Sugar Cookies {vegan+gluten free}

Someone decided that the dark lull of winter should be interrupted by a celebratory day of love. Though I'm generally not a huge fan of Valentine's day, I can see a redeeming quality in the fact that it provides an excuse to eat treats. I have fond memories of childhood parties; classrooms decorated with cut-out paper hearts and shoeboxes covered in stickers and decorations for valentines to be placed into by classmates. Outside of the pink snowball cakes that my mother used to pack in our lunches (accompanied by a napkin, undoubtedly with the words "I love you! xoxo mom!" scribbled on it), I always remember eating pink iced sugar cookies. The cookies picture above are a gluten-free vegan version, made with powdered sugar for a delicate crumb. I put a small amount of rosewater into the icing for a slightly floral scent as well, and made my own colored sugars to place on top. A hit with the coworkers, despite the fact that the cardboard cupids were absent from the office walls.

Mexican Chocolate Brownies {Vegan+Gluten Free}

Vegan brownies have been a struggle for me. Making gluten-free brownies had never been a problem in the past, in fact, it was one of the easiest recipes I had ever translated. However, with the absence of eggs, my gluten-free/vegan brownies have always ended up too flat, too sticky, or too fluffy. Seven recipe developments later (and yes, I did strictly follow some vegan recipes, which failed to satisfy) I came up with the following recipe. Finally: the perfect blend of rich chocolate cakey-ness and fudginess.

{GLUTEN-FREE/VEGAN}

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

1/2 c. vegan stick margarine, melted

1-1/2 c. sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. gluten-free flour (1/4 c. tapioca starch, 1/4 c. potato starch, 1/4 c. white rice flour)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. extra firm silken tofu, blended until smooth in a food processor

2/3 c. quality cocoa powder (I use ghirardelli or scharffen berger)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your taste)

1/4 tsp. ancho chile powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 c. vegan chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease (or line with parchment paper) an 8 inch square baking pan.

Combine margarine, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Add tofu and beat well with a whisk. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, cayenne, chili powder, and cinnamon and gradually add to wet ingredients, mixing until well blended. Add chocolate chunks and mix until just combined. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool completely and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie {Vegan + Gluten Free}

We had a Thanksgiving Potluck at Pearlfisher (the design studio for whom I work) today, at which my chosen dish-to-pass was dessert. In keeping with true American Thanksgiving spirit, I needed to make a pumpkin pie. (I also made an apple pie...which will be posted shortly). I wanted to make both pies gluten-free and vegan, while remaining appealing to the masses. I was pleased with the gluten-free pie crusts I had made in the past, however, I often wondered if they could be made more flaky and less crumbly/cookie like. Success was achieved with the recipe I will post when it's not an ungodly hour...

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes {vegan/gluten-free}

In due tribute to the fall season, I have turned a bit "pumpkin crazy". But honestly, I wait all year for the vegetable-that- is-rarely-eaten-as-a-true-vegetable to arrive and it would be a crying shame if I didn't take advantage of it. This recipe was developed on a rainy fall day as my mom was visiting me in New York (hence the flowers on the table - I got a bit fancy and placed wildflowers all over the apartment). As my mom slept peacefully, I was busy in the kitchen filling the apartment with the warm, spicy smell of these pancakes and the earthy scents of vegan maple-sage sausage (I can't give you this recipe because I didn't use one...but let me tell you, I don't like sausage very much and these impromptu patties were delicious). As my mom was learning about veganism (she's already had to learn plenty about my gluten-freeism) I felt like whatever I made better live up to any "normal" person's expectations. From her remarks (yes i know she's my mother but she isn't obligated to say nice things about my cooking) she could "eat vegan everyday if it tasted like this! (she) would never miss meat or anything!" And there you have it; my goal achieved.

{Vegan/Gluten-Free}

PUMPKIN SPICE PANCAKES

1 1/4 c. non-dairy milk (I used hemp milk because I had it, but normally I would use almond milk)

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 c. canned pumpkin puree

1/4 c. canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. sweet white rice flour

1/4 c. sorghum flour

1/2 c. oat flour

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1/4 c. potato starch

1/4 c. sugar

3/4 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon*

1/2 tsp. ground ginger*

1/4 tsp. ground cloves*

1/4 tsp. ground allspice*

Pinch of salt

*(please note that all spices are an estimate as i didn't actually measure them....oops.)

