Tag: Vanilla

Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream

Note: I was sent samples of Vanilla Bean Powder, Vanilla Beans, and Vanilla Extract from The Sweet Bean in order to write this post for Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream. All opinions are my own.

I am still madly in love with my ice cream maker (paid link) and the delicious homemade ice creams I can now make! Today, I am excited to share a classic: Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream, featuring The Sweetest Bean‘s Pure Vanilla Bean Powder.

The Sweetest Bean, a woman-owned company based in Colorado, sources its organic, whole-bean vanilla from Uganda where they employ a team who hand cures all of their gourmet vanilla. The company has a purpose of building an economy on the other side of the world, and is committed to one-single-supplier, their workers, their children, their futures, with the hope of true sustainable economic growth. Ugandan vanilla beans are known for their strong vanilla flavor, so the flavor stands out more in recipes.

source: thesweetestbean.com

The Sweetest Bean’s Pure Vanilla Bean Powder is made from 100% pure, ground, Ugandan bourbon vanilla beans. The vanilla beans spend months curing our beans in the sun, and then are ground fresh, to produce a fine powder rich in flavor and aroma. Pure vanilla bean powder was touted recently by the Wall Street Journal as the next spice you need to own.  The powder can be used in both savory and sweet recipes, including barbecue rubs, soups, stews, fish, pork, smoothies, and coffee — vanilla adds a touch of sweetness without additional sugar.

The Sweetest Bean sent me their 3 Product Gift Set and have generously offered an additional set to one lucky I Can Cook That reader! Details for the giveaway after the recipe.

So let’s get churning! This Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream has just 6 ingredients. The egg yolks, which makes this ice cream “French Vanilla,” adds wonderful richness without competing with the vanilla flavor.

Recommended tools (paid links):

 

Ingredients (makes 1 pint, multiply as desired):

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Bean Powder (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Continue reading Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream

Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Note: I was sent Northwest Cherries in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone.

July is peak cherry season, which means I have A TON of cherries in my fridge! I was sent quite a few bags of cherries from Northwest Cherry Growers, and had to dive right in to using them! Fun fact: Northwest Cherry Growers is a group of 2,500+ farms that produce at least three-quarters of the nation’s entire sweet cherry crop.

Source: nwcherries.com

Northwest-grown sweet cherries tend to boast the highest fruit sugar content of any cherries. The naturally high sugar content makes them such a yummy snack on their own, or great in baked goods and other recipes. They are also one of the lowest fruits on the glycemic index. (In case you’re wondering, a general rule of thumb is that the darker the cherry, the sweeter it is.)

Cherries are also a superfruit and have been credited with reducing the risk of some serious diseases. Published research points to the health benefits of sweet cherries, including a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study discovered consuming sweet cherries can help prevent chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. These powerful superfruits also contain melatonin, which may increase your quality of sleep and reduce jetlag.

Cherry season is pretty short, from July to mid-August, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to use these beautiful cherries in a bunch of different recipes. Fresh cherries keep for approximately two weeks when refrigerated in a sealed bag or container. If you want to enjoy them year-round, you can also freeze cherries by rinsing, drying, and packing them up in freezer bags.

Source: nwcherries.com

I’m kind of in a canning state of mind after making my Blueberry Chia Seed Jam a few weeks ago, so I wanted to can some of these beautiful cherries. You may have noticed I’m a fan of cocktails, so I just had to make homemade maraschino cherries!

Maraschino cherries are named for the Marasca cherry grown originally in Croatia, which when distilled, produce a liqueur. Whole cherries that are preserved in this liqueur became known as Maraschino Cherries.

These maraschino cherries are not those bright red guys you’ll find in a Shirley Temple. No no, these are the adult, more refined version. There is no artificial coloring, and much less sweetener added. And they are perfect for cocktails and adult ice cream sundaes!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 bags (~100 cherries) fresh cherries, pitted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • the zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups cherry (maraschino) liqueur

Continue reading Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Last week, I shared a savory breakfast casserole, great for a large crowd.

