311. Black Cake Brownie Bites [GF, Vegan, Oil Free]

I am Asian. I am not Jamaican. But I have a taste for the ultra-dark and rich fruit cake that comes from Jamaica since we grew up eating the version made by one of the F daughters. SO good. I just refer to it as “black cake.” That, along with Mommy’s Fried Rice, is one of the foods of my youth. Ai Ai told me that our friend S starts preparing hers months before Christmas.

So when I set out to make these brownie bites I was aiming for a gingerbread taste. They came out more reminiscent of the black cake I love. I was not disappointed – it was a happy accident! My apologies to real Jamaican fruit-cake makers – I know the real thing is irreplaceable – I’m just pleased I came up with an easy alternative for myself. If you’ve never had the kind of cake I’m talking about, be informed that the taste is strong (although alcohol-free in this case). To achieve a lighter taste, try ¼ cup maple syrup and ¼ molasses. Or a scant ½ cup maple syrup and a splash of molasses. I haven’t tried this yet, but once I finish the rest of my brownie bites I will. Oooh – or use all maple syrup and add a splash of mint extract for mint brownies. I bet you saw that one comin’.

Black Cake Brownie Bites [Gluten Free, Vegan]

Yield: 24 mini muffin-size brownies

Preheat oven to 350

Line mini muffin trays with paper liners

• 3 Tb ground flax
• 1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ c molasses
• ½ c unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c GFDF mini choc chips
• splash of vanilla
• dash each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg
• 2 dashes of ginger powder

Mix everything well. Fill your mini muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. After they cool, frost only those you’ll be consuming with a white glaze (e.g. powdered sugar + non-dairy creamer), sprinkle with your favorite toppings. Mine aren’t necessarily GF/Vegan, e.g. crushed candy canes, M&M’s (I love the dark chocolate mint, green ombre variety), but if you need a safer choice, try colored sanding sugar.

281. Flourless Maple Pecan Brownies (Gluten Free, Vegan)

I got thrown a curve-ball yesterday:  Dr. G (Dad’s ENT)’s office called yesterday to say that she’s moving, but that I could see her yesterday afternoon.  WAH!  My plans for getting treated by her have been foiled.  But happily, I did see her yesterday, got scoped twice, and she explained everything in detail to me and was very thorough.  I also met the speech therapist (Dad has also been her patient, too), since the current verdict is more ST (specifically for voice and swallowing), and then I’ll check in with the ENT in 2-3 months.  Ed snuck in to the office.  (Mommy didn’t notice that I had him (riding on my purse) until we were in the elevator.  So Ed was there for moral support, I got my questions answered and I know what to do next (sign up for ST) – a successful appointment, I’d say!

Moving on, let me share these flourless brownies with you.  I know, you must be like – how many treats can one girl eat?!?!?  Well, I don’t eat ALL of them…Okay, I eat many of them, I admit it – but not all at once.  I put many in the freezer as soon as I can.  I made these this summer at Tim and Ai Ai’s when I was on my maple kick.  I haven’t quite gotten past the maple thing yet, mind you – it’s so good!

Flourless Maple Pecan Brownies [GF, Vegan]
Preheat oven to 350, grease a loaf tin (you’re not making a brownie loaf , this just makes a nice bar in a loaf pan)

▪          3 flax eggs – room temperature.  I just put 3 Tbsp of flax seed in a bowl, added 9 Tbsp of water, mixed it up and let it sit and thicken for about 15-20 minutes.
▪          1 c cocoa
▪          3/4 c maple syrup
▪          3 Tbsp coconut oil
▪          generous splash of vanilla
▪          generous splash of natural maple flavor
▪          a handful of chopped pecans for sprinkling on the top
▪          optional – pecan cream for serving – pretend like you’re making cashew cream, but use pecans.  Sweeten with maple syrup.

Mix everything, pour into loaf pan, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

 

240. Flourless Dark Chocolate Sun Butter Brownies [Gluten Free and Vegan]

Surprise, surprise – I had one of those floppy brain moments again.  I was so busy patting myself on the back last week for pre-loading my posts through Tuesday that I failed to observe that I had counted the days/dates wrong and posted TWO on Monday.  Oops, my bad.  Welcome to my world.   Happily, however, I have no shortage of things to tell you about so after we got home yesterday (we spent a wonderful weekend with my siblings and their progeny at the Labor Day Conference) I opened the fridge, got my snack out, soaked some nuts, made some milk, and snapped a picture.  I have been plotting a “Sun Butter” week out of deference to the nut allergic among us (I’m so sorry you can’t eat PB) – in particular, Sgirl and CEF’s eldest.  You should still totally read about PB bread/PBJ bars, too, so I’m including them on the bottom of this post.  These and the Sun Butter Brownies are both so simple it’s astonishing.  I have to restrain myself from making them daily.

