52 Sweet Treats

Fauxstess Cupcakes, gluten- and dairy-free

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:01:00 +0000

Next month it will be three years since I've had any of those store-bought snack cakes. You know the ones, cream-filled, individually wrapped in plastic, full of ingredients you can't pronounce.

That sounds appetizing, huh? Well, I have to confess I actually miss a few of those things. I have seen quite a few recipes floating around the internet and in cookbooks for fake Hostess/Fauxstess cupcakes but had not come across one that fit my dietary requirements, so I set off to make one that would quell my desire for a store bought chocolate cupcake with creamy filling and waxy frosting with a white squiggle on top.

And here's the thing...I used my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, so the cake is actually good. I also worked on getting the creme filling to taste just like I remember, except I used no dairy and only ingredients I could pronounce. And then I dipped it in store bought frosting. I didn't want to totally stray from this cupcake's roots, getting all fancy and pure. I felt it needed just a little not-so-good-for-you, a little naughty in it somewhere.

Speaking of the frosting, I had a scary run-in with gluten at the grocery store. On the rare occasions when I've used canned frosting, I've gone with a name brand. At least two of them are clearly labeled gluten-free. I picked up a can of the store brand frosting and I'll be darned if it didn't include wheat starch in the ingredients. So choose carefully, y'all!

Fauxstess Cupcakes, gluten- and dairy-free
Makes 12

Chocolate Cupcakes

1/2 cup Green's Amber Ale, Gluten Free
1/2 stick plus 1 T. Earth Balance vegan butter
1/3 cup Askinosie cocoa powder
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Cream substitute
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup almond meal/flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup teff flour
1 1/4 t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line muffin tins with 12 cupcake papers.

Combine the beer and butter substitute, chopped into small pieces, in a large sauce pan. Heat to melt butter. Remove from heat, whisk in cocoa and brown sugar.

In mixer bowl, mix non-dairy sour cream and eggs with vanilla extract. Add beer mixture. Whisk together flours and soda in separate bowl and then mix into liquid mixture. Pour a scant 1/3 cup of batter into cupcake papers and bake for 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean when done. Cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Cream Filling
Inspired by this recipe from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, one of my very favorite blogs!

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup vegetable shortening (I use Crisco sticks)
3 T. cold Earth Balance vegan butter, cut into pieces

To make the filling: In the bowl of stand mixer, combine powdered sugar and vanilla. Add boiling water and whip with the whisk attachment on medium until smooth and cool, about room temperature. Add Crisco and Earth Balance, beat on medium until combined. Bump speed up to high for 4-5 minutes, until smooth, fluffy, shiny and about twice the volume. (I dare you to not eat a bunch of it right off of the whisk...)

Frosting
1 can of your favorite chocolate frosting, just make sure it is gluten-free and dairy-free.

Assembling
Once cupcakes have cooled and you've made the filling, now you need to fill them. I use this gadget from Williams-Sonoma, but a large open tip on a pastry bag works just as well. Insert the tip into the top of the cupcake (you don't need to cut out any of the cake, just have at it) and pipe in filling until you notice the top of the cupcake swelling. That means the cupcake is full of yummy filling!

Next, put the container of frosting in the microwave. Make sure all of the foil safety seal is removed before you do this. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir. Continue heating in 15 second increments until the frosting folds back into itself when drizzled off of a spoon. Invert the cupcakes and dip into the frosting.

After dipping them, place them on a rack. Once the frosting has set up, you can pipe a cute swirly line on top if you'd like. I used leftover filling for the first batch of these to make the swirly line and on the second batch I used a bit of leftover buttercream from another project. Both worked really well.

There you have it, a gluten-free, dairy-free cupcake that tastes almost like it came from a cardboard box. Well, not exactly but you get what I'm saying. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. They were like a store bought treat, only better.

So tell me, what store bought treat do you miss? Any of those Little Debbie treats you'd love to de-gluten?

A Sweet Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:45:00 +0000

Just a quick note to let all of you Sweet folks know I'm hosting a Plum District giveaway over at Johnna52.

Click on through for your chance to win a six-month subscription for Gfree Cuisine, an on-line menu planning and grocery list generating service.

See you soon right here with more Sweet recipes!

Peach Bourbon Push-Up Pops

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Ever since I received a review copy of Courtney Dial Whitmore's Push Up Cake Pops book, I've been a little obsessed with the push up pop. I can't stop thinking about things to put inside these little contraptions that remind me of childhood frozen treats.

The cookbook is so easy to use for us gluten-free folks, even though it isn't a gluten-free cookbook. The majority of the recipes modify easily. The book is also full of great inspiration and beautiful photos. I've been inspired by it to move beyond and create my own push up cake pop recipe.

This recipe uses a delicious almond bourbon cake I've recently developed, peaches (I used frozen Palisades peaches I put up last Summer) and marshmallow fluff buttercream, my latest frosting creation. These go together quickly and have been well-received by my test audiences, which have ranged in age from 7 to 73.

I'm still unsure on how practical the Push-Up Cake Pops really are. The ones I have used came with a lid, which made them transport well. A friend took one home in her purse and it arrived intact. So that's nice but the trouble I'm having is that I like each bite to have a little cake, a little frosting, a little fruit. I haven't figured out quite how to make that happen. And one last point of concern for me, I served these at a party and I don't think most folks considered the container to be re-usable. Next time I would put a container for the empties near the dessert table. I bought my containers here and they were quite affordable, but they are re-usable and I like that from a green perspective, not just a frugal one.

Alright, here we go. Enjoy these Really, what's not to like? Peaches, bourbon, marshmallow...

Peach Bourbon Push-Up Cake Pops
(Makes 15)

Cake:
1 cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
1 cup almond meal
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

1/4 c. Earth Balance non-dairy butter, softened
1/2 cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
5 large eggs
5 T. bourbon (or 1/4 cup plus 1 T. if you prefer)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Combine wet ingredients using a hand mixer, mixing until well combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well, this makes a thick batter.

Pour into an oiled 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. If it appears to be browning early, before the middle is set, you may cover it with foil. Remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake cools, you've got time to make frosting!

Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream Frosting
You'll be making two separate concoctions here and then mixing them together.

First, you'll need to either purchase or make marshmallow fluff. I absolutely LOVE this recipe for marshmallow fluff from 1 Fine Cookie. I make it often, using it for s'mores, the filling for homemade Fluffer Nutter Butter cookies and for this frosting. If you make your own from 1 Fine Cookie's recipe, double it just to be sure you have enough. You won't regret having extra anyway.

Second, you'll need to make a batch of Martha Stewart's Basic Buttercream Frosting. Substitute Earth Balance non-dairy butter if you'd like to keep this dairy-free.

Third, you'll mix the two together, cup for cup. So mix together 1 cup of marshmallow fluff with 1 cup of buttercream. That's about all you will need for this recipe. Just a gentle folding motion is enough. Save the leftover frosting and marshmallow fluff for another project. Or eat it off of a spoon. I did. That marshmallow fluff from 1 Fine Cookie does not stand a chance in this house. I'll never buy marshmallow fluff again. Not kidding.

Constructing the Push-Up Cake Pops

It isn't necessary to use a special cookie cutter to cut out the circles of cake, just use an empty push-up container. Cut 30 circles out of the cake. (You'll have odd shaped leftover parts and pieces to nibble on, another great use for the leftover frosting!)

Put frosting into a piping bag with a large, open tip.

Have your fresh or frozen peach slices ready to go. I sliced mine in half, as the push up containers aren't super huge.

First place a circle of cake in the container, then pipe in a bit of frosting and top with a peach slice or two if yours are sliced thin. Repeat, ending with a cute piece of peach.

I had good luck freezing these and thawing them to share with friends later. They fit perfectly in a small cookie sheet.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Push-Up Cake Pop trend. Are you making them? Are you re-using the containers or tossing them? Have you figured out a way to get cake, frosting and filling in each bite? Do tell!

Upcoming Class In KC, Power Up With Bars!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:14:00 +0000

Join me and my fabulous friend Stacy on Wednesday, March 21st for a fun class packed with healthy recipes!

We'll show you how to make your own energy bars, granola bars and breakfast cookies. These are all healthy and made with whole foods. They are easy to make and can take as little as two ingredients or as many as you would like to put in them. Ingredient variations to fit your preferences and needs will be covered. These recipes are great for anyone on the go, as a snack, a lunchbox surprise or before or after a workout.

Recipes shared will be gluten-free. Variations to make them vegan, paleo and dairy-free will be discussed.

I'm super excited to be teaching a class with Stacy. Stacy is a wife, teacher and mother of 3 beautiful daughters who realized 5 years ago she needed to make some changes to become healthier and lose that pesky baby weight! By switching to a diet of whole foods and avoiding gluten, she dropped the weight and has maintained her weight loss for five years! She also increased her fitness level and is currently training for her sixth half marathon, her second half ironman triathlon and has completed over a dozen triathlons! Stacy keeps a steady supply of healthy bars available for her family and will share her technique for making them with us.

The class will be held at the Liberty Hy-Vee from 6:30 to 8 in the evening on Wednesday, March 21st. The cost is only $20 (the equivalent of about 6 of those expensive pre-made energy bars you've been buying). Register by calling Renae at 816.792.3210.

As with all of my classes, you'll sample everything we make and take home a booklet of recipes. And I promise you'll laugh at least once. What could be better than making healthy food and having a great time? I'll see you there!

Honey Macadamia Banana Breakfast Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:18:00 +0000

I've been on vacation for a bit. Did you miss me? Even though I didn't blog while vacationing, I spent plenty of time coming up with new baking ideas and scouting out fun food finds I'm excited to share with you.

