Healthy Treats: Raw Brownies

Praise Ullr (or whomever you attribute snowfall to), we woke up to a much needed coat of white this morning, and forecasts are calling for more in the near future.  Our sad slopes have been missing their white sheen, and friends and neighbors gathered last week to celebrate the full moon with a winter-wishing bonfire.  The lack of powder has kept me home-bound, dreaming up genius (I think) homemade holiday gifts.  I am almost done shopping, and in the midst of a few projects (which I might share next year if they succeed), which is a Christmas record for me.  

One thing I have not started yet is baking. While I love the abundance of butter and chocolate and sugar, and an excuse to eat it, sometimes I want sweets that are kinder to my waistline. If you are on the hunt for a lighter treat, a fairly healthy snack, or something that satisfies your vegan and gluten-free friends, these are a knockout.  They taste like a home-made Larabar, with sweetness from dates and coconut, protein from nuts, and a deep chocolate flavor from raw cacao.

Raw Brownies

barely adapted from My New Roots

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1/2 cup raw unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup raw cacao (if you are not worried about these being raw or the increased nutritional value, unsweetened cocoa powder is a fine substitute)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 5-7 whole medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped

1. Process walnuts in food processor until finely chopped, add coconut and pulse a few more times until combined.

2. Add cacao and salt and pulse to combine.

3. While the processor is running, add the dates, one at a time, until the mixture begins to come together and can be pressed into the processor with your fingers.

4. Remove blade from food processor and loosely mix almonds in.

5. Press mixture into an 8x8 inch square baking dish lined with waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Friday Links: Pumpkin Recipes

The first Friday in October seems to call for an abundance of pumpkin recipes.  Pumpkin cans line the shelves and fresh pumpkins are in the produce section.  The trees are bright gold under a blue sky, and afternoon hikes are rewarded with baked treats and hearty meals.  Below are some unique pumpkin recipes to go along with the traditional pies and breads.

photo credit

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes: pumpkin for breakfast.

Curried Pumpkin Soup: a different type of pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin Lasagna: an excellent vegetarian main course.

Pumpkin Cookies with Chai Icing: sugar and spice and everything nice.*

Petit Pumpkin Doughnuts: pumpkin o's.

and from SG:

Pumpkin Orzo with Sage: rustic pasta for a brisk night.

Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Cream-Cheese Muffins: not too sweet, just enough spice.

How to make home-made pumpkin puree: go fresh.

*I made these cookies a couple weeks ago and they were delightful.  Leave a comment if you would like the altitude adjustment.

Sweet Treats for your Valentine

Disclaimer: nothing in this post is healthy.  So pick a treat based on your taste not your waist, and enjoy a lovely indulgence.

After the new year, when many have diet resolutions, I have been baking more.  I recently discovered that one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, has an extraordinary variety of cakes.  This temptation, along with my recently reading Cakewalk: A Memoir by Kate Moses, has me on a weekly baking spree.  So this post is devoted to all of my dear readers with a sweet tooth like myself, or who want to bake something to spread the love this Valentine's day.  Happy baking!

Toasted Coconut Shortbread Hearts
These are what I made for my valentine.  They are all the good parts about coconut, without that papery texture you get from the raw flakes.  Barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

• 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (don’t skimp on this)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until coconut is light golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Cool completely, then grind in a coffee grinder, food processor or blender until coarsely ground.
2. Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Mix in salt and vanilla. Beat in flour in 2 additions. Stir in toasted coconut. Gather dough together, flatten into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
3. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough disk on lightly floured work surface to scant 1/4-inch thickness. Using 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter cookie cutters, cut dough into rounds. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps and re-roll; cut out additional cookies.
4. Bake cookies until light golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 1 week.)
5. For chocolate dipped shortbread: melt 1 cup of high quality dark chocolate over a double boiler, or in the microwave.  Dip each cookie as desired, and place on waxed paper.  Allow to cool completely and harden before storing.

