BakerGal

Oven Roasted Blue Potatoes with Hemp Seed and Fresh Herbs (paleo)

2013-04-08T18:04:00.002-04:00

Photography & Styling Credit for all photos in this post: The lovely and multi-talented Ellen Kyle of Found & Created (an innovative floral / paper / design studio). Check out her amazing work!

How can something so simple taste so good? The mouth-watering aroma that roasting potatoes release belies their ease of preparation. Adding fresh green herbs brings new dimensions to this easy side dish: texture, bright color, and a summery herbaceous note. Hulled hemp seeds are a quick add-in that provide satisfying and healthy omega 3 fats. And, by choosing blue potatoes, you're one step removed from a common fate: a plate of brown food. Ditch those sepia tones. Live in color!

This satisfying oven roasted potato recipe is a side dish packs real flavor without much real work.

Learning how to work with fresh herbs is a worthwhile pursuit. They let you build more healthful meals by shouldering the burden of flavor complexity while taking the spotlight away from oil and salt.

They also multiply your recipe repertoire, considering the bounty of fresh herbs now available at most markets. A choose-your-own adventure of flavor combinations awaits you for as many times as you'd like to make this dish. Each time you toss the greens in, you'll end up with a substantially different side dish.

Oven roasted blue potatoes with hulled hemp seeds and fresh chopped chervil.

Most people don't venture into the fresh herb isle unknown, either because they don't know how to use fresh herbs, or because of sticker shock. If you don't have a garden, the most economical place to get herbs is usually at a local farmers' market. The most economical to buy them is when they're in season (spring and summer), so spring is a great time to start lining up your recipe ideas. When you're new to an herb, a basic base like pasta or potatoes can let their flavor come through so you can become familiar with it.

I hope this information emboldens some of you to grab a bunch of fresh tarragon or chervil the next time you buy fresh goods. The flavor of fresh herbs is often very different from dried herbs: brighter, lighter, refreshing, and more complex. This is because when these plants are dried, many of the compounds that provide their flavor are not preserved.

This is an easy paleo side dish for people who accept potatoes as part of a paleo diet.

For those who are reading because they follow a paleo lifestyle, it's worth noting that the potato is a tuber that generates much disagreement among the paleo community. Some consider it off-limits. Some don't mind potatoes in moderation, and others are fine with any healthful preparation of potatoes. I assume you're here because you're in one of the latter camps and are interested in exploring new recipes.

But if you're on the fence, you should know that blue potatoes pack a little benefit their pale cousins lack: Their blue color comes from anthocyanin pigments, a flavonoid believed to have antioxidant effects and other potential health benefits.

Look at those colors! A beautiful and easy side dish.

In any case, it never hurts to add a few more easy side dish recipes to your file. This is a simple recipe that can take care of itself while you work on the main dish. And as a bonus, you can practice dressing it up with fresh flavors.

Oven roasted potatoes become a whole new side dish when you use blue potatoes and fresh herbs.

Recipe For Oven Roasted Potatoes with Hemp Seed and Fresh Herbs

Oven Roasted Blue Potato Ingredients:

2.5 to 3 lbs blue potatoes
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or flake salt

1 teaspoon freshly milled pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs (see below for ideas). For strong aromatic herbs, like rosemary, use less (appx 2T).

2 T hulled hemp seeds

If you like brightness and acidity, consider adding a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Fresh herb ideas:

Consider trying any of the following fresh herbs, either alone or paired with each other. For less common herbs, I've provided a short flavor description:

parsley
cilantro
mint
savory (summer savory) - herbaceous green flavor, a bit peppery and slightly thyme-like
tarragon - fresh taste, very light anise flavor
chervil - subdued parsley-like taste, barely perceptible fennel flavor
dill - when fresh, the flavor is much less intense than you associate with dill pickles
green onions, sauteed for a minute or two in a little oil
basil
rosemary (stronger herb, use up to 2T, best roasted along with potatoes)
thyme (stronger herb, use up to 2T)
marjoram - like a slightly lemony, less intense oregano

Below, I've listed some herb combinations that work well together:

1 part parsley, 1 part cilantro
1 part parsley, 1 part mint
1 part mint, 1 part cilantro
1 part parsley, 1 part mint, 1 part cilantro
1 part thyme, 1 part rosemary
3 parts dill, 2 parts chervil, 1 part tarragon
1 part savory, 1 part tarragon
2 parts chervil, 1 part green onions, 1 part tarragon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Halve the potatoes if they're small, quarter them if they're large.
Toss the potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper until they're evenly coated, and spread them out across a sheet pan. By making sure they are spread out into a single layer and not overlapping, you'll be helping steam escape from the potatoes which encourages browning and a crispier exterior. Optionally line the pan with foil or parchment paper to make cleanup easier.
Place in the heated oven and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, or until crisp and brown. Twice during the baking time, use a spatula to flip and turn the potatoes so they bake evenly.
While potatoes are baking, wash and finely chop the herbs you'll be using. In the photos above, I've chopped mine a bit too coarsely.
Remove potatoes from the oven and toss with chopped herbs and an optional squeeze of lemon juice.
Taste a potato section and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot.

This oven roasted potato recipe with fresh herbs is an easy side dish.

I hope this recipe inspires some you to experiment with fresh herbs in your vegetable dishes, pastas, and salads!

BakerGal

Paleo Sweet Potato Recipe: Pommes Anna with Sweet Potatoes

2013-03-28T23:44:00.001-04:00

Paleo Sweet Potato Recipe: Pommes Anna.
Photography & Styling Credit to the lovely and talented Ellen Kyle of Found & Created (an innovative floral / paper / design studio) for all photos in this post. It was a fun photo shoot!

This paleo sweet potato dish is a great paleo comfort food: a delicious baked pommes anna made with sweet potatoes. It's incredibly versatile in terms of the flavors it can host, spanning from a dessert-like side dish that could practically be served with ice cream to one with full-on savory seasonings. Though I've seasoned it with port-soaked plums, salt, and pepper in the photos above, I also list several other approaches to seasoning in the recipe below.

Pommes Anna makes a great paleo side dish alone or served atop a salad.

Traditionally, pommes anna is a layered potato gratin of French origin that uses tons of butter and incredibly thin potato slices. It is often made in a cast iron skillet. The skillet imparts dark, crisp edges and a browns the bottom layer of the gratin. These assets are revealed when the pommes anna is flipped out of the skillet onto a plate for serving.

Trim slices of sweet potatoes anna are more elegant than a scooped side dish.

Though pommes anna is normally made with standard white potatoes (Russet and Yukon are commonly called for), some sweet potato recipes do exist. I looked through several, but they all needed to be modified to meet the specifications of the paleo diet. Mainly, this meant finding a butter replacement.

Substituting butter for paleo-friendly fats turns this into a great paleo sweet potato recipe.

The amount of butter called for in the two recipes I used as a reference was enormous: one recipe calls for 10 tablespoons, another for 16:

Sweet Potatoes Anna (Pommes Anna) from the New York Times

Sweet Potatoes Anna (Pommes Anna) from Food52.com

I knew I could cut back on the fat and still have a delicious paleo side dish. I just needed to figure out how much I could cut back.

For starters, butter contains water. I knew that when I converted the recipe from butter to oil, some of those 10 to 16 tablespoons would get ditched: A standard rule of thumb when converting from butter to oil is to replace each tablespoon of butter with 3/4 tablespoon of oil.

Sweet Potatoes Anna: A paleo comfort food.

Using the 10 tablespoons of butter called for in one of the recipes, the conversion yeilds about 7 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Still a lot of oil. I considered this an upper limit, and added oil one tablespoon at a time to my sliced potatoes until they were evenly coated, but not swimming, in it. This came to about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. For good measure, I brushed an extra tablespoon of oil across the top of the gratin before popping it in the oven.

The prunes and port add a nice dimension to this version of sweet potatoes anna. Adding toasted almonds would have contributed to the texture and flavor of this recipe.

So, is it a healthy sweet potato recipe? Well, there's still a lot of oil, especially compared to baking whole potatoes sans oil. But there's much less than before.

Replacing butter with oil causes a problems, though: Browning. Or lack of browning, to be more accurate. Butter's sugars (primarily lactose) and proteins cause a delicious browning to occur when exposed to high heat. The process is known as the Maillard reaction. Cut out butter, and you cut out Maillard.

The potatoes themselves do contain sugars, proteins, and starches, though. All of these do cause browning to some extent, but not as impressively as when you add a half pound of butter. Solution? Nothing completely restores the Maillard reaction to its former glory, but there are two approaches that can help to some extent.

The fine layers of potatoes and other seasonings make this a visually interesting paleo side dish.

You can try sprinkling or brushing the top of the pommes anna with a slightly sugary solution before baking. This will add back some of the sugars you've lost by having done away with the butter. You'll have to use something that has real sugar in it, though: stevia and other sugar substitutes won't work, as the sweetness of these is from sugar alcohols. Natural sugars, such as honey, agave syrup, and palm sugar will all work.

Dishing up a slice of sweet potatoes anna.

Secondly, you can carefully broil the top of the sweet potato pommes anna for a minute or so once it is done baking. Use the middle rack or else the intense heat of the broiler will quickly char the top of your creation. In the pictures, you can see that some of this damage on my own sweet potatoes anna. I moved them to a lower rack before more damage could be done.

Top view of paleo sweet potatoes anna.

Tips for Sweet Potatoes Anna (Pommes Anna) Recipe

A few tips will help you get the most out of your pommes anna, whether you stick to the traditional approach or try a sweet potato recipe:

You'll benefit from a mandoline or a food processor that can slice potatoes thinly. Never seen a mandoline before? Here's an example. These tools help you make incredibly thin slices of potato, a hallmark of pommes anna. It's certainly not necessary to use them, though: I sliced my potatoes by hand.

Choose cylindrical potatoes that are similar to each other in size and shape -- they will yield more uniform slices and a more presentable end product. If you'll be using a food processor to slice the potoatoes, choose thinner potatoes that will fit into the food processor feeding tube.

For a flatter, more compressed potatoes anna, place a heavy second pan on top of your potatoes for the first half of the cooking time.

If you are using oil instead of butter, consider brushing a sugar solution over the top of the potatoes before baking them in order to promote browning.

A cast iron skillet works best as a baking dish. Any other round baking dish will still work, but will not do as good a job of browning the sides and bottom of the Potatoes Anna.

If you are using traditional white potatoes, choose Russet or Yukon. Don't soak the slices in water, as it will wash away much of their starch, an an adhesive that helps to hold the layers together.

Paleo Sweet Potatoes Anna (Pommes Anna) Recipe

Ingredients and Equipment

Large Bowl

Round baking dish, cake pan, or cast iron skillet

Optional second heavy pan to weigh down the potatoes while baking

Aluminum foil

~ 5-7 uniform medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick (or as thinly as possible) by hand, food processor, or mandoline
~ 4 T olive oil or melted coconut oil, and another 1T to brush the top of the paleo pommes anna with.
Seasonings of your choice, described below

Sweet Potatoes Anna Seasoning Options

Paleo Sweet Potatoes with Port-soaked Prunes

~ 10 prunes, heated in 1 cup port for about 20 minutes or until plump. Drain and chop them.
Note: If you prefer not to use port, you can use natural fruit juice or water.
~ 3-4 tsp salt, or to taste
~ 3-4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Optional: In hindsight, I would suggest adding ~1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds. They would complement the flavors and, most importantly, add a bit of variation to the texture.
Note: This preparation tastes good, but lacks a dominant flavor. If you love spices, and fear you might find this too plain, I would suggest a pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves

Paleo Sweet Potatoes with Savory Seasonings

~ 3-4 tsp salt, or to taste
~ 3-4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme or rosemary, or 1 tsp of their dried counterparts
1/2 chopped onion, sauteed until browned or 8 green onions, chopped
Note: Feel free to experiment with your own favorite spices, seasonings, or additions. Harissa, for example, would make an interesting addition to a savory version of this dish.

