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Feb 19

35 Comments

Hearty Kale Salad With Kabocha Squash,Pomegranate Seeds And Toasted Hazelnut And An Award

Kale Salad

Kale Salad

I love healthful food, I really do but my style of cooking isn’t really super healthy. I try, I really do but unfortunately I fall short most of the time. Incorporating raw foods, salads into my diet is challenging sometimes. A friend and I hosted a dinner party the other night and we wanted to do a low carb, healthful meal. I found this recipe on Food52, Gena Hamshaw is vegan and has some amazing, balanced healthful dishes. I took one look at this salad and knew it would be on the menu that evening. What does it contain? Lots of super foods, Kale, pomegranate, hazelnuts and Kabocha squash. The kale is massaged with a little of the dressing to soften, then you toss with the rest of the light lemon dressing. It’s delicious, honestly, really really good. I had everything for the salad except the squash so I subbed sweet potato which I prepared in exactly the same way as you would the squash.

Serves 4-6

  • 1 Large bunch curly kale, stems removed and discarded, torn into bite sized pieces, washed, and spun dry
  • 1 Small kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin), halved and seeded and cut into 1.5 inch pieces ( I used 1 medium size sweet potato using the same method as described in step 1)
  • 4 tablespoons Olive oil, divided into 1 tbsp and 3 tbsp
  • 3/4 cups Pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup Skinned hazelnuts
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until golden, stopping halfway through to stir.
  2. While squash is roasting, place the hazelnuts in a shallow baking dish (or a pie pan) and toast in the oven for 4-6 minutes, or until they are golden. Check them frequently and remove them the moment they start to get brown. Once they’ve cooled a little, chop them roughly and set aside.
  3. Whisk together the remaining olive oil, mustard, lemon, maple syrup, sea salt, and pepper. Pour 3 tbsp over the kale to begin with, and “massage” the kale well with your hands, till it’s coated in the dressing and taking on a soft, almost wilted texture. Add the remaining dressing as needed and according to tastes. Add pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts.
  4. Once the squash has finished cooking and has cooled for 10-15 minutes, add it to the salad and serve.

I am so thankful that Cambios de humor nominated me for the Shine On Award. Thank you so much, I am so honored to have been included in your list of nominee’s. Please visit her blog, you will love the honesty and humor in her posts.  Thank you again!!

shineon1

Feb 17

33 Comments

Stuffed Pears en Papillote

Baked Pears

Baked Pears

I made this over a year ago and posted on Food52, it’s a light and delicious dessert and thought it was a good idea to re-visit and post here. Baked pears remind me of the fall and winter.  For this dish I used forelle pears, they are very small and you will need 2 pears per serving I stuffed them with walnuts that I toasted with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and added dried cranberries, then I slathered them with softened butter and rolled in turbinado sugar. I wanted to try a different method to bake them and I decided to try baking in parchment. The result is a tender pear steamed in its own juices its sweet and buttery. Delicious on its own or served with some ice cream, whipped cream,mascarpone, soft cheese or creme anglaise. You can use the pear of your choice for this recipe.

Serves 4

The filling:

  • 1/4-1/2 cup walnuts (depending on the size of the pears)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup dried cranberries (depending on the size of the pears)
  • 1-2 tablespoon salted butter melted
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Melt your butter. In bowl add the walnuts and pour melted butter on the nuts toss to coat, Add the brown sugar and cinnamon toss again to make sure the brown sugar and cinnamon coat each walnut.
  2. Pour onto baking sheet and spread out. Bake for 5-8 minutes careful not to burn the nuts. Remove from oven and let cool. When they are cooled give the nuts a rough chop and add the cranberries, toss to combine and set aside.

The Pears and baking:

  • 8 forelle pears cored and peeled
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened (use more or less as needed)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup turbinado sugar(start with 1/4 cup add more if you need it)
  • parchment paper and butchers twine
  • walnut and cranberry mixture
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and core your pears from the bottom leave the stem intact. Peel the pear. Stuff each with the walnut and cranberries. Rub each pear generously with the softened butter, roll the pear in the turbinado sugar.
  2. Tear off 8 generously sized pieces of parchment, place the pear in the middle and gather up around the stem and tie off with butchers twine if there is too much on top trim with scissors, Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. If you use larger pears the baking time will increase to 35-40 minutes approximately. Enjoy alone or with ice cream,whipped cream or cheese.

