Subtle Nuances...

Marble Pound Cake

2008-04-24T18:15:00.004-05:00

Marble cake always looks so pretty, so I've been tempted to try this recipe for a while now. Unfortunately, I've made another slightly dry cake! I tried my best to follow the directions, but the cake still turned out a bit on the dry side for me. Looks like I will have to add a bit of liquid (2 - 4 tblspns) on my attempts at pound cake. Although...I did halve the recipe, it's possible that I overbaked the cake.

~*~
Marble Pound Cake
1 cup + 2 tblspns cake flour (scooped & leveled)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

1 stick (8 tblspns) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
**2 - 4 tblspns milk/heavy cream/buttermilk

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted & cooled

Melt 2 ounces of chocolate over a double-boiler & set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease & flour baking pan (I used 8X4).
Whisk together, flour, baking powder & salt.
With a stand mixer & the paddle attachment, beat butter & sugar till light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape as you go to fully incorporate mixture.
With the mixer on medium, slowly add one egg at a time, beating for about 1 minute after the addition of each egg. Scraping the bowl & beaters as you go.
Add vanilla extract.
Reduce the mixer to low & slowly incorporate the flour. (**Alternate between flour & few tablespoons of milk/heavy cream, end with flour.) Do not overmix.
Divide the batter into half, add the melted chocolate to one portion of the batter.
Alternate large spoonfuls of white batter & chocolate batter into the prepared pan. Run a knife through the cake in a zigzag pattern & smooth the top.
Place the pan on a heavy baking sheet, & place in the middle rack of the oven to bake for 45 - 50 minutes - bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, a few crumbs are ok. If the top gets too dark, cover slightly with a piece of parchment paper.
Remove the cake from the oven & allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Loosen cake, remove from pan & allow to cool to room temperature.
Tightly wrap cake to store at room temperature for a few days or freeze for longer storage.

Vegan Cheesecake

2008-04-23T18:35:00.004-05:00

Vegan orange cheesecake - added orange zest & orange extract - but added a little too much. Made two small containers. Recipe from Nicole on baking bites.

Lemon Raisin Pound Cake

2008-04-18T10:34:00.003-05:00

Lemon Pound cake from Veganomican. Dense & moist, but a little too wet. Texture tasted like steamed asian cake. Did not mix batter for 1 - 2 minutes as instructed.

Chocolate Mint Melties

2008-04-10T17:48:00.008-05:00

My boyfriend wanted a wheat-free cookie with dark chocolate + he loves mint! Dreena's chocolate mint melties seemed like the perfect candidate to satisfy his craving. I didn't have mint chocolate, so subbed regular dark chocolate chips - gave them a whirl in the food processor, although next time I'm just going to give them a semi-rough rough chop. Although I omitted the dry sugar, the sweetness level was perfect for me. Since I needed more mint flavor, I went with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract & 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract - next time I will try 1 1/4 tsp peppermint** to see if there's a better balance between chocolate & mint. The cookies are a little crumbly & more cake-like to me, I want to try them again using egg replacer + a little more flour to see if they would result in a slightly denser & chewier cookie texture.

~*~
Chocolate Mint Melties

3 oz/85 grams dark chocolate
1 1/8 cups whole spelt flour
3 tblspn cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt

¼ cup pure maple syrup
2 tblspn agave nectar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp peppermint extract**
¼ cup organic coconut oil (a touch generous)

Preheat oven to 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Give chocolate a thorough chop, leaving small & medium-small chunks.
Transfer chocolate to a bowl & combine with dry ingredients, sifting in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder & baking soda, & whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine syrup, agave nectar, vanilla & mint extracts + oil & stir until well mixed.
Add wet mixture to dry, & stir until just combined (do not overmix).
Spoon/scoop batter onto baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Place 1 to 2 chocolate chips on top of each cookie & press down slightly to flatten.
Bake for 11 - 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
Remove from oven & allow to cool for a minute or so on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Makes about one dozen/12 cookies.

Bread Pudding Muffins

2008-04-06T10:25:00.005-05:00

Bread pudding muffin recipe from Joyofbaking.com. My boyfriend took me out on a date this past Friday & part of our doggie bag included some leftover bread! The waitress was even so kind to get me a fresh loaf from the oven! What a perfect excuse to make some bread pudding once the bread got a bit stale! I only made a half batch, which yielded about 8 muffins, instead of apples (cause I was too lazy to chop it), I used raisins, semi-sweet chocolate chips & toffee chips. I was also afraid the apples would add some unnecessary moisture, but if your bread is truly stale, the added moisture seems a worthy addition. I reduced the sugar just a bit & I decided the muffins definitely needed a generous dusting of powdered sugar. The original amount of sugar in the recipe, or even an addition of a little extra may have been a good idea - although maybe bread pudding isn't supposed to be sweet? I have no idea - this was my first time. I bet this would be tasteful using brioche and/or croissants - although I've never had brioche before.

Pumpkin Roll

2008-03-31T17:29:00.004-05:00

Pumpkin cake roll, slight variation using whole wheat.

Cookie Cupcake

2008-03-27T15:58:00.004-05:00

What a cool concept - easy & no plates or napkins required really. These chocolate chunk cookie cupcakes from Marthastewart.com taste better the next day once the dough has had time to settle & harden up a bit. The batter is a bit buttery & rich, but still somewhat light & airy. In addition to dark chocolate chips, I added peanut butter chips, toffee chips & pecans. Because the dough isn't very dense, although I coated my filling with some flour, the chips sunk to the bottom of the cookie cupcake.

Tonka Beans

2008-03-27T15:45:00.005-05:00

I don't have access to tonka beans, but still wanted to try Tartelette's Tonka Bean White Chocolate & Apricot Cake. This cake is dense & rich, if you ask me, they taste like pound cake. Instead of tonka beans, I used pure vanilla extract & pure almond extract. I didn't get the chance to add slivered almonds, but I'm sure that would have been a nice crunchy addition. Apricots don't have a lot of strong flavor to me, so I couldn't say they're the star of this cake.

Whole Grain - no Refined Sugar Cookie II

2008-03-27T14:45:00.003-05:00

White chocolate macadamia cookies from Eat, Drink & be Vegan.

(Chocolate chips, coconut, peanut butter & white chocolate chips.)

Whole Grain - no Refined Sugar Cookie I

2008-03-27T14:14:00.005-05:00

I made a half batch of chocolate chip cookies from a recipe in Simple Treats by Ellen Abraham.

Chocolate Cake

2008-03-22T09:39:00.007-05:00

Chocolate cake from Great Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan. My sister got me this book for my birthday this past January. How fitting that I found a new chocolate cake recipe that I wanted to try. The cake was moist, dense, not too sweet with a tender crumb & the chocolate was definitely the star. I halved the recipe & I added 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips, 1/4 tsp of instant espresso powder & reduced the amount of dry sugar by 2 tablespoons. The cake wasn't quite sweet enough, so maybe the original 4 tablespoons is best. Next time, I think I will try the addition of orange zest or extract. I didn't have time, but a nice thick ganache or frosting between layers would have been a welcomed addition for a more decadent dessert/snack. Definitely hit the spot for the craving of a traditional vegan chocolate cake.

Pineapple Yogurt Cake

2008-03-19T15:22:00.002-05:00

Pineapple Yogurt Cake from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.

Streusel Loaves

2008-03-16T09:30:00.003-05:00

Mini Cherry Pecan Streusel Loaves.

White Chocolate + Green Tea

2008-03-15T09:32:00.005-05:00

White Chocolate & Matcha Green Tea marbled cake. My cakes came out a little on the denser side. Next time - spoon & level flour/sift before measuring, undermix before adding white chocolate & green tea.

**Chocolate & Matcha Green Tea Cakes

*04/03/08 - I baked another mini-loaf today - I tried not to overmix & also used cake flour instead of all-purpose, I'm not sure why my cake still came out a little dry. It may be the decorative mold/loaf container I used, too high heat? Or does the batter need some milk, buttermilk or sour cream? I need to try this flavor combo with another recipe.

Tapenade

2008-03-14T20:27:00.002-05:00

The best ever tapenade recipe! Although I've never tried another, Yummy!

Peanut Buttery Goodness

2008-03-13T17:05:00.004-05:00

These are peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from Marthastewart.com. The fat to flour/oat ratio seems a little off - but after some refrigeration, the soft dough dough was manageable when shaped by a small/medium ice cream scooper. The baked cookies look very similar to the picture on her website. The cookies are a little crisp, very peanut buttery & remind me more of a granola bar. As my boyfriend asked - are you making granola?...well, lets just call them peanut-buttery granola cookies. :)

Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies?

2008-03-05T07:37:00.005-06:00

Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip cookie recipe on MarthaStewart.com.

Dried Fruit Foccacia

2008-02-24T09:34:00.005-06:00

At Central Market, they have this wonderfully delicious white chocolate apricot bread. It's fluffy, ever so slightly sweet & simply divine to the taste buds - sweet breads have always been appealing to me. Other than sampling a slice here & there at the store, the challenge was not eating it, but recreating this bread at home. I spent most of Friday looking for a recipe, but it's difficult to search for a recipe which will replicate the texture & taste from the store...especially since I can't sample the online recipes, plus I lack bread making experience. The bread is soft, light, moist & yeast is listed on the ingredients. I did find a bread recipe that contained dried fruit - I figured that was as close as I was going to get. Dried fruit focaccia on Martha Stewart & Baking Bites. I baked mine in a 9-inch cake pan & the bread came out moist, but I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to taste like. Mine didn't look like the pictures on the other websites. I used extra-virgin coconut oil, added lemon zest & nutmeg.

**Concord Grape Focaccia

Zucchini Muffins

2008-02-23T08:31:00.003-06:00

Susan's vegan zucchini muffins. I reduced the amount of granulated sugar & slightly increased the amount of agave nectar - the muffins did not come out sweet enough. :( I used brown sugar for the crumb topping. The muffins were moist, tender & embodied a distinct zucchini flavor.

St. Valentine's Day

2008-02-13T17:45:00.007-06:00

Valentine's is overrated...it's mostly about flowers, chocolate & everything sweet. What a great day for florists, candy corporations like Hershey's & whoever markets Valentine goodies. Although all the sweets can make you sick to your stomach, I still like to participate. :)
It's not economical to be giving out flowers to everyone, but chocolate, cookies & candy can be quite affordable. So on Valentine Eve, begun my quest to making shortbread sandwiches & easy peanut butter cups. The peanut cups were so easy to put together, unfortunately I can't say the same about the shortbread sandwiches. They were so labor intensive, I had to forgo trying the chocolate sandwiches. The variety would have been nice, but the work, probably not so nice. Because the shortbread dough was so buttery & delicate, I had to stick it in the fridge in between rolling & cutting to allow the dough to firm up enough to handle.

Chili Cook-Off

2008-02-12T09:18:00.003-06:00

We're having a chili cook-off at work tomorrow, so may initial plan was to pull together a delicious award-winning vegetarian chili...after one chili cooking trial, I decided on contributing cornbread instead. Chili is way too much work, plus I'd have to borrow my mother's large pot & large crock-pot. Since it's necessary to provide enough for a crowd of 30, mini muffins seemed quite appropriate & convenient - Mini Cornbread Pudding & Mini Cornbread Muffins. I wanted to try both recipes since one uses mostly sour cream & the other incorporates, butter, buttermilk & sour cream. The pudding was definitely moist & rich, while the muffins tasted more like regular cornbread with a stronger corn-y taste. Both were delicious & definitely winners! Of course I couldn't serve cornbread with just corn, so I spiced it up by adding garlic powder, finely chopped onion & jalapeno (seeded of course). Although I didn't win first place for the best chili, I definitely deserved honorable mention. :)

Lunar New Year

2008-02-06T20:13:00.003-06:00

To celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year - Almond Cookies. This cookie is light, flaky & very similar in flavor to the store-bought Almond Cookies you can find at the Asian supermarkets, although not as hard or crunchy. Definitely reminiscent of the cookies I used to eat as a little girl. High quality ingredients resulted in cookies that tasted so fresh & yummy.

I also made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, my friend said these were her favorite & I hope she still thinks that after eating my cookie. The cookie is dense & moist - a good mix between a brownie & chocolate cake. I added a little espresso powder & the chocolate flavor was enhanced, intense & rich. After flattening the cookie, next time, I'll give the cookie a second dip into the powdered sugar.

Yay...celebrating a successful bake date to kick start the Lunar New Year! :)

Taro Muffin

2008-01-26T10:39:00.002-06:00

Used Vegan with a Vengence's best ever pumpkin muffin recipe & made Taro Muffins. Substituted pumpkin puree with taro puree - which isn't necessarily the best substitution as taro has a very thick & cornstarchy texture, so I had to add a little extra liquid. The addition of a small amount of coconut extract overpowered the taro flavor. The taro was only in the background & not prominent as preferred.

Muffin Cookie

2008-01-15T19:34:00.001-06:00

For some strange odd reason, I thought these were going to taste like granola - crunchy, hardy & chewy - & nutritious too, no refined sugar (there isn't a good description of the texture of the cookies, just a picture)! Man, I had some high expectations. Somehow mine came out softer & more muffin-like - instead of just raisins, I also used prunes & dates & I didn't have any apple juice, so I used rice milk, I also didn't have regular whole rolled oats, so had to used quick-cook rolled oats. These would be perfect if I were in the mood for some soft muffin-tops, but I never am! I THINK I was hoping for something similar to these Ginger Pecan Oatmeal Crisps minus the egg, nuts & refined sugar! My boyfriend said he'll eat these as "cereal" with rice/oat milk.

~*~
Oatmeal Muffin Cookies
1 cup raisins (prunes, raisins & dates)
1 cup apple juice (rice milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil (4 tblspns)

1 cup oat flour
1 cup whole grain oatmeal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 cup dried fruit, etc (cranberries, raisins, carob chips)

Blend raisins, etc + apple juice & oil in a food processor for about 1 minute.
In a large bowl, combine oat flour, oatmeal, soda, cinnamon & salt. Whisk to combine.
Fold in apple juice puree & dried fruit, etc.
If dough is too wet, add some more flour or oats. Refrigerate dough for about 15 - 30 minutes.
Preheat oven 375F. Line cookie sheets & set aside.
Spoon onto cookie sheet & press down to flatten cookies. Bake 15- 18 minutes, till golden brown.

