Barely unpacked from Disney and school Valentine’s Day parties hover. This is not a time for panic or for any unpredictable recipes. This is the time for Rice Krispie Treats. OK, so Rice Krispie treats with a little spunk. I don’t know what it is about making Rice Krispie Treats that makes me feel so fully ‘a mom.’ It is also impossible not to smile when making them…even when under pressure. This is basically a double batch, pressed into a sheet pan, cut out, stuck on a stick and drizzled. The left-over scraps are for the chef (or for any little vultures at your ankles).
Rice Krispie Heart Pops2 10-ounce bags of marshmallows
1/2 stick of dairy-free margarine ( I used Fleishmann’s Unsalted Margarine)
12 cups Rice Krispie cereal (or the cheaper Target brand!)1.) In a microwave safe bowl, melt the marshmallows and margarine for 30 seconds at a time until soft. I think it took about 1 1/2 minutes for me. Stir until smooth.
2.) Measure the cereal into another, really big bowl. Dump the warm marshmallow mixture over the cereal and mix everything together.
3.) Line a sheet pan with some foil and press the mixture into the pan. Press down hard. Let the mixture cool.
4.) Remove the slab of treats to a cutting board, cut into shapes and insert the popsicle stick.
5.) Decorate as you wish. I made the pink icing with a little powdered sugar, some water and pink food coloring. I made the chocolate by melting some Enjoy Life chocolate chips in the microwave with a little shortening.
6.) Wrap in sandwich baggies secured with twisty ties or ribbon.Makes about 20, depending on the size of your hearts
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Christmas baking is alway so fun around here. The sheer poundage of sugar I go through is staggering. Granted, half those experiments end out in the trash, but sugar is cheap! This dairy-free peppermint patty recipe has been a stand-by for a few years now, no expirimenting needed. The recipe is very fun to make, kind of like playing with peppermint playdough. Your hands smell wonderful afterwards!
If you really want to feel like a mad scientist, you can add a cool something called ‘invertase’ to the filling. Invertase is an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of sucrose (table sugar) into fructose and glucose. Honeybees use it to make honey. Confectioners use it to liquify solid sugar, like in chocolate covered cherries or in Junior Mints. You can make these candies without the invertase, they will be firm like a chilled York peppermint patty. If you’d like to try a softer, gooeyer mint like an After Eight, order up some invertase. I bought mine through Sugarcraft, a terribly addicting website.
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 T. corn syrup
1 1/2 T. water
1 T. peppermint extract
1 T. coconut oil or shortening
1 t. invertase (totally optional, but fun
pinch of salt
1 cup safe chocolate chips ( I used Divvies)
1-2t. coconut oil or shortening
1.) Beat 2 cups powdered sugar with the rest of the ingredients in a mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar slowly, mixing until smooth and relatively firm.
2.) Shape into a log, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. You can keep frozen for a long time.
3.) To finish the candy, slice the log into 1/4 inch thick rounds, reshape as needed and refreeze on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet while you melt the chocolate.
4.) This is the cheaters method of ‘tempering’ chocolate. I am simply unable to temper chocolate. I don’t even want to admit how many books, methods and thermometers I’ve used. I know my limitations. Melt the chocolate in the microwave slowly, 10-20 seconds at a time and mixing between zaps. When the chocolate is almost completely melted, add the coconut oil or shortening and stir until smooth. Add more oil if the chocolate seems too thick to dip. Don’t add too much or the chocolate will be soft when finished at room temp. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, it just makes for messy eating.
5.) Using a plastic fork with the middle tines snapped off, dip the frozen patties in chocolate, flipping once and shaking off the excess. Set them on waxed paper to harden. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes if you want.
6.) The patties can be stored in the refirgerator for a few weeks. If you used invertase, keep them at room temperature for a few days to allow the enzyme to work to liquify the solid sugar. The enzyme doesn’t work well when cold. You can refrigerate them after the room temp resting period for longer storage.
