just a few things i've been up to…..

So I haven't really been into blogging these days and will probably fade out my blog in the next few months or so. But if you care to follow me and my baked goods, click on the links to Facebook or Instagram.  Here is what's been happening in my kitchen this year….

Soccer themed cookies for 5 cuties that played in a tournament earlier this year.

A bunny themed birthday party.

For our own consumption, meyer lemon curd and crumbly vanilla scones.

A gluten free and dairy free clementine cake!

Re-creating animal cookies. 

Missing Italy and a chocolate-hazelnut babka!

For an order - Shopkins themed birthday party. Rainbow Bite cupcake toppers made out of royal icing.

Cookie favors and the birthday girls' name in cookies! 

A Twinkle Twinkle Little Star themed birthday favors and cupcakes.

Probably the coolest and non-traditional valentines…..

I "heart" NY cookie wedding favors.

Valentine's Day!!! 

And a birthday cake celebrating memories - past and present.

a momofuku milk bar-like bday cake

I just LOVE the way Momofuku Milk Bar's cakes look! Super rustic but elegant in my opinion. I was totally inspired by them to make this cake - chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, charred marshmallows, & chocolate cookie crumbs!!!

I even went as far as making their chocolate cookie crumbs too.

The charred marshmallows were a little hard to peel away from the parchment paper, but I managed to get most of the gooey-goodness between each layer. 

Lastly, in MMB fashion, a hand-written chocolately birthday greeting…..

last post of 2013, on holiday, breaking my vegan diet & vegan chocolate chunk w/ almond cookies

I'm officially on Christmas holiday abroad and on hiatus from my vegan diet. This will also be my last post for 2013 and thank you all for following me!!! So for the next two weeks I'll be consuming all dairy products in moderation, but I'll end this year with delicious vegan chocolate chunk with almond cookies.

The first time I made these vegan cookies by Baker Bettie I followed the exact recipe. The second time I made them I added my own twists and I have to admit that these are pretty darn good vegan cookies. The recipe only makes a dozen cookies, it's quick and easy and when you're jonesing for cookies, this recipe is for you! Vegan or not, make these cookies!!!

Vegan Chocolate Chunk w/ Almond Cookies
adapted from Baker Bettie's blog
makes 12 cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vegan butter ***I used Earth Balance.***
1/4 cup vegetable shortening ***You can use vegan butter here also.***
3/4 cup dark brown sugar ***Baker Bettie uses dark muscovado sugar here but use whatever sugar you have in your pantry. Preferably light or dark brown sugar.***
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons soy milk ***Plain old water is OK too.***
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus a little more for sprinkling on top of cookies
1 cup vegan chocolate chips/chunks ***The only vegan chocolate I had on hand was a one pound bar of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate w/ Almonds. I chopped it up and added it to my recipe and it tasted great!!!***

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In your bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, whip vegan butter and veg shortening with dark brown sugar until it's doubled in volume and light and fluffy. Roughly about 3 - 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk/mix together cornstarch, baking powder and soy milk. Add to butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape down sides again.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour and kosher salt. Do not over mix and stop the mixer at the point to almost all of the flour is mixed in. Add the chunks and mix for a few seconds. ***If there is still flour visible, gently fold mixture by hand with a large spatula.***

With a cookie scoop (I think mine is a 2 ounce scoop) evenly scoop out 12 cookies onto your prepared cookie sheets. Leave a couple of inches a part because cookies will spread a little bit. Bake for 8 minutes, sprinkle a little kosher salt onto each cookie, rotate cookie sheets and bake for another 8 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool on sheets for 5 minutes until transferring them to a wire rack. Cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for about 1 week.

This is one of our views from our flat in De Pijp neighborhood in Amsterdam.

Breaking my vegan diet with hazelnut yogurt and a chocolate covered gingerbread man cookie for breakfast.

Happy Holidays!!!

spicy vegan mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles

I'm on week 3 with my vegan diet and I'm kind of getting used to this no-dairy thing. Although I'm not gonna lie, I miss butter!!! And I miss cheese!!! I'm not going to totally convert to being a vegan, but after my 2 month stint is over, I will go back to eating butter and cheese in moderation. But for now, I will continue to search and test some vegan recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth and midnight munchie attacks.

