Art of Dessert

Simple Strawberry Tart

2013-05-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my birthday this week and instead of the typical cake, I chose to make something a little different. And surprisingly, it doesn't involve any chocolate. This year, I decided to make myself a simple strawberry tart.

I've been favoring fruit desserts lately, partly because I'm trying to eat healthier, which is a good thing. And since my youngest son has dairy and egg allergies, I've also been shifting my focus on doing more vegan desserts, which is also a a good thing. I mean, it's so incredibly easy for me to just devour a piece of chocolate (or two or three). So I want to balance things out by eating fresh fruits or using them in my desserts. And that's also a good thing.

If I have to pick only one type of fruit to eat on a daily basis, it would have to be strawberries. They're so sweet and delicious, I could eat them all by themselves or use them to top a dessert. And since they're in season right now, what better time to enjoy them. So for my birthday, I wanted to make a quick and easy puff pastry tart and cover it with rows and rows of luscious red strawberries. Happy Birthday to me indeed :-)

Simple Strawberry Tart

Makes about 9 servings

Allergy Note: contains wheat ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry

2-3 Tbs. granulated sugar or turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw)

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

about 1 pound of fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Let the puff pastry sheet thaw at almost room temperature (about 15 to 20 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Lightly brush the edges of the puff pastry with a little water, fold in about 1/2 inch of the edge to create a border. Crimp the edges using a fork then prick the center. Sprinkle the edges with sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown, turning the baking sheet halfway during baking if needed. Allow to cool then spread raspberry jam evenly over the center. Arrange strawberries cut side down. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Lychee Fritters

2013-05-06T00:52:00.002-07:00

Every now and then, I'll try a dessert and think, "Mmmmm that was really good!" and then forget about it and move on. But sometimes, I'll try something and I'll cherish it as one of my fondest food memories ever. Even years later, I can still remember how much I loved this delightful little dessert I ate in Paris.

While Hubby and I were walking the streets of Paris, we came across this unassuming little Vietnamese restaurant. Since Hubby's Vietnamese, he was pretty excited to check it out. Me, on the other hand, was less than thrilled. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Vietnamese food. I love pho and spring rolls and I could eat banh xeo everyday if I could. But I was thinking, "We're in Paris. We should be enjoying as much French food as possible."

Well anyway, we ended up going in and checking it out. As usual, Hubby ordered pho but for the life of me I don't remember what I ordered. But what I do remember is what I had for dessert. I was looking at the menu and saw the words "lychee" and "beignet" and I immediately thought, "Ooooooh that sounds interesting. I wanna try that.'' So after I ate whatever it was I ordered for dinner, the waiter brought out this simple dish of lychee beignets. They were coated in this tempura-like batter and then sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but as soon as I took my first bite, I was surprised by how simple yet so amazing these were.

I wanted to recreate my wonderful food memory of those lychee beignets from Paris so I came up with this simple recipe. I made an egg-free and dairy-free batter so my kids can enjoy them but if you're not allergic to eggs or dairy, maybe you can try a regular recipe for tempura batter or fritter batter. I'm sure you'll be delightfully surprised by these lychee fritters :-)

Lychee Fritters

Makes about 16 fritters

Allergy Note: contains wheat ingredients

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup coconut milk

20-ounce can lychees in syrup, drained

1/4 cup flour for dredging

oil for deep frying

powdered (confectioner's) sugar for dusting

Heat oil in a skillet or deep fryer to 375 F degrees. (Tip: Another way to test if the oil is hot enough is by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. If the batter starts bubbling and rise to the surface quickly, then the oil is hot enough. If the batter bubbles slowly and doesn't rise right away, the oil isn't hot enough)

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in coconut milk; stir until combined. In a small mixing bowl, dredge the lychees in the 1/4 cup of flour. Dip into the batter then carefully drop into the hot oil. Only deep fry a few at a time. Cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Allow to cool then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Banana Molasses Muffins (Vegan)

2013-03-28T14:28:00.001-07:00

I've been trying my best to eat healthy lately ("trying" is the operative word). It's sooo hard when I have such a terrible sweet tooth. I mean, I try to follow what Hubby does and eat more fresh fruit and less chocolate. We even have a bowl of clementines and bananas sitting on the kitchen counter so that whenever I have a craving for something sweet, I snack on some fruit instead. It hasn't been easy BUT I'm making small changes here and there. I still want chocolate but I've cut down my daily consumption just a teeny tiny bit. Hey, some progress is better than no progress, right?

Recently I read about the health benefits of blackstrap molasses so I tried adding it to my morning coffee instead of sugar. Blackstrap molasses is a lot darker and thicker than the molasses I typically use for baking. It kinda looks like chocolate syrup, but it definitely doesn't taste like it. It has a richer and more robust flavor. But you know what? I liked it! Plus it's nice to know that it's also good for me.

Since I've been buying a lot of bananas lately, eventually some of them will be too overripe for me to peel and eat. So of course what do I do? I bake with them. These banana molasses muffins are sort of a reincarnation of my mom's banana cake. I fiddled around with some of the ingredients and added some blackstrap molasses for a little healthy boost. They're so moist and delicious and they go so perfect with my morning cup of coffee :-)

Banana Molasses Muffins

Makes 24 muffins

Allergy Note: contains wheat ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium sized bananas)

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup applesauce

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two muffin pans or use paper liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, applesauce, oil, molasses, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Slowly stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until blended. Pour about 2/3 full into prepared muffin pans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry and clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Crazy Delicious Rice Krispie Treats

2013-02-13T21:20:00.000-08:00

My boys are home sick this week. Poor babies. They've been curled up in the couch with fevers and all they want to eat is Jell-O. I feel so bad when they're not they're happy little selves. And what's more, they're gonna miss out on all the fun activities at school tomorrow. My little one even made cards for all his buddies. Sad to say, but they won't be receiving them :-(

Earlier this week, I had planned on making Rice Krispie Treats for the kids to bring to school tomorrow, but since they got sick, I didn't think I should make them. But at the last minute, I thought I'd make a small batch to cheer them up while they recuperate.

I was inspired to make these heart-shaped treats after seeing Zoe Bakes' version last week. It's her Rice Krispie Treats interpretation of the compost cookie from Momofuku Milk Bar. I never thought of making sweet and salty Rice Krispie Treats before but I'm so glad I stumble upon Zoe's idea. They taste sooo incredibly good!

The first time I made these, I added colorful sprinkles for my son's birthday. They loved it so much I decided I was gonna make them again for Valentine's Day. It reminded me so much of my crazy delicious egg-free cookies, which were also inspired by the Momofuku Milk Bar cookies. So in keeping with that theme, I decided to call these my "crazy delicious rice krispie treats."

I adjusted some of the ingredients to make them dairy-free for my 3 year old. I didn't add chocolate chips this time because I didn't have any dairy-free ones on hand. Instead, I added dried cranberries, which added a bit of tartness as well as sweetness to the rice krispie treats.

These rice krispie treats are not only perfect for Valentine's Day. I think they're great for any occasion or make them just because they're so crazy delicious :-)

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Crazy Delicious Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from Zoe Bakes' Recipe

Makes about 18 heart shaped treats

Allergy Note: contains wheat ingredients

3 Tbs. dairy-free margarine or butter-flavored shortening, plus extra for molding into hearts

10 oz. package marshmallows (about 40 regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/2 cup crushed potato chips

1/2 cup crushed Oreos

1/2 cup chopped pretzels

1/2 cup dried cranberries or dairy-free chocolate chips

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

In a large microwave-safe bowl, add dairy-free margarine and marshmallows. Heat on HIGH for 1 minute. Add in vanilla extract and salt. Stir until smooth. Gently fold in potato chips, Oreos, pretzels, dried cranberries and Rice Krispies cereal.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Grease a heart shaped cookie cutter and your hands with dairy-free margarine or shortening. Place the cookie cutter onto the prepared cookie sheet. Gently press some rice krispie treats into the cookie cutter. Carefully lift up the cookie cutter while pressing down on the rice krispie treat. Repeat this process until all the rice krispie mixture has been shaped into hearts. Allow to them to set then transfer into treat bags or an airtight container.