Sticky Buns/Cinnamon Buns

2008-01-11T18:36:00.000-06:00

After watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay twice - Episode Sticky Buns, I had to have some! I didn't try Joanne Chang's or Bobby Flay's recipe, although I would like to give it a try in the near future. Somehow I was led to Anita's Sticky Buns - her beautiful pictures enticed me!
In my humble opinion, the sticky buns were good (if caramel not overcooked), but the cinnamon buns were a little bland & lacking in complexity (even though I increased the zest, extract, etc). Complexity meaning flavor, richness & wow factor. To me, the amount of spices, zest and/or extracts & butter need to be bumped up a level. If I'm going to spend many many hours putting together a yeast dough, it better be darn good & worth it, in this particular case - meaning more butter & spices! For next time, following Joanne's recipe, I'll probably try a brioche dough & following Flay, I'll probably slather on some butter, a lot of spices & up the zest. I'm sure the addition of nuts would be wonderful, but I'm trying to avoid roasted nuts - maybe raw nuts sprinkled on the gooey goo after the buns come out of the oven. Although the end result may not have been the best ever, nonetheless, there's always something special about homemade goodies that make them taste very heart warming & comforting.

Ripe Bananas

2008-01-10T19:00:00.000-06:00

We had three very very ripe bananas that needed to be eaten ASAP! I used one in a smoothie & the other two went into Eden Organic Food's Banana Nut Muffins - minus the nuts. These were not sweet at all & tasted very much like a simple & plain bread to me. Carob/chocolate chips may have a been a nice addition for some extra texture & flavor.

~*~
Banana Bread Muffins
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

2 tblspns coconut oil
2 tblspns apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup malt barley syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium ripe bananas, smashed

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil/grease muffin pan.
Smash ripe bananas & set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, powder, cinnamon & salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, syrup, vanilla & bananas.
Add the dry ingredient into the wet & stir to combine.
Fold in raisins . Do not overwork the batter.
Divide evenly among muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full.
Makes 12 muffins (**I had extra batter - poured it into a loaf pan).

I Like Making Candy

2008-01-10T14:37:00.000-06:00

So far I've tried Caramel candy, Marshmallows, & Divinity (failure)...so when I saw Lynn post a recipe for Fruit Delights - I had to give it a try. I can't remember ever trying these before meeting my boyfriend. When we first met, he said his family used to eat these Liberty Orchard fruit delights during the Christmas holidays. He gave me a box one year. So as a fun little surprise, I thought these would make him nostalgic.
I really want to try the recipe using Pectin, I found powder pectin & liquid pectin, I want to use the powder one, but need to figure out how to convert it to a liquid equivalent. These were really chewy, they remind me more of gummy worms/bears than fruit delights (maybe since I messed with the sugar). I'm guessing the pectin texture will be more similar to Liberty Orchard's. The candy was a bit sweet for my personal preference, although I did reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups - I want to reduce it more, but am unsure how it will affect the end result. I'm always trying to reduce sugar, since it helps me feel a little less guilty when I overindulge. For the "raspberry juice", I simmered down about 1/4 cup frozen raspberries in a small amount of water. I strained out the seeds & reserved the thick red nutritious liquid.

~*~
Raspberry-Lime Delights
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup raspberry juice/liquid
2 tblspns cold H20
1 tblspn fresh lime juice
2 tblspns gelatin

2/3 cup H20
1 1 /2 cups sugar

Zest of one lime

Powdered sugar

Lightly oil an 8X8 glass pan. I lined the bottom with parchment paper. Scatter around the chopped nuts & set aside.
In a small bowl, combine raspberry juice, cold water, lime juice & gelatin, set aside for at least 5 minutes.
Combine the 2/3 cup water & sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
When the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring & allow sugar water to reach 234F (or soft-ball stage).
Remove from heat & add gelatin mixture. Return to heat & stir continuously till the thermometer reaches 224F.
Remove from heat & quickly stir in lime zest.
Pour the mixture over the nuts in the prepared pan.
Allow mixture to set overnight.
Once hardened, cover completely in powdered sugar & cut into squares with an oiled/buttered knife.
Coat all sides of the candy in powdered sugar & allow to stand for another 12 hours.
Store in an airtight container.

My Birthday Cake

2008-01-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

The breakfast birthday cake I decided to make for myself was not extravagant by any means - no frosting, no white flour, no nuts...basically nothing special. Just a very simple, nutritious & dense Cranberry "Coffee Cake" - no nuts, or crumbly topping. I definitely didn't feel guilty eating this for my birthday - whole grains, not too sweet, slightly tart & sour, and refreshing from the hint of orange. I didn't have soy milk - which I'm assuming was used for some curdling, so I used what I had left of Silk Soy "Eggnog" + oat milk. Since I'm trying to avoid roasted nuts, I replaced the addition of walnuts with a combo of fresh cranberries, dried cranberries & for a little added sweetness, white chocolate chips. For the sweetener, I used a combo of barley malt syrup, maple syrup & also agave nectar. I was afraid the coffee cake would be too light so therefore added the white chocolate chips & agave, but I think the original use of maple & malt syrup should be enough sweetness. I didn't have time to make the icing or a frosting, so that part was omitted - the link above has the original recipe with icing & all from Eden Foods.

~*~
Cranberry "Coffee Cake"
1 cup soy/oat/rice milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup barley malt syrup
1/4 cup maple syrup (maple + agave)
2 tblspns coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of orange extract
1 tblspn grated orange zest

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper, grease & set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine milk, vinegar, malt, maple, oil, extracts & zest. Whisk/stir to thoroughly combine. Let sit for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, lightly sift & combine flour, soda, powder & salt.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry & mix to barely combine, do not overmix.
Quickly fold in cranberries & white chocolate, making sure not to overwork the batter.
Pour into prepared pan & give it a quick shake to even out the batter.
Bake for 40 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely.
Loosen cake & revert pan to remove cake, decorate with icing if desired.
Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator - this cake tastes great cold.

Kick Starting the New Year

2008-01-01T10:38:00.000-06:00

My mom has been talking about Asian sweets, which inspired me to give this recipe a try - Steamed Pumpkin Buns. I got this recipe from Natural Health magazine - the November 2007 issue. Although I recognize there is little nutritional value in AP flour & cake flour, I tried it with whole wheat pastry & the results were less than pleasing - a little too dense. Next time, instead of cake flour (which seems to include weird chemicals during processing - bromates & peroxides), I want to try this again with unbleached organic white pastry flour. White pastry flour has a higher protein content than cake flour, but it should be an educating experiment. The resulting buns will not be as "white", but hopefully the texture will not be sacrificed too much - I need to make sure not to over knead the dough & a little vinegar may help with the color - says my mom.
The buns were a success, which means the filling can be changed up all sorts of ways - savory filling, taro root, mung bean, adzuki/red beans, etc. Wow, the options are plentiful. If & when making a savory bun, I'll probably reduce and/or eliminate the sugar in both the starter liquid & filling mixture.

~*~
Steamed Pumpkin Buns
3 ounces warm H2O (100-110F)
2 tblspns sugar
3/4 tsp dry active yeast

3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup AP flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp butter

2 tsp coconut oil
1 cup pumpkin puree (can or fresh)
1 - 2 tblspns sugar
cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg to taste
pinch of salt

Make the starter - combine warm water, sugar & dry active yeast. Stir to dissolve sugar & allow mixture to sit for 5 - 10 minutes, till foam/bubbles form on the surface of the water.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, sift together cake flour, AP flour, & salt.
Once the starter is ready, create a well in the center of the flour. Slowly moisten the flour with the starter liquid using a fork.
Remove fork & knead mixture till soft dough is formed.
Add butter & knead till smooth & elastic; add an additional 1 tsp of water if necessary.
Form a ball, cover with clean damp cloth & allow to rise till double in size - ~ 60 - 90 minutes. (If necessary, place in oven with oven light on to provide warm environment.)
While dough rises, prepare the filling: heat oil, add puree, sugar + spices + salt, to taste. Set aside & allow to cool.
When the dough is ready, divide evenly into 6 - 7 balls.
Place dough on flat floured surface & roll out into 6-inch diameter disks, making the edges slightly thinner than the center.
Place roughly 2 tablespoons of filling in the center & fold edges around the filling & press dough together to create a bun shape. Invert buns so smooth underside is now on top.
Cut squares of parchment paper to place underneath the buns to prevent sticking during steaming.
Allow buns to rest for 1 hour uncovered.
Heat water under steamer. Steam buns over high heat for 10 - 12 minutes.
Serve warm. Or refrigerate/freeze for longer storage. If frozen or refrigerated, steam for a few minutes to warm through - sprinkle the top with a little bit of water to prevent over-drying if necessary.
Makes 6 - 7 buns.

Other Buns:
Steamy Kitchen's
Baking Bites

Mom's Birthday

2007-12-29T09:40:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make something light & not too sweet for my Mom's birthday celebration. This blueberry muffin recipe is adapted from Simple Treats.
Now a trip down memory lane...
We didn't bake much when I was a kid, but I do have memories of me & my sister making blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins & peanut butter cookies, plus a few other things which I can't think of right now - pumpkin pie. My sister was always the baker/sweet maker when I was younger...now that she's moved away & doesn't live near us, it seems that I have taken up that role. Together, my sister & I made the "American" food, which I believe helped bridge my family from pure Asian cuisine to American-Asian variety at home. I can't remember all too much of my childhood - since my language was a lot more limited back then, but food was always a big part of our lives, as it still is today. At times I miss having my sister around & us cooking together, but as much as we resist change, we also find ourselves adapting & going with the flow without even noticing it. Life is all about change - taking new roles & moving beyond old ones. Although quite rare, life changes quite a bit more when we have the illusion of control, thinking we have the chance to consciously choose our roles. Ahh...all to give it all up in the end. That's what birthday's are about, a little reminder of our past experiences, although quite limited in scope. Come to think of it, my own birthday is quickly approaching - 9 days to be exact.
Back to the muffins - they were moist, not to sweet with a crunchy muffin top.

~*~
Blueberry-Lemon Muffins
Topping:
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp barley flour

Muffins:
1/4 cup coconut oil (2 ounces)
1/4 cup maple syrup
5 /8 cup rice milk (5 ounces)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
zest of one lemon

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup barley flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup fresh/frozen blueerries, if frozen - do not thaw
few blueberries for topping

Mix together sugar & flour for the topping. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Oil/line 8-cups of muffin tin. Set aside.
Mix oil, syrup, milk, vinegar, extracts & zest.
In a large bowl, sift together sugar, flours, soda, powder, nutmeg & salt.
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until barely combined, do not overwork batter.
If the batter is too stiff, add another teaspoon of milk.
Fold in 1 cup of blueberries using as few strokes as possible to prevent batter from turning purple/blue.
Spoon batter evenly among 8 tins. Do not overfill tins, as muffins tops will spread, not puff up vertically.
Sprinkle the muffins with the topping mixture & place 2 - 3 whole blueberries on the top of each muffin.
Bake for 20 minutes & rotate pan half turn for even baking. Bake additional 5 - 10 minutes, till toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes & remove from pan & cool completely on wire rack.
Makes 8 medium muffins.

Disaster After Disaster

2007-12-24T12:11:00.000-06:00

What happens when you make Divinity for the first time in your life & it doesn't turn out because you didn't whip it enough?? Well, you can't waste it & throw it away, so you try to find some kind of use for it. In my case, I tried to use it as "marshmallows" to make Rocky Ledge bars! How brilliant am I? Well, not so brilliant when it doesn't turn out. The Divinity was a failure because I did not whip it until the gloss/shine was gone & the rocky ledge bars just didn't cut clean. I thought the ratios seemed a little off, there was awfully a lot of filling to flour ratio. Plus I added some nuts & pineapples, so I'm guessing that contributed to a bar that was a little harder to cut. Not sure I'm brave enough to try either one again, but I'm hoping I will. Joe didn't seem to have any problems with his bars? Hmm, sometimes baking just makes you wonder what exactly went wrong!?!?!? Too bad that can be quite difficult to answer at times. Plus I cut the recipe in half, because a 9X13 pan is always too much! I make all these changes, then I complain about it not turning out as anticipated! That's the story of my baking life. :)

Mr. T's Favorite Cookie

2007-12-24T11:38:00.000-06:00

Christmas Cookies I

My boyfriend's current favorite cookie is a variation of vegan homemade Samoas that we made this past October. These cookies are chewy, sweet & densely packed with flavor. The brown rice syrup adds an irreplaceable peanut-buttery richness & the oats add just the right amount of chew. These cookies are pretty pretty pretty-darn good! I easily ate three in one sitting.

~*~
Mr. T's Favorite Cookie
1 cup liquid sweetener (brown rice syrup, maple syrup, etc + molasses)
1/2 cup oil (extra-virgin coconut oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat pastry
1/4 cup whole spelt flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup quick-cook rolled oats
3/4 cup - 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/4 cup raisins, roughly chopped
1/8 cup carob chips
1/4 cup caramel candy, chopped into smaller pieces

Preheat oven 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together liquid sweeteners, oil & vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine flours, salt, spices & baking powder.
Add oats, coconut & filling (dried fruit + chips + candy).
Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet & stir until just combined.
Roll dough into (60 grams each) balls & slightly flatten, cookies will spread.
Bake for 14 - 17 minutes & do not overbake for chewy cookies.
Remove from oven & allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes. (If caramel is still sticky, place cookies in the fridge for a few minutes until cookies are easily removed from parchment paper.)
Move to cooling rack.
Makes 18 - 20 large cookies.

**Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature as coco oil, if used, will solidify below 78F.
**The cookie flavors will be more prominent the second day.