Perfect Vegan Peppermint Patty Recipe, Perfect Dairy-Free Peppermint Patty Recipe, Perfect Homemade Peppermint Patty Recipe.
Peppermint stick ice cream is a serious issue around here, and I now know these issues come from both sides of the family. When I was growing up, the arrival of peppermint stick ice cream in the Schwan Man’s truck was small town news. Quantities were limited so one family couldn’t buy out the whole stash to put up in the deep freeze. In my husband’s house, arrival of peppermint stick ice cream in the freezer brought yet another thing for the youngest kid to torture his older brother with. His older brother’s mature nature to savor and spread things out over time, did not work well with limited quantities of ice cream that were quickly quaffed by my husband. I’ve since learned that my mother-in-law added greatly to the disappearing half-gallons, one little stolen spoonful standing over the sink at a time.
This year, Bobby, our Schwan’s Man gave us first dibs on his 16 containers of the season’s first…we were good and only took 6. Thankfully, making a dairy-free and egg-free peppermint stick ice cream for the rest of the family was very easy. Now we all can enjoy this little treat!
3 cups plain soy creamer ( 1 1/2 pints)
20 regular-sized marshmallows (about 1/2 bag)
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. mild oil, I use avocado, but coconut or canola would be fine
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (more if you’d like it zippier)
6-8 mini candy canes, crushed in their wrappers
1.) Put the marshmallows in a big microwave safe bowl (I have an 8 cup Pyrex that is perfect for this)
2.) Heat for 1 minute, until soft and puffy.
3.) Whisk the soft marshmallows until smooth, then slowly pour in the soy creamer and sugar.
4.) Microwave for another 3-5 minutes, stirring every so often, until the creamer is hot but not boiling.
5.) Add the oil, the peppermint extract and the food coloring.
6.) Cool down in the freezer or refrigerator before pouring into an ice cream maker. I have a Cuisinart one that works pretty well.
7.) At the end of the freezing, pour in the packets of crushed candy canes and mix them around before transferring the ice cream to a freezer container.
Perfect Easy Dairy-Free Egg-Free Peppermint Stick Ice Cream Recipe
Crust
4 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups frozen shortening (butter flavored Crisco is reportedly dairy-free)
Ice water (about 1/2 cup)
1.) Crust really is a pain in the butt. I’ve probably made a hundred pies and I still doubt myself every time. I now make crust with my food processor, but it is very easy to make a gloppy mess with it, especially when adding water.
2.) Pulse the flour and salt together in the food processor or whisk together in a large bowl if making by hand.
3.) Add half the shortening and pulse 8-10 times. Add the other half and pulse another 8-10 times. If making by hand, cut the shortening in and blend well with a pastry blender.
4.) Now comes the water part. I hate the water part. Add too little and crust is crumbly and impossible to roll out. Add too much and it is a gummy tough mess, impossible to fix. It is alway better to under-water, you can fix that.
5.) If you are new to crust-making, it is safer to dump the dough into large bowl to add water by hand, but you can do it in the food processor if you’re careful. Take the lid off the food processor and sprinkle 1/4 cup of water on the dough, mix it around the bowl with a spoon. Replace the lid, give it a few pulses and check the dough by pinching it between your fingers. If it seems crumbly add another 2-4 T of water, stir around with a spoon, give it a few pulses and see where you are at. Don’t over pulse!
6.) Divide the dough in 2 blobs, wrap in plastic wrap and shape into flat disks. Freeze until needed.
Filling the Pie
1.) Roll out half the dough and press into and up the edges of a 13 x 18 inch jelly roll pan.
2.) Peel and thinly slice 10-15 apples into the pan. I have a cool peeler-corer-slicer for this task. Add enough apples to fill the pan completely, up to the pan edge.
3.) Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples, about 1-2 teaspoons to taste.
4.) Sprinkle sugar over the apples, about 1 cup.
5.) Sprinkle some vanilla over the apples, 1-2 teaspoons.
