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Day 3 of Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 17, 2015| 1 Comment »

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Today I learned a very important lesson about veganism that I should have learned long ago- Read food labels closely. In an attempt to make this cookie challenge fun, I wanted to try lots of new recipes with new ingredients. I had had my mind set on using these mini peanut butter cups that Justin’s recently released. I had tried them as a free sample at Whole Foods one day (after I checked with those handing them out that they were vegan).  So, when I made my list of cookies I wanted to make, peanut butter cookies stuffed with peanut butter cups were high on my list.

I decided to give a peanut butter cookies recipe a whirl this afternoon. As the dough was chilling and I was unwrapping a million Justin’s mini peanut butter cups, I happened to glance at the ingredients list and smiled. No dairy listed. Oh wait, what is that note at the bottom? “Contains: peanuts, soy and milk”? Well, crap.

And that wasn’t even the first time I did that during this challenge. I had found a recipe for chocolate peppermint cookies that sounded delicious but it had chocolate pudding in it. I had my heart set on a chocolate peppermint recipe so I started poking around to find a dry vegan chocolate pudding mix. Come to find out, Jello Chocolate pudding is in fact vegan, if I just took the time to read the ingredients. I know right?! No dairy or gelatin! Much like Oreos, which are always accidentally vegan, it’s mostly just chemicals and sugar. Not exactly something you want to eat on the regular but makes for a great once-a-year holiday cookie.

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Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Cookies
veganized from Chef-in-Training

  • ¾ cup vegan butter such as Earth Balance, softened
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 small package (3.9 oz) Jello Chocolate instant pudding mix, dry (or any other dry pudding, such as European Gourmet Bakery Pudding which is a bit more natural then Jello and also vegan)
  • 2 Ener-G eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2¼ cups flour
  • 1 cup Wilton Sprinkles Peppermint Crunch . I found mine at Target.(of if you aren’t a vegan, you can use Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, which can also be found at Target)
  • 1 cup Vegan Chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life)

*For those of you new to vegan baking, you can find Ener-G egg here or I have found it at Whole Foods and Stop and Shop. It’s becoming pretty common. Don’t be put off by the price. It will last you forever! I bake a lot and have had mine for over a year. Earth Balance butter can also be found at most grocery store chains now.

** For non-vegans, you can substitute real milk, butter, eggs and chocolate chips in place  vegan version at a 1:1 ratio across the board. As mentioned above, the Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips can be used in place of the Peppermint Sprinkles)

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Cream together butter and sugars.
  2. Beat in dry instant pudding mix.
  3. Add Ener-G eggs and vanilla and beat until well incorporated.
  4. Add baking soda and flour and beat until well incorporated.
  5. Stir in Peppermint Crunch and semi-sweet chocolate chunks.
  6. Roll into 1″ balls and place on a greased baking sheet.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will firm up when they cool so don’t over cook them. Cook until the centers are set.

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Chocolate and peppermint aren’t my normal go-to but it’s just so perfect during the holidays. These cookies are  fudgy  with just the right amount of peppermint. They would be perfect with hot chocolate, coffee or for Santa on Christmas morning!

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Day 2 of Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Cowboy Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 16, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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I discovered today that when it comes to Christmas shopping, I am in severe denial. About the whole process. After much consideration (aka: procrastination), I determined that Wednesday, or today, would be the best day to go Christmas Shopping. I was thinking people would take off a Monday or a Friday to avoid the holiday crowds that descend on all shopping areas during December but a Wednesday? Less likely. Also, anymore procrastination was going to result in a panic attack. I just needed to get it done!

So, ever the optimist, I gave myself four hours. I’d be up and out of the house by 9, at the mall nice and early, and be outta there before rush hour and home in time to post Day 2 of Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies well before dinner.

Reality was more like- leave an hour and a half later than planned, circle around the mall parking lot flinging curses at all the people who did get their early and stole my parking space, wandering the mall aimlessly, finally deciding on something and finding it’s not in the size I need, waiting in a mile long lines to order the size I need which takes forever and earns me numerous nasty looks from those waiting behind you (that’s right old man behind me grumbling because he had to wait around while holding sexy lingerie. Maybe you should have ordered in online!), more wandering, more waiting in line, more ordering and more nasty looks, until I finally crawled into Starbucks for a hit of caffeine. Honestly, I really would have preferred a margarita. I mean, the guy with the lingerie was really old. I really, really hope it was for a much younger mistress.

