Monthly Archives: November 2017

Cashew Butter Ginger Cookies {Vegan & Gluten-Free}

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The time for holiday cookies and candy and extravagant breakfasts that are actually dessert. The time for family and friends and hot chocolate and caroling. But also, time for taking extra care of those for whom this holiday season might not be so wonderful.

This year I am participating in The Sweetest Season, benefitting Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. As you may know, cancer is the #1 cause of death-by-disease for children in the U.S. In spite of this startling statistic and the 40,000 children currently battling cancer nationwide, less than 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s $4.6 billion federal budget goes to pediatric cancer research.

Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that encourages people to raise funds for pediatric cancer research in the most delicious of ways: by making cookies and sharing them with friends and family. The goal is to raise funds to find a cure, one cookie at a time. Many supporters (called “Good Cookies”) choose to have bake sales or cookie swaps, but this year I’m teaming up with many fellow bloggers to post new cookie recipes and donate directly. If you’d like to learn more and/or make a charitable donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, click here.

I made my donation on Giving Tuesday, so now it’s time to talk about cookies–Cashew Butter Ginger Cookies, to be exact 😍😍😍

Y’all, I’m just crazy about these ginger cookies. They’ve got all the flavor, chewy texture, and sparkly sugared edges you love, but without the gluten, eggs and dairy, so your gluten-free vegan friends can eat them without consequence. I love an inclusive recipe!

The base of these cookies is a jar of cashew butter. It gives the simple dough plenty of structure and a buttery, nutty undertone. Dark brown sugar and a couple of tablespoons of molasses keep the finished cookies soft and chewy, while ground ginger and cinnamon amp up that classic holiday cookie flavor!

As far as egg replacement goes, I am all about aquafaba these days. If you haven’t heard of this miracle of modern vegan baking, well, you’re in for a surprise and a treat.

Aquafaba (literally translated “bean water”) is the liquid from cooking and/or canning chickpeas. As the beans cook, they release lots of proteins into the water, creating a nearly-flavorless, almost-gel-like liquid. This is the aquafaba.

As aquafaba can be whipped to stiff peaks, many bakers like to use it to make vegan meringue cookies, mousses, and macarons. I haven’t used aquafaba for any of those things (yet!), but I have used it in my Chipotle-Sweet Potato Hummus and Cornmeal Pancakes. <–try those!

If aquafaba isn’t your thing, you could use the “flax egg” mixture I use in my Cashew Butter Snickerdoodles, but know that there will be a difference in flavor from the flaxseed. If you’re not vegan, feel free to swap in one large egg. No matter which option you choose, your cookies will be delicious.

But enough about egg replacers! The dough for these Cashew Butter Ginger Cookies comes together quickly. After a short chill and a roll in granulated sugar, they’re ready to go in the oven. The cookies bake up in less than ten minutes, just until they’re soft in the centers and crisp and sparkly at the edges.

These little cookies are going to steal the show at your parties and cookie swaps, y’all. They look and taste just like the soft ginger cookies we all know and love–I bet that if I hadn’t just told you that these cookies are made from cashew butter and aquafaba, you wouldn’t even notice. And even if you do, the richness of the cashew butter, hits of molasses and spice, and chewy centers are nearly guaranteed to keep you coming back for more.

Cashew Butter Ginger Cookies {Vegan & Gluten-Free}
makes about 3 dozen small cookies

1 16 ounce jar cashew butter
3 tablespoons aquafaba* (chickpea canning liquid)
2 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)
1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Coating:
1/3 cup granulated sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine cashew butter, aquafaba, molasses, dark brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Use an electric mixer (or a silicone spatula and some elbow grease) to beat ingredients together until smooth. Add cornstarch and mix again. Cover dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Pour granulated sugar into a small bowl.

Remove dough from the refrigerator. Scoop dough in one tablespoon increments and roll into balls. Coat in granulated sugar and place about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, until puffed and golden at the edges. Let cool on the baking sheets for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Repeat baking process with any remaining dough.

Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Note:

If you are not vegan, you may use one large egg (at room temperature) in place of the aquafaba. Proceed with the recipe as written.