Paleo Sweet Potatoes with Sweet Seasonings

~ 1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup toasted crushed pecans
~ 1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
~ 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, or to taste
~optional pinch of ground cloves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Wash, peel, and slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick. Put all sliced potatoes in a large bowl. Add oil and seasonings, and mix well until the potatoes are thoroughly coated. If you really care about how the gratin is going to look, set aside about 15 of the best looking slices. Use them either as the first layer you set down (if you plan to invert the final product) or the last layer (if you plan to serve it as is).

Arrange the potato slices in concentric overlapping circles. Start in the middle of the dish and reverse the direction of each new circle of potato slices you lay down. This crisscrossing helps to interlock the layers. Sprinkle your seasonings (chopped prunes/herbs and onions/pecans) lightly in between each layer of sliced potatoes as you go.

Once you've filled the dish, press down hard to help pack the potatoes down. If you'd like to promote browning, brush the top with a light sugar solution, or sprinkle lightly with a sweetener of your choice (but not stevia, sucralose, or another sugar alcohol). Then brush lightly with one more tablespoon of oil and cover with aluminum foil.

For a flatter, more compressed potatoes anna, place a heavy second pan on top of your potatoes for the first half of the cooking time.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove second heavy pan and bake uncovered for another 20 - 30 minutes, or until potatoes easily yield to a fork and the top is lightly browned. Broil briefly for about a minute or so on the middle rack if more browning is desired.

Remove from the oven. Either keep it in the baking dish, or invert onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

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Paleo Nut and Berry Granola Bars

2012-10-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

In my ongoing search for a tasty snack bar/granola bar/energy bar that is paleo-friendly, I put this grain-free granola bar recipe to the test.

The previous energy bar recipes I've tested are held together almost entirely by dried fruit (Lemon Coconut Cashew Bars and Apricot, Pecan & Chocolate Energy Bars). They were more akin to Larabars than granola bars. As a result, some of my taste-testing friends found them too sweet.

These aren't quite as sweet as the previous two recipes: they are held together with a little honey (sticky), some coconut oil (solid at room temperature), and a LOT of physical pressure. Unprocessed fruit and nuts add great texture, much more like traditional a granola bar - a welcome change to the sticky uniformity of a fully-processed larabar-style snack. It feels like you're really eating some roughage. Mmmm . . . wholesome roughage.

Still, the bars aren't sturdy enough to work well at granola bar length: once they fully hit room temperature the coconut oil becomes soft. Grab one end of the granola bar, and the other half breaks off. Learn from my mistake. Cut them into squares. Then, keep them cool.

Despite their fragility, this is my favorite snack-bar recipe so far. I prefer their "real granola bar" look, taste, and texture. After testing a few more recipes, I plan to return to this and modify it until I have something tasty and sturdy, and maybe just a touch less sweet. Could I cut down on the dried fruit? Replace some honey with more coconut oil? Try baking them to firm them up? Try caramelizing the honey so that it hardens when it cools? These are some of the questions I hope to answer!

Paleo Nut and Berry Granola Bars Recipe via Joyful Abode

Makes one 9"x13" pan, ~18 granola bar-sized servings, or ~36 squares

The formula is simple:
2.5 cups unsalted nuts of your choice
1 cup dried fruit of your choice
2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup honey (I used less - a bit over 1/3 cup - because I ran out, and they worked fine.)

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

For the nuts and dried fruits above, I used the following quantities:

1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 c dried cherries
3/4 c raisins

Combine your choice of nuts in a large bowl. If you'd like deeper flavor, roast briefly in oven and let cool before continuing. Remove 1 cup of nuts and chop them roughly with a chef's knife. Set aside. Place the remaining 1 1/2 cups of nuts in a food processor and pulse until they reach a more finely ground, gravelly texture. Add the processed nuts to the bowl with hand-chopped nuts, dried fruit, and coconut flakes.

Measure honey by first lightly oiling a measuring cup to make it easy to pour out. In a small saucepan, combine honey, coconut oil, salt, and cinnamon. Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring frequently, until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour this mixture over the rest of the ingredients and stir until it is fully distributed. Once it has cooled at bit, you may find it easier to knead the mixture with your hands.

Line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into the pan and press down with all your weight. Really be thorough about compressing it...without effort, they won't stick together well.

Refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm. Cut and keep refrigerated or frozen until ready to eat. I'd suggest cutting them into squares, since they aren't very sturdy when cut into rectangles.

BakerGal

Paleo Lemon, Coconut & Cashew Energy Bars

2012-10-18T19:45:00.001-04:00

In faithful continuation of my earlier post on chewy apricot pecan energy bars in which I began testing a series of paleo energy bar recipes, I present these cheerful morsels. In this recipe, four brave ingredients come together to be pulverized and pressed into conformity in honor of your caloric needs. That's right: Lest the title of my post deceive you, the coconut flakes, lemon zest, and cashews are not alone in this endeavor ... a healthy serving of dried pineapple provides sweetness and cohesion.

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The flavor really works for me. It's something along the lines of a sweet, lemony piña colada. And while I don't want to downplay the merits of pineapple and coconut -- a truly great combination -- it's the lemon zest that really makes these larabar-style snacks so special. In fact, I'd like to try enhancing their lemony-goodness by substituting fresh-squeezed lemon juice for some of the water in the recipe.

The pineapple content puts these on the sweeter end of energy bars. So if you're looking for a quick snack to satisfy your sweet tooth and provide some protein and fiber to boot, then rejoice! And if it's too sweet, you might try the Paleo Nut and Berry Grain-Free Granola Bars. Of the energy bar recipes I've tried so far, they are the least sweet.

To reduce the sweetness, you can also try to incrementally add pineapple to the food processor until you've found the minimum amount that will hold the ingredients together. A few tablespoons of ground flaxseed would help provide additional binding power in the absence of some of the pineapple.

Public service advisory: They are stickier than the apricot, pecan & chocolate energy bars I tested. For those who detest sticky fingertips, I'd advise the careful use of parchment paper or a plastic bag when eating them on the run.

While comparing the pineapple power bar recipe to the apricot bar recipe, it's worth noting that neither bar has been as dense as a commercially-produced fruit-and-nut bar. Reproducing that in a home environment may require some top-notch food processing (my less-than-fancy Ninja Food and Drink Maker traveled to the brink of its slice-and-dice abilities to make these). And/or superhuman pressure. I mean, nothing my biceps can't handle (*yawn*, polishes bicep) ... I'm just thinking about the rest of you out there. Annnnd, recipe:

Lemon Coconut Cashew & Pineapple Energy Bars
Adapted via Living Crunchy
Makes one 8"x8" pan, ~about 16 squares

Note: You can reduce the quantities by half and press into a 9"x5" loaf pan.

2 cups (320 g) dried unsweetened pineapple. To make a less sweet bar, add incrementally as needed. A few teaspoons of ground flaxseed can help bind the bars if you use less pineapple.
2/3 cup hot water
2 cups (240 g) raw, unsalted cashews (though any nut of your choice would work)
1/2 (40 g) unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
parchment paper

Place pineapple in a container and cover with 2/3 cup of hot water. Let soak for 5 to 10 minutes while preparing other ingredients. Drain water from pineapple and combine pineapple, cashews, unsweetened coconut flakes, lemon zest, and dash of salt in food processor. Process until finely ground and batter sticks together. Press into parchment paper-lined pan. Let chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

BakerGal

Paleo Apricot, Pecan & Chocolate Energy Bars

2012-10-09T18:34:00.000-04:00

A little while back, a reader expressed interest in having me test paleo-friendly power bar recipes. She had tried one recipe and found it too salty, sticky, and just no good. I'm always up for a challenge, and I know people who could really use some homemade power bars to get them through the day. So, I've lined up a handful of promising recipes to test and provide my thoughts and feedback on!

This is the first of a set of energy bar recipes I intend to test and post. I hope these help many of you navigate and evaluate the diverse set of power bar options that exist.

There are some criteria I am looking for in an ideal energy bar recipe, based on a combination of my preferences and those of my reader: not too salty, not too sweet, not too sticky, sturdy/can be packed in a bag and eaten later without crumbling, no grains (paleo), no eggs or butter (my preference), calorie-dense, and no protein powders. As I scout out and evaluate the recipes, these criteria will be my prime influencers of recipe selection and criticism.

It wasn't long ago that I blew out a mini food-processor making honey-almond-date treats. I've gone without one since then. But with the goal of testing energy bar recipes, and all of them calling for a processor, I buckled. I knew a mini processor wouldn't do the trick, but I wasn't about to shell out big bucks for a top shelf tool, either -- because what if even THAT was no match for a bowl full of dates? So I ran to the nearest Walgreens and grabbed the cheapest large processor-blender on the shelf: a Ninja Food and Drink Maker. So far I've been pleased. After a few more weeks of chopping dates and other dried fruit, though, we'll really know what it's made of. I'm sure it shudders in my pantry.

The enticing combination of organic turkish apricots and toasted pecans hand-tossed with chocolate chips convinced me to start with the recipe below. I mixed it up and popped it into the oven. It really starts to smell great after 20 minutes: the pecans start roasting, vanilla is in the air, chocolate is melting, and apricot sugars are bubbling. Mmmm. The finished bar is moist but not too sticky, sweet and satisfying. However, they are not super sturdy, and regular chocolate chips made them a little too sweet. But overall, a good starting point!

Recipe for Apricot, Pecan & Chocolate Energy Bars

Makes about 16 squares in an 8"x8" pan.

Adapted via Elana's Pantry to be vegan and paleo.

1 cup dried apricots

2 cups pecans

3 T ground flaxseed plus 6 T water>mix and let sit while you complete other steps

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup paleo dark chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Process apricots and pecans until finely chopped.

Mix by hand or process until thoroughly mixed: salt, flaxseed and water mixture, and vanilla.

Stir in chocolate by hand.

Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper and press the batter into the ban.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Buckwheat Molasses Quick Bread

2012-10-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

Fall is in the air, and it seems only fitting that molasses, nutmeg, and cinnamon are in the bread I've just made. The buckwheat, I guess, is just along for the ride.

The weather isn't the only thing that has changed over the last few months; I recently moved from one edge of the US to the other. After some vacation time, hunting for a place, and some unpacking and furnishing, I've more or less settled in and I'm looking forward to sharing my creations again.

My past posts have centered on food I've made for others. In most of those cases, I meticulously followed recipes and posted my favorites. I've also done a few comparison posts where I first test a few recipes of the same item, review them, and subsequently create my own version of the dish.

What I haven't yet shared is any of my personal cooking and baking. I tend to be highly experimental when making food for myself, often paying more respect to my own imagination (and taste buds) than to the recipe at hand (if there even is one). I'll tweak recipes until they taste right, I'll sometimes use 10 different recipes as a source of suggestions for one dish, and I'll also go into uncharted territory, creating something imagined or previously experienced. Sometimes, things don't turn out. The upside is frequent learning, and food that keeps getting better. I still have a lot to learn.

Along those lines, I've decided to share one of the few things I've baked recently -- one that worked out. What began as a recipe for jalapeño onion cornbread morphed over the course of several batches and several weeks to become something quite different, but, at least for me, much more enjoyable: a sweet molasses quick bread packed with fall flavor.

