Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hoping everyone enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day festivities and that you've all made a full recovery by now! Did you make anything particularly tasty, have a festive pint or two of Guinness, or wear a lot of green? I was shocked SHOCKED to learn from the Irish fellow that pinching non-green-wearing folk on March 17th was/is unheard of in Ireland. What gives, America? I want those 14 anxious days of my school experience back please and thank you!

We were disappointingly un-festive here this year, so I'm posting a few pictures taken up in Donegal a couple summers back. Did you miss out on Tuesday too and now need something extra delicious to bake this weekend? Maybe these will help:

This chocolate Guinness cake recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery. I haven't tried it yet, but I've baked practically everything in this Hummingbird Bakery cookbook and have yet to be disappointed.

Or maybe you want to go SUPER decadent with a Bailey's cheesecake recipe from Nigella?

Looking for something healthier? How about this beautiful raw avocado supercake from Natasha Corrett's new recipe book Honestly Healthy Cleanse? This one is high on my avocado-loving-self's to make (and devour!) list...

I'll also be back with regular posts and a new look in April. It's something I've been working on for awhile (too many projects!), and I hope you'll all check back!

Carrot Cake Cookies

Oh yes, you heard me - carrots in cookies. Delicious and fluffy Carrot Cake Cookies. Seriously, these are totally the cookie incarnation of carrot cake. The carrots lend an excellent cake-like consistency to these cookies, as well as a natural sweetness so you won't need nearly as much sugar as you would for other oatmeal raisin type cookies!

What you'll need (Makes 3 dozen cookies)

• 240g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 180g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g grated carrots
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 360g flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 140g oats
• 200g raisins
• 100g walnuts (optional)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 170C/340F.

Prepare the 200g of grated carrots. 2-3 large carrots should cover it.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract. Once thoroughly blended - no butter lumps! - add in the grated carrots. 

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together in a separate bowl. Gradually add this to the wet mixture, stirring as you go. Next gradually stir in the oats.

Finally, fold in the raisins and, if you want to include them, the walnuts.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then use a spoon to scoop rounded heaps of cookie dough, spaced evenly (leave at least an inch between each mound of dough), onto the baking sheet. Pop into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies turn lightly golden brown on the top. 

Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before removing from the baking sheet. And enjoy!

Eating your veggies with your cookies - sounds like a win to me, don't you agree? 

If you want slightly fancier cookies, these are excellent (and slightly sweeter) with a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top too!

Forget-Me-Not Cookies

Inspired by what my family has always called "Forgotten Cookies" - meringue cookies left so long in the oven it's as though you've forgotten them there - I made these Valentine's Day themed "Forget-Me-Not Cookies" - get it? Oh so witty...

These delicate cookies are sure to hit your sweet tooth and they're filled with chocolate and strawberry tastiness. 

What you'll need (makes 2 dozen cookies):

• 2 egg whites
• 120g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4g freeze dried strawberry pieces (or raspberry!)
• 75g chocolate (milk or dark to taste)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 160C/320F.

Separate 2 eggs and put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Unless you have superhuman strength and whisking stamina, you'll want to use an electric handheld mixer for this next step - beating the egg whites. It took me well over 5 minutes on high to whip the egg whites up. You will want the egg whites to start to peak, but not look dry. Once you've achieved a thicker feeling consistency, gradually add in the sugar and then the vanilla. Keep whipping for a minute to thoroughly mix in the vanilla.

The meringue should look thick and glossy at this stage. Set aside for a moment while you roughly chop the chocolate. Then gently fold the chocolate and freeze-dried strawberry pieces into the meringue.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop dessert spoon sized onto the parchment paper, leaving an inch between each spoonful.

Place the tray in the oven and leave at the preheated temperature for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 60C/140F for the next hour. Keep checking on the cookies though, to make sure they don't burn!

After removing the tray from the oven, let cool for a minute or so and gently remove the cookies from the parchment paper. They are very delicate, so be very gentle!

Share these super sweet Valentine's Day treats with people you like.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Looking for February Recipes?

This picture has nothing to do with treats, but it is pink - so it kind of matches the theme... right?

There are so many festive treats floating around the web in anticipation of February. Have you made any yet? I'm ready to try all of these! What do you think?

These raspberry coconut macaroons look refreshingly festive!

These red velvet chocolate swirled brownie bars over on Averie Cooks should hit your February chocolate cravings.

These soft m&m chocolate chip cookies would be especially delicious if you managed to stash away any of the peppermint white chocolate m&ms from the holidays...

