Cream Cheese Icing

Adapted from a recipe I saw on the Canadian Living website.

1/4 cup + 2 tbs cream cheese (**I've used light cream cheese and it was fine)

1/4 cup softened butter

1 tbs vanilla

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

Soften the cream cheese and butter on the stove. Add the vanilla. Whip in the icing sugar in 2 or 3 instalments.

I found that this was enough to do a crumb coat on the quinoa cake (aka you can barely do one coat and it was full of crumbs from the cake). If I were going to do this for a party or something, I would do a double batch and chill the cake between applications.

Gluten-Free Quinoa Chocolate Cake

My friend Koleta brought this to a potluck I had recently and it was awesome. I made it with a cream cheese icing (which I will post soon) and it was super moist.

2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 cup water
1/2 cup goat milk >> I didn't have any of this on hand. My mother suggested I use Half and Half cream, which I kind of regret doing (for caloric reasons). Next time I'll do skim milk for sure.
1 tsp vanilla extract >> I always use more vanilla. I easily used 1 tbs.
3/4 cup melted and cooled butter >> what I usually do is cut the butter into cubes (maybe 2cm x 2 cm), lay them out untouching on a plate, and microwave for two short 10 second blitzes. I find this helps you get evenly softened butter, as opposed to a huge brick that is liquefied on the outside yet still cold and hard in the middle.
1 1/2 cups white or cane sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Cover and reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. >>I was in a crunch for time so I spread the quinoa out over a large dinner plate and put it in the fridge for a bit. It would have taken forever to cool down in a hot saucepan.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two 8 inch cake pans.
3. Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla in a food processor or blender. Add 2 cups cooked quinoa (>> I found that using 2/3 cup dry quinoa and 1 1/3 cups water produced exactly 2 cups cooked quinoa. How perfect.) and butter and continue to blend until smooth. >> It will still have a few chunks, obviously.
4. Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium/large bowl. Add the contents of the food processor and fold until blended.
5. Divide the batter evently between the pans and bake on centre rack for 40 - 45 minutes (>> I was fine after 40. The toothpick came out clean-ish and the edges had pulled back from the side of the pan). Cool before icing.
   

To try: Greek Yogurt Popsicles

This was on 'Cup of Jo' this morning and I must try it soon. I think I'll buy some agave to substitute for the refined sugar. 1/2 a cup is a lot for only 1 and 1/2 cups yogurt! The accompanying recipe was for avocado popsicles, which I was slightly less excited to try...

Greek Yogurt Pops with Berries (Adapted from Paletas, by Fany Gerson)

Ingredients:
1 lemon (you just need the peel)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups fresh blackberries, or the berry of your choice

Rinse the lemon, then peel it. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon peel, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, then refrigerate until chilled.

Put the yogurt and honey in a bowl, add the chilled syrup and stir well. (You can also do this in a blender, but we just stirred by hand.) Pour a bit of the yogurt into each of the popsicle molds, to a height of about 3/4 inch. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 40 minutes.

Next divide the blackberries among the popsicle molds, thn pour the remaining yogurt mixture, dividing it evenly among the molds. Snap on the lid of the molds and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours.


Original recipe/photo

Less-Than-Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

[**EDIT] I just tried making these with demerara brown sugar and 'Best For Bread' flour and they came out PERFECT. Like, I don't think I can ever go back. Perfect thickness, perfect texture, perfect colour. Photos soon.

So I FINALLY found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I like. It's literally taken years.

Cream:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Add:
2 eggs, one at a time

Then add:
1 tbs vanilla

Separately mix:
3 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Slowly add dry to wet (I did it in four installments).

Mix in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

Bake at 375F for 8 - 9 minutes for chewy fantasticness. Makes about 35 cookies.

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've never really found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I've LOVED. This is the closest I've ever come. The photo on the original website doesn't really do these justice... they turn out a lot like those Quaker Oat granola bars with the chocolate chips. I just wish these could be made vegan!

>>> Think of these less like cookies and more like haystacks.