The bread is lightly sweet, moist and springy, and the buckwheat flour lends a pleasant touch. Chowing down brought back childhood memories of special buckwheat-pancake breakfasts around the kitchen table. I've mostly snacked on the bread between meals, or had a square of it in the morning with coffee. I can also imagine enjoying it with a glass of hot cider, a dollop of hot homemade applesauce, or as I would a pancake: with a good dose of maple syrup.

For those who are curious, behold: a recipe.

Buckwheat Molasses Sweet Bread Recipe

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon (more or less to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (more or less to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (more or less to taste)

1/2 cup water mixed with 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (OR 2 eggs instead of water and flaxseed)

1 cup water

~3 blocks of dark jaggery* chopped & dissolved in the previous cup of water (more or less to taste)

3 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons molasses

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line an 8"x8" pan with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients well.

Combine wet ingredients well.

Mix the two until just moistened.

Pour into pan, bake 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick pressed into the center comes out clean.

Lift the bread out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper, and allow to cool 10 or 15 minutes before cutting.

*A very dark palm sugar jaggery happens to be the type of sugar I've had on hand lately. Mine is in blocks about the volume of six playing dice. I mainly use it for sweetening Thai curries, but it is also great for fall desserts because it has a complex flavor similar to brown sugar. In this case, the best thing to use instead of jaggery would be dark brown sugar, though I don't have an exact conversion to suggest. Try starting with 6 tablespoons, and adjust sweetness to your own preferences from there.

Happy fall!

BakerGal

Roasted Almond Chocolate Truffles

2012-07-28T16:36:00.002-04:00

Truffles! They're rich, smooth, and chocolate-y...if not a bit messy to make. This recipe adds roasted almond morsels to the traditional mix, bringing satisfying crunch and depth of flavor to the luxurious smoothness of a typical truffle.

Truffle recipes are very versatile, and despite the addition of crunchy toasted almonds to the batter, this recipe is no different. You can add different extracts, liqueurs, and flavorful tidbits to the batter, and you have a world of garnishes in which to roll the finished truffles. I split my batch into fifths, and rolled each in a different garnish: cocoa powder, toasted chopped walnut, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and crushed Oreo.

Beware, perfectionists! Forget about making these chocolate delights look like they came out of a machine. Instead just savor the flavor, and embrace the imperfection of humanity. And, maybe, add a friend: the job can be made easier if one person scoops and shapes the truffles and another person rolls them in garnish.

Roasted Almond Chocolate Truffles

yeild: ~ 40 truffles 3/4-inch diameter each

1 c. whipping cream

11 oz. bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped

2 T. unsalted butter, chopped into cubes

3 T. espresso or Disaronno (almond liquer)

a pinch of salt

1 c. (4 oz.) unblanched almonds, roasted and finely chopped (Roast at ~400 F for several minutes, until golden brown, checking often and stirring almonds/rotating pan as necessary for even browning)

Garnish for rolling: 1 c. (4 oz.) unblanched almonds, roasted and finely chopped

In a heavy 1 1/2- to 2-qt. saucepan, scald the cream. Remove from heat. Quickly and carefully stir in the chocolate with a spoon...the less air you incorporate into the mixture, the smoother your truffles will be. Allow to sit 5 minutes while the chocolate melts. Add the butter, almonds, pinch of salt, and espresso or liqueur. Stir the mixture thoroughly with a spoon to fully incorporate the ingredients, careful again not to introduce air bubbles.
Allow to cool uncovered for several hours at room temperature. This cooling stage contributes to a creamier truffle. Then, cover and refrigerate until set, 6 to 12 hours.
Scoop teaspoon-sized amount of truffle out of the cooled mixture -- the small end of a melon-baller works well for this. You may also use a small spoon or a "spring-loaded" 1-inch cookie/gelato scoop. Dipping the spoon in powdered sugar between scoops can hep keep the truffle mixture from sticking.
Roll into balls using fingertips; avoid using your palms, which are much warmer and will more quickly melt the mixture. Roll each ball in the remaining 1 c. roasted almonds.
Store well-sealed in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs or up to one week. You can also store them for up to a month in the freezer.
Allow chilled truffles to rest 5-10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Variations: Substitute walnuts, pecans, or other nuts for the almonds; Substitute liqueur of your choice for Disaronno; Add a teaspoon of extract to the mixture; Roll truffles in garnish of your choice sweetened or unsweetened cocoa, roasted finely chopped nuts, toasted coconut, crushed oreos, graham cracker crumbs, nut flours, crushed toffee, powdered sugar, combination of powdered sugar and cocoa, sprinkles, sugar crystals.

BakerGal

Baklava Recipe

2012-07-07T15:29:00.002-04:00

Some baklava recipes call for one thick layer of walnuts, closed in on all sides by phyllo layers. Not this one.

Like some masterpiece of culinary geology, its sedimentary layers of crispy phyllo dough enclose many thin levels of toasted walnuts. These layers take some time to set down, very little time to eat, and the reminiscing can go on as long as you'd like.

This awesome structure is not without flavor. Your senses are up against toasted walnuts, phyllo, and butter that have been browned to perfection (thanks to the Maillard reaction), and spiced with some cinnamon heat. To top it off, the whole slab is drenched in a cool honey and lemon-zest syrup straight out of the oven in one dramatic sizzling moment.

Faster time-to-consumption baklava recipes exist, but do tastier ones? I can't say. This one hooked me five years ago, and I haven't yet looked further. It has become one of my signature desserts. The original recipe is at allrecipes.com, but I've modified it based on suggestions in the reviews and my own experiences. I provide my version below.

This recipe is definitely not the only way to get a delicious slice of baklava, and is not characteristic of all baklava. The dessert is common to many cuisines including those of Central and Southwest Asia, the former Ottoman Empire and its successors in Anatolia, the Balkans, and much of the Middle East and North Africa. Regional variations abound.

I am not expert on any of those variations (though that could become an exciting new hobby). I do know that as you sample across cuisines, you'll see baklava made with a variety of nuts (pistachios, almonds, walnuts or other nuts) ground to different consistencies, a variety of flavorings (rosewater, vanilla, orange blossom water), spices that can include cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, and different ratios of dough, filling and syrup.

Baklava makes one 13"x9" pan

one 16-ounce package of phyllo dough, fully thawed (find in freezer section of grocery store)
1 pound chopped walnuts
1 cup butter (can use oil, but butter adds that special something)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and an optional ~1/8 to 1/4 tsp of ground clove or nutmeg
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, OR 1/2 tsp rosewater
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup honey
pastry brush, 9x13 pan

Roast walnuts: Chop walnuts and roast on a pan for about 5 min or until aromatic/lightly browned. Check often. Stir once to redistribute to aid in even browning. Allow roasted walnuts to cool briefly, then toss in a bowl with cinnamon and optional clove/nutmeg. Set aside.

Make sauce: Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla OR rosewater. Add the honey (Tip for measuring honey: lightly oil the measuring cup first to prevent honey from sticking when you pour it out.) Add lemon zest. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Put in refrigerator or freezer...you want it to be lukewarm or cool by the time the baklava comes out of the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 9"x13" pan. Melt 1 cup of butter in a container. Set container of melted butter and pastry brush near your baklava workstation.

Unroll thawed phyllo dough. Some brands of phyllo are twice the size of the pan, so if needed, cut sheets in half to fit pan. Cover unrolled phyllo with a slightly damp paper towel or keep it covered in saran wrap to prevent it from drying out as you work. Be careful: a too-wet towel will soak into the phyllo sheets and make them soggy and impossible to separate.

Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly with melted butter and a pastry brush. Repeat, using two sheets of dough at a time, until you have 8 sheets layered to form the base of the dessert. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. It won't look like a lot of nuts, but it adds up in the end. Top with two more sheets of dough, brush with butter, and add 2-3 more tablespoons of nuts, layering as you go. Continue until there are 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo left. Layer these two at a time brushed with butter on the top of the baklava to form the top of the dessert.

While the dessert is still unbaked, use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into diamond or square shapes. Be sure you slice through all the layers.

Bake in 350 F oven (175 C) for about 50 minutes or until baklava is golden and crisp. Remove baklava from oven and immediately pour the sauce over it. I've heard that pouring the cold sauce over the hot baklava is key to a crispy baklava, but I can't confirm or deny it; I've never tried making it any other way.

Let cool, and serve!

BakerGal

Chocolate Fruit Kabobs

2012-04-06T17:25:00.001-04:00

Looking for an easy dessert to throw together?

Kabobs are a quick, delicious, and simple-to-assemble dessert that require no baking. I've assembled the kabobs above out of cubed store-bought sponge cake, strawberries, Baker's Dipping Chocolate, and a pack of kabob sticks, but you can also make kabobs out of fruit alone for a healthier snack.

Kabobs are great for spicing up a dessert table at parties. Not only are they easy to put together, but they add height variety to the dessert spread and can even serve as a centerpiece arrangement. Conveniently, the mix-and-match nature of kabobs lets you choose colors appropriate to the event at hand!

Along those lines, here are a few ideas:
St. Patrick's Day: green grapes and honeydew melon and kiwi
Valentine's Day: strawberries, spongecake (or jicama, apple, or pear) drizzled with dipping chocolate
Christmas: strawberry and spongecake (or jicama, apple, or pear)
Fourth of July: red (strawberry or raspberry), white (jicama, apple, pear, or spongecake), and blue (blackberries, dark blue grapes, or blueberries)

This color combination makes for a festive Valentine's Day treat.

I've found that an easy way to display the kabobs is by sticking the kabob ends into a bowl, vase, or other container filled with dry rice.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Dark Fudge Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting and Pretzels

2012-02-07T11:30:00.001-05:00

If you like the classic peanut butter and chocolate combo, these brownies can serve it up. They've got your sweet, your salty, your chocolate and your peanut butter plus a healthy dose of pretzel-loaded crunch. One thing they really get right is a strong peanut butter brownie base that is good enough to stand on its own.

My friend whipped up a few batches; I ate them and thoroughly approved. I've tried a few peanut-butter brownies in my time. These are the first worth sharing, though they don't conclude my search for great peanut butter brownie recipes. Enjoy the recipe below!

Even without frosting and pretzels, these brownies can stand on their own.

Dark Fudge Peanut Butter Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting and Pretzels via Gojee and Okie Dokie Artichokie

Yields one large jelly roll pan (12x17-in and 10x15-in jelly roll pans will both work)

Make the brownies in advance, fully cool and refrigerate them before frosting.

Brownies:

1 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

6 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped coarsely

5 oz bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate chopped coarsely

¾ cup peanut butter chips, dusted with flour

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chopped into 1-inch segments

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

5 large eggs at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 small bag of pretzel sticks or peanut butter-filled pretzels

Parchment paper

Jelly roll pan

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

¾ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Brownies:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a large baking sheet that has sides (i.e. jelly roll pan) with parchment paper, cutting to size, and grease the top of the parchment paper. Sift the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.

Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a double boiler or a small heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, turn off the heat but keep in place over the burner and whisk in both sugars until fully combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Add 3 eggs to the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 eggs. Add the vanilla and flour-dusted peanut butter chips and mix gently. Slowly add the flour mixture and fold it gently into the batter using a spatula until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread to the corners and sides with a spatula. Place in the oven and bake ~30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until fully cooled.

Once they've cooled, use the parchment paper to remove them from the baking sheet and carefully remove the parchment paper. Once the frosting is ready, frost the brownie slab and sprinkle with crushed pretzels, then cut into brownie-sized quadrilaterals of your preferred dimensions.

