Favorite Egg Free Sugar Cookies

I am having too much fun with experimenting with egg free baking.... not good for our 2012 resolutions!  These cookies turned out soft and I love the hint of my favorite flavoring- almond extract.

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup milk

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bow. Set aside. 

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract and milk.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Divide the cookie dough in half, form them into discs and wrap them in wax paper or plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour or until slightly firm.    

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, take out one of the discs and roll it to about 1/4 inches thick. Cut into shapes and transfer onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. This dough can get a little too soft to handle at room temperature so you may have to return it to the refrigerator after rolling and cutting your first batch of cookies. You can bring out the second disc when you're ready to roll and cut the second batch for baking.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the golden brown around the edges. Cool completely before decorating. 

Whole Wheat Homemade Poptarts

Knowing that Liam is increasingly becoming addicted to sweets- I decided to sneak in a little nutrition into these flaky fruit bars!  I made two different fillings and couldn't decide which one I like more... both were yum!

Whole Wheat Crust:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
ice water

Mix flours and salt.  Cut  shortening into flour mixture until crumbly.  Sprinkle 4-8 tsp ice water on mixture, stirring lightly with fork.  Then mix well shaping into a ball.  Roll out to desired thickness and cut into rectangles (or any shape).   Fill with chosen filling and cover with another cutout.  Press edges with fingers and then crimp with a fork all around the edge.  Bake 400 for 8-12 minutes.


Cinnamon Apricot filling:

1/4 cup apricot jam
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg


Balsamic Strawberry filling:

1/4 cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Cinnamon Chocolate Cookies

I have found it!  A delicious egg-free cookie!  Since we found out that Liam is allergic to eggs and nuts, I have been trying different cookie recipes with no luck.  This cookie has a slightly crunchy exterior with a fudge like center.  

2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt



Preheat oven to 375ºF. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar and cream cheese. Mix vanilla extract and instant coffee powder; add to the butter/sugar mixture. Gradually blend flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper (or silicone baking mat) about 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring.


Adapted from: Art of Desserts

Egg substitutions

1/4 cup of applesauce equals one egg.


- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 1.5 tablespoons of water


- One tablespoon of Cornstarch
- Two Tablespoons of Water


- 1/4 cup of soy yogurt


- 1/2 banana blended or mashed well


- 1/4 cup blended silken tofu

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. softened butter

1 c.granulated sugar

1/2 t.salt

1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10

   packets - I used the Stephen's caramel apple mix since it is safe for Liam.

2 eggs-   substituted 1/4 cup apple sauce, 1 TBSP cornstarch, and 1 TBSP water

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder- changed to 1 tsp.

1 t. ground cinnamon

3 c. all purpose flour

1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

· Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)

· In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

· With your mixer (or an energetic spoon) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.

· Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

· Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

· Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)

· When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels.

· Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)

· Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

· Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over- bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down (either on the parchment or on a rack.) If you forget about them and they cool too much and stick to your parchment, put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.

· Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies (or how many caramels have been snitched out of your bag before you begin.) Store in an airtight container.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3 large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons corn meal
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.

Peel sweet potatoes and slice into fries. You want fries to be as even in width as possible for even cooking.

Place sweet potatoes in one of those giant size ziplocks and drizzle in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Shake like crazy to evenly coat. Then sprinkle in the corn meal and shake, shake, shake it!

Drizzle in the last tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle in the cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Again shake it like your life depends on it.

Lay out the sweet potatoes in a single layer and bake 25-30 minutes, flipping half way through. Serve immediately.

Candy Corn Cookies

2 Sticks Butter, softened
1 c. Sugar
1 Egg
2 T. Lemon Juice
2 t. Lemon Zest
1/8 t. Salt
3 c. Flour
1/2 t. Baking Soda
Red Food Dye
Yellow Food Dye
1/2 c. Granulated Sugar (for dusting)

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper. Place another one-third of the dough into a bowl and add yellow and red food dye to make orange (refer to the chart on the back of your box). Once it is mixed evenly, press orange dough evenly over white dough. In another bowl, add the final amount of dough and dye yellow. Press that evenly over the orange dough. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. Flip it back over and place it on a cutting board. Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges. 

