Food goodness

 My friend Stacey Simpson Duke died in February. She was an incredible person in every way possible, and she used to make these pumpkin muffins for her family in the fall. I've made them a bunch of times too (using oat milk or regular milk instead of the almond), and I want to make sure I never lose the recipe.  Here's the link from her blog , together with her original description. I'll always think about her -- NOT baking bacon at the same time -- when I'm making them. They're the best, just like she was. --- I think I’ve probably posted about these before. It’s a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock *. I’ve always loved this book. It no longer jibes with my paleo ways, but it’s my kids’ favorite pumpkin muffin recipe, so I oblige. I adapted it to exclude soy milk (which we do not drink), to lower the amount of sugar, and to include chocolate chips. 1 3/4 C all-purpose flour 1 C sugar 1 T baking powder ...

Just going to leave this here. ¼ cup all-purpose flour (I only had whole wheat and it turned out fine) 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder ¼ tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. granulated sugar (you can add 1 tbsp. more if you like it a bit sweeter) ⅛ tsp. salt ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. milk 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1 tbsp. hazelnut chocolate spread (I didn't have this and threw in a handful of chocolate chips instead) In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Whisk in the milk and vegetable oil until all ingredients are combined and batter has no clumps. Pour batter into a microwave-safe mug. Mine was a 14-ounce mug. You want enough head space for the cake to rise without pouring over. Add 1 tbsp. of hazelnut chocolate spread in the middle of the batter. Just drop it in the middle, no need to push it down and sink it in the batter. (or stir in chocolate chips.) Place a paper towel into the microwave and set the mug on top (this is to catch any batter if your mug cake overflows...

From All Recipes . I used frozen cherries, unthawed, and it worked just fine.     2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour     1 1/4 cups white sugar     1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder     2 teaspoons baking powder     1 teaspoon baking soda     1/2 teaspoon salt     1 cup sour cream     1/2 cup milk     1/3 cup vegetable oil     2 eggs, beaten     1 teaspoon almond extract     1 1/2 cups fresh dark sweet cherries, pitted and chopped (or frozen, unchopped, or TJ's jarred Morello cherries would probably be fine too)     1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 12 jumbo (3 1/2-inch) muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate large bowl,...

Adapted lightly from this recipe , which is genius. 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour 1/2 c white sugar 1/4 c cocoa powder 2 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1/3 c canola oil 1 egg 1/3 c milk (I used skim) 1 t vanilla 1/2 c plain yogurt (fat-free works fine) 1 c cherries, cut in half (I used those jarred morello cherries from TJ's) 1/2 c chocolate chips (more! I used chunks, and they were good.) Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, mix the oil, egg, milk and vanilla together. Pour the wet into the dry and use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently stir everything together. Fold in the yogurt, cherries and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes clean. Let sit in the tin for 5 minutes and then use a knife to loosen the muffins, remove from tin and let cool ...

These were Shannon's find, and delicious. Just make sure you don't overcook the brownies in the first step... apparently I can bake some fairly complicated things, but I can't manage to make out-of-the-box brownies without burning them. Oops. 19-1/2 oz. pkg. brownie mix 2 c. powdered sugar   1/2 c. plus 6 T butter, softened and divided 8 oz. creamy peanut butter 6 oz. (approximately) semi-sweet chocolate chips [I used the Ghiardelli dark chocolate baking chips, and I think they're the best] Prepare and bake brownie mix in a greased 13" x 9" pan, according to the directions. Let cool.  With a mixer, combine powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanut butter. Mix well and spread over cooled brownies. Chill for one hour.  Melt together chocolate chips and 6 T butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Spread over brownies. Let cool; cut into squares. Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

From: Brown Eyed Baker , who adapted it from Smitten Kitchen These are Guinness chocolate cupcakes with an Irish whiskey ganache filling, and Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream frosting.  BEB called these Irish Car Bomb cupcakes (after the same-named cocktail) and got totally flamed in her comments for the offensive name.  It looks like Smitten may have also called them car bomb cupcakes, but changed the name at some point, probably after protests.  So, call them what you want.  I took these to a St. Paddy's Day party last night and they were a big hit with the adults. For the Cupcakes : 1 cup Guinness stout 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 1½ teaspoons baking soda ¾ teaspoons salt 2 eggs 2/3 cup sour cream For the Whiskey Ganache Filling : 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate 2/3 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (...

I do declare, these are the fluffiest and most successful pancakes I have ever made! The chocolate chips are optional and the pancakes are delicious both ways; we did half and half last night. From Skinnytaste , with some variations. 1 cup unbleached white or white whole wheat flour [I did half whole wheat and half white whole wheat] 1 tsp baking powder [I took this down from 2 t] 1/4 tsp salt 1 large banana, ripe, mashed well 1 cup 1% milk [skim worked fine] 3 large egg whites 2 tsp oil 2 tsp vanilla [I upped this from 1 t] 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips [I used big chunks; the technique of placing them individually on the top of each pancake worked well] Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg white, oil, vanilla and mashed bananas in another medium sized bowl and mix until smooth.  Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a wooden spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix. Heat a large skillet on medium-low heat, spray wit...