Frosting:

Place the powdered sugar, peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and combine at medium-low speed, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the heavy cream and gradually increase the speed to high; continue until smooth.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce

2012-01-29T19:02:00.002-05:00

This humble looking, great-tasting bread pudding always gets compliments (on flavor, not beauty) and can feed a crowd. It might not be pretty, but the combined powers of chocolate, creamy caramel, toasted pecans and bourbon make for a dangerous quartet on the fork. Beyond that, it has several qualities of a great winter dessert: substantial, almost savory, and served warm.

The bread pudding is great, but the bourbon pecan sauce kicks it to a new level. One should not be had without the other. Don't bother with your top shelf bourbon. Grab what you've got and you'll be fine. Others making this recipe have used plain whiskey or dark rum and still enjoyed the results.

Warning: This is a recipe I've made for the last four winters, and it's not an independent choice anymore - others demand it. A great benefit is that you can make it the day before and pop it in the oven as you sit down to dinner. It's one of my favorite make-ahead desserts.

According to Epicurious, the recipe for this bread pudding was created by Alison Barshak, former pastry chef of the Central Bar & Grill in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She went on to become the executive chef at Striped Bass in Philadelphia. And the hero of everyone I know. Thanks, Alison.

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce via Epicurious

(I've made some edits to the original recipe)

Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

1 cup toasted chopped pecans (toast for 3 to 7 min at 400 degrees)

2 Tbsp bourbon (plain whiskey or dark rum will also work)

Chocolate Bread Pudding

2 cups whole milk (Don't use low-fat or non-fat. It just won't be the same.)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup granulated sugar

8 oz chopped semisweet baking chocolate (don't use chocolate chips)

8 large eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

One 1-pound challah bread cut into 1-inch pieces

Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce Instructions

Stir sugar and water in heavy large pot over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Mix in corn syrup and lemon juice. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns a golden amber, swirling pan occasionally. Remove from heat and carefully pour in the cream (the mixture will bubble and rise up...take care that it doesn't overflow). Stir over low heat until the mixture is smooth. Increase heat and boil until it is reduced to about 1 2/3 cups, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add pecans and bourbon.

Make Ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.

Chocolate Pudding Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine milk, cream and sugar in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring until smooth. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla to blend. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture, whisking constantly as you add it (If it is still too hot it will cook the eggs as you pour it in, so do let it cool briefly, maybe 5 minutes, before this step). Add bread cubes. Let stand until bread absorbs some of custard, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish or a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake until set in center, about 45 minutes. Uncover and cool 15 minutes.

Make Ahead: Can be baked in advance and either frozen (probably for a few months), or refrigerated (1 or 2 days). Thaw and reheat in oven before serving.

To Serve: Serve pudding warm or at room temperature with warm sauce.

Hope you all enjoy this one!

BakerGal

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Balls

2011-12-25T21:21:00.000-05:00

I discovered the "Cookie Ball" while devising a tasty paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe. As I tested each new recipe variant, I gauged the batter's spreadability with a "ball test": I'd leave one lump of cookie dough as a perfect ball and see how much it spread out in the oven on its own.

As it turns out, the cookie recipe I settled on barely spreads at all. This means that to get a traditional cookie shape, you need to flatten each cookie well with the palm of your hand before baking. But this also means that you can skip the flattening stage to make ball-shaped chocolate chip cookies! They come out of the oven slightly browned and cookie-liked on the outside while remaining soft and moist on the inside. They were popular: One friend started asking for me to make more spherical cookies just for her to enjoy.

These might look gigantic, but they are each about the size of a walnut.

The recipe can be found in my previous post: Delicious Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. The difference in the recipe is at the end: roll the dough into balls, each about the size of a walnut, and let them bake as-is instead of flattening before baking. Bake until golden brown, let cool, and eat. Note: If you substitute raw honey for the agave syrup that I call for in the recipe, the cookies do spread a small bit on their own.

They are best eaten the day of baking. I tried refrigerating a few and eating them several days later - the texture becomes more chewy throughout and less enjoyable.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Butternut Squash, Ricotta, and Sage Crostini

2011-12-22T18:02:00.000-05:00

Some of the Epicurious reviews for this recipe were negative. Blandness was the most-cited fault. Luckily, the appetizer hit me over the head with pleasure while I was at an event; Only later did I find it online and read the reviews.

The key to making the flavor pop - and avoiding the blandness noted by others - is in the seasoning. You're set up for great success with the staples: A crunchy toasted base, sweet, roasted butternut squash, and lightly salted ricotta seasoned with pepper and lemon zest. Ricotta works wonderfully as a spread, offering creamy richness, moisture, and fresh taste. The accents pull it all together: delightfully crispy fried sage leaves provide texture and aroma and a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice give it body and acidity.

To help readers season correctly, I've spelled out specifics of what you need to do - and what not to omit - in the points below and in the recipe. I've also added steps to the recipe to help you prepare more flavorful slices of toasted bread (a detail that Epicurious leaves out).

Do prepare the baguette slices as mentioned below with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Don't try to skimp on the sage. Fresh herbs can be expensive, but without enough of them, forget about enjoying this appetizer. There is no substitute.
Goat cheese lovers might try to sub out the ricotta. Don't do it. The benefit of ricotta is that its subtle flavor lets the sweetness of the squash shine through.
Don't buy low fat ricotta. Fat is satisfying, so live a little.
Do add enough salt and use freshly ground pepper to the ricotta and to the squash. Taste as you go until you get it right.
Don't skip the drizzle of fresh lemon juice and olive oil. The acidity of the lemon juice adds punch without overwhelming, and the olive oil provides more flavor.

I always serve my appetizers in front of a pile of logs...

Recipe for Butternut Squash, Ricotta, and Sage Crostini via Epicurious, makes 12

1 two-pound butternut squash (about 4 cups, or about 20 oz pre-diced squash) peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2" cubes

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil for roasting squash

1 1/2 tsp packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt for seasoning squash

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper for seasoning squash

24 fresh sage leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for frying sage

1 cup whole milk ricotta

2/3 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning ricotta

12 3/8"-thick baguette slices, toasted

1 clove garlic

Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing crostini with and for drizzling

Fresh lemon juice for drizzling

Note: If you're thinking of omitting ingredients or modifying the recipe, please read the section above on what matters in making this recipe delicious.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mince garlic and mix with a small amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper; brush this mixture onto both sides of the baguette slices and place them on a baking sheet. Toast until golden, turning once, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch closely, as they can quickly become too dark. I ended up with more than 12 slices, but also had plenty of topping to go around.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss squash with 2 Tbsp oil, brown sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste in a large bowl. I've suggested 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper as a starting point, but adjust to your own tastes. Spread evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast. Turn squash occasionally, and roast until golden and tender, 25-30 minutes.

In a frying pan, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until edges begin to curl and turn dark green, 1 to 2 minutes. Don't let them turn brown. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the leaves to to paper towels. Once they've cooled, you can cut large leaves into thirds or quarters using kitchen scissors. Don't shred the leaves and try to skimp on the sage...it's delicious, it brings the whole piece together, and each crostini should have an ample topping. Without enough of it, the appetizer's flavor is half of what it could be.

Mix together the ricotta and lemon zest, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep adding salt and pepper, tasting the ricotta as you go, until you think "This tastes good!" If you don't season it enough, it will taste bland.

TO SERVE: Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta on each crostini. Top each with some roasted squash. Drizzle crostini with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each crostini with about 2 fried sage leaves. Eat one, then add more salt and pepper if needed.

If you want to make some parts of this in advance, you can prepare the butternut squash, sage leaves and ricotta one day ahead. Refrigerate the squash and ricotta; store the sage at room temperature in an airtight container. Bring the squash to room temperature before preparing the appetizers.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Delicious Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2011-12-05T11:43:00.001-05:00

Picture of the BEST paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe out there.

After an exhausting (but not exhaustive) baking and taste testing of six paleo chocolate chip recipes a few weeks ago (that post is here), I set out to perfect a paleo chocolate chip recipe of my own - one that would hopefully offer a "less unhealthy" alternative to traditional chocolate chip cookies, but best match their flavor and appearance, using ingredients from the paleolithic diet.

For a starting point, I used a recipe closest in taste and appearance to a traditional chocolate chip cookie (Recipe #6 of my Paleo Cookie Recipe Comparison). Tasters of the original Recipe #6 griped about the oiliness, sweetness, and flavor of the oil, so I began testing changes to the recipe.

BakerGal's delicious paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe!

I made about 15 different batches, using each one to experiment with different sweeteners, oils, other ingredients (almond nut butter, cashew nut butter, hazelnut flour), and ratios until my taste testers and I were satisfied. For oil, I steered away from non-paleo options (canola oil, vegetable oil) and from paleo options that would introduce non-traditional flavors to my cookie (olive oil, coconut oil, walnut oil). Eventually, I settled on macadamia nut oil. Macadamia nut oil is rich and smooth with a pleasant flavor that doesn't interfere with the dominant cookie flavors. To sweeten the batter, I tested batches made with agave syrup, raw honey, and a homemade paste of dates. Extra dark chocolate chips helped temper the cloying sweetness tasters found unappetizing in the original recipe. I knew I had succeeded when one taster wandered through the kitchen, nabbed a cookie and ate it without realizing it was paleo.

In the process of making so many batches, I learned a few things that are important for the success of this cookie, including sweetener substitutions and measuring almond flour. I've noted these in the recipe notes of the final recipe below.

Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

BakerGal's Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Makes 16-20
5 oz (1 1/4 cups) very finely ground blanched almond flour (NOT Bob's Red Mill...see notes)
1/4 teaspoon salt (I know you're supposed to avoid salt, but this is seriously important for flavor)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup raw agave nectar (or 1/4 cup raw honey plus 1 to 2 tsp water. See below for date paste substitution.)

1/8 cup macademia nut oil (link goes to amazon)
1 tsp vanilla extract
A scant 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips. I used Guittard Extra Dark chocolate chips (63% cocoa and incredibly smooth). Using a darker chocolate (for example, the Guittard 72% Cacao Baking Discs) will make the cookies less sweet.

Heat oven to 325.
Mix almond flour, salt, and baking soda well. In a small bowl, mix agave nectar, Macadamia nut oil, and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing well. Add dark chocolate chips. Batter should be thick enough that you can roll a small ball between your palms and set it on the cookie sheet without it drooping or losing shape (see notes).
Make 16 - 20 small balls of paleo chocolate chip cookie dough and space them evenly on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the cookies down as flat as possible with the palm of your hand. This is important! The cookies will NOT spread out on their own.
Bake about 6 minutes. Watch closely and remove when the edges start to brown. . . they could be done at 4 minutes or at 8 minutes depending on the size of the cookie and your oven calibration.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Notes:

Almond Flour:

The brand of almond flour you use is important because you want a flour that is very finely ground, and this quality varies greatly across brands. Bob's Red Mill almond flour is not finely ground enough - I did a test batch and the cookie batter is too runny and ends up ugly with a grainy texture. Honeyville Farms (link goes to amazon) is the brand I used for the cookies pictured above and would recommend. If you can't find Honeyville Farms almond flour or macadamia nut oil, you can follow the links in the post to Amazon to purchase it, or you can visit the "store" section of the blog, where I've provided links to purchase them.

