Salisbury.Fake baking, dessert, food

Cherry Bars

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These are pretty straightforward.  Cherries are delicious and good for you.  Here we go:

For the base:

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 scant cup oat flour
1/2 stick vegan butter (4-5 tbsp)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup soy milk (or other plant based milk)
1 tsp each vanilla and almond extract
1/2 cup sugar

Combine the flours, butter, salt, and sugar till mixture is sandy and holds together when you press it.  Add in the soy milk and extracts and stir till a dough forms.  It should be slightly tacky, but not wet.  Set in the fridge to rest for about half an hour while you prepare the filling.

For the filling:

3 cups cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup blackberries + 1 tbsp sugar, pressed for juice
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

In a saucepan, add the cherries, blackberry juice, orange zest and juice, and water.  Cook till the cherries are tender and easy to mash.  Mash a few times, but leave enough whole for texture if you’d prefer.  Make a slurry with some of the juice and the cornstarch.  Add in the slurry and cook till thick.  If it’s too thick, add in a little more water, or orange juice if you’d prefer that.

To assemble the bars:

Cut the dough in half and roll into either 8×8 squares or 9×9, depending on the size baking dish you have.  Place one square on the bottom of the baking dish, and then layer the filling on top.  Place the other square on top and gently press it down to make sure it’s covering the filling.  Don’t apply too much pressure, though, so it doesn’t make the filling come up over the sides.

Bake in a 325* F oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  It won’t get too much color on it, so be careful not to over cook.

Cut into bars and serve.  These will last in the fridge for a week after baking, stored in an airtight container.

Salisbury.Fake baking, dessert

Vegan Brownies

A couple of notes with this recipe, and then I’ll let you get right into it.

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photo by c.m.k.

This has a couple of add-ins, and while I know not everyone is fond of add-ins, I recommend you include them.  These brownies are super rich and need something to balance that out.

The main fat source is vegan butter.  I don’t recommend substituting anything for it.  Coconut oil will not have the same consistency required for this recipe.

And with that? I give you brownies.

 

Ingredients:

10 tbsp butter (used earth balance)
¾ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 cup flour
3 flax eggs
3 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup chocolate chips/chunks

Method:

Melt butter with cocoa powder, white and brown sugar till grainy. Add in the flax eggs and mix till gloopy. Add milk and mix thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and mix till combined. Pour into greased baking dish, or parchment lined dish, and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

These will be gooey, but 100% worth the wait.  The cinnamon balances out the super sweetness of the rest of the ingredients, so I strongly suggest using it.  A little goes a long way.

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photo by c.m.k.
Salisbury.Fake baking, cookies, dessert

Ginger Almond Chocolate Cookies

I bought some candied ginger recently and while I do enjoy eating it as is, I wanted to see what I could do with it, so I made some cookies!  These are pretty good, if I do say so myself, and since I couldn’t find a recipe for what I wanted, I decided to wing it.  I hope you are all doing well!

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/4 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi sweet, but dark chocolate would be super)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (you could also chop the almonds if you wanted)

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and pepper together and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugars till the mixture is light and fluffy.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla and almond extracts.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds until combined, and then fold in the ginger, chocolate chips, and almonds to finish mixing it all together.

Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake at 350* F for 7-11 minutes.  7 minutes will get you a gooey cookie, much like a fudge brownie consistency, and 11 will give you a slightly crispier cookie with a soft center.

Salisbury.Fake baking, cookies, dessert

Baked Meringues with Strawberry Sauce

3 egg whites
3/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to medium peaks, then stream in the sugar till stiff peaks form and the egg whites are glossy.  Spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet (NO GREASING!) and bake in a 200 F oven for about an hour to an hour and a half.  I know it sounds like a long time to bake something, but slow baking is what keeps them from becoming dark brown blobs of nope.  They might turn a little toasted marshmallow brown, but that’s okay.  They’ll be done when you can pull one off of the parchment without it sticking, and they’ll be crisp.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a medium saucepan, heat the ingredients till the water boils, then mash the berries to the desired consistency, and reduce the heat so the sauce can simmer for about 30 minutes.  Store in the refrigerator till ready to use.

Salisbury.Fake dessert, food

Chocolate Truffles

6 tablespoons butter (unsalted), cut into pieces
3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-1 cup more confectioner’s sugar

In a smallish, maybe medium saucepan, combine the butter, 3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, and cocoa powder.  Heat until the ingredients form a smooth batter.  Remove from heat, and add in the vanilla.  Stir in powdered sugar until a soft dough forms.  While the dough is still somewhat warm, pinch off teaspoon sized pieces and roll into balls.  Refrigerate until set.

You can play with the flavorings in these (mint, peanut butter, etc), but I’d suggest always adding a touch of vanilla to help bring out the chocolate flavor.

Salisbury.Fake dessert

Chocolate Ice Cream

16 oz. whipping cream
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

In a large bowl, whisk the cream till stiff peaks form.  I recommend using a mixer for this, as whisking by hand will hurt.  Fold in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until the ingredients are combined.  Begin to fold in the cocoa powder, but once no more loose powder is visible, whisk until the powder is distributed evenly throughout the cream mixture.  Folding the cocoa at first stops the powder from flying everywhere when you whisk again.  Make sure you only whisk until the powder is incorporated, as whisking further will cause the cream to become like butter.

Freeze in an airtight, freezer safe container at least four hours for soft-serve consistency, overnight for store-bought carton consistency.  Makes about a pint of ice cream.