So today, I wanted to share a version for those who love a sweet breakfast!

This Blueberry French Toast Casserole is easy to make the day of, or to assemble the night before for an easier next-day breakfast. My recipe is adapted from a version you can find here.

Ingredients:

French Toast Casserole

  • 1 loaf of challah bread, cut into cubes
  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cut into small cubes
  • 2 (6 oz) packages fresh blueberries
  • 12 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

Blueberry Syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 (6 oz) package fresh blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • juice of 1/2 lemon

Continue reading Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake

I love love love pomegranates. The burst of tanginess is awesome in both sweet and savory dishes.

It is once again pomegranate season (the season runs from ~October through ~January), so I am thrilled to be cooking again with one of my favorite ingredients.

POM Wonderful must have heard about my love of their products, because I was contacted to try out their POM POMS Fresh Arils and pomegranates. I will have a few recipes over the coming weeks, but lets start with something a little sweet.

This recipe for Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake is from the POM Wonderful website. It is topped with a Vanilla Crème Anglaise, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh pomegranate arils.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Cake

  • ¾ cup POM POMS Fresh Arils
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour + 1-2 teaspoons flour, separated
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 whole eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • the juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Vanilla Crème Anglaise

  • 15 egg yolks
  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups sugar

Garnish

Continue reading Pomegranate Olive Oil Cake

Orange Mulled Whiskey Cider

cThis has been quite a dreary and rainy fall so far. One of my favorite remedies for blah weather is a warm beverage. In the fall, you really can’t go wrong with a mulled apple cider, like this Orange Mulled Whiskey Cider!

 

Nielsen-Massey sent me a sample of their Pure Orange Extract to use in this citrusy spiced cider. Nielsen-Massey has offered high quality vanilla and other flavors since 1907. They are my go to for extracts, vanilla beans, and vanilla powder. Their Pure Orange Extract is a great pantry way to always have citrus flavor on hand. Just 1/2 teaspoons of the orange extract equals two tablespoons fresh orange juice.

They must have known Philadelphia has been basically sitting under a cloud and that I needed a warm pick me up! The addition of the pure orange extract to this cider brings some brightness to the mulled cider.

 

This cider uses some of my favorite spices to really bring the fall flavor. I picked up my spices at the Head Nut in Reading Terminal, but you can also find them at Penzey’s.

Recipe (serves 6):

  • 2 quarts apple cider
  • 1/2 cup 100% pure pomegranate juice
  • 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
  • 1 Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean
  • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract
  • 3 large cinnamon sticks
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 5 whole allspice berries
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
  • 3/4 cup whiskey

Add the apple cider, pomegranate juice and maple syrup to a large saucepan; heat over medium-high heat.

Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise with the tip of a small knife.

Scrape both sides of the bean with the knife’s dull side and add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. (The seeds are the black flecks in the cider.)

Add the orange extract, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries and cardamom seeds to the saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain mulled cider through a fine mesh sieve.

Add whiskey; stir to combine. Serve with a fresh apple or orange slice.

 

This cider tastes just like fall! What a comforting beverage as the weather turns colder.

The spices in the cider add a nice warmth to the drink, complementing the apple and whiskey flavors nicely.

The orange flavor from Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Orange Extract comes through as well, adding a burst of bright citrus and making for a super tasty drink!