Measuring the almond flour by weight is much more precise than measuring by volume, so use a digital scale if you have one. Trying to measure almond flour by volume can lead to over- or under-measurement: if it is too packed or too fluffed-up you fit too much or two little of it into your measuring cup. If you don't have a scale and have to measure by volume, then do your best to gently spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight-edged knife. As a rule of thumb for this recipe, you should be able to roll the finished paleo chocolate chip cookie dough into a ball between your palms, and when you set it down it should keep its shape. Add a little more almond flour if it doesn't pass this test.

Sweetener substitutions:
I prefer agave syrup's flavor and performance in the recipe, but tested some substitutions:
Raw honey: It works just as well. I tried a batch that turned out looking almost identical, feeling a little bit chewier, and tasting faintly of honey.
Date paste: If you prefer "whole sugars" that come embodied in their originating fruit, I also tried a date paste that worked but yielded a slightly wetter cookie with slightly less traditional flavor. To make a date paste substitute, take 8 pitted dried dates and chop them very finely. Add 1/4 cup water to the chopped dates and heat in a pan or microwave, stirring frequently until they've softened and absorbed some of the water (about 30 seconds in the microwave, stirring every 10 minutes). Add water as needed to keep them hydrated and jam-like in consistency. Remove from heat and mash the dates as thoroughly as possible with a fork. Add another few teaspoons of water if needed and heat again briefly to further soften the mixture. Place the paste in a measuring cup. If you don't have 1/4 cup of date paste, add enough water to bring the mixture up to the 1/4 cup line. Proceed with recipe as written.

Macadamia nut oil:

It has a long unrefrigerated shelf life, but doesn't often fly off the shelf at your local supermarket, so those bottles may have been there for a while. Be sure to select a fresh bottle.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Baby Eggplant with Indian Spices (Bharvaan Baingan)

2011-11-28T13:06:00.001-05:00

Baby eggplant stuffed with Indian spices is great for eating, period. Soft, rich, and extremely flavorful, these are so unlike traditional western eggplant preparations that a single bite might change your mind about "hating" eggplant. The tiny egg-sized vegetables make for delightful snack-sized servings and are delicious eaten on their own. You can also throw them on a salad, serve them as a side or main course, or accompany them with long-grained rice and seasoned red lentils.

Simply make two cuts in the eggplant and fill it with a tangy, spicy, flavorful filling. There's no need to core or seed the vegetable. Cook in just a touch of oil along with pungent mustard seeds and curry leaves, and you really have something special when you're done. Grated coconut lends body to the filling and holds a quintet of turmeric, coriander, red chili, garlic and cumin; the moisture of tangy tamarind paste pulls it all together.

I made the recipe after snapping up some fun veggies at a produce wholesaler while in search of the last fresh figs of fall. Though disappointed to find that not a single fig seems to remain in the entire region, I was elated to find a wide variety of uncommon fruits and vegetables, including the egg-sized Indian eggplants and a bag of nerf football-sized banana flowers.

The eggplants pictured were not originally destined for the blogosphere...they were destined for my lunch plate. After having a single taste, though, I realized the recipe was too good not to share. It was going straight into my personal recipe book, and onto the site. Enjoy!

Recipe for Baby Eggplant Stuffed with Indian Spices (Bharvaan Baingan)
6 baby eggplants, each a bit larger than a large egg (often, you can find "Indian Eggplants" of exactly this size at a specialty produce mart, but any small eggplant should work)

Spice paste:
3 tbsp dried grated coconut (not sweetened)
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes or powder
1 tsp finely chopped garlic (one to two cloves)
1 tsp prepared tamarind paste (I use Tamicon brand)
1 tsp soy sauce
a few tsp of water, as needed, to create a thick paste
Salt to taste...for me this was 3/4 tsp

For cooking:
3/4 tsp black mustard seeds
6-8 curry leaves
3-4 tbsp olive oil or preferred cooking oil

To serve: Sprinkle with salt (to taste) and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Wash the baby eggplants, trim the stalks, and in each eggplant make two intersecting cuts to form a cross that goes about halfway through the eggplant.
Place spice filling ingredients in a bowl and mix. Add water, 1 tsp at a time, until you've created a thick paste. Add salt to taste.
Cram the spice paste into the cuts in the eggplants as best you can. I held the cut open, pressed the paste in, used a knife to push it down, and added some more. This worked pretty well.
Heat the oil in a pot or pan on medium to medium-low heat. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and cook till briefly..10-30 seconds. Carefully set the eggplants into the pot, cut side up. Some hot oil might splatter up at your arm, so wear long sleeves if that worries you.
Cook eggplants a few minutes cut side up, then carefully turn them on one side and let cook, turn to the other side and let cook, and finally flip them cut side down and let cook for a few minutes. Try not to let much of the filling fall out. If the eggplants are not done by the time you've reached this point, continue cooking and stirring occasionally in this manner until the eggplants are done. You will notice the skin of the eggplant change color and the flesh become softer.
To serve: Place in serving dish, sprinkle with salt (to taste) and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

This will make your home smell like an Indian restaurant. Consider yourself warned.

Happy Fall!

BakerGal

Halloween Finger Cookies

2011-11-20T11:38:00.001-05:00

Whether you call them witches' fingers, monsters' fingers, ladies' fingers or ogres' fingers, these Halloween cookies are a winning combination of gross looks and great tastes. A few people were squeamish about eating them, but I consider that an indication of a successful Halloween dessert.

I didn't know about these great cookies of my own accord. My cousin made some a few years ago and told me that I had to make them. I'm glad I finally did...they were a huge hit! In fact, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I'm thinking these might even look great along with the traditional spread. I can imagine four fingers and a thumb sticking out of a pumpkin pie, ready to grab the first person to take a slice!

I didn't shop around much for my creepy finger cookie recipe. There are quite a few on the internet, and I tried one of the first that I happened upon. It was pretty delicious: a sandy, shortbread-like cookie that was flavorful. I tried an eggless version out of curiosity, but I've posted in parentheses how to incorporate an egg since I know that egg replacer is not a standard pantry item in most homes.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that it's easy to tweak the various cookie aspects to make a uniquely monstrous dessert. You can try adding some food coloring to make creepier cookies, like green Frankenstein fingers. Or, try switching out the almond for a shelled pistachio if you want an uglier, mangled nail. You can even replace the red frosting for green, purple, or black icing if you want a "monster blood" look. I even made some zombie fingers when I accidentally broke a few fingers while they were still hot and then glued them back together with red icing. They were so cool that I went on to make some more on purpose.

Halloween Finger Recipe, based on recipe at Yeah, That "Vegan" Sh*t, makes about 2 dozen
1 cup margarine (or butter), softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1.5 tsp of Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 Tbsp warm water (or use one egg)
2 tsp of a flavored extract or combination of extracts of your choice (I used 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp orange extract, and 1/2 tsp almond extract)
2 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole raw almonds (Sliced almonds are cheaper than whole almonds, but they break more easily and are harder to work with. Or use raw shelled pistachios if you want nastier nails. )
Optional food coloring for fun effect (green = Frankenstein fingers)
1 tube red decorating gel or red decorating frosting

Preheat oven to 325F.
In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, EnerG egg replacer/water mix, and extracts.
Beat in the flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Break off small lumps of dough and roll each one into a cylinder. Gently pinch the dough cylinders to create thin bone areas and first and second knuckle areas. Use a butter knife to make the knuckle patterns. Press an almond firmly into the end of each finger cookie. An important note is that the dough expands while baking. If realistic witch fingers are important to you, try making a few test fingers before baking the whole batch.

Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they begin to brown on the bottom. Let cool for just a few minutes before lifting the almonds, squeezing red decorating gel/frosting underneath them, and pressing them back down.

Also, I froze half of the dough and found that it had no negative effect when I later thawed it, formed more fingers, and baked them.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Recipe for Pita Chips

2011-11-13T16:20:00.001-05:00

This is a companion post to the Labneh (Yogurt Cheese) Recipe. As much as I liked the labneh, I think more people were excited about the pita chips. Not only did I have an endless pita chip supply, but they were crunchy, toasty, salty, and seasoned with delicious spices.

At least one person remarked that they hadn't realized you could make your own pita chips at home. That remark surprised me...because all you do to make pita chips is take pita bread and toast it (unless you want to make your own pita bread at home, which is also possible...and delicious). I'm not sure how this kind of disconnect between pita bread and pita chip happens. Maybe alienation from the food-making process through exposure to packaged, readymade food products? Again, not sure.

In any case, these were really good, and you CAN make them at home. The recipe is below!

Recipe for Pita Chips
12 pita breads
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic salt (or more, to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or more, to taste)

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Cut each pita bread into 8 triangles and place the triangles in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the oil, pepper, salt, and basil.
Pour the oil mixture over the pita breads. Turn the breads over with your hands and mix them thoroughly until each bread is coated in oil. Be sure to rotate the bread triangles from the bottom of the bowl to the top and vice versa while mixing. Place triangles on lined cookie sheet.
Bake them in the preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Keep a close eye on the chips - they burn easily.

Serve them with hummus or the dip of your choice.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Halloween Dessert Ideas: Eyeball Cake Balls

2011-11-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hooray for creepy Halloween dessert ideas!

As far as Halloween desserts go, eyeball cake balls hold a special place in my. . . skull. They're gross looking, but these edible eyeballs are really tasty. Most importantly, you don't have to explain to anyone what they are supposed to be: Halloween eyeballs. You might have to explain what's in them, though, before anyone will venture a bite.

The idea for edible eyeballs came from a friend who forwarded me the recipe for forkable's rice crispy peanut butter eyes. But after a little brainstorming, it occurred to me that a much grosser version of the eyeball cake would have a moist red interior: red velvet cake! Gross and nasty! Wonderful!

Fact: I was so proud of this idea. I was so excited! I called my mom so that she would tell me how awesome I was.

Fact: A single search of the internet told me that a few other people have had this idea, too. Oh well. Great minds think alike? Besides, let's focus on craftsmanship. I think I bring a special level of finesse to edible Halloween eyeballs.

Gruesome red-velvet cake ball interior...best Halloween desserts ever!

Okay, so you want to know what's in these things? Let's talk details, kids. Time for an anatomy lesson.

Anatomy of Eyeball Cake Balls:

The outside: White chocolate coating

The inside: Red velvet cake ball using cream cheese frosting to hold it together

The pupil: M&M

The blood vessels: Red food coloring painted on using the broken half of a toothpick

Halloween dessert ideas: cake balls recipe turns into edible eyeballs.

What do people think when you serve a plate of Halloween eyeballs? Some people become ecstatic and hold them in front of their eyes. Some people are so sickened by this gross Halloween food that they can't bring themselves to try a single tiny eye cake.

Those people are missing out. These are delicious! They're sweet and moist, and the combination of red velvet cake, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate goes down great with a glass of witches' brew.

The main eyeball cake ball recipe drawback is that the eyes take a while to make. Forget about making the family cake recipe from scratch...bust out the cake mix and ready-made frosting for this project. Don't have red velvet cake mix on hand? No worries. I made one batch with vanilla cake mix, added 2 oz of red food coloring to each, and called it good. They turned out as well as the red velvet eyes did.

The "blood clot" in the middle eye happened when some of the frosting-y cake melted after I dipped it in the hot white chocolate coating. Yay for gross Halloween food ideas!

Imagine all the fun things you could do with a plate full of these!

Drumroll please.....

