Vegan Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies

Merry Christmas! My Christmas wish is for everyone to enjoy a day filled with food, family, laughter and love. And COOKIES!

Today I'm sharing a special holiday cookie recipe that's vegan friendly and kid approved. I recently served these Hot Cocoa Crinkle Cookies as part of an all vegan spread at a kindergarten classroom holiday party, and they received such rave reviews from both parents and kids alike that I couldn't not share the recipe. Think of it as my little Christmas gift to you!

These cute little cookies are rich with chocolatey goodness and maintain an incredibly soft and chewy texture even days after baking them. I know because some of the leftovers came home with me and I marveled at their moistness several days later. If you like a cakey, brownie-like consistency to your cookie then these are the ones for you. I think the secret is in the applesauce- that can be our little secret. But the best part has to be those adorable teeny, tiny marshmallows that puff up as they bake and add a gooey, toasted element to an already dynamite cookie. Side note: you can find vegan marshmallows- they're out out there, but if you're not too strict on that type of thing just use the regular variety.

Serve these warm straight from the oven with a steaming mug of cocoa for the perfect wintertime treat. And don't skimp on the marshmallows in that cocoa, because there is no such thing as too many marshmallows.

makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Several mini marshmallows

Instructions
1. In a small bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl or electric stand mixer combine cocoa powder, sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla extract until well blended.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently knead into a ball of dough and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Bake for about 9 minutes, then remove cookies from oven and carefully press a few mini marshmallows into each cookie. Continue to bake for another 3-4 minutes or until marshmallows begin to puff and turn golden brown (cookies will look slightly under baked). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Cranberry Pear Tart with Cardamom Creme Anglaise

If you're looking for a dessert that will knock the thick, fuzzy socks off your guests this holiday season, look no further than this cranberry pear tart. This tart has everything: a crunchy walnut shortbread crust, a filling that's chock-full of seasonal goodness, a streusel topping, and if all that weren't enough, I whipped up a quick cardamom creme anglaise for drizzling. Just to seal the deal. It's no surprise that by the time I got around to photographing this tart there were only two slices left- it's pretty much the bomb diggity of all Christmas desserts.

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But a dessert doesn't earn a title like that just willy nilly- you are hereby fairly warned that this recipe requires a little bit of elbow grease. It's not that the recipe is difficult by any means. But each layer of the tart is given special attention and care: it's not just a crust, it's a walnut shortbread crust. It's not just creme anglaise, it's cardamom creme anglaise. Does this tart really need a streusel topping? No, but it's there...do you see where I'm going with this? It's that little extra bit of effort taken in each step that makes the whole thing come together magically in one heavenly bite. Trust me, it's worth it.

Ingredients

for the crust:

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, chilled and diced

for the filling:

3 anjou pears, cored and thinly sliced

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 tbsp. brandy

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. flour

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

pinch salt 

for the streusel:

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch salt

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

for the creme anglaise:

1 cup whole milk

4 whole cardamom pods, crushed

1/4 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. To make the crust, mix the egg yolk, half-and-half and vanilla in a bowl. Add flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse, then add the yolk mixture in a steady stream with the processor running. Pulse for another 10-20 seconds and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Mix in the chopped walnuts by hand to distribute evenly.

2. Pour the crumb mixture into a 9-1/2-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Firmly press the crumbs against the bottom and sides pan to form the crust. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and freeze for 10 minutes. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bottom is set. Transfer to a cooling rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.

3. To make the filling, coarsely chop the cranberries and add to a bowl along with the pears and brandy, stirring to combine. In a separate bowl mix the sugar, flour, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Add to the cranberry-pear mixture, tossing to combine. Mound the filling into the par-baked crust.

4. To make the streusel, mix the flour, brown sugar and salt in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and vanilla. Combine with fingers until the mixture begins to clump together in small pieces when pressed. Sprinkle the streusel over the filling, breaking it into smaller pieces if necessary.