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Cup Cake

2013-01-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dunkin' Donuts recently announced that they'll be expanding to California in the next few years and there's one person I know who'll be waiting in line the first day they open in San Diego: my brother Ryan. He's loves Dunkin' Donuts. I remember growing up my dad used to buy a boxful of Munchkins and we'd always fight over who gets the chocolate glazed and jelly filled ones. Ahhhhh childhood memories...a mix of warm and fuzzy nostalgia and pushing and shoving matches with your siblings. And speaking of Dunkin' Donuts, I thought I'd rummage through my old cake photos again and share this DD coffee cup cake. I made it for Ryan's birthday a few years ago and it was one of the first 3-D cakes I ever tried to make.

For inspiration, I turned to Kate Sullivan's book. I've learned a lot of really good techniques from Kate's Cake Decorating and I apply them to my own cakes. It's filled with gorgeous photos and easy-to-follow instructions. There's so many cakes in here that I would love to make someday. One of these days I'm gonna try to make the Hello Kitty Cake. It's absolutely adorable!

But as soon as I saw this Cuppa Joe to Go cake, I knew it would be the perfect guide for Ryan's cake. He loves Dunkin' Donuts' famous coffee as much as their donuts, so I thought it would be funny to make a huge coffee cup with the DD logo. Hmmmm...come to think of it, I probably should've made some donuts to go along with the coffee. Maybe I'll do that if I make this cake again.

To make this cake, I bake some chocolate cake in four 6-inch pans. Once they were cooled, I filled them with chocolate buttercream frosting, stacked them on top of each other and refrigerated the cake for a few hours. Then, I carved the sides of the cake to make it look more like a coffee cup. I took four plastic drinking straws and inserted them around the cake to prevent the layers from shifting around. Next, I applied a thin layer of frosting all over the cake. I just learned how to make marshmallow fondant so I thought I'd try covering this cake with it. It w as a bit tricky to use because it was a lot softer than the store-bought fondant. It ended up looking lumpy. I rolled a strip of fondant, about 2 inches wide, and attached it around the top part of the cake.

At first I took some brown food coloring and brushed it on top but I wasn't too happy with it. I figured since this is a coffee cup, why not use real coffee. So I made a thick coffee syrup by mixing instant coffee powder, sugar and hot water. I allowed it to cool and then brushed it on top of the cake. It worked a lot better and the coffee aroma just added to the effect. For the stream, I took two pieces of floral wire and curled them on one end. Then, I inserted another plastic drinking straw straight down the center of the cake and placed the wires inside it.

For the Dunkin' Donuts logo, I tried using letter cutters like a stamp. I gently pressed them onto the side of the cake and painted the letters with food coloring. The downside of this technique is by the time I brought it over to my brother, the food coloring started to pool on the bottom of each letter. Not very pretty so I tried to dab it with a paper towel before it dripped down the side of the cake. Maybe I should have used powdered food coloring or make orange and pink rolled fondant and use the letter cutters the right way.

As much as I'd love to be happy with this cake, I can't help but be self-critical because of the mistakes I made. But I guess making mistakes is part of the learning process and I learned a lot from this cake. In the end, the most important thing is Ryan loved his birthday cake and I have to leave it at that :-)

Allergy-friendly Fruit and Seed Chewy Granola Bars

2013-01-11T15:57:00.003-08:00

Last month, I was planning to make fruitcake cookies but changed my mind and made shortbread cookies instead. So now I have a bunch of dried fruit and seeds sitting in my cupboard. I wasn't really sure what to do with them. I thought, "Well I guess I can just toss them together and make trail mix." But then I remembered the trail mix chewy granola bars I used to love. They were made with nuts, which my 7 year old is severely allergic to. So this week, I decided to make an allergy-friendly version of my favorite granola bars. Not only are they nut-free, they're also dairy-free, wheat-free, soy-free and vegan :-)

These chewy granola bars taste so much like the ones I ate growing up. They're jam-packed dried cranberries and sweet raisins. Instead of nuts, I used roasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. And as an added bonus, I also mixed in some healthy oat bran along with some puffed rice cereal.

The kids really loved them! They even asked if I could make their favorite fruit and seed combo to pack for school. My 7 year old likes dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds while my 3 year old likes raisins and sunflower seeds. Hubby and I like all of them mixed together. I also tried to make a batch of plain granola bars and they tasted just as great as the ones with fruits and seeds so you can leave them out if you prefer. Or you can add chocolate chips. That's what I'd do of course :-)

Allergy-friendly Fruit and Seed Chewy Granola Bars
Makes about 16 bars

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. molasses (I like to use blackstrap molasses)
2 Tbs. orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups puffed rice cereal
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, apricots, cherries, etc)
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup allergy-friendly chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Mix together rolled oats, vegetable oil and salt. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool then transfer into a large mixing bowl.

Add in puffed rice cereal and oat bran...

...and dried fruits and seeds. Set aside. Lower the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a saucepan, mix together dark brown sugar, molasses, orange juice, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Cook over medium heat until brown sugar has dissolved.

Pour into the mixing bowl and stir until all the granola mixture is coated with the sugar syrup. Line a 9x9 square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Brush the lined pan with vegetable oil.

Pour the granola mixture onto the prepared pan. Place a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper over the granola mixture and press down gently.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely then cut into 16 bars. You can wrap each granola bar in parchment paper or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Ruth's Bridal Shower

2013-01-04T01:23:00.001-08:00

Here's another treasure from the past that I didn't get a chance to post. As you might have read from a previous post, my sister Ruth got married last year and as the matron-of-honor, I did host a bridal shower for her. It was a Parisian-themed party, with lots of pink and black decorations, cafe music playing in the background and all the Frenchy food you could think of, including dessert of course. And before you start thinking that this sounds a lot like the movie, "Bridesmaids," no I didn't give away any free puppies. My cousin Kristen was not too happy about that. Oh well. C'est la vie, I guess...

As you might have guessed, the first thing that I started to do was sketch a design for Ruth's bridal shower cake. She LOVES champagne truffles. She loves them so much that she wished she could have had a wedding cake made entirely out of them. In the end, though, she decided she wanted just a simple white cake. But I thought it would be so much fun to make her a champagne truffle cake for her bridal shower. So I had this idea to create something similar to a croquembouche, which is a dessert typically served at French weddings. It's basically a tower of cream puffs stuck together with caramelized sugar. But instead of cream puffs, I was going to use champagne truffles.

To create this champagne truffle "croquembouche," I got a Styrofoam cone from the craft store and covered it with wax paper. Then I used toothpicks to attach the truffles to the cone. I started at the bottom and then worked my way up. This was actually trickier than I expected. As much as I tried to stick the truffles as close together as possible, I still ended up with gaps. Well, I guess it's a good thing that they're covered in powdered sugar because the gaps weren't too obvious. I topped the tower of truffles with a simple monogram I made out of rolled fondant and draped a pink satin bow over everything. For the base, I made a chocolate cake with champagne truffle filling that was covered in pink rolled fondant and surround with black fondant scrolls.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

To tell you the truth, I'm not much of a party planner. Oh sure, I have a ton of brilliant ideas in my head but when it comes to executing those ideas, I'm a jumbled mess. I don't know why. I guess I'm too much of a scatterbrain to coordinate stuff like food, invitations, decorations and what not. So thank goodness for my friend Dary, the party planning extraordinaire, who came to my rescue. Hallelujer! She took my scatterbrain ideas and knew exactly how to put it all together. She let me borrow all her party supplies, from serving platters to table linens and decorations. She even made cute labels for the party favors and the water bottles. And with the help of the bridesmaids and a few more of my friends, we had a gorgeous bridal shower for Ruth.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

Now that the party is beautifully set up, it's time to talk about the food. Tying in with the Parisian theme, the menu included baguette and brie, ham and cheese croissants, assorted quiche, crudités and fresh fruit.

For drinks, I made a champagne punch by mixing together 2 bottles of champagne, 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda, 1 pint raspberry sorbet, 1/4 cup Grand Marnier and sliced strawberries for garnish.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

In addition to the bridal shower cake, there was also a beautiful assortment of French pastries from Opera Patisserie.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

Everyone loved the delicious pastries!