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Feb 14

30 Comments

Happy Valentines Day- Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Madeleines And Chocolate Caramel Sauce

Valentines Day

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone, I felt I must make something chocolate for today, but didn’t want anything too heavy. This has 3 components, a chocolate madeleine, caramelized white chocolate ice cream and a chocolate caramel sauce. I built this around the caramelized white chocolate that I made, at first I was going to do a mousse but decided on ice cream, after searching the internet I found David Lebovitz recipe and saw that he took a chocolate course that Valhrona offered and made this very same thing. I am therefore crediting the great Mr, Lebovitz for the ice cream recipe. The chocolate caramel sauce is my own creation and is amazing, I sort of winged it having only made caramel sauce for the first time a few weeks ago.  I used the same recipe and simply added dark chocolate to the cream, it worked out perfectly.  I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Madeleines

Madeleines

Chocolate Madeleines:

A recipe by Gale Gand

Makes 2 dozen

  • 1/2 cup, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for buttering madeleine molds
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush madeleine pans well with 4 tablespoons softened butter; refrigerate 5 minutes.
  2. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt remaining 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter turns golden brown, being careful not to let the butter burn. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl; set aside.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs with granulated and brown sugars until light and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and stir on low speed until combined. Add vanilla and reserved browned butter; mix just until blended.
  4. Insert a 1/2-inch plain tip into a pastry bag and fill with batter. Pipe mounds of batter into prepared pans until each mold is full, mounding batter in the center of the molds but not filling to the edge. Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon to fill the molds with batter (which is what I did). Bake until madeleines are firm and a little mound is puffed up in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Madeleines are best eaten the same day they are baked.

Chocolate Caramel Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tbs salted butter (yes salted) cut into tbs size pieces

2 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped (I used scharffen berger 62%)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high for 45 seconds, add chocolate and microwave another 30 seconds Stir until its smooth, set aside so that it will cool before adding to the caramel.

In large saucepan add the sugar, turn heat to med/high and let sit until it starts to liquify. Start stirring with a heat proof spatula, the sugar will crystalize but thats alright keep stirring until its all liquid. Stop stirring and let it cook until it turns amber in color, now add the butter, stir to combine. Remove from heat and add the chocolate cream. Stir until its incorporated in the caramel. Store in container at room temperature until ready to use. Note: If you make this ahead of time, simply place the bottle or jar in hot water to warm the caramel so it’s pourable.

Ice Cream

Ice Cream

Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream:

A Recipe by David Lebovitz

Makes about 1 quart (1l)

Make sure the caramelized white chocolate is warm when you mix it with the cream. You can reheat it in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave on low power, stirring until smooth.

8 ounces (240g) caramelized white chocolate

1 cup (250ml) heavy cream

2 cups (500ml) whole milk

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

5 large egg yolks

1. Mix the warm caramelized white chocolate in a large bowl with the heavy cream, and set a mesh strainer over the top.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, and salt.

3. Whisk together the egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in half of the warm milk, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof utensil, until the mixture thickens and coats the utensil.

5. Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the white chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Put the bowl in an ice bath, and stir until cool.

6. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

This is the best ice cream I think I have ever had, it’s so creamy and the perfect consistency, thank you Mr, Lebovitz for a wonderful recipe.

Note: In step one I deviated slightly, I heated the cream in the microwave to warm it for 30 seconds, I then added the chocolate and put it back in the microwave for another 20 seconds. It melted the chocolate and made a ganache. It was easier to combine with the custard when it was already melted.

Dessert is served

Dessert is served

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Feb 11

31 Comments

Caramelized White Chocolate-Food52 Genius Recipe

Caramelized White Chocolate

Caramelized White Chocolate

I am a frequent, well I guess daily visitor to the Food52 site. I have been active there for almost 2 years now. In case you don’t know about Food52 it the brainchild of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs. Home cooks as well as professionals are all welcomed to the site and it is a treasure trove of recipes from the community as well as the founders. One of the features is Genius Recipes and last week they posted a recipe for caramelized white chocolate. I am a die hard dark or milk chocolate lover, I always keep white chocolate in my pantry but it sadly sits there waiting for the occasional recipe that I might dream up. I like it but honestly, I don’t love it. When I saw this post I was intrigued, it seemed as though a bland and lonely piece of the white stuff had been transformed into something complex and delicious, and I knew that I had to try it.

Last night, before Downton Abbey I took all the white chocolate that I had and started the process. It’s labor intensive, not in a wear you out sort of way, but you do have to watch and stir for about 45 minutes. You bake your chocolate in a low oven (266 degrees) stirring every 7-10 minutes until your white chocolate becomes a molten mass of amber colored goodness.

Here is the link to the post on Food52. After I finished I poured it into a small loaf pan to set and voila, a bar of caramelized white chocolate. It’s incredibly delicious and fair warning this could be addictive!

