desserts – Page 2 – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

Food – milk chocolate oatmeal cookies

I’m always in the mood to eat cookies but I don’t always feel like making them. Part of the problem is that whenever I do make them I end up eating more than I should. This recipe is really easy and fairly healthy as far as cookies go…..(brown sugar instead of white, oats and only 1 egg) so I couldn’t wait to make them. They’re quick and delicious and I just added coconut flakes. You can double the recipe but if you want to ensure you don’t eat too many, maybe it’s a good idea to stick to the original.

Brown Sugar Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. fine sea salt

½ cup unsalted butter, either at room temperature or slightly chilled

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

½ quick oats

1 cup milk chocolate chips

unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment then spray baking sheets lightly with oil.

Stir flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter with sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Spoon 2 Tbsp. portions of dough, 3 in. apart, onto prepared sheets. Flatten them slightly using your fingers.

Bake in centre of oven until edges are golden but centres are soft, 12-15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Pour yourself a glass of milk!

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week. But let’s face it – they’ll only last one or two days at most.

Makes 12-16 cookies.

If you really need to know they’re about 200 calories per cookie.

Below are links to some other cookie recipes I’ve made and posted before (all equally delicious):

Sweet ‘n Salty: https://girlwhowouldbeking.com/2014/02/10/sweetly-satisfying-ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Vegan: https://girlwhowouldbeking.com/2014/03/25/simply-satisfying-vegan-chocolate-chip-coconut-cookies/

Ultimate Dark: https://girlwhowouldbeking.com/2012/11/06/simple-and-satisfying-the-ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookies/

FUN

Simply Satisfying – gluten free CHOCOLATE ALMOND TORTE

Also known as Torta Caprese (named for the island of Capri from which this recipe originates).

If you like chocolate with almonds you will love this flourless recipe. It is simply delicious and fairly easy to make. You might ask, what is the difference between a torte and a cake? The answer is nothing because the word “torte” comes from the Italian word “torta” which means a round bread or cake. So it is in fact a cake. In Europe, most cakes are called tortes.

When comparing tortes and cakes, you will notice that the cake is lighter than the torte. Cakes are made with cake flour which makes them very light because of the gluten content of the flour. You’ll find that tortes are denser and richer therefore a smaller piece should be enough to satisfy.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ sticks (7/8 cup) unsalted butter

7 ounces (1 ¼ cups) blanched whole almonds

6 ounces (170kg) of the finest quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened) you can find. I use Callebaut.

4 large eggs

1 cup fine coconut sugar (original recipe calls for granulated sugar)

Garnish with confectioners’ sugar (I sprinkle it over the cake with a fine sieve) and serve with whipped cream & berries. I like using raspberries because they have a sharpness which marries well with the sweetness (but it is not overly sweet) of the chocolate. They also add prettiness to the final presentation.

Preheat oven to 350F and butter a 10-inch cake pan. Line bottom of pan with a round of wax paper and butter paper.

Melt butter and cool. In a food processor finely grind together almonds and chocolate.

Separate the eggs – yolks from whites.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks with sugar until very thick and pale, then beat in almond mixture with butter.

In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks and whisk one fourth into almond mixture. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly and spread batter evenly in pan.

Bake torte in middle of oven for about 50 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out with moist crumbs remaining. Cool on rack 5 minutes and then invert onto another rack. Discard wax paper and cool torte completely. Invert onto a plate.

A restaurant style presentation with a touch of mint & a chocolate wafer. — Try a lovely **restaurant style presentation** with a touch of mint & a chocolate wafer.

Torte may be made one day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Enjoy!

FUN

simply satisfying – healthy two bite brownie delights

I was looking for a guilt free brownie recipe when one literally fell into my lap when I was sitting at a coffee shop.

Two women attending the CHFA (Canadian Health Food Association) walked by and handed me this recipe. It sounded too healthy to be good…but it so happens to be not only healthy but easy to make (no baking involved) and tastes very yummy. This formula makes for a tiny amount – one dozen two-bite (or one big mouthful) brownies that look more like large size truffles. I would double the recipe next time. They freeze well too. Enjoy!

¾ cup walnuts

7 medjool dates, pitted

¼ cup cacao powder (I used unsweetened)

½ tsp. vanilla bean powder (I like Cook’s – there’s no preservatives)

Pinch of salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Garnish: ¼ cup *shredded coconut

Process walnuts until fine. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Form into small balls with your hands and toss or roll in shredded coconut. *(I bought a bag of unsweetened coconut flakes from the market and just shredded them in the food processor. The less sugar the better.

I put them into tiny muffin tins that hold 12 and popped them into the freezer for about 5 minutes so they weren’t too soft.

Don’t let the small size fool you. They are somewhat satiating and you don’t want to eat too many at once. Each one (although healthy for a sweet treat) is about 95 calories.