Hazelnut Lime-Black Pepper Cookies

2007-12-24T10:39:00.000-06:00

Christmas Cookies IIPutting Alton Brown's The Chewy recipe to good use. The dough on this cookie is very much like a bakery-style cookie you would get at Whole Foods, Central Market or Mrs. Field's at the mall, etc. In other words, it's really good, but since this is homemade, it's even better. I decided to use this base for the Hazelnut-Lime Black Pepper flavor combo that has been so popular.

~*~
Hazelnut-Lime Black Pepper Cookies
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tblspns lime zest (3 large limes)

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted & chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Set aside & allow to cool.
Sift together the flour, salt, pepper & baking soda. Set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl.
Add the sugar & brown sugar.
Cream the butter & sugars on medium speed.
Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract & lime zest & mix until well combined.
Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
Fold in the nuts & white chocolate chips.
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets (~60grams each), 6 cookies per sheet.
Bake for 14 - 17 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes.
Rotate the baking sheet for even browning.
Cool completely & store in an airtight container.

Cherry-Orange Macadamia Cookies

2007-12-24T09:42:00.000-06:00

Christmas Cookies IIIWhen I need some no-fail cookies, I always turn to Cook's Illustrated's really chewy cookie dough. I used this base for these cherry-orange macadamia cookies. I didn't have the opportunity to taste these, but I'm sure they came out great.

~*~
Cherry-Orange Macadamia Cookies
2 cup + 1/8 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (12 tblspns), melted & cooled until just warm
1 cup brown sugar (little less)
1/2 cup white sugar (little less)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tblspn orange zest

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
2/3 cup macadamia nuts, toasted & chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda & salt. With the mixer on low, combine butter & sugar.
Beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla & orange zest.
Slowly add flour mixture.
Fold in filling (nuts, etc.).
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Measure out dough ~ 60grams each & roll into ball, place on baking sheet. Allow some room for spreading.
Baking at 325F for 15 - 17 minutes, until edges turn slightly light brown. Do not overbake for chewy cookies!
Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet.
Makes ~ 18 large cookies.

Spicy Ginger Cookies

2007-12-23T14:38:00.000-06:00

Christmas Cookies IV
The gingerbread cookies I made for Thanksgiving were good, but the dough was difficult to work with & the cookies were not as chewy as anticipated...again, it may be due to the extra addition of nuts & not so much related to the original recipe. Although my boyfriend's grandfather enjoyed them quite a bit, I thought I'd try to hunt down another recipe. I decided to try the Spiced up Ginger Cookies I found on Baking Bites. These did not disappoint, to say the least. Right out of the oven, the thin outer-layer was crispy & the center was moist & chewy. After a few days of storage, the cookies stayed chewy & the crispiness diminished. The cookies were flavorful with warm spices & crystallized ginger candy, this time I omitted any addition of nuts. The dough was a lot easier to work with compared to Martha Stewart's gingerbread cookies (although Martha's recipe does not call for eggs), & the results were equally as pleasing. I think I'll stick to this recipe for future ginger flavor cookies. I bet substitution with some whole wheat pastry will work here also.

~*~

Spicy Ginger Cookies
2 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tblspn ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup crystallized candy ginger, chopped into smaller pieces

1/4 cup coarse sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together, flour, salt, soda & spices.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar & oil. Beat in egg & molasses until smooth.
Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients until combined.
Fold in chopped ginger candy.
Shape dough into balls (50 grams each), roll in coarse sugar & place on lined baking sheet. Press down ever so slightly.
Bake for 7 - 10 minutes, till cookies are slightly brown & crackly.
Remove from oven & allow cookies to cook on baking sheets for about 5 minutes.
Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.
Makes 24 cookies

Monster Cookies

2007-12-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

Christmas Cookies V
I would never claim that monster cookies are only for kids, but I decided to bake these for my boyfriend's younger cousin's X-mas cookies. They're loaded with peanut butter flavor & chocolate...Yummy! They're chewy & moist, with just enough peanut butter flavor that was not overpowering. The oatmeal made the cookies substantial & the chocolate candy chips added just that extra bit of sweetness for an overall satisfying cookie. The original recipe yielded a lot of cookies, so I cut the recipe into one-third. That's always scary, since I do not own measuring spoons that measure 1/3 tsp, etc. Even with my changes to the recipe, the cookies turned out great! I will definitely be making these again. I got about 10 medium-large cookies.
Other Monster Cookie recipes I was considering:
Simply Recipes
Paula Deen

~*~
Monster Cookies
1 large egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 tsp vanilla extract (little more than 1/4 tsp)
1/3 tsp corn syrup (little more than 1/4 tsp)
2/3 tsp baking soda (1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp + a small amt more)
1/4 tsp salt

2 tblspns + 2 tsp butter, melted
1/2 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cup rolled oats
23 grams flour (1/6 cup)

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chocolate chip candy
1/8 cup peanuts, roasted
1/8 cup almonds, roasted & chopped

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine egg, sugars, extract, corn syrup, baking soda & salt in a large bowl.
Add melted butter & peanut butter, stir to combine.
Add oats & flour, stir to combine.
Fold in filling (candy, chip, nuts, etc.)
Allow the cookie batter to rest/sit for 30 minutes so the oats can absorb the butter.
Preheat oven 350F.
Drop the cookies (60grams each) on the cookie sheet & press down to flatten, these cookies do not spread a whole lot. Place six - nine cookies to a baking sheet.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until edges are slightly golden brown.
Yields 9 - 10 medium-large cookies.

**I made another batch of these on 12/27/07, this time, I omitted the almonds & reduced the chocolate just a tad & added unsweetened shredded coconut + caramel bits + raisins - YUM-o! I made smaller cookies & got about 14.

Pumpkin Bread

2007-12-18T16:28:00.000-06:00

As a special request, my mom wanted some sort of quick bread/cake/muffin that could easily be presented as a Christmas offering. She didn't really specify what she wanted, so I went ahead & decided on Eggnog Pound Cake & Pumpkin Bread. When we were at Central Market, I picked up some decorative paper molds. Now, the difficulty was trying to find a recipe which would be compatible with the volume of these molds. And of course, the second obstacle...I only needed about 4 mini loaves. The instructions that came with the molds specified to fill them about 1/3 - 1/2 full & to reduce baking time as deemed necessary. Boy...that's a lot of different things to consider & definitely took a little extra creativity on my half.
The adventure begins: I split the Eggnog recipe into one-third and halved the Pumpkin bread recipe. Tricky indeed, as messing with a perfectly good recipe can always end in disaster. How it ended (partially): the pumpkin bread turned out beautifully, only in the looks department, as taste testing would be highly inappropriate for a loaf. The receiver may just notice. The eggnog cake didn't turn out as beautifully domed as the cupcakes/muffins, but at least they did not completely sink in the middle. Same applies with taste testing of course. I'm not quite sure what went wrong, it may be the amount of baking powder & other oddly measured/estimated ingredients, or I over filled the molds, which is likely my personal culprit. Both for the pumpkin & eggnog, the molds were about 3/4 full.

~*~
Pumpkin Bread w/ Walnuts & Raisins
3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
dash of ginger

1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 4 ounces
1/4 cup vegetable oil (coconut/canola)
1 egg, beaten
1/8 cup H20 (rice milk, 1 ounce)

1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/8 cup chopped raisins

Preheat oven to 350F, 325F if using dark decorative molds. Prepare mini loaf pans, set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift & combine together dry ingredients.
In a larger bowl, combine together wet ingredients.
Add dry ingredients into the wet mixture & mix until barely combined, DO NOT OVERMIX.
Fold in walnuts & raisins.
Divide evenly among 2 - 3 mini molds.
Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until an toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean & the bread is evenly golden brown.
Remove from oven & transfer to cooling rack.
Makes 2 - 3 mini loaves.

~*~
Eggnog Pound Cake
1/4 scant cup raisins, roughly chopped
2 tsp dark rum

5 tblspns + 1 tsp (1/3 tblspn) butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1 large egg

1 cup AP flour
6/8 scant tsp baking powder (lil' less than 6/8 tsp, near 6/9)
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/3 cup eggnog + 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Sugar glaze, optional

Soak the raisins in dark rum for about 15 minutes.
Adjust rack to lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare mini loaf pans. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugar, orange zest & beat till light & fluffy, about 4 - 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides & bottom as needed to ensure even mixture.
Add egg & beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
At a very slow speed, add dry & eggnog + vanilla, alternating a few times times, starting & ending with the dry ingredients (dry + eggnog + dry + eggnog + dry), scraping bowl as necessary. Do not overmix.
Fold in raisins w/ rum.
Divide among three mini loaf molds & spread evenly. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean & edges are lightly golden.
Remove from oven & allow to cool.
If desired, drizzle top with sugar glaze (confectioner's sugar + H20)
Makes 2 - 3 mini loaves.

Attempting to Adapt

2007-12-17T14:38:00.000-06:00

I wanted to replicate the subtle oatmeal chewiness from Spiked Cookies, but using a chewier cookie base. It didn't quite turn out as anticipated. The dough was a little crumbly & the resulting cookie was soft, definitely not cake-like, but wasn't quite chewy either. Just a soft, buttery, ORDINARY cookie. I considered giving the rolled oats a quick whizz in the food processor, but was too lazy once I thought about all the dishes I had to do! - may need to put in the extra effort next time. Definitely yummy, but didn't quite meet my high expectations. That's the problem with expectations, you can easily get disappointed...especially when you have a rigid preconceived notion. When you're unsure, you accidentally end up being more open-minded, which can't be a bad thing at all.

~*~
Oatmeal Cherry-Walnut Cookies
2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (12 tblspns), melted & cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup quick cook rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 walnuts, toasted & chopped

Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda & salt.
With the mixer on low, combine butter & sugar. Beat in the egg, egg yolk & vanilla.
Slowly add flour mixture.
Fold in filling (oats, cherries, nuts, etc.).
Form dough into balls & place on baking sheet. Flatten cookies, the cookies did not spread a whole lot.
Baking at 325F for 15 - 17 minutes, until edges turn slightly light brown. Do not overbake for chewy cookies!
Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet. If the caramel has not hardened, stick the baking sheet in the freezer/fridge for a few minutes.
Makes 18 - 24 cookies.

**Chewy White & Dark Chocolate Oat Cookies

Chocolate Cookies

2007-12-17T12:37:00.000-06:00

I attempted these double chocolate cookies as part of my X-mas baking for co-workers - they love chocolate. My cookies didn't turn quite as chocolaty & flavorful as preferred, but I didn't have dutch-process cocoa, plus I used white chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate. I wanted a black & white cookie. For the melted 4 ounces of chocolate, I used a mix of semi-sweet & cappuccino chips, I also added about 1/2 tsp of instant espresso powder. The cookies were a bit fragile, but overbaking would have dried them out, so remember to take them out if they took like they're getting too dry. Crispy-chewy edges with a chewy center. I normally LOVE chewy cookies, but just not a big fan of chocolate...I think I'm allergic, otherwise I would eat it everyday if I could!

~*~
Chocolate w/ White Chocolate & Pecan Cookies

1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ounces white chocolate chips
1/3 pecans, toasted & chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, & salt; set aside.
Melt 4 ounces chocolate chips with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.
Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined.
Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.
Fold in white chocolate chips & pecans.
Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies should be soft).
Let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Peppermint Marshmallows

2007-12-16T18:37:00.000-06:00

For the first time in my life, I made some homemade marshmallows! They turned out great! Soft, chewy, sweet, flavorful, delicious & light! I could eat the whole batch without even knowing it! Ok - I'm a freakin' sugar addict! Instead of using vanilla, I substituted equal amounts of peppermint flavor.

~*~
Peppermint Marshmallows
1 1/2 packages unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold H20

1/4 cup ice cold H20
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp peppermint extract
splash of vanilla extract
1/8 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 cup cornstarch, little less

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.
In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup & salt. Place over medium high heat, cover & allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan & continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.
Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture.
Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high.
Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick & is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
Add the peppermint & splash of vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pan as follows.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 8 by 8-glass inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper & spray again. Add the sugar & cornstarch mixture & move around to completely coat the bottom & sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.
When marshmallow is ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar & cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours & up to overnight.
Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board & cut into 1-inch squares using a sharp knife dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

**More Marshmallows:
Cookie Baker Lynn
Baking Bites
Bittersweet

Holiday Biscotti

2007-12-16T17:36:00.000-06:00

This is my second year baking up these Holiday Biscotti's as part of my holiday baking. I've used the base recipe numerous times to make a mix match of flavors. I personally prefer the butter-based biscotti because I didn't like the 1 dry biscotti that I've eaten at a cafe. There's no point in creating a general bias because of ONE little experience, therefore, it's my mission to try at least one butter-less biscotti recipe before I quit baking as a hobby. Plus everyone's always on a diet, so I can say - this one doesn't have any butter! :) Wanna please all those loved ones in our lives! I made two batches this time since these are sooo good! Don't make the same mistake twice - do not leave out 1/2 tsp baking powder on accident, messing up is never allowed!

~*~
Holiday Biscotti
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup, 1 stick of butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 large eggs

3/4 cup pistachios, chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Melted white chocolate for drizzling, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl to blend.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, until light & blended.
Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
Add the flour mixture & beat just until blended.
Fold in the pistachio nuts & dried cranberries.
Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes.
Cool for at least 1 - 2 hours. (I like to cool overnight.)
Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.
Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes.
Once slightly cooled, transfer the biscotti to a rack & cool completely.
Optional: Stir the white chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Drizzle over biscotti or dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.
The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Eggnog Again...

2007-12-15T09:38:00.000-06:00

These were light, not too fluffy, not too sweet, not too buttery & probably perfect with some tea.
A delicate & tasty treat. These went over to my aunt's house. I halved the recipe and made a dozen cupcakes.

~*~
Eggnog Pound Cake

1/4 cup dried raisins, roughly chopped
1 tblspn dark rum

1 stick unsalted butter (8 tblspns), room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1 1/2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup eggnog + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Sugar glaze, optional

Soak the raisins in dark rum for about 15 minutes.
Adjust rack to lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugar, orange zest & beat till light & fluffy, about 4 - 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides & bottom as needed to ensure even mixture.
Add egg & beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
At a very slow speed, add dry & eggnog + vanilla, alternating a few times times, starting & ending with the dry ingredients (dry + eggnog + dry + eggnog + dry), scraping bowl as necessary. Do not overmix.
Fold in raisins w/ rum.
Divide evenly between muffin tin. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean & edges are lightly golden.
Remove from oven & allow to cool.
If desired, drizzle top with sugar glaze (confectioner's sugar + H20).
Makes 12 cupcakes.