Photo by Ryan Rivera

One of the girls even said it felt like we were in a French patisserie.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

Everything looked soooo pretty! They're almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

For party favors, I made more champagne truffles as well as chocolate cupcakes. Since my sister is a handbag designer (she designs for Tory Burch), I thought these purse favor boxes from Paper Mart would be perfect. They're just the right size to hold two truffles.

I topped the chocolate cupcakes with some pink cream cheese frosting and a fondant monogram before tucking them inside simple white boxes with pink satin ribbon.

Photo by Ryan Rivera

Here's Ruth cutting her bridal shower cake. She wasn't actually interested in the cake...

Photo by Ryan Rivera

All she wanted was the tower of champagne truffles on top :-)

Photo by Ryan Rivera

I'm so happy everyone had fun at Ruth's bridal shower and most importantly, the bride-to-be had a great time hanging out with everyone before her big day :-)

And here's a short video of Ruth and Daniel's wedding :

Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post. These are items I purchased on my own and wanted to personally recommend to my readers.

Best Vegan Waffles Ever

2012-12-31T02:41:00.002-08:00

It's New Year's Eve today and as I look back at 2012, I can't help but feel incredibly grateful for all the wonderful moments that happened this year. Hubby and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had our first family vacation at Disneyland. We bought our home. And my blog reached over one million visits. It's been such an amazing year and now I'm looking forward to what 2013 has in store.

So on my last post for this year, I thought I'd try to come up with some decadent, mindblowing dessert. Maybe something with chocolate. LOTS of chocolate. Truffles perhaps? Eh. That was so last year. Or maybe a towering cake with tons of frosting and fancy decorations? Nah. Been there. Done that. Aha! How about putting my own little spin on a trendy ingredient, like...kale. Uh...Nope. Not gonna go there. To be honest, all I could really think of is how I can make a better waffle?

Okay, as much as I love my first recipe for vegan waffles, I can't say with 100% conviction that it tastes exactly like the kind of waffles you'd get at a waffle house or you'd make at home. The distinct flavor and aroma of the coconut milk comes out too much and it keeps it from truly tasting like a "regular" waffle. Also, they were a bit more dense and chewy than I'd like them to be. This really bothered me so I had to go back and rework the recipe again.

So what's so different about these waffles? Well, I kicked the coconut milk to the curb (sorry, I 'll save you for something else) and brought back rice milk, which has a much neutral flavor. I took my vegan pancake recipe, adjusted the amounts of some of the ingredients and tried it again. This time, the waffles turned out even better than the coconut milk ones. The dough is a lot lighter and airier inside and it has a nice crispy outside. But the most important thing is they taste exactly like a waffle. Dare I say, these are the best vegan waffles ever!

Another important change I made with these waffles is that I invested in a really good waffle maker. My brother has been using a Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker for a while and he's been telling me time and time again, "You need to get this waffle maker!" After hemming and hawing about it, I finally got one for myself. And I'm soooo glad I did. It's true. It really does make the perfect waffles. I love that you can flip it over and it beeps when it's fully cooked. It takes the guesswork out of wondering if the waffles are done or not. I can't even count how many times I've burnt waffles with my old waffle maker because I left it in too long. I also had the opposite problem where I'd open it too early and the waffle splits in the middle and I'd have to scrape it off from the waffle plates. Well, I don't have those problems with this waffle maker. Wow, do I sound like an infomercial or what?

Seriously, I'm kind of obsessed with waffle making now. Good thing my kids haven't grown tired of eating them (yet). I love making a batch for Sunday brunch and freezing any leftovers for later in the week. And even though my 3 year old can't have whipped cream on top of his waffle, he's more than happy to top it with tons of fruit instead :-)

I'm so happy to share this new and improved vegan waffle recipe with you. I hope you'll like it and maybe it will become a part of your Sunday brunch tradition :-)

Happy New Year!

Best Vegan Waffles Ever
Makes about 8 waffles
Allergy note: contains wheat ingredients

3 cups flour
2 Tbs baking powder
1-2 Tbs sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups rice milk
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

cooking spray or cooking oil

garnish with:
confectioner's sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup
allowed margarine
fresh fruit

Preheat waffle maker (if you're using a Waring Pro, set it between 4 or 5).

In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray or lightly brush with oil . Pour batter onto waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Serve plain or garnish with fresh fruit and syrup.

Peppermint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

2012-12-22T13:27:00.003-08:00

If you're looking for me for the next few days, I'll be in my kitchen...baking cookies and making truffles. I kinda had a late start this year (read: procrastinate), so friends and family, if you're reading this, yes, I am sending you a box of goodies...soon (I hope).

I tried to simplify things this year by making just two items for the gift boxes: truffles and cookies. And yet, here I am trying to think of something else to add. But no. I'm gonna fight the urge to do that and stick to the plan. Stick to the plan woman! No matter how wonderful it would be to make this or that, I gotta preserve my sanity and maybe get a few extra hours of sleep this weekend.

Everyone LOVES my simple shortbread cookies, so this year I decided to dress them up for the holidays. I melted some semisweet chocolate chips and crushed a few candy canes to make these peppermint chocolate shortbread cookies. All you need to make these delectable cookies is butter, sugar, flour, salt, chocolate chips and candy canes.

These cookies are perfect for giving away as gifts or serving in a pretty platter at any holiday party. I'm planning to serve these at our Christmas party with a nice cup of hot cocoa, loaded with mini marshmallows. And I think I better set some aside for Santa too :-)

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Peppermint Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Allergy note: contains wheat and dairy ingredients*

2 cups butter (4 sticks), softened to room temperature*
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

4-5 regular candy canes, crushed into small pieces

*You can use dairy-free margarines or shortening instead butter. I've used Earth Balance spread with great results. For the melting chocolate, I've used Enjoy Life and Chocolate Dream brands.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar till smooth. Add flour and salt; mix until combined. Using a small cookie scoop, place the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Gently press down on each cookie to flatten them then bake for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

In a small bowl, melt chocolate chips in either the microwave (make sure to use a microwave safe bowl) or a double boiler. For the microwave method, heat the chocolate chips only 15-30 seconds at a time, stirring the chocolate and then returning to the microwave until it is completely melted. For the double boiler method, make sure not to boil the water and do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water.

Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate then sprinkle with some crushed candy canes. Allow the chocolate to set (you can speed this up by placing the cookies in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes). Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post. These are products I personally use and wanted to share them with you :-)

Reindeer Chow

2012-12-19T23:34:00.001-08:00

"When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings..."

- Bing Crosby

In the past few days, I've been thinking a lot about counting my blessings. I look at my boys and I'm immediately reminded how incredibly blessed I am. I can't even imagine how my life would be without them. They're the reason why I get up every morning. They're the reason why I even started this blog. I wouldn't have had the drive and determination to create all these allergy-friendly recipes if it weren't for them. So when life gets a little crazy, I stop and remind myself to count my blessings.

This entire week is filled with fun activities, school programs and parties for the kids to enjoy before they take a break for the holidays. Today, I watched my typically energetic 3-year-old stand still on stage, like a deer caught in headlights, for his school's Christmas program. Poor little guy. He must've been shocked to see all those unfamiliar faces staring back at him. I gave him the biggest hug and a kiss afterwards for his performance. Then, I spent the afternoon making graham cracker gingerbread houses with my 7-year-old and his classmates. It was so fun watching them get really creative with their houses and I was surprised that none of them even tried to eat some candy until school was out (wow!). I'm really glad I got to spend some time with the boys at school today. The past couple months have been really hectic with the move and getting settled into our new home. It's nice to finally get back to normal.

Each year, I try to come up with something new and interesting for my kids to share with their classmates during the holidays. This year I'm making a Christmas version of Muddy Buddies (aka Puppy Chow) and it's called Reindeer Chow. It's filled with pretzels, cereal, cookies, cranberries, marshmallows and peppermint candies. And everything is covered in melted chocolate and decorated with colorful sprinkles. How fun is that?

Originally I decided to give them a dusting of powdered sugar. I thought it would be so cute because it looked like snow. Big mistake. First of all, it made it really messy to eat. I'm sure their teachers will love that. Second of all, it made the Reindeer Chow look dull and unappealing; I couldn't even see the colorful sprinkles I added. So I nixed the powdered sugar.