The RAW Foundation Culinary Arts Institute is Canada’s leading raw food culinary school, home of The Raw Food Education Experts TM; located in the heart of Vancouver BC, Canada. We are devoted to educating on the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle, inspiring and empowering foodies, home & professional chefs, health enthusiasts & healthcare professionals around the world; to prepare delicious, raw meals with ease and successfully share this passion with others, growing profitable businesses, make a positive impact, transform lives, doing what they love.

http://rawfoodfoundation.org/

FUN

simply satisfying – Almond Date Bars

These addictive energy bars are easy to make, easy to store and really easy to eat!

1 cup whole raw almonds
1 cup pitted dates (unsweetened) – about 12
1 cup raisins (unsweetened & *unsulphured). *No preservatives.
2 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. flax seeds (I buy the kind already ground with blueberries)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until ingredients form into a ball (the dates hold everything together, so if you need, add more). Pour the mix onto parchment paper & pat down with your hands. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Cut into squares, wrap in parchment paper and store in your refrigerator. You can freeze them too.

Tip #1: Cut a small piece of parchment paper to help pat the mixture down with. This will prevent mix from sticking to your hands.

TIP #2: Medjool dates are the best. You can try different combinations like cranberries instead of raisins, or a combo of half sour cherries & half raisins. Experiment.

TIP #3: The whole recipe is rounded out to a total of 2000 calories (It’s actually a bit less) so let’s say you cut the bars into 10 equal size pieces it works out to about 200 calories per bar. Not bad considering how rich & filling they are.

Enjoy!

Check out my food board on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/intrigueimports/foodsavour-taste-flavor-relish-palate-enjoyment/

FUN

Simply Satisfying – Vegan Chocolate Chip / Coconut Cookies

These vegan friendly cookies are yummy enough for non-vegans too. They do not include the usual suspects (dairy such as butter, or eggs) nor refined sugar and all-purpose flour that are commonly used to make cookies.

They include:

1 cup instant oatmeal (or rolled oats)

½ cup coconut flour

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. fine seasalt

Sprinkling of ground Cinnamon (about ¼ – ½ tsp.)

¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used organic dark cane)

1/3 cup canola oil

¼ cup almond milk (I used the unsweetened version)

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or 1 ½ tsp. & ½ tsp. of almond extract)

½ cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (like Sunspire – veganstore.com)

½ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

Note: For my first batch I used a combo of Ghirardelli milk & semi-sweet chocolate chips that were on hand.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together oatmeal (or oats), pastry flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon & seasalt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, oil, almond milk, vanilla (or combo of vanilla & almond extract); pour mixture into the batter and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and coconut flakes.

For each cookie, drop 1 Tbsp. (or 2 Tbsp. for bigger cookies) of dough 2 inches apart onto the baking sheets. Note: Some of the dough might fall apart as you try to drop it – just roll it in your hands a little to shape it before putting it back on the sheet. It will still bake okay.

Bake for about 15 minutes. Let them cool slightly before moving them to a plate or tray. ENJOY these delicious guilt free cookies.

You can try substituting peanut butter instead of the coconut flakes or even adding a bit of natural peanut butter to the mix. I haven’t tried this yet but it definitely sounds good.

Do you have a great vegan cookie recipe you’d like to share?

FUN

Simply Satisfying – Chocolate Dipped Orange Shortbread

You can get creative with all your cookie-making at Christmas but don’t leave out the shortbread. It may be too late for this Christmas but the results are worth it. If you don’t have time, file it for next year.

I love cookies anytime. My baking favorites are thumbprint (with homemade jam centre), writer’s block (oatmeal, raisins & chai spices), chocolate chip (using 4 different kinds) and old-fashioned peanut butter.

A friend gave me this recipe (originally from Canadian Living) which is perked up with orange rind and partially dipped in chocolate. What can be better than orange & chocolate?

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup (125 ml) superfine sugar (like castor but I ended up using organic cane)

2 tsp (10 ml) finely grated orange rind

¼ (1 ml) tsp salt

2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp. (45 ml) cornstarch

3 ½ oz (100 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, orange rind and salt until fluffy. Stir in flour and cornstarch to make a smooth dough.

Divide dough in half. Form each into 10-inch (25 cm) log. Wrap each and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Slice logs into ¼ inch (6 mm) thick rounds. Place, 1-inch (2.5 cm) apart, on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in 325 F oven until firm, about 15 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes, transfer to racks and let cool completely.

Coating: In heatproof bowl over sauce of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate, let cool to room temperature. Tip: I put the chocolate in a small pot placed right in a steamer which lets it gently melt without burning. Try to use the best quality bulk chocolate you can find. I use Callebaut.

Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, gently shaking off any excess. Refrigerate on waxed paper-lined baking sheets until firm, about 30 minutes. Makes about 30-35 cookies.