The first few finds come from Paradise Meadows Farm. While on the Big Island of Hawaii, we went on a tour at Paradise Meadows. I'm fascinated by the aquaponics system they are using to grow greens and many other edibles! We were treated to a honey, macadamia and coffee tasting while at the farm and I brought back lots of goodies to bake with. In today's recipe, I'm using macadamias and honey. I'm glad I can order more on-line. The cinnamon bun macadamias, as I was warned by the folks on the farm, are addictive! I hope to tell you more about our farm visit soon, it was a highlight of the trip.

Oh, one other quick thing before I share the recipe. I was torn about whether I should post this here at 52 Sweets or over on my non-sweet blog Johnna 52. I chose to share it here because it's pretty darned sweet. If you want to make this more savory, use a non-sweetened nut and add a sprinkle of breakfast protein, like a tempeh sausage or coconut bacon crumbles. Today I was in the mood for sweet. I've been singing Jack Johnson tunes in the kitchen since coming back from Hawaii (see the banana pancake inspiration here?) and had all of these amazing Hawaiian goodies to bake with, so sweet it is!

Heavenly Honey Macadamia Banana Breakfast Bake
Inspired by this recipe for Honey Cloud Pancakes from Claire at Things We Make. Thanks, Claire, for letting me modify your delicious recipe!

2 large eggs
1/4 cup of warmed, unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon honey (I used Paradise Meadows winter blend)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon Earth Balance vegan butter
1 small banana, sliced (on my Hawaiian kick, I used a tiny apple banana)
2 Tablespoons chopped macadamias (I used cinnamon bun macs from Paradise Meadows which added a little additional sugar to the top)
additional honey for drizzling

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat a small 6″ oven proof frying pan on the stove top. I used the 6 1/2" pan from Lodge.
Carefully separate one of the egg yolks from the white.
In a small bowl, whisk one egg white until it is white and holds soft peaks.
Mix the egg yolk and the entire second egg with the flour, baking powder, salt, honey, and vanilla bean paste, then whisk in the warm almond milk.
Gently fold the whipped egg white into the batter.
Melt one teaspoon of butter sub in the hot pan.
Pour the fluffy batter in and cook for a few minutes over medium heat on the stovetop until starting to set at the edge.
Sprinkle banana slices and macadamias on top.
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until puffy and browning on top.
Drizzle with honey and serve. This makes two small servings or one large.

$5.20 Sweets: Docinhos De Abobora, Brazilian Pumpkin Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:35:00 +0000

My friend Sue recently embarked on a grand adventure, moving from the Midwest to Brazil. Many of her friends came together for a Brazilian Bash, a beautiful going away soiree. It was a lovely evening, filled with fun people, food, dancing and of course, lots of laughter.

I met Sue a few years back through our mutual friend, Largo. One of the things I've learned from these ladies, both event coordinators, is that it is perfectly okay for special events to have little touch of BIG, of crazy, of totally over the top. And so, when it was time for Sue's going away party, I wanted to go a little over the top. Well, kinda. I made six Brazilian desserts. What? You'd do that for your friends, too, right?

Because many Brazilian foods are already gluten-free, this wasn't particularly challenging but oh my, was it ever tasty! Half of what I baked was naturally gluten-free and half I needed to modify. Even the Brazilian foods that contain gluten have been easy to modify. And they have all been incredibly delicious. I'm already planning more Brazilian baking. I am also thinking any additional Brazilian baking may require a research trip, a chance to visit Sue!

I started with a tried-and-true recipe from my own recipe box, Broinhas or corn cookie. Instead of making 10 large cookies as the recipes suggests, I made 24 small cookies. The smaller size was great for sharing at a party.

Next I made this recipe, Brazilian Jubilee Cookies. To modify, simply use my favorite gluten-free flour blend and 1 teaspoon of guar gum. Otherwise, bake as directed in the recipe. Easy!

Then I made Bolo de Banana, Banana Upside Down Cake. This, too, was easily modified to gluten-free. Where the recipe calls for breadcrumbs, use almond meal instead. I made this in a greased 9 x 13 and then used a 2" round cutter to make little cake circles that I inverted and served in these cute nut cups from Sweet! Well, except for that corner that is cut out. I put that directly into my mouth. So good!

Moving on from cookies and cake, I made a variety of Brazilian candies. These are all super easy to make and would be fun to make with kiddos in the kitchen.

Fourth on my list, Brigadeiros. These are my favorite Brazilian treat, a slightly chewy chocolate truffle rolled in chocolate sprinkles or chopped nuts or coconut. Not a single modification necessary here, just make sure the chocolate sprinkles you use are gluten-free.

The fifth creation from a recipe at In Search of Delicious was Beijinhos de Coco, Brazilian Coconut Candy. Beijinhos means kisses in Portugese. If Brazilian kisses are coconut-y, rich, butter-y and sweet, then I must visit! These are a perfect little treat, even better if you can wait a day to eat them. Again, not a single modification necessary, already gluten-free!

And last on my list, Docinhos De Abobora, Brazilian Pumpkin Candy. These are gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free. They could be vegan if you chose your sugars carefully.

Docinhos de Abobora, Brazilian Pumpkin Candy
(Makes 25 candies)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I use canned)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup finely shredded coconut
1/4 t. ground cloves
non-stick cooking spray
powdered sugar for rolling

Place all of the ingredients except for the cooking spray and powdered sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Cook over medium heat while stirring constantly. Mixture needs to reach 240 degrees and will be very thick.

Once at 240 degrees, turn off burner and remove pan from heat. Turn out onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.

Allow to cool until easy to handle. Spray hands lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Roll into small balls and then roll in powdered sugar.

Here's the price break-down:
Pumpkin $1.35
Sugar $0.40
Coconut $1.25
Powdered Sugar $0.37
4.6% Sales Tax $0.16
Total: $3.53 for 25 candies

While I'm going to miss Sue being in the same city, I'm so excited to hear about her adventures in Brazil. I'm hoping once in awhile she'll share a new recipe with me so I can share even more gluten-free Brazilian treats!

Chocolate Hazelnut No-Bake Cheesecake, World Nutella Day 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:46:00 +0000

Yep, I'm at it again, making more Sweets for World Nutella Day. Except I'm yet again not using Nutella. I'm using Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, which is like Nutella, only slightly thicker and with a hint of sea salt. Good stuff!

In a world free of dietary restrictions, food allergies and intolerances, I'd call this Nutella Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake. But since I plan on eating this, I've eliminated the dairy and gluten. Know what else? It's vegan. It's also free of Brussels Sprouts, because my Nutella fiend husband doesn't like them. Oh, don't put it past me, I've used them in cupcakes. Why not cheesecake, too? ;)

This recipe is inspired by the No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake from Jamie at My Baking Addiction . It's sure making the rounds on Pinterest! Her version looks delicious, beautifully garnished and the photography on the blog post is gorgeous. Click over there and take a look!

Chocolate Hazelnut No-Bake Cheesecake
Makes 2 generous servings or 4 small servings

6 K-Toos, gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies
1 T. Earth Balance vegan butter-y substitute, melted

1 can coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk (14 oz.), refrigerated overnight
2 T. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

4 oz. Better Than Cream Cheese
1/3 cup Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
1/2 cup whipped coconut cream

additional whipped coconut cream
cocoa powder for garnish

CRUST: Crush the K-Too cookies in a small bowl. Add the melted Earth Balance, stirring to combine. Pat into the bottom of dishes to make a crust. (I used two large ramekins, however this would easily make 4 small desserts.) Refrigerate while preparing filling.

WHIPPED CREAM: Open can of coconut milk or cream. I've used cream in this recipe as I wanted a slightly heavier consistency than the full-fat milk, however either would work. Skim the solidified cream off of the top of the liquid in the can. Set the liquid aside, reserve for use in a smoothie later in the day. Using a hand mixer, whip the solidified cream until it doubles. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste, whipping to combine.

FILLING: Combine the Better Than Cream Cheese and the Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter using hand mixer. Add in 1/2 cup of the whipped coconut cream, mixing to combine.

Spoon this filling on top of the cookie crusts. Top with a dollop of the remaining whipped coconut cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Need more World Nutella Day ideas? Here are a few of my favorite Nutella recipes:

Chocolate Hazelnut Twist Donuts

Johnna's World Nutella Day 2011 Round-Up: Nutella French Toast, Nutella Nachos and Nutella Apple Pizza

Banana Nutella Stuffed French Toast

Nutella Cupcakes

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Chocolate Hazelnut Twist Donuts

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:29:00 +0000

It's time to fire up the oven for World Nutella Day! I've been working on a few chocolate hazelnut recipes to share with you, but first up is a yummy baked donut. A yummy baked donut that is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, almost vegan, chocolate-y, hazelnut-y...it's just good!

Because I'm trying to put a stop to the dairy bender I've been on (yes, that was a pound of cheese on the pizza I ate Tuesday), I'm using non-Nutella products to celebrate World Nutella Day. I'm know, it's blasphemous, but I gotta get back on track.

For today's project, I've used the one-hundred-times-better-than-Nutella Askinosie Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. Yes, it's about four times the price of Nutella and worth every penny. It's really not right to compare it to Nutella, the only similarities being that they both contain chocolate and hazelnuts. The Askinosie version has a very creamy consistency, yet has noticeable bits of DuChilly hazelnuts throughout and makes a divine fondue. It is also made with a very rich, single-origin chocolate. You should just try it. I wouldn't steer you wrong. :-)

Chocolate Hazelnut Twist Donuts
Makes 6 twists or 12 large donuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1 1/2 cups of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
1/3 cup hazelnut meal/flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. guar gum
1/2 cup blonde coconut palm sugar (or regular sugar)
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey (sub agave to make vegan)
2 T. vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup hot water

Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add all liquid ingredients except for the hot water. Mix by hand until well combined. Slowly add in the hot water.

