Molasses Ginger Cake (dairy-free)

Jan28

Well it has been awhile! My goal is to post regularly in 2018. We have been baking and cooking but don’t post about it. As you can see on our Instagram feed @cookswithevie.

We made this cake when my niece had a sleepover, she can’t have dairy (milk products) so we served it with coconut whipped cream. It was very good. Though I prefer my gingerbread type cakes slathered in butter.

Yikes looks at those holes! That was a nice wine in the background too.

Basically here is what you do.

Whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves in a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl whisk oil, molasses, brown sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla.

Whisk wet mixture into the four mixture just until combined. Then whisk in the boiling water (I forgot to take a pic of that step).

This is what the batter looks like

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Here is the cake, baked and cooling.

Cit into squares and top with ice cream (non-dairy or regular if you have no intolerance), whipped cream or just plain.

Dairy Free Molasses Cake

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

3 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 ¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp ground cloves

¾ cup canola oil

1 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup honey

2 eggs

1 ½ tsp pure vanilla

¾ cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13 in baking pan and line with parchment.

Whisk flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves in a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl whisk oil, molasses, brown sugar, honey, eggs and vanilla.

Whisk wet mixture into the four mixture just until combined.

Whisk in the boiling water.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Oatmeal Chocolate Square

Apr30

Do ever need to pull together a snack fast for a playdate or you just really need something sweet but there is nothing to grab? These squares are a very fast and delicious and hit the spot when you want a cookie or a chocolate bar kind of snack. These disappeared quickly, mainly because I can’t pass the pan without cutting out a square.

For the base:

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

In a large bowl mix oats, brown sugar and wheat germ. Cut in butter until crumbly.

Stir in corn syrup.

Pour mixture into a microwave safe (glass), greased 8 inch square pan. Spread lightly and microwave on high uncovered for 2 minutes. Stir.

Press down firmly with a damp fork. Microwave uncovered on high for 2 minutes more until bubbly.

Now for the topping:

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

In a microwave safe dish, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave for about 1 minute, but stop part way through and stir, then continue heating. If not melted smooth microwave for 20 seconds at a time until melted smooth. Pour over oat mixture and let cool before cutting.

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Once cooled cut into squares. Good luck with the self control!

Our next project is to give these a makeover so they are healthier and nut free so they are school safe for the lunch box. We will work on that as soon as my little social butterfly has some free time at home to work on it with me.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

May22

Evie is reading a new book from the library called “Eggs Over Evie” by Alison Jackson and she loves it. It is about a 13 year old girl named Evie who loves to cook and is taking cooking classes, there is some other drama and family situations that make it interesting as well, but every chapter starts with a recipe and a kitchen tip. She loves this book so much she asked for her own copy, which we ordered online. It has also fired up her need to cook by herself. Last week she decided to make cookies, all by herself, we were only allowed to lift the hot pan out of the oven. There were really really good and perfect in shape and done-ness. I hope you try them because they are sooo good, crispy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle.

Sporting a Blue Heron airbrushed tattoo! We were at science fun-fest and all of the little girls were getting butterfly tattoos, nope not Evie, she eyed that Blue Heron stencil and decision made.

This recipe comes from Winnie-the-Pooh’s Cookie Book.

Right now she is in the kitchen making a recipe from her book. This time it is chocolate chip pecan cookies, and announcing that she does not need any help. Tomorrow she is going to make us Mushroom Omelettes for breakfast!

Toddler Banana Bread

Apr25

We were very excited when we found this recipe which we had lost! It is a recipe that was on a sheet of paper and it had gotten tucked inside another recipe book and when leafing through it the other day there it was. This recipe came from Evie’s daycare when she was a toddler, her caregivers were a wonderful group of young ladies at a Reggio Centre and they really were special. This is a recipe that they made regularly with the toddlers, each child had a part, one measured the flour, one mixed etc. The children loved taking part and they loved to have their banana bread for a snack afterwards.

Here is the toddler banana bread! (that is Evie’s note)

There you have it, a very simple easy banana bread. It is perfect for breakfast and snacks.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Dec31

It is New Year’s Eve here in this part of Canada. For some of you it is already the start of a new year, Happy New Year to you!

We are spending a quiet night at home. It is our tradition to stay at home, get takeout and watch a movie. This year we are getting Turkish food and watching the Lego Movie. It doesn’t get any wilder than that for us. We finally had a little snow, so tomorrow we are sledding before going to a friends for supper.

In the meantime, here is a recipe that we make every year. Kids love it and they can help by rolling the balls. There are no eggs, hence the dough is safe to eat. It is also every easy and no bake.

In a mixing bowl cream together:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

Cream until light and fluffy.

Add:

2 cups flour

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix well.

Stir in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

chill in fridge for about an hour until firm. Roll into 1″ balls.

chill again until ready to dip in chocolate.

Melt a little over 1LB of semisweet candy coating (Merkins Wafers) or you can use straight up chocolate, but probably wont be as shiny and nice unless you are good at tempering chocolate.

I melted the wafers in the microwave heating and stirring until all melted. As you can see my fancy dipping and drizzling tools are forks.

I get about 1/2LB milk wafers as well for drizzling over the top.