I love the sweet and salty combination this little treat offers and I'm so happy my boys love it too. My 3-year-old loves eating the chocolate-covered Chex cereal with the dried cranberries while my 7-year-old loves the little bits of salt stuck on the chocolate covered pretzels as well as the mini Oreo cookies. And making a huge batch of this for their classmates was a piece of cake: I just melted some chocolate chips and tossed in all the ingredients. I packaged them in clear plastic bags and tied a pretty red ribbon on top. Voila! Instant party favor.

I hope you'll enjoy Reindeer Chow as much as we do. Feel free to create your own version. Take a look in your pantry and cupboards and see what wonderful sweet and salty combination you can create.

Happy Holidays!

Reindeer Chow
Makes about 12 servings
Allergy note: contains wheat and dairy ingredients*

2 cups Chex rice or corn cereal
2 cups Golden Grahams cereal or graham crackers, broken into bite-size pieces
2 cups Pretzel sticks
1 cups dried cranberries
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips*
1/4 cup colorful sprinkles
1 package Peppermint candies or small candy canes
2 cups bite-size cookies
2 cups mini marshmallows

* for a dairy-free alternative to regular chocolate chips, you can try Enjoy Life brand or Chocolate Dream brand)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Chex cereal, Golden Graham cereal, pretzels and dried cranberries. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, melt the semisweet chocolate chips, either over a double-boiler or in the microwave (heat for about 15-30 seconds, mix then microwave again until chocolate is melted). Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture. Gently stir until everything is covered with chocolate.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spread the reindeer chow mixture flat on the baking sheets. Top the mixture with colorful sprinkles then allow for the melted chocolate to firm up (you can put them in the fridge for a few minutes to help speed up the process). Break apart the reindeer chow into smaller bite-size pieces. Mix in the peppermint candies, cookies and marshmallows. Serve immediately, pour them into packages or keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, but I doubt you'll still have any left after 1 week :-)

Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post. These are products I personally use and wanted to share them with you :-)

Day of Remembrance for Sandy Hook

2012-12-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-12-10T18:58:00.001-08:00

Aaaaaaaaah...yes I'm back. It's been a while since my last post and you might be wondering, "What happened???" Well, if you've been following me on Twitter or Facebook, you already know what's been going on. But for the rest of you, I've got some awesome news to share. After months and months of looking, stressing, crying, crying some more, holding my breath and crossing my fingers - FINALLY, we did it! We bought a house :-)

So for the past couple of months, I've been busy preparing for the big move. Which meant I had to spend less time baking in the kitchen and more time packing boxes and getting our new home ready for us. Just before Thanksgiving, we finally moved in and boy, what a great feeling that was. I wept as we walked into the front door. I remember whispering to myself, "We're home." Just in time for the holidays.

We're still in the process of unpacking our things and finding new places for them. And who knows when we'll be finished with everything. In due time I guess. The most important thing right now is my family has a home to call our own and we can start making new memories here. We already found the perfect spot for our Christmas tree and pretty soon we'll be leaving cookies (and rice milk) nearby for Santa.

And after patiently waiting for my new oven to arrive, I'm finally ready to get started on some holiday baking. I've been wanted to make a vegan version of my egg-free double chocolate chip cookies and after baking a few test batches, I got these cookies to be just right :-)

These double chocolate chip cookies are so decadent and so delicious, I betcha no one would believe it if you told them they were vegan. They're lightly crispy around the edges, moist and chewy in the middle and full of rich, chocolatey goodness. They kinda remind me of fudgy brownies. I like using coconut oil because they have this amazing aroma as they're baking and you can taste a hint of coconut flavor in the cookie, which I absolutely love. But if you're not particularly fond of coconut oil, you can use vegetable shortening instead.

I hope you'll enjoy these cookies as much as my family does. We can't wait for Santa to try them too :-)

Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 4 1/2 dozen cookies
Allergy Note: contains wheat ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil (room temperature) or vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cup flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use either Chocolate Dream or Enjoy Life Brand)

(Variations: For peppermint chocolate, add 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract. For chocolate orange, add zest of one medium orange. For chocolate espresso, add 1 tsp. instant espresso powder)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 to 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, mix together coconut oil, vegetable oil, applesauce, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually blend dry mixture into oil/sugar mixture. Add in chocolate chips. Stir until combined. Using a cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently press down each cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. You can store these cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any freebies of the brands or products mentioned in this post. These are products I personally use and wanted to share them with you :-)

Mae Anne's Hot Pink Debut Cake

2012-10-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

I've been sifting through my old photos and I started to realize there's so many cakes I haven't had the chance to post yet. In most cases, I didn't have time to do step-by-step photos so I decided not to post them. But I've changed my mind. If anything, they're fun and pretty to look at. They could even be the inspiration for your next cake creation. So here goes my first "Throwback Thursday" cake...

I made this cake for Mae Anne's eighteenth birthday party, also called a debut in Filipino culture. It's a three-tiered cake with a hot pink, white and black color scheme. The top tier is painted hot pink and I attached black fondant flower appliques all around the middle of the cake. The middle tier is a white cake with hot pink fondant scrolls. The bottom tier is a white cake with vertical hot pink fondant strips. I used black icing gel to hand paint the scroll design in between each fondant strip.

I would have LOVED this for my eighteenth birthday. Well, I guess I could still make this for my next birthday. I might not be eigtheen anymore but I can still have a pretty pink birthday cake, right?

Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets

2012-08-26T19:45:00.002-07:00

Summer is almost over but there's still time to enjoy some delicious peaches. There's just something so incredibly intoxicating about the scent of a ripe peach. Its gorgeous aroma, so sweet and fragrant, just makes you wanna sink your teeth into its juicy flesh. I get so giddy when I see a beautiful display of these fuzzy fruits. I'm sure the produce guys think I'm a little weird when I'm picking out peaches. I love smelling them. I can't help it. You should really give it a try. The next time you're at the grocery store or the farmer's market, stop and smell the peaches. Just take a deep breath and inhale all the sweet fragrance. Aaaaaaaaaaaah...now that's what I call aromatherapy.

I've been happily enjoying peaches this summer, but not so much in dessert form. I haven't really been in a baking mood lately. It's been so hot and humid during the day, it just zaps my energy to even be in the kitchen. And it's not unusual for me to be baking at night either, but lately it's been too warm to do that too. Instead, I've been eating peaches just as is, which is probably the best way to enjoy them, or along with some Greek yogurt and honey.

You really can't go wrong with fresh peaches but since the weather has cooled down a little bit, I've been thinking about baking with them. Maybe I can bake a peach pie or a spiced cake with peaches and raisins. Or maybe even poach them in syrup and make a classic Peach Melba. But something I discovered in the fridge this weekend pointed me to another direction.

I'd forgotten that I had a package of puff pastry in the freezer so when I found it, I thought well, maybe I can make something like the apple tartlets I did a couple of years ago. I served them instead of apple pie for Thanksgiving and everybody absolutely loved them. Maybe peaches and puff pastry will a be winning combination too. So I cut the puff pastry into squares, laid the peaches in the middle, sprinkled them with sugar and popped them in the oven. I could already tell they were gonna be delicious from the sweet aroma that filled my kitchen. Mmmmmm...so good.

I must confess, I devoured three of these as soon as they came out of the oven and I probably would have eaten more if I hadn't stopped myself. I love the combination of flaky and buttery puff pastry with the sweet and luscious yellow peaches. Even Hubby, who as you know by now, isn't very keen on sweets, inhaled three of these in a blink of an eye. I decided I better give some of them away or else we'll finish them all. So I packed a couple of boxes and surprised my mom at work and gave some to my dear friend Maggie, who was busy baking up a storm as well.

I hope you'll make a batch of these delicious peach tartlets soon. They're so amazingly good but it takes very little effort to make them. And don't forget...stop and smell the peaches :-)

Puff Pastry Peach Tartlets
Makes 18 tartlets
Allergy note: contains wheat ingredients

1 lb yellow peaches (about 4), pitted
3 Tbs. dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry
1/4 cup butter or allowed dairy-free margarine, melted

turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw)
honey or maple syrup for drizzling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

To prepare the peaches:
Slice peaches to about 1/2 inch thickness. Coat with brown sugar, lemon juice, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and salt.

