Do Dinosaurs Like Cookies? How About Gluten Free, Vegan Cupcakes?

I have been a fan of the "How Do Dinosaurs" series of books by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague for quite a few years.  Like many kids, my nephew A. went through a serious dinosaur phase between age three and age six, and I was always searching for new books to fuel his passion.  When I discovered the "How do Dinosaur" series, I was delighted.  They are a unique mix of sweet, often humourous storytelling and general educational content (teaching toddlers basics such as colours and numbers, as well as social skills); combined with detailed and accurate drawings of different types of dinosaurs, each labelled with the dinosaur's name.  I have since introduced the books to many young friends, and they are universally well received, whether or not the child is a dinosaur lover.  They are the types of books that you say that "there is just something about."

I was thrilled to learn that our March Scholastic Canada book of the month was "How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies".  I knew that it would be a hit as a read aloud with our group, and a book that any member would be delighted to take home.  I was even more pleasantly surprised when I received the actual copy of the book.  Published in extra large board book format, "How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies" is also interactive, with a scratch and sniff section on almost every page. We loved taking turns smelling all of the different scents in the book, including cinnamon, chocolate chips, strawberry, and lemon.  To add to the fun, the book also includes two scrumptious looking recipes for  Cinnama-Saurus Rex Cookies and Fossilized Lemon Track Cookies (you can also read momstown's review of the book here). The book was won by Sheri and Mylie, and I am already looking forward to hearing about their baking adventures:

Thanks to the book, we know that when dinosaurs eat their cookies, they wait until they are cooled, say please and thank you, take only one or two at a time, and chew them with their mouths closed.  Of course, we did some baking of our own too.  Taking into account various allergies and food restrictions among our group, we developed a recipe for gluten free, grain free, vegan vanilla almond cupcakes to share:

While I don't know what a dinosaur would think of such a cupcake, we thought they were delicious.

Gluten Free Vegan Vanilla Almond Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp coconut oil, warmed just to melt
1/2 cup agave nectar (you could also use maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or other liquid sweetener of choice)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup warm water mixed with 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp non dairy milk
½ tsp apple cider vinegar

Method:

1.    Preheat oven to 325F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2.    Combine warm water and ground flax seeds in a small bowl, and allow to sit for approximately 10 minutes, until mixture has gelled. In a separate small bowl, combine non dairy milk and apple cider vinegar.
3.    In a large bowl, sift together almond flour, salt, and baking soda, and stir well to combine.
4.    In a separate bowl, stir together coconut oil, agave and vanilla. Add flax mixture and non dairy milk  mixture, and mix.
5.    Pour wet ingredients into dry, and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until well incorporated.
6.    Divide batter between muffin cups, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7.    Once cool, frost with your favourite vegan icing recipe, or enjoy as is. 

Be sure to join us at our Tales for Tots event in April.  We will be reading, and raffling off a copy of "I Am Small", by Emma Dodd.