Lightly oil the donut pan. Fill each cavity of the donut twist pan with a scant 1/2 cup of batter. Bake at 325 for 18-21 minutes. Tops will be lightly browned.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes or so, then invert on cooling rack.

While donuts are still warm, glaze tops with chocolate hazelnut spread.

These were very good warm, but also were good at room temperature. Enjoy!

cupcakes, cookies & pie, oh, my!: A Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:19:00 +0000

A couple of years ago, I went to a book signing and cupcake decorating demonstration with Karen Tack & Alan Richardson, the amazing duo behind the Hello, Cupcake! and What's New, Cupcake! cookbooks. It was such a fun day, packed full of info on making super cute cupcakes. At the time, I couldn't imagine what they would create beyond cupcakes.

Now I don't have to imagine, they've got another book! Cupcakes, cookies, and pie, oh my! includes not just cupcakes but also hand pies, rice krispie creations, cookies and so many clever decorating ideas. I'm fascinated with the candy clay in this cookbook and can't wait to try it out, along with a gazillion other ideas that are going to make their way into my kitchen soon.

If you've read this far, you're probably asking, "Why is Johnna telling us about a cookbook that isn't gluten-free?" Well, because almost everything in this cookbook is easily made gluten-free. Swap out the store-bought pound cake for Amy's Organic Gluten-Free Pound Cake. Use a gluten-free cake mix in place of a regular one. When the recipe calls for refrigerated pie crust, whip up a batch of my pie crust. And the same for the sugar cookies, try this recipe instead. Pay close attention to the labels on the candies used to decorate (licorice is especially suspect), but know that you can come up with easy substitutions so you can make your own fun gluten-free creations. What I've learned from this series of books is that a stroll down the candy aisle (and a few minutes reading labels and confirming gluten-free status) can result in confectionery creativity with no boundaries!

I made the "Piece of Cake" cake pops and wanted to share them with you. So fun to make, even though I have a storied history of making cake pops. While mine didn't turn out as pretty as the ones pictured in the book (boy, this book is rich with photos!), they are pretty darned cute and were quickly gobbled up.

*Please note, the recipe below calls for ingredients that contain gluten. Below the recipe, I have included the modifications I made to this recipe to make it gluten-free.*

"Piece of Cake" Cake Pops
(makes 15 cake bites)

Sweet party pops look like perfect pieces of cake, and are a piece of cake to make, too. Mini wedges of pound cake on forks are coated in melted vanilla frosting, with lines of red gel to create the layers.

1 frozen pound cake (16 ounces; Sara Lee Family Size), thawed*
16 assorted colored plastic forks
Sugar
1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
1 can (16 ounces) milk chocolate frosting
3 tubes (0.68 or 0.75 ounces each) red decorating gel (Cake Mate)
2 tablespoons mini candy decors (Cake Mate)

1. Line two cookie sheets with waxed paper. Place the pound cake on a work surface with one long edge facing you. Using a serrated knife, cut the cake crosswise into quarters. Starting from the short end, cut each piece into four 1 1/2-by-2 1/2 inch triangles. Insert the tines of a plastic fork into the base of each piece of cake to secure, without breaking the cake. Transfer the pieces to the cookie sheets. Freeze for 15 minutes.

2. Fill several wide-mouthed glasses with sugar to help support the cake pieces once they are frosted.

3. Spoon 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting into a Ziploc bag. Spoon the chocolate frosting into 2 separate Ziploc bags. Press out the excess air and seal the bags. Spoon the remaining vanilla frosting into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Microwave, stopping to stir frequently, until it has the texture of lightly whipped cream, 20 to 30 seconds.

4. Remove the cake pieces from the freezer. Holding the fork over the measuring cup, spoon the melted frosting over the 2 long sides of cake to cover, allowing the excess frosting to drip back into the cup. Insert the base of the forks into the sugar-filled glasses. Repeat with the remaining cake pieces. If the melted frosting becomes too thick for dipping, microwave for several seconds and stir. Refrigerate the frosted cake pieces until set, about 20 minutes.

5. Use a toothpick to lightly score 2 lines in the frosting on each side of the cakes to mark the layers. Pipe a thin line of the red gel over each line.

6. Snip a medium (1/4-inch) corner from the bags with the vanilla and chocolate frostings. Pipe a thin layer of chocolate frosting on the top and back of the cake pieces. Use the back of a small spoon to make swirls in the frosting. Pipe a dollop of vanilla frosting on top and add some candy decors.

7. Return the cake slices to the sugar-filled wide-mouthed glasses and serve.

"Piece of Cake” Cake Pops from CUPCAKES, COOKIES & PIE, OH, MY! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Copyright © 2012 by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

*I used an Amy's Organic Gluten-Free Pound Cake. It is smaller than a Sara Lee cake. Instead of cutting the cake into quarters, I cut it into thirds, creating only 12 cake pops. I read the labels on the frosting, gel and candy decor that I used carefully to make certain they were gluten-free; you should, too!

Karen and Alan are soon embarking on a book tour. You can find the schedule here. For my local readers, there are TWO appearances in Kansas City on February 8th and 9th, both hosted by Rainy Day Books. Look me up, I'll be there!

Disclosure: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provided a review copy of the book to me. No compensation was received and the opinions expressed are my own.

$5.20 Sweets: Rice Krispie Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:55:00 +0000

I'm all about Valentine's Day right now. If it's pink and red, I've stuck it to the wall, used it to decorate the kitchen table and cooked with it. Not even a container of pink frosting could evade me.

I made these adorable rice krispie treat cupcakes and topped them with ready-made (gasp!) frosting. I spent most of an afternoon exclaiming aloud to anyone who would listen, "Have you had FROSTING on top of a Rice Krispie Treat?!? You HAVE to try this!" Sure, a sugar coma will follow but since this recipe only makes 6, you don't get to indulge in many of them anyway. Moderation, right? ;)

While I could have made these for even less moolah with a jar of fluff from the store, I chose to make homemade marshmallow fluff. I based the fluff on this recipe from Jasmin at 1FineCookie. Remember when I made those S'more Stuffed Strawberries? It's the same delicious marshmallow fluff. Once you try this, you'll be hooked. It's sticky, ooey-gooey and makes the best rice krispie treats I've ever had. Thanks, Jasmin, for creating one of my very favorite sweets. Love this marshmallow goodness!

Marshmallow Fluff
1 egg white, room temperature
1/8 t. cream of tartar
1/4 c. corn syrup
1/4 t. vanilla extract
2 T. Sugar and 1 1/2 t. sugar (separate)
1 T. plus 1 t. water

In bowl of stand mixer with whip attachment, white egg white and cream of tartar until soft peaks begin to form. Slowly incorporate 1 1/2 t. sugar. Whip only to incorporate, you don't need stiff peaks. Let rest in bowl while you do the next step.

In a tiny sauce pan, combine 2 T. sugar, water and corn syrup. Over medium heat, cook until it reached 250 degrees, hard ball stage, on your candy thermometer. Remove immediately from heat.

Return to your mixer. Turn it on low and slowly drizzle in the molten sugar mixture. Once all is added, turn the mixer on high and whip for 4 minutes. Turn off, add vanilla extract and whip for two more minutes. That's it!

Rice Krispie Treat Cupcakes (makes 6)
2 T. Earth Balance vegan butter-y stick
1 cup marshmallow fluff (the recipe above makes just about 1 cup)
2 cups gluten-free Rice Krispies

Prepare 6 cavities of either a silicone cupcake pan or a regular cupcake pan sprayed with non-stick spray.

In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the Earth Balance butter in microwave. Remove and stir in the marshmallow fluff. Stir to completely incorporate. If it is still too thick to incorporate the cereal, pop into microwave for no longer than 30 seconds. Stir in the rice krispies, mixing until well combined.

Place mixture into each of 6 cupcake cavities. You may allow these to set up at room temperature or if you are in a hurry, place them in the refrigerator or freezer.

I topped these with 1/2 of a can of Pillsbury frosting. I had a good coupon, it's labeled gluten-free, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's pretty good! I usually make my own frosting, but I would use this again. It only took about half a container of whipped frosting for 6 of the rice krispie treats.

Here's the cost breakdown:
$1.52 for corn syrup
$.72 for rice krispies (I based this on $4 for a large box, but with cereal sales, you can do better!)
$.25 for egg
$.05 for sugar
$.04 for vanilla extract
$1.89 for frosting (watch for coupons on this, too. I got frosting for next to nothing.)
$4.47 plus tax of $.21 = $4.68 total

$5.20 Sweets: Chocomole

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Happy 2012!

Instead of creating 52 Sweet recipes this year, I'm going to focus on Sweets that can be made for $5.20 or so. My goal is to create something that includes at least 4 servings and, as always, is gluten- and dairy-free.

The first Sweet this year is one you might remember from last year: Chocomole. This perfectly sweet mousse is made from avocado, dates, chocolate, agave nectar, coconut oil and a little vanilla. I've modified the recipe from this version I shared last year to make it a bit more economical.

Here's a little tip for serving chocomole. If you serve it in avocado shells, less adventurous eaters might choose to pass on this one. But if you put it in a pretty dessert dish, they may be none the wiser to the ingredients. It tastes nothing like guacamole with chocolate sprinkled on top.

Chocomole (Makes 4 servings)
2 ripe avocados
1 T. coconut oil
20 dates
2 T. cocoa powder
2 T. agave nectar
1 t. vanilla bean paste

In food processor, place 20 dates and process until finely chopped. They will turn into a mooshy ball in the food processor.