Spiked Cookies

2007-12-13T19:08:00.000-06:00

It's always fun & definitely festive to spice up your holiday baking with some alcohol...the alcohol makes me all warm inside! For these cookies, I took my inspiration from Garrett's Brandied Cranberry & White Chocolate cookies. Garrett's recipe does not include oatmeal, & personally, I enjoy oatmeal in my cookies, but too much oatmeal can make a cookie too much like granola and/or a muffin top. I prefer just the right amount of oatmeal for the added chew factor. When I saw Nicole's post for Addictive Chocolate Chip Cookies, I knew this could possibly be what I've been looking for! These cookies are really yummy! I would not call this a really chewy cookie, but it's right in the middle of chewy, buttery, soft, cake-y, & crispy. After a day or two of storage, the crispy edges become soft, but they're definitely crispy right out of the oven. I love the fact that the oatmeal was not overpowering, but would like to add an additional 2 - 3 tablespoons next time, plus possibly a quick whizz in the food processor. Since I used dried cranberries & white chocolate, the cookies became a little sweet for my personal tastebuds...so I plan on reducing the white sugar just a tad more next time. I was really tempted to add just a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg, but refrained since I did not want to mask or overpower any alcohol flavor. The brandy + rum + whiskey combo was definitely subtle, as it normally is in baking, but accented the cranberry's tartness in the slightest noticeable way. A classy, updated, adult holiday cookie that I will definitely make again!

~*~
Brandied Cranberry Cookies
2 cups AP flour
½ cup quick cooking rolled oats (2 - 3 tblspns more next time)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
¾ cup white sugar (less)
¾ cup brown sugar

1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp brandy (used to soak cranberries)

3/4 cup dried cranberries (roughly chopped & soaked: 1 cup combo of brandy + dark rum + whiskey)
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted & chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Roughly chop dried cranberries & soak in a combination of brandy, dark rum & whiskey for about an hour.
Once soaked, drain cranberries & put aside. Reserve alcohol liquid.
Preheat oven 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking soda & salt.
With an electric mixer, cream together butter & sugar until light & fluffy.
Beat in egg, vanilla extract + 1 1/2 tsp reserved alcohol liquid until combined.
Slowly add flour mixture & mix until nearly combined.
Fold in spiked cranberries, toasted & chopped walnuts, & white chocolate chips until everything is evenly distributed.
If dough is a little too sticky, pop in the fridge for 15 - 30 minutes.
Drop by large (40grams) tablespoons onto baking sheet. 9 cookies per sheet, these cookies will spread. Gently press down to flatten into 1 1/2 - 2 inch diameter.
Bake 12 - 15 minutes, till slightly golden brown around the edges.
Makes ~25 medium-large sized cookies.

**Dried raisins or cherries would be a good substitution for cranberries. Pistachios instead of walnuts will make this even more festive.

**They're packaged up & ready to be delivered!**

Outrageous Caffeine Infused Brownies

2007-12-05T20:41:00.003-06:00

These brownies seem to be very very popular. I've made them before following the original recipe - using just chocolate chips & walnuts. This time I had some left over caramel & thought it would be a great addition to this already fabulous brownie recipe. Instead of instant coffee, I used instant espresso & added some cappuccino chips.
Outrageous Brownie Variations:
Tartelette
Culinary in the Desert
Smitten Kitchen

~*~

Outrageous Brownies

1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks)

8 oz + 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips, divided

3 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 large eggs

1 tblspn instant espresso powder

1 tblspn real vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup + 2 tblspn AP flour, divided (1/2 cup for batter & 2 tblspn in the chips)

1 1 /2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts, toasted & roughly chopped
1/3 cup caramel candy, chopped smaller pieces
1/3 cup cappuccino chips

Melt together the butter, 8 oz semisweet chocolate chips, & unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9X13 pan with parchment paper, grease & flour. Set aside.
Stir together the eggs, instant espresso, vanilla & sugar. Stir in the liquid chocolate mixture.
Whisk together 1/2 cup of the flour, baking powder & salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture.
Toss the 6 ounces of chocolate chips, nuts, caramels & cappuccino chips with 2 tablespoons flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter.
Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean.
Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan & the brownie dough.
Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well & cut into squares.
Makes 15 medium sized squares.

**I got to sample some the day after & these are fabulous indeed. I haven't had many brownies, but the texture is perfect, in my opinion. The brownies were not too fudgy & dense, they were the perfect balance of cakey & light, considering the small amount of flour used, with just the right amount of chocolaty. My only complaint?...when the chocolate/sugar hit my teeth, I think I got a slight sugar/caffeine rush! OUCH, I think I have a cavity.

Holiday Luncheon

2007-12-03T19:37:00.000-06:00

I wanted to bring something festive to our holiday luncheon at work. I would normally make cookies, but decided I wanted something more directly related to the holidays - like fruit cake, gingerbread, peppermint, or candy canes. After endless hours searching on the internet, the final choices were gingerbread cookies, fig holiday roll, cherry-pecan loaves, or eggnog cupcakes. Honestly, I really wanted to try my hand at making a roll, but it seemed like way too much work for a weeknight! My co-workers like desserts spiked with alcohol, so the winner was...eggnog cupcakes. I haven't had a cupcake, but the batter seemed really thick. My oven was acting up, so the temperature was running way too high. I've never had to alternate adding the final dry & wet ingredients, so I think I accidentally over-mixed the batter. The cupcake seemed a bit tough, dense & not very soft & delicate. My cupcakes didn't turn out as dark as Cheryl's either. The odds are against me, I hope it tastes halfway decent!!! Oh well, what's done is done...I followed her recipe to the best of my ability. I thought the frosting recipe yielded a decent amount to frost liberally, but I'm normally conservative with icing. I decorated my cupcakes with holiday spice drops & some with a few red & green sugar crystals. **My predictions were correct, the cupcake was too dry! I'm never ever certain what goes wrong in the face of failure, but I would not consider these a success. I also found that there wasn't enough filling/pastry cream in each cupcake & the alcohol was not prominent enough. I also reduced the amount of sugar in the batter & frosting & the cupcakes weren't quite sweet enough. Oh well, wishing myself butter luck on my next bake date. I'm too lazy to re-type the recipe as I followed Cheryl's instructions.

Rosemary Cookies

2007-12-02T11:30:00.000-06:00

I've made rosemary lemon cookies before with great success, so I thought these rosemary-walnut shortbread cookies seemed worth a try. Plus I had leftover grounded up almonds that I wanted to use up. These are simple & a different twist in flavor from your normal cookies. I can't say they're my favorite, but they're not bad at all.

~*~
Rosemary Almond Shortbread
5/8 cup AP flour
1/4 cup finely grounded almonds
3/4 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/8 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, almonds, rosemary & salt. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, blend together butter & sugar until lightened, about 3 minutes.
Slowly add flour mixture & mix until until dough comes together & is smooth, ~ 3 minutes.
Turn dough onto parchment paper & form a round ball.
Place another piece of parchment paper on top. Using a rolling pin, roll into a 9-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick.
Transfer to baking sheet & refrigerate for about 30 minutes until firm.
Preheat oven 300F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut cookies into desired shapes & transfer to baking sheet.
Roll scraps & repeat, it may be necessary to place the dough back into the fridge or freezer if it becomes too soft.
Bake until golden brown, 15 - 18 minutes.
Cool cookies completely on wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Makes 24 - 30 cookies.

Gratification

2007-11-26T16:53:00.000-06:00

I was looking for a "mailable cookie" - a sturdy enough cookie with a slightly longer shelf-life. Can't say that I chose the best kind of cookie or shall I say the best recipe, but due to lack of experience, I decided on Raspberry Lemon thumbprint cookies. I knew I had made a bad choice the moment I took one bite - this cookie was buttery, soft & airy, OH MY! It reminded me of Danish cookies that we used to get around the holidays, except not as dense & crunchy. I think the regular dense Danish cookies would have been much better for shipping, but that's not what I made. The cookies were good & I still mailed them...I hope they made it to Houston all in one piece!

~*~
Blueberry-Orange Thumbprint
1/4 cup blueberry jam
1 1/2 tsp brandy/kirsch

1 1 /8 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 1/2 tsp orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white, lightly beaten (optional)
1/2 cup grounded almonds (optional)

In a small bowl, combine jam & brandy. Stir to combine & set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients & whisk to combine.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter & sugar till light & fluffy.
Beat in egg yolk, zest, juice & extract.
Add flour slowly & beat just until moist crumbs form.
Gather dough into a ball & refrigerate for about 15 minutes, or until a little firmer & easier to work with.
Preheat oven to 350F & line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg white & ground the toasted almonds in a food processor if necessary.
With the dough, form 1-inch balls & create a deep indention in the center of each ball.
Roll the edges of the cookie in egg white & dip into grounded almonds until covered.
Place cookies about 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
Fill each center with 1/2 teaspoon jam.
Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 - 30 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack for cooling completely.
Makes 24 cookies.

Thanksgiving Cookies I

2007-11-22T08:35:00.000-06:00

Pecan Bars/Squares, not sure what the difference is other than maybe how one cuts the cookies? After running into Deb's review of these Pecan Squares, I decided they seemed quite appropriate for Thanksgiving this year. This cookie spread (I, II & III) is for my boyfriend's family...I hope they enjoy it. Unfortunately I won't be able to join him this year, I'll be staying in Dallas to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I heeded Deb's advice & opted to use another shortbread crust recipe. It was hard choosing something, since I lack experience with shortbread, but decided on Nicole's crust, it seemed simple & manageable, therefore lowering my screw-up probability. I had a difficult time deciding between the crust for her Lemon Meringue Bars or her Sour Cream Lemon Shortbread Bars. I would agree with Deb that the zest makes the cookies! I personally love citrus fruit zest. I gave my parents a small sample & they absolutely loved these bars!

~*~
Pecan Bars
Crust:
1 cup AP flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest

6 tblspns butter, chilled & cut into chunks (freeze for 15 minutes)

Topping:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp orange zest

1 tblspn heavy cream
8 ounces pecan halves (~1 cup), lightly toasted & roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Toast pecans, coarsely chop & set aside. Line bottom of 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
To make the crust, combine flour, sugar & lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse in butter until butter is well distributed & the mixture resembles moist sand.
Pour into a 8×8-inch baking dish & spread evenly.
Press down to create a firm, even layer. If necessary, use the bottom of a glass to press down on the crust.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until edges are slightly golden & set. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, for the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, & zests in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir.
Raise the heat & boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the heavy cream & pecans.
Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the filling is set.
Remove from the oven & allow to cool.
Once cooled, wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

**I think I may reduce the amount of butter for the topping next time. Since I did all sorts of things with sizing down & changing the recipe, the center crust was a little moist & definitely more buttery. I personally would like the center to be drier & more similar to the edges of the pan. Or I may try a different shortbread crust recipe next time.

Thanksgiving Cookies II

2007-11-21T17:35:00.000-06:00

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies with Crystallized Ginger + Macadamia Nuts. I'm a big chewy cookie fan, so I had to bake these cookies. I guess gingerbread may be more appropriate for X-mas, but there's no cookie discrimination here! Personally, I did not find my cookies super chewy, maybe because the candy & nuts made it chunky, which do contribute to the overall texture of a cookie. Because they didn't seem chewy enough for me, I slightly underbaked them, which may have helped a little bit. Plus my oven was misbehaving & fluctuating greatly in temperature range. The gingerbread flavor is definitely strong & the aroma of holiday spices filled our house! I'm ready for Christmas baking, bring it on!

~*~
Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
1 1/2 cup + 1 tblspn AP flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tblspn cocoa powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 tblspn freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tsp baking soda + 1 1/2 tsp boiling H2O

1/3 cup crystallized ginger candy, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted & coarsely chopped

1/4 cup granulated/coarse sugar

Chop ginger & toasted macadamia nuts; set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, & cocoa.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter & grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes.
Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water.
Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture.
Beat in baking-soda mixture.
Then remaining half of flour mixture.
Fold in ginger candy & nuts; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap.
Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll dough into 2-inch balls; place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Roll dough balls in granulated sugar & return to baking sheet.
Transfer to oven & bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 15 - 18 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes ~24 cookies

**My boyfriend's grandfather called me Thanksgiving night to tell me how much he enjoyed these...it's always rewarding to get positive feedback.

Thanksgiving Cookies III

2007-11-21T10:34:00.001-06:00

Cashew-Caramel Cookies with Dried Cherries & homemade caramel candy. Cashews & caramel are definitely a really good pair because these cookies were chewy, subtle in flavor & simply delicious! Although caramel can get a little messy to bake with, it's well worth eating a "candy"-like cookie! I also want to note that I think it's important to pre-toast the cashews to bring forward all its' flavors. I just used the classic chewy cookie base to make these simple cookies. The intensive labor went into the caramel candy!

~*~
Cashew-Caramel Cherry Cookies
2 cups + 1/8 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (12 tblspns), melted & cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup cashews, toasted & coarsely chopped
3/4 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup caramel candy, small-sized pieces

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda & salt.
With the mixer on low, combine butter & sugar. Beat in the egg, egg yolk & vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture.
Fold in filling (nuts, etc.).
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Measure out dough ~ 45grams each & roll into ball, place on baking sheet. Allow some room for spreading.
Baking at 325F for 15 - 17 minutes, until edges turn slightly light brown. Do not overbake for chewy cookies!
Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet. If the caramel has not hardened, stick the baking sheet in the freezer/fridge for a few minutes.
Makes 18 - 24 cookies.