But, after all that, my Christmas shopping is done (ok, like 99.99% done) and I can finally get around to posting todays cookies recipe!

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COWBOY COOKIES
veganized from Averie Cooks
makes approximately 20 cookies; Requires 2 hours of chilling time in the fridge

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Ener-G egg
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter such as Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup Cornflakes or Special K cereal (or a similar cereal. I used Special K)
  • 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

*For those of you new to vegan baking, you can find Ener-G egg here or I have found it at Whole Foods and Stop and Shop. It’s becoming pretty common. Don’t be put off by the price. It will last you forever! I bake a lot and have had mine for over a year.

** For non-vegans, you can substitute real milk, butter and eggs for the vegan version at a 1:1 ratio across the board.

DIRECTIONS:

  1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) add the egg, butter, sugars, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined.
  2. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and beat on low-speed until just combined.
  3. Add the chocolate chips, Cornflakes, coconut, pecans, and beat on low-speed until just combined.
  4. Using a cookie scoop or 1/4 measuring cup form approximately equal-sized mounds of dough. I used a standard cookie scoop and got approximately 20 cookies.
  5. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  6. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges have set and tops are just set.  Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
  7. A note from Avery Cooks, which I did not try: Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

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I’m a huge fan of these cookies. They are so hearty and full of texture. I was especially excited to cook with Special K, which I had never tried in cookies before! You could definitely still get a crunch from them, which I didn’t expect at all.

Anyways, now that this blog is up and Christmas shopping is behind be, about that margarita…

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12 Days of (vegan) Christmas Cookies, Day 8: Pecan Pie Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on December 20, 2014| 2 Comments »



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I don’t like pie.  I’m not a pie kinda gal. When given the option, I will pretty much choose any dessert except pie. The only pie that I’ve even attempted to make is a chocolate silk pie and that’s sort of cheating since it’s a pre-made graham cracker crust and chocolate pudding.

BUT, when you make a pie into a cookie, I’m totally on board! My mom made these cookies last year and pretty much hasn’t stopped talking about them. I knew they had to make the cut when I was making my list for my cookie-a-thon.

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Pecan Pie Cookies
makes 24; I’m no sure where this recipe came from as it was emailed to me. If you know the source, please feel free to send it to me.

Cookie

  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
  • 1 Ener-G egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling

  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup canned coconut milk (not lite)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all cookie ingredients except flour and baking powder in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

Shape dough into balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Make indentation in each cookie with thumb; rotate thumb to hollow out slightly.

Combine all filling ingredients in small bowl; fill each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon filling. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

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These cookies are SO good. With all the brown sugar that is packed into these babies, they are definitely sweet but the filling is so yummy! And they are just the perfect combo of two holiday favorites.

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12 Days of (vegan) Christmas Cookies, Day 6: Mocha Macaroons

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on December 18, 2014| 4 Comments »

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Today, I flipped my countdown calendar and there was 7 days until Christmas. 7 DAYS!! I panicked. Then I doubly panicked when two of the gifts I ordered were cancelled or suddenly backordered. What is happening with the world when people are cancelling Christmas orders a week before Christmas?!

It just really hasn’t been a good day for Christmas cheer. On the plus side, I got some excellent Christmas movie suggestions from a bunch of you.

  1. Elf
  2. It’s a Wonderful Life
  3. Muppet Christmas Carol
  4. A Wish For Wings That Work
  5. Love Actually
  6. The Holiday
  7. The Family Stone
  8. Edward Scissorhands
  9. The Vicar of Dibley episodes when she marries Richard Armitage
  10. How I Met Your Mother Christmas episodes
  11. The Night They Saved Christmas
  12. Holiday Inn

I’ve never even heard of some of these! I started with Love Actually last night but promise I will attempt to see them all before Christmas. I love the challenge of working through a list!

