Dark Chocolate Fudge

Now that I have found dairy free chocolate and cocoa powder, I LOVE making all things chocolate. I have been messing around for the past week with a fudge recipe. Making things like fudge can be a little tricky. Usually they call for cream or milk, which thicken when you cook them. It’s the casein protein that does that and that is one of the milk proteins that I’m allergic to. So, it becomes a challenge to get the right proportions and tinker with ingredients to get the right thickness and texture.

I almost had the fudge right the first time. Unfortunately, I didn’t cook it long enough. I put it back on the stove and got it a little thicker. I thought that was it, but it was still too loose. I put it back in the pot a third time (that 3^rd time was NOT a charm) and I got distracted and over cooked it. The second time wasn’t any better. I over cooked it right from the get go. UGH! It turned into chocolate sugar. Kind of like maple sugar candy, but not nearly as good. I was really quite frustrated. Every time I bumped the candy thermometer, the temp would drop. I probably should have used a smaller pot so the thermometer would have been deeper in the mixture. I really wanted to do it the old fashioned way, but I wanted a recipe to share with you all AND it was becoming a real waste of chocolate. The dairy free chocolate is not cheap. It’s about $3.49 for a 3 oz. bar.  

Anyway, I decided to go with using marshmallow cream for my 3^rd try. It worked! I ended up with a rich, smooth, melt in your mouth fudge. Maddie, my daughter, gave it immediate two thumbs up. I gave her the spoon and some scrapings from the pot right after I poured it and she said, “This is GOOD! I like this”. She promptly ate it all and wore the fudge proudly on her face. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

This recipe was adapted from the Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Crème Fantasy Fudge recipe.

In this recipe, I used SO Delicious Dairy Free Original Coconut Milk Creamer in place of evaporated milk.

3 scant cups of granulated sugar

¾ cup Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine Sticks

4.5 oz or a scant ⅔ cup SO Delicious Dairy Free Original Coconut Milk Creamer

4 3oz dairy free dark chocolate (I used Dark Chocolate Dream – Pure Dark)

7 oz jar of marshmallow crème (I used Kraft Jet –Puffed)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coffee extract

2 tbsp black onyx cocoa powder (or Dutch cocoa powder if that’s what you have)

A pinch of kosher salt

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

·      Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with foil or parchment paper with the ends extending past the sides of the pan. Lightly grease with margarine or cooking spray.

·      In a 3-qt pot, stirring constantly bring the sugar, margarine, coconut milk, and salt to a rolling boil over medium heat.

·      Cook for 4 minutes or until the candy thermometer reaches 234F (soft ball stage).

·      Immediately remove from heat.

·      Stir in the chocolate, marshmallow crème and cocoa powder until melted.

·      Add vanilla and coffee extracts and nuts if you’re adding them.

·      Pour into the prepared pan.

·      Cool completely.

    *Note: The fudge is even better IF you can let it sit for a day or two. 

Thanksgiving (Part Two)

Okay, the spiced cranberries are done and cooling and the pumpkin pie is in the oven. Here is my pumpkin pie recipe. it took a bit of fiddling with it over the years, but I finally got the texture that I wanted. I've tried other brands of pumpkin, but I prefer Libby's taste.  Do NOT use the mix! Feel free to adjust the spices to your preference. If you don't want to make your own crust, Pilsbury Pie crust is dairy free. I use it when I'm not in the mood to make my own or if I'm crunched for time (like tonight).

1 (15oz) can of pure pumpkin puree
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground clove
pinch of ground allspice
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup rice milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 425F.
Roll out on a floured pastry sheet (large cutting board or counter will work too). Just a couple of passes of the rolling pin.
Place the crust in a pie pan, trim and crimp the edges.
Put the empty crust in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combing and beat together the pumpkin puree and dark brown sugar.
Add the salt, cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice, and flour.
Mix in the rice milk, vanilla extract, eggs, and egg yolks.
Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350F and continue to bake for 40-50 more minutes.
Cool and enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving! (Part One)

The season of giving and sharing has begun. The giving and sharing of germs that is. We've had several weeks of sickness in the house. Everyone is finally on the mend, thank goodness!  That is the reason I haven't posted anything lately. Fevers and coughing up one's lungs is not conducive to cooking and baking. That said, I do want to share just a couple of holiday recipes that are staples of my holiday dinners (both Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Homemade cranberry sauce is so easy to make. There isn't much to it and the end result is delicious.

Spice Cranberry Sauce

1 12oz. bag cranberries, rinsed and picked over
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole allspice berries
5 whole cloves

Place the cinnamon stick, allspice, and cloves in a piece of cheese cloth large enough to make a small bag. Tie it off with a piece of cooking twine. Cut off any excess cheese cloth.
Rinse and pick out any bad cranberries.
Place the cranberries, your spices, water, and sugar in a pot.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let cool.
When the cranberries are cool enough, remove the spices.
Transfer to a serving dish or a storage container.
Refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Note: You can just place the spices straight into the cranberries without the cheese cloth and then fish them out later. There is always the chance that you miss one or you can't find one. If that happens, warn your guests. ;o)

Tasting at Savory Spice Shop

 

 

My daughter Maddie and the inspiration for Maddie Cakes.

I mentioned in a couple of previous posts that I was starting to venture out into selling my baked goodies. A couple of months ago, I was in Savory Spice Shop. As I was paying for my purchase, I was telling the woman ringing up about being allergic to dairy and that the black onyx cocoa powder that I was buying was for an order of homemade Oreo cookies.  She got excited and suggested that I contact the owner of the shop about doing a tasting. They hold tastings on Saturdays through out the year. I pondered the idea a bit and then contacted Amy, she and her husband own and run the spice shop. She welcomed me to hold a tasting and I accepted. Of course after I said yes, I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into.

