Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies


https://bakerbynature.com/the-most-wonderful-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies-ever/

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil, solid but scoop-able
1 and 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut milk (I like to use the thicker Thai variety, but any coconut milk will work)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 and 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (be sure not to pack your flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (use vegan chocolate chips if vegan), divided
Flaky sea salt, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add in the coconut milk and applesauce and whisk until well combined; set aside. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk well to combine.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and, using a wooden spoon or very sturdy spatula, stir until ingredients are combined. The batter will be very thick! Fold in 1 and 3/4 cups of the chocolate chips.
Scoop three tablespoon sized mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving a few inches between each cookies for spreading. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers have set. Press remaining chocolate chips on top of warm cookies, and sprinkle with sea salt, if using. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Notes

If the dough appears too sticky, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time; if the dough appears too dry, add a tablespoon of coconut milk.

*DO NOT refrigerate dough overnight - just make and bake!

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HALF RECIPE:

1/4 cup coconut oil, solid but scoop-able
2/3 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 cup coconut milk (I like to use the thicker Thai variety, but any coconut milk will work)
1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce
1.1 cups all-purpose flour (be sure not to pack your flour)
.5 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (use vegan chocolate chips if vegan), divided
Flaky sea salt, optional

(Do not make in advance - bake better when dough is freshly made)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add in the coconut milk and applesauce and whisk until well combined; set aside. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk well to combine.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and, using a wooden spoon or very sturdy spatula, stir until ingredients are combined. The batter will be very thick! Fold in nearly all of the chocolate chips.
Scoop three tablespoon sized mounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving a few inches between each cookies for spreading. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers have set. Press remaining chocolate chips on top of warm cookies, and sprinkle with sea salt, if using. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Dill Salad Dressing

1c Sour cream
1/4c Mayo
Dill
Lemon juice
Honey
Salt
Pepper

Tea Sandwiches


Tea Sandwiches:

Egg salad: boil 7 or 8 eggs (start in a pot covered with cold water going an inch above the eggs, bring to full boil, then turn off heat and cover for 12 minutes), cool peel and slice, add some mayonnaise, dijon mustard, chopped chives, salt/pepper

Smoked salmon: softened cream cheese mixed with some lemon juice and chopped dill, add salt

Cucumber: mix softened cream cheese with some mayo, add chopped chives and dill, peel and then thinly slice English cucumber

For the kids: cream cheese and jelly, peanut butter and jelly

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Passion Fruit Curd


Makes 1 1/2 cups:
  • 3 large eggs, or 1 large egg plus 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup strained passion fruit juice*
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  1. Set the strainer over a medium bowl.
  2. Whisk the eggs (or egg and yolks) in a small nonreactive saucepan to blend. Whisk in the passion fruit juice and sugar. Add the butter. 
  3. Whisk over medium heat, reaching into the corners and scraping the sides and bottom of the pan, until the butter is melted and the mixture is thickened and beginning to simmer around the edges, then continue to whisk for about 10 seconds longer.
  4. Remove from the heat and scrape into the strainer, pressing gently on the solids. Scrape any curd clinging to the underside of the strainer into the bowl.
  5. Refrigerate until chilled before using. Curd keeps in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
*if you're using fresh passion fruit it takes forever to separate out seeds and squeeze pulp through a cheesecloth. There's an easy hack: if you put all of the pulp (seeds and all) in a good blender and blend for a few seconds at a time, the juice will separate from the pulp and seeds remarkably well, and then if you strain it one time through a fine strainer you'll get almost all of the juice!