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Today’s cookie combines my two favorite things- Coffee and Chocolate. God knows I will need coffee in whatever form I can get it in if I’m going to get everything done before Christmas. If it happens it come with a side of chocolate, even better!!

Mocha Macaroons
from Chocolate Covered Katie

  • 1 tbsp flour of choice (or protein powder)
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp instant coffee powder (wv note: I didn’t have instant coffee so I used regular coffee ground really, really fine and it was fine)
  • 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp milk of choice
  • 4 tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • just over 1/16 tsp salt
  • melted chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a tall dish. If using a microwave, heat two minutes. Stir, then microwave one more minute or until firm enough to scoop out into ball shapes. (Or cook on the stovetop until it’s firm enough to scoop out.) Scoop into balls on a cookie tray—I used a cookie scoop. Cook at 360 F for 14-16 minutes. Let cool before removing from tray.

Line a plate with wax paper. Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, place on the wax paper, and let set (you can refrigerate or freeze them if you need them to set faster)  Makes 12-22 cookies, depending on the size cookie scoop you use.

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I’m a fan of these. I love coconut macaroons, I love chocolate/coffee and I love how easy they come together. Just dump everything in a bowl and bake. If you are looking for something more festive for a holiday party, you could add seasonal sprinkles before the chocolate dries. As I am normally not a Christmas girl, I have amount a million halloween sprinkles and zero Christmas ones. But definitely go crazy with the Christmas cheer!

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Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some serious Christmas movie watching to do!

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12 Days of (vegan) Christmas Cookies, Day 5: Lemon Thumbprint Cookies with Vanilla Blueberry Chia Jam

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on December 17, 2014| 5 Comments »

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Yesterday there was no Day 4 of 12 Days of (vegan) Christmas cookies and here’s why- Procrastination failed me for the first time ever.

See, as I’ve mentioned before on this blog, Procrastination and I go way back, like Middle School days. I had to write a paper for DARE, waited until the night before and won an award. It was all down hill after that. Making an entire Civil War scrapbook for high school, complete with tea stained pages? Done the night before. Got an A++ (yeah, I was that girl). Final papers in college that were an obscene amount of my grade? Done the night before, hopped up on instant vanilla cappuccinos for the machine. Still got A’s and B’s.

All of these instances turned out great. So when I went to photograph pictures for the carrot cake cookies at the last moment because I didn’t get a chance to photograph them over the weekend, I totally thought I could make it work! Turns out, no natural light and a poorly lit apartment are more powerful than my relationship with procrastination. These are the pictures I got:

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Gah! Bad. Is that corn in there? What is happening? Who would want to eat that?

So I have learned my lesson and will do my best not to procrastinate. And here are some lemon thumbprint cookies that look about a thousand times more edible than that cookie up there.

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Lemon Thumbprint Cookies with Vanilla Blueberry Chia Jam
makes approximately 30 cookies

Jam:
from Oh She Glows

  • 3 cups frozen blueberries
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, or to taste
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cookies:
veganized from The Foodie Affair

 

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) vegan butter, like Earth Balance, softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Ener-G eggs (if you are making this non-vegan, The Foodie Affair used 2 egg yolks)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour

 

For the jam:

  • Add frozen blueberries and maple syrup into a medium pot and bring to a simmer.
  • After 5 minutes or so, stir in the chia seeds.
  • Continue to cook down the mixture for about 15 minutes, or until thickened.
  • Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  • Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to thicken it up even more.

You can serve it as is or if you want it smoother, mash it with a potato masher or use an immersion blender. I used an immersion blender as I don’t like chunky jam. Also, this recipe makes a lot so you will have leftovers. It is great on toast, ice cream, etc.

