raspberry rose crumble pie

one pie just wasn't enough...

fresh from the oven and bubbling!

crust ingredients:

1 stick very cold unsalted butter, diced
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
apx 1/3 cup ice water

in the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour with the sugar and salt. add the butter and pulse until the butter resembles pea-sized crumbles. add the ice water slowly while the machine is running (adjust the amount of water if necessary, you want to incorporate enough so that the mixture just begins to come together and form a dough). dump the contents of the processor onto a floured surface and form a ball. wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour. roll the rested dough and fit into a pie dish (i used a 10 inch dish). poke holes liberally into the bottom of the crust using a fork and allow to chill for an additional half an hour.

while the crust chills, prepare the filling and preheat oven to 425 F.

filling ingredients:

12 oz frozen raspberries (fresh raspberries can be used instead, but i opted for frozen because they aren't in season)
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons rose water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and rose water. set aside.

in a small sauce pan over medium heat, gently combine the raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar. once the sugar has dissolved, remove the pot from the heat and add the rose water and cornstarch mixture (the cornstarch may have separated from the rose water, so give the mixture a stir before adding it to the berries). mix to combine and add the mixture to the prepared crust. set aside and prepare the crumble.

crumble ingredients*:

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup very cold unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt

combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with a pastry cutter until the butter resembles coarse crumbles. a food processor can also be used for this step, but to keep the oats whole, leave them out when processing, and incorporate them after the butter has been crumbled. sprinkle the mixture evenly over the raspberry filling. cover the edges of the pie with foil to prevent the crust from burning and bake for 20 minutes in the bottom half of the oven and an additional 25 in the top half. allow to cool completely before slicing, and enjoy!

*this is a very basic crumble recipe. i usually add almond meal or spices to my crumbles, but for this specific dish, i didn't want to incorporate too many strong flavors that could compete with the delicateness of the rose.

rustic pear anise pie (vegan and soy free)

this pie was inspired by a pie recipe found in the december/january issue of ready made magazine. it's not overly sweet, has a wonderful tartness, and the anise pairs perfectly with the pears (no pun intended).

crust ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus extra for flouring surfaces
2/3 cup very cold soy free earth balance (regular earth balance or butter could also be used)
2 tsps sugar
1/4-1/3 cup ice water

in the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour and sugar. add the earth balance and pulse until the mixture begins to form pea-sized crumbles. with the processor running, slowly pour the ice water down the feed tube until the dough just begins to stick together. dump the dough onto a floured surface and form into a disk. wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour. take the chilled dough and roll it large enough to fit into a 10 inch pie dish. place the dough in the pie dish, being careful not to stretch it. poke several holes along the base using a fork. place the dish in the refrigerator and allow to chill for an additional half hour.

preheat oven to 425 F and bake the chilled crust in the center of the oven, for about 20 minutes, or until it is a light golden brown. while the crust cools, you can prepare the filling.

filling ingredients:

7 barely ripe bosc pears, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
juice of 3 lemons
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour.
1 tablespoon arak or another anise flavored liqueur
1 tsp anise seeds, divided
1 dash cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 dashes bitters (i used an orange variety, but old fashioned or lemon bitters would also work well)

combine the sliced pears, lemon juice, and arak in a large bowl (the pears and lemon should be combined as soon as possible after slicing to prevent the pears from browning). in another bowl, combine the sugar, flour, anise seeds, cinnamon, salt, and bitters. gently combine the sugar mixture with the pears and transfer the filling to your cooled crust. cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning and bake the pie in the center of the oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until the pears are tender when poked. enjoy hot or cold!

coffee ice cream with shaved dark chocolate

back to back ice creams in february. what can i say? i am my mother's daughter, and when the world gives you a gallon of whole milk, you must find a use for it...

ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons coarsely ground coffee (i used sumatra, and the fresher it is the better)
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 oz dark chocolate, shaved (i used a vegetable peeler)

combine the coffee grounds and milk in a double boiler and allow to infuse for 5-7 minutes or until the milk  is nicely tinted. strain the grounds from the milk, using a fine mesh sieve and set aside.

in a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar (it will be quite thick). gradually add the infused milk to the egg mixture while stirring constantly. adding the hot milk too quickly, or failing to stir while adding it will result in scrambled eggs (yuck). once the egg mixture has been combined with the milk mixture, return it to the double boiler and stir continuously until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. remove the mixture from the heat and add the cream, vanilla, and salt. give it a taste. does it rock? it should. allow it to cool completely before transferring to an ice cream machine. churn for approximately 20 minutes, adding the chocolate shavings at the very end. store in an airtight container and enjoy : )

spiced oatmeal ice cream

yesterday i happened to come across a lot of whole milk. i don't drink milk, but i do love ice cream.

ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (i used whole)

1 cup old fashioned oats (uncooked)
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

in a large bowl whisk together the eggs until they are light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). add the sugar in 1/4 cup increments, whisking well after each addition. once the sugar and eggs are well combined, add the milk and cream, mix well, and set aside.

combine the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. gradually incorporate the maple syrup and olive oil into the mixture while the machine is running. continue to pulse until the mixture just begins to hold clumps.

stir the oat mix into the cream base and allow to chill for 30 minutes in a freezer (when making ice cream, it's important to keep the ingredients as cold as possible. the 30 minutes spent in the freezer will enhance the performance of your ice cream maker). after chilling, freeze the mix in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions (about 25 minutes). at this point your ice cream will be somewhat soft and should be transfered to an airtight container and frozen for an additional 2 hours before serving. enjoy!

chocolate coconut donuts (soy and dairy free)

i was going to wait a bit before posting these donuts, but i decided there are much worse things in the world then back to back donut posts. and for those of you tired of fried things, don't despair, homemade seitan's coming up next!

donut ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour (unbleached if possible)

1/4 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 tablespoon soy free earth balance, melted*

1 tsp vanilla extract

canola oil for frying

glaze ingredients:

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/3 cup coconut milk

4 tablespoons soy free earth balance*

4 oz dark chocolate, finely chopped (i used theo's because it didn't contain dairy or soy lecithin)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

for the donuts: in a large bowl, beat together the egg and 1/2 cup of sugar until pale and creamy. add the coconut milk, melted earth balance, and vanilla and mix well. sift the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt directly into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. cover and refrigerate for as least half an hour, but no longer than an hour.

in the meantime, prepare a deep fryer (or heavy saute pan) with canola oil set to 360 F, arrange a floured work space for rolling out the dough, and line a cookie sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil from the fried donuts. 

once the donut dough is ready to roll out, roll it 1/2 an inch thick and cut out donuts and holes with a 3 inch diameter cutter or circles. fry in batches of 2-5 (depending on how large the surface area of your oil is) for 1 1/2 minutes, then flip and fry for an additional minute. allow the oil to return to 360 F between batches to prevent soggy donuts. 

while the donuts are frying (or immediately after they've finished) begin the glaze by combining the tablespoon of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. when the sugar has completely dissolved, but not yet begun to boil, add the coconut milk and earth balance. when the mixture is hot, but not boiling, remove it from the heat and add the finely chopped chocolate. allow the chocolate 30 seconds or so to heat up before stirring the mixture. once all the chocolate is incorporated, add the vanilla. allow the glaze to thicken for about 20 minutes before dipping the donuts. 

this is a good time to toast the coconut. i used a toaster oven because it's such a small amount of coconut and it's easier to monitor. if using an oven, set it to 325 F and allow the coconut to toast in a single even layer for about 7 minutes or until lightly golden.

when the glaze has thickened, dip the donuts on their flatter sides and sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes. serve immediately : )

*butter or regular earth balance can be substituted

buttermilk donuts

deep fryers are magical because they have the power to change lives for the better (sorry joseph, but it's true). the recipe for these buttermilk donuts comes from a williams-sonoma cookbook titled donuts (how appropriate) and they are the first of many donuts to come. 

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (if you can find unbleached stuff, go with it)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

canola oil for frying
confectioners' sugar for dusting

in a large bowl, sift together the first set of ingredients, and set aside. in another large bowl, mix together the egg and granulated sugar until pale in color. add the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla and mix well. slowly add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until they just come together into a soft dough. gather the dough into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour.

while the dough is chilling, line a baking sheet with paper towels to absorb excess oil from the fried donuts, prep a space for frying (set about 2 inches of oil to 360 F, either in a deep fryer or heavy saute pan), and another for rolling out the dough (a generously floured surface). when the dough is ready, roll it into an approximately 10 inch circle that is about 1/2 an inch thick. with a 3 inch donut cutter (or 2 circle cutters), cut out as many donuts and holes as possible. re-roll the scraps and repeat cutting out as many donuts as the dough yields.