Friday Favorites: Holiday Breakfasts

Spicy Cheddar Shortbread

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I figure you’ve all got your Thanksgiving menus nailed down by now, but can I just suggest one more thing? Just one?

Okay, good.

You don’t want to miss these Spicy Cheddar Shortbread. They’re the slice-and-bake cheese plate addition that you didn’t know you needed. But make no mistake, you do.

You may not need them on Thursday (because you probably have it all together and have already started making your cornbread and rough puff–you’re totally killing this Thanksgiving business 🙌🏻), but sometime between now and January 2nd, you’re going to be very happy you have this recipe in your back pocket.

I mean, these savory shortbread are basically cheese crackers for adults. They’re crispy and light-textured with a full-bodied cheddar flavor because, unlike the cheese crackers you can buy at the grocery store, these guys are made with real cheese. Oh, and on top of all that, the dough comes together in five minutes in the food processor.

You’re welcome.

This dough really couldn’t be simpler. Start by grating half a pound of extra sharp cheddar cheese.

Put some flour, black pepper, cayenne, and salt in a food processor.

Throw the cheese in there and pulse everything into a rubble.

Add some cold butter and a teaspoon of mustard…

and process it until it’s dough.

Form it into logs, wrap it in plastic, and give it a chill. Then slice…

and bake.

Maybe serve them next to a big pile of apple slices, just to be extra seasonal. Or maybe put them on a cheese plate. I’m gonna do that for aaaallllllll the holiday parties.

But I’m also going to pile them in a jar and eat them by their lonesome because they’re so good, they don’t need any accoutrements. I suggest you do the same.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers 💗

Spicy Cheddar Shortbread
makes about 4 dozen shortbread

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
8 ounces grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon prepared dijon mustard

Combine flour, cayenne, black pepper, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter, cheddar, and mustard, and process until a dough ball forms. Divide dough in half and form into two 8-inch logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.

Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices and place at least an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until light golden at the edges. Let cool on the pans for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Shortbread are best the day they are made. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for up to two days.

Silky Smooth Sweet Potato Pie

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With Thanksgiving just six days away, I hope you’re all narrowing down your menus. Don’t worry, there’s still time. If you’ve forgotten to order a turkey, don’t fret–my family hasn’t eaten a traditional Thanksgiving meal in years and we’ve all turned out alright 😉

Traditional or not though, you should add this Silky Smooth Sweet Potato Pie to your menu. It’s so simple and so good that I was honestly a little sad to give the last two slices to my friends David and Francis on Wednesday night. I have had more than my fair share of pie while recipe testing the last few weeks, but I really loved this one, even though I didn’t know if I would.

I remember the first time I heard about Sweet Potato Pie–I recoiled in horror just like I did when my mother first offered me Zucchini Bread. I have always liked sweet potatoes, but as far as I was concerned they were not suitable for dessert. Never mind that every holiday sweet potato dish I’d had up to that point was made with eggs, butter, and more brown sugar than any side dish really should have 🙄

Thank goodness I grew up. I’d hate to miss out on this smooth, spiced sweet potato masterpiece.

Sweet Potato Pie is super easy to make. Start by making some sweet potato purée. Scrub a couple of whole sweet potatoes and put them in a pot with some cold water.

Boil them until they’re nice and soft. Run them under cold water until you can handle them and then remove their skins and slice them into manageable pieces.

Push them through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits. This will take a few minutes.

Whisk the purée together with some melted butter and 3/4 cup light brown sugar. Oh, and some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. The spices really make the sweet potatoes sing.

Add in three eggs and some vanilla.

And throw some sour cream in for good measure.

Then push it all through the sieve again. This pie is called “silky smooth” for a reason.

Pour the filling into a prepared crust, brush the exposed pie dough with egg wash, and loosely wrap the entire pan in foil (or use a pie protector). This will keep the crust from burning while it bakes.

Bake the pie for thirty minutes with the foil, then for fifteen without. After that, turn off the oven and leave the pie in the oven for another 15 minutes. You might remember this method from last week’s Chocolate Buttermilk Pie.