To make the tartlets:
Let the puff pastry sheets thaw at almost room temperature (about 20 minutes). Cut each puff pastry sheet into 9 equal squares. Layer the sliced peaches in the center of each square. Brush edges with melted butter or margarine then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool then drizzle with honey or maple syrup if desired.

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes with Kahlua Cream Cheese Frosting

2012-08-21T18:12:00.001-07:00

My cousin Kristen is getting married in a couple of weeks and the funny thing is we just sat down to do a cake tasting this weekend. How crazy is that? I mean, we had almost an entire year to do this but somehow we never got around to it. We've talked about cake designs, colors and possible flavors but we waited till the very last minute to do the most fun part of all - the cake tasting.

Photo Credit: Ja Tecson

Well, here's the deal. Kristen and Jeff, her fiance, have tasted pretty much every dessert I've ever made - from cakes, cookies and chocolate truffles - you name it. Whenever they come over to hang out at my house (which is often), I always have some kind of dessert for them to try. I guess you can say they're my guinea pigs, errrr, I mean, taste testers. Yes, very good taste testers I might add. So it's not like they have no idea what to expect when I make their wedding cake. But I do want to make sure I create something that they'd absolutely love.

If there's one thing I know about Kristen and Jeff, they love chocolate and coffee. Every time they're out on a date, they end their meal with a decadent chocolate dessert. From molten lava cake to gigantic slices of mud pie, they're always posting droolworthy photos on Instagram. And when it comes to coffee, I'm pretty sure they've tried every coffee shop in San Diego. But there is this place called the Better Buzz that they've been talking about alot. They have something called the "Best Drink Ever" (BDE for short) and according to them, it really is the best drink ever. It's a caffe Americano with some cream and vanilla mixed in. They're basically addicted to it. I'm not sure if I want to try it because I'm afraid I'm gonna get hooked too :-)

While Kristen and I were talking about chocolate and coffee combitations one day, she mentioned that she really loved the chocolate covered espresso beans from Trader Joe's. She'd even snack on them while she's at work. So she wondered if I could incorporate them into their wedding cake. The next day, I went to Trader Joe's, picked up a container of chocolate covered espresso beans and started experimenting.

To save time, I whipped up some cupcakes for the cake tasting instead of baking a whole cake. Chocolate and coffee is a such a perfect pairing. When you put them together, they really bring out the best in each other. I actually like to add brewed coffee to my chocolate cake batter to give the chocolate more depth. So for Kristen and Jeff's cake, I decided to go with my chocolate cake and then drizzle it with Kahlua liqueur to amp up the coffee flavor. For the frosting, I added a little Kahlua into some cream cheese frosting. As if that wasn't enough, I also drizzled some Kahlua on top of the frosting. And finally, I crushed up the chocolate covered espresso beans and sprinkled them liberally on top.

The combination of the moist, rich chocolate cake and light, tangy cream cheese frosting really worked together. Also, the bits of chocolate covered espresso beans gave the cupcakes tiny bursts of coffee flavor as well as some crunchy texture.

Kristen and Jeff absolutely loved their chocolate espresso cupcakes and gave me the green light to make them for their wedding. I'm sure their guests will love them too. Oooooh I can't wait to celebrate with them in a couple of weeks!

Chocolate Espresso Cupcake with Kahlua Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 30 cupcakes
Allergy note: contains dairy, wheat and egg ingredients
(Please see note for egg-free alternatives)

cupcakes:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup whole milk with 1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 cup strong coffee, cooled
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

frosting:
8 oz. bar cream cheese, cold

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbs. Kahlua coffee liqueur*

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, measure then sift

topping:
1/2 to 3/4 cup Kahlua coffee liqeuer*
1 cup chocolate covered espresso beans

Note: I have two alternatives for egg-free cupcakes. You can try the egg-free chocolate cupcakes or the vegan wacky chocolate cake recipes.

*You can adjust the amount of Kahlua to your preference. Feel free to add more if you want a stronger coffee flavor. For those who prefer a non-alcoholic option to Kahlua, you can mix together 2-3 tablespoons of instant espresso powder and 1/2 cup granulated sugar to 1 cup of hot water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 muffin pans with cupcake liners. Beat together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs one at a time. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Combine the buttermilk and coffee together. Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for at least 10 minutes then poke holes on top of each cupcake. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of Kahlua over each cupcake.

With the mixer on a low speed, beat the cream cheese and butter till blended. Mix in vanilla and Kahlua. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time. Once all the powdered sugar is added, increase to a higher speed to whip up the frosting till light and fluffy. Transfer frosting into a piping bag.

Place the chocolate covered espresso beans inside a ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, lightly crush them into smaller pieces. Pipe frosting on top of each cupcake. Drizzle a little bit of Kahlua on top of the frosting. Sprinkle the crushed chocolate covered espresso beans on top of each cupcake.

Quick Fix Microwaveable Chocolate Chip Cookie (aka PMS Cure in a Cup)

2012-08-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, let's face it ladies. When it's around that time of the month, you're not a happy camper...and everybody knows it. You're cranky, tired, emotional, indecisive, irrational and sometimes just downright psychotic. Everyone and everything bothers you and nothing seems to be right in the world. And to top it off, you've got these crazy cravings. You're constantly looking for something sweet, salty, gooey and crunchy. Admit it, you've stood in front of that fridge (which is packed with food by the way), whining like a baby,"There's nothing to eat. Waaaaaaaaah!" And then you cry in despair (and don't you dare deny it because it's true!).

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah...Don't you just love that? How this crazy thing called PMS can turn even the sweetest woman (because you know we're all angels) into a demented she-devil. I feel really bad for all the guys though. If you haven't figured out yet guys, let me just clue you in on a little secret. You'll never win an argument with a woman who has PMS. You're just gonna end up in the dog house. So just do whatever makes her happy and nobody gets hurt. Go ahead. Just nod and say,"Yes, you're right honey. I don't know why I thought I was right. You're always right." Give it a week or two and she'll be back to her normal little self again.

I must confess...I'm not the most pleasant person to be with when I have PMS. You can ask Hubby. And when the crazy cravings kick it...Oh man...you better watch out! I'll be opening the fridge door, the freezer door, the cupboards, the pantry and then the fridge door again. The funny thing about PMS is that when you have those cravings, you want the sweet, salty, gooey and crunchy all in one dish...and you want it yesterday! So what did I do?

I made myself what I jokingly call the "PMS cure in a cup." It's basically a single-serving, microwaveable chocolate chip cookie. I guess you can say PMS is the mother of crazy inventions because that's exactly how this delightful little treat came to be. I took my quick fix microwaveable brownie, changed a few ingredients and added more wonderful goodies to it. I popped it in the microwave from a minute or so and voila!

It's takes just minutes to make and you can adjust it to whatever cravings you have. You can add dried fruit or candies instead of the chocolate chips. Then use whatever salty/crunchy food you want. I particularly like to add crushed potato chips or pretzels. The crazier the combination, the better it tastes (well, at least for me).

I swear this stuff fixes me and my cravings right away. And if I top it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream...man...oh...man...I'm in heaven :-) Mmmmmmmm

You gotta try this!

Quick Fix Microwaveable Chocolate Chip Cookie (aka PMS Cure in a Cup)

Makes one serving

Allergy Note: Contains dairy and wheat ingredients

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3-4 Tbs brown sugar

4 Tbs. all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. dark chocolate chips

pinch of salt

potato chips, crushed

vanilla ice cream (optional)

Place butter and milk in a coffee cup or mug. Microwave for 30 seconds to melt the butter and warm the milk. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla extract then mix in flour, chocolate chips and pinch of salt. Microwave for about 1 minute on HIGH. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Pink Scrolls and Flowers Cake

2012-07-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

How adorable is this?!? I just love the idea of having a small cake and cupcakes for birthdays, especially for kids parties. Not only is it more economical (especially if you make it yourself), I personally think that for a kid, it feels much more special to have your very own little cake, all to yourself. Don't you?

I made this cake for Sophia's 6th birthday and she absolutely loved it! It's a six-inch red velvet cake with pink cream cheese frosting and colorful fondant flowers all over. It's so swirly and girly!