Looking for a healthier treat? What about this delicious looking frozen pink cheesecake from Green Kitchen Stories? Why is this not in my kitchen right now?

Ginger Molasses Cookies

So there's this place in Athens, Georgia called Big City Bread Cafe that makes (among other things) really and truly delicious ginger molasses cookies. When I'm able to visit, I always try to stock up on a few. But since the delicious cookies live thousands of miles away from me right now, I'm trying to perfect my own recipe. This recipe makes chewy, not too sweet cookies with a little ginger kick. Yum!

What you'll need: (Makes 3 dozen cookies)

• 140g butter
• 100g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 180ml molasses (black treacle)
• 160g chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 270g flour (I used a GF blend)

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 170C/325F.

Add the light brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a mixing bowl. Blend with a handheld mixer on low/medium for about a minute.

Set this wet mixture aside and roughly chop the crystallized ginger. Don't worry about being too uniform, but do aim for smallish pieces. The pieces should be not much larger than a chocolate chip morsel or M&M. (Or you could use The Ginger People's crystallized ginger chips, which are already the perfect size.) Once you've chopped the ginger, set it aside for a moment.

In a separate, smaller bowl combine the dry ingredients - the baking soda, powdered ginger, and flour. Then gradually blend this into the wet mixture. Finally, mix in the molasses. Once the molasses is thoroughly blended, fold in the crystallized ginger pieces.

Evenly space rounded spoonfuls of the cookie dough (which will be on the sticky side) onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. You can also lightly sprinkle the tops of the cookie mounds with caster sugar.

Bake for about 9 minutes and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before removing from the tray if you want the cookies to remain in one piece!

Enjoy as a warming (both inside and out!) snack on a cold January afternoon!

Are you a ginger fan? I definitely am - I always bring these ginger candies with me when I travel (ginger is supposed to help with motion sickness!).

Granola Cluster Cookies

I made these reasonably healthy Granola Cluster Cookies for a hike up Snowdon this weekend - more on that later. They're fluffy and filling and full of good stuff. How's that for alliteration? The big secret - wait for it - is that I use all natural applesauce instead of butter! You could eat these for breakfast and feel pretty good about it.

All ready for Welsh mountains

What you'll need (makes 3-4 dozen cookies):

• 240g natural applesauce
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 320g self-raising flour (I used Dove's Farm GF blend, you can use any variety you'd like!)
• 320g granola

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 170C/340F.

Combine the natural applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract and sugars (caster and light brown) in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer to blend thoroughly.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Then gradually add this to the wet mixture.

Next comes the fun part - add in 400g of the granola of your choice. I'm sort of obsessed with this pumpkin granola. Like the sort of obsessed that means I really should eliminate the temptation and ban it for life. But I digress. I actually used a granola without raisins this time though, as some of my group are dried fruit averse.

Fold the granola into the cookie batter using a handheld mixer on low or a heavy duty spoon and some arm strength.

Once you've added the granola, the mixture should look chunky, but still have enough non-granola batter to it to hold things together. The consistency will be sticky, and somewhere between traditional cookie dough that you can roll into balls and cake batter. (You will not be able to shape these cookies, nor should you be able to pour the dough out of the mixing bowl.)

You can also add raisins or chocolate chips (Or both! Go crazy!) to taste if you'd like. I made about half of this batch with raisins and half without.

Drop heaping spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet (as above), leaving space in between each cookie mound because these do tend to spread out just a bit.

Golden brown on top and waiting to be scooped into a travel bag!

Bake for 10 minutes, then allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two before removing. Eat these at home, or pack them up and go exploring!


(Thanks A Cup of Joe for alerting me to the concept of banned for life - hilariously applicable to my own kitchen!)

Chocolate Coconut Cups

There have (luckily!) been many days around here recently during which it was just too hot to turn on the oven. We're talking smoothie-pops-featuring-heavily-at-dinner-time too hot in the kitchen. 

Enter these little guys - a no-bake tropically inspired treat. Naming inspiration was somewhat lacking though, as suggested names for these included Coconut UFOS, Coconut Chocolate Dealies, and Plentifuls (a play on a certain candy). Clearly my naming consultant was getting a little light headed over these... 

What you'll need:

• 75ml coconut milk
• 100g desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
• 25ml coconut oil, melted
• 200g milk chocolate
• about 24 hours (of waiting time, not prep time, I promise!)

What to do:

In a small mixing bowl, combine all coconut ingredients - desiccated, milk, and oil varieties. The coconut oil should be in liquid form, so you might need to melt it. Mine was helpfully already in liquid form when I took it out of the cupboard; I told you it's been warm here!