Panzanella (bread salad)

I loved this salad!  I added leftover balsamic chicken to make it a main dish!

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 small French bread or boule,
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced (saute for a quick minute)
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• Handful of black olives

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 350 and toast the bread until light brown.  Rub with garlic and cut into 1 inch cubes.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

Bruschetta

This was a great recipe to use up some garden tomatoes and homemade sourdough bread!

• 1 (12 to 16-inch) sourdough baguette
• 2 garlic cloves, halved plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups diced Roma tomatoes
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, place on a sheet tray and bake in the oven until lightly brown. Rub with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 ounces of the olive oil and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Return to oven to melt cheese.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, vinegar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.

Remove baguette from oven and top with the tomato mixture. Garnish with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Moolicious Ice cream

Will and I were in desperate need of some creamy goodness!   This hit the spot!  I changed up the measurements a little:   1 pint half and half and 1 cup whipping cream.

• 1 cup fine sugar, sifted
• 4 egg yolks,
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and egg yolks together. Beat the mixture until it is a thick yellow paste and set it aside.

Bring the half-and-half and milk to a simmer in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Slowly beat the hot half-and-half and milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. This mixture should be hot, but not boiling. If it gets too hot or you add the egg and sugar too fast you will have scrambled eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes as you constantly stir to make a custard-like consistency. Strain the mixture into a large bowl to chill overnight in a refrigerator.

The next day, stir in heavy cream and vanilla before adding it to your ice cream machine. Follow the ice cream machine's directions to freeze ice cream.

Ice cream is actually best right from the ice cream maker, when it is about 10 to 15 degrees F. If you can serve the ice cream right after it is made, it will have a soft and creamy texture like no other. You can adjust the above recipe by adding fruits, or even sweetened chocolate, to taste. When adding fruits to ice cream, blend them slightly with a food processor and sprinkle with sugar to enhance flavor. Let the fruit rest overnight with the original egg and cream mixture. Add the fruit in place of the vanilla

Fried Peaches

I describe this as a peach wrapped in a churro!

• 4 ripe peaches (1/2 a peach = 1 serving)
• 1.5 cups flour
• salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1.5 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp brandy
• 4 egg whites
• Vegetable oil (enough to cover–have a whole bottle handy)
• For coating the fried batter:
  • sugar
  • ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the salt, flour, and egg yolks. Start mixing and pour in the water slowly followed by the brandy. Let this continue to stir for a minute or two until the batter becomes thick and smooth in appearance. Transfer this to another bowl and set it aside to rest for two hours

Now that its closer to frying time, get a pot of water boiling. Slit an X on the bottom of the peaches and place them in the hot water for about 30-60 seconds. Remove, plunge in an ice bath briefly, and now peeling off the skin should be a fairly easy task.

While you do this, fill a sturdy pot with enough oil to cover the peach halves and warm it up to about 350°F (figure around 10 minutes of medium-high heat on the stove top).

Now, back to the stand mixer. Beat the egg whites until you get firm peaks. Lighten the batter by mixing in about a quarter of the fluffed egg whites. Then, gently fold in the rest of the egg whites, taking care to only fold as much as is necessary as you don’t want to beat all the air out. The air is where you get the fluffiness for the end result.

With the batter all ready to go, the peaches halved, and the oil hot (drop in a bit of batter to verify its hot–it ought to bubble and ascend right up to the surface quickly), its time to get frying. Plunge a peach half into the batter, ensure its coated all over, and get it right into the oil (taking care not to splash it or burn yourself!). Work in batches, as whenever you deep fry, you want to keep the oil at a steady, hot temperature. Putting in a lot at once will drop the temperature and just lead to sad, soggy batter.