I already know what I am going to do with it, you’ll see on Valentines Day!

Feb 5

39 Comments

Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Rose Scented Pot de Creme #Bake Together

Pot de Creme

Pot de Creme

I have to say that I was so excited about this months Bake Together with Abby Dodge, she challenged us to put our own twist on one of my favorite desserts, Pot de Creme. I have to confess, up until now I only had chocolate never vanilla so this was a bit of a departure for me but I am up for a challenge. This recipe was inspired by a dear friend of mine, a chef in Montana, Cynthia who has a lovely blog “The Solitary Cook”. she created this recipe for a contest on Food52 and I loved the flavors so much I thought it would make a wonderful pot de creme. Her creation was rose petal ice cream scooped into balls and covered in white chocolate. Delicious right? I took Abby’s brilliant recipe for Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme and tweaked it a bit, adding white chocolate and a hint of rosewater. It is delicious, you can’t really go wrong when your base recipe is genius and I am thankful for that. The rosewater is barely there, just a hint and paired with the white chocolate in a creamy dessert its heavenly. I topped with raspberry whipped cream. NOTE: I used a dropper for the rose water, I put 3 drops in, starting with 2, I am cautious and flavor it gingerly so it doesn’t get soapy. You determine how strong or weak you want it to be depending on your personal taste.

For the pots of heaven:
1 vanilla bean split
1 3/4 cup half & half
5 large egg yolks
2 Tbs granulated sugar(I used vanilla sugar)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 tsp vanilla paste
2-4 drops Rose Water
2 oz white chocolate chopped
 

To make the pots:

1.Measure the half and half in a 2-cup glass measure.

2. Position the vanilla bean on a cutting board and, using the tip of a sharp knife, split the bean lengthwise down the middle. Slide the edge of the knife down the cut side of each piece of the bean to release the seeds. Add the seeds and vanilla bean pieces to the half & half. Heat the mixture in the microwave until very hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Let steep for up to 2 hours to intensify the vanilla flavor.

3. Position the oven rack on the middle rung. Heat the oven to 325°F. Arrange four 6-ounce ramekins in a baking pan with 2-inch high sides. I use my 8-inch square baking pan.

4. In a small saucepan, whisk the yolks, sugar and salt until well blended.(Don’t let them sit or the eggs will begin to break down.)  Uncover the half & half and, whisking, slowly pour the half and half (with the vanilla bean pieces) into the yolk mixture. Whisk until well blended. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon or heat-proof spatula, until thickened and coats the back of a spoon or spatula (170-172°F on an instant read or candy thermometer), about 4 to 5 minutes. Place white chocolate in the 2 cup measuring cup, pour hot custard over white chocolate, let sit for approximately 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and very smooth.

5. Fish out the vanilla bean and scrape any custard from the pod back into the custard. Stir in vanilla paste and rosewater stir to combine. You can pour into a sieve if you like to remove any errant pieces and  ensure that it’s totally smooth (I recommend you do). Pour the custard into the ramekins  Carefully fill the baking pan with hot tap water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and cover the pan loosely with foil.

6. Bake until the pot de crèmes wiggle like jello when nudged, 35 to 45 minutes depending on thickness of the ramekin walls. Transfer the baking pan to a rack let cool completely. Remove ramekins from baking pan and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days before serving.

 
Raspberry Whipped Cream
 
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream very cold
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1-2 tbs powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 
In cold bowl with cold whisk or beaters whip the cream  and sugar until it becomes thick and billowy, fold in crushed raspberries. Place a dollop on each pot de creme. If using frozen raspberries drain well before adding to the whipped cream.
Yum

Yum

Feb 3

34 Comments

Pasta Piselli

Pasta Piselli

Pasta Piselli

I first tasted this when I lived in Naples Italy, it was served as a first course at a friends house where I went for lunch. Lunch in Italy lasted 2 or 3 hours and was the main meal of the day. There were several courses and it was eaten leisurely over the space of about 2 hours. Very different from the quickie lunches we have here in the US.  I watched my friends Grandmother make this soup and was taken first by it’s simplicity, only a few ingredients but there was something about it that was so warm and comforting and delicious. My recipe is basically the same as what I observed the only thing that I do differently is that I add a pinch of lemon zest, it brightens the flavors and adds so much to the dish IMHO. I like to use fresh pasta but you can use dried it’s perfectly fine and works just as well. Feel free to use whatever type of pasta you like, for this I like long pasta, linguine is my favorite. You can also feel free to use parmigiano instead of romano if you like or mix them. It’s all good!!

