Chocolate Chip Cookies

No matter how hard I try, I have not mastered the chocolate chip cookie. It always seems to be lacking butter…. Well, I am not giving up! I will continue to experiment with my nondairy options. Here is my latest attempt:

1 ½ cup unbleached white flour
1 ½ cup oat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup Earth Balance margarine
½ cup Earth Balance or Spectrum shortening
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift together flours, salt, and baking soda.
Cream together shortening, margarine, and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 – 4 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 13 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool slightly on cookies sheet, then transfer to cooling rack.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes. I really can’t get enough of them. After several recipes and numerous family reviews (we are all members of a gym, now), this recipe came out on top. The key is to always use the best ingredients possible, especially chocolate. I used Valrhona cocoa in this recipe, but Scharffen Berger works well, too.

Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Cupcake

1 cup cocoa powder, not Dutch-process
½ cup boiling water
1 cup vanilla almond milk with lemon juice, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups unbleached white flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
¼  teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup safflower oil
1 1/3 – 1 ½ cup organic sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350° and position 2 racks in the lower and middle third of the oven. Line 24 muffin cups with paper or foil liners.

Put the cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the boiling water and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the almond milk mixture until combined. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Using an electric mixer, add the sugar and oil to the cocoa and almond milk. Beat in eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix. With an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost.

Frosting

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine, melted

Mix until smooth.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate. Nothing soothes the soul more than that intense feeling of pleasure you receive biting into a smooth, creamy piece of dark chocolate. If you want something a little fancier, try this velvety rich chocolate mousse. It is a perfect ending for any meal. I adapted this recipe from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich

Intense chocolate.

chocolate mousse

Chocolate Mousse

Serves 6

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped (I used Scharffen-Berger)
1/4 cup coffee (I used Illy, decaf)
1 1/2 tablespoons Kahlua
3 large eggs at room temperature
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar

six 6-ounce ramekins

Place the chocolate and the 1/4 cup coffee in a medium heatproof bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is nearly melted. Remove the bowl and stir until completely melted and smooth. Stir in the liquor and set aside.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs with the 3 tablespoons water and the sugar until well blended. Set the bowl in a skillet of not even simmering water and, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling, cook until they register 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Remove the bowl and beat with an electric mixer at high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the eggs have a texture like softly whipped cream. Fold about one quarter of the eggs into the chocolate. Scrape the chocolate mixture onto the remaining beaten eggs and fold just until incorporated. Divide the mixture among the ramekins.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Serve with raspberries and whipped cream (nondairy, of course)

Thin and Chewy Chocolate Delights

My attempts at sifting through my recipes so I can purge the bad ones and organize the good ones usually results in a pile of “I must try these!” and nothing thrown away. Well, I’m glad I kept this one, even though I’ve had this recipe for so long I don’t know where I got it. Nonetheless, I tried it (with the usual adjustments) and it was an instant hit. The trick is not to eat too many.

chewy chocolate delights

Chocolate Cookies

1 1/4 cup margarine, Earth Balance
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla, Frontier Vanilla Flavoring
1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cocoa, Valrohna or Scharffen Berger

Beat margarine at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa; stir. Gradually add to margarine mixture until well combined. Chill until easier to handle, about an hour.

Either lightly grease or use parchment paper on baking sheets. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 – 12 minutes at 350°. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute; remove to wire racks.

Raspberries and Meringues

Raspberries and Meringues

Originally uploaded by susansbooks

This is such an easy dessert to make. I purchased the meringues at Whole Foods and filled them with a nondairy vanilla pudding. After topping them with raspberries, I drizzled some dairy-free chocolate sauce on top. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

This year I decided to try a butter-free version of this family favorite. Surprisingly, I liked it better than the headache-inducing butter one. These take a little time to make, but they are worth it!

chocolate pretzel cookies

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup Earth Balance margarine
½ cup shortening
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons Frontier vanilla flavor
2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
½ cup Vahlrona cocoa
1 teaspoon salt

chocolate pretzels

Blend sugar, margarine, and shortening until creamy; add egg and vanilla. Add mixture of flour, cocoa and salt, mix well.

Roll out a teaspoon of dough into an eight-inch rope; twist into a pretzel shape and place on baking sheets. Bake at 350º about 5 – 7 minutes. Cool on racks. Dip cookies in glaze; sprinkle with nonpareils and place on wire rack to dry.

Glaze: Melt a bag of chocolate chips with two teaspoons margarine; add a little hot water to thin.

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

I’ve made shortbread with butter, but never with margarine, and, yet, this cookie turned out surprisingly good.

cranberry-orange shortbread cookie

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

1 cup Earth Balance margarine, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon Frontier vanilla flavor
1/2 teaspoon Frontier almond extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon Rumford baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 – 1 cup chopped dried cranberries

wax paper

Beat margarine until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add extracts and orange zest. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and dried cranberries; beating at low speed until blended. Divide dough into two 8-inch logs, wrap in wax paper, and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice logs 1/4 – 3/8-inch thick, place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool on wire rack.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I used to call these cupcakes spice muffins so my children would eat these, but I didn’t need to do that, they loved them anyway. Even though they like what I bake, they think my mom bakes the best carrot cake in the world, and we use the same recipe!

carrot cupcakes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

1 ¾ cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup wheat germ
2 cups turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb carrots, peeled
1 ½ cups canola or safflower oil
4 large eggs

Put carrots, oil and eggs in blender; blend until smooth. Pour into mixing bowl. Add sugar, vanilla and dry ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350˚ for 18 -20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool. Makes 24 cupcakes.

carrot cake

Or use two small loaf pans for cake!