6.) Roll out the second half of the crust, very thinly, and place over the apples. Seal the edges the best you can. Cut steam holes in the top.
7.) Put the whole pan in the freezer while oven preheats to 375.
8.) Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles in the center.
9.) Cool a bit before glazing.
Glaze
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Powdered sugar
1.) Mix enough powdered sugar into the juice to make it honey-thick.
2.) Drizzle over the crust in a rogue, non-type-A, come-what-may manner.
Dairy-free and egg-free pie crust, dairy-free egg-free apple pie, vegan apple pie, vegan pie crust
Independence Day is a big event around here, with lots of nostalgia. I met my husband 27 years ago on the 4th of July, and he proposed 14 years later… on the 4th of July. Moral of the story…choose carefully who your kids spend their time with…even when they are 8! This dairy-free and egg-free flag cake is a revision on my mother-in-law’s traditional cake, and I think it may rival the original!
Flag Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
2 1/2 sticks dairy-free margarine ( I used Fleischman’s Unsalted Margarine)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Caramel Syrup (recipe below)
4 Ener-G egg replacers whipped until thick (I use an immersion blender)
Splash of vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cup plain soymilk thickened with 2 T. cider vinegarPreheat oven to 350F
Line two small jelly roll pans with parchment, and spray well with cooking spray.1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream margarine until smooth.
2. Add sugar and salt, cream until light and fluffy. This takes forever, I’m not kidding.
3. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl.
4. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add egg replacers and vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform.
5. Sift flour and baking powder together.
6. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the flour mixture.
7. When Incorporated, add half of the soymilk, a little at a time.
8. Add another third of the flour, then the other half of the soymilk and finish with the flour. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}
9. Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform.Divide batter among the two pans. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Remove from pan to a cooling rack as soon as you can, if it sits in the pan for too long, it gets really soggy. Cool cake completely before frosting.
Caramel SyrupSugar and water…this stuff is simply magical
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water 1 cup water for “stopping”1. In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand.
2. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush.
3. Turn on heat to highest flame.
4. Cook until rich amber. You can test the color by dabbing a bit on a white plate.
5. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and prepared to step back.
6. Whisk over medium heat until it the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has reduced slightly. It should be the sticky thickness of maple syrup or warm honey. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting1 tub Tofutti cream cheese (4 ounces, or 1/4 cup), softened
1 stick dairy-free margarine, softened( I use Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine)
1 t. vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar1.) Cream the Tofutti and margarine together with a hand mixer.
2.) Add the vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make the frosting as thick as you want.
Hot cross buns,Hot cross buns,One a penny,Two a penny,Hot cross buns.If you have no daughters,If you have no daughters,If you have no daughters,Give them to your sons, (unless you’re in our house, and he’s still wheat-allergic)If you have none of these,You must eat them all yourselves.
Egg-Free and Dairy-Free Hot Cross BunsMakes 184 1/2 cups flour1/2 cup white sugar1/2 cup potato flakes (instant potatoes)1 T. yeast2 t. salt1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon cardamom3T maraschino cherry juice (or so) plus enough warm water to equal 1 3/4 cups liquid6 T. dairy-free margarine at room temp (I used Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine)1/4 cup currants1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherriesGlaze1/4 cup jam (peach, apricot or orange marmalade) warmed and strainedIcing1 1/2 cups powdered sugar2 -3T. fresh squeezed orange juice1/4 t. orange zest (finely grated)1.) In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle blade, add the flour, sugar, potato flakes, yeast, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Give it a few turns with the paddle blade to get the dry ingredients blended, and then add the cherry-water. Mix on low until the dough just starts to come together, and then switch to the dough hook. (You could just use your dough hook, but starting with the paddle blade helps the dough come together quicker and is less strain on your mixer.) Knead on low until a nice little dough develops, about 3-4 minutes.2.) Add the margarine in chunks and knead until it all comes together again. You may need to adjust the dough in the bowl a few times because it likes to slip around and avoid getting kneaded.3.) When the margarine is almost incorporated, add in the currants and cherries. Keep kneading for a few more minutes until the dough is soft and well blended.4.) Cover bowl with a towel and let dough rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.5.) Gently deflate the dough, pinch off little balls of dough and shape into rolls. Mine were a little bigger than a golf ball, and weighed about 3 ounces each. I shape them by pulling the tops smooth and tight, pinching down on the bottom. To the best of your ability, try to keep too many currents from being exposed, either pick them off the tops or push them into the dough, or they’ll burn in the oven and become quite bitter.6.) Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, just barely touching. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.7.) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown.8.) While the rolls are still piping hot, brush with the warmed jam.8.) Set the rolls, parchment and all, on rack to cool.9.) While the rolls cool, make the icing. Whisk the powdered sugar, orange zest and orange juice together. Go easy on the juice, you want this to be pretty thick, because it melts on the warm buns. Put icing in a pastry bag, or a ziplock with the corner snipped off.10.) When the rolls are pretty much cooled, pipe the crosses on the buns and enjoy!
