Ingredients:
1 pound margarine or butter
1 pound Velveeta cheese
1 cup cocoa
4 pounds powdered sugar
2 cups nuts, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
Melt margarine and cheese together. Mix in remaining ingredients. Spread in greased pan. Cool. Cut in squares. Keep in refrigerator.

Tip:
Use a heavy duty mixer. I have burned out a hand held mixer or two on this recipe.

You’re special! Just because you’re eating gluten-free (GF), there’s no reason to miss out when special occasions arise. Bake these Bing cherry chocolate cupcakes, top with luscious frosting, chill, wrap individually, and freeze. Save frozen cupcakes for when you want a treat or to join the party. The best part is they contain sorghum and cherries which add extra fiber and nutrients!

Very Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes
2 cups sugar
2 cups sorghum flour blend (see below)
3/4 cup natural dark cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons GF baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup dried Bing cherries or dried tart cherries
2 eggs + 1 egg white
1 cup milk (or GF soy, rice, nut milk)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract (homemade Vanilla Extract recipe below)
1 cup boiling water

1. In large mixing bowl, whisk (or mix on low speed with electric mixer) dry
ingredients — sugar, sorghum flour blend, natural cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
2. Put cherries in a small bowl; cover with water to rehydrate while completing steps 3 through 5.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, gently whisk together eggs and egg white.
4. Add milk, oil, and vanilla to egg mixture.
5. Beat on medium speed with electric mixer for two minutes.
6. Drain water off dried cherries, pat dry with paper towel. Dice into small pieces; place in a dry bowl. Dust with a teaspoon of gluten-free flour until lightly coated. Shake off excess. Set aside.
7. Add 1/3 cup of boiling water into batter, blend well. Repeat until all water is added into batter.
8. Fold in dried cherries.
9. Place cupcake liners into the cupcake tins. Fill tins half full with batter.
10. Bake 21 to 23 minutes for cupcakes (makes about 27 cupcakes).
11. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely before frosting. Wrap individually and freeze cupcakes.
* If using powdered vanilla, add to dry ingredients.

‘In the Pink’ Cherry Frosting

No artificial colors or flavoring. Two recipes in one! If you’d rather have vanilla icing, go with the Basic Frosting. Make it cherry pink with theadditional steps and ingredients.

Start with Basic Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, gluten-free (GF) margarine, or Crisco, softened
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 to 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons of milk (cow, nut, rice, soy)
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
Beat together until smooth. Adjust the amount of powdered sugar and milk until desired spreading consistency is reached. Chill.

Add to make Cherry Frosting:
2 tablespoons Old Orchard Cherry Apple 100% juice — concentrate
2 to 3 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 Bing cherries, pitted

Puree in a blender until smooth. Start with 2 tablespoons of water. If more liquid is needed to blend ingredients together, slowly add as much of third tablespoon of water as needed.

Sorghum Flour Blend
Reprinted with permission from Carol Fenster, PhD, www.savorypalate.com

1-1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1-1/2 cup corn or potato starch

Whisk together and store in an air-tight container = 4 cups.

Make Your Own Vanilla Extract

What’s vanilla? Basically, vanilla beans and alcohol!

Glass jar or bottle with lid
3 to 4 vanilla beans
Vodka (possible brands: Chopin,
Tito’s, Teton Glacier, & Blue Ice)

1. Wash and rinse jar or bottle.
2. Split vanilla beans with sharp knife.
3. Place beans in jar or bottle.
4. Fill with vodka. Seal.
5. Store in cool, dark place for 4 to 6 months; shake occasionally.

Gluten-Free Baking Tips:

• Start with ingredients at room temperature.
  • Place chilled eggs in a bowl with tepid water for 5 minutes to remove the chill.
  • Flour should be at room temperature before using.
• Place ingredients to be measured on the left of the mixing bowl. Once you have used the ingredient, place it on the right-hand side of the bowl. This is an easy way to keep track of what has been used in the recipe.
• Gradually pour liquid into dry ingredients a little bit at a time. Don’t allow batter to become soupy; it should be thick but fluid.
• No cooling rack? Turn over another cupcake tin and set warm tin on top. This allows air to reach the bottom of baked goods.