I try and find vegan recipes that I don't have to rush out to buy other ingredients. I was stoked to come across these vegan Mexican hot chocolate snickerdoodles by Post Punk Kitchen and when shared with my non-vegan friends, they couldn't even taste the lack of butter or eggs in them. 

I didn't have any cayenne pepper so I substituted chili powder instead. I also made a few of my own adaptations to the original recipe.

Spicy Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles
slightly adapted from Post Punk Kitchen
makes 2 dozen cookies

For the sugary coating:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup canola oil ***or veg oil***
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy milk ***almond milk is OK here too!***
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour ***or all-purpose flour***
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. In a shallow bowl or plate, mix together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour/s, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chili powder/cayenne. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar/s, soy milk and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring constantly until it forms into cookie dough.

With a 1-1/2 inch diameter cookie scoop, divide the dough into 24 pieces. Roll into walnut-sized balls and gently press into the sugar & cinnamon mixture, flattening roughly into 2-inch disks.

Sugarcoated side up, lay cookies onto your parchment lined sheets approximately 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 - 14 minutes. Cookies will have spread and will have crackly tops. Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

peanut butter blossoms

Peanut butter blossoms need no introduction to most cookie-eaters. They're usually baked around the Christmas holiday and I really don't know why because what's not to love about peanut butter and chocolate any time of the year?

The poor Hershey's Kiss.....It gets kicked to the candy curb when there are other yummy candies in the candy dish. But these sweet kisses should never go to waste or be forgotten! Peanut butter blossom cookies are easy to make,  pretty to look at, and just darn tasty.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

courtesy of Land O Lakes

makes 4 dozen+ cookies

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar - firmly packed

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter - softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter ***I used an all-natural and organic peanut butter, but you can use whatever peanut butter you like***

1 large egg - at room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

48+ kisses

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl and with a hand held mixer or your stand mixer, cream butter and both sugars. Add peanut butter and mix until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture in two stages. Scraping down sides of bowl after the first addition of flour.

***If the dough seems too soft, set in frig for 15-30 minutes while you unwrap the chocolate kisses***

Roll small pieces of dough into 1-inch round balls. Roll the balls in the reserved 1/4 cup sugar and place on your prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake the cookies for 8 - 10 minutes.

After 8 minutes, the cookies should be puffy and have a crackled top. Immediately after removing from the oven, press a chocolate kiss into the middle of each cookie. Work quickly. Set on a wire rack and to cool completely or enjoy them warm.....

rich, chocolately and vegan chocolate cupcakes

These chocolate cupcakes are rich in flavor, super chocolately and VEGAN to boot!!!

Now I didn't say that they were gluten-free (but I'm going to try that next) nor are they sugar free. But the secret ingredient in this creamy chocolatey frosting will make you think that eating a chocolate cupcake CAN be kinda healthy. Kinda.....

So the secret ingredient to the frosting is avocado. Yep. Avocado. No butter. Just some good Omega fats and some naughty powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder. I know what you're thinking. Avocado and cocoa powder AND powdered sugar? Yuck, right? Nope, it's just the opposite, yummy. Someone tried to turn me onto this ages ago and I too poo-pood the thought of it until I actually tried it. Now I'm convinced that chocolate guacamole is delicious!!! :)

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting

vegan chocolate cake recipe adapted from the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World 

vegan chocolate frosting adapted from babble

makes 12 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

for the chocolate cupcakes

1 cup soy milk ***Coconut milk would be great too!!!***

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar ***Or white vinegar***

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil ***You can also substitute canola or coconut oil*** 

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small bowl whisk together soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside a few minutes so that the soy milk curdles.

In a large bowl sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk together oil and sugar. Mix in curdle soy milk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. Batter will be VERY runny.