Slice the avocados in half carefully. Remove the pit and spoon out the fruit. Place the fruit into the bowl of the food processor. If you carefully clean out the shells, you can hang on to them and use them as serving bowls for the chocomole.

Add the cocoa powder, coconut oil, agave nectar and vanilla bean paste to the food processor. Process until smooth, at least a few minutes.

Spoon into avocado shells or other serving bowls and refrigerate. I piped the filling this time and really like how it looks. Refrigerate this for at least a couple of hours before eating. Enjoy!

Ingredient Cost
My ingredients were purchased at the local grocer and Trader Joe's. Here's the breakdown:

Two avocados on sale at Price Chopper: $0.69 each, $1.38 total
2/3 of a bag of Dole dates ($2.29 per bag) $1.53
Coconut Oil $0.37
Trader Joe's cocoa powder $0.08
Agave Nectar $0.34
Vanilla Bean Paste $0.50 (WOW! I knew it was pricey, but the per teaspoon price really got me on this one.)

Total: $4.20 plus $0.19 sales tax (I live in Missouri and pay 4.6% sales tax on food), $4.39 for four servings!

Sweet of the Week #52, Kale Kolada

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Well, here it is, the end of another 52 Journey for me. And wouldn't you know it, my final ingredient is one I have chosen not to bake into a Sweet. Instead, I'm putting it into the blender.

You see, this is the end of three years of blogging about one Sweet every week. I've tried hard to limit my Sweet intake to only one thing a week, with exceptions for a few holidays and my birthday. And President's Day, every third Wednesday, Thursdays when the temperature is above 40 and the barometric pressure is climbing...

In all seriousness, what I have found is that I no longer have an issue limiting how many Sweets I eat. Some weeks there are plenty of them, there's an occasion to celebrate or a project that requires me to bake 9 or 10 recipes in just a couple of days. Sometimes I momentarily lose control, but I always get back on track. And then there are times when I am so tired of Sweets it becomes a task for me to create a recipe, to blog about a Sweet.

That's how I reached this place I'm at today, blogging about a green smoothie to wrap up this year's 52 Journey. Right now, today, I don't want to bake a Sweet. I'm okay without a piece of chocolate cake or a hand pie packed full of caramel-drenched apples. Instead, I'm having a green smoothie. Next week, I'll probably need a dessert to share at a friend's potluck or I'll be elbow-deep in sugar working on a recipe development project. But today, it's a smoothie.

And hey, real quick, a note about where I'm headed. Next year's 52 Journey is going to be much different. After three years of blogging about a Sweet every week, I'm done with weekly Sweets. I've got a really fun 52 Project going on over at Johnna52 (where you can find my non-baking adventures) and here at 52 Sweets, I'll be sharing an occasional Sweet, just not one every week. What I will be sharing has a great new twist...

I'll be blogging in 2012 about gluten-free Sweets that can be made for $5.20 or less. Get it? It's like 52, $5.20. Gluten-free baking can be so incredibly pricey, so I wanted to make some inexpensive Sweets, simple desserts, with a minimum of four servings that can be made for $5 or so. I hope you'll stick around for the Journey.

And now...here's the green smoothie you've been dying to read about!

Kale Kolada
(Makes two generous servings)

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup coconut water
6 oz. cultured coconut milk yogurt (you could use almond yogurt or Greek yogurt, I was going with the coconut theme here)
1 1/2 cups coconut tidbits, frozen
1 bunch kale, stems removed (I used 5 large stems of kale in this)

Blend on high speed until well combined. Super easy...and Sweet!

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2012!

Sweet of the Week #51, Absinthe and Bubbly Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:51:00 +0000

This week's Ingredient is Absinthe.

I first sampled Absinthe while visiting Austria in 2001. The owner of the guest house where I was staying invited me to join other guests for a nightcap. What he served to us was hausgemacht absinthe, homebrewed with a combination of herbs passed down through at least 3 generations. Austrians are known for brewing Absinthe with very little noticeable anise flavor, something I have sampled nowhere else. It had a gentle green color, which turned to a cloudy, milky white when served in the traditional manner of pouring cold water over a sugar cube resting on an ornate spoon into a serving of absinthe. One serving led to many servings. It produced a mighty headache the next morning...

Since my introduction to absinthe, I've seen it served many ways, including in the Bohemian fashion where an alcohol-soaked sugar cube is lit on fire and dropped into a glass of Absinthe, along with a shot glass of water. I've also seen it served with an ornate fountain of sorts, with a spigot that slowly drips water over a sugar cube. Properly serving Absinthe seems very tedious.

Ever since visiting The Fountain on Locust in St. Louis, I've had a thing for Absinthe and Champagne together in cocktails. I had a Hemingway while there, a drink attributed to Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon where he wrote of drinking 3 to 5 cocktails a day that included a shot of absinthe with the remainder of the glass full of Champagne.

While I'm not suggesting you eat 3 to 5 of these a day, I was thinking New Year's Eve often brings about a surplus of bubbly. So perhaps you'll make these cupcakes to ring in the New Year.

Tip: If you don't have absinthe and don't wish to purchase it (small bottles are hard to locate and it is often around $50 in the store), just double the champagne in the frosting recipe below. It works well without it and you'll have a delicious champagne flavored treat. These cupcakes are great with and without absinthe.

Absinthe Bubbly Cupcakes
Makes 24, gluten-free and dairy-free

1 1/2 cup of Johnna’s Gluten-Free Flour Blend

1 1/2 cup of almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill is preferred)

2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon guar gum

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1-12 oz. container Tofutti Sour Cream (or 1 1/2 cups non-dairy sour cream sub)

1 1/2 sticks butter or Earth Balance, melted and allowed to cool

1 T. vanilla extract

1/4 cup champagne

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together flours, baking powder and guar gum. Set aside.

Cream eggs and sugar in stand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until a pale yellow color is reached. Incorporate sour cream, melted butter, vanilla extract and champagne. Slowly add in flour mixture, mixing well on medium until dough is smooth.

Insert cupcake papers into pans, fill ¾ full with cake batter, approximately 1/3 of a cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes. A cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.

Champagne Creme Filling

1 cup Healthy Top (measured from the container, not from whipped)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup champagne

With electric mixer, whip Healthy Top until it doubles in quantity. Add powdered sugar and champagne. Continue whipping until well incorporated.

Absinthe Champagne Frosting

3 sticks Earth Balance or butter

1 lb. powdered sugar

2 T. Champagne

2 T. Absinthe

Cream butter in mixer. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Once all sugar is incorporated, add in champagne and absinthe. Mix until smooth and creamy, this makes a light and fluffy frosting if whipped long enough. If you prefer a stiff frosting, you may add a bit more powdered sugar.

Assembling

Allow cupcakes to cool to room temperature. Stick your index finger into the center of each cupcake, creating a divot. If you prefer, you can cut out a portion of the cake, but just pressing into it works quite well.

Fill pastry bag or frosting tool with the champagne creme filling. Pipe the hole full of filling using a large round tip. (I prefer something like a 1A or 2A.)

Frost top of cupcake using your preferred method. I used one of the ginormous cupcake frosting tips from Bake It Pretty.

On top of the frosting, I used two sizes of sugar pearls that I bought at Sweet! They remind me of champagne bubbles. I also baked the cupcakes in pretty nut cups from Sweet! I like baking cupcakes in these, no need for a muffin tin.

Enjoy the cupcakes. Wishing you a happy, healthy new year!

Sweet of the Week #50, Black Olive Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:42:00 +0000

This week's Ingredient is Olives, suggested to me by my darling friend Keri. Specifically, I'll be using black olives. And olive oil.

I love olives. Olives and pickles. Pickles and olives. My two favorite snacks. As a child, olives had to be hidden from me. I'd pop one on each finger, eat them all and then re-load.

As an adult, this hasn't stopped except I don't put them on my fingers anymore. Well, usually not. At least not in public. While in DC at Eat, Write, Retreat in May, the nice folks at Lindsay Olives included cans of these delicious, green ripe buttery olives in our registration bags. I'm not too proud to mention again that I popped the top off of them and ate an entire can myself in the hotel room. Hey, at least booze isn't my weakness. Solitary olive eating isn't that bad, is it?

This week's sweet is Black Olive Cake. I was inspired by this recipe from Almost Turkish Recipes. I've modified it quite a bit, making it gluten-free of course, along with dairy-free and changed some of the ingredients to fit my whims. I'm not a fan of mint in baked goods, I didn't have any Black Seed handy. What I did come up with is good. It's not quite as good as the Oatmeal and Onion muffins with sheep's milk cheese, but if you are a fan of a slightly savory sweet, you'll like this. Plus who doesn't want to impress their friends by incorporating olives into a cake?!?

If I were on a dairy bender, I'm consider incorporating feta cheese into this one. Anyone tried a dairy-free feta?

Black Olive Cake
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

4 eggs
1 cup Amande plain cultured almond-milk yogurt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-6 oz. cans black pitted olives, roughly chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 T. Aleppo pepper flakes
1 1/2 t. salt
1 cup almond meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup of My Favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. guar gum

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Beat eggs, add in Amande yogurt and olive oil. Mix well.

Add olives, green onions, sundried tomatoes, Aleppo pepper flakes and salt. Mix well.

Add almond meal, gluten-free flour, baking powder and guar gum. Mix well.

Pour into baking dish. Bake at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is lightly browned and cake tester or toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:08:00 +0000

This cheesecake was inspired by Baked by Rachel's White Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cheesecake. You'll notice mine doesn't contain "white chocolate" in the title. That's because I made my version of this cheesecake not only gluten-free but also dairy-free. In the holiday rush, I neglected to order any dairy-free white chocolate. So here it is, Peppermint Bark Cheesecake.