Let the pie cool a bit. You don’t have to wait until it’s room temperature if you don’t want to–Sweet Potato Pie is good warm, room temp, or cold.

Slice it up. Try not to send a picture of your pie to everyone in your phone contacts.

(I failed pretty hard on that last part.)

You can serve this pie plain, but it’s Thanksgiving, so whipped cream is kind of a must.

Take a bite. Practically weep over how delicious and velvety smooth this pie is. Briefly wonder why you ever judged Sweet Potato Pie in the past…but only briefly. You don’t have time for that–you have pie to eat.

Looking for more pie? Try my Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Apple Pie, or Black Bottom Pear & Almond Pie!

Silky Smooth Sweet Potato Pie
makes one 9-inch pie

1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough, or other good pie crust
16 ounces raw sweet potatoes, whole and unpeeled
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water

Scrub whole sweet potatoes. Place them in a 4-6 quart pot and cover with cold tap water. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook 45-50 minutes or until a paring knife slices them easily. Place hot sweet potatoes in a colander and run under cold tap water until you can handle them.

On a floured surface, roll out pie dough to a 12″ diameter. Fit into a 9″ pie plate and trim the overhang to 1/2-inch. Crimp the edges and chill the crust while you prepare the filling.

Place an oven rack in the lowest position and ensure that there is at least 6 inches of space above it. Preheat oven to 375F.

Transfer sweet potatoes on a cutting board. Peel off and discard skins. Cut potatoes into a few large pieces.

Place a sieve (or wire mesh colander) over a mixing bowl. Put the sweet potato pieces in the sieve and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to push them through and into the bowl. Set sieve aside.

Add melted butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt to the sweet potato purée and whisk together. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, followed by sour cream.

Place sieve back over a large mixing bowl. Pour in filling and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon push it through.

Remove prepared crust from the refrigerator and place on a sheet pan. Pour filling into crust. Whisk together egg wash ingredients and brush mixture onto exposed crust. Loosely wrap a 4-5 foot piece of aluminum foil around the pie, securing the ends by crumpling them together. Bake pie on the bottom rack of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes, until puffed at the edges (it may look underdone in the center–this is normal). Turn off oven and open door slightly. Let pie remain in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove pie from oven and let cool completely on a rack. Pie may be served slightly warm, room temperature, or cold. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Leftover pie will keep at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Palmiers, Two Ways

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Palmiers, Two Ways Palmiers (you might know them as “Elephant Ears”) are a simple pastry made by rolling a thin layer of filling into a sheet of flaky pastry dough. If you’re anything like me, you spent way too much of the early 2000s watching Ina Garten make them on the Food Network.

The whole appeal of palmiers is that they’re stupid easy and make you look like you know things about French pastry. It’s super common to use frozen puff pastry for palmiers–Ina does it, and until a couple of weeks ago, that’s all I’d ever used too. After using a sheet of rough puff pastry leftover from making Maple Pear Tarts though, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to using the packaged stuff. I mean, look at these layers 😍

Palmiers, Two Ways You can certainly use frozen puff pastry (preferably the all-butter stuff) for today’s recipes, but I encourage you to try your hand at making rough puff. Pastry is intimidating to many home cooks, but this one is about as easy as if gets. As I said a couple of weeks ago, it’s easier than pie dough.

Palmiers, Two Ways The possibilities for filling are nearly endless. Since the pastry doesn’t contain any sugar on its own, it works well with both sweet and savory fillings. Basically, if it can be spread or scattered, it can almost certainly be rolled into a palmier. I mean, if you play your cards right, you can start and end your meal with these elegant little pastries.

Palmiers, Two Ways If you’re looking for a way to spice up your Turkey Day hors d’oeuvres spread, look no further than my Spinach Artichoke Palmiers. They’re filled with a slightly deconstructed version of my mom’s Artichoke Dip: a slick of mayonnaise, some chopped artichokes, and grated parmesan. I added spinach to bulk them up a bit, but you can leave it out if you like. I might swap it for chopped green chilies next time.

Palmiers, Two Ways As far as dessert goes, I love the idea of serving a plate of Pumpkin Palmiers alongside a pot of coffee. And pie.

