Gooey Snickerdoodle Peaches and Cream Bars *Vegan*

Goodbye summer...at least for all the kiddos that is. Time to go back to school and time for crappy traffic in the morning again. Seriously do parents not work in the summer or what? I don't understand how the traffic situation changes so drastically when school starts. I thought most schools were in their own little neighborhood/suburb, why are the highways jam packed? This is the age old question. Traffic aside not only am I going to miss the less crowded roads but I'm going to miss all the summer flavors. I love the fresh berries, bright citrus, love watermelon, and the peaches. I heart peaches. I've been craving a sweet gooey bar for weeks now and the other half just happened to bring home some peaches from the farmers market the other day. It was destiny...peaches and cream bars had to happen.

Gooey Snickerdoodle Peaches and Cream Bars *Vegan*

Ingredients:
3/4 cup maple sugar (I found this at Trader Joe’s but have also seen it at our regular grocery store. If you use regular granulated sugar use 1 cup measurement)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 fresh peach, sliced
1/4 cup pecans
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (Recipe below)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 baking pan with foil.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment cream together maple sugar, coconut oil, and maple syrup, then stir in the almond milk and vanilla.

3. Then add to the bowl the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined.

4. Reserve about a 1/2 cup (a good handful) of the dough and set aside, then press the rest of the dough into the foil lined baking tin.

5. Arrange sliced peaches all over the top of the dough, sprinkle the pecans over them, and then drizzle the sweetened condensed coconut milk all over the top, then crumble pieces of the reserved dough and dot the top of the bars with it.

6. In a small bowl or dish mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle that over the top of the bars.

7. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The top will start to brown slightly. (Mine baked for 23 minutes)

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

Ingredients:
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Pour can in heavy sauce pan and stir in sugar. Turn burner onto medium until it starts to bubble around the sides, then turn down to med low.

2. Set the timer for 1 hour and stir frequently to avoid burning. I stirred about every 10 minutes or so. You want to it to be thicker and reduced by about half. Let cool completely.

You can do this ahead of time and store covered in the refrigerator.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

So the other half has been on a plant based diet recently. He really wanted to improve his health, and truth be told his best friends recent brush with cancer has totally changed his outlook on how he treats his own body. I'm all for living longer and living the life that we do have healthier so I decided to join him. There are actually amazingly delicious vegan recipes out there that we have tried and you really don't miss the meat or cheese. Don't get me wrong, we're not doing this because of the ethical reasons (i.e. animals are gross, or they are treated badly) so I am not going to kid anyone by saying I'm never eating meat again, but it isn't going to be as often and when I do I'm going to make smarter decisions about it. Anyone think I'm crazy yet? I can tell you I had a big concern about dessert though. I mean it's only obvs that I love butter and sugar ridden goodness, so would vegan desserts really stand up to what I'm used to. Well...the answer was...yes! Case in point these delicious vegan chocolate chip cookies. Now this recipe is not my own. I wanted to try it out before I start experimenting on my own...but these cookies are pretty amazing. I found them on the Vegan Housewives site and I'm so glad I did. Even if you aren't vegan you should give them a try. They are chewy and rich with a very slight hint of coconut. Yummy!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2.  Cream together the liquid coconut oil & brown sugar, then add the milk alternative & vanilla.

3.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4.  Combine the wet & dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate morsels & any other mix-ins of your choosing.

5.  Roll into Tbsp sized balls & place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, then flatten them out a bit with your palm.

6.  Bake for 7-10 minutes.

Reprinted from the Vegan Housewives

Glazed Strawberry Lemon Cake

It's summer and I've been craving bright, fresh, crisp flavors. Citrus and berries always remind me of warm days. What do you have planned for your summer? One new project I would like to tackle this summer is a garden. My grandmother always kept a garden when I was growing up and always had fresh fruit and vegetables around. I'd love to have one just like hers someday but I'm going to have to start on a smaller scale. The other half and I have been going to the farmer's market so regularly that it would be great to have a few staples just outside, ripe for the picking. Tomatoes here, basil there, and maybe even some onions, it would be great. One summer thing I can never seem to prepare for is swimsuit season. Yuck! I think I would like to get rid of that along with Valentine's Day. I think they are both designed to make you feel inadequate and disappointed. So hopefully the fruit and vegetables would aid in preparing for that. Are you getting what I'm saying people? This cake has fruit in it...therefore it is helping you...at least that is what I tell myself. Be good to yourself and make this cake.