First you'll need to make some peppermint bark. I melted 8 oz. of dairy-free chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life) and spread it out on a sheet of parchment paper. Before it set, I sprinkled the top with 4 or 5 crushed candy canes. Once it has set, crumble it up into small pieces.

And now, on to the cheesecake...

Peppermint Bark Cheesecake
(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

CRUST
1 package chocolate K-Toos or other gluten-free Oreo-style cookie
8 peppermint candies or 4 candy canes
2 T. Earth Balance, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set an 8" Springform pan out.

In food processor, pulverize the peppermint candies. It is important to do this first. If you do not, large pieces of the candies will become hard, crunchy spots in your crust. Next, add all of the cookies into the bowl with the candies and process until all of the cookies are crunched into fine crumbs. Add in the melted Earth Balance and pulse a couple of times just to incorporate.

Pat the crust mixture into the 8" Springform pan, covering the bottom and about an inch up the sides. Place in pre-heated oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

CHEESECAKE FILLING
1 3/4 cup cashews (soaked overnight in water)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup coconut oil, liquified
1/4 cup water
1 t. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 t. sea salt
1 cup peppermint bark pieces, broken into small pieces

MOUSSE TOPPING
1/4 cup MimiCreme Healthy Top, whips to 1/2 cup (or equivalent non-dairy whipped topping)
4 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 1/2 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

EXTRAS
Chocolate shavings, additional broken candy cane pieces or peppermint bark for topping

Filling: Soak cashews overnight in water. Drain.
Add cashews, agave nectar, liquified coconut oil, water, vanilla bean paste, lemon juice and sea salt to bowl of food processor. Process until very smooth, at least 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl. By hand, gently fold in peppermint bark pieces. Do no overstir. Pour on top of cooled crust and put into freezer.

Next, prepare the mousse topping. In a medium mixing bowl, whip MimiCreme Healthy Top using a hand mixer. Whip until it doubles in size. Then add in Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing until well incorporated.

Remove cheesecake from freezer. Gently spread mousse topping on top of filling. Return to freezer until 2 hours before serving.

When you remove it from the freezer for serving, sprinkle the top with broken candy cane pieces, leftover peppermint bark or chocolate shavings. It is important to add the toppings now, not when you first assemble the cheesecake. The color from the candy canes will run atop the mousse filling if you add them before freezing.

Allow the cheesecake to thaw a bit, slice to serve.

I served our cheesecake atop adorable saucers made of melted peppermint candies and put a cute peppermint bark heart on top of the cake. You can read more about those fun projects here, in my holiday post about Pinterest baking finds. Enjoy!

Why I Love Pinterest: Christmas 2011 Baking Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:07:00 +0000

I blogged over at my non-baking spot, Johnna52, about some of the fun things I've done this holiday season inspired by Pinterest. And then I realized I had done a whole bunch of holiday baking inspired by Pinterest, too. I thought I'd share those things with you!

First up, these adorable Oreo truffle snowmen from Cookies and Cups.

I went to my friend Renee's house to make these with Trader Joe's Candy Cane JoeJoes. I hoped my husband would really enjoy these as he is a BIG fan of the Candy Cane JoeJoes. This is the first year we've had Trader Joe's in town, which makes it the first year we haven't either brought a suitcase of these addictive cookies home from our travels or had a friend in a city with Trader Joe's ship them to us. Since they weren't so hard to obtain this year, there was a spare box in the All-Things-Gluten Box stowed in the garage. I decided to use them to make a gift for him.

Renee and her kiddos E and A helped me make these. They made that adorable gingerbread house in the photo with the snowman truffle. It was terrific to make the truffles with friends and also in a kitchen where gluten lives. I didn't have to worry so much about cross-contamination as I would using my own appliances and kitchen tools.

Here's the scoop on these. And by the way, if you are gluten-free like me, these work just as well with K-Toos. Crunch up one full package of Oreos or Oreo-like cookies in the food processor. Add in 8 oz. of cream cheese. Roll into balls and freeze. Renee discovered the best way to do this was to go ahead and stack them in the snowman formation, spear them with a toothpick or narrow skewer and freeze them stacked. Our attempts before doing this were absolute failures, resulting in melted snowmen.

Speaking of melted snowmen, I saw the fun melted snowmen cakepops above on Pinterest. They were created by Susie QT Pie's Scraps of Life. I am a mess when it comes to making cake balls, cake pops, cake truffles. I'm not sure why it's so difficult for me and know I've blogged about it several times. But I finally found something that looks like what I usually make, melted snowmen!

While at Renee's house, she was making regular (i.e. non-snowmen) Oreo truffles so we turned a few into melted snowmen. That's A above skillyfully painting faces on little melted snowmen truffles. Cute, huh? Same recipe: 1 package oreos, 8 oz. cream cheese and melted white chocolate for dipping. I used candy writers to draw the faces.

On to the next fun find...

The holidays aren't complete without a cocktail! I'm a fan of anything eggnog. Except my body isn't such a fan of dairy right now so I've been avoiding it anytime I can. This year instead of having eggnog from our favorite local dairy, I decided to make Coquito. Here's the one I pinned on Pinterest from Hello Beautiful:

Coquito is a Puerto Rican tradition, a coconut based eggnog type cocktail. It usually calls for white rum. Earlier this month I put coffee beans from The Roasterie into a bottle of amber rum from Spirits of St. Louis, a microdistillery. Oh my! Within two days, the rum smell was equally mixed with the aroma of coffee beans. So I left the beans in the bottle for two weeks, creating the best alcoholic concoction I've had. It seemed fitting to use it in a holiday cocktail like Coquito. Here's my non-dairy version.

Coquito
1. Make one batch of dairy-free sweetened condensed milk following This Recipe from Sunny at And Love It Too. Let cool before using.
2. Over medium heat, cook 1 1/2 cups of So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk until it reduces to 3/4 of a cup. Let cool to room temperature.
3. In double boiler, combine sweetened condensed milk, So Delicious milk (which is now equivalent to evaporated milk) and 4 egg yolks. Whisk, whisk, whisk. Cook until the mixture reaches 165 degrees.
4. Remove from heat and add 1-8.5 oz can Cream of Coconut, 1 additional cup of So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk and 1 to 2 cups of rum. (I use 1 1/2 cups, it's a bit umm...warming. Add a little, taste test, and then add more.)
5. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon over the top. This is traditionally served in shot glasses but we go a bit larger here.

Still on a snowman kick and with egg whites leftover from the Coquito, I found another fun baking idea...

These meringue snowmen from were the perfect use of the egg whites! I started with this idea from Curbly. I used the meringues recipe from Bon Appetit's December 2011 issue, switching the peppermint extract for almond. I drew the faces on with candy writers, keeping them pretty simple since they were packed into bags for surprise gifts in my Light 'Em Up project.

And one last holiday Pinterest-inspired creation...

Look at this Peppermint Bark Cheesecake! I spotted this cheesecake from Baked by Rachel , a take on Cheesecake Factory's Peppermint Bark Cheesecake. I knew I wanted to find a way to make it gluten- and dairy-free. Doesn't it look delicious?

I thought something like this cute peppermint bark pop from Not So Idle Hands would be cute on top of the cheesecake. Another find on Pinterest!

And here's the one last little touch. I saw these cute serving platters from Tutto Bella on Pinterest. They are super easy to make, just line up mints on parchment paper atop a baking sheet, pop in the oven at 350 for 8 minutes or so.

I decided to try making saucers on which to serve cheesecake. They came out of the oven a little uneven, due to my oven being unlevel. While they were still hot (caution: this is dangerous), I used kitchen scissors to trim them into more even shaped. It worked. These are pretty fragile, but oh my goodness are they cute!

Here are a few photos of my cheesecake, my version of the peppermint bark pop and the cute peppermint plate I made:

OH--about the cheesecake recipe! Because this post has reached extraordinary length, I decided to give the cheesecake its very own post. You'll find the recipe for the cheesecake here. It's one of my very favorite cheesecakes ever. Seriously, it's that good. If you like chocolate with mint, you'll love this.

There you have it, my holiday Pinterest finds and what I did with them. Tell me about yours!

Sweet of the Week #49, A Learning Experience...

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:17:00 +0000

This week I planned to share with you a Sweet featuring Velvet Creme Popcorn. You know those giant tins of popcorn you see at the holidays? Well, those were originally the creation of Velvet Creme Popcorn, a company founded in 1937 in Kansas City.

Way back in 1954, Velvet Creme first offered popcorn in a decorative tin. In the KC area, Velvet Creme is one of our local gems. I'm not sure how Kansas City came to have two well known popcorn companies, but we are also home to Topsy's Popcorn, a company that once had over 500 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Using popcorn in a Sweet seemed to be a good way to give a nod to one of our local products. I had planned to use Velvet Creme cinnamon popcorn to make cupcakes, grinding the popcorn into flour like Stefani at Cupcake Project did earlier this year.

John and I made a trip last week to Velvet Creme's store in Westwood, Kansas. It was fun looking around at all of the flavors of popcorn, snack mixes and brittles. They had lots of fun gift items on display, everything you would need for a great movie night at home!

John is a big fan of cinnamon popcorn and we bought a couple bags plus a bag of white chocolate almond caramel corn and a bag of popcorn to pop at home. There were folks ordering large tins of popcorn to ship across the country and even a lady who brought back a tin from many years past to have it refilled. She said it was her holiday tradition.