Gross Halloween Cake: Eyeball Cake Balls Recipe

Cake Balls Recipe

One 18.25 oz box red velvet cake and ingredients called for on the box

3/4 of a 16 oz container of ready-made cream cheese frosting

Food-safe plastic gloves

Bake the cake according to directions and let cool completely.
Once cooled, crumble it into a large bowl or large tupperware, making sure no large bits remain. One method to quickly crumble cake is to rub two chunks of it together.
Scoop 3/4 of the container of frosting into the cake and mix thoroughly using a spoon. The rest of the frosting isn't going to get used. Enjoy it.
Put plastic gloves on now, because you'll end up with red hands if you don't.
Next step: "Roll your eyes," hardy-har-har. Roll the cake into eyeball-sized balls, place on a wax paper or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or freeze for 15 minutes.
While they are chilling, prepare the chocolate coating.

White Chocolate Coating Recipe

1/2 bar (~2 oz) edible paraffin wax

2 12-oz bags white chocolate chips

toothpicks and a spoon

Melt the paraffin wax in the microwave.
Pour the hot wax over the chocolate chips and melt the whole ensemble until smooth using a method of your choice: Either place it in a pan over low heat, use a double boiler, or microwave it. In any case, be sure to stir frequently and heat carefully, as the mixture can burn easily.
Once the chocolate mixture is melted and smooth, take a few eyeballs out of the fridge or freezer.
My preferred method for dunking these treats was to drop them in the coating, fish them out with a spoon, stick a toothpick into them, and transfer via toothpick to a wax paper-coated cookie sheet.
Only dunk one eye at a time, and have the M&Ms at the ready, because the coating hardens quickly.

Pupils & Blood Vessels

1 medium or large bag of M&Ms

Red food coloring

Press an M&M into the middle of the eyeball to make the pupil.
Once you're done with all the eyes, draw the blood vessels: Break a toothpick in half to provide a wider "brush" surface to paint with, dip it in a dish or cup that contains several drops of red food coloring, and paint away!

These edible halloween eyeballs were so popular, I'm tempted to make them again, even before next Halloween hits. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, you know...

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies: Comparing 6 Recipes

2011-10-24T00:06:00.000-04:00

Each paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe is represented above in succession beginning with Recipe 1 and ending with Recipe 6.

After undertaking (and succeeding at) the challenge of designing a delicious "paleo brownie" recipe for a friend, I decided it was time to tackle paleo chocolate chip cookies. (After testing these six paleo cookie recipes, I created my own very tasty paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe.)

My ultimate goal is to deliver a cookie that looks and tastes as close as possible to a traditional chocolate chip cookie but does not step far outside the bounds of the paleo way of eating. That means excluding most refined oils (other than nut oils, olive oil, and coconut oil) and refined sugars (though many of the paleo cookie recipes break this), dairy (other than a few eggs), and flour or other domesticated and refined grains and legumes. For a longer description of what people generally consider "paleo," you can refer to the post in which I compared 5 paleo brownie recipes.

Before recipe-smithing on the fly, I wanted to get a sense of the existing recipe landscape. I searched for what looked like to the top paleo chocolate chip cookie recipes on the internet and tested them. The results are below, along with a photo and link corresponding to each paleo cookie recipe I reviewed. I've included notes on flavor and appearance based on my own observations and the help of three tasters.

In the coming weeks, I'll develop my own (hopefully) better recipe taking the best of what I've learned from these and traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes. Again, my goal for this future cookie is to get as close as possible to the traditional chocolate chip cookie in appearance and taste. Keep your eyes peeled for that upcoming post! NOTE: Done and done. . . I crafted my own delicious paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe based on what I learned from the six paleo cookie recipes below and trial-and-error recipe tweaking.

Finally, though some of the cookie recipes below may not be up to modern gustatory standards, any cave man would prefer them to rotting meat!

Recipe 1: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Paleo Project

Flavor: After hearing me list the ingredients and then taking a bite, one taster commented with surprise: "I don't dislike it!" Not too sweet, but not bland, the other tasters described it as a "less sweet chocolate chip cookie." All of us thought it was sweet enough to be palatable, without being as sweet as a standard cookie. I balked, though, at the recipe's lack of salt. According to my taste, a hint of salt is one of the key characteristics of a classic chocolate chip cookie.
Texture: These cookies are surprisingly lightweight - maybe half the weight of a similar sized standard chocolate chip cookie - and not very durable. My tasters described the texture as "okay," "muffiny," and "grainy." One taster likened it to a "cupcake cookie" similar to the cookies that can be made using funfetti cake mix. I thought the inside of the cookie had a kind of pasty, wet texture (maybe from coconut milk?) that I didn't care for.
Appearance: They look rugged, like they're made out of processed granola. The first few batches held their shape like biscuits, so I flattened the last batch before baking to make them look more normal. You would not mistakenly reach for one thinking it was a normal chocolate chip cookie.
Overall: I was skeptical about the lack of sugar (sweetness comes only from dates, chocolate chips, and 1/2 Tbs honey), but this was plenty sweet and pretty good! I didn't care, though, for the light texture. Still, at least one taster preferred this recipe to recipe 5, which yields a cookie that is more standard in taste and texture.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe from The Paleo Project
Notes: for the coconut milk beverage, I used SO Delicious brand
I omitted the cinnamon called for, because it isn't a standard flavor in choco chip cookies
I couldn't find medjool dates, so I used 6 deglet dates
For me, this made ~24 cookies that took 15 minutes to bake

Recipe 2: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Food Lovers' Primal Palate

Flavor: This tastes more like a standard chocolate chip cookie, and more like a cookie in general, than the results of recipe 1. One taster mentioned that he wouldn't have known it was a "specialty" cookie. While the coconut flavor comes through, the maple flavor is not very noticeable. (Note: One blog reader commented that she did not find the coconut flavor to be overwhelming, even though she hates coconut. She also adds an additional half teaspoon of salt to the recipe, which may impact the overall flavor).

Texture: Cakier than a standard chocolate chip cookie. While the batter seems too wet and oily at first, it dries out while baking. Still, I found the cookie center to have a slightly pasty, wet texture, so perhaps err on the side of baking these longer rather than shorter.

Appearance: These look a lot more like chocolate chip cookies than most of the other recipes, but they need to be pressed flat before baking to achieve the standard cookie look, as they spread very little while baking. A few tasters noted that the exterior is not like a normal chocolate chip cookie...it is shiny/glossy (We're guessing that the maple syrup caused the glossiness). The cookies are also more yellow than standard.

Overall: Tasters thought it was good, but didn't rave about it. Based on taster comments, this could pass as a regular cookie recipe, but not as a regular chocolate chip cookie. Also, I'm not sure maple syrup fits the bill for most who eat paleo foods, since it's not much different from refined granulated sugar in terms of sugar content.

Recipe:
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Food Lovers' Primal Palate
Notes: For almond flour, see notes under recipes 5 and 6 on the best brands to use.
I used 1 tsp salt as the recipe called for, but one reader suggests upping this to a total of 1.5 tsp.
I baked for 12 min, this made about 36 cookies.

Recipe 3: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from Regina on the Elana's Pantry Forum

Flavor: Taster comments included: "smells and tastes like there are oats in it," "does not taste like a chocolate chip cookie." I thought this tasted pretty good, but was maybe just a little too sweet.

Texture: In terms of approximating a cookie, I thought this was the least offensive texture so far. Tasters described the texture as "gingerbready," "loaf-like," and "crunchiness" at the bottom of the cookie. I found the cookies to be soft, again somewhat wet inside but not undercooked, and crispy on the bottom. The batter is denser and dryer than any of the other recipes I tested (though the resulting cookies were not dry) and looks much more like traditional cookie dough.

Appearance: Because of the palm sugar, these are much darker than normal chocolate chip cookies: "looks like pumpkin bread"was one taster's assessment. I had to press these cookies flat before baking to help them be cookie-shaped.

Overall: This could also probably pass as a real cookie - but not a standard chocolate chip cookie. Also, I haven't looked into the use of palm sugar in the paleo diet. According to the manufacturer packaging, palm sugar ranks lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar. I plan to do a little more reading about sugars and oils before working on my final recipe.

Recipe:
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from Regina on the Elana's Pantry Forum
Notes: The recipe calls for 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut flour. Just use 1/2 cup...way easier and no big difference.
I added 1/2 tsp salt, since the recipe mentions adding salt in the instructions, but not in the ingredient list. The recipe also calls for 8 tablespoons refined coconut oil. That is equivalent to 1/2 cup, incase you don't want to measure each tablespoon out individually!
For me, these took only 8-10 min to bake, not the 13 min called for. Watch closely! The recipe made ~24 cookies.

Recipe 4: Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies from Fitness Fail

Flavor: Tasters described this as "bland," and "yuck." It tasted a lot like bread with chocolate chips in it. I was again surprised that there was no salt in the recipe, but even more surprised to see that there was no oil. :(

Texture: The texture is also very much like bread: both cake-y and springy.

Appearance: These do look something like a chocolate chip cookie...more than recipe 1 or 3. Again, I pressed them flat before baking. Still, they ended up looking kind of rough and pointy where parts of the dough had failed to melt down under the heat (due to the structure from the high-fiber coconut flour and lack of temperature-sensitive fats)

Overall: This was the least-liked cookie recipe. Nobody cared much for it, either as a stand-alone cookie recipe, or as a stand-in for a real chocolate chip cookie. Still, here it is for the curious:

Recipe:
Paleo(ish) Chocolate Chip Cookies from Fitness Fail

Notes: The recipe calls for splenda/honey/sugar. I tried using Splenda/fake sugar once in a baked good, and it was AWFUL, just AWFUL, bitter and nasty. So, I used palm sugar that was left over from the previous recipe, hoping to maintain moisture ratios called for in this recipe. For me, this recipe made about 12-16 cookies.

Recipe 5: Paleo Cookies Based on Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Elana's Pantry

Note: I changed this recipe quite a bit from the Elana's Pantry version. Skip ahead to Recipe 6 for a better attempt at the recipe.
Flavor: All tasters, myself included, were put off by the taste imparted by the oil that I used (walnut). While the original recipe called for grapeseed oil, most paleo experts are rabidly opposed to using grapeseed oil, so I was trying to use a paleo-friendly oil that wouldn't impart cookie-unfriendly flavors. Walnut oil might actually work fine...I think I just need to use less of it. Otherwise, there were no negative comments on the taste.

Texture: "Soft," "limp," and "oily" were comments from tasters.

Appearance: This and recipe 6 looked the most like real chocolate chip cookies, but there was so much oil in this (my fault) that the cookies looked wet and translucent. Gross!

Overall: I failed in a few ways with this recipe: First by trying to replace the butter with an equivalent amount of oil...which turned out to be too much oil, secondly by using an oil that had too strong a taste, and finally, I may have under-measured the almond flour by using a measuring cup. I weighed the almond flour in Recipe 6 in order to make sure I had an accurate measurement. If you're trying to decide whether to make recipe 5 or 6, make recipe 6. Recipe 6 comes straight from Elana's Pantry as a dairy-free recipe, calling slightly less oil, and it works better as a result.)

Recipe:
Based on Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Elana's Pantry
Note: I changed this recipe from the Elana's Pantry version by using a different fat, which may have resulted in a less tasty cookie than if you follow it to the word. Instead of butter, I used walnut oil (1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs), a more paleo-friendly oil, as I had hoped it wouldn't impart strong flavors like olive oil and coconut oil do. This made about 36 cookies.

As for almond flours, don't use Bob's Red Mill brand...it's too coarse. Use one of Elana's recommended brands: http://www.elanaspantry.com/ingredients/blanched-almond-flour/

Also, if you have a scale, measure this by ingredient weight for best accuracy. 1 cup blanched almond flour = 4 oz by weight, so 2.5 cups = 10 oz by weight.)