Serves 2-4 depending on serving size

32 oz chicken broth or stock

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1/2 pound fresh or dried pasta

1 large egg at room temperature beaten

1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of lemon zest (Optional)

Bring your broth or stock to a boil in a large saucepan, add the peas and cook for 3 minutes, add the pasta (If using fresh it only takes about 3 minutes to cook, dried takes longer 8 minutes approximately) NOTE: If using dried pasta it takes much longer to cook and you don’t want to over cook the peas. Dried pasta depending on the type can take 8-10 minutes so add the peas the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Beat the egg and add the grated cheese to the egg, combine. Remove pot from the heat and pour the egg in slowly stirring as you add. Add salt and pepper if you like, I like to add a pinch of lemon zest also, its optional. Serve with more cheese grated on top.

Feb 3

13 Comments

Nutty Granola

Granola

Granola

Granola is one of my favorite breakfast cereals, most mornings I have a shake or smoothie but when a shake just won’t do this is my breakfast choice. I like to make my own, it doesn’t take long and the results are fantastic. This granola is chock full of nuts, 3 varieties, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts, the lightly sweetened, roasted nuts and oats is irresistible. I don’t add fruit to the granola, I save that for serving. One thing I really like about this is that it’s substantial, you only need a little and it fills you up and you know you are getting a nutritious meal. This recipe makes a lot, it’s almost half nuts, sweetened with a little maple syrup and coconut palm sugar, I also add coconut flakes and flax seed. Serve on its own or with fruit and I like my DIY almond milk with it. You might notice I use olive oil but you can use whatever you like, vegetable/canola oil or coconut oil.

A bowl of goodness

A bowl of goodness

Makes a lot of granola

3 cups oats (not quick cook)

1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts

1 1/2 cup ground almonds (I use the almond meal left from making almond milk)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup coconut flakes (preferably unsweetened but sweetened is fine)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup coconut palm sugar or you can use organic or turbinado sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup (I used grade A but B is also good)

2 tbs flax seeds

Optional: drizzle a little honey on top before baking

In large mixing bowl add all the ingredients, stir to combine. Pre heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the granola in one layer, drizzle with honey (this is optional).

Place in oven and bake, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes. You have to watch it especially towards the end of the baking time. It takes almost an hour to bake. The granola will be a lovely golden brown. Cool and place in air tight storage jars or containers.

Jan 27

52 Comments

Citrus Semolina Olive Oil Cake

I went to brunch with a friend and she said I had to taste a piece of this lovely citrusy rustic cake.  One bite and I knew I had to try to recreate it. I thought it might be a semolina olive oil cake infused with citrus (It was an Italian Restaurant, Saraghina in Bed Stuy Brooklyn). I researched some recipes and came up with this recipe that I adapted from Epicurious.  They made it in a 9″ springform pan ( I thought I had one but didn’t) so I decided to use a loaf pan. Their recipe also had candied orange slices on top which I decided not to do but instead rely on the juice and zest of the citrus to provide the citrus flavor. The cake is very moist and sweet, while the cake is hot you poke small holes with a thin skewer all over the cake and pour the warm syrup all over it, let it soak in and then pour some more. I am including the recipe with the original proportion of sugar in the cake but next time I make it I am going to reduce the sugar by half because the syrup really sweetens the cake. The pan is oiled with olive oil and the cake develops a lovely almost crisp exterior on the bottom and sides of the cake.

Citrus Semolina Olive Oil Cake

Makes 1 9 inch loaf or round cake

Syrup:

2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup orange or tangerine juice ( freshly squeezed)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Zest of small orange or tangerine and zest of a lemon

Place all ingredients in saucepan, bring to a boil on high heat, reduce to medium high and boil for 8-10 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved.

Cake:

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for pan

1/2 cup sugar divided (1/4 c will go in batter and 1/4 c in egg whites)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina flour (cornmeal can be subbed if you don’t have semolina)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3 large eggs separated

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tsp kosher salt

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush baking pan with olive oil, I recommend brushing pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper brush the parchment with oil as well. Whisk dry ingredients and set aside. Beat egg whites until frothy and add the 1/4 c sugar a tbs at a time until soft peaks form. Using electric mixer beat olive oil and 1/4 c sugar, add the egg yolks one at a time beating well with each addition. Add yogurt, zest, vanilla beat only until combined and add the dry ingredients beating just until combined. Fold in the egg whites and pour into prepared pan, smooth the top and bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, Remove from oven and while cake is still hot poke holes using toothpick or skewer all over the cake. Slowly drizzle 1/4 cup of the syrup on the cake and when it is absorbed another 1/4 cup of syrup is drizzled over the cake. Let it cool in the pan, to remove run knife or offset spatula around the edges to release and invert onto serving pan. I cut some parchment that fit into the bottom of the pan, that helped with the release.