For the cookies:

  • Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • With a mixer, beat Earth Balance and sugar together in a large bowl until well combined. Beat in Ener-G eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
  • On low-speed, beat in flour just until large moist clumps form. You may need to use your hands at this point to form one large ball. (WV note: I did not have this problem which could be because I used vegan ingredients. I want to leave it in incase it does occur to your recipe or you are making this non-vegan)
  • Roll tablespoons of dough into balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Make a deep indentation in center of each ball.
  • Fill the indentations with your blueberry jam.
  • Bake cookies until firm and lightly golden on bottom, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Alternatively, you can wait to fill your cookies after you bake them. Just make your indentation as noted above and bake like that for 18-20 minutes. I preferred baking the jam in the cookie because I found that it helped thicken the jam further, keeping it on the cookie; that it provided a moisture cookie; and when the cookies are baked without the jam, the indentations kind of disappear a bit. But you can make them however you prefer.


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These cookies are definitely an ode to my mom, who loves all things lemon. When I was making my cookie list, my initial list had 12 chocolate cookies with minor variations- chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate and mint, chocolate and chocolate… I realized that I wasn’t exactly providing a wide variety of options so I spiced things up a bit and made sure I included a cookie for the non-chocolate lovers.

Now, I’m thinking of pulling an all-nighter, College style, to complete my Christmas cards for tomorrows. Leave me your suggestions on your favorite holiday movies to get me in the spirit and keep me going through those long hours of gluing.

 

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12 Days of Cookies, Day 2: Healthy Cookie Dough Bites

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 14, 2014| 1 Comment »

Wicked Vegan- Healthy Cookie Dough Bites

Ah, Christmas. The season of cakes, cookies, candies and booze. Dinner parties, luncheons, cookies swaps and way less gym time then you would probably like. There is just so much food everywhere. Clearly, as I am celebrating 12 straight days of cookies, I am not opposed to any of this but it is nice to have a healthier options every now and then. And that is something that I really wanted to keep in mind during this cookie marathon- that not everyone wants sugar-loaded treats. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a little break from the sugar coma.  Which is why for Day 2 of 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, I’m sharing with you healthy cookie dough bites!

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Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
from LaurenConrad.com
Makes 12

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup raw cashews
  • 1/3 cup oats
  • 2 Tbsp agave syrup
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips or sweet cacoa nibs

Directions

  1. Combine oats and cashews in a food processor and grind into a flour-like consistency.
  2. Add agave, maple syrup, and vanilla, and blend again until smooth.
  3. Transfer your dough into a mixing bowl and stir in chocolate chips by hand.
  4. Chill for around an hour.
  5. Roll the dough into approximately 12 chocolate truffle-sized balls. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge/freezer for later.

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I really like these cookie dough bites for a treat at home. At work and friends, you are inundated  with sugary treats. When you are home and have down time, it’s nice to have a healthier options, especially since these are best cold. I keep mine in the freezer and tend to reach for them in the evening after dinner.

You can definitely gift them but they tend to get sticky and soft at room temperature so keep that in mind when thinking of presentation. I tried to photograph them at room temperature in a mason jar and they sort of just slowly mushed together. Maybe try a tin and put them in a single layer in mini cupcake liners like a box of chocolate? That would be super cute and a great alternative to cookies for people that are allergic to gluten (just use gf oats), dairy or are just looking for a healthier treat.

Plus, they’re no bake so perfect for people who are allergic to their oven.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back to the sugar, though, so don’t worry if this healthy detour is scaring you. I have plenty of chocolate and peppermint and sugar in store for you.

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12 Days of Christmas Cookies, Day 1: Pinwheel Sugar Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 13, 2014| 2 Comments »


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Welcome to Day 1 of our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!! As pumped as I am for the first Christmas event on Wicked Vegan, it took me almost no time to come to the conclusion that this little special is going to involve me eating a LOT of cookies. My plan was to give some away but, well, that is proving better said then done. For instance, this week I baked up 4 types of cookies, all which I photographed today since I was home during the day (Hello, natural lighting!!). Which means, all week, I have had fresh-baked cookies chillin’ in my house, including some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten.

Yeah…let’s just say you won’t be seeing the whole batch of those chocolate chip cookies.

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These cookies, though, are just too adorable to keep to myself! I didn’t intend for it to happen but don’t they look a little like christmas wreaths?? So cute! These are just plan ol’ sugar cookies with a little pizzaz thrown in.  Tired of seeing crazy concoction cookies like, bacon, whiskey cookies with artisan chocolate chips or blueberry basil thumb prints with  fresh lemon curd made with the tears of virgins? Yeah, it’s getting a tad out of control. These are great because they are simple and tasty without losing any of the presentation that you may want for gifts or holiday parties.