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups) >> I used frozen ones and they worked fine.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract >> Be liberal
1/4 teaspoon almond extract >> I didn't have any, and a little extra vanilla seems to work. Always add more vanilla. ALWAYS.
1/4 cup applesauce
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt >> I rarely add full salt in recipes, but because this doesn't have the added sugar, the full salt is kind of necessary.
1 teaspoon baking powder
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips >> Amounts to slightly less than 1 cup. I added more because (again) I was worried about blandness. I add more if I'm feeling like a bit more sweet.
1/2 cup pecans >> ESSENTIAL (well not really, but they really add to the granola bar feel of these cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine the bananas, vanilla, almond extract, applesauce, egg and honey. In a separate bowl stir together oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Drop spoonfuls of the dough about an inch apart onto a cookie sheet. >>> I don't usually use parchment paper, but since these lack the grease, it helps them come off easier if you don't have new pans. Bake for 11-13 minutes >> Keep to the lower end, because I found these started to burn a bit on the bottom at 11.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. >> I found it only made 2 and a 1/2 dozen.

Original recipe/photo

Homemade Oreos

Just pulled this from the lovely Cupcakes and Cashmere. Stupid easy if you have a food processor. When you first make them, the wafers will seem really hard and the cream might squish out a bit, but over time, the wafers soften ever so slightly and they're PERFECT. I prefer keeping them in the fridge, but they will hold up in the cupboard.

**Note about assembly** This recipe says that you need a piping bag in order to put the put the sandwiches together. I've done without it and it's fine. The piping bag just ensures that you get 'perfect' looking edges, but I just do it with with a teaspoon. I find twisting the top and the bottom in opposite directions as you assemble helps the cream spread out evenly throughout the cookie.

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies >>> I found it only made 20ish.


For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar [see recipe note] >>> I stick with 1 cup and they are plenty sweet.
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract >>> I've used up to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the real stuff
1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
>>>NOTE>>> Resist the temptation to chill the batter. I know it makes it easier to handle when you're trying to roll it into balls, but chilled batter will keep the cookies from spreading as much as they should. For these, you're better off with thinner, crispier cookies rather than taller, chewier cookies (speaking from experience).
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

Basic Cookie Icing

- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 drops of dye


Used on shortbread cutouts. Not perfect, but works in a pinch (put it on thin, as it will taste a bit like icing sugar). Make sure cookies are cooled and just apply with a small spoon. I put them in the fridge overnight to ensure they gelled properly, and then they were fine to stack on top of one another.

Rum Cake

Cake
* 1 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
* 1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
* 1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
* 4 eggs
* 1/2 cup cold milk*
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Glaze
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup Bacardi dark rum

Preparation:
Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Chocoholics Cake

1 chocolate cake mix
1 pckge vanilla INSTANT pudding mix
½ cup oil
½ cup water
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
6 oz chocolate chips

Mix thoroughly all ingredients and fold in chocolate chips
Pour batter into well greased tube pan and bake 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees
Let it cool before turning out of pan.

(if pan is glass, adjust cooking time and temp as per cake mix instructions)

Chocolate-Toffee Cookies

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 (1.4-ounce) chocolate-covered English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; whisk to blend.

2. Stir the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove the mixture from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture and the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, then the toffee and nuts. Chill the batter until firm, at least 45 minutes and up to one day.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop the batter by ice-cream scoopfuls onto the baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cookies just until dry and cracked on top but still soft to the touch in the center, about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets. (The cookies can be prepared two days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Chocolate Chip Muffins (a la Sandra Embleton)

Ingredients

1/2 cup margerine
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 large bananas

Add to a bowl with:

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Bake 350 degrees F for 12-15 mins.

Rice Krispie Squares

Ingredients

1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon soy margarine (Fleischmans)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
approx. 6 cup puffed rice cereal (Nature's Path brand works for gluten-free)
chocolate chips for the top if desired (PC brand)

Directions

In addition to the above ingredients you'll need a heat resistant spatula, a small pot, a very large bowl, and a lightly greased large piece of wax paper (at least 9x13 in area, I used oil spray).

