Chocolate Fudge Flourless Cookies

Let me take a moment to describe these cookies to you. First off, they are CHOCOLATE. Pure, smooth, rich, fudgey, and CHOCOLATE. These cookies are very light, yet have a very full flavor. They also have a hint of espresso in them, perfectly bringing out the darker tones of chocolate. The cookies are also super light and moist, and they aren't all that bad for you (my excuse for polishing off more than three in a sitting). Plus they are flourless-which has lots of benefits. They are especially good for people who have Celiac's disease (allergic to gluten). Story time!

Last year, my best friend found out she was allergic to gluten AND dairy. A horrible combination. When she told me, the first thing I did was research everything on gluten free and dairy free baked goods. I discovered the wondrous almond milk, delightful coconut oil, and gluten free flour. I didn't even know that was possible! With my new knowledge and new foods, I found a great variety of baking recipes to try. (Serious brownie points right there, no pun intended) I'm just trying to make sure that no matter what, she doesn't feel left out because no one wants to not be able to eat a perfect cookie right?

Anyways, I made this recipe a while back, and I cannot wait to make it again. It's actually pretty simple. And while it's not dairy free too (there are egg whites) you can easily make it so by using egg substitute. This recipe is my altered version of King Arthur's Flour's recipe.

Chocolate Fudge Flourless Cookies:
2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark chocolate)
3 large egg whites
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Extra Confectioner's Sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Combine sugar, salt, espresso powder, and both cocoas into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined. 

Add the egg whites and vanilla. Mix until smooth and shiny. Spoon 1-2 teaspoon size drops of batter onto the baking sheets. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the cookies form small cracks on the tops of the cookies. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioner's sugar when cool. Bon Appetit!

Robin's Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, spring. The time for cleaning, constantly checking the weather to see if its FINALLY warm enough for shorts, and.......baking? Well baking 's pretty much a year round thing for me. But this recipe is especially springy. This time of year, the robin's eggs whoppers are always out. I love them! For those of you aren't familiar with the robin's eggs, they are just these huge malted milk balls with a hard candy coating in the shape of robins eggs. Now they aren't the healthiest things in the world, but hey, we all have to satisfy our sweet tooth once and a while right?

So this recipe I found via Pinterest (where else?) from Sugary Sweets. I added a few of my own little flairs though. This is a really great cookie. It is your typical chocolate chip, only much chewier thanks to the robins eggs and baking soda. Plus it has a great malty taste to it. Now if you are like me, you will look at some of the ingredients and your eyes may pop (3 sticks of butter?!). But don't let that turn you away. This batter makes A LOT of cookies. I got about 90, you could probably stretch and get 100 out of them, depending on size. So even though the ingredient quantities may seem large, don't freak out.

So indulge in a little taste of spring. These cookies are soo indulgent, I could eat a ton if I didn't have any self control, which I don't :). These are great party cookies, and if you bring these around, I promise you, you will make some new friends along the way. 

Robin's Eggs Chocolate Chip Cookies:

2 1/2 cups Whoppers Robins Eggs, divided

3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

3 tsp malt powder

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, very soft

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Crush 1 1/2 cups robins eggs in a food processor until they become a fine powder. Set aside. With the remaining cup of robins eggs, crush softly with a mallet, about one hit per egg.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and malt powder in a medium bowl. Carefully mix in the finely crushed candy. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in the milk, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Beat in the flour mixture. Remove from the mixer and fold in the lightly crushed candy and the chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for about 45 minutes to an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line many baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and drop by the teaspoonful. Make cookies about one inch in diameter. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely before serving, then enjoy!!

Irish Soda Bread

Ok, I know it's almost a week after St. Patrick's day. And lets be honest, what other day do we eat corned beef, soda bread, or stewed vegetables. If you're like me, that's never. My cousin helped me come to this realization a few days ago, Irish food, "pub grub" is really good, but we just don't eat it on a normal basis. It's kind of a shame, because I have always really enjoyed Irish soda bread.

Well, that's somewhat a lie, I actually hated it as a kid. I hated raisins, and it tasted to bland for my solely processed sugar palate. But now I can't get enough of it. The best kind of soda bread is a little chewy on the inside, but perfectly crunchy and crumbly on the outside. So as St. Patty's rolled around, I knew it was time to make my first Irish Soda Bread. 

I did a lot of research actually before I got baking. I found that there are actually two kinds of Irish soda bread, the Irish kind, and the American. The Irish is pretty bland, just flour, salt, buttermilk, and baking soda. I found out that the bread was made up in Ireland because the Irish weren't big on yeast. So when baking soda was discovered the Irish found it was a quick and easy way to leaven bread, without their dreaded yeast. In the US, they Irish immigrants brought over the recipe and of course, the Americans had to add their own flair. They made it sweeter, by adding a little sugar and raisins. Still having the sweet tooth I did as a kid, I prefer the latter. And I decided to be just like those immigrants and add a touch more of Bella into the bread by adding a few more flavors to this one recipe I found and liked on the Food Network site.

So this bread is more of a non-traditional, American-style Irish soda bread. Even though it is not that much sweeter, if you prefer the more traditional bread, just take out the cranberries and honey. But I got a really good response from this recipe. We had a few friends come over for a St. Patrick's day dinner, and it was completely gone by the time everyone left! So enjoy my non-traditional soda bread, even if it's not Saint Patty's day, you can still enjoy the little sprinkle of Irish in everyone. 

Non-Traditional Irish Soda Bread:

3 cups plus extra flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, slightly cooler than room temperature, cubed

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 8 or nine inch round pan with parchment paper, covering all sides and with extras on the top. 

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Rub in the butter with your fingers until all the lumps of butter are gone. Stir in the raisins and cranberries.

In a small bowl, beat the buttermilk, honey, vanilla, and egg with a whisk. Fold into the raisin mixture until a sticky dough forms.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface. Knead the dough gently, not more than 4 times, until it forms a ball/ round shape. Place dough into the lined pan, and lightly sprinkle the top with flour. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 and cook for about 20 more minutes, or until the top of the bread is browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Just a side note-if you do have leftovers, they do not keep well past the first day. I recommend putting the rest in a freezer safe bag and storing it in the freezer. This bread makes a lovely toast. Enjoy!

Scottish Shortbread

The Scots got one thing right-their shortbread. Let me brief you a little on this fantastic tea-time treat. There are basically two kinds of shortbread, the thinner kind that is usually a denser, crunchier cookie, or there's the thicker, chewier kind as well. I like both, but right now with the cold weather and everything, I'm always craving a perfectly soft, warm buttery cookie right out of the oven. The kind you can savor each bite, while it melts in your mouth and satisfies your palette. Yep, the Scottish definitely scored big time with this one.

This recipe is super easy. There aren't any complex instructions or hard to find ingredients. As long as you don't fear making dough (which I did for the longest of time), this recipe will be a great after-work snack to make. The only important thing is to make sure you score the dough with a knife prior to baking, then cut it completely right after it comes out of the oven. This will insure that the pieces don't fall apart, and the dough won't rise. One other thing, you should really let them cool in the pan before you eat one, but if you're impatient like me, just stick it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to let it firm up.

Yeah not my best picture, it was so rushed because everyone was lining up to get some! I couldn't even let it cool all the way!

So let's just take a minute to thank the Scottish. I actually found out somewhat recently I have some Scottish heritage on my mom's side, which also spurred me to make this recipe. Let's also thank Baking Bites, which is where I got my recipe. The pics on that blog are a lot better than mine. I was in kind of a rush so i only got about 1 or two. Other than that, I really hope you enjoy this recipe. It goes really nice with a glass of milk or hot tea, a blanket, and a good book. Enjoy, and "here's tae us, wha's like us? Damned few an' they're a' deid", which is a classic Scottish toast, according to Ominglot. :)

Scottish Shortbread:
3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt until blended. Put mixture in a food processor. Mix in the butter and vanilla until mixture forms a sandy texture. (Alternate method for those patient enough to try: Rub in the butter and vanilla with your hands). If dough is too dry, mix in a tablespoon of cold water, or more, to make the dough come together. Press dough firmly into a 9x9 inch pan, making sure it is even on all sides. Lightly score the dough with a knife, making squares/bars (which will be the shortbread's serving size after it bakes). Bake about 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Immediately cut all the way into the knife marks made earlier. DO NOT REMOVE FROM PAN, at least until cooled. Serve warm, or store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Piña Colada Cupcakes