Pumpkin Pie

2007-11-21T08:35:00.000-06:00

I'm a little disappointed with my pumpkin pie results, but I've learned or reconfirmed a few things:

I don't like cardamon! It's just not my favorite spice, it's too overpowering. It took over the pumpkin pie! I tried to add a little more grounded cinnamon & ginger to cover it up, but may have over spiced the pie as a result. :(
It may be better to use fresh roasted pumpkin or canned instead of steamed pumpkin - my pie was a little on the wet side. Or I just didn't do a good enough job "drying-out" my pumpkin puree.
Maybe I need to give in & try a "tofu" pumpkin pie. I wanted to avoid tofu & used a recipe that used egg replacer & potato starch, but the whole pie just didn't quite congeal up enough for my taste.
I reduced the brown sugar a little too much, although we like things not too sweet, a dessert should be a little sweeter.
My parents felt guilty eating such a buttery crust, so another option using less fat would be ideal next time.

All & all, it wasn't a complete disaster & the pie was decent, just not that best egg-less pumpkin pie I've ever had - that's more of what I was going for! Well, that's normally what I'm ALWAYS going for, the best darn dessert I've ever had! It was definitely interesting making my first pie & pie crust from scratch. I still have a lot to learn, but that's what this experience is all about. Yay LIFE!

~*~
Pumpkin Pie
Crust:
1 1/4 AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup (8 tblspns) butter, cubbed & frozen

2 - 4 tblspns very cold H2O

Filling:

For the crust:

Homemade Caramel

2007-11-18T09:12:00.000-06:00

I made caramel candy this weekend. Initially I was pretty scared it would not turn out since candy-making can be finicky & I basically have no experience. Plus, our house has been a little humid & that worried me too. Although my candy didn't harden up quite as much as I would like, I think a little time in the fridge will do the trick. I personally think the texture is perfect for candy eaten alone - just the right amount of chewy, but since I've never had homemade caramel before, I have nothing for comparison. Other than having caramel in candy & cookies, the only other caramel I know is from Kraft, which has a lot of nasty looking stuff listed in the ingredients. The candy is a bit soft, which makes for difficult clean cutting, so that seems to be a bit of a challenge. I plan on using this candy in some cashew-caramel cherry cookies. They're going into cookies - how bad could that be? Plus they taste fantastically delicious alone. Many things considered, maybe next time I need to allow the candy to get back to 250F instead of 244F after adding the butter & cream mixture. Plus, according to Martha's recipe, every step took a bit of time longer than it took my process, maybe I needed to lower the temperature & give the candy more time to cook? *Shrug* I have too much to learn about candy making! I have too much to learn, period.

~*~
Homemade Golden Caramel
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup H2O
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 stick of butter (4 tblspns), cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside in a place where it can sit for 24 hours without being moved. (For thicker candy, line a smaller pan as candy does spread.)
In a small saucepan, combine heavy cream + condensed milk. Cook slowly on low until warm, be careful not to bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a heavy 6 - 8 quart pan (I used 2 quart), combine H2O, corn syrup, sugar & salt. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan. Over high heat, with a wooden spoon, stir mixture until sugar is dissolved ~4 - 12 minutes. Brush down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove sugar crystals.
Once sugar is dissolved, stop stirring, reduce heat to medium, bring to a boil & without stirring, continue cooking until temperature reaches 250F (hard-ball stage), ~45 - 60 minutes (took me ~12 - 15 minutes).
Keep an eye on cream mixture & make sure it's warm, but not boiling.
When sugar mixture reaches 250F, while stirring, add butter pieces & SLOWLY add warmed cream mixture, be careful as this will bubble up & be extremely hot. Keep mixture boiling at all times.
Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 244F (firm-ball stage), ~55 - 75 minutes (took me ~18 - 20 minutes).
Stir in vanilla extract.
Immediately pour into prepared pan without scraping pot.
Let stand uncovered at room temperature, without moving, for 24 hours. (I tented mine with some parchment paper.) **To clean saucepan, fill the pot with H2O & bring to a boil, the caramel will dissolve & come off for easy cleaning.**
Cut into pieces or desired shapes & wrap in cellophane or wax paper. (Pop in fridge for a few minutes before cutting to harden candy slightly if necessary.)

Variations

2007-11-15T17:56:00.000-06:00

Variations of a similar cookie recipe:
Original Cocoa Fudge Cookies
Cocoa Fudge w/ Cherries
Chewy Cocoa Fudge w/Chocolate Chips
Vegan Cocoa Fudge
My addition - Cocoa Fudge w/ Chocolate & Cappuccino Chips.
I have to admit, I didn't review the different variations before baking up these cookies, although I should have done the compare & contrast thing!
The name of the cookie included "chewy''! - can't go wrong there right? Unfortunately, I would not categorize mine as chewy. I would agree with Nicole that the cookies were "soft & rich"...I would agree with Molly that the cookies are "dark, and dense with chocolate flavor, but not too sweet". But that's baking, it could be any little minor factor or detail that would put my cookies more in the brownie, dense, cake-like cookie category. Don't get me wrong, these taste really good...just not what I expected. I was actually looking for an easy replacement for these Chewy Chocolate Espresso cookies. I had some extra yogurt & the recipe seemed simple & easy. The cookies did not spread really, but puffed up instead. The original recipe called for 5 tablespoons of butter instead of 4, so I may try that next time. Instead of scooping the flour, I will spoon & level, & I'll try to be more accurate when measuring the cocoa powder. I did reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup from 1 cup, but I doubt that made a big difference. I made sure not to overmix the batter, but it was thick & more like a brownie mixture. I wonder how these would hold up to whole wheat pastry? More puffier? No cappuccino chips? Espresso powder can provide the coffee kick.

~*~
Brownie-Like Cookies
1 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

4 tblspns butter (5 tblspns next time)
7 tblspns unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup cappuccino chips

Preheat oven 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup & level with a knife. Combine flour, soda, & salt; set aside.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in sifted cocoa powder & sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand).
Add yogurt & vanilla, stirring to combine.
Add flour mixture, stirring until moist.
Fold in chips.
Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheet - press down slightly to flatten - cookies barely spread. (Cookies may spread more with extra tablespoon of butter.)
Bake at 350° for ~8 - 10 minutes or until almost set.
Cool on pans 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Transfer to cooling rack.
Makes ~20 cookies.

Peanut Butter

2007-11-14T20:52:00.000-06:00

These peanut butter bars are REALLY SIMPLE & delicious to whip up in a jiffy (I didn't even plan ahead & defrost my ingredients). Personally, I think they're better than peanut butter cookies. The texture is chewy, thick, rich & the peanut butter flavor is prominent - although not much is used...this is a great way to use up that small amount of peanut butter leftover. Although I reduced the amount of sugar, it was still a little on the sweet side for my taste since raisins are pretty sweet all on their own. I'm normally not a big fan of raisins, but I find them quite enjoyable when they're cut into smaller pieces, personal preference I guess. Plus I can't tell they're raisins! :)

~*~
Peanut Butter Raisin Bars
1/4 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter (2 ounces)
1/4 cup salted butter (4 tblspns)

1/2 cup sugar (little less next time)
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup AP flour
3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup raisins, chopped
dark chocolate chips, for sprinkling

Preheat oven 350F. Butter & flour 6X9 glass pan, set aside. **It may be wise to line the bottom of the pan with some parchment paper.
Combine peanut butter & butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Allow to cool.
Add sugar, egg & vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
Add flour & baking powder.
Fold in chopped raisins.
Spread batter into prepared pan & sprinkle the top with some chocolate chips (optional) - press them into the batter slightly.
Bake for ~25 - 30 minutes, till the top is lightly golden brown & a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.
Makes 8 small bars or 6 large ones.

Cranberries

2007-11-13T07:29:00.000-06:00

I too had some fresh cranberries awaiting in the freezer to be devoured. It's been particularly warm for a November in Texas, so I used Susan's recipe for cranberry sorbet. I used a little less cranberries so I would not have to use so much sweetener. To avoid dishes by using the food processor a second time, I just tried to create a pseudo-granita/snowcone like texture (I've never had a granita, but have seen Giada do something similar on Food Network). The final result was slightly tart, yet refreshing.

~*~
Homemade Cranberry Sorbet
6 - 7 ounces cranberries, fresh/frozen & thawed
2 ripe pears, cored
1/4 - 1/3 cup sweetener, (honey, agave + xylitol)
1/2 cup H2O
lemon/lime/orange zest

Put all ingredients in food processor.
Process until completely smooth.
Taste for additional sweetener if necessary.
Pour into a shallow glass pan & freeze. "Fluff" sorbet with a fork about every hour.
Serve cold.

Oatmeal

2007-11-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

Thank you Dreena for another successful chewy vegan oatmeal cookie! Instead of raisins, I used dried cranberries & omitted the refined sugar.

~*~
Chewy Oatmeal Cookies
3/4 cup + 1 tblspn whole spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup quick cook oats
1/4 cup dried cranberries (raisins, chips, nuts, coconut)

1/4 cup + 2 tblspns liquid sweetener (brown rice syrup + maple + agave)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift & combine together flour, powder, soda, spices, & salt.
Stir in oats & add dried cranberries.
In a liquid measuring cup, measure out sweetener & oil. Add molasses & extract. Stir around to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry & stir till well combined, do not overmix.
Spoon & divide batter evenly on baking sheet, allow some room for spreading.
Bake for 11 minutes for a chewy cookie.
Remove from oven, cool on baking sheet for 1 minute & transfer to cooling rack.
Makes 9 - 12 cookies.

Spicy Trail Mix

2007-11-09T21:07:00.000-06:00

Although I recognize roasted nuts are incomparable, nutritionally speaking, to raw & soaked nuts, sometimes I crave to be a bad bad girl. These spicy glazed nuts & pretzels are perfect for the rebel in me. I used a mix of organic nuts - cashews, almonds, pecans & pistachios & Newman's spelt pretzels. Let's just say I ate most of it before I had a chance to take any halfway decent pictures. Yum, yum & some more yum.

~*~

Spicy-Sweet Trail Mix
1 cup mixed nuts, raw

1/2 tblspn butter, melted
1 1/2 tblspns dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tblspn maple syrup (little less)

1 cup small pretzels twists
1 tsp coarse salt

Preheat oven 350F. Slightly roast nuts on a lined baking sheet, about 5 - 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne & maple syrup.
Add nuts & pretzels to spicy mixture - thoroughly coat.
Sprinkle on coarse salt.
Spread mixture back on lined baking sheet & return to oven for additional 10 minutes, stirring once to allow even baking.
Remove from oven & cool completely. There's no need to separate nuts from pretzels since they taste best eaten together! :)
Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days - if they even last that long!
Makes about 2 cups.

Subtle & Not Beautiful

2007-11-09T19:26:00.000-06:00

I am a little disappointed with my green tea almond shortbread cookies. I imagined beautiful elegant cookies. Well, damper on my party, I had a freakin' hard time making them look pretty. This really teaches me to appreciate cut out cookies & remind me that I suck at it. First I tried to cut it from a log, & then I tried to use cookie cutters...I just couldn't get them to look all gorgeous beautiful & perfect. I'm not quite sure what my problem was, if I knew, I'd fix it! The dough has to be just the right temperature, the knife has to be sharp & there's some technique/experience there that I'm lacking. Plus my shortbread puffed up a bit!! No one else's looked puffy, they look perfectly flat & dense. Arrgghh!! Maybe I somehow overworked the dough, over fluffed my butter, or I reduced the sugar too much & the almonds made it difficult to get a clean cut. Otherwise, the green tea flavor was subtle, the cookie was dense & just slightly crumbly, not too sweet & the butter flavor was fragrant, as always.

~*~

Green Tea Almond Shortbread
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/2 powdered sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup AP flour (spooned & leveled)
1 1/2 tblspn matcha green tea powder

3/8 cup sliced almonds

In a stand mixer, beat together butter, sifted powdered sugar, almond extract & salt until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour & green tea powder. Slowly add to butter mixture to form a dough.
Hand fold in almonds.
On parchment paper, form the dough into a log (6 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide & 1 inch thick), & freeze until firm ~1 hour (or up to 3 months covered in plastic wrap).
Remove dough from freezer (if dough is too hard, defrost for 20 - 30 minutes to allow cutting without crumbling).
With a sharp knife, cut slices about 1/4 inch thick.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate dough for another 15 minutes.
Preheat oven 325F.
Bake ~20 - 25 minutes, till edges turn just about light golden.
Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack.
Makes about 20 cookies.

One Step Closer...

2007-11-09T10:15:00.000-06:00

I'm still on the look out for an easy, vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free cookie recipe. I admit I haven't been trying super duper hard, but I've bought some recipe books & I'm looking...I'm just waiting for certain organic flours to arrive via UPS. Most recipes require a gluten-free flour mixture and/or eggs, so this should be interesting. Plus, the few that I've had, had a distinct tapioca texture. *Sigh*
Yesterday, I got lucky! I came across Dreena Burton's recipe for Gluten-Be-Gone Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies from ED&bV. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers! I got to taste one while it was still warm, but am looking forward to tasting it the day after. This was a very simple recipe & did not require many dishes - which I LOVE! I just used a large mixing bowl & mixed my liquids in my measuring cup. The cookie batter was wet & cohesive - a GOOD SIGN! It wasn't all crumbly & falling apart. This recipe definitely appealed to me because of the small amount of tapioca flour...I still think it was noticeable, but I'm hoping I'll have a different opinion today. *Fingers crossed* Eventually, I would like to replace the brown sugar. I may need to increase the amount of flour as a result...I think I may have also used 1/4 tsp baking powder** instead of 1 tsp. Opps. Also, before baking, I placed the dough in the fridge for about 15 - 30 minutes, giving the brown rice syrup & coco oil a chance to harden & reduce cookie spread.

~*~
Gluten-Free Cookies!
3/4 cup + 1 tblspn brown rice flour/amaranth flour
2 tblspn tapioca flour
1 tsp xanthum gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder**
1/4 cup brown sugar (little less)

1/3 cup maple syrup (brown rice syrup, agave nectar & maple)
1/4 tsp blackstrap molasses
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 tblspn coconut oil

1/8 cup carob chips
1/8 cup white chocolate chips
1/8 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
1/8 cup dried cranberries

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients + sugar.
Measure your sweetener in a liquid measuring cup & add to that the molasses, vanilla extract & coconut oil. Stir around to combine.
Poor the wet ingredients into the dry, including the filling (nuts, fruits, chips, etc) & fold to combine.
Refrigerate dough for ~15 - 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F & line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Divide dough into 12 balls (~32grams) (Flatten cookie ever so slightly before baking.) Bake for 11 minutes.
Remove from oven & cool on baking sheet for a few minutes.
Carefully remove from parchment paper, an offset spatula may be necessary, & place on cooling rack.

