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Homemade Peppermint Patties

Written on January 5, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I love peppermint patties. What’s not to love? Their chocolaty and sweet and it feels like you’ve just brushed your teeth after you eat one. My grandparents always kept the miniature knock-off versions from CVS called “thin mints” at their apartment and I could eat a sleeve a day. There’s nothing more satisfying than a big, whole peppermint patty, except maybe one that you’ve made yourself.

I’ve had these on my to-make list ever since seeing this post on Megan’s blog. I kept putting them off not knowing how utterly easy these are to make. I made them New Year’s Eve morning and they were gone before the clock struck midnight. They’re naturally vegan and gluten-free, so if you’re cooking for allergies and want to avoid any specialty ingredients, go with these for an easy crowd pleaser.

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Ingredients(Makes 24 patties):

2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 Tablespoons agave nectar(or any liquid sweetener)
1 1/2 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, softened or melted
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 bag(12oz) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix the powdered sugar, agave nectar, coconut oil, peppermint extract, and water. Continue mixing with your hands even if it doesn’t look like there’s enough moisture there; eventually it will all come together and form a dough ball.

Take off chunks of filling from the dough ball and roll them into 3/4-inch balls. Press the balls down in between your hands and form patties. Lay these out on a baking tray and refrigerate or freeze for 30 minutes until firm

When the patties are ready, melt down the chocolate in a microwave or over a double-boiler. Line a baking tray with parchment paper to set the peppermint patties to dry once coated.

To coat, lay the patty down on top of the melted chocolate. Immediately flip it over with a fork and lift it out of the chocolate from the bottom. Wipe off any excess chocolate from the bottom and lay it on the lined baking tray.

Let the patties sit at room temperature for an hour or refrigerate for 10 minutes before removing them from the paper.

I’m a sucker for any popular “junk food” dessert made homemade. I think they’re SO impressive. I wouldn’t worry if your patties aren’t all the same size or the chocolate isn’t smooth; those kind difference make these distinctively homemade.

These are great to eat after dinner to freshen your breath, if you don’t just eat a handful for dinner that is.

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Balsamic Brussel Sprouts With Red Wine

Written on January 4, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Let me tell you the story of how this recipe came to be. One day, I was throwing together dinner in a rush. I reached down to where we keep the oils and vinegars and grabbed a large bottle with a cork top and tinted glass. I started to pour it over brussel sprouts thinking it was olive oil; I was shocked when it came out thin and red and with a sharp pungent odor. It was wine. I had accidentally made my brussel sprouts drunken.

I went on to cook them anyway and they were some of the best that I had ever eaten, so good in fact I made them the next day and into a formal recipe. These are simple to make and yet have an impressive flavor, perfect for a date night.

Balsamic Brussel Sprouts With Red Wine

Ingredients:

1lb brussel sprouts, trimmed and washed
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Toss the washed and dried brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar and wine so that all the skin gets wet.

Pour in the olive oil and lay the brussel sprouts out on a baking tray. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and bake for about 40-45 minutes until the edges are crispy. If the brussel sprouts in the center cook slower than at the edge, toss around the contents of the pan about halfway through.

December 28th 025

What does it say that I asked for a bottle of red and this is what I got? Let’s not read into that…

These are tart and tangy with a definite kick. The salt mellows out the flavor and makes it truly an enjoyable experience. Best of all, you don’t even need to think about what drink to pair with it.

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Cheesy Rosemary Flatbread

Written on January 3, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Everybody loves cheesy bread. That’s just a fact. Whether you can’t eat wheat bread or avoid dairy, this recipe still has something for you, too. The bread itself gets nice and crusty on the egg but soft and doughy in the middle. Everybody has a preference and I love the center. Be warned that if you eat too much you’ll have onion breath for a week, and you will eat too much because it’s too good to show restraint around.

Cheesy Rosemary Flatbread

Ingredients:

1 ball of prepared pizza dough*
1 yellow onion, julienned
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan, loosely packed**
2 tablespoons rosemary

*Make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free dough such as Bob’s Red Mill.

**For a non-dairy alternative, use the same amount nutritional yeast with an added 1/2 teaspoon salt.

I started by making my pizza dough. I always add Italian herb seasoning even when the dough is a mix; it just adds such great flavor.

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. To prepare the onions, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over low heat on a burner. Add in the julienned onions and cook for about 10 minutes until they’ve softened and soaked up the oil. Add in the other 2 tablespoons and continue cooking until they’re soft and translucent.

Roll out the dough on a pizza pan(a baking pan will work in a pinch). Flatten it out to about 1/4-inch thickness and poke holes in the top to let the air out when cooking. Add on the onions and any extra oil in the pan. Then sprinkle on the parmesan and rosemary and bake for 25-28 minutes until the edges crisp up.

Like I said, I love the center part that’s nice and doughy, onion breath be damned. I’ve made this for guests and they had no clue it was vegan and gluten-free; it’s just a plain good recipe with tons of flavor. I’m ready to slip into my food coma.