Picture from Smitten Kitchen, since I forgot to take one

Red Wine Chocolate Cake
I first made this cake last fall, and recently made it again, instead of watching that silly football game last Sunday. It is decadent, rich, and easy to make.  It also happens to combine my top favorite food groups: the wine group and the chocolate group.  The cake is best after it sits for at least a few hours to cool completely.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen:

• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (179 grams) firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (177 ml) red wine, any kind you like
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (133 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (41 grams) Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and either butter and lightly flour the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior with a nonstick spray.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth (1-2 minutes).  Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and yolk and beat well, then the red wine and vanilla. Don’t worry if the batter looks a little uneven.
5. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, right over your wet ingredients.
6. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. Spread batter in prepared pan.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the cake should be shiny and smooth, like a puddle of chocolate. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. This cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge.
8. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake
This one is a bit more daunting of a task.  Make sure to read the whole recipe before starting.  This cake is made with browned butter, which is SO good.  We had a hard time not eating the entire cake in a single night.  It is best while still warm from the oven.  I slightly adjusted the baking powder and flour for 7800 ft, but I have given you the original amounts.  If you are baking at altitude: add 2 TB flour, and use 2/3 of the baking powder.

Recipe also from Smitten Kitchen

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, at room-temperature
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 pears, peeled, in a small dice (I used Bartletts) 
• 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks (I couldn't find bittersweet in Aspen, so I used semi-sweet)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with breadcrumbs (I cheated and used flour), set aside.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.
3. While the eggs are whipping, brown the butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan with a light-colored bottom, and cook it on medium-low heat until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Remove from the flame but keep in a warm spot.
4. Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a few minutes more.
5. Just as the egg-sugar mixture is starting to loose volume, turn the mixture down to stir, and add the flour mixture and brown butter. Add one third of the flour mixture, then half of the butter, a third of the flour, the remaining butter, and the rest of flour. Whisk until just barely combined — no more than a minute from when the flour is first added — and then use a spatula to gently fold the batter until the ingredients are combined. It is very important not to over-whisk or fold the batter or it will lose volume.
6. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the pear and chocolate chunks over the top, and bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch, about 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out clean.
7. We served it with unsweetened whipped cream. 

Homemade Gifts: Cranberry Orange Bark with Almonds

Gifts from the kitchen are delightful.  They are appreciated by many and filled with love and patience.  Most of my homespun gifts must wait until I return to Washington, since traveling with fragile edibles is not worth the level of stress. I decided last weekend that peppermint bark would not be too much of a travel undertaking, since it is supposed to be broken! Perfect.  So I picked up some good chocolate and made a batch of peppermint bark that rivals Williams-Sonoma.  Then I was really inspired, and got a bit inventive.  The true gem turned out to be the Cranberry Orange Bark with Almonds.  The key to this candy is to use good quality dark or semisweet chocolate.  Here are the recipes for both types:

Cranberry Orange Bark with Almonds

• 12 ounces high quality dark or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon orange essence
• 1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler, until liquid*

2. Stir in orange essence until oil combines with chocolate (~1minute)

3. Pour chocolate onto baking sheet lined with silicone mat or waxed paper

4. Sprinkle almonds and cranberries evenly over the surface, and lightly press into chocolate with palms

5. Place in refrigerator until very firm, at least 1 hour

6. Break into various sized pieces and package for gifts or enjoy with friends

Peppermint Bark

• 6 ounces high quality dark or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 6 ounces high quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 candy canes

1. Unwrap candy canes and place in freezer bag, wrap the bag with a towel, and hit with a rolling pin or heavy pan until broken into small pieces.