These brownies are heavy on the dark chocolate note, lighter on the sun butter note.  You can taste something nut/seed butter ish, but probably can’t put your finger on it – but I like the delicate sun butter fragrance, plus, using it eliminated the need for any other butter or oil. I didn’t sweeten this batch quite as much, and the chocolate note is richer :).  I used a loaf pan this time, and they turned out great – none of that weird, baking forever business as with the Thin Mint Brownie Pie.   I don’t think these are overly pretty, but I wasn’t planning to serve them to company.  I would have made a fabulous parfait or trifle with them, but I couldn’t bc I ate them all.

Flourless Dark Chocolate Sun Butter Brownies
inspired by Thin Mint Brownie Pie and Our Fifth House’s Paleo Brownie Pie
preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan – but you’re  not making a loaf, you’re making brownies that turn out to be around an inch (or less) thick

• 3 flax eggs – room temperature.  I just put 3 Tbsp of flax seed in a bowl, added 9 Tbsp of water, mixed it up and let it sit and thicken for about 15-20 minutes.
• 1 c cocoa
• 1/2 c maple syrup
• 1/4 c sun butter (I used homemade)
• generous splash of vanilla
• 1/2 c DF chocolate chips

Mix everything and then pour into your loaf pan.  Bake for around 35-40 minutes.

A couple of notes:

(1) I call these “Flourless” even though my computer keeps on telling me that’s not a real word bc although I do not use flour in these I don’t want to call them “Grain Free.”  The tag, “Grain Free” is associated in my mind with Paleo eating, and I’m just going with gluten free + flourless since I’m still on my vegan kick and use flax eggs.  Flax isn’t a grain, it’s a seed – but I’ve read (I’m reading – thank you, VT!) that some Paleos frown upon eating flax.  So I’m playing it safe.

(2) As part of my effort to build better health habits in my life, e.g. my transition to no-sulfate shampoo, and now baking soda/ACV since I found out I’m allergic to that thing, I hereby rescind my recommendation to microwave your almonds etc. before making milk.  Now I’m going with the soak-for-real, method, or my soak in really hot water for an hour shortcut (although some might frown upon this, too).   I tried to research this, but my eyeballs got tired, so I’m just going with an extremely general explanation- there’s something that’s supposed to happen when you soak nuts, something that makes them more digestible and possibly enhances their nutritional value.  I know some people abhor the microwave.  Personally, I love mine.  But I would not want to mess with the process of soaking with my microwave technique.  I guess this is good, though, since it cultivates both forethought and patience in my life.

PS.  I need about another week to make sure I really do love the baking soda/ACV thing, and I’ll tell you about it.

239.  Flourless PB Bread and PBJ Bars [Grain Free, Dairy Free]

130. Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins

This is actually an update of the popular “Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins” I posted a long time ago.  It was one of the first recipes I shared and it was clear from how I was throwing things in the blender that cooking/baking with me is not an exact science.  I’ve heard that you should be more precise when baking, but I’m sorry, I can’t.  However, I did manage to make the muffins more replicable by simplifying the recipe.   I took out the chestnuts, agave, and Greek yogurt!  Plus, this time you just need a bowl and a spoon, and I’ve updated the old post accordingly.

My compliments to The Detoxinista – I tried baking with just nut butter after looking at her recipe for PBCC blondies.  She used natural/thinner/oily peanut butter for her blondies, but I used “regular” (like Skippy or JIF) for all of my baking.  I think this resulted in a fluffier (not fudgey) result.  So go for the regular PB.

I baked flourless peanut butter things quite a few times this summer.  Here are two instances:

Flourless Peanut Butter Bread
(pictured at the top of this post)
Grain Free, Dairy Free, No Sugar Added | Preheat oven to 350, Grease an 8×8 square

I made these for Mrs. T, who is trying to avoid flour and sugar for health reasons.  After some coffee-break recon one Sunday I learned that she’s partial to peanut butter.  I did a “practice” batch for our family, and those among us who quite enjoy sugar liked these sugarless squares.  Personally, I liked them with some jam smeared on top, like in the picture.  I used a fruit-sweetened strawberry spread.

