Gluten-free Gingerbread Cupcakes

To Make Brown Rice Flour Blend: 1 ½ cups brown rice flour, 1 ½ cups potato starch, and 1 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch). Blend thoroughly. Store, tightly closed, in a dark, dry place.

To Make Lentil Puree: Rinse and drain 15-ounce can lentils. You will have about 1 ¼ cups lentils. Place in food processor, add ¼ cup hot water, and puree (scraping down sides of bowl) until mixture is consistency of canned pumpkin, about 3 minutes. Makes 1 cup puree

• 1 cup (250 mL) Brown Rice Flour Blend
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
• 2 tsps (10 mL) ground ginger
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
• ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cloves
• 1 tsp (5 mL) xanthan gum
• ½ tsp (2 mL) table salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) Lentil Puree
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (150 mL) packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) canola oil
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (5 mL) apple cider vinegar

Place rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Generously grease standard 12- cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour blend, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, xanthan gum, and salt until well blended. Add the lentil puree, egg, brown sugar, oil, molasses, vanilla, and vinegar and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended. Divide batter evenly in muffin pan.
Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan 10 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 12 cupcakes.