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Pinwheel Sugar Cookies
veganized from Wiltons Gifts from the Kitchen
makes approximately 21

  • 1/2 c. (1 stick) vegan butter, such as Earth Balance, softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Ener-G egg
  • 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • Food coloring of your choice (Obviously I chose green. I just used some that was in my cabinet from Stop and Shop. If you want an all natural variety, I have used India Tree before and liked them. )
  • about a cup of sprinkles of your choice. I would advice you use a smaller type such as nonpareil. The bigger jimmies I used had a hard time sticking.
  • 1/4 c. vegan chocolate

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using electric mixer. Add Ener-G egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Stir in flour and salt, mixing until well blended.

2. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Add food coloring to one portion; knead to blend. Shape each portion to form 4 x 5-inch rectangles; wrap in plastic wrap. Refigerate dough 45-60 minutes.

3. Remove dough from refrigerator. Roll out colored dough on Parchment Paper (in can be a little sticky if it warms up or is over worked) to form 6 x 11-inch rectangle; set aside. Repeat with remaining dough. Place white dough rectangle over colored dough rectangle. Gently press dough together. Starting on one 11-inch edge, roll up dough jelly-roll style. Wrap roll in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1-2 hours until firm.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Remove roll from refrigerator. Slice roll crossways into 1/4-inch rounds. Place each round onto ungreased cookie sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.

5. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the bottom edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from oven. Cool cookies on baking sheet 2-3 minutes. Transfer cookies to cooling rack; cool completely.

6. Places sparkles in a small bowl and set aside. Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and give chocolate a stir. Repeat this process every 30 seconds until the chocolate is melted.

7. Spread a small amount of chocolate around the edge of the cooled cookie. Immediately roll edge in sprinkles. Place cookie on parchment paper to set.

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You can’t go wrong with a well made sugar cookie at a party, especially when they are this cute. I also love that you can totally make them your own by switching up the dough color and the sprinkles. Green and red dough with white sprinkles maybe? Blue and white with Cake Sparkles for a more winter or Frozen theme? Totally doable! If you are using a lighter colored sprinkle, I would maybe try switching out the chocolate for a light coating of icing. Something like this may work better. I haven’t tried that but I would imagine it would look a bit nicer.

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PS. How cute is my Christmas count down clock? My mom made it for me after she saw my Halloween one. Crafts and cookies- they are definitely two of the perks of Christmas time!! What cute crafts are you working on this year?

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Vanilla Cupcakes

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , on March 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

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I’m so predictable. It’s Friday and I’m giving you a dessert recipe. I think its because I secretly hope that you will make these on Friday and eat the entire thing over the weekend so I will feel better about having nothing but these for lunch two days in a row.

I actually made these for the 5-year-old that I nanny for. When I asked her what she wanted to bring to school for her birthday, the conversation went like this:

Her: VANILLA CUPCAKES!!

Me: Vanilla cupcakes? Are you sure?

Her: Yes!!

Me: Well…do you want me to throw strawberries in? I can make pink strawberry cupcakes!

Her: No. I want vanilla.

Me: Do you want me to add some sprinkles?

Her: No! Just vanilla

Me: Pink Vanilla?

Her: JUST VANILLA!!

Me: fine…

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I was so underwhelmed. Vanilla cupcakes are never my go to recipe. Ever. I think because all the really bad store-bought cakes and cupcakes that are always brought to parties and events are plain, ol’ stale vanilla. I’ve been scarred.

So I grudgingly made these with some serious trepidation. When they came out amazing, I was really, really surprised. Of course, I flat out ignored her request for all vanilla and paired them with the strawberry frosting from this recipe, which is hands down my favorite. She loved them.

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Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
from Food.com
makes 12

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with liners.

Stir the non-dairy milk and the apple cider vinegar together and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the milk/apple cider mixture, oil, sugar and vanilla together. Add the flour mixture and beat until no large lumps remain. (if you taste the batter after it’s all combined, it tastes just like a box cupcake mix!)