Begin by heating the syrup in the pot over medium heat then add the sugar to the pot. Stir continuously for a few minutes, you might start to notice it bubbling at the bottom, if it starts to become frothy turn down the temperature some. When it starts to look like its boiling add the margarine (I used earth balance) stir till evenly mixed, then add the vanilla, still stirring. If you notice that the syrup/sugar mixture does not boil you can turn up the heat, or just add the margarine and the rest of the ingredients after a few minutes it will still work fine, just make sure to spend a few minutes stirring the syrup and sugar before adding the other ingredients).

As the syrup and sugar are on the stove in the very large bowl measure out about 5 cups of the cereal.

pour the heated mixture over the syrup and began stirring with the spatula making sure to evenly combine the ingredients. You might want to add another cup or more of the cereal, depending on the amount of saturation your looking for (I find about 6 cups of cereal allows all the cereal to be covered in syrup but not too gooey: still crispy.)

when stirred to satisfaction, pour the cereal on to the wax paper, using the spatula to push it into a large rectangle, approximately an inch or so thick.

Allow the rice crispies to cool till hard, about an hour or so (although sampling of a chunk of warm rice crispies is possible for instant gratification!)

Serves: about 20 medium sized squares

Preparation time: 15 prep, 1 hour to cool

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c granulated sugar
1/3 c canola oil
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c non dairy semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease your muffin tins (or use papers)

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and the oil. Then add the mashed banana and chocolate chips. Stir in the water and vanilla until incorporated. Add flour mixture, a little at a time and stir until just incorporated.

Fill all 12 muffin cups evenly and bake about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of one or two comes out cleanly.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and blend in.
3. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chunks.
4. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Butter Tarts

This is the full recipe (including pastry), though I've never made the pastry. It says it only makes 10 tarts, but if you put raisins in the bottom, it stretches to 12.

Ingredients:

Pastry

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup cold vegetable shortening
• 10 tbsp ice water

Filling

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

Assembly

• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Pastry

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Sift dry ingredients together.
3. With a pastry cutter, blend in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Add the ice water gradually until dough forms.
5. Pat dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6. Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick.
7. With a cookie cutter, cut out ten 3 1/2-inch circles.
8. Press the circles into 10 cups of a muffin tin.
9. Put the muffin tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.
10. Remove from the freezer, place pieces of tin foil in each shell and fill with pie weights.
11. Bake for 20 minutes.
12. Remove foil and pie weights and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, until pastry is golden and set.
13. Cool on a wire rack.

Filling

1. In a medium bowl, lightly beat together the egg, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla and salt.

Assembly

1. Divide the raisins among the shells.
2. Divide the mixture among the shells and bake until set, about 15 minutes.
3. Let cool 5 minutes.
4. Remove tarts from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Brownies

1 cup butter 6 squares unsweetened chocolate 4 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 1/2 cup flour 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt butter and chocolate together. In a large bowl beat eggs. Blend in sugar. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 8 inch square pan. Bake at 300 degrees F. for 45 to 55 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. Store in refrigerator.

Shortbread

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup sifted al purpose flour

1 cup butter (room temperature)

Sigt together cornshar, icing sugar, and flour. Blend in butter with a wooden spoon. This works best if the butter is in fact at room temperature, otherwise you end up warming the dough up and cooling it down and it won't always hold shape in the oven. Cool the dough in the fridge if it's too soft, but be mindful that if it's rock hard, it will be difficult to put into balls.

Shape dough into 1" balls approximately 1 1/2" apart. Flatten with a lightly floured (or icing sugar'd) fork, and top with anything you'd like (chocolate chips, chopped nuts, sprinkles, brown sugar).

Bake in slow oven at 300 degrees F for 20 - 25 minutes or until edges are very lightly brownd. Yield 3 - 4 dozen

Chocolate Brittle

2 cups of chocolate chips (or other type)

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of butter or margarine

1 sleeve of salted crackers

Grease a cookie sheet and line with the crackers salted side up

Add sugar and margaerine in a pot and bring to a boil

Let boil for 3 minutes ("good rapid boil")

Pour the sugar and margerine over crackers, spread all around

Put in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes (so it bubbles but DOES NOT BROWN).

Melt chocolate chips.

Pour on top of sugar/crackers and put into a cold place. You can add nuts on top if you'd like.

Break into pieces and enjoy