Let the tasting begin!

It was difficult deciding what items I was going to make. The original list was quite long. I really wanted people to get a good idea of how good dairy free can be. I settled on the dark chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting, vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting, almond sugar cookies, the chocolate truffle torte, and dairy free ranch dressing (they wanted something savory to reflect their name). I originally wanted to have some gluten free and vegan cupcakes in addition to the dairy free, but the gluten free vanilla cupcakes kept coming out wrong. I was soooo frustrated because I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. Since I didn’t have a lot of time, I decided to keep things dairy free. I finally figured out what was wrong when I made my regular dairy free vanilla cupcakes. I had mistyped the amount of rice milk. Once corrected, the cupcakes turned out great, but it was too late to go back and remake the gluten free. I discovered that decorating small cookies is more difficult that decorating the larger ones and I found that my idea to use both my sugar cookie frosting and royal icing works. I normally don’t care for royal icing and my icing is part of what makes my cookies what they are. Unfortunately, my confectioner’s sugar icing doesn’t work well for outlining the cookie or for fine detail work. By combining both, I get the best of both.

I had originally planned on making a walnut torte with Grand Marnier filling and maple frosting, but my husband pushed for me to make the Chocolate Truffle Torte. I have to admit that it was a good call on his part. The Chocolate Truffle Torte was the star of the show. 

Chocolate Truffle Torte

  My next hurdle was figuring out how to transport close to 200 mini-cupcakes without messing up the frosting. The key was driving very slowly. I had a moment of panic when Mike forgot and took some curve at a faster speed than I would have liked. Thank goodness only 2 cupcakes tipped over.

Double Vanilla Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Dark Chocolate Frosting

Amy, Scott, and their staff made us feel at home at Savory Spice Shop. The actual tasting went very well. We had slow moments, but we also had moments where our table was crowded. Several of friends stopped by and it was nice seeing a couple of familiar faces. If you live in the Charlotte area or are passing through, stop by Savory Spice Shop. They have all kinds of spices, spice blends, and extracts. Everyone one is so friendly and helpful; so don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions.

Maddie behind the table taking a snack break and my husband, Mike, sitting on the steps.

They were kind enough to invite me back to do another tasting on their 2^nd anniversary, the 30^th of November. I have accepted and look forward to it. I hope that those of you who are nearby can stop in and try my treats.

Sloppy Joes

I am in the middle of writing a post about this past weekend, but here’s a little something for you in the meantime.

dSometimes it’s nice to have an easy recipe to go to when things are hectic or you just don’t feel like doing a whole lot. It’s not uncommon to make sloppy joe’s from a can, but this recipe is pretty simple. It’s a great one to make a double or triple batch and put the rest in the freezer for a quick meal.

2 lbs ground beef

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp dried parsley flakes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

½ green pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

2 cups ketchup

2 tsp prepared mustard (plain)

4 tsp brown sugar

·      In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium high heat.

·      Brown the ground beef and the seasonings (garlic powder to the parley flakes).

·      Drain the grease.

·      Sautée the onion and green pepper until tender.

·      Add the seasoned ground beef, garlic powder, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar.

·      Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

·      Serve on hamburger buns.

Improved Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

Today, I made a small tweak to my Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe. It is such a small change, but I really feel that it takes the cookie to the next level of yumminess. The flavor of the cookie hasn’t changed, but there is just a little more substance around the chocolate pieces. My husband and daughter couldn't stop eating them.

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups  + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine sticks

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12 oz. (4 3 oz. bars) Dark Chocolate Dream cut into chunks

·      Preheat oven to 375 F

·      Break up the chocolate bars into their scored pieces and then cut each triangle into 3-4 pieces depending on the size you want.

·      Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to thoroughly mix.

·      In a large bowl, beat margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy.

·      Add the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla extract.

·      Gradually add in the flour mixture. Scrape the sides as needed.

·      Stir in the chocolate pieces.

·      Bake for 10-12 minutes. They should be golden brown.

·      Cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla Cupcakes

I was feeling a little stressed the other afternoon and I just couldn’t focus on anything. So, what can make a girl feel better? Vanilla cupcakes with colored sprinkles! I’ve been playing around with a yellow cake recipe. Some of the recipes that I’ve come across lately ended up being too dense, almost a pound cake, but not or too eggy tasting.  I think I’ve found the perfect balance of flavor and texture.

Cupcakes

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 cups sour rice milk (divided)*

½ cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

·      Preheat the oven to 375°F

·      In a large mixing bowl, combine and whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

·      In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup (or a small mixing bowl) combine and whisk 1 cup sour rice milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.

·      Make a well in the flour mixture.

·      Pour mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mix.

·      Bring the 1 cup rice milk to a boil (1-2 minutes in the microwave).

·      With the mixer going, VERY slowly pour the hot rice milk into the cake batter.

·      Beat on high for 1 minute to incorporate some air into the batter.

·      Pour into 2 lined standard sized cupcake pans.

TIP: Lightly spritz the cupcake liners and tin with non-dairy cooking spray. It will help when you go to remove the liners from the cupcakes.

·      For cupcakes: Bake 20-25 minutes. Mini-cupcakes: Bake 15-20 minutes.**

·      Cool completely on a wire rack.

·      Frost.

·      Eat!

*Sour Milk: Place 1 tbsp lemon juice in the measuring cup and then add milk until you reach the 1cup mark.

** For 2 9inch cake pans: Bake for 25-30 minutes

Vanilla Frosting

2 sticks Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine sticks

4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1-3 tbsp rice milk

·      Combine margarine, margarine, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.

·      Add rice milk 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If you stick an offset spatula in the frosting it should lean slightly to the side.

·      Frost cupcakes.