• 1 c peanut butter (not natural-style or homemade)
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• splash of vanilla

Combine everything in a bowl.  Pour into your square.  Bake at 350 for around 20 minutes.  I’m sorry, I honestly can’t remember how long I baked them – just start checking at 20, and let them go a few minutes longer if they don’t look done.

Flourless PBJ Bars
Grain Free, Dairy Free | Preheat oven to 350, Grease an 8×8 square

229. Flourless “Nutella” Bars

These were the treats I made originally to take to The Gym.  I had a batch in the oven before breakfast that morning.  I found out later, though, that peanuts are on the allergen list, so I switched gears and tried the Flourless “Nutella” Bars.  Thankfully my parents arrived that day so Baker Smurf could advise me when my test batch turned out too soft.  Basically, these are similar to the bread, but this is a thicker, double batch, and the jam is swirled on top so it’s baked into the bar.  Yay!!  Fun times.  My swirl would have been prettier, but Mommy hadn’t arrived yet.  Also, I sweetened these bars so they are more in the “PB Cookie” category than the “bread” category.

• 1 c smooth peanut butter (not natural-style or homemade)
• 1 c chunky peanut butter (not natural-style or homemade)
• 2 eggs…I think I used flax eggs
• pinch off salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ c honey or agave
• splash of vanilla

• 2 Tb jam of choice (for the top)

Combine everything except the jam.  Of course you can use all smooth or all chunky PB if you like.  Pour into your square.  Gently warm the jam (I put mine in a small dish) in the microwave.  Dot the top of your batter with the jam.  I made 9 globs.  Drag a toothpick or butter knife through the jam and batter to achieve a feathered effect.  Bake at 350 for around 25-30 minutes.

227. Thin Mint Brownie Pie [Vegan | Gluten Free]

It’s time for more pie!  To clarify:  I am not vegan, just like I’m not Paleo.  I just like incorporating elements of being vegan/Paleo into how I eat.  Plus I’ve invested in a bag of flax seed here at Ai Ai’s and I want to use it up.  So I made a Thin Mint / Grasshopper  Brownie Pie for Ai Ai and Josh since this summer has been very peanut-butter heavy and I’m trying to be more equitable about this.  Also, it could not have been easier to make.  One of the benefits of cooking the way I must is that I prefer things with only a few ingredients and simple assembly.

Side note:  I’m not a supple leopard, either.  

175. Becoming a Supple Leopard

The chocolatey smell of the brownie base was intoxicating as it wafted tantalizingly from the oven.  Sadly, when I actually made the effort to hold on to a nearby counter and bend down to look in the oven my brownie pie was bubbling in a very disturbing way.  So I figured I’d bake the life/effervescence out of it, hence the long baking time.  But then my sister suggested that we take it out of the oven since we were dangerously close to the burning zone and it would set up anyway.  Happily, it totally did.  The top looked pock-marked but I was going to cover it all in mint cream anyway so it didn’t matter.

We set it in the freezer for a while after I let the brownie cool and I topped it with the mint cream and sprinkled it all with chocolate chips.  We should have let it set more but we couldn’t wait anymore!  And let me tell you, I could have eaten the WHOLE THING and I prefer peanut butter.  Because I baked it so long the edges of the brownie were that gooey-crispy-fudgey combination that I love.  That might have been the clincher.  I had high hopes that my children would like it, but I think they have been biased by some experimental vegan strawberry funfetti donuts (grain free) I made that were epically disappointing for them.  If I figure out how to make them better you’ll see them, but in the meantime I vowed to bake something my children will actually enjoy and rushed out to the store to buy a cake mix.

They were so polite, though, in telling me that my Thin Mint Brownie Pie was not their preference – it was so sweet.  I wanted to get up and make those cake mix donuts right then.  But they had already hatched a backup plan:

For the record, though, Ai Ai and Timmy loved the Thin Mint Brownie Pie, too.  And it’s only because I feel too guilty to be eating pie at 9am that I’m not rummaging in the fridge right now for the leftovers.