when all the donuts have been cut, slowly lower the first batch (about 2-5, depending on the surface area of the oil) into the hot oil and fry until golden brown (about 1 1/2 minutes), then flip and fry for an additional minute.  repeat with additional batches, until all the donuts and holes have been fried, allowing the oil to return to 360 F between batches.

arrange the finished donuts in a single layer and using a fine sieve, dust generously with confectioners' sugar.

enjoy with coffee and friends!

vegan epiphany

i've been on a phyllo dough kick recently (what's not to love about flaky, buttery, delicious pastry?), but have yet to use phyllo for a dessert. maybe it's because of all the donut runs...
anyway, this recipe may not be as easy as easy as going on a donut run, but it's definitely as satisfying. and it's vegan, contains chocolate sauce, and undoubtedly an epiphany.

ingredients:

crust-
16 sheets phyllo dough
1/3 cup earth balance, melted
plain bread crumbs for sprinkling

ganache-
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup soy milk (or coconut milk)

topping-
1 cup soy creamer (or coconut milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
slivered almonds for sprinkling

preheat oven to 375 F

for the crust, carefully lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough with the longer side in front of you. cover the surface with the melted earth balance and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs to prevent the layers from sticking together. layer another sheet of phyllo dough upon the first, spread earth balance on the surface, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. repeat the process until you have 4 sheets layered upon one another. fold the stack lengthwise (you want the longer side to remain the same length, while the shorter side has been divided in 2). make two cuts along the shorter side, so that you end up with 3 equally sized squares. each square should be 8 layers thick, and large enough to fold into a cupcake tin cavity (about 4 or 5 inches squared). repeat the layering process until you have filled a cupcake tin with mini pastry shells. bake for apx 20 minutes or until the edges of the the cups have lightly browned. allow to cool.

meanwhile, prepare the ganache by melting the chocolate chips and soy milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. stir often to prevent burning and remove from heat once the mixture is smooth.

once the shells have cooled, you can fill them with the ganache. start with about a tablespoon for each shell, then disperse extra chocolate where it looks skimpy. my original intention was to purchase soy whipped cream to top the ganache with, but apparently it's not in stock yet ye local grocer, so i decided to attempt to make my own. i failed. i added soy creamer, vanilla extract, and arrowroot powder (a natural thickener) to a food processor, but it just wouldn't thicken. so instead, i popped the mixture into the freezer and made a granita. if your grocery store carries soy whipped cream, you could always opt for that, but if not, a granita is a pretty simple and fun replacement. after sticking the mixture in the freezer, just check on it every 45 minutes or so (for a couple of hours) and give it a good scrape to prevent too large of ice crystals from forming. once it's ready, you can top the ganache with a spoonful of the granita, sprinkle it with almonds, and have an epiphany of your own. enjoy : )

blumble

blumble, a cousin of plumble, is a crumble made with blackberries picked by me and tim in the neighborhood. blackberries grow like crazy in oregon, and you're likely to find a bush or two, or in some cases an entire wall full of ripening fruit. you can eat them right off the bush, throw them into exciting sweet or savory treats, or make blackberry wine...

i've decided to continue a tradition i hadn't known i'd started and make crumbles with any fruit that i've picked (at least the first time around... the bushes are still yielding tons of fruit). and so blumble was born, but unlike plumble, blumble has a more mild tartness, a much thicker crumb crust, and it's vegan (for poppy and corrie).

base layer:

5 1/2 cups blackberries

juice of half a lime

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp lavender buds (dried or fresh)

1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in a little bit of cold water

crumbly part:

1 cup almond meal

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups old fashioned oats

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup of very cold earth balance (or butter if you don't want to make it vegan), cut into small pieces

preheat oven to 350 F.

for the berry base: 

in a medium saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, combine the blackberries, sugar, honey, and lime juice. stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. add the lavender buds and the dissolved cornstarch and stir for about 5 minutes, until the mixture resembles a thick soup (if the mixture appears too watery, continue to cook and stir, and if that doesn't work, add more dissolved cornstarch). pour the mixture in an even layer onto the bottom of a baking dish. i recommend a 9x13 sized dish, but using a smaller dish will allow for a thicker crumble, and a larger dish will result in a thinner one. 

