etc. Fresh pineapple is loaded with health benefits, including, but not limited to:

  • aids digestion (thank you, fiber!)
  • fights diseases (hello antioxidants!)
  • reduces inflammation
  • increases immunity
  • and may even reduce your risk of cancer!

How To Store Cut Pineapple

Freshly cut pineapple should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Pineapple will stay fresh for up to five days. If you don’t anticipate eating your cut pineapple within that timeframe, then I recommend freezing it instead. Similarly, store it in an airtight container in the freezer, where it will stay good for up to three months.

How to Cut a Pineapple

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

8

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Total time

5

minutes

Cutting a pineapple is easy, when you follow these simple steps! A sharp knife, cutting board, and whole pineapple is all you’ll need. I even provide helpful tips on picking out a perfectly ripe pineapple, and what to do with it once it’s cut!

Ingredients

  • 1 whole pineapple

Directions

  • Lay the pineapple on its side on a cutting board, then use a sharp knife to slice off both the top and bottom ends.
  • Next, stand the pineapple back up and slice off the skin, sliding your knife from top to bottom, following the shape of the pineapple.
  • Once skin is removed, keep the pineapple standing up and cut it into four quarters – one slice lengthwise and the other crosswise.
  • Lay each quarter of the pineapple down on the cutting board, with one of the cut side on the board. Angle your knife inwards to slice and remove the core from the pineapple, then repeat for other three pieces.
  • Last, slice each quarter in half lengthwise before making crosswise cuts to create bite-sized pineapple chunks.

Recipe Video

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Use Your Cut Pineapple In One Of These Recipes

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