Jan 25

10 Comments

Super Sweet Bloggers Award

Super Sweet Award

Super Sweet Award

I love this award, maybe because I have a real sweet tooth. Thank you to Francesca for giving me this sweet award. If you haven’t visited Francesca’s amazing blog Flora’s Table, you must, it is a collaboration between Francesca, her husband Stefano (wine expert) and Nicole (baker). You will not only find amazing recipes and photography but information about wine from Stefano. It’s a veritable wealth of information all in one blog. Thank you so much Francesca for the lovely award, I truly appreciate it.

The rules of the award are:

1 Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.
2 Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back.
3 Answer the “Super Sweet” questions.
4 Nominate a “Baker’s Dozen” (12) blogs for the award, add a link to their blogs in your post, and notify them on their blogs.
5 Copy and paste the award on your blog somewhere.

The Super Sweet Questions are:

1. Cookies or Cake? Cake

2. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

3. What is your favorite sweet treat? This is a hard question depends on my mood, love Snickers

4. When do you crave sweet things the most?  In the afternoon and evening

5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be? I’ve never had a nickname???.

Drum Roll please!!! I am nominating for this super sweet award:

Shut Up And Cook (The Attainable Gourmet)

 Global Grazers

Food Babbles

Home and Food Co. UK

Christina’s Cucina

Our Growing Paynes

A Taste Of Wintergreen

Inspire And Indulge

Pale Yellow

Lapadia’s Kitchen

Fig And Quince

Petit 4 Chocolatier 

Chef Mimi Blog

Jan 20

43 Comments

Super Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies

Super Size Chocolate Chip Cookies

Super Sized Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these amazing cookies and I have to share it with you, they are REALLY good. There are no eggs, no processed sugar, no butter or vegetable oil in them, virtuous, definitely, but oh so scrumptious. I follow Brandi’s blog The Healthy Flavor  and am amazed at the fabulous recipes she comes up with. They are healthful, vegan and really really good!

The fat in these cookies comes from roasted pecan butter, it’s super simple to whip up, and is in my opinion is what makes them so wonderful. The list of ingredients is minimal, whole wheat pastry flour,cornstarch, maple syrup as the sweetener, chocolate, baking soda and powder, sea salt and vanilla. Thats it, simple, healthful and they come together in a flash. Full disclosure, I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour so I used whole wheat flour with 2 tbs of AP flour, I also decided to use some of the chocolate in my pantry that really needed to be used so I combined, dark chocolate, dark chocolate with peanut butter and milk chocolate.  To make this vegan don’t do as I did just use vegan dark chocolate. Enjoy these cookies with a nice cold glass of milk (I had almond milk) and they are especially good slightly warm. Visit Brandi’s blog and try her recipes, you will love them as much as I do. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful recipe and allowing me to post it on my blog.

Recipe courtesy of Brandi, The Healthy Flavor:

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted pecan butter. Pecan butter is creamier and oilier than other nut butters, so I wouldn’t recommend subbing anything. I made them with peanut butter and the taste was good, but they were more dry and didn’t hold together as well)

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (depending on how much you added when you make the pecan butter, this may need to be adjusted)

1/2-3/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips plus extra to stick on the top if desired

Tip: The key to getting these as chunky and thick is to follow the exact steps. You must chill the dough first and also only divide the dough into 12 cookies. If you make more than that, they won’t be as fluffy.

Directions:

After making the roasted pecan butter, make sure to measure 1 cup in case you made more than that in the food processor. Add it to a bowl with the syrup and vanilla. Stir until well combined. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk very well. Make sure there are no lumps. Stir the chocolate chips into the flour mixture. Now add the flour into the wet ingredients a small amount at a time, stirring until just combined. Put the bowl into the fridge for 20 minutes to chill only.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Depending on how creamy you pulsed your pecan butter, your batter may be a bit crumbly. If so, just press the dough together roughly with your hands by large spoonfuls. Divide the dough into 12-14 cookies only, if you want them thick and fluffy. I added a few extra chocolate chips on top of the cookies too. :) Do NOT flatten or spread out the dough, leave it piled high. They should bake high and fluffy as in the pictures. I made 3 batches and they all turned out fabulously fluffy. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Mine was perfect just after 11 minutes. Do not over bake!

Cool 10 minutes and transfer to cool completely on a cooling rack before handling…if you can contain yourself! :)After they have cooled, place them on a papertowel to drain any extra pecan butter.

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