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the first five (wet) ingredients. In another medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, ensuring they are equally distributed. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, breaking up any lumps. Let the batter stand for 3-5 minutes. If the batter seems too thick, add a bit more almond milk until it is to your desired consistency; just be aware that over-mixing can mean a slightly tougher pancake.

Preheat griddle or skillet on medium heat. Spray pan with non-stick cooking oil.

Using a 1/4 c. measuring cup, pour batter onto the hot griddle (you will likely have to spread them out a bit with the back of the measuring cup). When bubbles are on the surface of the cakes, flip and cook a bit longer, until bottom is golden (avoid frequent flipping as over flipping pancakes also makes a tougher cake). Be patient, vegan and gluten-free pancakes take longer than normal pancakes to cook.

Serve with REAL maple syrup and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Tea Cakes {vegan/gluten-free}

Get these cookies away from me. I have eaten so many of these that I'm not sure when I'll be able to make them again. That being said, they are delicious. They aren't quite a cookie, so I've started calling them "tea cakes" which I'm not sure is an appropriate name, but hey, I'll run with it. As the name "tea cakes" implies, they are very cakey and soft, instead of crisp or chewy like most cookies. The flavor is akin to a good pumpkin bread and, dare I be this cheesey?; harkens the fall. That's right, it's officially fall. Now go make some tea cakes.

{Vegan/Gluten-free}

PUMPKIN SPICE TEA CAKES

2 1/2 c. gluten-free baking blend (I used a mixture of tapioca starch, potato starch, sorghum flour, white rice flour, oat flour, and garfava flour).

1 tsp. xanthan gum

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. all spice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

A pinch of salt

1/2 c. Earth Balance, melted

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/4 c. canned pumpkin

1 tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 Tbsp water

1 tsp Vanilla extract

FROSTING

1/4 c. Earth Balance, Softened

1/4 C. Tofutti Cream Cheese, softened

2 c. confectioners sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.

Add the dry mixture to the wet, being careful not to overmix.

Drop scoops of dough on prepared baking sheets using a rounded scoop. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. Cool completely.

Beat together Earth Balance and Tofutti cream cheese until combined. Add the sifted confectioner's sugar slowly until smooth. Frost tops of cooled cookies and sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies Filled with Pistachio

Here are the other cookies I made with the leftover chocolate tart dough. I had an excess of shelled pistachios (I have no idea why) and I put those to good work in this delicious filling.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Pistachio Filling

1 1⁄2 cups flour (make it gluten-free with a gf baking blend)

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. dutch-process unsweetened
cocoa powder
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING

4 oz. melted chocolate

pastry bag (or ziploc bag with tiny corner cut off)

FOR THE PISTACHIO FILLING

1/3 C. shelled unsalted pistachios, husks rubbed off

1 c. confectioner's sugar

6 tbsp. softened butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

Heat oven to 350˚. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Separate the dough into three balls, and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Place on baking sheets. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut into 1.5"-2" rounds. Bake for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies). Cool on a wire rack.

Make the filling: Combine pistachios and powdered sugar in food processor. Grind until a fine powder. Add the remaining ingredients to food processor and mix until well combined.

Assembled the cookies: Spread desired amount of filling on one cookie half, top with another. Place on baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining cookies. Melt chocolate in microwave and place in pastry bag. Drizzle over cookies. Place in refrigerator to set completely.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel filling

Upon making a caramel tart with dark chocolate ganache finished with sea salt for a coworker's birthday, I suddenly found myself commissioned to make two more for another coworker. Because I only have 11-inch tart pans (as to why, well, I explain by saying "but these go to 11!") I had to make one and a half times each tart recipe. This required math skills, but perhaps contradictory to what people may think about me, I did my math correctly and the tarts turned out perfectly. Because I was making two 11 inch tarts, I had an excess of tart dough so I decided to put it to good use and bring in some cookies to the hovering coworkers, wishing they had access to the delicious tarts. I hear these ended up being delicious (I didn't make them gluten-free but I know they would work out well substituted with a gf flour blend). I also made pistachio filled cookies as well, since i soon ran out of caramel, but I'll put those in a separate entry.