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 to 22 minutes until done.

I had to make 3 dozens of these puppies. Of course, after I made the first batch of vegan ones, I remembered that one of the 5 year-olds classmates is allergic to nuts, which means no almond milk. I had to scrub everything really well and make 3 new batches with regular milk. Thankfully, I only made 1 dozen of the vegan version before I remembered this.

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The cupcakes pictured are frosted with this Coconut Frosting, which I had left over, and some chocolate frosting from a left over cake that was made. All the strawberry frosting went onto the non-vegan cupcakes so I decided to use what I had instead of making a whole new batch. The vanilla cupcakes went beautifully with all of them but my favorite was definitely the strawberry.

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Now, go make these and report back with how many you ate so I can feel better about how many I had. Kthanks

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Healthy-ish Peanut Butter Balls

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on February 21, 2014| 1 Comment »

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Happy Friday, everyone! I’m made you something with fun sprinkles to help you celebrate the end of your week. I hope you have some awesome plans for this weekend. I think I have not 1, but 2 fun things in the works that I am looking forward to sharing with you on my next Travel Tuesday-Staycation post.

Ok, now let’s get down to business. The family I nanny for often has chocolate chip cookies in the house. They are good. Real good. Like, I’m pretty sure in one day, the Dad and I can make a fairly large dent before the kids even know I restocked. They aren’t vegan and they aren’t healthy. Thus, they are my worst enemy. They whisper to be from the very top of the cabinet saying “psst, Erin. You worked out this morning. You can totally have 1. Or 3. I’m yummy and chock full of chocolate chips…”

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It’s the worst.

peanut butter + maple syrup

peanut butter + maple syrup

So I’ve been trying to make some cleaner, healthier-sorta-kinda, desserts that I can keep around the house that I don’t have to worry about sharing. This way, when I’m being taunted by store bought chocolate chip cookies, I have a better option.

peanut butter/maple syrup + coconut flour

peanut butter/maple syrup + coconut flour

Healthy-ish Peanut Butter Balls
from Oh She Glows
serving 20-25

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup 100% natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, I used Teddy’s. You want it to be the all natural kind that is kind of drippy.)
  • 3.5-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste (I only tried maple syrup so I can’t vouch for other liquid sweeteners like honey and Agave Nectar)
  • 2-3 tablespoons coconut flour (I used 2.5)
  • fine grain sea salt, to taste (I used 1/8 teaspoon because by PB was already salted)
  • 6 tablespoons rice crisp cereal
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions:

  1. Combine natural peanut butter and the maple syrup in a medium bowl and stir vigorously for about a minute until the mixture has thickened.
  2. Add the coconut and stir until well combined. The amount of the coconut flour will depend on the consistency of your peanut butter. Start with 2 TBSP, combine and let sit for a minute or two. The coconut flour will continue to absorbed the moisture in the mixture and will continue to thicken. Add a bit more if the peanut butter remains sticky. You want to be able to roll the peanut butter into a ball without it sticking to your hands (add more flour if this is the case) and without cracking or crumbling (add more maple syrup). See my picture below for a reference on what your dough should look like.
  3. Add salt and combine.
  4. Add cereal and gently combine.
  5. Shape into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I was able to make 20 but I would suggest going smaller for a better Peanut butter/ chocolate ratio). Place in freezer while you prepare the chocolate.
  6. On medium heat,melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler. Once the chocolate had begun to melt, stir the chocolate around until it becomes smooth then remove from heat.
  7. Remove the peanut butter balls from the freezer. One at a time, drop them into the melted chocolate, roll around until it is covered, then roll it gently up the side to help remove excess chocolate.
  8. Place in the fridge or freezer for another 10 minutes or so for the chocolate to harden. Keep chilled.

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I had been eyeing this recipe since I received two large jars of Teddy’s peanut butter from home for Christmas. I sort of forgot about it with the craziness of the holidays but the other day, I realized I was down to my last 1/2 of a jar and knew I had to make this before it was too late.