Use a fork to combine the ingredients until the coconut starts to clump together, as above.

Once you've achieved the desired consistency, line a muffin tin with paper liners and evenly distribute the coconut mixture into the paper cups. I made 6 with this, but I like the coconut quite thick. I would say you could easily make 9 chocolate coconut cups with this, or possibly 12. (However, I can't confirm the structural integrity of any that are this thin. I'll try again soon and report back!) Make sure to firmly press the coconut mixture into the bottom of the paper liners. 

Next, cover the muffin tin and place in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 12 hours.

Twelve or so hours later, roughly chop your milk chocolate and melt using a double boiler. Stir constantly and remove from heat once a little over half of the chocolate appears to have melted. Continue stirring to allow the remaining chocolate to melt.

Remove the coconut cups from the refrigerator, the muffin tin, and the paper liners. Honestly, you could probably dispense with the paper liners altogether if you lightly grease the muffin tin with coconut oil. I will verify this after my next batch too! 

Space the coconut cups evenly apart on a piece of parchment paper and spoon the melted milk chocolate over each one. I had just enough chocolate to make a nice chocolate top for each coconut cup. If you're aiming to make 9 or 12 coconut cups, I would recommend adding at least another 100g of chocolate to provide proper coverage. 

After you've exhausted your supply of melted chocolate, let the chocolate coconut cups cool for a bit before returning to the refrigerator in an airtight container. Once the chocolate is solid again (8 hours to be safe), they're finally ready to eat!

Not that these will last very long, but I would recommend you enjoy your no-bake treat within the week. 

Almond Apple Berry Crumble

It's been so nice here (summer - finally!) that I've not really wanted to turn the oven on quite as much as I usually do. I made an exception last night though, because crumble, like cobbler, makes for an excellently fruity summertime dessert. Especially when paired with a scoop of ice cream or sorbet!

Finished apple crumble ramekin - a little bit messy, but that's the style.

What you'll need for the Crumble Topping:

• 300g almond flour 
• 160g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 80g light brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

What you'll need for the filling:

• 4-5 Bramley apples (or other available cooking apples - I used Granny Smith this time)
• 150-200g blackberries
• 2 tbsp almond flour

What to do:

Roughly cube the apples, then place in a mixing bowl. Not too small, or you will get applesauce!

Apple pieces about this size are good.

Toss the apple pieces in the 2 tablespoons of almond flour. Add blackberries and repeat. You may choose to sprinkle a tablespoon of light brown sugar over this mixture, but I honestly find that it is sweet enough from the fruit and almond.

All ready to mingle with the apple pieces.

Dump the apple berry filling into your baking dish, or divide evenly into ramekins.

Now it's time to prepare the crumble topping. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the 300g almond flour, light brown sugar, and cinnamon.  I have also made this crumble with half almond flour, half all-purpose flour (gluten free and regular varieties) - so 150g of each. The crumble topping works out well both ways.

Once you've mixed the dry ingredients, cube the room temperature butter and add to mixture. You may use a fork to blend in the butter, but I've found that kneading by hand works best. You should be able to form one big dough ball from the crumble topping once the butter is mixed in thoroughly. 

If using a single baking dish, spread the crumble topping over the filling, breaking the crumble up a bit as you go. Make sure to cover the filling completely. If using ramekins, divide the dough ball into roughly equal parts before crumbling over the filling. I sometimes like to pat the crumble down a bit, to ensure complete coverage.

Ready to go in the oven

If using a large dish, bake 160C/320F for 40-45 minutes. If using ramekins (makes 8), bake 160C/320F for approximately 25 minutes.  

Allow to cool slightly. You may want to serve with ice cream. Or sorbet - raspberry was good!

Yum!

What's your go-to summertime dessert? Do you stick strictly to the frozen variety, or do you occasionally brave the heat of the oven?

Perfect Lemon & Coconut Bars

Aptly named recipe, Green Kitchen Stories, aptly named.

I am a big fan of pretty much all things coconut. These lemon and coconut bars made for a refreshing, summery treat! I added a bit more lemon juice to mine, and enjoyed them the most once cut into small squares after being refrigerated overnight. Not going to lie, I also tried them straight from the oven. Gooey, but good. Head over to Green Kitchen Stories for the official recipe.

I wish I had a pretty picture of my attempt to share, but I sadly only took a quick iPhoto of it:

My apologies for the iPicture quality here - this is admittedly not my finest culinary photograph. I promise this looks much much more aesthetically pleasing and appetizing cut into little bite-size squares.