One thing about being an allergy mom…you have to start planning. You can’t run to the store at the last minute for a birthday cake, you can’t head out the door with vague plans to ‘eat on the road’ while shopping with the kids, and if the Easter Baskets aren’t planned by Maundy Thursday….you’re not going to have a restful weekend!
Egg and Dairy Free Cadbury Eggs!Dare I say “Vegan Eggs”?1/2 cup corn syrup1/4 cup dairy-free margarine or shortening (margarine tastes better and the final result is softer, but shortening holds its shape better during the process)1 teaspoon vanilla1 pinch of salt3 cups powdered sugar1 1/2 cups of safe chocolate chips for dipping (I used Enjoy Life this time)1 tablespoon shorteningWith a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the corn syrup and margarine together until creamy, add in the vanilla and salt and blend again. Carefully add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until creamy and smooth. Divide 1/3 of the fondant out and color with yellow food coloring. Wrap both colors in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.Spray the insides of some mini plastic Easter eggs with cooking spray ( I found mine at Hobby Lobby for 50 cents!) Have fun filling the eggs, then put in the freezer for an hour or so before dipping.Slowly melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave. (The shortening helps thin the chocolate, and is a cheater’s way to avoid the dusty “bloom” that happens when ill-tempered chocolate dries…I can’t temper chocolate to save my life…so I’ve given up) Remove the fondant centers from the plastic eggs. Reshape slightly if needed.Dip! I actually did a double dip. First, I did a really messy thin coat to make sure all the fondant was covered and let them freeze again. Then I re-dipped in a more pretty fashion.Wrap in foil and store at room temp if you plan to eat them in a few days, otherwise refrigerate for a few weeks.
Just to be on the safe side, Brynn thought it might be a good idea if we gave Santa some safe treats this year…some of her dairy and egg-free sugar cookies and soymilk. I didn’t try to reason with her that a chubby guy like Santa doesn’t look like he’s avoiding many foods…but those rosy cheeks could be uncontrolled eczema…who knows?
Infinitely Adaptable Sugar Cookies1/2 cup shortening2/3 cup sugar1/4 cup soymilk + 1T cider vinegar2 cups flour1/2 t. baking soda1/4 t. salt1T. vanilla (optional)1/8 t. lemon oil (optional)a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)1.) In a large bowl, cream the sugar and shortening together until smooth, add in the thickened soymilk and beat until smooth again.2.) Add the vanilla, lemon oil or whatever spices/flavorings you are using and mix well.3.) Add soda, salt and flour. Mix until everything comes together.4.) Wrap in plastic wrap, shape into a big disk and freeze for 1/2 hour.5.) Roll to 1/4 inch thickness and cut out as you like.6.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheets at 350. 10 minutes will give you soft cookies (they may seem barely baked, but they’ll firm up when cooled), 14-16 minutes will give you golden brown edges and they’ll be crispy.7.) Cool completely before icing.By infinitely adaptable, I mean you can tweak so many things. As far as the fat goes, you can use shortening or margarine, or half of each. You can use white sugar, or for softer cookies, you can use brown sugar. You can use any flavor of soymilk (the Silk Nog is pretty good), or soy yogurt or soy sour cream and skip the vinegar, or if you’re avoiding soy, you can use rice milk or my favorite tweak…coconut milk. For flavorings, I really like vanilla and a few drops of lemon oil…but a few pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg make them more holiday spicy.Cookie Icing2 1/4 cup powdered sugar2 T. corn syrup2-3T. soymilkMix well, getting out all the lumps. Color as you’d like. Dip the cookies or pipe on the decorations!