Glazed Strawberry Lemon Cake

Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 eggs, room temperature

1 (8oz) container sour cream, room temperature

1 tbsp Lorann Professional Kitchen - Lemon Bakery Emulsion (I use Lorann Bakery Emulsions, which I love, but any lemon extract would work here also)

3/4 cup strawberry puree

Directions:

1. First quarter a pint of strawberries and puree them in a food processor.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare bundt pan. (You can grease and flour your bundt pan, but I have been using Bak-klene ZT which I got at Williams-Sonoma. The best no-stick bakery spray I have ever used. Helps save your bakeware because it doesn’t leave a sticky residue.)

3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4. I the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one until incorporated. Mix in Lorann Lemon Emulsion and sour cream.

5. Add flour mixture a little at a time until flour is combined. (I did it in three batches)

6. Stir in strawberry puree.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes. Until a cake tester or a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on cooling rack to cool completely.

Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp strawberry puree

1 tbsp + 2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.

2. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Doughnut Pudding with a Whiskey Ice Cream Sauce

I am living out of boxes right now and it stinks...but...we're moving...YAY!...so it's worth it! We're moving to a new place and we're finally getting more space. The kitchen is so much bigger and brighter and I can't wait to get in there and make a mess. There is no better way to realize you may have hoarding tendencies than having to pack up all your crap. So because the other half is awesome and packed up all the kitchen stuff I have been forced to eat out more often and that includes breakfast. I was craving a doughnut and I felt if I get a doughnut for myself I should bring enough for the rest of the class so I got enough for the office. Too much in fact...but don't worry...no wasting sweets here.

Don't know what to do with those left over doughnuts from work this morning? Don't throw them away, save them and make some doughnut pudding, it's like bread pudding made with doughnuts instead. So much prettier too..especially if you include some sprinkle topped ones and jelly filled...so colorful.

Just take some old doughnuts.

Tear them up

Then pour a sweet custard over them...bake...and voila...Doughnut Pudding!

Better than bread

Doughnut Pudding with Whiskey Ice Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
6 day old doughnuts, torn into chunks
1 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 sugar
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 baking dish.

2.  Place torn doughnuts in a greased 13x9 baking dish and sprinkle chopped pecans over the top.

3.  In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk,vanilla, sugar, and melted butter that has cooled.

4.  Pour the wet mixture over the doughnuts and let soak in about 10 minutes.

5.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

6.  For the whiskey ice cream sauce just melt 1 cup of your favorite vanilla ice cream with a tbsp of whiskey and you're all set.

Mini Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter Cheesecake

Hello hello :) So the other half and I recently took a trip to Seattle and Portland and I loved it there. I could totally see us moving there and hopefully we will someday. It's such a beautiful part of the country and it wasn't really as rainy as I thought it would be. We ate and drank our way through both cities trying to explore as much as we could. When we vacation we walk and ride public transportation to get around the city trying to find the local spots, and for the most part avoiding the touristy places. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Here are a few photos from our little adventure.

Moving right along to the cheesecake. I had a few ingredients that I had been wanting to use and finally brought them together. First, I had a jar of Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter that my girlfriend had given me because she knows I love that sort of thing and I have been trying to come up with the perfect treat to use it in. Then I also decided to go with a shortbread cookie as a crust because the other half sucks at picking out girl scout cookies. They have been sitting around the house since "girl scout cookie season" (you guys know what I mean) unopened and they just had to be put to good use. His excuse for acquiring said girl scout cookies...he believes that the girl scout cookie selling operation is like the mafia. You see they put these cute little girls in pigtails as a front. They smile sweetly and ask if you'd like to buy some cookies, when it's really the mom's that are behind it. Their icy stare, judging you (like how dare you say no to a little girl), with the look in their eyes that say, (you better buy some cookies or I'll break your freakin legs.) My technique is to not make eye contact, but the other half, he just doesn't have it down yet. So while feeling coerced into buying cookies he goes and picks the most plain, boring cookie they've got. (No offence to you shortbread cookie lovers) I think they go great with a creamy, rich cheesecake though.

Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter Cheesecake

Ingredients: 
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 heavy cream
1/2 cup Amaretto Peach Pecan Honey Butter
Pinch of salt
12 shortbread cookies for crust

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 325° and line a muffin tin with liners and then place one shortbread cookie in the bottom of each tin.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the cream cheese, brown sugar and flour until smooth.

3.  Then add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.

4.  Then stir in the amaretto peach pecan honey butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. Pour into tins.

