vegan apple crisp

during the crazy blizzard last week, i looked over and saw 4 sad apples sitting on the kitchen counter which had been there for a little while.  ryan suggested making an apple dessert with them in order to use them up.  thus, vegan apple crisp.

the combination of the apples baking and the warm spices filled the house with such a wonderful aroma on a snowy day.  this dessert was so delicious and so simple to make.  (it might surprise you, but there's a secret ingredient of olive oil in this recipe!)

vegan apple crisp
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 45 minutes
yields: 6 servings
adapted from minimalist baker

filling ingredients:
4 medium apples
1 small orange, juiced
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 teaspoons cornstarch

topping ingredients:
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  peel, core, and dice apples into a large bowl.  pour the orange juice, sugar, spices, and cornstarch over the apples and toss well.  evenly distribute the apple mixture over the bottom of a baking dish.  in the same bowl, combine the oats, flour, nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  gradually pour the oil over the dry ingredients while stirring to make sure everything is evenly coated.  evenly spread the topping over the apples in the baking dish.  bake for 45 minutes.  let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie

chocolate candy cane cookies

we always look forward to baking cookies each year for the holidays.  there's just something about baking christmas cookies that warms your heart and soul.

we like to change up our christmas cookies, so we don't necessarily make the same exact recipes every year.  in addition to the spiced molasses cookies that we made this year, we also made chocolate candy cane cookies!

we love the combination of chocolate and peppermint.  for several years, these chocolate peppermint wafer cookies have been some of our favorites.  we've also enjoyed these chocolate peppermint m&m's cookies too.

the base of these cookies get their great flavor from the combination of melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and peppermint extract.  the crushed candy canes on top give really send the peppermint flavor home.  the colors make them really festive too.

these cookies remind us of one of our favorite holiday drinks: peppermint mocha lattes from starbucks.  sit down with cup of coffee and these cookies, and you'll be in the holiday spirit for sure!

chocolate candy cane cookies
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 12 minutes
yields: approximately 4 dozen cookies
adapted from cooking classy

ingredients:
12 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cup salted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 candy canes, crushed into small pieces

directions:
break the baking chocolate into pieces and cut the butter into small chunks.  combine in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring well between intervals until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  set aside

in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, and extracts.  mix well.  beat in the melted chocolate mixture.  add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and mix just until combined.  cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.

preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  scoop 1 teaspoon sized balls of dough into your hands and roll them into balls.  flatten each ball gently with the palms of your hands and dip the top into the crushed candy canes.  place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes.  once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

enjoy!

love, laurie

spiced molasses cookies

we absolutely love baking christmas cookies every year.  we always enjoy molasses cookies, and we equally enjoy ginger cookies too.  this year we couldn't decide between the two, so we combined them into one cookie . . . thus, spiced molasses cookies!

the molasses gives these cookies a deep, rich flavor and all of the spices give them a wonderful kick.  they smell amazing as they bake in the oven.  our whole house smelled like christmas.  a nice little added bonus, is the surprise of finely minced crystallized ginger hiding in these cookies!  we're hoping these cookies will be a hit this christmas!

spiced molasses cookies
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 10-12 minutes
yields: approximately 4 dozen cookies
adapted from very merry cookie party

ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized candied ginger

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar together.  beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  mix in the molasses.  add flour, baking soda, and spices.   mix just until combined.  fold in the chopped ginger.  scoop 1 teaspoon sized balls of dough into your hands and roll them into balls.  place the dough balls onto the cookie sheet and flatten each ball gently with the bottom of a drinking glass.  bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.  once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

enjoy!

love, laurie

#bakeitforward

it's no secret that we love to bake at our house.  almost everyone we know will be baking something at some point this holiday season.  many tables and tummies will be full with lots of treats, but did you know that 1 in 5 kids struggle with hunger in the united states?  the good news is that you can help to end childhood hunger this holiday season, and you can make a difference without even having to leave your own kitchen!

all you have to do is take a photo of whatever you bake this holiday season; share it on twitter, facebook, and/or instagram with the hashtag #bakeitforward; and nominate a friend to do the same.  from now through the end of the year, food network will donate $1 to no kid hungry for each photo shared and tagged.  $1 goes a long way because $1 donated provides 10 meals!

so, join us in using the hashtag #bakeitforward on all social media baking posts between now and the end of the year to make a difference!  to learn more or to donate to the cause, visit foodnetwork.com/bakeitforward 

happy baking!

love, laurie

classic chocolate chip cookies

we have shared a lot of different cookie recipes on the blog, but somehow we haven't shared a recipe for classic chocolate chip cookies yet.  (although we did share a recipe for dark chocolate chip cookies with pistachios last fall.)  does the food blogging world need another chocolate chip cookie recipe?  sure, why not.

it seems like almost everyone loves chocolate chip cookies.  i mean, how could you not?  they are a classic.  but, i have found that people have very distinct preferences when it comes to how they like their chocolate chip cookies . . . soft, chewy, crispy, dense, cakey, flat, thin . . . everyone has a different adjective to describe their ideal chocolate chip cookie.  it has turned into some kind of great debate.  because of this, chocolate chip cookies come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and variations.

for me, i like them all.  depending on my mood, i could go for a chocolate chip cookie with any of those adjectives proceeding it.  however, my favorite version of chocolate chip cookies would have to be a recipe that my family has made again and again over the years.  call it an old-standby recipe.  it's the type of recipe that produces consistent cookies each and every time, and it never lets you down.  everyone should have a trusty chocolate chip cookie recipe in their arsenal.  this one is mine.

earlier this week, i had to make dessert to bring into work for my co-worker's birthday.  i didn't have much time to make anything elaborate, so i threw together a batch of these classic chocolate chip cookies.  they were a huge hit at work and disappeared rather quickly!

these classic chocolate chip cookies are old school.  softened butter is creamed together with two types of sugar.  flour is sifted.  there is love in these cookies.

they are baked until they are just lightly golden brown which means that they are crisp around the edges yet cakey in the middle.  promise that you won't over bake them, okay?  they are chocolate chip cookie perfection.

lastly, they have the perfect chocolate flavor thanks to the addition of hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips.  if you ask me, classic chocolate chip cookies need hershey's chocolate chips.  i'm a girl from pennsylvania, so i am mighty loyal to hershey products.  almost every summer my family would make an annual pilgrimage to the town of hershey, pennsylvania to go to hershey park.  seriously, the whole town actually smells like chocolate!

but, i digress . . . back to the cookies.  go ahead and make them, and be sure to serve them with a glass of cold milk too!

classic chocolate chip cookies
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 10-12 minutes
yields: approximately 36 cookies

ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and the two sugars together until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then mix in the vanilla.

sift the flour and baking soda into a large bowl.  gradually add the flour mixture, beating well until combined.  stir in the chocolate chips.  scoop cookie dough balls (approximately 1 tablespoon in size) onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.  once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

behind the scenes of our baking marathon

we spent two days making the cake and the cupcakes for our friends' baseball themed baby shower this weekend.  we did all of the baking on thursday, and then we did all of the decorating on friday.  in total, we made 3 1/2 batches of vanilla cake batter, 1 batch of chocolate frosting (for the cake filling), and 3 batches of vanilla frosting.  i felt like we were part of a baking marathon.  somewhere along the line i lost count of how many sticks of butter we went through.

it took many hours to complete, but we're crazy proud about the way the cake and the cupcakes turned out.  (you can see the finished cake and cupcakes here.)

here are just a few snapshots we took along the way while we were baking and assembling the desserts for the baby shower . . .

love, laurie