Palmiers, Two Ways What?! It’s Thanksgiving. It’s a two-dessert day. Three, if you count the Apple Cider Coffee Cake that you absolutely should make for breakfast. Anyway…

Palmiers, Two Ways Pumpkin Palmiers are filled with a very pared down version of pumpkin pie filling: a light brushing of butter, pumpkin purée, three tablespoons of light brown sugar, and some pumpkin pie spice. Mix everything up and spread it all over the pastry.

Palmiers, Two Ways Roll up the dough and give it a chill.

Palmiers, Two Ways Slice up the palmiers and give them a quick brush with milk and a sprinkling of coarse sugar.

Palmiers, Two Ways If you’re making the Spinach Artichoke version, swap the sugar for parmesan–toasty cheese, y’all 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Palmiers, Two Ways No matter which kind of palmiers you’re making, the baking process is the same. Let them go for ten minutes at 400F. Flip them over, brush them with more milk and sprinkle on more coarse sugar (or cheese). Let them bake for ten more minutes and then, well…

Palmiers, Two Ways This is the part where you pretend you know things about French pastry.

And I mean, after making palmiers from scratch, you sort of do.

Spinach Artichoke Palmiers {Elephant Ears}
makes about 1.5 dozen small pastries

Rough Puff Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
5 ounces unsalted European-style butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup water or milk, very cold

For the palmiers:
1 14 ounce can artichoke hearts in water
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup grated Parmesan or grana padano cheese, divided
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3-4 tablespoons milk

Make the pastry. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut butter into dry ingredients until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Pour in cold water or milk and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.

Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Turn dough out onto surface, and use your hands to pat it into a rough rectangle. Roll the dough into an 8×10″ rectangle. Fold dough in thirds, and give it one quarter turn. Roll into an 8×10″ rectangle again, fold, and turn. Repeat rolling, folding, and turning until it has been done six times total. Wrap folded dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 48 hours.

Make the palmiers. Line a plate with paper towels. Drain artichoke hearts and transfer to a cutting board. Blog with paper towels. Slice them in half lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Place thawed chopped spinach in the center of a clean hand towel. Working over a bowl or sink, gather the edges of the towel and wring out all the excess water from the spinach. Set aside.

Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Unfold dough. Roll dough out to 10×14-inch rectangle. Spread mayonnaise onto the dough, leaving a thin border on the edges. Scatter artichoke hearts and spinach over the top, followed by 1/2 cup of the Parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper. Working with one side at a time, tightly roll the two long sides of the dough toward each other until they meet in the middle. Carefully wrap the long tube of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed quarter-sheet pan or jelly roll pan with parchment.

Remove filled dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and transfer to a cutting board. Blocking the end with your fingers or a bench scraper (so no filling gets out), use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the dough in 1/2-inch slices and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. Brush with milk and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 10 minutes. Flip palmiers with a spatula, brush with more milk and sprinkle with more Parmesan. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan on a rack before removing to a serving plate. Palmiers are best the day they are made.

Pumpkin Palmiers {Elephant Ears}
makes about 1.5 dozen small pastries

Rough Puff Pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
5 ounces unsalted European-style butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup water or milk, very cold

For the palmiers:
1/2 cup pure pumpkin purée
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon coarse sugar (I used turbinado)

Make the palmiers. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together pumpkin purée, light brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

Flour a surface and a rolling pin. Unfold dough. Roll dough out to 10×14-inch rectangle. Brush dough with butter. Spread pumpkin filling onto the dough, leaving a thin border on the edges. Working with one side at a time, tightly roll the two long sides of the dough toward each other until they meet in the middle. Carefully wrap the long tube of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed quarter-sheet pan or jelly roll pan with parchment.

Remove filled dough from the refrigerator, unwrap, and transfer to a cutting board. Blocking the end with your fingers or a bench scraper (so no filling gets out), use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the dough in 1/2-inch slices and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 10 minutes. Flip palmiers with a spatula, brush with more milk and sprinkle with more coarse sugar. Bake an additional 10 minutes.