5.  Bake for 25 minutes. (I place a pyrex baking dish full of hot water underneath the muffin tin; I do this for all of my cheesecakes instead of a water bath) Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.

6.  Remove from oven. Let cool. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Chocolate Cookie Butter Tart

So I love Trader Joe's cookie butter. What I love more than their cookie butter is the cookie butter (speculoos) stuffed chocolate bars...like really LOVE! In fact I think I have a problem. They were so good I would always get a couple or three or four when I checked out, and then they ran out! The next month or so they had not gotten any in, so I did what any addict would do, I improvised. I bought a jar of the cookie butter and a bar of chocolate and dipped my chocolate bar in the cookie butter, perfectly healthy I assure you. I had to manage my cravings this way for a while until they finally got them back. Now I just rake them all in my basket with my arm and hope the cashier doesn't judge me for how many chocolate bars I am buying. So in honor of my favorite candy bar and to use the extra jar of cookie butter I bought in crisis, I decided to create this tart.

This definitely satisfies the chocolate/cookie butter craving, thank goodness so I don't have to buy so many chocolate bars. It's a crumbly chocolate shortbread crust that also has crushed speculoos cookies baked into it, with a creamy cookie butter middle, and topped with a smooth chocolate ganache. It's so good! It is rich so a little piece will do or you can pair it with a little whipped cream or maybe even a little ice cream.

Chocolate Cookie Butter Tart

Shortbread Crust
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup speculoos cookies, crushed (plus extra for garnish)
pinch of salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Middle Layer
Ingredients:
7 oz (1/2 jar) Trader Joe's crunchy cookie butter (that's it)

Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
3oz milk chocolate, chopped
2oz dark chocolate, chopped
3/8 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, cookies, and salt.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or large bowl using a hand mixer) cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in egg yolk and vanilla.

3. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until it comes together.

4. Press into a 9in' tart pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prick the bottom of the crust several times with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

6. While crust is cooling, start on ganache. Heat cream in saucepan over medium heat just until the sides start to bubble.

7. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let set 2 minutes, the whisk until smooth.

8. Spread cookie butter over cooled crust then spread ganache over cookie butter, sprinkle extra cookie crumbs as garnish. Refrigerate until ganache is set.

You can serve it at room temp like I did or with a bit of a chill on it, whatever you like.

Truffle Stuffed Amaretto Peanut Butter Cookies

So...I was going to lay off the alcohol for awhile...to you know save calories and give my liver a good rest...

Then Monday came along...

I think they might have invented alcohol for Mondays just to make them worth being a day of the week. Plus it's blowing like 50 mph chilly winds today...no kidding...so what's better than a nice glass of red wine to warm your cockles. Oh and good for your heart! Right?

Anyway...lets talk cookies. These will make your Monday worth it too.

These cookies are chewy and amaretto-y and peanut buttery, and chocolatey, and positively scrumptious. I made these cookies with an amaretto peanut butter and stuffed them with an amaretto truffle. I love amaretto and my girlfriend, Randi, knows this and got me a few treats, including this amaretto peanut butter, she's the greatest!

And I just realized that I was supposed to save one for her...and I didn't...I forgot...and they're all gone...I'm a horrible friend.

Guess I'll be making another batch soon...must save one for Randi...must save one for Randi. :)

Truffle Stuffed Amaretto Peanut Butter Cookies

For the Amaretto Truffle
Ingredients:
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
3 ounces dark chocolate coarsely chopped
3 ounces milk chocolate coarsely chopped
1/4 cup amaretto

Directions:
1. Place the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until scalding; it will just start to bubble around the sides.

2. Place the chopped chocolate into a heat proof bowl and pour the hot milk over the chocolate and add the amaretto, let sit for 2 minutes and whisk until smooth.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for two hours or until set. Then form into balls. For the cookies I made them a little smaller and I left the truffles without any coating but I did roll a few extra in cocoa. Chill in fridge for another 30 minutes.

For the Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 cup amaretto peanut butter
1 egg
1 tbsp amaretto
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat liner.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the sugars and butter until lighter in color and fluffy.

3. Beat in egg and peanut butter until smooth and stir in amaretto.

4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until all ingredients are combined. Then chill dough in fridge for 30 mins.

5. Now to assemble the cookies I used a small cookie scoop I used two scoops and smashed one down with a fork to give it the traditional peanut butter cookie look and then I just smashed the other down with the palm of my hand and wrapped them around one of the amaretto truffles and pinched the sides together to seal.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes and then let rest on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.