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Hot Honey Asian Chicken Marinade

Written on December 30, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

One of my parents’ favorite things to eat for dinner is chicken. It’s a nice, lean protein(because you know everyone’s always on a diet until the weekend) and it takes on flavors wonderfully. We like to keep things simple here, so a marinade is perfect; you just throw the chicken and sauce together in a bag in the morning and it’s ready to bake that night—no fuss!

This has a fun, savory flavor that’s not too abrasive but definitely not boring. It pairs perfectly with seasoned rice or steamed vegetables.

Hot Honey Asian Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

1lb skinned and deboned chicken
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, water, salt, chili powder, and black pepper. Add in the chicken and shake it so that the liquid mixture covers everything. Put the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to rest.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken for 45 minutes in the sauce until it has cooked through.

I love it when a recipe has extra sauce so that you can pour it all over your sides and make it feel like a complete dish. This makes plenty of extra, so pour it on thick and dig in.

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Double Take: Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

Written on December 29, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I usually don’t like to make the same recipe too often; the flavors get old fast with me. So making the same brownie recipe twice in one month is unheard of for me.

But before I knew it I was craving something chocolaty and nutty. These brownies instantly popped into my mind. I only had 1/4 cup of Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter left so I improvised the other half with Justin’s chocolate almond butter. The result was a fun mix of nutty flavor.

I ended up adding too much liquid without measuring(see, measuring is important!) and they came out more cakey than I usually like. But they were still satisfyingly rich and practically melted in my mouth.

Try them with a glass of chocolate almond milk and you will never look back.

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Nut Lover’s Dark Chocolate Bark

Written on December 24, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Recently, I’ve picked up an addiction for chocolate covered nuts that somebody gave me as a gift. It combines two of my favorite things: Chocolate and nuts(so many jokes, so little time). Even though I’m not through with the bag, I’ve been thinking about how to make my own, because “fancy” nuts(again, so little time) are some of the most overpriced foods at the grocery store. Instead, I made my own in the form of bark. Bark is festive, cheap, and the perfect personalized gift. This tastes like it should cost twice as much as it took to make, and it was so simple, too! Put this under the tree for the nut lover in your life.

Nut Lover’s Dark Chocolate Bark

Ingredients(Makes 15-20 servings)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules(optional)
3oz(3/4 cup) peanuts
3oz(3/4 cup) almonds
3oz(3/4 cup) cashews
Sea salt

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Lay out all the nuts on a baking tray and roast them in the oven for about 15 minutes, jostling the pan every 5 minutes or so to make sure they don’t burn.

While the nuts are roasting, melt down the chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave. When the chocolate is smooth and melted, add in the cocoa powder and instant coffee and stir(note: These don’t change the texture of the chocolate; they just add a rich, dark flavor that make this taste much better than regular chocolate chips would).

Line a tray with parchment paper and spread the chocolate into a smooth layer about 1/4-inch thick.

Add the nuts onto the chocolate and press down firmly with your palms to push them in. It’s OK that the chocolate will spread a little more. Lastly, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the bark. Stick this in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden. Break into individual pieces.

This was delicious. It would have made the perfect gift if I could part with it; instead, I ate 3 pieces the afternoon I made it and just said Merry Christmas to me. This tastes so much more decadent and expensive than it has a right to. Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

What would your favorite bark have in it?

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Bacon-Fried Quinoa

Written on December 23, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

I love leftovers. Even though they’re already cooked and flavored, they’re so easy to make into something new and flavorful. Some foods even get better on age. I made The Best Quinoa Stuffing to bring to a party on Sunday. First of all, you wouldn’t be able to imagine how much Italian grandmothers loved quinoa, even if they couldn’t spell it for their life. Soft, flavorful and easy to chew? It was bound to be a winner with my family. With the leftovers I wanted to do something a little different; I decided to cook it like I would leftover rice, except add bacon because bacon makes it better. Chinese restaurants should take a hint from me.

Bacon-Fried Quinoa

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon, diced
1/2 cup leftover, prepared quinoa(I used The Best Quinoa Stuffing)
1 egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Heat a pan over low-medium heat. Add in the diced bacon and cook it until it’s pink and starting to crisp at the edges.

Add in the leftover quinoa, egg, and soy sauce. Constantly move the ingredients around in the pan over the heat until the egg has cooked and the fat has been absorbed. Be careful as the quinoa tends to pop when the pan is dry. Serve hot.

Just like fried rice, this isn’t the prettiest dish but boy does it taste good. Adding the soy sauce and bacon elevates the flavor of the quinoa a lot; I could hardly tell this was the same dish as the leftovers.

I served it with steamed brussel sprouts with a little soy sauce, because I just love brussel sprouts and bacon. You could add more vegetables to cook with the bacon and make this into a stir-fry. Or you could forget vegetables together and add more bacon. I’m not one to judge when it comes to loving bacon.

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Dairy-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

Written on December 21, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

The best kind of recipes are simple recipes, or recipes that involve chocolate. This is both.