Print
Orange Mulled Whiskey Cider

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts apple cider
  • 1/2 cup 100% pure pomegranate juice
  • 1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup
  • 1 Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean
  • 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Orange Extract
  • 3 large cinnamon sticks
  • 12 whole cloves
  • 5 whole allspice berries
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds
  • 3/4 cup whiskey

Instructions

  1. Add the apple cider, pomegranate juice and maple syrup to a large saucepan; heat over medium-high heat.
  2. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise with the tip of a small knife.
  3. Scrape both sides of the bean with the knife’s dull side and add the seeds and bean to the saucepan. (The seeds are the black flecks in the cider.)
  4. Add the orange extract, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries and cardamom seeds to the saucepan; stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain mulled cider through a fine mesh sieve.
  6. Add whiskey; stir to combine. Serve with a fresh apple or orange slice.
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Blueberry Pie Sundaes

I have a pretty intense sweet tooth; in my mind, dinner isn’t finished until I’ve had dessert! I do try to limit how many times a week I actually do have dessert after dinner, but sometimes you just need some!

This recipe from Cooking Light caught my eye because it involves two of my favorite things: ice cream and blueberries.

This fun little dessert takes very little time to make, and the blueberry sauce can even be made ahead of time!

Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons water, divided
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh blueberries, divided
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Dash of salt
  • 2 cups vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt (I used French Vanilla)
  • 4 shortbread cookies, coarsely crumbled

Continue reading Blueberry Pie Sundaes

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SwapMilk4Silk #CollectiveBias

Everyone loves a nice, fluffy cupcake. I love when a cupcake is light and airy, with smooth and creamy frosting on top! One of the easiest ways to keep a cupcake moist and fluffy is to use yogurt in the batter. But that doesn’t mean your cupcakes can’t be dairy-free or vegan-friendly!

I really enjoy making vegan cupcakes; they are surprisingly simple to make and taste just as delicious as normal cupcakes (or, dare I say it, even better!) I became interested in vegan baking when I made cupcakes for my sister-in-law a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve noticed how easy it is to make delicious baked goods that are dairy and egg free!

Silk dairy-free products are perfect for cupcakes, because they add additional flavor to the batter through their Vanilla and other flavored yogurts and milks.

To make these Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting, I went to Walmart to pick up a Silk Half Gallon Vanilla Almond Milk and a couple of Silk Vanilla Yogurts. You can find them in the dairy aisle, with the normal milk and yogurts.

Silk Almond Milk has 50% more calcium that dairy milk, with no cholesterol and no saturated fat. Silk offers seven almond milk options, all 100 calories or less. I love Vanilla Almond Milk in my cereal, its so tasty!  Silk yogurt, made from soy, has 6 grams of soy protein per serving with no cholesterol and no artificial flavors or colors. The yogurt is dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian.

Plums are in season at the moment and I absolutely love their flavor, so I decided to make a plum frosting. The delicious flavor of plums is enhanced with almonds and vanilla, so Silk products are perfect with plum!

 

Cupcakes:

  • 1 stick margarine (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 (5.3 oz) containers Silk Vanilla Yogurt (~1 cup)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup Silk Vanilla Almond Milk

 

Frosting:

  • 3 plums, diced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 stick margarine  (8 tablespoons), at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • a couple drops blue food coloring, if desired
  • cinnamon, for garnish

Continue reading Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Plum Frosting

Grilled Fruit with Bourbon Butter Sauce #BourbonBBQ

Did you know that May is National Barbecue Month? The weather is perfect for going outside and grilling, and with Memorial Day behind us, it’s time to take full advantage of grilling season!

 

I’ve partnered with Four Roses Bourbon to make an oh-so yummy summer barbecue-themed dessert. A lot of the steps of this can be made ahead of time to make serving the dessert easy enough for a weeknight.

 

This dessert includes ice cream, grilled fruit, a spiced bourbon butter sauce, and toasted pound cake pieces… what more could you ask for?!

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup Four Roses Bourbon Yellow
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cardamom pod (crushed with a knife)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 peach, quartered and pitted
  • 1 plum, quartered and pitted
  • 1/5 pound cake (~2 oz) cut into small cubes
  • vanilla ice cream

Continue reading Grilled Fruit with Bourbon Butter Sauce #BourbonBBQ

Peanut Butter Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars

If you follow my Instagram, you may have seen what “tough” research I had to do this weekend for this post. With the 3rd Annual South Street Spring Festival just days away (Saturday, May 2), I visited Sweet Life Bakeshop at 7th and South to try their signature Banana Pudding.