Fill your cupcake liners approximately 3/4 full. I use a scoop so that the batter is distributed equally. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. 

for the frosting

2 ripe avocados

1/2 cup or to taste unsweetened cocoa powder - sifted

1/2 - 3/4 cup or to taste powdered sugar - sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a bowl of a food processor, blitz your avocados until smooth and creamy. Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/4 - 1/3 cup powdered sugar. Blitz until combined. Taste and add more cocoa and powdered sugar to your liking. If your avocados are avocado-y you might want to add more powdered sugar. Continue processing until the frosting is fluffy and creamy.

Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before eating.

For major chocolatey frosting swirls double the recipe...... 

7 layer bars

Graham crackers, butter, sweetened condensed milk, walnuts, coconut, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and kosher salt. Does that make these 9 layer bars??? There are many versions of this recipe, but I liked the chip combo from the Brown Eyed Baker. I altered some of the ingredients to my personal taste and used what I had in my pantry.....

INGREDIENTS
9 graham crackers - you'll get 3 packages in a box of grahams. One package is 9 crackers.
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter - melted ***I cut 3 tablespoons out of the original recipe. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I was trying to cut back on our butter consumption a little. Due to the minimal butter used, my bars also crumbled as we ate them, but we didn't really care? They were still tasty***
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk ***I used about 9 oz. or 3/4 of the can because that's what I had available.***
1 cup walnuts - finely chopped
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips ***You could use semi-sweet, but I personally like the taste of bittersweet.***
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

Spray lightly with cooking spray a 9x13 inch pan and line with 2 sheets of parchment paper - overlapping bottom and going up the sides. Leave the wider sides a little long so that it acts as handles when you want to remove the bars from the pan. Preheat oven to 350°F. When your oven is ready, toast coconut. Don't walk away, the coconut toasts/browns pretty quickly. 4 - 5 minutes. Toss during baking to ensure even browning.

In the meantime, dump your graham crackers into a gallon ziplock bag. Press out all of the air and with a rolling pin bash and roll them into fine crumbs. 

In a bowl, mix together thoroughly the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and melted butter. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan.

Scatter the chopped walnuts onto graham cracker crust, then assorted chips and next the toasted coconut. In an even stream, pour the sweetened condensed milk over the entire pan of goodness. Generously sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt on top. 

Bake until golden brown for 25 - 30 minutes. 

Cool bars in the pan for at least 2 hours.

With the parchment handles, gently remove from pan and cut into bars.

chocolate & salted peanut covered frozen bananas

Bananas, dark chocolate, and salted peanuts. What's not to love???

INGREDIENTS

bananas ***Not-too-ripe bananas work best here but if your bananas have a few brown spots on them it's gonna be totally fine.***

chocolate - finely chopped ***I prefer using 70% or more dark chocolate.***

roasted peanuts - roughly chopped ***Salted ones taste best, but if you're trying to cut back on your sodium intake, just make sure your peanuts are roasted for the best flavor.***

honey (optional) ***Dark chocolate is not as sweet as milk or semi-sweet so I add just a little honey for added sweetness and flavor.***

sticks - lollipop or popsicle sticks ***If you don't have any sticks, the next time you're grabbing a cup-o-joe, just snag a few wooden coffee stirrers.***

There are no exact measurements here. Eye ball the amount of chocolate you'll need for the amount of bananas you're using. I melted roughly 1/2 cup of chocolate for one and a half bananas/3 halves. I also added 1 teaspoon of honey for additional sweetness into my melted chocolate. Peanuts??? A handful? 

Peel your bananas, cut them in half, and insert a stick on the cut side. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze your bananas until frozen. ***I froze mine over night.***

In a heat proof bowl, microwave your chopped chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir. The chocolate will almost be completely melted after 30 seconds. This is optional, but I add a little honey to my chocolate. Nuke for 10 seconds. Stir to combine and set aside with your peanuts.

Pour your melted chocolate into a small glass with a narrow opening so that you can dunk your banana in it. 

Chop your peanuts. ***I like mine roughly chopped.*** Allergic to peanuts??? Substitute toasted chopped walnuts or almonds. Rainbow sprinkles would be awesome too!!!

Dunk your frozen banana into your chocolate, give it a spin and a twirl and roll it into your chopped peanuts.

Place your peanut and chocolate covered bananas back onto your parchment lined sheet and place back into your freezer until the chocolate is set.