6 posts tagged “sugar”

To break habit, I baked without chocolate OR peanut butter last night . . . and the results were both interesting and delicious. I started out my quest just trying to make basic sugar cookies (I planned to later cover them with a thick white frosting). I followed Martha Stewart's "Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies" recipe and quickly discovered, however, that I didn't have any lemons or lemon juice on hand.

That part is kind of important, as the description of the cookies includes: "The crunchy coating gives way to a soft cookie with bright, lemony flavor in each bite."

We also don't have any orange juice (we're going away for the holidays tomorrow, don't judge!), which was my second option. Hmmm. Would lime work? Maybe . . . and we had some left over from yesterday's Charred Chili Relleno dish . . . so I gave it a whirl and also replaced half the flour with coconut flour.

Instead of frosting, I thought it'd be neat to make a glaze . . . so I taste-tested several versions before settling with what's pictured above -- a secret, extra-spicy glaze. Of course, I'll give you the secret recipe.

Just keep reading!




COCONUT-LIME SUGAR COOKIES
(a twist on the traditional . . . a new holiday favorite)

What you'll need . . .

• 1-1/2 cups wheat pastry flour
• 1-1/2 cups coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt (you may use less -- a coworker gave me the idea to use more salt . . . it's wonderful!)
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature (or Earth Balance)
• 2 large eggs (or your favorite egg replacement -- I think applesauce would work well for this recipe)
• More fine sugar for dusting

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. Put sugars and lime juice in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds and then add the butter -- mix until pale and fluffy (about 1 minute).
4. Mix in eggs -- one at a time -- and then reduce speed to low so you can gradually (and that's important, GRADUALLY) mix in the flour mixture.
5. Scoop large-ish dough balls using a 2-inch ice cream scoop. Roll balls in sugar and then drop onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets (you don't have to line them, but I did for once), spacing three inches apart.
6. Flatten cookies slightly . . . and then transfer to the oven.
7. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes (mine took 17), rotating sheets halfway through.
8. Let cookies cool completely on wire racks and then top with glaze.

SECRET SPICY GLAZE

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup vegan powdered sugar (or regular will do)
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 6-8 teaspoons water (which you'll add slowly until you reach your desired consistency)
• 2 teaspoons honey (or I imagine maple syrup or agave nectar would work)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• A pinch or two cayenne pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (or omit this part)

Method . . .

1. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix together powdered sugar, lime juice, and water. Note: As mentioned above, you'll wanted to gradually add the water until mixture is a thin glaze (but not TOO thin . . . it's up to you).
2. Add honey (or substitute), which thickens it a bit . . .
3. Then add all other ingredients.
4. When cookies are completely cool, glaze them. I found it was helpful to put some parchment paper underneath my cooling rack to catch the drips. Glaze will harden in about half an hour (depending on how thick you applied it).

 

Blog Showcase :: 2009 ::




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One of the main reasons I bake is because I crave sweets almost constantly. So, when a craving for peanut butter & chocolate (the most common of all) consumed me Sunday night, I made these cookies. They're a bit juvenile, so I think they're perfect for kids (and me) -- still a bit healthier than the usual, store-bought cut & bake kind, but with all the flavor.

And who wants all THIS in their cookie (from Nestle's Ultimates - Peanut Butter Lovers)?

SUGAR, BLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), PEANUT BUTTER FLAVORED MORSELS (SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL AND PALM OILS, MILK AND NONFAT MILK, PEANUTS, PEANUT FLOUR, AND 2% OR LESS OF SOY LECITHIN, SALT, HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, ARTIFICIAL VANILLA FLAVORS), MARGARINE (PALM OIL, WATER, SUNFLOWER OIL, HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, VEGETABLE MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, SODIUM BENZOATE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, BETA CAROTENE COLOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE ADDED), PEANUT BUTTER (PEANUTS, DEXTROSE, HYDROGENATED RAPESEED AND COTTONSEED OILS, SALT), WATER, EGGS, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, MOLASSES, SALT, CORNSTARCH, PEANUT BUTTER PASTE (PEANUTS, PEANUT FLOUR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL OIL, SALT, HYDROGENATED PALM OIL), BAKING SODA, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, VANILLA EXTRACT, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES AND POLYSORBATE 60, VANILLIN - AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR

Not me, that's for sure. Convenient? Yes. Scary? Also yes.