All done and ready to eat. Store in fridge.

Blueberry Pie…the dam broke and a mess in the oven

Jul18

Well this is one of those cooking fails. Not really, the product was delicious, the execution big fail. When I decided to make this pie I had a large container of fresh blueberries and I was gifted a very large bag of organic blueberries from a Quebec farm, they were from my neighbour. I have made this free form pie before many times, with apples. It turned out magazine worthy then, of course I wasn’t blogging and only the two of us were ever here to eat it or see how nice it looked. I had company coming for dinner, I had a lot of blueberries, I would make this well practiced pie recipe. All was going well until the pie was cooking away in the oven and I heard sizzle, what could that be…..oh no no no no. I looked in and the side of the pie was gone and the sugary, syrupy juices were dripping to the bottom of the oven and the pie wasn’t even half way done yet. Normally I would freak out as this point, but I didn’t, ok a little, then I moved on. I quickly slid a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom rack closed the door and ignored it until it was done. We still enjoyed the pie, even though not perfect, it was great.

It started out like any other pie, the making of a nice pastry

I made mine in the food processor

1&1/2 cups flour

2 tsp sugar

11 Tbsp cold butter

1 large egg yolk

3 Tbsp milk

blitz the flour, butter sugar and salt until it comes together, in a separate bowl whiskey yolk and milk, add this to the flour mixture and process until it is completely incorporated into the dough. Then make dough into a disc and refrigerate wrapped in plastic wrap for about 20 minutes (you can also prepare the dough the day before and keep in the refrigerator wrapped until ready to use).

washing blueberries,

For the berry mixture I tossed 4 cups of berries with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp flour and a pinch salt and 1 tsp vanilla.

Take the dough out of the fridge about 10 minutes before rolling. Roll it out to a a circle that is about 12-14 inches in diameter and place on a parchment lines baking sheet. Pile the berry mixture into the centre and fold the edges up over the the fruit to create a rim about 2″ wide.

Make an egg wash by beating an egg and brushing it over the pastry. In the past I sprinkled sugar over the edges of the pastry, this time I didn’t.

As you can see it was a mess. However, we cut that thing up and topped with with vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. I will give the recipe another go, maybe roll the pastry a little thicker and use a little less of the berry mixture. Maybe next time I will use a pie plate (or at least a rimmed baking sheet) to keep in the juices.

Strawberry Rhubarb Apple Crisp

Sep28

This recipe was given to me by a friend and I usually make it in early summer when strawberries and rhubarb are in season. I have a bumper crop of rhubarb, apples are in season and a bag of frozen strawberries from last year in the freezer needing to be used.

Topping:

1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup rolled oats

3tbsp whole wheat flour

1tsp cinnamon

2tbsp soft butter (you can use margarine)

Combine all of the topping ingredients and set aside.

Fruit:

2/3 cup sugar

3tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups sliced apples (I left the peel on, but peel if you prefer)

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced (halved is ok too)

Combine sugar and flour.

Add fruits and toss to coat. Spoon into a baking dish. I usually use an 8 cup casserole dish or square baking pan.

Sprinkle topping evenly over the fruit. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until fruit is tender.

Serve warm or at room temperature. We have it warm with vanilla ice cream on top.

Wild Blueberry Cake with Brown Sugar Sauce

Aug12

We went to pick some blueberries, they just grow on a little hill right next to the house. We probably picked about 4 cups, the blueberries here are wild and plentiful, extra sweet and tasty too. We wanted to make something out of them, but not muffins. We chose this recipe because I haven’t had it in a long time and Evie really likes it. This is a traditional Newfoundland recipe.

we used about 1 and 1/2cups blueberries

mix together 1/4 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar

add 1 egg and mix then add about 1 to 1 and 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking powder and mix until combined

add milk (about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup) while mixing so it is thick and creamy like cake batter.

then add the blueberries and fold in

then place in an 8 inch square baking pan and bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes until dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

While the cake is baking you can make the brown sugar sauce.

place 2 tbsp butter melted and 2 tbsp flour in a small pot and whisk while heating

Whisk in 1 cup brown sugar (it will be dry and thick)

then add 1 cup of boiling water and 1 tsp vanilla whisking and heating bring to boil and whisk until it thickens to a syrupy brown sauce

Serve the warm sauce drizzled over a piece of the cake

Super Fast Pie Crust (or Vegan & Gluten Free)

Aug5

This recipe is really fast and easy and very good. It is easily adapted to be vegan and/or gluten free. Just swap out the butter for your favourite vegan spread (butter substitute) for gluten free you must make sure that the oats you use are gluten free, it must say that on the label, otherwise there is probably gluten in there.

For the crust:

1/3 cup butter (or margarine)

Rolled oats (grind these in a food processor) then measure to about 1& 1/4 cups

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Melt butter and stir into the rest of the ingredients. Press into a 9″ pie plate and bake at 375F for about 10 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.

We made a custard and strawberry pie. You can make your own custard, but we were in a hurry so we used a canned variety. Then top with strawberries, you can use any other fresh berry for this too.

Our other pie we filled with butterscotch pudding and topped with whipped cream. You can use any instant pudding for this as well.

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our adventures cooking … and other fun stuff

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