The batter should immediately poof up. After about 45 seconds go by, do your best to turn the peaches over so both sides brown evenly.

After about a minute and a half, its time to fish out the peaches. Let them drain on some paper towel, and when just cool enough to handle and not soaked in oil (but still hot and glistening), roll the peaches in a bit of mixed sugar and cinnamon so as to coat them like a powdered donut.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

A mild summer time salad!

4 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into approx. 1 in cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1/2 cup shallots diced
1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup scallions thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Dressing
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 tsp deli style mustard (the mustard with the brown stuff in it, not the yellow stuff you put on hotdogs)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a roasting pan, combine sweet potatoes and olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir around coating potatoes in oil. Roast for 25-30 minutes at 425 F, until fork tender and golden brown.

In a large bowl, add potatoes and mix with the rest of the non dressing ingredients.

Let cool while you prepare the dressing. To prepare dressing, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, mustard and vegetable oil.

Pour dressing over cooled potato salad. Toss.  Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. Toss again prior to serving.

Lemon Meringue cookies

Perfect kick off to summer treat!

4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites together with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Add sugar two tablespoons at a time, mixing between additions to ensure sugar dissolves.  Continue until egg whites are stiff and glossy.

Fold in lemon extract and lemon zest.  Drop by Tablespoon onto two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Place in oven for 1 hour 30 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave oven door slightly open to let meringues slowly cool for 2 hours.

Coconut Chicken Soup

I love the mild curry flavor!

• olive oil
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, minced
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• Several shaved carrots
• Handful of toasted almonds (maybe peanuts?)
• 1 small red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups freshly cooked jasmine rice

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked through and golden. Remove chicken and set aside. Sauté the onion, adding more oil if necessary, until tender.

Return the chicken to the pot with the onions. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, curry powder and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro and simmer an additional 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice into 4 bowls and top with a ladle or two of soup. Garnish with additional cilantro and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. Serve.

southwestern pizza

Sauce:
2 tbsp vegetable broth
10 oz. Philadelphia Cooking Creme, regular flavor
1 chipotle pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp adobo sauce (from chipotle pepper can)
2 tsp fresh lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt

Pizza:
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of kosher salt
1 recipe of my homemade dough, or store-bought dough
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Sauce:
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring vegetable stock to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in Philadelphia Cooking Creme until it dissolved. Add chopped chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, fresh lime juice, and a pinch of salt.

Pizza:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat for 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine shredded chicken, olive oil, cumin and salt. Stir until chicken is coated.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pizza dough (link to dough recipe) until it is about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to a pizza peel covered with cornmeal. Spread 3/4 cup of the chipotle sauce over the pizza dough. Sprinkle black beans, corn, red bell pepper and queso fresco cheese evenly over the sauce.

Slide the pizza onto the pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle chicken over the pizza and bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with cilantro. Serve. Drizzle with remaining chipotle sauce, if desired.

Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breast with Grilled Tomato Jam and Herbed Yogurt Sauce

Oh Bobby!

• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground cayenne
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 (8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 pita breads, warmed on the grill
• Tomato Jam, recipe follows
• Herbed Yogurt, recipe follows

Heat grill to medium-high. Combine all spices and the oil in a medium bowl to make a paste. Rub a thin layer of the spice paste onto 1 side of each chicken breast. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove from the grill, let rest 5 minutes, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Serve openface on pitas: the chicken slices, a few dollops of Tomato Jam, and a drizzle of Herbed Yogurt.

Grilled Tomato Jam:

• 5 plum tomatoes
• 1 serrano chile
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 small Spanish onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Pinch saffron

Heat grill to high. Brush tomatoes and serrano with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill tomatoes and serrano on all sides until charred. Remove from the grill and coarsely chop.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan on the grates of the grill or on the side burners. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the tomatoes, serrano, balsamic vinegar, and saffron and cook until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature before serving.

Herbed Yogurt:

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate if not using immediately.


Adapted from: Bobby Flay