I also made 2 dozen red velvet cupcakes, also topped with pink cream cheese frosting and fondant flowers. And for an extra special shimmer, I lightly dusted them with sparkly gold luster dust. I think with a little bit of patience and creativity, anyone can decorate their own small cake and cupcakes. And if you get the kids involved, you'll have fun and save money too!

Pineapple Macapuno Pockets

2012-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

I remember back in pastry school, we had this thing called "Mystery Basket Fridays." Basically, you walk into the kitchen and at your table, you'll find a tray of ingredients randomly selected by the chef. Your assignment for that day was to create a dessert using all the ingredients given to you. It's kind of nerve-racking actually. I remember the first time we had one, I was absolutely petrified. All these thoughts start racing through my head. "I've never made anything with this before! What am I gonna do? How should I use this? Uh...should I put it in the dessert or use it as a sauce? How should I plate this? What if I don't finish? What if the chef hates it?!?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"

I was so stressed out I don't even remember what I made that day. I was just glad I finished! And I'm pretty sure I was the last one to plate up because I was second guessing and fussing over everything right up to the very end. I was sweating like crazy when the chef walked over and looked at my dessert. "Good presentation. Nice dessert. Well done Rianne." And that was it. He moved on to the next student to critique his dessert. Whew! Okay, that wasn't so bad. By the end of the school year, I actually started to like Mystery Basket Fridays. It gave me a chance to challenge myself and gave me the courage to think outside the box. And most of all, it allowed me to just let loose and be creative.

Well, it seems like those Mystery Basket Fridays are still here today. There have been many times when I've had to improvise on a dessert because I didn't have all the ingredients I needed or I had to use whatever I had in the fridge or pantry to make a last-minute dessert for unexpected guests. It's kinda fun to see what I can come up with on a whim. Sometimes I put things together and it works. Sometimes it ends up in the trash. But hey, at least I can say I tried.

On one particular day, my friend Maggie came over just to hang out and, as usual, we start talking about desserts. Now, when Maggie and I start talking about desserts, it usually leads to one of us saying, "Let's make something right now!," and we both get excited. So with no idea what we want to make, I quickly grabbed the first things that caught my eye in the pantry: a can of crushed pineapple and a jar of macapuno strings (a type of coconut found in the Philippines). "Ooooh, we can make something like a buko piña (coconut and pineapple) pie!," I said. And in unison we squealed, "YAY!" Yeah, when Maggie and I get together it's pretty ridiculous how goofy we get. We're like the two little kids playing in the kitchen when Mom and Dad aren't looking.

I started mixing together the crushed pineapple and macapuno strings in a saucepan to make the filling. After I added some cornstarch and a little bit of salt, I tasted it and was immediately delighted by how beautifully the two flavors came together. The mildly sweet macapuno strings really softened the tartness of the crushed pineapple. I handed over a spoonful to Maggie and her eyes popped opened. "Oh goony-goo-goo, this is sooo good!" With a reaction like that, it looks like we're off to a good start.

Now all I need to do is make the pie dough. But while I was gathering all the ingredients, I found some flour tortillas in the fridge. Hmmm...maybe I can use them instead of making pie dough. I remember using them in place of puff pastry once and they worked fine. Oh well, let's give it a try. So I cut the flour tortillas in half, put the filling inside and deep fried them.

Hello! These pineapple macapuno pockets are, as Maggie would say it, oh my goony-goo-gooooo! The thin flour tortilla is just the right amount of crust to hold in all the luscious filling inside. With each bite, I was falling deeper and deeper in love with this little pocket of tropical heaven. Maggie and I polished off a few of these before we decided to share them. They were a teeny tiny bit addictive, I think.

If you'd like to try this recipe but don't have all the ingredients, experiment with what you have in your fridge or pantry. Have a Mystery Basket Friday of your own. Oh by the way, since Friday is coming up, I wanna know what you've made with random ingredients. Have you ever made a last minute dessert with whatever you had in your kitchen? Please share your story and a recipe link so we can all try it out :-)

Pineapple Macapuno Pockets
Makes 2 dozen
Allergy note: contains wheat ingredients

1 can (20oz.) crushed pineapple
1 jar (12 oz.) macapuno strings*
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
12 whole wheat flour tortillas
6 Tbs. all-purpose flour
4 Tbs. water

vegetable oil
powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)

* Macapuno strings are usually sold in Filipino supermarkets. You can also buy it from online stores like Amazon. But if you can't find macapuno, you can substitute with a 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut plus 1/2 cup water.

In a medium saucepan, combine crushed pineapple, macapuno, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer till mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mix together flour and water. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut whole wheat tortillas in half. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each tortilla piece. Brush the flour and water mixture on one side and the bottom edge of the tortilla. Fold over one side of the tortilla (the unbrushed side first) then the other side. Gently press to seal the the edges. Repeat the process until all the flour tortillas are filled.

Heat oil in a skillet or deep fryer to 375 F degrees. (Tip: to test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of tortilla into the oil. If it starts bubbling quickly, then the oil is hot enough. If it bubbles slowly, the oil isn't hot enough) Cook the prepared pockets for about 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the cooked pineapple macapuno pockets onto a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Art of Dessert Store now at Zazzle

2012-07-11T18:29:00.002-07:00

Chocolate Wasted Cake Shirt

I've been kicking around this idea for a while now so here it is...

I've opened up an online store at Zazzle.com and in it you'll find a variety of merchandise that feature the much beloved Chocolate Wasted Cake. Everybody just loves this crazy cake so much so I thought it would be so much fun to put on a shirt...then I put it on an apron...then a mug. Okay, so I got a little carried away with it but I really do hope you like it.

By the way, please check www.zazzle.com/coupons for daily deals. Today, they have $3 off on mugs and 10% off shirts so please check it out :-)

Thank you so much for loving my blog!

Rianne :-)

A Fun Comparison between Two Chocolate Cakes

2012-07-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a fun photo I put together. I was playing around with an app called Pic Stitch last night and this is what I came up with. The cake on the left is my Chocolate Truffle Cake and the cake on the right is my Chocolate Wasted Cake. Both are decadent and delicious. Both have a rich chocolate cake and chocolate buttercream inside, but outside it's a whole different story. My chocolate truffle cake is beautifully decorated with swirly scroll work climbing up the sides and a delicate border on the top and bottom. The chocolate wasted cake, on the other hand, is haphazardly put together, covered in chocolate chips and chocolate candies with melted chocolate dripping down the sides. It's like beauty and the beast. It's kinda cool. I really can't decide which one I like best. It's like asking me which of my two kids is my favorite. I love them both!

Angry Birds Cake

2012-07-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think about how I got started in allergy-friendly baking, my first thought is...it all started with a cake. My oldest son was just about to turn two years old when I found out he had multiple food allergies. I remember thinking, "How am I gonna bake him a birthday cake if I can't even use eggs, butter, flour and milk?" That was five years ago and I still can't believe I figured out how to make him an allergy-friendly cake in time for his birthday. He's since outgrown his wheat and dairy allergy but I still have to avoid dairy for my youngest son. Every birthday cake I've made for my boys have become milestones, each one symbolizing another year that they've been able to enjoy life despite their food allergies. So I try to do my best to make each birthday cake as special as they are.

My oldest son absolutely loves Angry Birds. He loves playing the games and collecting all things Angry Birds. He even loves drawing all the characters and making comic books. I guess he's a little chip off the old block, huh?

When my friend Fahra asked me to make an Angry Birds cake for her nephew CJ, my son immediately fell in love with the cake and asked if I could make the same exact cake for his birthday. I said, "Of course!"

Not too long after I made CJ's cake, my friend Marquet asked me to make the same Angry Birds cake for her family. So by the time my son's birthday came around, I had plenty of practice making this cake. The only problem now was making sure he didn't see his cake before his birthday. I stayed up a few nights baking and decorating his cake, waiting until he fell asleep so he wouldn't see it. When I finished, I put it in a cake box and taped it shut so he couldn't peek inside :-)

To make this Angry Birds cake, first I baked my son's favorite vegan chocolate cake. I filled it with chocolate frosting and let it chill in the fridge for a couple hours before covering it with white rolled fondant. To add color, I mixed together some sky blue icing color and vodka then used a paper towel to dab the color onto the rolled fondant.