And now...for the learning experience. As I always do, I read the labels on the ingredients in everything we bought. No wheat, no mention of being processed in a facility that also processes wheat. This morning, on our local news, the reporter said Velvet Creme wanted to share with its customers undeclared soy, milk and wheat in a few of their products. Yikes. While the list does not include the flavor of popcorn I bought, I've decided it's probably best for me to not incorporate this ingredient into a Sweet, just to be safe. Sounds like there is wheat used in their facility and that's not a good thing for me. I'm a little bummed.

Each day eating gluten-free is a challenge, reading labels, questioning restaurant staff, clarifying ingredients to make sure I am eating in a way that is healthy and necessary for my body. What I learned from this experience is to make sure I am absolutely vigilant about reading labels and asking questions, even when I don't want to be a bother. I also learned that there are companies who want to make sure their customers stay healthy, voluntarily issuing statements like Velvet Creme has done. While I will avoid their popcorn this year, John will continue enjoying it, now having a second bag of cinnamon popcorn that was previously reserved for cupcake making. So there's no Sweet this week, just a learning experience.

Sweet of the Week #46, #47 and #48: Oatmeal Caramelized Onion Muffins with Sheep's Milk Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:31:00 +0000

This week's Sweet incorporates three of the Ingredients on this year's list: Oatmeal, Onions and Sheep's Milk Cheese. These muffins are my current favorite from the entire year. I got a little teary-eyed in the kitchen while eating them warm from the oven, I didn't expect them to be so good as the combination of ingredients didn't seem particularly appealing to me. But oh my....these were a delicious surprise!

My friend Mandy suggested two ingredients used in these muffins, Oatmeal and Onions. When she suggested this ingredients, she was in her last month of pregnancy with her little guy who is 11 months old now. Mandy told me oatmeal and onions sounded good, just not necessarily together. Not one to walk away from a challenge, I knew the moment she suggested those ingredients I would find a way to combine them. But it was only within the last two weeks that it struck me to combine sheep's milk cheese with oatmeal and onions. I was thinking about the delicious sheep's milk cheese from Green Dirt Farm we had taste-tested over a year ago while shopping at The Mercantile in Lawrence, Kansas and pondering ways to incorporate it into a sweet. Putting a healthy schmear of it on a muffin seemed like a great application and these yummy muffins were born.

Oh, wait...I left out the best part of these muffins. Well, okay, the second best part. The first best part is for sure eating them but the second best part is my trip to Green Dirt Farm last week. Josh at Green Dirt Farm was kind enough to meet me and John at the farm and show us around while answering all of my questions. I always have lots of questions at farms, I'm fascinated with how food arrives on our plate!

We went on a beautiful drive, just about 30 minutes from home. It was a chilly, grey day but we still enjoyed the change of scenery. Even this time of year, I am struck but how pretty it is where we live, rolling hills and lots of trees.

At the farm, we saw several varieties of sheep, most of them pregnant, so there's no milking happening right now. We also saw several of the working dogs. I'm not sure what kind of dog Mudge is (the black one in the background) but the beautiful white dog is a Maremma. As much as I love dogs, I was even more captivated by the llamas. That's right, they've got llamas at Green Dirt Farm. Llamas! I had no idea llamas were used for herding/guarding duties on farms. We could see a long llama neck way up high on a hill, peeking out from behind a large hay bail, watching our every move. Fascinating.

I asked lots of questions about nutritional content of sheep vs. cow milk, sheep vs. goat milk and environmental impact of raising sheep vs. raising cows. I wanted to understand why I am more tolerant of sheep and goat milk than of cow's milk. The knowledge I collected is more than I could post here, my head was full of information, every tidbit of it making me more conscious of how I buy food, of what I choose to eat. We talked about how the land is managed, how the grazing areas are rotated. Josh mentioned that if the sheep were allowed to eat all over instead of being corralled into smaller areas at a time, they would eat all of their favorite stuff and move along. He referred to this as Brussels sprouts vs. ice cream. I wonder if there are sheep like me, the ones who would choose Brussels sprouts over ice cream? I see it with our hens everyday, they don't all like the same foods, and I'm surprised at this. And so I wonder if animals not allowed to graze are forced to eat food they don't really like every single day?

So there's my little peek into Green Dirt Farm. I plan to go on a tour during the milking season and will share more then. It's really a fascinating place and the cheese is unlike anything I have had elsewhere. It is not only tasty but I feel good about eating it. Plus the sheep are such happy ladies and you know how I love seeing happy critters being allowed to romp around on a well-kept farm. Should we all plan a Spring-time field trip?

In selecting which cheese to use with these muffins, I spoke to the fromager at The Mercantile. He said if he were using one of the Fresh spreads from Green Dirt Farm on the Oatmeal Onion Muffins, he would choose the plain variety. That variety isn't available right now and won't be until the sheep are producing milk again in the Spring, so the second choice was the Lovage. I associate the flavor of lovage with celery, however this cheese spread has a nice herb quality to it with just a little freshness in the aftertaste, a little effervescence of lovage. It works perfectly with the oatmeal onion muffins. I'd like another right now.

I still haven't convinced you that you want to eat Oatmeal Onion Muffins, have I? Would it help if I told you they were all gobbled up here, that I had to HIDE the remaining four muffins to take to a friend? I don't have to do that around here even with chocolate-y goodness, but the Oatmeal Onion Muffins were a big hit. I hope you'll try them. Here's the recipe:

Oatmeal Onion Muffins (Makes 12 muffins)
Inspired by this recipe by Beth McCasland

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick Earth Balance or butter, melted and cooled
1 cup of my favorite all-purpose flour blend
1/2 t. guar gum
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder
1/2 cup caramelized onions (learn how here, it took 3 medium onions for 1/2 cup)

In large mixing bowl, combine oats and almond milk. Let sit for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, guar gum, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Add to oats and milk the egg, brown sugar, melted Earth Balance or butter. Mix until well combined. Stir in dry ingredients. Last, fold in the caramelized onions.

Pour approximately 1/3 of a cup of batter into each well of an oiled muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 14-16 minutes. A toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle will come out clean.

Serve with Fresh spread from Green Dirt Farm. These muffins are tasty warm from the oven, but also keep very well, if you can manage to keep them away from your family. I'm excited to experiment with this recipe, incorporating sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives next!

Green Dirt Farm is located near Weston, Missouri. They host Farm Table Dinners, workshops, tours and more. You can buy their cheese in many Kansas City area stores or order on-line. Visit their website for more information.

Sweet of the Week #45, Cream Cheese Frosted Spice Cupcakes with Aleppo Pepper

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:38:00 +0000

The holiday craziness has taken hold here and I'm finding my baking and blogging time a wee bit limited. I've resorted to using a mix (gasp!) again, but assure you this one is delicious, so worth trying.

Plus, I'm about to share a really handy tip with those of you unashamed to occasionally use a mix in your kitchen. This tip began as desperation, I needed a spice cake mix to make Cherpumple*, and ended as a tasty surprise. So here goes...

How to Make a Yellow Cake Mix Into a Spice Cake Mix
Using one Betty Crocker gluten-free yellow cake mix, add the following:
1/2 t. powdered cloves
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. powdered ginger

To incorporate this week's Ingredient, Aleppo pepper, I also added 1 teaspoon of crushed pepper flakes to the spice blend. WOW! This may be my favorite ingredient of the entire year! Aleppo pepper has a hint of heat along with a hint of sweet with a visible oil sheen on the flakes. Since making the first batch of these cupcakes, I've used the pepper flakes on stir-fried vegetables and on pizza. Then I made more of these cupcakes, just to make sure I wasn't mistaken the first time. I was not, they are delicious.

Here's the scoop on the cupcakes. Mix the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Add the spices listed above, plus the Aleppo pepper flakes. Bake according to the directions. Top with this yummy dairy-free cream cheese frosting and sprinkle a few Aleppo pepper flakes on top. That's it, super easy yet an impressive flavor combination that doesn't scream that it came from a box.

Give it a try! If you like a little bit of sweet heat, you'll enjoy this one.

*I'll be sharing my Cherpumple adventures in a post about holiday baking soon. Promise. I simply can't pass up the opportunity to tell you about the 10 pound gluten- and dairy-free three pie/three cake monstrosity I took to a friend's holiday gathering. But first I need to run exactly 27.773 miles to burn off the calories I consumed eating two servings of this crazy creation.

Sweet of the Week #44, Snowball Cupcakes with Cotton Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:49:00 +0000

One of my favorite gluten-free snacks is Cotton Candy. Sure, it's all sugar and food coloring, but it's also only 100 calories per serving. For awhile my hair was pink, which resulted in my husband remarking several times it must be a result of all of the cotton candy I eat. That's a possibility, because I really dig pink cotton candy. Once I even considered switching careers and selling cotton candy. (I'm kidding...sorta.*)

This week's sweet is a chocolate cupcake made with a mix (gasp!) and cream cheese frosting. I topped each cupcake with tiny snowballs made with white cotton candy I bought at the grocery store. I sprinkled a tiny bit of edible glitter on top of each cupcake and inserted a cute snowman cupcake pick into the top. CUTE!

Chocolate Cupcakes from a mix
1 Betty Crocker cake mix, prepared according to directions with one addition: add 1 teaspoon of instant coffee crystals to the water. This deepens the chocolate flavor.

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. container of Tofuttti Better Than Cream Cheese
5 T. Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks
2 t. vanilla bean paste
2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar

In bowl of stand mixer, combine all ingredients except powdered sugar. Blend until well combined. Slowly incorporate powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached.

Cotton Candy Snowballs
Pull out small pieces of cotton candy and gently press into a ball shape. Don't press too hard or they will become dense balls of sugar. Pile a group on top of your cupcakes and sprinkle with edible glitter (optional). I used five on top of each cupcake.

*Big thanks to the kind cotton candy vendors at the Kentucky State Fair who indulged me in one of my fantasy jobs, selling cotton candy. This lasted all of 45 seconds, until reality set in and the income-consumption ratio became clear to me.

Sweet of the Week #43, Ginger Parsnip Muffins with Amber from The Tasty Alternative

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:56:00 +0000

Please welcome Amber from The Tasty Alternative. She is guest posting here this week, sharing her Ginger Parsnip Muffins. Parsnips are on my Challenge Ingredient List and while I had big plans to bake a cake from a recipe my friend Eileen shared, I saw Amber's recipe and it sounded so good I simply had to share with you. I'm so excited Amber agreed to become my first guest post author and know you'll enjoy these muffins.

While you sit down with a warm cup of tea and a muffin, pop on over to read Amber's blog. Her story of healing from the inside with good food is an inspiration. Food, the right food, can definitely be medicine and Amber's blog does a great job of showing how we can achieve health while still enjoying delicious food.

Ginger Parsnip Muffins (grain free, vegan, dairy free, cane-sugar free)

(grain free, gluten free, dairy free, cane-sugar free, egg free, xanthan gum free, soy free)...but oh so flavor-full!

When I saw that Kim and Ricki's SOS Kitchen Challenge for November was parsnips, I was pumped. A vegan, grain-free muffin idea started to swirl around in my brain and yes it took me an entire month to finally bring this idea to reality. Time can sure slip away from you when you're a busy mommy. Can I tell you though, I am so pleased with these muffins! They are very moist (my favorite characteristic in a muffin) and my 2-year-old son LOVES them, which warms my heart because I make these allergy-friendly recipes with him in mind (due to his eczema ). But kids are the world's best food critics, don't you think? My husband also ate these up. I hope you enjoy them too.

Salud.

Ingredients

Dry:

2 cups organic almonds

1/2 cup coconut flour

2 tablespoons arrowroot

2 tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ginger (or 1 teaspoon for a milder ginger flavor)

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Wet:

2 cups grated parsnips

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup oil (I use grapeseed)

1/3 cup coconut nectar + 5 drops liquid stevia
(raw honey or agave will also work)

1/4 cup filtered water

How To
Preheat oven to 375
Bake time: 20 - 22 minutes
(check at 20 and remove if tops are browned)
Makes about 15 muffins

In a food processor:
1. Grind almonds until they release a little oil and you can make a ball

2. Add coconut flour, pulse until incorporated

3. Add arrowroot, baking powder, salt, tapioca starch, cinnamon and ginger: pulse, pulse then blend, blend, blend!!

It should looks like this (and feel soft, like flour)

In a separate bowl~wet ingredients:

4. Add oil, coconut nectar, vanilla, applesauce, stevia, and water; mix until incorporated
5. Add grated parsnips and mix
6. Add dry ingredients from food processor and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix.
And don't be afraid...this is a thick batter! It's all good.
7. Immediately transfer to baking cups and fill about 3/4 full - they will rise slightly, but not much
*Bake as instructed above
*Make a warm cup of tea and enjoy a healthy snack

Thanks, Amber, for the terrific guest post. I'm excited to try these muffins and even more excited you shared them with my readers.

A Sweet! Adventure, Computers in the Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:32:00 +0000

While I usually post my non-baking adventures over at Johnna52, I wanted to share this post with you, my baking fans, because it is really baking related. Really, it is. Read on...

In the last few weeks, I've taken a creative sabbatical, which included attending many activities carefully chosen to enhance my skills as a food blogger, as a recipe developer, as an artist. It will soon be a busy time of year for me at my job and I need to refuel in order to maintain a high level of creativity throughout the holiday season. I have been to hear several food celebrities speak, bought a new camera, attended an amazing food photography workshop with Helene Dujardin and went to a fun cookie decorating workshop at Sweet! Baking & Candy Making Supply in Lawrence, Kansas. I am excited to tell you all about the cookie decorating workshop.

I was invited to the workshop by Kristin at Dine and Dish. In addition to writing a fabulous blog full of recipes and beautiful photos, she has done such a great job creating a network of local bloggers, I'm tickled to know her and all of the other gals I've met through the BlogKC group. She rounded up a group of ten bloggers to attend the event, held at Sweet! in Lawrence, Kansas. The event was sponsored by Best Buy and we were told they would be showing us an All-In-One computer system that would be perfect for our kitchens. Yeah, yeah, whatever, computer in the kitchen, blah, blah, blah. I was just interested in the cookie decorating! Then I heard the amazing Bridget from Bake at 350 would be joining the class via Skype. They could talk all they wanted about that ridiculous computer in the kitchen concept, all I really was interested in was cookie decorating, visiting a fun new baking supply shop and learning from Bridget of Bake at 350. Seriously, that was everything I needed to make for an amazing evening! And besides, who needs a computer in the kitchen? This computer thing wasn't going to be an easy sell, but there would be cookies so I was going.

Boy, was I in for a treat. I arrived at Sweet! and soon realized this is my version of kid-in-a-candy-shop. The store is adorable, packed full of every color of sprinkles, sugars and cupcake papers you would ever need. Frosting tips, pastry bags, novelty baking pans and packaging perfect for sharing home baked treats were arranged in a way that makes sense, a way that makes shopping fun.

In addition to all of the wonderful shopping, Sweet! has a kitchen studio space that is perfect for classes. I grabbed a spot for the class and was greeted by Cindy, the store owner. It didn't take long to figure out Cindy is an amazing hostess, she had thought of everything from printed nametags to plenty of snacks and beverages. She even provided each of us with a darling Sweet! apron. Each spot was set up with a dozen cookies for each of us and squeeze bottles full of frosting. Because I work in the special event business, I have high expectations of events and sometimes see things I would have done differently. No chance of that here, Cindy had thought of everything!

Our class began with introductions. Our in-person instructor was Nora Kaschube from Four and Twenty Blackbirds. Bridget joined us by Skype and on hand to tell us about the kitchen computer system was David from Best Buy. We also got a quick introduction to the all-in-one computer system. I think I muttered something like, "Seriously, who has a computer in their kitchen? So impractical!" You see, I can be a bit of a messy baker. I've never taken my laptop into the kitchen because I need to be able to use it again. While I try to conserve natural resources, I often print out a copy of a recipe for one-time use. My cookbooks are splattered with ingredients, even when I cover them with plastic wrap or prop them up in my acrylic bookstand. I just couldn't picture using technology like this fancy computer in my kitchen.

During class we used milk fondant and talked about the differences between milk fondant and Royal icing. I still prefer Royal. Bridget shared some great tips with us, like that she uses chilled butter and doesn't refrigerate her dough before rolling. (I've already tried this and it works, even with gluten-free dough.) We discussed the swirling technique I first tried last Christmas to make peppermint candy cookies. It was good to have an in-person demonstration in addition to the thorough instructions and photos Bridget has shared on her blog.

While Bridget was talking to us via Skype, it hit me that I could Skype with my sister while in the kitchen. We could do holiday baking together this year. She could watch me fail at making divinity again! We could visit while I cook. I love chatting while in the kitchen and it was fun having Bridget virtually in this class, why wouldn't it be fun to have my family in the kitchen?

At one point, Bridget's cat joined us, and then her little cutie dropped in to say hi. My staunch position on not having a computer in the kitchen was softening when I realized my family and friends could virtually join me for baking, chatter and wine.

We finished our cookie decorating and Cindy gave us each a pizza box to take our cookies home in. See, I told you she had thought of everything! I am excited to attend more classes there. The representative from Best Buy then announced it was time to draw for the all-in-one computer. I didn't mention one of us would be taking home one of these fancy gadgets, did I? Cindy and her assistant drew names and, well, guess what? I WON! I won a 23" Gateway all-in-one computer. Yep, me, the "no computer in my kitchen" naysayer won.

David from Best Buy offered to give me a quick lesson on how the computer worked. Somehow he managed to speak to me in a language I understand and showed me how absolutely simple this computer is to operate. It has a touchscreen, which is covered with a thick screen that cleans easily even when smeared by grubby kitchen fingers. It has a wireless keyboard and mouse, plus an on-screen keyboard. He showed me all sorts of applications designed to best interact with a touchscreen. He also told me it could be attached to a wall mount, like a flat screen TV. I was beyond excited at this point, me...the girl who one hour earlier would have told you a computer had no place in the kitchen. Now I had a great new tool with which to learn more about cookie decorating!

Oh, and about those cookies. They weren't gluten-free so I had to find a home for them. After the workshop and a beverage with the blogger gals, I dropped the cookies by to my friend Richard who lives in Lawrence. Richard was visiting his friends Katie and Mike, the folks from Truckstop Honeymoon, so I dropped the cookies by their house. What a fun surprise to find that my friend Mark was visiting from out of town. A little cookie silliness happened and I hit the turnpike for a quick drive home. (Why does Mark always ending up sharing a sweet on my blog? First donuts, then apples and now cookies? I must tell him he can have his own next time.)

Once home, I unpacked the computer. This took all of 5 minutes. There are no wires to connect, nothing at all to do except plug it in. I can't imagine how it could be simpler. The back of the computer has an easel-type stand, which was perfect to set the computer on my countertop.

For a couple of days, I used the computer atop my 1970's teal formica countertop and thought I would maybe buy a wall bracket for it. That thought would pop into my head between the moments when I was shouting across the house, "Check this out! I can use Pandora in the kitchen!" and "WOW! Would you look at this! I can blog FROM THE KITCHEN!" I am still captivated that I can type recipes into the computer while I am creating them, no more random pieces of scrap paper floating around with my illegible writing on them. I love pulling up a recipe to cook dinner, enlarging it on the screen and being able to read it across the kitchen. I am also enjoying making my shopping list on the computer and then pulling it up on my iPhone at the store. Things aren't entirely paperless here yet, but this new computer is sure helping me move that direction.