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling

1 1⁄2 cups flour (make it gluten-free with a gf baking blend)

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. dutch-process unsweetened
cocoa powder
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CARAMEL FILLING
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. crème fraîche or full fat sour cream

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING

4 oz. melted chocolate

pastry bag (or ziploc bag with tiny corner cut off)

sea salt

Heat oven to 350˚. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Separate the dough into three balls, and roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Place on baking sheets. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Cut into 1.5"-2" rounds. Bake for 5-7 minutes (depending on the size of your cookies). Cool on a wire rack.

Make the caramel: Combine heavy cream and creme friache or sour cream in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the sugar and corn syrup with 6 Tbsp. of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Stir and boil hard for 5-6 more minutes until medium amber. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and heavy cream mixture. Let cool slightly.

Assemble the cookies: Spread desired amount of caramel on one cookie half. Place another cookie on top. Set on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Repeat with all cookie halves. Melt chocolate in microwave and place in pastry bag. Drizzle over cookies. Let set slightly, and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in refrigerator to set completely.

Mint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Gluten-Free)

These sandwich cookies are like a mint oreo. But softer. And more chocolatey. And gluten-free. Oh, and did I mention chocolate dipped? (but only if you want to). Overall, they're just good. Damn good.

GLUTEN-FREE MINT CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIES

1 c. unsweetened Dutch Process cocoa powder (like hershey's special dark)

1/4 c. tapioca starch

1/8 c. sorghum flour

1/8 c. oat flour

2 tbs. potato starch

1 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

MINT FILLING:

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 c. confectioners' sugar

1-2 drops pure mint extract (or 1/4 tsp)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 drop green food coloring (or as desired for color)

GLAZE:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk together cocoa powder, flours, and xanthan gum in a bowl. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg until well blended. REduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough in half or thirds, and shape each half into a disk; roll out between two sheets of parchment paper and place on baking sheets. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Using a small round cookie cutter, cut out circles and place on baking sheet in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. (you may re-roll scraps, if desired).

Filling:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in flavorings. Use immediately.

Cool cookies on wire rack. When completely cooled, spread one cookie with mint filling. Press another cookie on top. If dipping in chocolate, heat chocolate in a double boiler and dip cookies in chocolate. place on waxed paper and refrigerate for a while.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

This past weekend, I was searching for a dessert recipe to take to my cousin for her birthday. The dessert had to travel well, seeing as I would be taking the bus to her house. I also knew I wanted to make something chocolatey, as she is my only other relative that loves chocolate almost as much as I do. I kept thinking of making brownies, but that just didn't seem right for a birthday. I decided I wanted to make cupcakes and for some reason all I could think of was this chocolate-avocado cupcake recipe I gave to my friend Leanne, who received rave reviews from co-workers when she made the cupcakes. I also came up with the idea of a peanut butter frosting because the original cupcakes called for a chocolate glaze and I don't get all that excited about most glazes on cupcakes. Out of my selfishness I also wanted to make the recipe gluten-free so I could try them. The result? The frosting was DELICIOUS. I'm not even much of a frosting person and I could have eaten the whole bowl of frosting. The cupcakes were dense and fudgy, more of a brownie texture than a cupcake, really. The chocolate chips were a great addition as well, adding even more chocolate flavor to the cupcakes.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE AVOCADO CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

1 1/2 c. all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch, sweet rice flour, sorghum flour)

3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 avocado, pitted and peeled

1 c. agave nectar

3/4 c. non-fat milk or soy milk

1/3 c. canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 c. gluten-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 f.

Prepare muffin tin with muffin papers.

Combine the first five ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl.

Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, puree the avocado, agave nectar, milk, oil and vanilla together until smooth.

Mix the puree with the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a muffin tin prepared with muffin papers, bake about 25 minutes until done.

When cooled, frost with peanut butter frosting.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

4 oz (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick unsalted butter (4tbsp), softened

2/3 c. smooth peanut butter (not natural/refrigerated kind)

2 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar (you may need 3 c.)

2-4 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese, butter, and peanut butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar, mix slowly to combine, then beat in milk and vanilla on medium high until smooth. Add more powdered sugar if necessary, to your liking.