On this warm summer morning, I kind of wish I still had some of these left in my refrigerator. Will you try some for your next picnic or barbecue? I'll definitely be making some again soon! (Maybe not today though, it's already so warm that my jar of coconut oil is in liquid form this morning! Ha!)

I Tried It: The Three Ingredient Brownie

Gratuitous closeup of Nutella

Have you been as curious about the myth of the 3 ingredient Nutella Brownie as I have? Seeing it all of the internet, thinking "Hmm...I wonder if that really works?" and then letting your mind carry you away to a lovely daydream about Nutella? I mean, erm. What?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I bring you good news: It works! Not only does it work, but these may also be my favorite brownies of Brownie Quest 2013 (aka The Quest for the Perfect Brownie).

Here's my spin, which technically includes five ingredients, but 2 are optional.

What you'll need:

(Makes 12-16 brownies)

• 300g Nutella
• 65g Self Raising flour (I used Dove's Farm GF blend)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla (Technically optional, but highly recommended. I think it nicely added to the flavor!)
• hazelnut pieces (to sprinkle over the top, if so desired)

The Brownie Triumvirate.

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 180C/360F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, and flour. I used my handheld electric mixer on low for about 30 seconds. Then add in the Nutella, blending thoroughly. This should take about a minute.

Butter an 8 x 8 inch baking dish (or an approximately sized round dish, as you see below), and pour in the batter (mine was pretty thick - almost between batter and dough in consistency - so don't be alarmed if yours is too. Particularly if you are using gluten free flour.).

Sprinkle the top with a handful of chopped hazelnut pieces (or not, up to you! I just had some leftovers from these Nutella cookies I made a little while ago.)

Pop into the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Whole pan of brownies cooling

Let cool for at least 5 minutes before attempting to cut if you want your brownies to resemble any actual geometric shape. If you're not so picky about aesthetics, let cool for 3 minutes before digging in.

So pretty and full of Nutella.

And in case you're wondering, these are not overpoweringly hazelnutty. There is definitely a taste of Nutella, but it's not as strong as you would expect given that it is one of the main ingredients. These are just super tasty brownies with a really good consistency (on the fudge-y side, not cake-like or dry).

Have you tried these yet? If not, will you now?

GF Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Cocoa nibs optional, but highly recommended!

Since reading about Averie Cooks over on A Cup of Joe back in May, I've been meaning to try a peanut butter cookie made with coconut oil. I have adapted the following cookie recipe from this peanut butter cookie recipe from Averie Cooks. I suspect mine are not as fluffy, due to some ingredient changes, but I wanted to try out a gluten free and lower sugar version, and I'm happy with the dome-shaped results. I hope you will be too! (Sidenote: I totally plan on baking the to-the-letter averiecooks-version soon too; I just need to hunt down some JIF!)

What you'll need:

• 125g light brown sugar
• 175g natural crunchy peanut butter (I used Meridian's no salt or sugar added variety)
• 90g coconut oil
• 140g GF self-raising flour (I used Dove's Farm)
• 75g GF oats (Alara Gluten Free Pure Oats)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbls vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp baking soda (Dove's Farm GF)
• pinch of salt
• cocoa nibs (optional and to taste)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350F/175C.

The coconut oil should be room temperature, and somewhere in between solid and liquid in terms of consistency. Think of yourself as the Goldilocks of coconut oil consistency.

Combine the light brown sugar, peanut butter, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. A handheld mixer on medium for a minute or two should do the trick.

Next, combine the flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt in a separate bowl. Gradually blend this into the wet mixture. Save the oats to mix in last (unless you're going to add cocoa nibs too, in which case, the oats will be second-to-last).

Will you be adding cocoa nibs to your cookies? I had an open pouch from naturya waiting to be used again, so I did half my batch with and half without. If you do want to add cocoa nibs, toss in as many as you'd like. Aim for a similar distribution to chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie dough; keep in mind these will not be as sweet though! (If you prefer a sweeter cookie, add in a bit more sugar - 20g or so.) 

A tasty addition.

Roll the cookie dough into balls and place evenly on a cookie sheet. 

Bake for about 8 minutes. After removing from the oven, leave the cookies to cool for about 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing.

Cooling on the cookie sheet.

Which did you like better? Would you prefer these with smooth peanut butter, or did you like the crunchy peanut bits? I almost always use crunchy peanut butter when I bake!

Half of this batch of GF Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies had Cocoa Nibs - my favorite half.