Recipe 6: Paleo Cookies Based on Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Elana's Pantry

Note: I followed this recipe closely, only exchanging grapeseed oil for a nut oil.
Flavor: Salt was doubled in this recipe compared to Recipe 5, and most tasters thought it was an improvement. One taster thought these were a great variant on a traditional soft chocolate chip cookie. However, some tasters thought that the walnut oil imparted a flavor that just didn't work. I would suggest a different type of oil, or less oil. While the original recipe called for grapeseed oil, most paleo experts are rabidly opposed to using grapeseed oil, so I was trying to use a paleo-friendly oil that wouldn't impart cookie-unfriendly flavors. Otherwise, there were no negative comments on the taste.

Texture: Like a soft chocolate chip cookie, but a bit oily. Tasters used adjectives like "soft," "limp," and "oily" to describe these cookies. Most objected to the oiliness, but one taster thought they were a great soft cookie.

Appearance: For one taster, this cookie conjured up memories of Mrs. Field's cookies in terms of look. Of all the cookie recipes tested, this one looked the most like a standard chocolate chip cookie. I pressed down on the top of these cookies before baking to help them flatten.

Overall: These were the most like regular chocolate chip cookies in terms of appearance and taste, but all six tasters objected to the amount of oil. I thought the oiliness might be due to an inaccuracy in measuring (The first time around, I measured by volume using a measuring cup, which can make it easy to over- or under-measure). However, I made the recipe again and weighed the almond flour with a digital scale. The result was improved, but still too oily. Aside from oiliness, this would be one of the more promising recipes.

Recipe:
Based on Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Elana's Pantry

Notes: Don't use Bob's Red Mill brand...too coarse. Use one of Elana's recommended brands: http://www.elanaspantry.com/ingredients/blanched-almond-flour/

Also, if you have a scale, measure this by ingredient weight for best accuracy. 1 cup blanched almond flour = 4 oz by weight, so 2.5 cups = 10 oz by weight)

The recipe calls for grapeseed oil. I used walnut, a more paleo-friendly oil, as I had hoped it wouldn't impart strong flavors like other paleo friendly oils (olive oil and coconut oil) do.

This recipe made ~36 cookies.

I hope some of you find these reviews of paleo cookie recipes helpful in your own search for the best paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Again, if you want to see the recipe I formulated after learning from the above recipes, you can find it here. I used what I learned about the ingredients and outcomes of these recipes to make a final paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe that best approximates the standard chocolate chip cookie we all know and love!

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Labneh (Yogurt Cheese) with Pita Chips

2011-10-12T14:46:00.000-04:00

Ever wish you could make a rich, creamy dip that was also healthy?

Labneh (also known as lebni or labni) is a homemade yogurt cheese. It's a common middle eastern food, and similar preparations can be found elsewhere including in Greece, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. It's also a common Tajikistan food. After a friend of mine raved about this homemade cheese, I set out to make some myself!

Labneh is very easy to make and delicious. Yogurt imparts the dominant flavors: tart, light, and fresh. Extra virgin olive oil poured on top adds a contrasting grassy, herbaceous note. My preferred mode of transit to mouth: a baked pita chip seasoned with salt, olive oil, and herbs.

Yogurt cheese is just about the easiest homemade cheese you can make. Enjoy it as a middle eastern dip.

Requiring little more than yogurt and salt, this healthy dip is easy to make: strain yogurt to remove the whey, resulting in a thicker yogurt. The longer you let it strain, the thicker it becomes. The result is a soft, fresh cheese that you can use in a variety of ways: packed in olive oil, as a dip, as a substitute for sour cream or cream cheese, served with honey à la greek yogurt, or used as an ingredient in sweet or savory dishes.

Olive oil is an important condiment when serving labneh. One of the more traditional preparations is to roll the cheese into small, walnut-sized balls and then store them in extra virgin olive oil. I opted for another common (and much easier) route: put it in a bowl. Even when served as a dip, though, the cheese is given a dose of olive oil before being sprinkled with herbs (crushed mint, powdered sumac, za'atar, thyme and garlic are all common accompaniments, depending on your country of reference).

Labneh recipes work by straining yogurt for several days until it thickens.

Labneh cheese, when unseasoned, tastes similar to greek yogurt.

You can serve this middle eastern yogurt cheese with olive oil, pita chips, and olives.

In the photos above, I've catalogued my approach to decorating the dip: garlic, herb, and oil-packed olives add some color in the top photo, paprika and olive oil top the dip in the second photo, and oil-packed sun dried tomatoes garnish the center of the dip in the bottom photo.

Not able to find za'tar to garnish the yogurt cheese, I had hoped to use powdered sumac - it has a beautiful red color and an acidic fruity tartness - but didn't have the time to track down a supply of that, either. Instead, I used paprika - the nearest thing in terms of color, and flavorful in its own right.

Also, although I had wanted to use whole milk yogurt, the yogurt fairy brought me nonfat yogurt. I was sad to lose the delicious fatty richness of whole yogurt and was worried that I would end up with a runny mess, but it worked fine! So if you prefer a low-fat cheese, go with it.

I strained the yogurt for three days to achieve the consistency seen above.

Labneh Recipe (Yogurt Cheese)

Equipment:
Sieve large enough to hold 1 quart of yogurt
Bowl to hold sieve
Sterile cloth napkin, paper towel, or cheesecloth folded until it is 4 or more layers thick (I tried all three options, and preferred using a cloth napkin. Layers of paper towel worked, too, but I kept worrying that they would break.)
Rubber band

Ingredients:
1 quart yogurt
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp salt (err on the 1/2 tsp side if you'd like to use it as a dessert)
Extra virgin olive oil
Za'atar/powdered sumac, or paprika
Fresh herbs of your choice
Olives and pita bread, if served as a dip

1) Line the sieve with a sterile cloth napkin, paper towel, or folded cheesecloth, and set the lined sieve in a bowl that will catch the whey as it drains.
2) Mix yogurt and salt thoroughly and pour into lined sieve. Gather edges of your sieve liner and secure them together with rubber band.
3) Let sit in fridge 24 to 72 hours depending on the consistency you prefer. If you're not sure how long this will take, open the sieve liner and check consistency at 24 hour intervals until it reaches the desired thickness. Labneh will keep for one to two weeks in the refrigerator.
4) To serve as a dip, place in dish and top with olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika or za'atar and fresh herbs, serve with pita bread and olives.

Note: If you can find a way to hang the sieve liner from a hook so that it is suspended above the bowl, you can ditch the sieve and the labneh will strain much faster. One suggestion is to place a wooden spoon handle across a tall container and hang the filled sieve liner from the handle using a rubber band.

This labneh recipe makes a delicious yogurt dip and an easy homemade cheese.

My friends loved the baked pita chip recipe, so I'll share that with you, too: Crispy Baked Pita Chip Recipe.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Gin and Tonic Cake Recipe (Key Lime Cake Base)

2011-10-03T01:46:00.000-04:00

Gin and tonic, a key lime cake, and a little imagination.

It all began when I had the idea to make the cake of all cakes: something unexpected, exciting, inebriating! "Life changing?" you ask. Maybe even that: I wanted to make a gin & tonic cake. A GIN AND TONIC CAKE! Are you excited? Should I repeat again in all caps?

For such an outstanding idea, though, I was surprised that I couldn't find any recipes online that fit my criteria. All I wanted was a towering key lime cake (and classy, too...i.e. ditch the intense green food coloring), soaked in a syrup of gin, tonic and lime juice, with a similarly flavored light cream cheese frosting. Is that so much to ask for? Really, internet. I decided to step it up.

The top of each key lime cake layer is soaked in a gin syrup.

To build my own dream gin cake I'd have to piece together each element on my own. This risky and time-consuming approach was an overall success, but I won't lie...all did not go as planned.

Happily, it was tasty. Sadly, it didn't change my life...and somehow (also sadly?) I did think that a cocktail in cake form might change my life. One friend summed up the main problem in a nutshell: "I can taste the gin and tonic now that you tell me it's there."

I don't want to have to obtain a liquor license to serve this cake, but I do want it to have a gin and tonic flavor that's loud and clear. What to do? More gin? More tonic? Add juniper berries to the batter? Only time and more tweaking will tell.

There were other problems, too, explained below. For daring bakers and those readers who are just curious, I provide the recipes and what I thought about the outcome of each of the cake components.

I'd still call it an overall success: it was a pretty awesome idea to bring to life, was much admired by those who consumed it, and made a tasty lime-flavored cake that did have a noticeable, if not totally obvious, gin and tonic flavor.

The gin and tonic cake frosting is cream cheese based, flavored with key lime zest.

The frosting used cream cheese, whipped cream and gin and tonic syrup. Delicious, but not sturdy enough.

THE RESULTS?
Gin and Tonic Cake layers: I was happy with it. The key lime cake recipe cooked faster than I expected (the original recipe suggested 25 minutes, but the layers cooked more quickly). As a result, it may have turned out a bit dry - nothing that a little bit of cocktail poured on top couldn't fix.

Gin and tonic syrup: This turned out fine, but I want something stronger so that the flavor of the cake's namesake cocktail is unambiguous. Next time around, I would omit the water and instead dissolve the sugar in lime juice to make the simple syrup. I might even omit the sugar - there's plenty in the cake and frosting as it is.

Gin Frosting: I took some liberties with the frosting, and all did not go well. I wanted a cream cheese-based frosting that wasn't as dense as real cream cheese frosting. Solution? Adding whipping cream sounded right to me. Then I also added gin and tonic syrup, because that seemed important. The result was just a little too runny. Next time, I'd try sour cream instead of whipping cream.

The gin and tonic cake as a whole: It was okay, but still needs some tweaking. I'm providing the recipes below for my own record and for those who are curious. It's definitely worth trying to improve upon.

Future tweaking: Keep the key lime cake recipe, cut the water from the gin and tonic syrup, use sour cream instead of whipped cream in the frosting. If you try your hand at your own version of a gin and tonic cake, definitely drop me a line! I'd be curious to hear your approach and how it turned out.

The key lime cake recipe was sturdy and flavorful.

Key Lime Cake Recipe for Gin & Tonic Cake

(Makes three 8-inch rounds)

After surfing the interwebs for a while, I settled on an Epicurious recipe for a key lime cake recipe that had good reviews. It looked like the cake would be sturdy enough to handle being drenched in gin and tonic syrup while living up to my flavor expectations.

I made several changes to their key lime cake recipe: I doubled the recipe, incorporated all of the lime zest into the batter, omitted the lime glaze, and replaced the self-rising flour with a combination of regular flour, baking powder and salt.

3 sticks butter, room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup milk

Zest and juice from 6 large limes (or about 12 Key Limes)

(Set ~2 Tbsp lime zest aside for frosting and ~1 Tbs zest for garnish, use remainder of zest for batter, set aside juice for syrup)

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 2/3 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 1/3 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch round baking pan, and place buttered parchment paper rounds in the bottom of each pan. Using electric mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar in large bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in milk, lime juice, and zest (set aside 3 Tbsp zest for frosting), then beat in flour. Batter will be very thick. Pour batter into the cake pans and level the batter. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. For me, this was about 15-20 minutes.

Gin and Tonic Syrup for Key Lime Cake

To get that authentic gin & tonic flavor, I felt that I needed to make a huge gin & tonic and incorporate it into both the cake and the frosting. I looked to those who had gone before me in this territory, and deferred to a recipe for gin & tonic syrup used to soak a white chocolate sheet cake.