for the crust: 

in a large bowl, combine (using either a pastry cutter or your hands) almond meal, flour, sugars, oats, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and earth balance until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. cover and place in a freezer for 5-10 minutes. when cooled, sprinkle the crumbles over the blackberry base and bake for 35-40 minutes. serve warm and enjoy! 

it's drippy stuff : )

mom's favorite

for my birthday, i received a basket of ingredients for making tiramisu (thanks kayla : ), and even though i have loved tiramisu for years, i've never attempted making it. this first attempt was pretty successful, and i see many more tiramisus in my future (and yours too, mom).

ingredients:

3 egg yolks (save the whites for a scramble or frittata)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
8 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temp
1/2 tsp cocoa + more for garnish
dash of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup of very strong coffee (espresso is ideal, but strong coffee works well too), cooled
2-3 tablespoons sweet marsala, depending on how booze-y you want it (vin santo or dark rum could easily substitute the marsala)
ladyfingers (i used apx 30, or 2 store bought boxes worth)
semisweet of bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish (i used a chocolate with a 70% cocoa content)

directions:

in a medium-sized bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale (about 3-5 minutes, and it can be done by hand if you don't own a stand mixer or electric beaters, or if you just want to tone your arms). add the mascarpone, a tablespoon of coffee, 1/2 tsp of sifted cocoa, a dash of cinnamon, and the pinch of salt and beat until smooth.
combine the remaining coffee and the marsala in a shallow container. briefly dip the ladyfingers in the mixture and arrange the soaked ladyfingers on the bottom of baking dish (i used a roughly 5x9 sized loaf pan). avoid soaking the ladyfingers for longer than a few seconds because they are very delicate, and will begin to fall apart. it also best to dip and arrange them one by one.
once you have completely covered the bottom of the dish with ladyfingers, pour apx 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over them. repeat the process by creating another layer of soaked ladyfingers, followed by another layer of mascarpone until you have used all of the ladyfingers. if you have remaining mascarpone, add it to the topmost layer. dust the top with sifted cocoa and chocolate shavings, and allow to chill, covered, for at least 3 hours.

serve with coffee, sweet wine, whipped cream, or whatever your belly desires and enjoy!

lime curd and coconut no-bake mini pies

in chicago, it's hot. and humid. oh so humid, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to make treats and i told a friend i would make a treat for a bridal shower this weekend, because i couldn't pass up the opportunity. despite my love affair with baked goods, there was no way i was turning on the oven this weekend. so i began searching for no-bake pie recipes instead, but most of them had crusts that required baking. what's that about? a pie with a baked crust just isn't a no-bake pie...
because i was taking this treat to a party (one with a florida theme), i made individual pies, each the size of a cup cake. the pies are frozen and made with a raw crust, a layer of lime curd, a layer of whipped cream (a coconut and dairy blend), and topped off with a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes and lime zest.

crust from wholefamilyfare (i doubled this recipe to use as a crust bottom for 48 cup cake sized pies, so it should suffice for 24):

1 1/2 cups raw coconut flakes
3/4 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup deglet noor dates, chopped
1/4 tsp salt

combine the coconut and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. once it resembles a coarse meal, add the dates and salt and continue to process until it sticks together when pressed between two fingers. take the mixture and press it into foil cupcake liners or tart tins. i pressed the mix onto just the bottom of the liners, but if you want the pie to have more of a crust, you could press the mix directly into your tin and skip the liner altogether. i cannot, however, attest to how easy it is to remove them.

lime curd:

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

combine the egg yolks, sugar, and lime zest in a medium sized saucepan, and whisk until smooth. add the lime juice and butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes, making sure to avoid boiling the mixture. pour the hot lime curd through a strainer into a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a crusty layer from forming. refrigerate the curd until it's cold and thick, for at least 3 hours, but up to 3 days.
when the curd is cold, you may distribute it evenly amongst the tarts or liners. for liners, this is about 2 tablespoons each. place the crusts with curd in the freezer to harden, about 2 hours.

whipped creams:

1 can coconut milk with high fat content (apx 22%), unshaken and refrigerated over night
1 cups heavy cream, cold
1 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

 open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the cream that has situated itself above the milk. mix the coconut cream with the heavy cream and vanilla extract in a large bowl. using a handheld mixer, blend the creams. blend in the confectioner's sugar in 2 batches while mixing. i was not able to get my creams to hold soft peaks, but the mixture did thicken, and because i froze the pies, this wasn't really a setback. once you've gotten the mixture as stiff as you think it will get, or when it holds peaks, spoon it over the frozen lime curd layer. i used a little under 1/4 cup of the cream for each liner. when all of the coconut milk is distributed, return the pies to the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 3 hours.

