Recipe Redo: Chocolate Dipped Coco's

Guys this is the third time I’m revisiting this recipe and making more changes; I can’t make promises but I think this will be the last time I’ll have to do so. I gotta admit I’m finding these to be pretty darn tasty! The first time I made these cookies was three years ago and while they tasted good, they were also packed with way too much sugar for my liking and the dough was sticky and difficult to work with; if that wasn't bad enough the additional step of dipping the bottom of the cookie in chocolate made quite a mess. Then two years ago, I tried making adjustments and replaced the brown sugar for maple syrup, turbinado sugar and added a touch of molasses; again, good but not 100% there for me.

Somehow I forgot all about the cookies until my mom recently told me she loved them! Funny how people manage to remember and enjoy my least favorite recipes… For the sake of my mommy, I revisited the recipe and ended up with a delicious little coconut cookie dipped in melted chocolate; I was a fan! I brought them to my mom and sister as a late Christmas present and they were fans too. Just for kicks, this time around I decided to add the addition of crushed almonds after dipping the cookies in chocolate for an elegant touch. If you like coconut, chocolate and almonds (think: Almond Joys) then you’ll dig these!

Chocolate Dipped Coco’s

makes 21 bite size cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/3 cup organic shortening or unsalted butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cane sugar

1/3 cup almond milk

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup slithered almonds or chopped raw almonds

1 heaping dark chocolate or semi-sweet chips, plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions:

In a large skillet, pour the coconut and toast over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the coconut is golden brown. Stir occasionally and be careful not to burn it. Once the coconut is toasted, remove from heat and let cool. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or large bowl with electric mixer, cream together coconut oil, vegan butter or butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy. Mix in almond milk, vanilla and almond extract until well combined. Add in flour, ground flax, baking soda and salt and beat on low-speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary, and fold in shredded coconut. Refrigerate dough in saran wrap for at least 2 hours or overnight. (This will make the dough easier to work with and prevent the dough from being too thin and delicate.) Preheat oven 350, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using a tablespoon or your hands form dough balls, flatten them slightly and transfer onto baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool 2 minutes before transferring onto cooling rack.

Chocolate Dip 2 ways:

1. By creating a makeshift double boiler or using a real double boiler. Simply melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small saucepan underneath a bigger saucepan with simmering water.

2. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil by placing them in a microwave safe bowl for thirty second intervals until completely melted.

After melting the chocolate glaze, allow it to thicken and cool for at least five minutes. Dip half the cookie in the chocolate glaze then coat the chocolate side with the almonds. Repeat with all the cookies. Transfer cookies onto parchment paper and allow the chocolate to set before serving. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container about 5 days. 

xo, Jessica

Recipe Redo: Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping

Around this time last year I posted a recipe for Cranberry Orange Bread and just the other day I had two of the essential ingredients leftover from Thanksgiving: cranberries and oranges! I remember the bread being truly moist and the marriage between cranberries and orange produced a muffin with a nice balance of sweetness and tartness. I was excited to revert back to that recipe and make some scrumptious muffins! But to my dismay that old recipe which may or may not still be on this blog (it is *blushes*) wasn't written properly. There seemed to be ingredients missing and misguided steps; for example there wasn't flour or sugar listed in the ingredients for the streusel topping! I felt pretty darn silly about that recipe and prayed that no one baked that bread and kind of overlooked the whole post. But I still really wanted to bake those muffins! So I began rewriting the recipe in hopes of fixing all it's boo-boos. 

Upon rewriting the new recipe I made a couple of modifications and used an egg and goat milk; but if I can remember correctly both of those ingredients can be successfully swapped with applesauce and non-dairy milk. Even though I was embarrassed by that past recipe, I don't regret posting it because it shows me that I'm still learning and that indeed is humbling! Having a blog has taught me that this is my own journey, and that it's okay to make mistakes and fix 'em. My mantra out of this experience is simply: I am a human being and it's okay to make mistakes; even in the things I'm passionate about. For the longest time I've been especially hard on myself with my cooking and wanting to everything to be perfect before I shared it with anyone else; but quite honestly perfect is boring and 9 out of 10 times my screw ups have left me with burning determination to whip up something better. As simple as this recipe may be I think it's better than the first bread I made. Maybe yesterday I'll want to improve it? Only time will tell my dears... In the meantime do me a favor and bake these muffins for yourself and let me know what you think! :)

Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel Topping

makes 16 medium sized muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup natural cane sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 medium oranges, zested and juiced (reserve half of zest for the streusel topping)

½ cup milk*

½ cup canola oil

1 large egg, room temperature*

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped

Streusel topping:

2 tablespoons butter or vegan shortening

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch of salt

Optional: ½ cup raw pecans, chopped                                                              

Notes: I used goat milk for this recipe but like I mentioned above any milk will do, and about ¼ cup applesauce will replace one large egg. Also if you prefer a sweeter more dessert like muffin add 1/4 cup more sugar to the batter.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with parchment liners. 

Streusel: In a small bowl mix with hands or a fork the shortening, flour, brown sugar, spices and salt until thoroughly combined. Add in the pecans, mix and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl beat together orange zest and juice, milk and eggs then mix in the canola oil and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients mixing until just moistened. Fold in the cranberries. Fill each muffin tin with 3 tablespoons of batter and sprinkle batter with about a tablespoon of streusel. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned on top or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

xo Jessica

Chocolate Chip Marble Cookies {dairy-free and egg-free!}

Hey guys,

I have a sensational chocolate chip marble cookie recipe for all to indulge in today. From my understanding everyone has a favorite style of chocolate chip cookies and mine happens to be more crispy on the outside, but still tender in the inside and perfectly balanced between sweet and salty. How do you take your chocolate chip cookies?

In my humble opinion marrying double chocolate chip cookies with classic chocolate chip cookies is decadent without being too rich. Don't get me wrong, I do love my chocolate on chocolate but baking these cookies gives me the option of eating both flavors in one shot! ;) They also look pretty radical, am I right?

Chocolate Chip Marble Cookies {egg-free and can be made dairy-free}

makes 2 dozen or 30 for bite size cookies

inspired by Top with Cinnamon and recipe adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking

4 ½ teaspoons Ener-g Egg Replacer

6 tablespoons water

1 cup solidified coconut oil or softened butter

¾ cup natural cane sugar

¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ teaspoon blackstrap molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor or blender, whip the egg replacer and water together, until it's thick and creamy. Blending it in a food processor or blender results in a better consistency than what you could get if you did it by hand.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. (I always use my stand mixer on medium-high speed because I'm lazy and it comes out much fluffier.) Add the egg replacer mixture, and thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until it begins to form a dough. When it is almost thoroughly combined, separate half of the batter into a medium sized bowl. Add unsweetened cocoa powder to the separate half of batter and mix until combined. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chip to each batter.

On a clean surface scoop up a spoonful of each dough and roll into balls. Sandwich the classic chocolate chip cookie ball with the double chocolate chip cookie ball, and roll together slightly to combine flavors. Drop marble cookie balls onto cookie sheets and press down slightly. Bake 8-12 minutes. After a couple minutes transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Go ahead and enjoy these cookies with a loved one, 

Jessica

7 true facts + what I've been cookin'

1. I used to love insects when I was little and I kind still do. (Mosquitos and cockroaches not so much!) I find caterpillars to be the most fascinating creatures and the way they grow up to be beautiful butterflies’ will always blow my mind.
2. I don’t favor eating alone. I’m getting better at it considering I’m alone throughout the day (girls gotta eat!), but I used to have such a difficult time eating by myself.  I find food best to be shared through fellowship and laughter. To be perfectly honest, a lot of my fondest memories with my fiancé, friends and family were created during a meal.
3. This kind of embarrassing but the one movie I can watch over and over again is 13 going on 30. I watch it EVERY time it comes on TBS with my mom. It’s a real classic for us!
4. My goal is to make my own stocks (I made an excellent shrimp stock last week!), breads and goat milk yogurts. Eventually.
5. “Chia” is what my fiancé likes to call me… I guess its cause I eat chia seeds every single day; I just cannot live without their absorbent powers and a powerhouse of nutrients! I personally love putting it in my oatmeal; it adds so much volume and gives it a fun texture too.
6. I have this recurring desire to do this cleanse that requires giving up coffee for three weeks… That desire is often stomped on the minute I wake up and smell the robust smell of Café Bustelo coming from the kitchen. The wonderful smell, strong taste and unfathomable warmth are what make it so difficult to give up!
7. After therapy, I start my internship and after my internship I plan on looking for little freelance project/jobs. My goal is to eventually establish my own line of goodies made with natural ingredients, try to focus on food styling/photography and educate myself on different exercises for my new hips.

Now on to the food:

Possibly the most quickest, healthiest and tastiest lunch I've come across... All it is mashed avocado (seasoned with salt + pepper, a dash of raw apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of sriracha) topped with sliced scallions, and on the other side is sardines in olive oil on perfectly toasted wheat bread. Perfection!

I made these gluten-free brownies but substituted the eggs for two "flax eggs" and used coconut oil as opposed to butter. The brownies were...um..flat. I should've known that eggs were the primary leavening agent. So instead of  cutting them into traditional brownie squares, I cut half of them into heart shapes and the other half I rolled them into truffles with some shredded coconut. They were absolutely decadent!

A simple frittata for the special man in my life... I made this one with sweet potatoes and onions, spiced it with cumin and smoked paprika and topped the eggs with goat cheese and collard greens. My dad and Michael approved of its deliciousness immediately!

Last but not least, a German apple cake that was adapted from this vegan baking book. I added slight modifications by using goat butter and added ground cardamom to the spiced apples. This cake was perfect with coffee, I know I say that line a lot.. but this time I am being very serious! It was like apple pie and coffee cake had a baby. If that doesn't excite you, than I don't know what will!

That's all, I have for you all today! Enjoy the rest of your weeks :)

-Jessica

Scrumdiliumcious Banana Muffins

I’m pretty sure banana bread is one of those things everyone and their mother have baked. It’s so easy to throw together and is somewhat healthy making it perfect for any occasion and season. I personally believe banana bread is one of those things that taste better as the days go by, almost like chili. Almost. Somehow the flavors seem to be richer and the texture is much moister. I love it! I tried to bake a new recipe that I found here, but of course stuck to some of my old recipes roots and just added Jessica’s coconut streusel to the top of each muffin which came out amazing.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
¾ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup unsweetened organic applesauce
4 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla

Coconut Streusel:
2/3 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
2 teaspoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used goat’s milk butter, although it can easily be substituted with solidified coconut butter!)

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with papers or spray with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really well. Add the maple syrup, applesauce, coconut oil, and molasses, and whisk briskly to incorporate. Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin pan. To make the Streusel: Combine all the streusel ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until butter is easily dispersed. You want the entire mixture to be moistened. Evenly sprinkle on top of each banana muffin and bake for 25-30 minutes. (This can easily be baked into a loaf pan and will take about 45-50 minutes)The top should be lightly browned and a toothpick inserted through the center of a muffin should come out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool before transferring onto cooling rack.

Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Bread

....Because sometimes you just need a little pick me up!
Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Bread (Adapted from these)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup raw sugar (I used coconut!)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup goat milk (vegans can use full-fat coconut milk!)
• 2 tablespoons organic coffee extract or espresso powder
• 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
• 1 "flax egg" (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chip

Preheat oven to 375 F

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine milk and coffee extract, add the butter, flax egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.  Grease or line loaf pan with parchment paper. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for at least five minutes before removing from pan. Enjoy!