I've made these quite a few times lately and they come together quickly with the use of one bowl, one spoon and a whisk (optional).  And, most importantly, they are delicious. Adapted from Cook's Illus. The New Best Recipe. 7.5 oz AP flour 1 t baking powder 1 t kosher salt 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter 10.5 oz brown sugar (I used dark) 2 large eggs 1.5 t vanilla extract 1 C dark chocolate chips* 1 C pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped 1.5 C unsweetened flaked coconut (better than shredded, I think), lightly toasted Preheat oven to 350 and line a 13x9 pan with a foil sling and spray with cooking spray; set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, place butter and brown sugar and cook on high for about 2 minutes or until butter is melted and sugar mixture is shiny when stirred.  Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients including chips, nuts and coconut taking care to be gentle and do not overmix.  Turn batter into prepared pan and bake on oven rack...

From Everybody Likes Sandwiches , with a lovely family story to go with it. This is a quick basic cake, with something special from the taste of the vanilla sugar. I doubled the number of chocolate chips, but otherwise left it alone. 1 c butter 1 c sugar 1 6-gram pack Oetker vanilla sugar (or 1 t of vanilla extract) [I found this vanilla sugar in the baking aisle, with the frosting and sprinkles] 3 eggs 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 c corn starch 1 T baking powder scant 1/2 c milk 1 package of chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 and grease a bundt pan. Cream butter, gradually add sugar, the vanilla sugar and eggs. Add mixture of sieved flour [I never sieve], corn starch and baking powder alternately with the milk. Mixture should be firm; don’t add too much milk. [I probably only used about 1/4 c.] Stir in half the chocolate chips and pour/scoop batter into the pan. Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips on the top and press in lightly. Bake for 50 minutes. When coo...

Adapted from Piece of Cake . Makes about 2 lbs of candy and is rather addictive. Chocolate-y and peppermint-y deliciousness!  24 oz dark chocolate, either good quality chips (Ghiradelli 60%) or bar (I used TJ's Belgian dark chocolate), chopped 15 Peppermint Jo-Jo's from TJs or Oreos, crushed 3 oz. white chocolate 3/4 C crushed candy canes or Starlight mints (use 1 C if using plain oreos) Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside. In a large glass bowl, place chopped dark chocolate and microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in cookie crumbs and pour onto baking sheet. Use an off-set spatula to spread chocolate mixture into an even layer. Sprinkle crushed candy cane bits all over chocolate in an even layer. In a small bowl, melt white chocolate in microwave in the same manner as dark chocolate. When melted, drizzle over chocolate and candy. Place baking sheet in fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes. When fi...

I hate to play into stereotypes, but there are some times in a woman's month -- er, life -- when she just needs chocolate cake. This isn't the finest gourmet cake you'll ever eat, but it exactly does the trick. From the Food Network , with a few modifications... Whisk 1/4 cup flour , 1/4 cup sugar , 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder , 1 egg, 4 tablespoons milk , 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and a dash of vanilla extract and salt in a large mug until smooth. Throw in a handful of chocolate chips and mix again. Microwave until puffed and the top is done, about 4 minutes.

You guys, this is chocolate chip cookie (really chocolate chip pie) nirvana. It's what those huge cookie cakes from the mall should taste like. And I went a little overboard with the undercooking -- I love cookie dough and underdone baked goods in general, so I took this out after about 30 minutes instead of the 35-45 that Heidi suggests. It wasn't enough and the cookie was really kind of soupy (although delicious!)... until I put it in the fridge, still in the skillet overnight. Then the nirvana hit and it was sort of like just-barely-cooked solid dough. You. guys. So. good. Next time, though, I'll leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes -- I would have been nervous to serve it to anyone when it was that uncooked. (Note that it didn't stop me and Jared from eating the entire thing ourselves over the course of not very many days.) 3 cups whole-wheat flour [I used 2 c whole wheat pastry flour and 1 c AP) 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ...

From: King Arthur Uh... nom, nom, nom. These are really rich and delicious. I usually feel like I could eat a second brownie (I love brownies), but these were so rich that one was plenty. They are rich, dark, and fudgy but without the "underbaked" consistency that you often find in brownies. Taking a page from Heidi's book (well, the way Heidi baked brownies in the late 90's) - I sprinkled Heath Bar bits over the top of half of these. I love anything with Heath Bar in it. Anyway.... these were great. I made them to take in to work tomorrow for someone's birthday, which is good because I couldn't eat a ton of these even if I wanted to, so I'm glad they won't be sticking around my house long. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 1/4 cups sugar 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour 2 cups chocolate chips (heath bar bits f...