For the sides of the cake, I used a pizza cutter to create the mountain slopes out of green fondant and used a green edible marker to draw on the grass. Then, I used a round cookie cutter to make the sun out of yellow fondant and used the pizza cutter again to cut out some rays. I used kitchen scissors to make the clouds out of white fondant and alphabet cutters for the word "PLAY." I outlined the letters using a black edible marker then attached everything by brushing a little water on the sides of the cake.

For the top of the cake, I cut two free-formed shapes out of green fondant and placed them on the cake. To make the slingshot, I rolled some brown fondant into a log and cut one end into two. I smoothed out the sides and gently formed it into the shape of a slingshot. To help the slingshot hold its shape, I inserted some toothpicks into each end. Next, I rolled a long strip of black fondant and wrapped it around the two ends of the slingshot. I used more toothpicks to stick the slingshot into the cake. For the wooden logs, I used a paring knife to cut rectangular pieces out of brown fondant. I dragged the dull side of the paring knife across each log to create the bark-like texture then inserted toothpicks into each one to help them hold their shape and attach them to the cake. I rolled small pieces of gray fondant to make the rocks. For the frying pan, I used a round cookie cutter for the base and black fondant for the handle. Last, I used three small pieces of white fondant to make the eggs.

To make the red angry bird, I took some red fondant, rolled it into a ball and attached two small pieces on top. I used a small round piping tip and white fondant to make the eyes. I colored in the irises with a black edible marker and rolled two small pieces of black fondant for the eyebrows For the beak, I rolled a small piece of orange fondant into log, folded it in half and cut a little bit of the folded end then attached it to the bird. I attached a flat piece of white fondant to the bottom of the bird. I used a toothpick to poke a hole in the back of the bird and stuck three pieces of black fondant for the tail.

To make the yellow bird, I took some yellow fondant and shaped it into a pyramid. I used the same technique to make the eyes and beak as I did for the red bird but used brown fondant for the eyebrows instead of black and a darker orange fondant for the beak. I attached some black fondant on top of the bird and used kitchen scissors to snip them into three pieces. Last, I attached a triangular piece of white fondant below the beak and tucked it to the bottom.

To make the pig, I rolled some green fondant into a ball. I attached two small pieces of round fondant using a ball tool to make the ears then I colored in the center using a black edible marker. I used the same technique to make the eyes and used small pieces of green fondant and black edible marker to make the snout.

For the little green pig's helmet, I shaped some gray fondant into an oval and attached it to the top of the head and stuck two strips of brown fondant on each side.

To make king pig's crown, I rolled some yellow orange fondant into a cone and small scissors to make two cuts to create the top of the crown. For the jewels, I attached four tiny pieces of blue fondant around the sides of the crown. I also drew on some eyebrows for the king pig.

When my son saw his cake he just couldn't stop looking at it. "Wow! Is this really my cake?!?" Even though he's seen this same exact cake before (twice!), it didn't seem to matter. He was just so happy to have his very own Angry Birds cake.

Here's to another milestone and to more birthdays :-)

Summer Dessert Ideas

2012-07-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing and you know what that means...fun fun fun in the sun! And fun desserts too! Whether you're at a beach party or at a backyard barbeque, these mouthwatering treats will be a delicious addition to your next shindig. I have everything from cookies to cakes to avocado ice cream (yes, you read that right!). Whichever one you pick, I'm sure they'll be a hit with everyone :-)

I don't know about you but there's something about s'mores that brings out the kid in everyone. Here's a fun twist to this beloved classic. You only need four ingredients for these fruit s'mores: graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate and fruit! You can leave out the marshmallows and add more layers of fruit for a vegan version. There's lots of vegan chocolate out there but I love Chocolate Dream and Enjoy Life because they're also allergy-friendly.

My boys absolutely love these allergy-friendly chocolate banana pops! They're perfect for hot summer days and you can get the kids involved in making them. They're so quick and easy to make too! If you have little ones like I do, you may want to cut the bananas smaller so they're the perfect size for them to enjoy.

This avocado ice cream reminds me of the one my grandma used to make back in the Philippines. If you've never tried avocado as a dessert, you've gotta try this. It's so rich and creamy and you don't even need an ice cream maker!

You wanna try another one of my favorite Filipino treats? These deep-fried coconut rice balls are called karioka (no, not karaoke, but yes Filipinos love that too). It's crispy outside and chewy inside like a churro but with bits of shredded coconut mixed in and it's covered with this incredible brown sugar glaze that hardens into a shell. Oh my goodness! I'm drooling as I'm typing this so I better finish this post fast so I can make some.

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies? For summer, you can add a scoop of ice cream in between two cookies and voila...chocolate chip ice cream sandwich! I have four allergy-friendly versions you can try: egg-free, egg-free double chocolate, vegan and my oldest son's favorite, crazy delicious cookies.

These brigadeiros are so rich and fudgy you'd think it took hours and hours to make them but you're wrong. It takes 15-20 minutes to make (plus about an hour to chill in the refrigerator). No wonder they're so popular in Brazil. They look so cute and festive covered in colorful sprinkles, don't you think?

Grab some frozen puff pastry from your grocery store's freezer aisle and bake them so you can make these beautiful fresh fruit strudels. I used a combination of fresh strawberries, canned peaches and frozen blueberries but you can pick any fruit you love.

I think this red velvet cake (you can use my egg-free version) will be perfect for Fourth of July. Top it with red, white and blue decorations and it will be a festive centerpiece for your party.

If you're having a tropical-themed summer party, try these coconut macaroons. I used sweetened condensed milk and flour for my egg-free coconut macaroons and egg-free jackfruit coconut macaroons. For my vegan coconut and lime macaroons, I used coconut milk.

These funnel cakes were inspired by the fun and crazy food they have at the Del Mar...errr...I mean San Diego County Fair. Maybe if I'm brave enough I might try a homemade version of the deep fried cereal they're serving this year. Hmmmm...maybe I'll stick to fruit. You know what's good deep fried? Canned jackfruit and lychees. Try it! It's so good. I have a feeling I can use my waffle recipe (maybe add more coconut milk) for a vegan alternative to this.

These deep fried apple pies are a riff on my favorite treat from "the golden arches." I used my mom's empanada dough for the crust and used three different apples for the filling. Why use three? I think it gives the apple filling a balance of flavors and textures...or maybe I'm just being picky and complicated. Whatever. Choose the apples you love and you'll be fine.

Hope these summer dessert ideas inspire you to make something fun and delicious for your next get-together.

Have a great summer everyone!

Please note: I am not a paid endorser nor did I accept any free samples of the brands or products mentioned in this post. These are products that I purchased myself and personally recommend :-)

Vegan Coconut Milk Waffles

2012-06-26T15:14:00.001-07:00

It's summertime so that means I can actually sit down with the boys and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. HA! I wish! Oh well, at least this means I have time to experiment in the kitchen. I have been wanting to expand my repertoire of breakfast fare for a while now. I've tackled pancakes, muffins and scones, so I thought waffles would be good.

I really miss waffles. I know there's allergen-friendly waffles out there and I've tried them, but they didn't pass the "this tastes exactly like a waffle" test. I figured I'd dust off the old waffle iron and try to make them myself. The boys love their pancakes so much (I'm using the vegan version now) that I thought, "Oh this should be easy. I'll just pour the vegan pancake batter into the waffle iron. Great idea!" Oooooh no, was I wrong! Let's just say it didn't go very well. Everything stuck to the waffle iron and I spent a good amount of time cleaning up the entire mess. Bah!

You'd think I'd just give up and move on but nooooo...I just had to make waffles. So I gave it another go. But this time I used my scone recipe and tweaked a few ingredients. I poured it into the waffle iron and crossed my fingers.

Oh my goodness! These waffles smelled so incredibly delicious while they were cooking I couldn't help but hover around the waffle iron and just breathe in all the sweet aroma. Aaaaaaaaaah I was tempted to open the lid and check if they were already done but I had to be patient and wait for that darn green light to turn on and tell me they're ready. Open open open...