I love caramel corn, especially homemade caramel corn. As a kid, I loved the suprise in the Cracker Jack box even more than finding one of the rare peanuts. The surprise itself was usually forgetable…a sticker or a temporary tatoo…but the process of finding it was so much fun. I look forward to the day my kids can bury their fists into a steaming bag of Garrett’s Popcorn, butter and sugar dripping down their arms and chins…but until then, we’ll make some pretty good stuff at home, complete with the surprise!
Caramel Corn with a Good Surprise1 cup of popcorn kernals, air popped or stove popped
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks dairy-free margarine ( I used Fleischmann’s Unsalted Margarine )
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinamon (optional)1.) Preheat oven to 250.
2.) Pop the popcorn and divide among two sheet pans. Or, if you’re smart and want to say fewer bad words in the kitchen, dump it all in a disposable roasting pan.
3.) In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup, salt and margarine to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and boil for 5 minutes without stirring much. Remove from heat and add vanilla, baking soda and optional cinnamon. The mixture should bubble and become frothy.
4.) Dump over the popcorn and mix around as best you can. Don’t worry about coating the popcorn perfectly, it will get mixed around during the baking.
5.) Put into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Every 15 minutes, take the popcorn out and stir it around for even coating and baking.
6.) Allow popcorn to cool before storing in a ziplock bag.
7.) Don’t forget to add the Surprise (or two)!!
We just started reading C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this past week, and found inspiration for this treat. In case you’ve forgotten, or haven’t read the book, the White Witch offers Edmund any treat he wishes…and he chooses Turkish Delight.
4 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar1 cup confectioners sugar plus 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed for final dusting1.) Line a 9 inch square pan with plastic wrap or foil and oil well.
2.) In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the water, and the lemon juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 240 F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage.) Remove the pan from the heat and move onto step #3.
3.) In a second heavy saucepan (larger than the first), stir together 1 cup cornstarch and the cream of tartar. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 cups of water until no lumps remain. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and is a thick, gluey paste. This happens very fast, don’t step away and don’t stop stirring!
4.) Slowly pour the hot sugar, water, and lemon juice into the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, for about 1 hour, or until the mixture has become quite thick. It should be so thick that it drawing the stir spoon across the bottom of the pan leaves a trail that closes in slowly. You can test the texture of the product by dropping a blob into some cold water. It should be fairly solid and chewy, not runny.
5.) Stir in the flavoring (see below) and tint as desired with food coloring. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Cool to room temperature and let stand, uncovered, overnight to set.
6.) Sift the confectioners sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch onto a large cutting board. Turn the Turkish delight out and cut into 1-inch squares with an oiled knife. Roll pieces in the sugar mixture to coat well. Store in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper, dusted with the sugar mixture, separating every layer.For flavorings, just use your imagination. Because you’re adding it at the end for a more pronounced flavor, make sure whatever you use is very concentrated (i.e. don’t add orange juice or actual lemonade, it will take too much to flavor it and make your product soft) For pink grapefruit, I had some concentrate in the freezer, I just boiled it down until even more concentrated and added it at the end. For orange, I just used orange extract and some lemon oil. For raspberry, I boiled some homemade raspberry jam down and strained out the seeds.