PEANUT BUTTER CANDY COOKIES

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup extra crunchy peanut butter (I used a natural variety from Wegmans)
• 1 cup butter or Earth Balance (at room temp.)
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• m&ms
  
• Reece's peanut butter cups (I used some of the trees)

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time & then stir in the vanilla.
4. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder & gently fold these ingredients into the wet mixture.
5. Then mix in however many m&ms and Reece's peanut butter cups (cut into chunks the size of the m&ms) you want. I used about 3/4 cups m&ms and 4 Reece's trees.
6. Take heaping tablespoons of dough and roll between your palms to make 2-inch balls (& spread them 2 inches apart on a nonstick baking sheet).
7. Press each cookie with the tines of a fork.
8. Bake for 10 minutes & then transfer to a rack to cool.
9. Enjoy immediately.

Want to give these treats as gifts?

• Earlier this week, Marie over at Make and Takes posted instructions on how to fashion Cookie Dough Log Rolls that are absolutely perfect for gift-giving. The best part, as Marie describes, is that "They can be put in the fridge for a few days or frozen to pull out and bake up later. Yum! Homemade cookies anytime!"

• I also recently caught Paula Dean's "Cookie Swap" episode on the Food Network. David Bromstad (from HGTV's Color Splash) was a guest. Anyway, if you want to bake these up and give the finished product as a gift -- try to catch that episode, or follow these instructions: Get pretty take-out containers (you can find them at A.C. Moore and other craft stores, as well as online. Ribbon. Vellum. And other decorative accents. GO WILD. The only technical part is that you'll need to cut vellum sheets to serve as moisture barriers between the layers of cookies. Otherwise, it's all art.

Blog Showcase :: 2009 ::




Do you read Method? I want to read YOUR blog (or view your website) -- and I'm hosting a Blog Showcase on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. Simply visit THIS POST to find out how you can be included on the list. ALL sites will be featured (of course, this is a PG-ish rated blog, so keep that in mind).

Have a lovely day & don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!

Somehow we neglected to put dessert on the menu for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. Quite honestly, I have no idea how this could have happened. I feel like all I ever EAT are dessert items. So, just as we were pulling the stuffing out of the oven (and, yes, I will be sharing our cranberry-hazelnut stuffing recipe another day . . . even though I'm wildly nauseous from feasting my eyes on pies & potatoes, etc.), I got the idea to modify a basic baking powder biscuit recipe into a sweet, but not complete overkill after-dinner treat.

At first, I thought to just add spice -- cinnamon and nutmeg. But I'm a chocolate lover ("Tell us something we don't know, Ashley!" . . . right?), so I decided it was absolutely imperative to incorporate something sweet into the mix.

A tablespoon of sugar, some dark cocoa powder, and a 1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips later, the chocolate spice biscuit was born. OK. I can't exactly give myself credit for inventing the thing. However, I'm sure our biscuits are one-of-a-kind.

Janet over at Gonna Go Walk the Dogs (a great vegan food blog that is also on Vox) has commented that, at least on my baked goods, sugar crystals are surely my signature. And there is a generous helping of sugar -- yet again -- plopped onto the biscuits.

Just look!




CHOCOLATE SPICE BISCUITS
(A scrumptious afterthought with the "regular" recipe and vegan substitutions I made!)

What you'll need . . .

• 4 cups wheat pastry flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (or less, depending on your taste)
• 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (or 1 cup Earth Balance -- but omit the salt), cold, and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups regular soy milk (I added 2 teaspoons of corn starch & whisked them together . . . the original recipe called for heavy cream. I don't know if this is an acceptable method, but it has worked several times.)
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or more or less to taste)

Method . . .

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, and salt.
3. Using your hands, blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. You may also use a pastry blender for this part . . . but what's the fun in that?
4. Pour in the soy milk and -- using a rubber spatula -- fold it into the dough, working in all directions. Fold until just incorporated.
5. Then add in the chocolate chips. Again, until just incorporated. Dough will be sticky.
6. Then take a lightly greased (or simply nonstick) baking sheet . . . and drop heaping 1/4 cup amounts of the dough onto it -- spacing 1-1/2 inches apart.
7. Top each biscuit-to-be with a generous pinch of sugar crystals (again, Sugar in the Raw works the BEST!).
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. But not too much, because it's best to serve them with the chocolate still gooey inside.