note: you want to make the whipped creams once the lime curd layer is frozen, so that when it is poured upon the curd, it remains a separate layer.

funfetti cupcakes with strawberry buttercream

in my house, father's day isn't so much about my father or my brother (who also happens to be a father), it somehow ended up being all about my niece. so naturally, funfetti cupcakes with a pinkish frosting and extra sprinkles were on the menu. or rather, they were the menu...

cupcakes (modified from this recipe):

1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp
1 egg + 1 egg white
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. in a larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth, add the egg, egg white, and vanilla and mix well. add the flour and milk in alternating batches, starting and ending with flour (1/3 of the flour, 1/2 the milk, 1/3 of the flour, 1/2 of the milk, 1/3 of the flour). fold in the sprinkles and avoid over mixing.
line a cupcake pan and fill each liner about 2/3 of the way through. bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. cool completely before frosting.

frosting:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temp
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cocoa powder
3 tablespoons strawberry puree (i blended 3 large strawberries, then ran the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds)

beat the butter until it is light and fluffy. add the confectioner's sugar in 1/3 batches and mix well. add the cocoa, vanilla, and strawberry puree and mix well again. spread or pipe on cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.

chocolate spritz cookies

whenever my niece is over we bake something chocolate-y. even if i happened to spend too many hours making a giant chocolate cake a few days before...

recipe:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

preheat oven at 375 F. cream together butter and sugars. add vanilla and eggs and mix well. sift flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients and mix until combined. form logs from the dough and use in a cookie press. if you don't have a cookie press, you could still form logs from the dough and refrigerate them until they are stiff enough to slice. bake for 10 minutes. once completely cooled, you can decorate them with various icings.

note: this recipe makes about 75 spritz cookies and the process is very kid friendly.

base icing:

1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon unsweetened soy milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

after mixing the icing ingredients together, i drizzled it on some of the cookies then topped some with toasted coconut and some with pink himalayan salt (my favorite of the combos).

spiced chocolate icing:

same as the base icing with an additional 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cayenne

clockwise from top left: dusted with cocoa and confectioner's sugar, iced and topped with toasted coconut, iced and sprinkled with pink himalayan salt, drizzled with spicy chocolate icing.

i4cake

the i4cake is a cake that caroline and i made to greet the illini4000 (or i4k) as they arrived in chicago today. for anyone who does not already know, last summer i participated in a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research and patient services. caroline and i both were both members of this student-run organization at the university of illinois at urbana-champaign and wanted to make sure we supported this year's team.

we topped the cakes with these cute little cyclists...

snow covered mountains...

cake recipe (adapted from an ina garten recipe):

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tsps baking soda
2 tsps baking powder
2 tsps salt
4 eggs, at room temp
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1 cup vegetable oil (i used extra virgin olive oil)
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 cups freshly brewed coffee

preheat oven to 350 F. in a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. in a separate bowl mix eggs and add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. add the wet ingredients to the dry while mixing slowly, then add the coffee, mixing just to combine. pour batter into 2 9x13 cake pans that have been sprayed and lined with parchment paper. bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

frosting:

1/4 pound unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/4 pound cream cheese, softened
3 cups of confectioner's sugar
2 tsps cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

combine butter and cream cheese. add cocoa and vanilla. mix well, then add sugar in 1 cup intervals and mix until very creamy.

frost, decorate, and make others happy : )

nutella

when i lived in italy i ate mass quantities of nutella with my roommates. everything was perfect then, and the day i realized that nutella had hydrogenated oils was a sad, sad day. until now. here it is, better than ever...

nutella

1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts with skins peeled (i usually toast mine in a toaster oven at 350 F for apx 10 minutes, but once they are slightly browned and fragrant, you'll know they're ready)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (or any vegetable oil really, it's only added for consistency)
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1.5 ounces dark chocolate (i used 70%), melted and cooled
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

run the hazelnuts through a food processor until they are the consistency of peanut butter. add all of the other ingredients, giving the mixture a quick blend by hand to prevent the confectioner's sugar from poofing up at you once you turn on your machine. process until smooth and try not to eat it all in a day...