100 g sugar

100 ml water

200 ml gin

400 ml tonic water

100 ml lime juice (or juice from appx 6 large limes or 12 key limes)

Dissolve the sugar in the water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Combine the cooled syrup with the gin, tonic water and lime juice. I soaked each layer of the cake liberally with the syrup as I assembled the cake, added a 1/4 cup to the frosting, and still had some syrup left over.

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Frosting with Lime and Gin

This frosting has both a detectable cream cheese flavor and a light texture, but it is not as sturdy as I would have liked. I suppose that's not too surprising, since I came up with the recipe on the fly. I would not recommend using it to make this cake, but for the record, here's what I did:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature 

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 Tbsp lime zest

1/4 cup G & T syrup

2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until fully combined. Add sugar, zest, gin and tonic syrup and whipping cream, and switch out paddle attachment for the whisk attachment. Beat on high until the frosting holds peaks.

As mentioned above, this frosting is not so sturdy; I had to chill it to help it thicken up a bit. I then frosted the cake and set it in the freezer for an hour or so until it was time for dessert, just to be sure that frosting wouldn't ooze out.

In the future, I'd remove the heavy whipping cream and instead add 2 cups of sour cream. I'm guessing I'd need to double the frosting recipe to cover the cake since I would lose a lot of volume by omitting the whipping cream.

I'm not sure when I'll try version two of the gin and tonic cake recipe, but I will be sure to share when I do! Again, let me know if you've ever tried something similar or have any ideas!

BakerGal

Salted Caramel and Vanilla Cheesecake Recipe

2011-09-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

This delicious salted caramel cheesecake with a shortbread cookie crust is really good!

The vanilla, shortbread and caramel flavors are wonderful together, their sweetness offset by a tangy sour cream topping and DELIGHTFUL sprinkling of salt. Set it on the table and witness a disappearing act that requires no slight of hand.

What else is great? It's a cheesecake with ricotta *and* cream cheese. This means it has a fluffier texture than cheesecakes that use only cream cheese and a smoother texture than those that use only ricotta.

Plus, if your cheesecakes often crack on the top despite loving care and precautions, the sweetened sour cream layer covers up everything beautifully. I'm definitely planning to use this trick on my next cheesecake malfunction.

What's not great? The original recipe uses the metric system, so the conversion results in unusual measurements (like 1.4 cups). I've made careful conversions below for those in the US.

This salted caramel cheesecake recipe makes a dessert that's rich without being too dense.

Salted Caramel & Vanilla Cheesecake Recipe

Adapted from cheesecake recipe at donnahay.com

Ingredients:

500g shortbread cookies (I used Keebler Sandies Shortbread Cookies. A 12.8 oz box is 363 grams, so you need 1.38 boxes)
1/2 cup (60g) almond meal

2/3 cup (150g) melted butter

1.4 cups (350g) ricotta cheese

2.2 8-oz blocks (500g) cream cheese

1 cup (175g) brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup (this UK product can be found at Whole Foods in US)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup (250ml) half & half (also known as "single cream" or "pouring cream")

1 cup (240g) sour cream

1 tablespoon sifted powdered sugar

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup (250ml) half & half, (also known as "single cream" or "pouring cream")

1/4 cup (60g) butter, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 cup (175g) brown sugar

Flake salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Process the shortbread cookies and almond meal in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then add the butter and process a bit more to combine. Press the mixture into a greased 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Place the ricotta and cream cheese in an electric mixer bowl and beat for 5–6 minutes or until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for 3–4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the golden syrup, salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Combine well, and pour into the shortbread cookie crust. Place the cake pan in a baking dish. Pour enough boiling water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove the vanilla cheesecake from the baking dish and let it cool. Refrigerate for about 3 hours in the cake pan.

Place the cream, sour cream, powdered sugar and remaining teaspoon of vanilla in an electric mixer bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Top the vanilla cheesecake with the cream, and either serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.

To make the caramel sauce: Place the cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, and cook for 5–7 minutes or until it has thickened. Set aside to cool.

To serve: Slice the vanilla cheesecake, drizzle with caramel sauce, and sprinkle with salt.

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Strawberries and Cream Popsicle Recipe

2011-09-19T20:29:00.000-04:00

Mmm! Delicious frozen strawberries and cream popsicles!

These berries and cream popsicles are a quick and easy dessert to prepare, and can be made with any type of berry. They're not as sweet as the Cookies and Cream Popsicle Recipe I made recently, but are still full of flavor. In this recipe, I used homemade whipped cream for the base and added sour cream to give it a tangy bite (compared to Cool Whip and cream cheese in the Cookies and Cream Popsicle Recipe). You can substitute the strawberries for raspberries to get raspberries and cream pops.

This frozen strawberry dessert recipe makes delicious creamy berry pops.

Brutal honesty: I liked the Cookies and Cream Popsicles better. I think the creamy base was smoother, tastier and sweeter. My hunch is that homemade whipped cream does not freeze as smoothly as Cool Whip does. The next time I'm faced with hot weather, I'll have to whip up another batch of these cream pops using the Cool Whip base from the Cookies & Cream Popsicle recipe. I think it will result in a creamy popsicle with a smoother texture. More easy and delicious desserts! Exciting!

It's a quick and easy dessert recipe that's perfect for a hot day.

In other exciting news, I just got some land to plant a garden on (about 10 feet by 17 feet). It's getting cold out, but no worries - I planted some cold-weather vegetable seeds. Let's hope they grow into something before frost hits! Send optimism/heating lamps my way, please.

Berries and cream come together in this easy popsicle recipe.

Strawberries and Cream Popsicle Recipe

Makes about 18 dixie cup popsicles

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
4 T sifted powdered sugar
1.5 cups strawberries or other berries (either fresh berries that you've mashed a bit, or frozen berries).
Additional powdered sugar to taste, as needed

3-oz dixie cups

Popsicle sticks

In a large bowl, beat the sour cream until soft. Add the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar and beat on high with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in the berries (I used frozen sweetened strawberries in syrup in one batch and frozen raspberries in another). Because berries vary in sweetness, and some frozen berries may or may not have added sugar, the batter may benefit from more sweetness; Give it a little taste and add more powdered sugar as needed. Pour/spoon into paper cups and add the popsicle sticks. Freeze the berries and cream pops for at least 4 hours, or until firm.

OR if you want a base that is even thicker and sweeter and freezes into a soft solid, you can use the "cream" recipe from Cookies and Cream Popsicles - I haven't tried it with berries, but I have a hunch that it will be tasty.

Berries and cream pops make a delicious frozen strawberry dessert.

Fall is here now, so no more popsicles!
BakerGal

Easy Cookies and Cream Popsicle Recipe

2011-09-11T22:51:00.000-04:00

These cookies and cream Oreo pops should hold a special place in your "Cool Whip recipes" file.

These Oreo pops are a WIN! They're delicious, and criminally rich compared to last week's melon popsicles. Basic popsicle recipe: Oreos and cool whip get into a delicious brawl. You freeze the action and eat it.

This recipe is also a good way to let out some frustration and sooth the nerves. Step first: Smash up a bunch of Oreo cookies. Step last: eat popsicles until you feel better. All around great program for emotional repair, should you need any.

Cookies and Cream Popsicle Recipe...a creamy popsicle that's easy to make.

In any case, these Oreo pops turned out wonderfully and my guests were very happy. They disappeared quickly, too (the cookies and cream popsicles, not the guests). Reasons? 1) Delicious, and 2) Cool Whip's mystery ingredients keep them bite-ably soft, so you can chow down instead of nibbling patiently.

This Oreo popsicles recipe is an easy cool whip dessert that tastes delicious.

Not all dixie cup popsicle recipes make pops that are easy to get out of the dixie cups. With these ones, it's simple: You just grab the edge of the dixie cup and tear it away.

Cookies and Cream Pops Recipe (Oreo Pops)

Adapted from peanut butter oreo popsicle recipe at passthesushi.com
1 container cool whip, thawed
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
18-22 Oreos (more or less...just follow your heart)
1T sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
3oz dixie cups and popsicle sticks or plastic spoons
OR popsicle molds
Makes about 20-24 3oz popsicles

Put the Oreo cookies in a ziplock bag and destroy them with something until they're broken into medium-large chunks. Put all of the chunks in a pasta strainer that has pretty big holes in it, and sift out the fine cookie dust. Save the dust for later. Sifting helps you in two ways: 1) It keeps the "cream" part of the popsicle from turning gray when you mix everything together, and 2) You can save the fine dust for decorating the top of the pops before you freeze them.

Stick the cream cheese in the microwave if you need to soften it up a bit more. Then, put it in an electric mixer with sugar and vanilla and whip until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip, then fold in the cookie chunks.

Fill your popsicle molds or dixie cups. I used 3oz paper dixie cups, and the mixture was thick, so I had to carefully fill the cups to avoid trapping air bubbles (as a result, this recipe takes longer to make than last week's pour-n-freeze melon popsicles). Add the popsicle sticks or plastic spoons - the batter is thick enough to hold them up - then pour fine cookie crumbs on top of each popsicle and press down a bit so they stick.

Freeze these for at least 4 hours for best results, though they'll never get rock solid. To remove the dixie cups, just peel them off.

This Cookies and Cream Popsicle Recipe makes a delicious, creamy popsicle.

If you liked this recipe, you might also like these other two popsicle recipes:

Fresh Melon Popsicle Recipe

Berries and Cream Popsicle Recipe

Enjoy!

BakerGal

Melon Popsicle Recipe (Paleo)

2011-09-05T14:23:00.000-04:00

The variety of melons in this recipe makes for bright, colorful fruit pops.

These colorful popsicles look so cheerful! At least, they did...until they started melting into puddles during my photo shoot. Eight fruit pops were harmed during the production of this blog post...

Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and a hint of citrus -- that's all it takes to whip up a batch of cool and colorful frozen treats for the afternoon. This melon popsicle recipe is so easy and so quick to make. It would be tons of fun for kids to try.

For the cantaloupe and watermelon, I used lemon juice and threw in a little zest, too - so refreshing! I did the same with lime for the honeydew pops. My personal fave? The cantaloupe pops. They had a smoother texture than the other two melon ice pops.

These healthy popsicles are easy to make and use 100% fruit.

These fruit popsicles appeal to a wide range of specialty eating needs. There's no added sugar, which makes for a very healthy popsicle. And, because they are made from 100% fruit, they count as vegan popsicles and paleo popsicles. They are versatile, too: you can use any kind of melon. They key for good melon popsicles is that the melon be very ripe, and that you process it into an extremely smooth puree.

Melon Popsicle Recipe

1 melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew)
4 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice per honeydew-size melon (optional)
Popsicle molds (or popsicle sticks & 3 oz Dixie cups, or ice cube trays with toothpicks)

1. Process melon and citrus juice in blender or food processor until completely smooth.
2. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.
3. If you are using Dixie cups, freeze until slushy and somewhat thick, then stick popsicle sticks in and continue to freeze until solid.

The quantity of melon ice pops this makes depends on the size of the fruit and the size of the molds you are using. Dixie cups are great for this project because you're not going to run out. The honeydew melon made about 24 3oz servings, the cantaloupe made about 12 3oz servings, and the watermelon made so many servings it would have been ridiculous to count them.

You can add sweetener if your fruit isn't ripe (up to 1/2 cup granulated sugar or equivalent sweetener per melon should be plenty). I found that sugar was overkill for already ripe fruit, so you might as well keep it healthy.

Summer isn't over yet (at least not here!), so enjoy the last of it while you still can and try making some of these delicious melon popsicles!

BakerGal