Seriously, these waffles tasted exactly the way I hoped they would taste. They have a nice crispy outside and a soft doughy inside. They're so yummy they actually taste good plain. But if you'd like, you can top them with fresh fruit and dust them with some confectioner's sugar. You can also drizzle them with maple syrup, chocolate syrup or melted chocolate (Chocolate Dream and Enjoy Life brands are allergen-friendly as well as vegan). Mmmmmmmm

The first time I made these, I filled the entire waffle iron so I'd get nice square waffles. But what I noticed was the kids, especially my two year old, would just eat the edges and leave the rest. I don't know if they just prefer the edges or the waffles were too big for them to finish. So I just made them smaller and sure enough, they finished them. I actually kinda like the free-form edges of the smaller waffles. They remind me of sugar-studded Liège waffles. Oh man. What if I added sugar to these babies?

Now, if I wanted to make them just like Liège waffles, I needed to use pearl sugar. But since it's not readily available around here, I tried to find a substitute for it. If you know where I can find pearl sugar in San Diego (or the US for that matter), please let me know. I decided to use sanding sugar (for decorating cookies), turbinado sugar (aka Sugar in the Raw) and sugar crystal candy that my brother got from the Japanese supermarket.

Out of the three sugars I used, I think the sanding sugar gave me the best results. The waffles were dotted with caramelized sugar on the outside and crunchy bits of sugar inside. Sugar in the Raw probably would've been good but the turbinado sugar I used had smaller crystals so they pretty much dissolved into the batter. The sugar crystal candy tasted amazing (broke them up into smaller pieces) but most of the pieces that were on the outside just stuck to the waffle iron and burned so they didn't work so well. I've read in some blogs and forums that you can use broken up sugar cubes in place of pearl sugar so I'm gonna have to try that next time and let you know if it works.

A few pointers when making waffles:

- Make sure the waffle iron is hot and greased well with cooking spray to prevent sticking. And you have to spray each time you pour the batter into the waffle iron.

- Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the batter. It's faster and less messy.

- Depending on your waffle iron, you may have to play around with the cooking time. Even if you have the ones with the indicator light, the waffles may still look a little pale when you open the waffle iron so leave them in until they look golden brown.

- Place the waffles on a cooling rack as soon as they come out of the waffle iron. That way they'll stay nice and crispy longer. There's nothing worse than a soggy waffle. If they've been sitting out too long and become soft, just pop them in the toaster or toaster oven to revive them.

- If you have any leftovers, you can freeze them! Just thaw them and toast them and it's waffle time again!

Vegan Coconut Milk Waffles
Makes about 6-8 waffles, depending on the waffle iron
Allergy note: contains wheat ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
(1/4 cup sanding sugar, if you're making sugar waffles)

cooking spray or cooking oil

garnish with:
confectioner's sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup
allowed margarine
fresh fruit

Preheat waffle iron. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, coconut milk until combined. If you're making sugar waffles, gently fold in the sanding sugar. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter onto waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Serve plain or garnish with fresh fruit and syrup.

Ruth and Daniel's Wedding Cake

2012-06-17T14:13:00.004-07:00

Photo by Sweet Day Studio

My little sister got married!!! Woohoo!!! It's been craziness planning for this wedding but now that it's all done and the kids started summer break, I can finally sit down and tell you all about this gorgeous cake :-)

When I sat down with my sister to talk to her about her wedding cake, I was ready to bring out all my creativity on the table and sketch out this colorful and elaborate cake. But when I asked her what kind of wedding cake she envisioned, I was a little surprised with her answer. "I just want a simple white cake," she said. Huh? I kinda sat there for a few minutes scratching my head. "Really? No colorful design. No gold. No silver. No anything? Just a simple...white...cake?" I asked. "Yup. You can do whatever you want as long as it's a simple white cake," she said. And that's exactly what I did...sort of.

Okay, so I added a few scrolls here and there and a bead border, but it's still a white cake, right? I never said I wasn't going to add scrolls. I couldn't help it. Good thing she loved it when I showed it to her. Whew!

Look at that cake slice! It makes me so giddy it's ridiculous. My sister said to be creative with the cake flavor so I thought it would be so fun and unexpected to cut into a gorgeous white wedding cake and see all these colorful layers inside. I made one layer of chocolate cake, one layer of vanilla butter cake and one layer of red velvet cake then filled and frosted them with cream cheese frosting.

Since I was going to be the matron-of-honor, I couldn't possibly set up the cake before the reception because I'll be at the ceremony with everyone else. So once again, as I did for my cousin's wedding, I opted to make a display cake for the reception and sheet cakes to be served to the guests. Instead of adding a compartment for the real cake slice, I decided to cut a slot in the bottom tier for the couple to put the knife through. This way, I could make everything in advance, give the display cake to the wedding planners so they could take care of it and leave the sheet cakes with the kitchen staff to cut and serve at the reception.

Now, I didn't forget my boys and their food allergies. I made vegan chocolate cupcakes for all the kids and decorated each cupcake with these pretty fondant toppers with a scroll design to match the wedding cake.

As if that wasn't enough, I also made champagne truffles for wedding favors. Hey, what can I say? I love my little sister and my new brother :-)

Congratulations Ruth and Daniel! May you have many many years of happiness together! I love you both so much :-)

Check out this beautiful video by the talented team at Sweet Day Studio. Love love love! They did a same-day edit and screened it at the reception. Oh...my...goodness! It brought everyone to tears. You'll catch a glimpse of the bride and groom during the cake cutting as well as me crying during my speech. The song they used for the video is called Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap.

Ruth and Daniel's Wedding Highlights by Sweet Day Studio

Egg-Shaped Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Candies)

2012-04-04T17:54:00.001-07:00

It's been a looooong time since my last post but I'm finally back and I have these adorable egg-shaped candies to share with you! They're so quick and easy to make that I guarantee, once you take a bite of this fudgy confection, you'll be back for more.

These chocolate candies originated from Brazil and they are called brigadeiros. A birthday party would be not complete without serving these beloved bonbons. In fact, these fudgy and chewy treats are so popular in Brazil that they're considered the national truffle. So how did these candies get their name? Well, they're named after a brigadier general, Eduardo Gomes, who ran for president in the 1940s. His supporters started selling these sweet confections at fundraisers for his campaign. The bad news: he lost the election. The good news: he has a national truffle named after him.

When I said these were quick and easy to make, I wasn't kidding. You only need three ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter. Basically, you just mix them together and cook it until it reaches a thick fudgy consistency. Believe me, at this stage, I was ready to just take a big spoonful and enjoy it but I practiced some restraint and allowed it to cool so I can roll them in colorful sprinkles.

Traditionally, brigadeiros are rolled into round balls and covered in sugar, cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles but I had a brilliant idea. Well, since Easter is just around the corner, I thought I'd shape them into little eggs and cover them in colorful rainbow sprinkles.

Oh my goodness! How cute are these?!? And to top it off, they're so absolutely delicious! As you can see, even though the recipe makes about 24 candies, quite a few were eaten before I could take a picture so I had to use a smaller box :-)

I hope you have a wonderful Easter with your family and friends this weekend and I hope you make these cute and colorful brigadeiros for everyone to enjoy.

Brigadeiros
Makes about 24 candies
Allergy Note: contains dairy ingredients

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 Tablespoon butter

an assortment of colorful sprinkles
candy liners

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter . Gently stir until the cocoa powder is incorporated into the condensed milk. Place the saucepan on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn down to medium-low heat and continue stirring until the mixture has thickened and you can see the bottom of the pan while you are stirring, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. Place sprinkles into small bowls. Arrange small candy liners on a plate or small baking sheet. Grease the palms of your hands with butter. Scoop about 2 teaspoonfuls of the candy mixture and roll it to form an egg shape. Roll the candy in the bowl of sprinkles until it's completely coated. Place into candy liners. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Shortcut Microwave Version: Using a large microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter for 30 seconds or until melted. Mix in the condensed milk and cocoa powder. Return to the microwave and heat on HIGH for one minute then remove from the microwave to mix till smooth. Repeat this process 2 more times until the mixture thickens and comes away from the bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to roll. Place sprinkles into small bowls. Arrange small candy liners on a plate or small baking sheet. Grease the palms of your hands with butter. Scoop about 2 teaspoonfuls of the candy mixture and roll it to form an egg shape. Roll the candy in the bowl of sprinkles until it's completely coated. Place into candy liners. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.