note: my final product was grainier than store-bought nutella, but i liked the added texture. it was also less sweet because nutella is made with milk chocolate.

vegan chocolate cupcakes & buttercream frosting

this is a recipe i've adapted from joy the baker. it's a great vegan recipe to keep on hand, and makes a ton of cupcakes :)

cupcakes:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsweeted cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 olive oil

1 very ripe large avocado, well mashed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 cup very strongly brewed coffee + 1 cup regular unsweetened soy milk*

preheat oven to 350 F.  line and grease (make sure to grease liners if using them, the batter has a tendency to stick) a cupcake pan, set aside.

in a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, set aside.

in a large bowl combine sugar, oil, mashed avocado, vinegar, and vanilla, then add the coffee/soy milk. add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. pour batter into the perpared tins and bake apx 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
 

buttercream:

1 very ripe large avocado, well mashed

5 tsps unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee granules

1 cup confectioners sugar (add more for a sweeter and stiffer frosting)

combine the vanilla and coffee granules with a little bit of avocado (apx 1 tablespoon) and mix until the granules have dissolved. add to the rest of the avocado and mix in the salt and cocoa. incorporate the sugar at 1/3 cup intervals.

*this recipe is really flexible, and you can use 2 cups of any liquid. i've been thinking about substituting the coffee and soy milk for orange juice and spices. feel free to modify the recipe to suit your cravings.

 

toasted coconut chocolate chunk cookies

these cookies are amazing. i used a recipe from firstlookthencook and tested them with both unbleached all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. the former were slightly better, but the whole wheat ones (featured above) were also fantastic and kid approved.

cookies:

1  cup  flaked unsweetened coconut
1 cup  all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
1/8  teaspoon  salt
3/4  cup  packed brown sugar
1/4  cup  unsalted butter, softened
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
1  large egg
2-3  ounces  dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped into rough chunks

preheat oven to 350° F.
arrange coconut in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted, making sure that the flakes don't start to burn. set aside and allow to cool.
cream together butter and sugar in a medium sized bowl. add vanilla and egg. combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl and add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. stir in toasted coconut and chocolate.
depending on the desired size of the cookies, this recipe will yield apx 9-12. form roughly shaped cookies and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. bake for 10 (if using wheat flour, the cookies will take longer, apx 15) minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown. remove from pan and allow to cool before serving. or if, like me and teeny, you just can't wait, try not to burn yourself on the melted chocolate chunks...

blackberry mint sorbet

my mom is infamous for her inability to pass up a deal. the results are sometimes exciting, but more often overwhelming and ridiculous. what, for example, is one man (my dad) supposed to do with 6 cartons of pink lemonade? or 10 boxes of raisin bran?
when she came home with 5 cartons of blackberries last night I knew there had to be an intervention, and this is it:

blackberry mint sorbet:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups blackberries
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves

in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and mint over medium heat. once the mixture has begun to boil, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. strain the liquid to remove the mint leaves, and allow the syrup to cool for at least 20 minutes. it's important to have all the components of the sorbet thoroughly chilled before placing them in an ice cream maker.
add the blackberries and lemon juice to a food processor and puree. push the puree through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard the seeds. stir in the chilled mint syrup to the blackberry puree and chill for an additional hour.
freeze the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions (roughly 20-25 minutes). for a firmer consistency, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for an additional 2 hours.
garnish with lemon zest and fresh mint sprigs.

lemon basil cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting

caroline and kristin, this one's for you. i think the tag teaming last week convinced me that i should give food blogging a shot.
these cupcakes, which are adapted from an amazing recipe by vera (my cupcake icon and best friend), are a great conclusion to a barbecue. they are light, tart, refreshing, and also vegan. i used dairy in the frosting, but it could easily be adapted to be vegan as well.

cupcakes:

1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 tsp lemon extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

preheat oven to 350 F
whisk milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to curdle.
mix together wet ingredients (including sugar), mix together dry ingredients, add wet to dry.
fill tin or liners 2/3 of the way full and bake for 20-22 minutes.
chill before frosting.

frosting:

1/4 cup butter (softened)
1/4 cup cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2- 2 cups confectioners sugar (I prefer a gooier consistency and more tart flavor, but add more for a thicker consistency)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
juice from 1/2 lemon

cream together butter and cream cheese.
whip in sugar at 1/2 cup batches.
mix in vanilla and lemon.

frost, eat, and be merry : )