Thin Mint Brownie Pie [Grain Free and Vegan]
preheat your oven to 350 and grease a pie plate

The Brownie:
inspired by Our Fifth House’s Paleo Brownie Pie

• 3 flax eggs – room temperature.  I just put 3 Tbsp of flax seed in a bowl, added 9 Tbsp of water, mixed it up and let it sit and thicken for about 15-20 minutes.
• 1 c cocoa
• 3/4 c maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• generous splash of vanilla
• small splash of peppermint extract

Combine everything, mix well, pour into your pie plate and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.  Then turn the oven down to 300 and bake for another 15 minutes for a total baking time of 55 minutes.  Don’t be scared of the bubbles (see above).

The Mint Cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked (my new method is to cover them with just boiled water for an hour or just microwave them in water for 1-1.5 minutes) – drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c non dairy milk
• 1 romaine leaf (this is to impart a delicate green hue to the cream – I would have used spinach but we didn’t have any; you can’t taste it, promise)
• splash of vanilla
• splash of peppermint extract
• maple syrup (add to taste at the end).
• chocolate chips for sprinkling

Blend everything except the maple syrup and chocolate chips.  Add maple syrup to taste at the end.  Chill the cream in the fridge while your brownie cools.  Pour the mint cream over the brownie base and sprinkle with chocolate chips (I used mini dairy-free ones – so cute!).  Let the pie set up in the freezer, then store in fridge before serving.

196. So Simple: PB Zucchini Brownies [Grain Free, Vegan]

These brownies are originally from fastpaleo.com, shared by a user named michelerock. Thanks, Michele! I simplified the recipe for my “kitchen cruiser” (I often “cruise” like a baby using the furniture when I’m in the kitchen) convenience, and made them vegan for kicks. Except for the chocolate chips – I don’t know what’s in mine. If you’re a real vegan you probably already know what kind of chocolate chips to use. It’s time to break ’em out – this recipe is a winner.

169. The Treatment of Women [Why did people like *Kate & Leopold?*]

VINDICATION. It happened yesterday at around 7pm. Someone Googled “Kate & Leopold, JJ offers Kate bean.” I love the fact that the search did not concern the film’s cultural commentary subtext but focused on the “Edamame?” incident that completely grossed me out. In case you missed reading this post, it’s worth it for the edamame reference, but even if you have no recollection of a movie called Kate & Leopold I like this post because the obscure pop culture reference morphs into some devotional thoughts on being out of options. Ever been there? Between a rock and a hard place?

Okay, enough gloating over my search engine referrals. On to today’s offering – grain free peanut butter zucchini brownies! I made them vegan by making flax eggs. Do you know how to make a flax egg? Here’s a helpful tutorial: How to make a flax egg (the RIGHT way). I confess I do not grind my own flax seeds so I’m already throwing caution to the wind and doing it the WRONG way. But I’m trying to use up some ground flax seed in my fridge and figured this was a good way to do it, plus I’m trying to experiment with flax eggs for the (semi) vegans in my life, and the best part is that when you bake vegan style you can taste the batter with reckless abandon having bypassed the raw egg dilemma. Win-win, really.

The only other changes I made included replacing the 1/3 cup of raw honey with a squirt of agave. (I don’t think strict vegans eat honey, anyway.) I only used a dash of cinnamon in place of the spices, and perhaps most significantly, I did not grate my zucchinis – I just chunked 2 8-9 inch zucchinis and threw everything into my trusty Vitamix. There was some concern that my method would be too watery and wouldn’t bake well, but grating things scared me in my old life, too, so I figured I’d take my chances. Some reviewers said they had to bake their brownies for an hour, but mine were done in 25 minutes. They were moist and fudgy, and since I love peanut butter, I was thrilled with the flavor. I couldn’t tell there was any zucchini in there, and the lack of flour of any kind was a bonus.

So these were super easy for me – since I just pulverized everything in my blender. I highly recommend that you go make them now: Zucchini Brownies from FastPaleo.com

…okay, I think I changed the recipe enough to show the recipe here.

Peanut Butter Zucchini Brownies [Grain Free and Vegan]

Based on fastpaleo’s recipe by michelerock

Preheat oven to 350, grease a 9×9 or similar sized pan

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 8-9 inch zucchini, cut into chunks
• squirt of agave (or a spoonful, depending on the container)
• 1 flax egg
• splash of vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 cup vegan-friendly chocolate chips

Blend everything in your blender, except the chocolate chips – fold these in at the end. Pour into your greased baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350.

Fun fact: If you’re British you might prefer the term “courgette” to “zucchini”