5. Bake at 350° until the fruit is tender and the crust and streusel begin to turn golden brown, about 50 minutes (if the tart begins to get dark at the edges, cover with foil).

6. While the tart is baking, make the creme anglaise: Set a mesh strainer over a medium bowl and set the bowl in a shallow pan of cold water. In a saucepan, combine the milk and cardamom pods and cook over moderately low heat just until small bubbles appear around the rim, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks just until combined. Gradually whisk in half of the hot milk, then pour the mixture into the same saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain the sauce into the bowl in the cold water bath to stop the cooking and remove the cardamom pods.

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Eggnog Marshmallows

I absolutely love all the festive holiday treats that come out this time of year, and one in particular that's hard for me to resist is eggnog. I feel ok about indulging in a glass or two each year but anything more than that and the dairy guilt starts to set in...I really don't drink milk anymore these days, opting instead for almond or coconut milk (because I'm super health-conscious like that). 

I'm sure there's a non-dairy version of eggnog floating around somewhere, but I haven't come across any in the grocery stores yet. In the meantime these eggnog marshmallows are hitting the spot. Sure, they're basically just a fluffy, spongy mass of sugar, which is probably in some ways worse than consuming dairy...but sometimes you just gotta live. I love popping one or two into my morning coffee and watching it slowly melt into a thick, frothy layer. Try tucking a few into a holiday mug along with some hot cocoa mix for a wonderful homemade Christmas gift! I'm all about the thrifty DIY presents, so if you end up receiving this as a gift from me try to still act surprised, ok?

Ingredients

nonstick cooking spray

2 envelopes gelatin

3/4 cup cold water

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. rum

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2/3 cup powdered sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

1. Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with wax paper that has also been coated with non-stick spray.

2. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of cold water in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

3. Bring remaining 1/4 water, sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Cook until temperature reaches 260 degrees (temperature should be taken with a candy thermometer; this should take about 12-15 minutes). Remove from heat, add gelatin mixture and stir to combine.

4. Meanwhile beat the egg whites and salt in an electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Add rum, nutmeg and gelatin mixture and continue beating for another 7 minutes or so until a thick consistency is reached. 

5. Pour marshmallow mixture into prepared pan, cover and let stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours

6. Cut marshmallows into 1-inch squares (coat knife and spatula with nonstick spray if marshmallows are sticking. Combine cinnamon, powdered sugar and cornstarch and coat marshmallows on all sides with the mixture.

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Red Velvet Cake Pops

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?! And with it comes my final holiday treat post...next month I'll have some detox friendly recipes to share as our waistlines recover from the holiday splurge!

Cake pops are nothing new, and in fact you've probably indulged in this very flavor at your local Starbucks, but I knew it would be a tasty addition to my holiday dessert assortment nonetheless. Most cake pop recipes call for entirely prepackaged ingredients: cake mix, store bought frosting and candy melts, along with your choice of decoration (I chose simple, understated red sprinkles). And while I appreciated the convenient shortcuts considering all the other holiday baking on my to-do list, being an avid supporter of the homemade prompted me to make at least one component of this recipe from scratch. So rather than buy a can of cream cheese frosting, that I opted to make myself while the cake was baking, if only for my own sense of satisfaction. I was also eager to apply some new techniques I had read about which vastly improved my cake pop making experience versus the first time I tried my hand at these laborious treats. I will share these valuable tips with you now:

1.)Prepare the cake balls one day ahead and refrigerate overnight. This will help immensely as they will stay intact much better when coating them in the candy melts the next day.

2.) When coating the cake balls in the melted candy, it is of utmost importance to only dip once, then use a spatula, spoon or toothpick to aid in spreading the coating evenly, rather than swishing the cake ball through the thick mixture. I learned the hard way my first time around that this causes the lollipop stick to slip out of the hole, the hole grows larger and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the cake ball on the stick. The less manipulation the better (and the less frustration for you, believe me.)