From my favorite domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson. If you are a fan of Nigella then you know that she includes at least one recipe for a pavlova in pretty much every cookbook. This one is from Feast and I adapted it a smidge and added chocolate sauce on top. Note, this is NOT a dessert that you make at the last minute. The pav needs to bake for 1.5 hrs and then be allowed to cool completely in the oven. The rest comes together in a snap, tho. Also, it looks magnificent and the guests at the dinner party where I served this dessert were thrilled. Also? Gluten-free. Really important note: DO NOT USE egg whites from a carton. It will result in a fail. Use whites from eggs you cracked yourself being very careful not to get a single speck of yolk in them. Save the yolks for use in making ice cream or custard. Makes 10-12 servings. For the pav: 8 egg whites pinch salt 2.5 C sugar (super-fine if you have it) 4 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar 1 tsp vanilla ext...

Adapted from Weight Watchers, Cooking Light and King Arthur Flour. 6 oz shelled and peeled hazelnuts 1 C KAF ww or white whole wheat flour 3/4 C AP flour 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli) 1/2 C dutched cocoa powder (regular is fine, too) 1 T instant espresso or coffee powder 1 t baking soda 1/2 t kosher salt 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs (can use 2 large eggs + 2 large whites) 1 Tbsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350. Place one rack in the upper third of oven and the other rack in the lower third. Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment and set aside. If your nuts are not peeled already, place 6 oz of them on a large baking sheet and put in the oven while it preheats for about 10 min or so or until the nus smell fragrant and you can see the peels start to flake off. If the peels remain stubbornly in place, shake the pan a bit and then put it back in the oven for a few more minutes. Remove from oven and dump nuts onto a dish towel. Rub together vigorously...

Do not pass go. Do not stop to think. Instead, gather up all the ingredients for this and make it immediately. Oh yum. Katie keeps licking her tasting spoon and saying "delicious!" It really, really is. Smitten Kitchen's (of course) chocolate-peanut spread . You can use already roasted peanuts she says, but I bought some raw peanuts from the nice folks at Nuts Online . Cheap, and they ship/deliver the very next day. You want this. Trust me.

From the 2010 Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine. These are essentially chocolate snickerdoodle cookies and they are delicious. Makes almost 4 dozen. 2 1/4 C AP flour 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder 2 t cream of tartar 1 t baking soda 1/2 t coarse salt 2 sticks butter, softened 1 3/4 C sugar, divided 2 large eggs 2 t ground cinnamon 1/2 t chile powder such as arbol, chipotle or ancho (I used chipotle) Preheat oven to 400. Whisk together dry ingredients EXCEPT cinnamon and chile powder and sugar; set aside. In a stand mixer, beat 1.5 C sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down side of bowl and add eggs; beat to combine. Slowly add flour mixture and beat on slow speed until combined. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 C sugar, cinnamon and chile powder. Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in mixture. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2" apart. Bake 10 minutes, rotating cookie sheet half...

From: 101 Cookbooks These cookies are like chocolate meringues full of walnuts. I made them to put into the holiday goodie box for my intern, who is gluten-intolerant. These aren't my favorite cookie overall, but they were a pretty good gluten-free choice. 3 cups / 11 oz / 310 g walnut halves, toasted & cooled 4 cups / 1 lb / 453 g confectioner's (powdered) sugar 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons / 2 oz / 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt 4 large egg whites, room temperature 1 tablespoon real, good-quality vanilla extract Preheat oven to 320F / 160C degrees and position racks in the top and bottom third. Line three (preferably rimmed) baking sheets with parchment paper. Or you can bake in batches with fewer pans. Make sure your walnuts have cooled a bit, then chop coarsely and set aside. Sift together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Stir in the walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Sp...

You'd think all I do is bake bread and cookies, wouldn't you? I swear that I cook regular food, too. I made these to serve at our holiday open house tomorrow and they are quite tasty and festive. But not so festive that you couldn't serve them at another time of year. Or leave out the peppermint extract and sub in another. Add more espresso powder, sub a smidge of coffee liqueur and make them more coffee flavored. BTW, you'll want to give these a rest in the fridge before baking--at least 2 hours or overnight. Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies Adapted from Cooking Light and Bakers Royale . 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup) 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 5 1/4 teaspoons canola oil 1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate chips (good stuff like Ghiradelli not Nestle) 1 teaspoon instant espresso granules or instant coffee granules 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons light-colo...

From: Annie's Eats (adapted from Baker's Illustrted) If you like thick (tall) brownies that are somewhere between fudgy and cakey, these might be just the brownies for you. I actually would have preferred these to be a little thinner, but the people I made them for really enjoyed them. I thought the flavor was really good, and I would make them again, but I personally might try to find a pan that was a little larger, like 9x9 instead of 8x8. The texture of the brownie was really good, and apparently they went perfectly with the dark stout beer everyone else was drinking with them. Ingredients: 5 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into quarters 3 tbsp. cocoa powder 3 large eggs 1¼ cups (8¾ oz.) sugar 2 tsp. vanilla extract ½ tsp. salt 1 cup (5 oz.) all-purpose flour Directions: Place an oven rack in lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350° F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil ...