Sassy Sweet Recipes From my Recipe Collection

Okay folks.  It's time to start sharing!  The days of scribbling shared recipes on scraps of paper and losing them into the void of a recipe box has transitioned into a more streamlined approach.  Google.  Or rather, when I get requests to share the recipes of treats, it's easier to send a link via email than plan on remembering to actually put pen to paper.  Big request items (except, of course, the top secret recipes - Jen, if you are reading this, keep that recipe under lock and key!) will be posted here for future reference. 


Vegan Double Chocolate Loaf

It's depressing...I know.  Life has edged me into the half-vegan category with food sensitivities - read the blog post if you need the details.  If you don't care - just use the recipe if you're watching gluten, egg and sugar intake!

Firstly, my preferred egg substitute is homemade - and fairly cheap to make.  I didn't invent this wheel - but this blogger has my favourite recipe I have tried so far.  You will need this recipe to make the recipe vegan - or use 2 eggs.  




Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Banana Flour (yes, it's a thing)
1 tsp Baking Powder
5 tbsp Cocoa Powder (au naturel, no milk ingredients needed or wanted)
1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Soy Milk (or any other milk substitute you prefer)
1/2 cup Strong Coffee (brewed)
3/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted - or plop into the hot coffee to melt)
2 Eggs worth of egg substitute or 2 eggs
1 tsp of Vanilla
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (my favourite "Enjoy Life" brand.  Ingredients - Cocoa Mass and Brown sugar.  That's it.  Simple, tasty and dark.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Line a 8.5x4.5x2 with parchment and set aside.

Mix your egg replacement in a small bowl as directed.

In a medium bowl mix together banana flour, baking powder, cocoa, sugar and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl whisk together coffee, coconut oil, egg replacement and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.  Let it cool in pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.  Then cool on a rack and slice.


No Fail Pie Crust

Courtesy of my good friend Karen.  This was her mother's recipe that she shared with me, as I often struggled making a flaky, golden crust.  I love to bake, but avoided making a pie like a chiropractor avoids telling you that you don't need any work done!  But this recipe is impossible to screw up.  Believe it or not, I mix it all in my Kitchen Aid - it is not a recipe that you have to worry about over doing it!  Use it for sweet or savory!  Makes 3 full pies (top and bottom), or 2 deep dish full pies, or 6 bottom crust pies.
My Homemade Tourtiere

Ingredients:
5 cups All Purpose Flour
1lb Lard (forget shortening - nothing makes a good crust like animal fat!)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp White Sugar
1 Egg
1 tbsp White Vinegar
Water
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients and lard together to make a crumbly mess (again - feel free to use a stand mixer!)
Beat 1 egg into a 1 cup measuring cup, and 1 tbsp white vinegar to measuring cup.  Fill the rest of the 1 cup with cold water.
Mix into dry ingredients (again in mixer) and put into the fridge until needed (at least 3 hours).  Once chilled, divide evenly.  Freezes beautifully.  Before you bake, beat an egg and brush on the top of the pie for a nice golden crust.  Enjoy - and share a piece with a neighbour!  People don't make pie like they used to...and that is a skinny shame!
Happy pie creating!

Maple Glazed Bacon and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yep, you read that right.  Bacon.  Chocolate.  Cookie.  A few of my favourite things baked together to confuse the heck out of your tastebuds!  And, WHO doesn't like bacon?  My colleagues will have the pleasure of consuming these tasty treats tomorrow...so stay tuned for feedback!  I have a few minor adjustments at the end of the recipe - so watch for the tips!  Thanks Nadia G. from Bitchin' Kitchen for the recipe - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your show!
Actual Picture of My Cookies


Ingredients
BACON:
12 bacon slices, minced
1/4 cup maple syrup 

BATTER:
1 cup unsalted butter, large dice
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups quality milk chocolate, in chip-sized chunks
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

For the bacon: In a medium frying pan, saute the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Drain the fat from the pan, add the maple syrup and stir to blend. Saute until the maple syrup becomes thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer immediately to a small bowl and let cool.

For the batter: With a standing or handheld mixer, blend the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well blended, 1 minute. Add the vanilla and beat for 30 seconds more. Stir in the flour and baking soda with a wooden spoon. Add the bacon and chocolate and stir to combine. Scoop heaping teaspoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until golden around the edges, 9 to 10 minutes.  Let stand for 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack.
Kathy's notes to readers: Okay.  They are fab-u-lous!  Firstly, cook an extra piece of bacon, because when you cook it down with the maple syrup you WILL nibble on it.  Trust me.  Secondly, I used a combination of milk and dark chocolate - because  dark chocolate is a TKO with the bacon!  Also, I used a nice quality Cyprus Mediterranean Finishing Salt, as I didn't have Maldon - but any flaky sea salt would do.  I err to the 9 minutes, as I like a chewier cookie, so I rarely bake a cookie longer than 8 minutes at 350 degrees.  If you like a crispier cookie - go for 10 minutes.  GREAT bring along for a potluck or BBQ!

Sponge Toffee (or Honeycomb)

A holiday favourite and so easy to do!  If you happened to get this as a little gift from me ignore that first statement - it is VERY hard to make ;D Canadian Living is a fab source for this recipe!
                          Recipe from Canadian Living - check it out!

Ingredients

  • 2-1/2 cups granulated sugar (625 mL)
  • 2/3 cup white corn syrup (150 mL)
  • 1/3 cup water (75 mL)
  • 4 tsp baking soda 
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Preparation

In 12-cup (3 L) saucepan, stir together sugar, corn syrup and water over medium heat just until sugar dissolves.

Bring to boil; cook, without stirring but brushing down side of pan occasionally with pastry brush dipped in cold water, until candy thermometer reaches hard-crack stage of 300°F (149°C), or when 1 tsp (5 mL) hot syrup dropped into cold water forms hard brittle threads, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Standing back and averting face, whisk in baking soda. (Caramel will bubble and sputter and increase in volume.) Whisk in vanilla.

Pour into greased foil-lined 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan. Let cool in pan on rack without disturbing, about 2 hours. Break into 1-1/2-inch (4 cm) pieces. (Make-ahead: Store layered between waxed paper in airtight container for up to 1 month.)
Source : Canadian Living Holiday Cookbook: Fall 2009

Kathy's notes to readers:  A helping hand (like roping in an unwilling spouse with the promises of tooth cracking pleasure) is beneficial in most candy making ventures.  As soon as you whisk in the baking soda and it fizzes - it will start to harden and become very difficult to pour from the pan.  Having someone to pour while you scrape makes life easier - and much more fun!  Now, if you're REALLY good at roping people in, and your partner has a sweet tooth - encourage them to lend a hand with clean up...Hubby....if you're reading this, your help always makes it run a little smoother - thanks! xox




4 comments:

  1. Perhaps we should now use our wonderful teamwork skills to paint those stairs...or we could just make more toffee!

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    Replies
    1. Ummmm....toffee making was WAY more fun than the stair project. Ugh....never painting spindles again!

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  2. Please make more toffee Peter...it was sooooooo good. Transported me back to my childhood and we both know that wasn't last year.
    Thanks for the recipe and the lovely blog posting Kathy...I am going to choose to dwell as a Happy Hunter!

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    Replies
    1. I concur! Toffee is tasty...and for the record, I thought your childhood just started! You're a Grandma now - that transports you back to being fun AND childish!! You are welcome for the recipe - I never doubted you as a happy hunter :)

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