This. Pudding. Is. Fantastic. I gobbled up the whole thing in minutes, so I’m surprised I even was able to get a photo of it beforehand!

Sweet Life Bakeshop’s banana pudding will be available at the South Street Spring Festival, along with nearly 30 other eateries, bars, and food trucks, so come hungry! From 11am to 8pm this Saturday, 8 blocks of South Street (between Front and 8th) will be shut down and turned into a huge (and free) block party!

Headhouse Plaza will also be in on the fun, so be sure to check out 2nd Street between South and Lombard. The plaza will be transformed into a giant lawn concert complete with grass, lawn chairs, games and beach balls!

Along with all of the delicious food, South Street will feature more than 40 bands on three stages and seven performance areas. Over 100 boutiques, small businesses and other other retailers will cater to your style, beauty, health, fitness and other shopping needs. In conjunction with the Festival, Brauhaus Schmitz will host the third annual German Maifest on the 700 block of South Street, with German beers, dancers, music, food, flower headbands and even a Maypole.  Outside of Atomic City Comics (638 South Street) look for free giveaways and character appearances during Free Comic Book Day.

Whew!  Ok so, to highlight one of the amazing offerings, I decided to make a spin on Sweet Life’s banana pudding — Peanut Butter Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars! This recipe is adapted from a Southern Living Banana Pudding Cheesecake recipe, but adds in some peanut-buttery goodness and then is topped with a drizzle of chocolate and some fresh whipped cream.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 22 vanilla wafers
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

optional garnishes:

  • whipped cream
  • 1 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • vanilla wafers

Continue reading Peanut Butter Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars

Seared Scallops with a Champagne Vanilla Butter Sauce

Cooking for your Valentine on February 14th and looking for something really different and fun? This recipe from Emeril Lagasse is perfect for a romantic dinner. I really wasn’t sure what to expect with Vanilla and Scallops, but it highlights the sweetness of scallops nicely.  I paired this with a champagne risotto based on a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis to make this recipe for Seared Scallops with a Champagne Vanilla Butter Sauce.

Ingredients:

For the risotto:

  • 2 thin slices prosciutto
  • 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup Arborio rice
  • 3/4 cup Champagne
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Scallops:

  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1 cup dry brut Champagne
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup (1 sticks), cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground  pepper
  • 10 jumbo sea scallops, cleaned
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Continue reading Seared Scallops with a Champagne Vanilla Butter Sauce

Slow Cooker Nutella French Toast Casserole

As most of the U.S. has been dealing with seriously cold weather and snow, I thought it was time to share another French Toast recipe. Without fail, people always go out before a storm and stock up on bread, milk, and eggs so French Toast is the perfect meal on a snow day. This recipe for Slow Cooker Nutella French Toast Casserole with Caramelized Bananas is sure to become a favorite snow day meal for you!

This recipe is based off my Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole, but incorporates Nutella and tops it off with caramelized bananas for good measure. I love using my slow cooker for French Toast because it makes a bunch of servings to either share with a group or pack up and enjoy all week!

Ingredients (get all ingredients here):

  • 1 loaf challah bread (about 1 pound), cut into cubes
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 cups vanilla almond milk (or normal milk)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 heaping tablespoons Nutella, plus more for topping
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 bananas, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Continue reading Slow Cooker Nutella French Toast Casserole

Star Anise Snickerdoodles

Boy did I start my cookie baking late this year! I can’t believe Christmas is just days away. I was recently sent a beautiful carved cinnamon bark box with 3 oz of Vietnam cinnamon by World Vision so I wanted to make a cookie recipe that would feature cinnamon, so I had to make snickerdoodles! This recipe for Star Anise Snickerdoodles from Cooking Light adds ground star anise to traditional sugar cookies for a subtle different take on the classic.