**I've made this a few more times since this post & one time I used 1 tsp baking powder - the cookies were really puffy & did not spread much at all. Another time I used 1/2 tsp + a little more & the cookies were more to my liking...flatten cookies slightly before baking for 1/2 - 1 tsp baking powder. I've also omitted all dry sugar & added about another tablespoon of brown rice flour with great success.

Newlyweds

2007-11-03T11:34:00.000-05:00

My uncle just got back to the U.S. with his new wife & to celebrate, I baked up some VCTOTW Carrot cake cupcakes, Cook's Illustrated Chewy "chocolate chip" cookies & his all time favorite, Pumpkin muffins (VWaV). Talk about a sweet celebration! The "chocolate chip" cookies are really really chewy thanks to the caramel candy, dried cherries & crystallized ginger candy...which all have the chewiest texture!

~*~
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
1/2 cup sugar (little less)
1/3 cup oil (coconut oil)
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt (soy or regular)
1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole wheat pastry - 1/4 cup (4 tblspns)
1/4 cup AP flour + 1 to 2 tsp
1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice

1 cup grated carrot (2 - 3 medium carrots)
1/2 cup raisins, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven 350F & line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
In medium bowl, whisk together sugar, oil yogurt & vanilla.
Sift dry ingredients - flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger & allspice until no lumps remain. Stir batter to incorporate.
Fold in carrots, raisins & walnuts.
Divide batter evenly among 11 -12 liners. (Do not overfill, or these will spill over. The muffin cups will be about 1/2 - 3/4 full. Rather them come out small than ruined! Personal experience).
Bake 26 - 28 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely on cooling rack.

~*~
Really Really Chewy Cookies!
2 cup + 1/8 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter (12 tblspns), melted & cooled until just warm
1 cup brown sugar (little less)
1/2 cup white sugar (little less)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup ginger candy, chopped
1/2 cup caramel candy, chopped
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda & salt.
With the mixer on low, combine butter & sugar. Beat in the egg, egg yolk & vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture.
Fold in filling (nuts, etc.).
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Measure out dough ~ 45grams each & roll into ball, place on baking sheet. Allow some room for spreading.
Baking at 325F for 15 - 17 minutes, until edges turn slightly light brown. Do not overbake for chewy cookies!
Allow cookies to cool before removing from the baking sheet. If the caramel has not hardened, stick the baking sheet in the freezer/fridge for a few minutes.
Makes 18 - 24 cookies.

~*~
Pumpkin Muffins
1 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
1 tblspn baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from can)
1/2 cup rice/oat/soy milk
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tblspns moasses

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400F. Line twelve-muffin tin.
In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt & spices.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, oil & molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry & mix till just combined (do not overmix).
Fold in chopped nuts & chocolate chips (or dried fruit).
Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Rice Cookies

2007-10-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

My rice cookies look nothing like Celine's...I think I should have either made them into bars, or possibly press them tightly into my muffin tin. These were a bit crumbly & difficult to work with. I have not tasted them & am unsure what went wrong. :( (The only difference/change to the recipe is that I used butter instead of margarine + coconut flour + blueberries). *Shrug* - I'll let my boyfriend tell me if he wants to eat more of these.

~*~
Rice Cookies
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 ener-g egg (1 1/2 tsp + 2 tblspns warm H20)

1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 tblspn coconut flour
2 cups puffed brown rice crispy cereal
1/4 cup dried blueberries

Preheat oven 350F & prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper (or oil muffin tin).
Cream together butter, sugar + "egg". Add brown rice flour + coconut flour.
Fold in rice crispy cereal & blueberries.
Separate into 12 balls, or divide among muffin tin & flatten to compact cookies.
Bake fro 12 - 14 minutes.
Cookies will harden as they cool.

Regular Old Oatmeal

2007-10-30T17:44:00.000-05:00

These oatmeal cookies aren't the super duper chewy kind (maybe because I refrigerated the dough, next time I will skip), but they're nice & buttery. And of course they're loaded with oatmeal. I added cinnamon chips, pecans & dried cranberries. Hope my cousin likes these! (The cinnamon flavor is quite strong.)

~*~
Buttery Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tblspn milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup rolled oats (quick cooking)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cinnamon chips (little more)

Preheat oven 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
With the mixer on low, cream butter, then add sugar. Beat till texture is light & fluffy.
Beat in egg, milk & vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Slowly add to butter/sugar mixture.
Fold in oats & nuts,etc by hand.
Drop ~32gram balls on cookie sheet. Allow room for spreading. (Refrigerate dough 30 minutes to 1 hour if puffier cookie is desired.)
Bake 350F for 10 - 14 minutes.
Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.
Makes about 24 cookies.

In the Spirit of Halloween

2007-10-29T13:17:00.000-05:00

A small Halloween token for my beloved co-workers. These chocolate caramel cookies are a little on the thin side, but are chewy thanks to the caramel candy. Note for next time: scoop flour, not spoon, roll out balls (32 grams for ~38 cookies) & refrigerate before baking. Although I refrigerated some dough & my butter was still a bit cold, the cookies spread too much & became to thin for my taste, which makes them too unstrudy to support the heavy candy. The texture of these remind me of the cookies you get at the bakery section of your local supermarket. The dough was moist & sticky...my least favorite kind. After removing them from the oven & allowing them to continue cooking on the cookie sheet, I moved them into the fridge, this made for quick & easy removal from the parchment paper. For removal, I used an offset spatula, which worked like a charm.

~*~

Halloween Caramel Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (scooped)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup Halloween M&Ms (chocolate chips)
20-25 caramels, such as Kraft (about 1 cup+)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place 1 tablespoon of the flour into a small bowl. Chop each caramel into 6-8 pieces & lightly coat with the flour.
Whisk together remaining flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl (stand mixer), cream together butter & sugars until light, about 2 minutes.
Add in eggs one at a time, then vanilla extract. Don’t worry if the batter separates, just keep beating until it becomes smooth.
Slowly add in flour mixture. Fold in caramels & chocolate candy/chips until batter is uniform & no streaks of flour remain. (This will be an arm workout, the batter is thick & sticky.)
Roll dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (32 grams) onto baking sheet. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Hopefully cookies will not spread a lot. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges.
Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. If cookies stick to the parchment, allow them to cool longer in the fridge before moving them.
Makes ~ 38 cookies.

Childhood Memories

2007-10-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

Growing up, we didn't do a lot of baking...but I do have memories of me & my sister making peanut butter cookies (Thanks Celine). We used to use a fork to make those criss-cross patterns. Nostalgia...childhood innocence...

These were for my cousin, unfortunately I promised her chewy Mrs. Field-type cookies. I'll have to deliver next time.

Generally speaking, I think there are about 4 main cookie categories:

Cake-like/Puffy cookies (Pumpkin Cookies)
Chewy cookies - crispy edges & soft chewy centers (Chocolate Chip)
Sandies/Shortbread-like dense cookies (Cranberry-Pecan Cookies)
Crispy cookies - thin or thick (Biscotti)

I would consider these belonging to category 3. I may add a little more liquid next time to allow more spread & cohesion...my dough was a little crumbly (possibly due to increased whole wheat pastry). Overall, these definitely remind me of the classic dense peanut butter cookie, except with peanuts + chocolate chips.

~*~
Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies w/ Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup + 2 tblspn peanut butter, unsweetened
3 tblspn coconut oil
3 tblspn rice/oat milk (more if necessary to bind)
3 tblspn whiskey
2 tblspn maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry
1/4 cup sugar, scant
1/4 cup brown sugar, scant
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ener-g egg replacer (powder only, no H2O)

1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven 325F. Prepare cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine & mix wet ingredients (this may be easiest using a stand-mixer).
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients & thoroughly mix together.
Slowly pour dry ingredients into wet & stir to combine. If dough is crumbly, add more "milk".
Add & stir in peanuts & chips.
Divide into 12 balls (44.5 grams) & evenly space on lined cookie sheet. Flatten cookies.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, till edges are light golden brown.
Remove & allow to cool a few minutes on cookie sheet. Move to cooling rack.
Makes 12 medium cookies.**"Peanut is actually a bean/legume vine plant...it is related to other beans, such as peas, beans & lentils..."

Minus the Trans-Fat

2007-10-23T19:50:00.000-05:00

Reading through Celine's post, I was directed to Where's the Revolution. Wow, vegan Samoas eh? Growing up, I was never a big fan of coconut, but Samoas were the exception. I probably had my first Samoa in high school when my sister couldn't turn down a friendly young solicitor. This of course was way before I knew anything about nutrition, other than limit junk food - chocolate, fried foods, sugar/cookies, etc. This was also probably before the short-lived Oreo trans-fat scare. Thinking back, I am surprised to remember a brief snippet regarding this included in mainstream media. But Nabisco probably run more of their commercials on Nickelodean. Back to the cookies...although Samoas do seem to be without eggs, they are loaded with trans-fat! How do I know?? Check out what's listed second on the ingredient listing. Also, the FDA does not require food manufacturers to specify "natural & artificial flavors". Although these girl scout cookies tasted great, they contributed very little nutritional value to my body.
Long story short, I've been looking for a decent Samoa recipe for quite some time & this definitely hit the sweet spot.
After baking up a batch, I'd have to say these taste pretty good. Not only that, they're pretty high on our list of nutritional ingredients. Although not gluten-free wheat-free, they'll have to do until we find the "perfect-ideal" mostly brown rice cookie. When putting these cookies together, I did find it odd that the recipe didn't include vanilla extract, so I added an extra teaspoon. I have very little to complain about these cookies other than mine were a little lacking in flavor. (**Celine made a good point - I omitted the pecans & I believe pecans would add an extra layer of flavor complexity.) With the remaining batch, I added some cinnamon & dried cranberries. The cookies were chewy & had a natural peanut-buttery flavor. They remind me of a chewy granola bar. Next time, I would like to substitute 1/4 cup brown rice flour.

~*~

Trans-Fat Free Samoas
1 cup brown rice syrup (brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave nectar, 2 tblspn molasses)
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips (white & carob)
dried cranberries, handful

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix together wet sweetners + coconut oil + vanilla on low speed on stand-mixer.
In large bowl, combine flours, salt, cinnamon & baking powder. Mix around to completely combine. Add & stir in rolled oats, coconut, chips & cranberries.
Slowly poor dry ingredients into wet ingredients with mixer on low. Mix until just combined, do not overmix.
Bake for 14 - 17 minutes, depending on size of cookies. Underbake for chewy cookies.
Makes 18 - 20 large cookies.

**Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, as coco oil with solidify below 78F. Do not overbake & do not overmix. My cookies didn't spread too much, so I rolled them into balls and flattened them a bit before baking.
**DAY 2: These are sooo yummy & chewy, no lack in flavor today, super plus with rice/almond milk. These vaguely remind me of Uncle Eddie's.

Pumpkin Eater

2007-10-21T17:37:00.001-05:00

Inspired by the quickly changing fall weather & Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, I attempted to make gingerbread pumpkin bars. A few ingredient changes made my results look nothing like her bars & probably tasting completely different from the original recipe. Having said that, my results tasted like pumpkin cheesecake pie, sandwiched between two crusts. My boyfriend wasn't a big fan, but after some chilling time in the fridge, I thought they tasted like eating pumpkin pie. It wasn't a chewy cookie he bit into, but still, a mouth full of fall aroma in every bite? Who can complain? Side note: So, expectations were shattered, at least I'm trying out more brown rice flour baking. Come on, pretend to enjoy it even if you didn't want pie! Just kidding, honesty isn't bad, but I am externally motivated. *Hint, hint.*

~*~
Gingerbread Pumpkin Pie Bars
For the bars:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/8 cup tapioca flour
1/4 tsp xanthum gum
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/16 tsp ground cloves

8 tblspns unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup molasses

3 tblspns rolled quick oats

For the filling:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
7 ounces pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/16 tsp allspice
1 Ener-g egg replacer (1 1/2 tsp, no water) (or cornstarch)

Preheat oven to 350 & oil 8X8 (or 9X9) glass pan, set aside.
To make the bars: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, gum, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & cloves.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar & molasses until creamy.
Add dry ingredients & mix just until combined. Reserve 3/8 cup of this mixture & place in a small bowl. Add the oats to the reserved mixture & mix until combined - set aside.
Scoop the remaining mixture into prepared pan to create bottom layer.

To make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice & "egg" - mix until combined.
Scoop the mixture over the uncooked base & spread evenly.
Crumble reserved oat mixture over filling.
Bake until the topping is a golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Remove from oven & place on a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting & serving.

**Eat within 2 days, will become soggy with long storage.

Bananas & Dried Fruits Galore

2007-10-16T19:02:00.000-05:00

On a splurge, we decided to bake up some snacks tonight. We had some ripe bananas to use up & had a craving for some chewy cookies! So I put my recipes to work. Although I ran into some obstacles with the cookies, the end result still yielded the chewy cookie we wanted, albeit a little sweeter than anticipated, they were still a success (in my mind). I had added two tablespoons of oat milk to the wet ingredients since my batter was too dry the last time I made it. For some odd reason it made the cookies completely wet this time, I may have mis-measured this time or previously or it may be related to using only half spelt flour. So I just ended up leaving them in the oven a tad bit longer.

~*~
Dried Fruit Cookies
1/2 cup whole spelt flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tblspn blackstrap molasses
3/4 cup dried fruits (cherries, raisins, blueberries & cranberries)
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, combine & mix the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
Add the wet mixture to dry ingredients & stir till combined.
Fold in dried fruit & chocolate chips. If the batter is too dry, add more rice/oat milk, a little at a time.
Lay onto cookie sheet and flatten down slightly with fingers.
Bake for 11 minutes.
Makes 9 large cookies (54 grams each).