3.) A block of styrofoam (easily found at your local craft store) is the secret to a perfectly round cake pop so that you don't have to place the cake pops face down on a hard surface as they dry, resulting in a flat-topped cake pop. Use one of the lollipop sticks to poke holes in the styrofoam roughly two inches apart in advance, so that your cake pops will easily slide into the holes after they have been coated.

makes 30-40 cake pops
Ingredients
1 box red velvet cake mix, cooked as directed on box and cooled to room temperature
1 16 oz. can cream cheese frosting (or made from scratch, as I opted to do)
30-40 lollipop sticks
36 oz white candy melts
decorative sprinkles (optional)

Instructions
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl and combine thoroughly with frosting.
2. Use a mini scooper to scoop evenly sized portions of cake mixture. roll into balls using hands and lay on a cookie sheet. Chill in refrigerator overnight.
3. Melt candy according to package instructions. Insert a lollipop stick into each cake ball and coat completely in the melted candy, wiping off excess. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired, and stand cake pops in styrofoam block until firm.

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Peppermint Bark Cookies

Chocolate and peppermint go hand in hand this time of year (hello peppermint mocha!), and the combination is always present in some form during my yearly holiday baking extravaganza. So when I came across these lovely cookies in the Williams-Sonoma holiday catalog and balked at the price tag ($23 for a mere dozen), I set out to create a homemade version. I scoured the web to find a chocolate wafer cookie recipe and stumbled upon the perfect one from Smitten Kitchen, a blog I have known to be a reliable recipe source for years. After that it was just a matter of melting the chocolate, crushing the candy canes, a little dip here and a sprinkle there, and voila! Better than store-bought, positively jolly peppermint bark cookies. And the icing on the cake (or cookie, in this case): by making these yourself at home, you'll end up with four times as many cookies for a fraction of the cost. What are your favorite treats to bake during the holidays?

makes about 40 cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and slightly softened
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups white chocolate chips
4 tbsp vegetable shortening
1 tbsp peppermint extract
3 candy canes, crushed

Instructions
1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Add butter, milk and vanilla and continue to pulse until dough begins to clump. Transfer dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times until evenly blended.
2. Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread).
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, then remove from oven and cool cookies completely, first on baking sheets and then on cooling racks.
5. Melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler or heatproof glass bowl set over a heavy saucepan filled with simmering water, taking care not to let the bowl touch the water. Stir occasionally with a spatula and remove from heat as soon as chocolate has reaches a smooth consistency. Stir in peppermint extract.
6. Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, coating completely. Set on a sheet of parchment paper and immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Allow chocolate to harden at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

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White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Truffles

With the holidays in our midst I thought I would share a fun, festive recipe for these White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Truffles. I was inspired to make them after spending some time recently with my friend Jessica Foster, owner of Jessica Foster Confections here in Santa Barbara. Her truffles are incredible, and the Meyer Lemon is among my favorite flavors that she makes, so I decided to give them a go. She covers all of her truffles with a divine chocolate ganache coating, but I left my version bare- save for a light sugar coating- because they remind me of tiny snowballs! These would make amazing homemade gifts for friends, family and co-workers, which is exactly what prompted me to make them. Stay tuned for more holiday themed posts!

makes about 30 truffles
Ingredients
9 oz. good quality white chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
zest of one meyer lemon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
pinch of salt
3 tsp. lemon juice
superfine sugar, for dusting

Instructions
1. Finely chop the white chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Add lemon zest to cream in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer, taking care not to boil. Remove from heat.
3. Add butter and salt to white chocolate, then pour hot cream mixture into bowl. Melt over a saucepan with simmering water until smooth (do not allow water to touch glass bowl). Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Chill mixture for at least 4 hours.
4. Using a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop portion out 1 inch balls of ganache mixture. Roll in your hands to form a ball (quickly, as it will begin to melt from the heat of your hands).
6. Immediately sprinkle each truffle with the sanding sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving (will keep for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container).

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