2. Melt dark chocolate in double boiler*

3. Pour chocolate onto baking sheet lined with silicone mat or waxed paper, and place in refrigerator for 1 hour

4. Melt white chocolate in double boiler*

5. Gently spread on top of dark chocolate, you will likely get a little marbling (just embrace it)

6. Sprinkle peppermint pieces onto white chocolate and gently press in with palms

7. Return to refrigerator for at least 1 hour

8. Break into various sized pieces and package for gifts or enjoy with friends

*To make a double boiler: find a heatproof bowl that will sit atop one of your saucepans.  Pour 1 1/2 inches of water in the bottom of the saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Place bowl on top, ensuring that the bottom does not touch the water.  

Settling In and Peach Crisp

The craziness has ended.  Wedding fun has wrapped up, I am basically finished with my classwork for PT school, and fall is approaching fast.  The HE needs a new name, but I am not feeling witty at the moment, so he will have to wait.

This summer has been amazing, and ended with a wonderful wedding.  We were so lucky to have all of our friends and family gather to celebrate our marriage.  My mom and some great friends and family took on the task of preparing the food, which turned out fantastically.  I will post some recipes soon.  All of my energy, heart, and soul went into the wedding, and I was so pleased to have it turn out beautifully.

Now we are back to sanity, and settling in as husband and wife. Still sounds funny. I have realized how much I miss cooking. Over the past two weeks, I have been making all my favorites: roasted chicken (I still need to actually write down how I do that), stuffed squash, grilled vegetables, and homemade pizza. I was going to post the pizza recipe, but I attempted my own crust that was very far from perfect, so that will have to wait. Today was drizzly and northwest-like in Denver, so we made simple baked potatoes followed by easy, single-serving peach crisps. Palisade, Colorado is famous (apparently) for their peaches, so this is in honor of local peach season.
Fall is my favorite food season (yes, each season has a reason I love it), so look forward to deliciousness.


Peach Crisp
Serves 4

• 2 medium to large peaches
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Roughly peel peaches and dice into 1/2 inch cubes
3. Combine peaches, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Stir well
4. Drizzle honey over top, and mix again until all peaches are coated
5. In a separate bowl combine butter and brown sugar with a fork, until reasonably mixed
6. Add oats, and mix with hands or mash with spoon until oats begin to clump together
7. Divide peaches into 4 small ramekins
8. Divide oat mixture into 4 and press onto tops of peach mixture
9. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden brown and warmed through

Holiday Gingerbread Cookies

My sister and I had a day of holiday baking after my recent return to the Pacific Northwest.  This means I baked, and she sat on the counter eating dough.  Still, sister bonding time is wonderful since we rarely see each other.  On our list was Gingerbread cut-outs, Holiday Fudge, and Mexican Wedding Cakes. Gingerbread is by far the least fattening of the three, hence its appearance on SG.


Gingerbread cut-out cookies are a beloved holiday treat, and one of the healthiest options.  Granted, this is stretching the word healthy, but when compared to your standard butter or sugar cookies, gingerbread uses spices and molasses for flavor and moisture which replace much of the butter and sugar.  These cookies are not too sweet which allows for copious frosting if desired, and they are on the spicy side.


Gingerbread Cookies
Adapted from joyofbaking.com

• 2 ½ cups all purpose flour plus ¼ cup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temperature)
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup unsulphured molasses (to prevent from sticking: spray measuring cup with cooking spray prior to measuring)

1.       In a large bowl, combine 2 ½ cups flour, salt, baking soda and spices

2.       Beat butter and sugar until creamed (light and fluffy)

3.       Add egg and continue beating until combined, add molasses and continue beating until fully combined

4.       Gradually add flour and spice mixture until all combined. 

5.       Add last ¼ cup of flour or less until dough begins to clump together, but is still slightly sticky

6.       Make into two balls, and refrigerate 1 hour

7.       Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut into shapes

8.       Place on baking sheet and bake 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees

Icing

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• confectioner's sugar

1.       Beat together butter with milk.  Add confectioner's sugar until desired consistency.  If too thick, add more milk. 

2.       For a cheaper pipette: cut the corner off a sandwich bag, and fill with icing.