World Vision is a Gift Catalog that allows you to give a truly meaningful gift this holiday season.  The catalog is filled with items for every budget ($16 to $39,000) that help children and families in need worldwide. The World Vision Gift Catalog offers an alternative (or addition to) traditional holiday gift giving. You can choose a gift for these families that fits your financial abilities and personal tastes. For example, a gardener may enjoy giving hybrid or drought-resistant seeds to a farmer with a donation of just $17 to help one family.

With a financial contribution, the gift giver can select one of 36 items that you will get while helping a person in need. The cinnamon used in this recipe comes with a donation of $85. The wonderful people at World Vision Gift Catalog have offered to give another Prosperity Cinnamon Box away to a lucky reader!

More after the recipe …

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground star anise (about 2 pods)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Continue reading Star Anise Snickerdoodles

Banana Split Cupcakes

The inspiration for this post is a bit convoluted. I was originally looking for some way to incorporate wet walnuts into a recipe for my dad. My dad is a huge fan of wet walnuts and he just had surgery so I wanted to make him a little pick-me-up treat. Wet walnuts are usually a topping on ice cream so I thought it would be fun to make a spin on a banana split in cupcake form. Later, I found out that Banana Splits do not traditionally even have wet walnuts as a topping. Oh well!

I used a banana cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart and filled each cupcake with homemade whipped cream. I then topped 1/3 of the cupcakes with vanilla frosting, 1/3 with strawberry frosting, and 1/3 with chocolate frosting. I topped them all off with sprinkles, wet walnuts, and maraschino cherries!

These are sugar overload so despite the photos showing all 3 types, stick to one cupcake at a time 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

Banana Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes):

  • 1 ½ cups cake flour
  • ¾ cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick) melted
  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Whipped Cream Filling

  •  1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  •  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  •  1 tablespoon granulated sugar

 

Frosting

  • 1 ½ cups butter, softened
  •  6 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
  •  6 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more if needed
  •  ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  •  Pinch salt
  •  ¼ cup strawberry jam
  •  ¼ cup cocoa powder

 

Wet Walnuts

  •  1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup agave
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

 

Toppings

  •  Maraschino cherries
  •  Wet walnuts
  •  Rainbow sprinkles

Continue reading Banana Split Cupcakes

Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, pumpkin season! My love of pumpkin flavored, well, anything, is well known among my group of friends. September means I am actually allowed to dive into my pumpkin obsession but it is still a bit warm so we will begin with a chilled version of my favorite gourd – Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes!

I had a Pumpkin Pie Milkshake post on here from 2011, but when I switched my blog over to WordPress, the post got a little funky. So I decided to make the milkshake again with a few changes.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings, multiply as needed):

  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream
  • 1 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 graham cracker (I used cinnamon graham crackers), crumbled

Continue reading Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

Vegan Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I made these Vegan Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting for a lovely vegan bride-to-be for her bridal shower this weekend. I’m not going to lie, I was going to do a test run of these, and if I didn’t like them, she was getting normal egg-filled, buttercream-topped cupcakes. But. These are good. Really really good.

So when I did my test run, I passed them around to friends and family and conveniently left the word “vegan” out of the description until after they tasted the cupcakes. My “test subjects” didn’t seem too upset with my experiment, many went for seconds!

These cupcakes use dark chocolate (versus milk chocolate), and have no eggs, butter, or milk. And they are still super fluffy and moist. The best part, most of the ingredients are probably either in your pantry or really easy to find!

Ingredients (makes 2 dozen) adapted from the Curvy Carrot:

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
  • 2 oz vegan dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup sunflower oil
  • 1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
  • 3/4 cup cinnamon applesauce
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Peanut Butter Frosting:

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup vegan margarine
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons vanilla almond milk

Continue reading Vegan Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

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