With the temperatures barely hovering above freezing, and the summer being months away, I, like many other people, am constantly dreaming of a warmer place. I figured since I am stuck for the next few months with the cold, why not bake something to remind me of those blissful summer days. Something that always screams summer and tropical weather to me are piña coladas. They are my life. I had my first one a few years ago, and we have been inseparable since. The only problem is where I live, they are kinda scarce. Plus those things are freezing, not really what I'm looking for while piled under blankets. So how about some piña colada CUPCAKES to bring back those warm summer memories, without the chill factor?

So as a ever so devoted Pinterest member, I kept seeing this one recipe for pineapple angel food cake. Its only two ingredients, takes less than 30 minutes to make, and they are only 50 calories per cupcake!!!! What could be better? And I know I made the hugest contradiction to myself because one of the two ingredients is cake mix, but since I had literally no time to make them, I figured the box mix was the best way to go. So if you use a mix like me, just make sure you use a good quality kind, to get optimal cake success (I used Ginger Evans brand, but I heard that Pillsbury angel food cake mix was pretty good as well).

As for the frosting, it was an experiment, but it came out really good as well! I made a coconut whipped cream frosting, straight from the heart. (yeah that's right-no recipe) It's not quite as "healthy" as the cakes, but it is whipped cream, which is pretty light as far as frostings go. I used cream of coconut, something new to me, and it came out delightful!

So are you looking for a baked good that's not too heavy, and brings a bit of that tropical feel even to the most frozen tundra? Then make these cupcakes!!! (Come on, you know you want to!)

Piña Colada Cupcakes:
1 good-quality box angel food cake mix
1 can crushed pineapple (do not strain)
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup cream of coconut
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1 small jar maraschino cherries (for garnish)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the cake mix and crushed pineapple into a bowl. Mix until just combined. Fill 24 cupcake tins lined with paper liners to the brim using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the tops are browned. Cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the heavy cream, coconut, and confectioner's sugar on medium for about 3 minutes, or until the cream has started to stiffen. Mix in the vanilla and more coconut, to taste preference. Beat until very stiff peaks form. Cover the bowl and let the frosting sit in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, to allow the frosting to get really stiff. 

Spoon the frosting into a pastry bag, and frost all the cupcakes. Top each with a maraschino cherry and serve. Enjoy!

Italian Anisette Cookies

Ever since I can remember, for every family gathering there ever was my grandmother has always brought these to the table. And just about every time, I help myself to one. The crumbly, dense, sweet cookie with the hint of anisette and the bright colored balls over the hard, sleek glaze that just melts in your mouth....um where was I again?

Right, my anisette cookies. Being a true Italian, I knew I couldn't wait much longer to try out making these cookies from scratch. I found one particularly good recipe from Amanda's Cookin', but I also dug up another recipe from my great grandmother (the same person that also came up with the Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Bread) and I decided to meld the two together. The outcome? Spectacular! One bite transports you to your grandmother's kitchen, or a nice Italian bakery. I served them at a dinner party this weekend and the feedback was great! They were a huge hit. I have already had many people coming up asking me what makes them just so moist (one of them being my other Italian grandmother on my mom's side!).

I was really proud of these. They came out really nicely, plus they were oh so simple to make. I banged the batter out in under 30 minutes! The only tricky thing is that you really have to watch the cookies bake in the oven, if they are in for too long, they will be dry and tasteless. 

So have fun with this recipe! Play some Italian opera while you bake and reminisce about that really good macaroni you had at that one Italian restaurant. Let these transport you to Italy-home of good food and even better dessert!

Italian Anisette Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

3 cups plus extra flour (AP or cake)

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 tsp anise extract

Anise Glaze

Colored sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cookie sheets with Cream butter and shortening together. 

Add sugar, beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, beating them in one at a time. Mix in vanilla and anise extracts.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Gradually add to wet mixture. Add extra flour by the tablespoon until the mixture forms a dough. Chill dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 10-15 minutes.

Form tablespoon-sized balls and place about an inch apart, about 12 per sheet. Bake for about 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Anise Glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar

5 tbsp milk

1 tsp anise extract

1/4 tsp vanilla

Add the milk to the sugar, stirring continuously. Mix in the vanilla and anise extracts. If the mixture is too watery, add more confectioner's sugar. 

Once the cookies are completely cool, transfer to a wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch extra glaze. Dunk the tops of the cookies in the glaze, then sprinkle the tip with colored balls. Let the glaze harden before serving.

*This glaze technique works best when someone else helps you. It's a pain to do it by yourself, and you really cant glaze all and then put the sprinkles on, because the glaze hardens rather quickly. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes (Pink Velvet)

Yup, you read that right, pink velvet. As in cupcakes. As many great bakers know, the some of the best treats have often come from accidents or experiments. This is one of those times.

So here's what happened. Since Valentine's Day was coming up, I wanted to make something super festive for my friends. Plus I had gotten these awesome heart-shaped cupcake tins as a present a while back that I hadn't been able to use yet. And what better cupcake than red velvet to fill those tins full of festive yumminess? So I found this great recipe of the Georgetown Cupcakes red velvet cupcakes from Portuguese Girl Cooks off Pinterest, and I had a little vision. Why should I use frosting and make them good, when I could use something else and make them GREAT?! What about ice cream? (Since I'm on my little sort-of health kick, I used frozen yogurt instead) and thus my heart shaped ice cream cupcakes were born.

It started off well enough, a good challenge not only because I had never made red velvet from scratch, but also because I was under a time limit. These days, its so hard to find some quality baking time, so I usually only have an hour or two per week to get my baking fix. Then I looked in my red food coloring container, which looked and felt about halfway full on the outside, but really only had a little more than a teaspoon left!. (good lesson, really check all ingredients prior to baking and don't judge something on looks alone) So I just kept going, and the taste of red velvet still came, but they were more rose colored.

Other than that funny little mishap, my cupcakes came out great! The frozen yogurt wasn't overpowering or sparse at all-it was a nice light contrast to the dense-ish cake. Most of my friends described them as 'refreshing'.

This recipe truly makes 24 good sized cupcakes. Since I only had 12 tins, I decided to put the frozen yogurt just in those, and frost the rest. I made my own original cream cheese buttercream. It was great! And it's soo easy to make, which makes it even more worth the sugar.

So happy late Valentine's Day! I hope you like the cupcakes and they turn out more red for you! I promise you they can put a smile on even the most anti-romantic person out there.

Red Velvet Cupcakes:
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
4 tbsp red food coloring(or less if you want a pink color)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup vanilla frozen-yogurt (more/less depending on preference)
Powdered Sugar (For dusting)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting(follows)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray silicone cupcake tins and line on a baking tray/line cupcake tins with paper liners. 

In a small bowl, whisk the flour and salt until combined.

In a stand mixer attached with the paddle, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. 

In a very small bowl mix the food coloring, vanilla, and cocoa, until all lumps are gone. Add to the butter mixture and beat well, until the mixture is completely red.

Add the flour and milk alternatively to the mixture, in three parts. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.

In another small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar. Mix until the lumps are gone and the vinegar has stopped fizzing. Add to the batter and mix until just incorporated, no longer than 30 seconds.

Scoop batter into cupcake tins/cups. Bake for about 18 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back after touching them lightly. Cool completely before frosting.

Frozen Yogurt- Once cooled, remove the cupcakes from their liners. Cut in half horizontally. Put about a tablespoon or two onto each cupcake, spreading to cover the entire base. (This will not work if the frozen yogurt is too soft, or too hard) Lightly top the cupcakes and store in the freezer at least 6 hours, or overnight. Before serving, let the cupcakes sit out at least 15-20 minutes, and dust the tops with powdered sugar. 

Cream Cheese Buttercream:
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp cream cheese

Directions:
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. All the milk, vanilla and cream cheese. If too liquid, add more sugar by the tablespoon.