~*~
Banana Nut Muffins
2-3 ripe bananas, 1 cup smashed
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup rice/oat milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp molasses
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup barley flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven 350F. Line or oil muffin tin.
In a small bowl, smash bananas. Leave some chunks.
Add in oil, syrup, milk, vinegar, extract, molasses & sugar - stir to combine.
In a separate larger bowl, sift flour, soda, powder, ground cinnamon & salt. Whisk to combine.
Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Do not overmix or overwork batter. Fold in walnuts till well incorporated, batter will be wet.
Divide batter evenly among muffin tins.
Bake for 20 - 23 minutes, till toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing & cooling completely on wire rack.
Makes 12 muffins.

Does Texture Really Matter?

2007-10-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

I'm always in search of a really chewy cookie recipe. But my question is...does it even freakin' matter? Most likely not, because I'm not the one eating all these cookies & everyone I talk to seems to have a different opinion or variation of their favorite cookie. So in my case, I'm just gonna assume everyone likes chewy cookies & work from there. Unfortunately this mindset does have its limitations...what about shortbread, sandies & crispy cookies? Well, who wants to be so narrow-minded? Not me, so I'm gonna try those too, but I ain't gonna like it! I baked up these really chewy cookies last night & presented them as a gift to my manager. After all, today is National Boss Day. I have no idea if they're still chewy today, but I'm trusting Nicole on this one. She seems to be a big fan of chewy cookies herself. This is my take on her chewy cookies.

~*~
Really Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
1 1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (plus some)

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (all dark brown sugar)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 roasted peanuts (plus some)
1/4 cup chocolate chips (plus some)

Preheat oven to 325F & line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together flour, baking soda & salt in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl/electric mixer, cream together butter & sugar.
Beat in egg, followed by the peanut butter until thoroughly combined.
Add in dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed, mixing until just combined. Fold in nuts & chips.
Shape into balls (40 grams each) & flatten slightly onto cookie sheet, leaving some room for them to spread.
Bake for 15-17 minutes, until just turning brown around the edges.
Remove from oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 20 medium sized cookies.

Summertime Biscotti's in the Fall

2007-10-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

Out of all the cookies I've baked, it seems that my boyfriend's mother likes bicotti's the most. Not sure if this has anything to do with her enjoyment of coffee, but this biscotti recipe sure is a crowd pleaser (although I have to admit that I haven't tried any other recipes). Instead of pistachios & dried cranberries (for the holidays), I used dried pineapples & macadamia nuts + coconut extract. I'm normally a big fan of chewy cookies, so I make these for other people who like them.

~*~
Pineapple-Macadamia Coconut Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tsp coconut extract
2 large eggs

3/4 cup macadmia nuts, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried pineapple, chunks

6 ounces good-quality white chocolate, chopped & melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl to blend.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and coconut extract in a large bowl to blend. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
Add the flour mixture & beat just until blended. Stir in the macadmia nuts & pineapples.
Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for at least 1 - 2 hours.
Place the log on the cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
Stir the chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. Drizzle over biscotti or dip half of the biscotti into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess chocolate. Place the biscotti on the baking sheet for the chocolate to set. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm, about 35 minutes.
The biscotti can be made ahead. Store them in an airtight container up to 4 days, or wrap them in foil and freeze in resealable plastic bags up to 3 weeks.

Sugar Pie Pumpkin Puree

2007-10-13T08:28:00.000-05:00

I bought a sugar pie pumpkin a few days ago & wanted to try making my own pumpkin puree. The process wasn't difficult, but requires a little extra time & effort compared to buying it pre-made. I couldn't really taste any major difference, although fresh puree is supposed to be more fragrant, maybe it was just a little bit more flavorful (most likely more nutrient dense though). After making the puree Friday night, I used it to make Pumpkin Muffins Saturday morning. Instead of chocolate chips, I used dried cranberries & walnuts this time. Although not as good as the chocolate ones, they were still quite tasty.

~*~

Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry
1 cup sugar
1 tblspn baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin (Fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup rice/oat/soy milk
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons molasses

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In a small separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry & mix.
Fold in the dried cranberries & chopped walnuts.
Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins.

Something We Feel Less Guilty Eating!

2007-10-10T18:24:00.000-05:00

Sheesh...such high standards & expectations!! How does a girl manage to meet all your healthy requirements & still feel unrestricted & bake up a YUMMY treat? Well, it ain't easy, but with Dreena Burton's help, I managed to put something half way decent together. Coconut Raspberry Squares...these aren't quite a bar & they aren't quite a cookie, I guess it's somewhere in between a granola bar & a fruit breakfast bar/fig newton, except with lots of coconut. My bottom layer didn't come out as thick as I see in her picture, but they tasted good nonetheless...not too rich, not too buttery, not too oily, & not too sweet, just a healthier treat! :)

~*~

Coconut Jam Squares
Bottom Layer:
1 cup flour (1/4 cup spelt flour + 1/4 cup barley flour)
2 tblspns sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tblpns oil (butter)

1 1/4 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened

1/4 cup vanilla rice milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1/2 cup jam preserves (mixed berries)

Topping:
1/4 cup flour (brown rice flour)
pinch of salt
2 tblspns oil (butter)

1/2 cup rolled oats

Preheat oven 350F and grease 8X8 pan with butter.
For the bottom layer: in a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt & butter, use a dough cutter to thoroughly combine. Stir in flaked coconut.
To the dry mixture, add the milk, syrup & extracts. Stir till just combined.
Press this mixture into prepared pan, press & flatten down with spatula.
Spread jam over this layer.
For the topping: in a clean bowl, use a dough cutter to coarsely combine flour, salt & butter to create coarse crumbs. Add in rolled oats & combine.
Sprinkle topping over jam/preserves & slightly press down.
Bake for about 30 minutes till top is light brown & jam bubbling. (Mine didn't bubble, I think the flour absorbed most of the moisture.)
Remove from oven & allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Makes 9 large squares or 12 - 16 smaller pieces.

More Pumpkin...

2007-10-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

Tis the fall season & I wanted to try more pumpkin recipes. :) These are pumpkin oatmeal cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance. The description states: "These are soft out of the oven, but as they cool they are nice & chewy...These taste best when they've had some time to cool and set. They taste even better the next day!". Well, she was right about them being soft initially, so I'm still waiting for the "chewy". For some odd reason, I believe these are gonna still taste cake-like/muffins-like tomorrow (Did I overmix the batter - I don't think I did. Or maybe it's the reduced sugar or 1/4 whole wheat pastry?). Oh well, I am always on the hunt for chewy cookies & it seems particularly difficult to find gluten-free, wheat-free chewy vegan cookies. But I'm patient, I'm sure there will be more & more dessert resources for a stricter limited diet in bookstores near me. Meanwhile, I'll work with what I get. I halved the recipe in fear of getting cake-like cookies, good thing for me. I increased the spices to mirror her pumpkin muffins, which are delicious! These pair well with some vanilla rice milk.

~*~
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies w/ Walnuts
3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/16 tsp cloves

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tblspn molasses (2 1/4 tsp dark brown sugar + 3/4 tsp warm H2O)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp flax meal

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven 350F & prepare baking sheets.
Sift & whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until well combined.
Slowly add dry ingredients into wet, in three batches & fold to combine.
Add chips & walnuts.
Place by large tablespoons (34 grams ball) on baking sheet. Flatten cookies to desired thickness, as these cookies do not spread, they only puff up.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven & cool on wire rack. (She says these taste better cooled or on the next day.)
Makes 18 cookies.

**These definitely taste better on the second day. I still would not categorize them as "chewy", but they're decent. They remind me of these low fat oatmeal cookies that I made for our neighbor a few months back.

Light, Warm & Yummy!

2007-10-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

This is so quick & easy, makes me wanna bake every weeknight that I have some ripe fruit lying around. The recipe is from Simple Treats, the original recipe calls for apples & fresh cranberries. A variation could easily include pears & raisins.

~*~
Pear-Cranberry Crisp
Topping:
1/8 cup barley flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tblspn cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 cup chopped walnuts
3/8 cup rolled oats
2 tblspn butter

Filling:
1 tblspn lemon juice
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/2 tblspn cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg, grated
Dash cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tblspn arrowroot
2 medium semi-ripe pears, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven 400F. Butter 6X9 glass pan & set aside.
Sift together topping & mix in walnuts & oats. Add butter & use dough cutter to combine into mixture to form coarse crumbs.
Combine filling & toss everything to combine & well-coated.
Spread mixture into prepared pan & cover with topping mixture.
Bake for 10 minutes & reduce heat to 350F.
Bake for additional 20 - 25 minutes or until topping is brown & filling is bubbling & pears are soft.
Serve warm, alone or topped with ice cream & finely chopped walnuts.

Pumpkin...to Celebrate Fall.

2007-10-02T19:51:00.000-05:00

My friend & her sister threw a wine tasting party this past weekend & as a token of appreciation for their hospitality, I baked up some pumpkin muffins. I've been wanting to try a pumpkin recipe all year long & now it's finally Fall! Nicole loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate. I originally wanted to make some cookies using pumpkin, but couldn't find anything completely agreeable. Bread, cake, cupcakes or muffins seem to be the next logical choice. Between cupcakes & muffins, I think muffins will hold up better to the massive amount of bittersweet chocolate chips & dark-chocolate covered raisins I want to use. The original recipe is from Vegan with a Vengeance - the Best Pumpkin muffins.
**After trying the original version, with great success & many compliments, I tried the healthier version, subbing 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour & reducing the sugar to 3/4 cup. Instead of eliminating most of the oil, I used 1/4 cup coconut oil + 2 tablespoons & added 2 tablespoons of applesauce. The variation resulted in a noticeable difference in the muffin texture, but I believe the strong spices & pumpkin make the muffin.

~*~
Dark Chocolate-Raisin Pumpkin Muffins

Fold in 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips + 1/2 cup dark-chocolate covered raisins

Healthier Version
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Rugelach

2007-10-02T17:09:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend & I love to scour the Whole Food's bakery section to gawk over their fresh baked goodies. They normally have muffins, bagels, cakes & cookies, nothing too spectacular & special there. But today we spotted a whole display of Baklava & Rugelach (they must be prepping us for the holidays). Ok, I have to admit that we've had them before, but that was in my pre-baking days! We went ahead & got a batch & quickly indulged when we got home. :) We read the ingredients & were both a little disappointed to see egg & non-organic ingredients listed, but enjoyed the dessert nonetheless since this was our "Sunday Celebration".
After eating a few more bites, my boyfriend had a revelation..."You know, YOU can make these." What a great idea, he knows I like to try new stuff, so no way would I turn down the opportunity.
So thus begins the online search to learn more about Rugulach/Rugalach/Rogelach/Rugalah/Rugala. After reading a few recipes, I gathered up my ingredients to whip up a half batch of these yummy goodies. They're cooling right now as we speak, I'll be enjoying my homemade Rugelachs in a few short minutes! Rugelach is so versatile - you can add any chocolate, dried fruit, nut or preserve combination that you like! So much flexibility, I like that! You can even use Nutella, which I've yet to try in any of my baking.
Since I did not add extra sugar, these were not very sweet, but rolled in light brown sugar + cinnamon made them perfect for me! Not too sweet, not too heavy. But if I want a richer cookie next time, I will try a recipe that includes sour cream.
**After taste test: For some odd reason my Rugelach's came out slightly soggy in the center, it may be because my preserves used apple juice as a natural sweetener, adding extra moisture to my dough. I think next time I may just use blended dried nuts & fruits & skip the preserves. Also, this time I used whole wheat pastry, next time I will use whole wheat flour since it's more substantial.

~*~
Rugelach
1 cup AP flour (1/2 AP , 1/2 whole wheat)
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 cup sugar

3/4 cup walnuts/pecans, grounded
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup sugar

6 tblspns preserves, raspberry/mixed berries

1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light brown sugar/coarse sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour & salt, set aside.
In an electric mixer, blend together butter & cream cheese, add vanilla extract & some sugar for sweeter dough.
Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter/cheese mixture. The batter will be crumbly. With a wooden spoon/spatula, incorporate the flour to form a dough.
Divide the dough into two balls or two squares, wrap in parchment or saran wrap & refrigerate dough overnight.

Defrost one dough for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the walnuts, cinnamon & additional sugar into the food processor. Blend to create coarse mixture.
Roll dough to create 10 inch circle or 11X7 rectangle, size does not matter, but consider dough thickness.
Spread 3 tablespoons of preserves all over dough. Spread half the nut mixture all over dough & then press it down. Add any additional coarsely chopped nuts/fruits if desired.
(Circle) If creating crescents, divide dough like cutting pizza into 12 "slices", roll from long side into center. Place tail side down on lined pan. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
(Rectangle) If creating rolls, spread on preserves & nut mixture. Roll from the long side like creating jelly roll. Refrigerate for 30 minutes & slice crosswise about 1 inch thick before baking.
Repeat for remaining dough.

Preheat oven 350F.
Line pan with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Brush your dough with milk & sprinkle or dip in cinnamon & sugar mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool cookies on cooling rack.
Store in airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months.

Gluten-Free Rugelach
Whole Wheat Rugelach
Regular Rugelach
Baking Bites' Rugelach

Cherry-Almond Muffins

2007-09-29T08:35:00.000-05:00

My aunt has been in & out of the hospital recently so I was hoping to contribute a little something to their family. What better to bake Saturday morning than muffins! I decided on Cherry-Almond Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance. The recipe calls for soy yogurt, sliced almonds & fresh bing cherries. I only had regular yogurt, whole almonds & the choice between frozen or dried cherries. I still fear the use of fresh fruits in certain baked goods, especially after my pear pie muffins became soggy. With my reservations in mind, I decided on dried cherries. I think frozen chopped cherries would work for this...I would probably remove the cherries from the freezer, quickly coarsely chop them & return them to the freezer. I would then mix them into the batter in their frozen state with as few strokes as possible, to reduce reddish messy batter. They may need another minute or so in the oven, not sure. I may try this later, I can imagine the extra moisture being a nice addition to these muffins. But they may need to be consumed sooner than later. These muffins have a very distinct almond flavor, which pair quite well with cherries. I also used almond milk & vanilla yogurt. The muffins were not at all sweet & the cherries added the extra specs of sweetness surprise.

