Lillehammer Hat

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Rebecca

I just finished this felted wool hat for a friend.  I love how it came out!  It was not originally intended to be felted, but it was so large when I was done that I had to shrink it a bit to make it human-sized.  I like the felted effect, even though some of the detail is lost, and it will be especially warm for the snowy weather in which my friend lives.  The pattern is free from the Yarn Zombie and I knitted it using Shepherd’s Wool yarn in Navy and Granite colors on size 5 circular needles.  The turquoise was a scrap donated by a knitting friend.  The only change I made to the pattern was to knit it from the top down instead of from the brim up.

 

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Irish Cream Brownies

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Rebecca
Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur is a fabulous combination with chocolate and dresses up these brownies to company level.  I used St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to bake these lovelies for my book club last night and it’s a recipe that I will definitely repeat.  Dense and fudgey brownies are baked with Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur added into the batter.  Once they’re completely cooled, they’re frosted with a cream cheese frosting with yet more Irish Cream liqueur and then glazed with a bit more chocolate for decoration.  I had hardly any left over so I may have to make these again before the week is out!

Irish Cream Brownies
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Recipe type: dessert
Author: BakeNQuilt.com
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 16
Fudgey brownies dressed up with Bailey’s Irish Cream and cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
  • For the Brownies:
  • 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tbsp. Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

  • For the Frosting:
  • 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. milk (as needed)

  • For the Glaze:
  • 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp. shortening or butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 8x8x2 inch baking pan with foil and grease it with baking spray.
  2. Heat the chocolate and butter in a 2 qt. saucepan over low heat to melt, stirring frequently.
  3. Remove pan from stove and stir in the sugar.
  4. Stir in the eggs and the liqueur and beat well.
  5. Add in the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips and stir just until they are incorporated.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake.
  7. Cool the brownies completely.
  8. Using the foil, lift the brownies out of the pan and place on a plate or cutting board and peel back the foil.
  9. Prepare the frosting by mixing the butter, cream cheese and liqueur together until smooth. Add milk as needed, 1 tsp at a time, to make the frosting a spreadable consistency.
  10. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies.
  11. Make the chocolate glaze by heating the chocolate chips and shortening or butter in a small pan over low heat just until melted and smooth. Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the top of the frosting in a decorative pattern.
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Pistachio Cookies

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Rebecca
How about some green Pistachio Cookies for St. Patrick’s Day?  Though they don’t have any chocolate in them, these cookies are delicious and also very easy since they are one of the many variations on pudding-mix cookies that are floating about. This recipe comes originally from the King Arthur Flour Baking Sheet from spring 2006. They’re a nice spring cookie (not to mention good for St. Patrick’s day) because they turn out a pale green. The pudding keeps them moist with a light pistachio flavor and the chopped pistachios and whole pistachio on top are a nice salty contrast.  If you don’t care for pistachio, just adapt the recipe to use your favorite pudding flavor and your own mix-ins.

Pistachio Cookies
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Recipe type: Dessert
Author: BakeNQuilt.com adapted from King Arthur Flour Baking Sheet Spring 2006
Moist and light pistachio sugar cookies made with pudding mix.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large or 2 small (3.4 ounces each) packages pistachio instant pudding mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
  • 1/2 cup pistachio halves (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, oil, water, egg, pudding mix, vanilla, salt, and baking powder until smooth. Add the flour and chopped nuts, beating until well combined. The dough will be stiff.
  3. Roll or scoop the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll them in granulated sugar, if desired, and place them on the baking sheets, leaving 1 to 2 inches between them. Press the cookies down gently with the bottom of a drinking glass, dipped in sugar if necessary to prevent sticking.
  4. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until just barely beginning to brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
Notes

VARIATIONS: This recipe is flexible, so if you don’t care for pistachio, just pick your favorite pudding flavor and choose mix-ins that you like. For example, chocolate pudding and peanut butter chips, butter-rum extract and diced pecans or chopped heath bars with butterscotch pudding; coconut or banana extract and macadamia nuts with coconut cream pudding; espresso powder and cappuccino chips with chocolate pudding, etc. Use about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of regular extracts, about 1/8 teaspoon if using stronger oil flavorings.

Extracts will help mask the aftertaste that sometimes comes with using ready-made mixes. Also, be sure to use fresh ingredients as much as possible. Nuts and oils can turn rancid if kept for a long time at room temperature.

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Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Rebecca

This delicious peanut butter cup knock-off comes from Alicia Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet.   This recipe, which was featured in a newspaper article, has become a favorite of ours.  If you love peanut butter cups, you’ll love this recipe whether or not you are a vegan.  They’re easy to make (and no-bake) – peanut butter and graham crackers are mixed together with melted vegan “butter” and sugar.  This mixture is then poured into foil-lined muffin cups and ganache made from non-dairy chocolate and milk is spread over the top and sprinkled with chopped nuts.  The only hard part of the recipe is waiting for them to set up enough to eat!

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
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Recipe type: Dessert
Author: Adapted from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone
Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 12
Vegan peanut butter cups – no bake, easy and delicious!
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup Earth Balance butter
  • 3/4 cup unsalted, no sugar, no-stir crunchy or creamy peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (lowfat ok)
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar, maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
  • 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
  1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil liners and set aside.
  2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat.
  4. Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups. Place filled pan in the refrigerator to set up the peanut butter mixture slightly while preparing the topping.
  5. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
  6. Spoon the chocolate mixture evenly over the peanut butter mixture.
  7. Top with chopped nuts.
  8. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes

You can use paper liners, but the peanut butter mixture can make them look greasy so be aware of this if you’re planning to serve them to anyone else.

I like coconut sugar for a less sweet version of these, but brown sugar, organic white sugar or any other granulated sugar will work in place of the maple sugar.

Be sure to use unsalted butter as Earth Balance butter has enough salt in it already for the recipe.

If you aren’t vegan, feel free to use non-vegan ingredients, the recipe will come out just fine!

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