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The filling is straight up peanut butter goodness! The rice cereal adds a nice texture but the best part is, because it’s so peanut buttery, I’m good with one. It’s the perfect little afternoon snack!

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AND peanut butter is a very American thing and most of the family doesn’t particularly like them so they are all for me! Yesssss!

PS. did you notice in the first picture the condensation on the Peanut Butter Balls because it was SO hot here when I was photographing them? It reminded me of this skit. LOL! Happy Friday.

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Coconut Passionfruit Cupcakes with Coconut Milk Buttercream Frosting

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on February 14, 2014| 2 Comments »

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I know it’s 7:30pm in the States and the day after Valentine’s Day in Australia but I am physically incapably of letting a holiday pass without making a corresponding dessert. I think it may be a problem. Chronic Seasonalbakingaholic? Sure, that sounds about right.

For this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to make something a little different. EVERYONE makes red velvet something or other. I’m totally guilty of that as last year I made Red Velvet Nutella Breakfast Rolls in the shape of hearts. (side note: the Aussies say “Love heart” when describing the traditional Valentines Day heart…weirdos). They were to die for. I think I had a dreams about those breakfast rolls for days after. BUT, they were kind of cliche.

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So this year, I decided to branch out a little and leave the red velvet for others (my pancakes were technically not red velvet since they don’t have food dye…even though you could easily add it). I decided to go for passionfruit since you want passion for Valentine’s Day? Get it? Get it? Cool. And thanks to this handy cook book I got for Christmas (thanks Matt!), I know that passionfruit and coconut pair well together. Thus, the Coconut Passionfruit Cupcake with Coconut Milk Buttercream was born.

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Coconut Passionfruit Cupcake with Coconut Milk Buttercream Frosting
veganized from SBS.com.au
makes approximately 15

cake ingredients:

  • 1½ cups self-raising flour
  • ½ cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, whichever you prefer.
  • ¾ cup coconut milk
  • ¼ cup passionfruit pulp (approximately 3–4 large passionfruit)
  • ¾ cup vegan butter, room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 Ener-G eggs

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk together the flour and coconut in bowl, set aside. Combine the coconut milk and passionfruit pulp in a small jug and set aside. Whisk together the vegan eggs and set aside.

Cream butter for 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the caster sugar a third at a time and beat for 1–2 minutes after each addition.

Add 1/2 the egg mixture and beat for 1 minute. Add the rest and beat for 1 minute.

Add ⅓ of the flour and coconut and beat on low until just combined. Add half of the coconut milk and passionfruit mixture and beat until combined. Repeat this again and then finish with the final third of the flour and coconut. Do not over beat the mixture or it will become tough.

Line cupcake pans with papers and fill liners 3/4 full. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when tested. Allow cool on a cake cooler.

 Coconut Milk Buttercream Frosting*:
adapted from Dairyfreecooking.about.com
  • 1/2 cup dairy-free soy margarine, room temperature
  • 4 c. powdered sugar
  • 1/2 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 t. vanilla extract
  • food coloring (optional)
Beat the butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add half of the powdered sugar and beat for another 1-2 minutes until well mixed. Add the coconut milk and vanilla extract. Beat for another 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat for 1 minute or until well mixed and fluffy. Add food coloring if you wish.
*One of the batches of cupcakes I made come out super fluffy and moist. It was almost the texture of pound cake and suspect I over mixed something. If that happens with yours, I would recommend saving the buttercream for another recipe and going the coconut whipped cream route. I haven’t been able to find an Aussie brand of coconut milk that will separate which is why I opted for buttercream but most in the US do separate.
To make the chocolate hearts:
vegan chocolate, preferably melting chocolates
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper and set aside. Place some vegan chocolate in a plastic baggy and stick it in the microwave. Heat for 15 seconds. Pull it out and mush the chocolate around. Repeat this process until the chocolate is fully melted. Snip the corner of baggy. Pipe hearts onto your prepared cookie sheet. Put it in the fridge to solidify. Once hard, decorate your cupcakes!
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Hope everyone has a great Valentine’s with their special someone or with friends! I’ll tell you how I spent my Valentine’s Day next week. It was kind of hilarious.

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