Have a great day, and if you enjoyed this post, please tell you friends.

Oh, and subscribe to METHOD!!! <3

Happy (late) Halloween, everyone! Last night, our neighbors had a huge party . . . and I couldn't figure out what I wanted to bring at first.

So, I did a bit of research and found out all about soul cakes.



These soul cakes are spiced up a bit. For whatever reason, the recipe I found online didn't make a dough. I had to improvise. A can of pumpkin and some chocolate chips later . . . the pumpkin soul cake was born.


PUMPKIN SOUL CAKES
(They aren't just for Halloween anymore.)

What you'll need . . .

• 2 sticks of butter (or butter substitute)
• 3 and 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup fine sugar (I used Florida Crystals organic cane sugar)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 can pumpkin
• 3 tablespoons water
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 package mini chocolate chips (to make this recipe vegan, simply substitute your favorite vegan chocolate chips)
  

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut the butter into the flour with a large fork.
3. Blend in the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.
4. In a stand mixer, add the pumpkin, water, baking powder, and cider vinegar to create a stiff dough.
5. Add in chocolate chips -- mix slowly.
   
6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough so it is approx. 1/4 inch thick.
7. Cut into 2 or 3 inch rounds (I used the top of my baking powder container to stamp out the circles), place on baking sheets, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
8. Top with a bit of powdered sugar, if you like, when the cakes are still warm.
   

Want more information about soul cakes? Here's a great article from NPR (as well as an egg-y recipe, if you want to try it out).

Oh! Great news! METHOD hit 101 subscribers (click here to subscribe)!!! So many exclamation points. Anyway, thanks :) As well, I have some more good news: My Pumpkin Chili recipe won this month's No Crouton's Required soup recipe contest (on Lisa's Kitchen)!

Check it out here. (And thanks to all who voted for me . . . )

It's no secret if you browse through older posts on this blog that chocolate and peanut butter are my two favorite ingredients to use when making sweets . . . especially cookies. But, after this cookie recipe post, I've promised myself to start branching out a bit more and try new, exciting things.

These cookies were just too tempting to leave behind.

The recipe is modified (to be vegan) from one in the Moosewood Restaurant's Book of Desserts. And as the book details: "a throwback to the '50s and a perennial favorite with all ages, these cookies are versatile and chewy -- perfect for lunch boxes, snacks, late-night treats, and a host of variations."

I could not agree more. I devoured these treats at many times during the day. Breakfast. For my morning snack. Lunch. After work. With dinner. For dessert. Before bed. It's shameful! But they're just so good. For whatever reason, this peanut butter cookie is absolutely perfect.

{ADDED 12/21/08: I know this is random . . . but I can see that this recipe is getting a lot of traffic/interest. Where did you find the link to get here? Please leave a comment or email makemethod@gmail.com and let me know . . . consider it my x-mas gift :) thank you!}

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup Earth Balance (or your favorite butter substitute)
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar (use DARK, it's the best)
• 1/2 cup natural, unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I always use coarse Kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup Sugar in the Raw (or another vegan sugar) -- for rolling

Method . . .

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil or spray baking sheets
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the peanut butter, butter substitute, and dark brown sugar until light and well blended (you don't need a food processor or mixer -- you can also just use a fork).
3. Beat in the applesauce one at a time.
4. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
6. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Roll tablespoons of dough between your palms to form 2-inch balls and then roll them into the sugar.
8. Place balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
9. Press each cookie with the tines of a fork to create a crisscross pattern (that's the classic part).
10. Bake for approx. 10 minutes (or more, depending on the size of your dough balls).
11. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

Confused about what sugar IS and what sugar IS NOT vegan?

I recently posted a call for the best vegan sugars on SeriousEats Cooking & Baking Forum. As KarynMC explains: "Sugar is white because it is filtered through bone char, a by-product of the beef industry." So, in other words, white sugar is most definitely NOT vegan. Click here to view the thread, and discover a whole new world of sweeteners. I bake constantly, but was still able to get some great suggestions, like using agave nectar.




These Classic Peanut Butter Cookies are part of VeganMoFo. For more delicious vegan recipes -- including sweets, soups, and other scrumptious things -- keep reading METHOD (subscribe to the RSS feed). As well, check out the VeganMoFo Flickr group.