A few days after bringing home this new computer (I really think she needs a name, got any suggestions?), I was out shopping for food styling props at Vintage Market at Zona Rosa, because I'm going to start using some of what I learned in the food photography workshop I attended. New furniture for the kitchen wasn't on my list, but I stumbled across this Hoosier cabinet and thought it might be a good piece to store the new computer. I took some quick measurements, ran home to measure the computer and the available space in my little kitchen and discovered it just might work. I went back to the store, bought it, loaded it up and came back home to explain my latest craziness to my husband.

What a trooper that fella is. He got out some electric saw gadget and removed a shelf in the cabinet to make room for the computer. It's pretty much a perfect fit, not an inch of space on either side. And I've got some new storage space in the kitchen for other essentials. I might knock a little more paint off of the cabinet to make it a bit more shabby, but am already enjoying having the space and it puts the computer at a perfect height for me. A month ago you couldn't have convinced me that anyone had a true need for a computer in the kitchen, now I can't figure out how I made do without one.

So there you have it, my latest recommendation for baking supplies is an all-in-one computer. Thanks to Cindy from Sweet! for hosting such a fun evening and to Best Buy for the amazing new computer. And just in case you were wondering, I wrote this blog post from the kitchen. :)

Disclosure: While I won this computer, I was not further compensated, required or asked to write this blog post. The opinions and exclamations are my own. Yep, my enthusiasm is authentic, not purchased.

Sweet of the Week #42, Persimmon Butter Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:37:00 +0000

Last week I made these cookies to celebrate November 11th, 2011. I met my friends Celeste and Mary for lunch to celebrate the day. I've been practicing my cookie skills...you can tell I still need lots of practice and a lighter hand with the disco dust. But that's not what I'm supposed to be telling you about...

My recipe for sugar cookies makes a lot. I had plenty of dough leftover from the 11.11.11 cookies. I usually freeze it (it keeps well in the freezer for a few months), but this time kept the extra in the frig to make cookies for my weekend treat.

These week's Challenge Ingredient is persimmon. I looked for fresh persimmons locally and did not find any. What I did find was a jar of persimmon butter at the farmer's market. I don't have a recipe to share for it, but did find this one from Saving the Season and the ingredients sound similar to what I could taste in the jar I bought. I decided to use persimmon butter with my butter-y sugar cookies to make petite sandwich cookies. After the recipe, I'll share some thoughts on this filling as well as other possibilities.

Butter-y Sugar Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks) or Earth Balance if dairy-free

2 eggs
2 t. vanilla bean paste
3cups of my favorite flour blend
1 1/2 t. guar gum
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 jar jam, jelly, preserves or fruit spread (persimmon butter used here)

Cream sugar and butter until fluffy using an electric mixer, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients separately, adding to the butter mixture one cup at a time. Mix well.

Split the dough into two equal parts. Place one part on top of a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Place another piece of plastic wrap on top, roll the edges up and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Repeat with other half of dough. Instead of turning the dough out onto a floured surface, you can now roll it out between the pieces of plastic wrap and not add any additional flour to the already-perfect dough!

Cut into tiny 2" circles and place on Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake cookies at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes.

Move cookies to cooling rack. Once cool, spread a scant teaspoon of jam, butter or other filling on the flat side of one cookie. Top with another cookie. That's it!

I shared these cookies with two friends at two separate events. Both said the same thing, "These melt in your mouth!" And that they do. The moisture of the persimmon butter made the cookies softer and the cookies do melt in your mouth. These were a great treat over the weekend. I'm going to save my leftover sugar cookie dough from now on to make these little cookies and spread leftover butters and jams between them to make sandwich cookies.

Sweet of the Week #40i & #41i, Red Bean Paste and Pomegranate Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0000

One of the challenge ingredients my friend Deanne suggested this year was red bean paste. I wanted to find a non-traditional way to use red bean paste, something beyond the Asian specialties that incorporate the ingredient, such as mooncakes or Daifuku.

Then Suzanne, who is currently on a quinoa kick, sent me this recipe from Green Cilantro. I took a look at it and decide I could de-gluten the recipe and perhaps make it vegan as well as incorporate another suggested Ingredient, pomegranate. I also removed refined sugar from the recipe, using coconut palm sugar instead. (To completely remove refined sugar, choose a dried fruit sweetened with fruit juice. The pomegranate seeds I used contained sugar.)

I had never seen dried pomegranate seeds before and paid $7 for a small bag at my local grocer. I will choose another dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins, for future batches. The pomegranate seeds add a bit of crunch that I didn't care for in the muffins. That said, these are an incredibly moist muffin with a nice crumb. They have a slightly nutty flavor that I attribute to the quinoa flour. The result is a muffin that I would be proud to share with my friends at breakfast or for an afternoon nibble with tea.

Red Bean Pomegranate Muffins (makes 12 muffins)
Inspired by this recipe from Green Cilantro, which was inspired by this recipe from La vie in English

1 cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend
1 cup of quinoa flour
3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 T. chia seed
1 t. baking soda
1 t. guar gum
1 c. almond milk
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
2 T. flax meal, dissolved in 6 T. hot water to make an egg replacement slurry (equivalent to 2 eggs)
1 1/3 cup mashed, cooked red beans (Azuki or Adzuki)
scant 1/2 cup dried pomegranate seeds or other dried fruit

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine gluten-free flour blend, quinoa flour, coconut palm sugar, chia seed, baking soda and guar gum.

In a small bowl, whisk the almond milk, grapeseed oil and flax meal slurry.

Pour the liquid mix into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Add in red bean paste, stirring just to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup dried pomegranate seeds or dried fruit.

In a greased muffin tin (or you may choose to use muffin papers), pour 1/3 cup of batter into each cavity. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 minutes. Using a cake tester or toothpick, test the center of a muffin. Toothpick will come out clean when they are done.

If you like Adzuki beans, check out the Adzuki bean burgers from Hillary's Eat Well. They are the first item containing the high-protein Adzuki beans I had tried and I really, really enjoy them. I cook their burgers in the toaster. Yum!

Sweet of the Week #39i, Green Tomato Citrus Marmalade

noreply@blogger.com (Johnna) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:41:00 +0000

I received 40 pounds (yes, FORTY pounds!) of green tomatoes from my friend Renee. Last week was a grand canning adventure.

In an attempt to ripen a few of the tomatoes, I put a few pounds in a brown paper bag. Several did turn red, enough to can curry ketchup and a salsa, which was very runny. It turns out green tomatoes forced to ripen become quite mushy. I also canned green tomato ketchup and a green tomato currant chutney. But my favorite was this, Green Tomato Orange Marmalade.

Maybe you are asking yourself how I am going to qualify this as a sweet. Well, it's got 5 cups of sugar in it, which makes is about as sweet as anything else you'll find here. Plus I needed to use one of my challenge ingredients. Tim had suggested I use Malt Extract from the homebrewer's store, but it contains gluten so I had to choose an alternate ingredient. While shopping in Columbia, Renee spotted pH strips in the homebrew section at Cool Stuff. Perfect! Remember when I blogged about the amazing canning class I attended? Well, there was much talk about pH levels in safe home canning and Renee, who manages an academic lab, had some great ideas about pH testing, including using these strips. It's a great fit for this week's sweet!

What I need to tell you is that this is not a perfect method for testing pH in your home-canned products. You should only can from recipes tested and verified by a canning authority. The pH level in canned goods is critical, especially when using the water bath method (as opposed to pressure canning). I share this recipe with the disclosure that I have tested it with pH strips, found it to be acidic, but do not have an accurate pH meter and have not submitted this for professional testing. Whew.

Here's how I used pH strips: I dipped one strip in the marmalade and it turned red (acidic). I dipped another strip in a mixture of baking soda and water (alkaline) and it turned blue. Low pH equals high acidity. To safely can, the pH level needs to be 4.6 or lower. In this case, I used green tomatoes which are very acidic. However adding other ingredients may reduce the acidity, so I wouldn't use this method with any concoction that I did not know to be quite acidic. I also would not recommend using this with anything that has a red or orange color, as it would make reading the strip difficult.

Wanna know what I do with this marmalade? I eat it on toast. I really like it on cinnamon raisin toast. I know that sounds like an odd combination but it is delicious! I also like it on a grilled cheese sandwich. It's kind of like tomato soup and grilled cheese all in one. I've even used this instead of sauce on pizza crust and topped it with caramelized onions and goat cheese. In a pinch, it makes a quick party treat, a bit poured over cream cheese or Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese and served with crackers.

Green Tomato Orange Marmalade (makes 10 1/2 pints)
2 oranges
1 lemon
1 cup water
4 pounds green tomatoes
5 cups sugar
1/4 cup crystallized ginger

Peel the oranges and lemon. Place the rind in 1 cup of water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the water.

Chop the tomatoes. There is no need to peel or core them. I do slice off the very top to eliminate the stem area. I used this gadget to chop the tomatoes. Place is large, heavy-bottomed stock pot with citrus rind, sugar and crystallized ginger. Cook over medium heat, covered, for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Remove lid in the last 30 minutes. Mixture will be bubbly and may pop, so proceed with caution. You may wish to continue cooking beyond 2 hours if the mixture has not yet reduced to a sticky marmalade consistency.

Can using the water bath method. If you are unfamiliar, I recommend this site from the University of Missouri Extension for instructions on how to water bath can. Process for 12 minutes in 1/2 pint jars.

I'd love to hear what you are doing with your end-of-season green tomatoes. Are you canning or freezing the last remnants of this year's crop?