~*~
Cherry-Almond Muffins
2 cups AP flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil
3/4 cup rice/soy milk (half almond/half rice)
1 (6-ounce) container soy yogurt, plain/vanilla (regular yogurt)
2 tsp almond extract

1 cup sliced almonds (chopped almonds)
3/4 cup fresh bing cherries, halved & pitted (dried cherries, chopped)

Preheat oven 350F.
Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.
In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients & stir to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
Create a well in the center of dry ingredients & add wet ingredients.
Mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Do not over mix.
Fold in 1/2 cup almonds & all of cherries.
Fill muffin cups three-quarters full; top & press in remaining almonds.
Bake 18 - 22 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Easy...No Bake! :)

2007-09-26T19:13:00.000-05:00

Nostalgic of childhood snacks...these are chewy, simple & addicting! I got the recipe from Simple Treats. Instead of 6 cups of brown rice crispy, I used 5 & substituted the 6th cup with a mix of coconut flakes, sunflower seeds & dried cranberries. The result was a little too sweet for my taste, so an additional 1 to 1/2 cup of brown rice may have been ok. Plus I used about 3 tablespoons of oil, since that was easier. I don't think I cooked my syrup enough since it didn't end up very thick. As a result, it took a little longer for my treats to harden up, but that was easily remedied by placing them in the fridge. The combo of coco oil & brown rice syrup hardened up quickly. Although I didn't really eat rice crispy treats a lot when I was younger, I still enjoyed this simple no bake snack. I can imagine many variations with additional dried fruits, nuts & chocolate, etc.

~*~
Brown Rice Crispy Treats
2 1/2 tblspns oil (coconut oil)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
2 tblspns maple syrup
2 tblspns malt barley syrup
1/4 tsp salt

6 cups brown rice crispy cereal ( 5 cups brown rice + 1/3 cup flaked coconuts
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (pumpkin seeds)
1/3 cup dried cranberries)

Oil/butter an 8X8 pan and put aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat up the coconut/vegetable oil.
Turn the heat to low & add the syrups & salt. Allow syrup to thicken and darken in color. Be careful as this may burn easily & is very hot.
Pour the syrup into a large oiled bowl.
Mix & combine the cereal + filling till thoroughly incorporated.
Pour into prepared oiled pan. Press down to compress cereal.
Allow to cool until hardened, 15 minutes - 1 hour. Refrigerate if necessary.
Make 9 large squares.

Cranberry-Pecan Cookies

2007-09-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

This is a Vegan Wheat Free Chocolate Chip cookie recipe that I think I got from Cookie Madness. It seems that she has removed the recipe from her blog because I can no longer find it. Instead of using chocolate chips, I used dried cranberries & added a touch of lemon extract. Because of the spelt flour, these cookies taste dense & remind me of a shortbread. I prefer chewy cookies, but variety never hurts.

~*~
Cranberry-Pecan Cookies
1 cup whole spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp lemon extract

1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, combine & mix the spelt, salt, powder, soda & sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, oil & extracts.
Add the wet mixture to dry ingredients & stir till combined.
Fold in nuts & dried fruit. If the batter is too dry, add more oil and/or maple syrup.
The batter will be crumbly & will require pushing together in order to form a ball.
Lay onto cookie sheet and flatten down with fingers.
Bake for 11 minutes.
Makes 11 - 12 cookies.

Pandan Coconut Heaven Cupcakes

2007-09-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

While my sister was in town visiting, we wanted to imitate a childhood favorite. This is an asian-inspired variation of VwAV's Coconut Heaven Cupcakes. Instead of dried coconut, we used freshly shredded coconut, which resulted in a slightly moister cupcake. The flavors intensified the following day, which made these so fragrant & delicious! Although simple, these are dense & addicting topped off with whipped up heavy cream.

~*~
Pandan Coconut Cupcakes
1 cup AP flour (1/2 AP, 1/2 whole wheat pastry)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup coconut milk (blended 2 pandan leaves & strained)
2/3 cup sugar (reduced)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp coconut extract

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven 350F & line 12 muffin tins.
In a blender, blend up the 1 cup coconut milk with 2 pandan leaves. Blend completely & strain liquid, removing leaves. Set aside.
Sift together & whisk to combine dry ingredients.
In a large separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
Pour the dry into the wet & mix until smooth.
Fold in 1 cup shredded coconut.
Fill each tin about two-thirds full.
Bake for 20 - 22 minutes; cupcakes should be slightly browned around edges & spring back when touched.
Remove from tin & place on cooling rack.
Makes 12 cupcakes.

~*~
Heavy Cream Frosting
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp coconut extract

Whisk heavy cream until slightly thickened.
Slowly add in powdered sugar to taste.
Fold in extracts & combine.
Frost cooled cupcakes.

Fruit & Nut Bread

2007-09-18T08:33:00.000-05:00

The original recipe calls for dried dates, but I did not have any on hand & prefer prunes or "dried plums" for the added health reasons. This recipe is originally from Simple Treats by Ellen Abraham. The end result was a very mild bread with nuts & plump plums. I may add a little extra maple syrup & oil next time for added sweetness & moisture. Be careful not to over bake, as barley flour turns quite dark & may dry out easily.

~*~
Dried Plum-Walnut Bread
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup soymilk/rice milk, etc
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tblspns sugar
1 3/4 cups barley flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups dried pitted plums, chopped
2 tblspns walnuts, chopped for topping

Preheat oven 350F. Oil/butter 8X4 loaf pan & set aside.
In a small bowl, mix the oil, syrup, milk, vinegar & vanilla extract.
In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts & sugar. Sift in the flour, soda, powder, cinnamon & salt. Stir around to combine.
Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Do not overwork the batter. Add some milk if the batter is too stiff.
Fold in chopped dried plums.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts.
Bake 35 minutes, rotate pan & bake for another 25 - 35 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
12 servings.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

2007-09-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

I wanted to use the cream cheese I had leftover from making cream cheese frosting & thought these seemed interesting. I reduced the sugar & the end result wasn't sweet enough, so I think the original amount should be used.
For the filling, if trying to avoid egg whites, give this recipe a try.

~*~

Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 tblspn soy yogurt/yogurt
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Beat cream cheese, sugar & yogurt till smooth.
Beat in cornstarch and vanilla extract & pinch of salt. Set aside & follow recipe for cake batter.

Vegan Coconut Bars

2007-09-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to try these Vegan Coconut Bars for a few weeks now. They look sooo scrumptious in Karina's picture. Instead of chocolate chips, which have caffeine that we try avoid in the evening, we used carob chips, white chocolate chips & added a whole array of dried fruits & nuts. I agree that these tasted yummy chilled. I want to try this recipe again using slightly less tapioca flour.

Chocolate Chip Cookies?!?!?

2007-09-12T15:51:00.000-05:00

Anna's brief description of these cookies made them seem very appealing..."crinkly, craggly, dense & soft..These are great". They look yummy too! So I had to whip up a quick batch. What's sort of funny is that my variation of this cookie is a combo of two recipes from her blog. The filling combo I used is from the hazelnut lime-pepper cookies. So I used the Chocolate Chip Cookie base & filled the cookies with white chocolate chips, hazelnut, lime zest & black pepper. The flavor combo has been very popular ever since I first tried it with family, friends, co-workers & myself. For the lime-pepper cookies, I haven't tried the dough batter posted, but I've tried the filling combo multiple times with Cook's Illustrated dough recipe. This recipe never fails to yield a really chewy cookie, which is my personal preferred cookie texture. I was using this recipe as a base for a long time before I decided it was time to graduate & give other recipes a chance.
So instead of chocolate chips & toasted walnuts/pecans, I used:
2 tblspn lime zest (3 -4 limes)
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup hazelnuts, skinned & chopped

Buttermilk Scones

2007-09-09T00:16:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to find recipes to use up the buttermilk that I bought last week to make muffins. So I decided to make buttermilk scones. I really am trying to cut back on the amount of white flour that I consume, but life isn't about following all the rules that I've made up for myself, not all the time anyways. :)
I've never really had a lot of scones before, but these were quite yummy. Not too rich or fattening. To me, a good mix between a dense cake/muffin & a biscuit. I'm sure they taste better slightly warm versus a day old, but I didn't risk waiting a day to find out.
I basically followed the recipe, but increased the amount of sugar & vanilla extract a bit. Instead of dried cherries, I used dried cranberries & added 1 tsp of orange extract. Orange zest would work nicely also. Same goes for lemon extract/zest.

Simple & Basic Chocolate Cupcakes

2007-09-08T08:05:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of buttermilk to use up, so decided to bake up two batches of Chocolate Cupcakes from VCTOTW. So instead of soy/rice milk, I used buttermilk. For one batch, I added two tablespoons of instant espresso powder to the wet ingredients & topped with chocolate chips - so I can differentiate. I also omitted the apple cider vinegar in this batch. Honestly, I have no idea what difference this made. For the second batch, I added 1 1/2 tsp orange extract, orange zest would work also. I reduced the amount of sugar in both batches, not such a good idea, because the cupcakes were not sweet enough. My dad will be giving these away to some co-workers, I hope they enjoy! They can eat it for breakfast since it's not very sweet. :)

Brown Rice & Spelt Flour Cookies

2007-09-07T17:48:00.000-05:00

This recipe comes from Have Cake, Will Travel (a blog that I visit almost everyday!). Although crispy right out of the oven, these soften after storage. They may fall apart & become a little crumbly, but still are yummy in my tummy.

~*~

Brown Rice-Spelt Cookies
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup + 2 tblspn maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup flaked/shredded coconut
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/8 cup carob chips
1/3 cup brazil nuts, chopped

Preheat oven 350F. Line cookie sheet w/ parchment paper.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.
In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients & fold in coconut, chips & nuts.
Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes.
Scoop dough with a large ice cream scooper and place 2 inches apart. No need to flatten cookies.
Bake for about 15 minutes, for soft cookies. Makes 7 large cookies.

Farewell Muffins

2007-09-06T19:42:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is one of my co-worker's last day. :(
To bid her farewell, I wanted to bake up some goodies. The hard part was deciding on what to bake!! It was basically down to muffins, cupcakes or cookies. I finally decided on breakfast, instead of an afternoon snack in case she was leaving early.
So the debate was...what muffins!?!?! I know, I have such a difficult life...such serious dilemmas! My next serious issue was...vegan or "regular" muffins? I was also scared of baking up 24 new muffins with a recipe I haven't tried & have them not turn out. We all have experienced similar set backs. So I decided on regular muffins from Baking Bite's blog. I wanted something simple & easy, yet tasty of course! Finally, after many hardworking hours of searching on the internet, I decided on Cinnamon-Anise Chocolate Chip Muffins & Apple-Walnut Streusel Muffins. I was seriously considering Banana Crumb Muffins too, but decided against it since it's probably similar to banana bread. Deviation from her original muffin recipes, here is what I changed...
Cinnamon- Anise Chocolate Chip Muffins: Added 1 cup of infused anise chocolate chips (This was an accident, I had stored my chips with a whole jar of anise stars & the fragrant smell infused the chocolate!). Made 12 muffins and for some odd reason my muffins didn't turn out as tall & pretty as the one you see in her picture. I think I might have shorted the flour by 1/4 cup, but I can't be sure. I left my muffins in the oven for a few extra minutes.
Apple-Walnut Streusel Muffins: Finely grated two medium-sized braeburn apples and squeezed out the excess liquid, did not want to have soggy muffins again. Finely chopped 1 cup of walnuts, 1/2 cup for the topping and 1/2 cup was mixed into the wet batter. Made 10 muffins. Again, my muffins did not rise vertically high, but spread out horizontally instead, I think I would split among 12 tins next time so the topping will be contained within the muffin cup. These taste like coffee cake.
From previous muffin sessions, I have learned to not overmix & barely just combine the wet & dry ingredients. I think this key factor definitely contributed to a more cake-like result versus bread-like muffins.

**Co-worker feedback: Nothing but compliments about both muffins. The Chocolate Chip Muffins were first to go, but both were devoured quickly! Yay, that's what we like to hear! :)

Chai Latte Muffins

2007-09-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

The original recipe are Chai Latte Cupcakes from VCTOTW. I used whole wheat pastry & quinoa flour, therefore creating a more densely textured muffin. Make sure to not over mix the batter, small lumps are ok. I reduced the amount of sugar and added a little maple syrup. I was meaning to add white chocolate chips, but forgot. Below is the original recipe.

~*~

Chai Latte Muffins
1 cup rice milk
2 tblspn loose black tea or 4 black tea bags
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup soy yogurt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups AP flour (2/3 cup whole wheat pastry 2/3 cup quinoa flour)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven 350F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Heat rice milk & add tea leaves. Put on low heat & let sit for 10 minutes, or remove from heat. Discard leaves & measure to make sure there is still 1 cup of liquid.
In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
In a medium bowl, sift the dry ingredients & whisk together till thoroughly combined.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet & mix until large lumps disappear; SMALL LUMPS ARE OK, do not overmix.
Fill tins full & bake for 20 - 22 minutes, till toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Make sure to cool completely if dusting with powdered sugar.

Pandan Coconut Agar

2007-08-25T18:46:00.000-05:00

~*~
Pandan Coconut Agar
1 package agar powder, telephone brand
6 cups water
granulated sugar, to taste
1 cup pandan water
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

Dissolve one packet of agar powder with 6 cups of water.
Bring to a boil & slowly add sugar to taste.
To make pandan water, take a few pandan leaves & give them a quick rinse. In a blender, blend thoroughly with one cup of water. Sieve out the leaves & remaining should be a fragrant green water.
Leave the agar liquid on the stove on very low heat. Mix part agar with part pandan/coconut milk.
Create layers using desired mold. Wait in between layers for agar to slightly harden. Periodically sprinkle in shredded coconut to create a design.
Refrigerate & enjoy when hardened or desired temperature is met.