Every year at Passover my mom would make this cake for our bake sales. All the Jewish kids loved it because it doesn’t break the rule of eating leavened bread and yet it’s so airy and cake-like. Now, I’m not Jewish, but I tip my hat to any religion that favors chocolate over bread.

When I saw Jenna post the recipe a few weeks ago, I took it as a sign to bake this cake. Who doesn’t celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Trebia every December 18th? You should. With cake.

I used the same recipe with a few alterations, like making it dairy-free. I followed the recipe to a T, messed up completely as I typically do, and still managed to bake something that held together and was delicious. I’m not sure how that last part happened but I’m so grateful it did.

Dairy-Free Flourless Chocolate Cake

I used this recipe replacing the butter with Earth Balance in a 1:1 ratio and added a hefty teaspoon of instant coffee granules.

I knew I was doing it just like Jenna when I had a mess in my sink, floor, and counter space.

This came out so well for a cake with no flour or gluten-free replacement. The structure is entirely made by eggs. I even beat mine way too long, never got them “thick” or to make ribbons, had to deflate them just to get the chocolate to mix, and the cake still turned out just fine. Now that’s a forgiving recipe.

And we all ate happily ever after.

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Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies With Citrus

Written on December 16, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

This time of year, cookie swaps are everywhere. Like I’ve mentioned, I’m not the biggest cookie lover. However, there are some that I tip my hat to. I love the standard peanut butter cookie. And I’ve already paid tribute to the pairing of chocolate and orange once this Christmas season. But when I saw Kaitlin’s recipe for chocolate orange cookies, I had to make them and make them mine. While I was worried how these would taste at first, they ended up being the perfect balance of nuttiness, citrus, and chocolate. They’re festive and bound to be a hit at any cookie swap.

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies With Citrus

Ingredients(Makes 18 cookies):

1 cup natural almond butter
3/4 cup cane sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt(omit if your almond butter is salted)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Zest of one orange

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start by mixing together the almond butter, sugar, salt, egg, and baking soda until it has all emulsified.

Next add in the chocolate chips and zest in the orange. Continue to mix this until the mix-ins are evenly distributed. Roll the dough into 18 1-inch balls and lay them out on a lined baking tray about 2 inches apart.

Press down on the top of each dough ball gently with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake these for about 12-14 minutes or until the edges start to brown slightly.

These are so festive! I was pleasantly surprised at how well the orange flavor came through, and yet you clearly get the almond flavor and sweet chocolate, too. It was completely necessary to eat 2 out of the oven to make sure they were OK. But if you can wait longer, these are perfect to eat alongside a tall glass of almond milk. I bet you Santa has never had milk and cookies like this.

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No-Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Bars

Written on December 15, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’m usually not an impulse shopper. I always take a list to the grocery store and would rather wait to buy a book on sale at Amazon than pay the full price at a Barnes & Nobles. Hell, I’m so cheap I’m waiting for The Social Network to play on TBS to see it. But I have my weaknesses.

Dandies brand vegan marshmallows were on sale at Whole Foods and I threw them in my cart out of habit. How could I not? They were a dollar off. Never mind that I don’t care for regular marshmallows—it was a bargain.

When I asked Twitter what to do with marshmallows, a resounding number of people said s’mores. Now, I’m not the biggest s’more fan(shocking, I know), but add peanut butter and I wouldn’t complain. Slowly but surely that lead to these bars, which are about as rich and sweet as you can imagine a dessert to be. Besides being incredibly delicious, they’re no-bake and took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. So put on a fire, make some hot cocoa, and start baking(or not).

No-Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Bars

For the crust:

16 graham crackers or 8oz graham crackers crumbs
3 tablespoons butter(or non-dairy alternative such as Earth Balance)
6 tablespoons natural style peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the filling:

1/3 cup natural style peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter(or non-dairy alternative such as Earth Balance)
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup mini-marshmallows, or 1 cup regular marshmallows cut into bite-sized pieces

For the top:

6oz(about 3/4 cup) chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter(or non-dairy alternative such as Earth Balance)

Melt together the butter and peanut butter until it’s thin and creamy.

Break the graham crackers to coarse crumbs. You might want to use a food process for this. In a large bowl, add the peanut butter mixture to the graham cracker crumbs and sift in the powdered sugar. Work the dough until the ingredients have come together and press it into an 8×8 pan.

To make the filling, melt together the peanut butter and butter again. Sift in the powdered sugar, and pour the mixture over your crust. Spread it out to cover all parts. Next, press in the marshmallows over all parts of the filling.

Lastly, for the top, melt together the chocolate chips and butter. Pour it on top of the dessert in an even layer. The less you have to spread it to cover all parts, the better. Put this in the refrigerator to harden. Cut cold and serve at room temperature for best results.

This is everything a dessert should be: rich, sweet, chocolate and peanut butter. It’s really hard not to want to eat the whole pan. You can use different brands of graham crackers to make it gluten-free and/or vegan depending on who you’re making these for. And no one will leave disappointed.

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