Banana Whoopie Pies with Milk Chocolate Swiss Meringue: Baked Sunday Mornings

We are makin' whoopie this week!  ;)  Whoopie pies that is!  I am going to my nieces graduation party this afternoon so I thought that I would make these today and bring them along so everyone could enjoy these little treats!  I wouldn't have made them otherwise.  Don't need sweets hanging around in my kitchen right now!  These were really easy to make.  I was a little worried about the Swiss Meringue but it came together like a charm! 

The cake/cookie part was a much more fluffy than I thought they would be but they were delicious and the banana came through and complimented the milk chocolate filling very nicely!

These are good!
They all raved about the milk chocolate Swiss Meringue!  These were a hit! Everyone loves whoopie pies!

recipe here

So get busy and make some whoopie! 

Enjoy!

Bourbon, Vanilla and Chocolate Milkshakes and Simple Chocolate Syrup (NOT!)- Baked Sunday Mornings

Okay, Okay....I cheated A LOT with this.  Sorry Baked Peeps but I just had to take advantage of this recipe!  As some of you might know, I have been on a weight loss journey this year.  So far I have lost nearly 60 pounds!  I have been juicing and eating clean since January.  I do indulge in an occasional treat (I am only human).  The above is pretty much a big treat to me!  We were suppose to take vanilla ice cream, whole milk, ice cubes, bourbon and a homemade chocolate syrup and make a chocolate shake.  As much as I wanted to do that....I took a different route.  My ice cream was frozen bananas and avocado.  My whole milk was almond milk.  The bourbon...well, I left that out and the chocolate syrup???  I made a vegan chocolate syrup from coconut milk, cocoa powder, Stevia and vanilla extract. 

This made one decadent, smooth, creamy, chocolaty smoothie-shake or whatever you want to call it!  I loved it!  And will add this in as a treat smoothie every now and then.

To see what the other bakers did please go here

Have Fun and As Always

Enjoy!

Here is the vegan chocolate sauce recipe I used....

Vegan Hot Fudge and Chocolate Sauce
source My Little Celebration

Ingredients
1 c full-fat coconut milk
1/3 – 1/2 c cocoa powder
5 T sugar or other sweetener (or to taste)
1/2 t vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method | Heat the coconut milk and cocoa powder in a saucepan or a double boiler over medium heat to combine. Whisk in sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour into heat-safe container – like a pyrex bowl – to cool. Once it’s cooled, transfer into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to a month. 

Alfajores

Alfajores are shortbread sandwich cookies with yummy Dulce De Leche 
in the middle.

I made my own dulce de leche by simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours.  It is so easy!  You just have to be sure that the can always has plenty of water over it or they say it will explode!  

I spread some dulce de leche around the edges of some of these cookies and rolled them in various toppings such as nuts, toasted coconut, 

chocolate jimmies, and multicolored sprinkles.  

I like how festive they look!

Try these...You will love them!

Enjoy!

I used the recipe from Baked Elements.  You can get the recipe here.

The is the Dulce de Leche recipe I used:

DULCE DE LECHE MADE IN THE CAN

COOK TIME

3 hours

TOTAL TIME

3 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 can of sweetened, condensed milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil. Make sure that you put enough water in the pan to completely cover the can you’re about to cook.

Remove the label from the can of sweetened, condensed milk and carefully submerge it into the boiling water using a pair of thongs or a slotted spoon. Make sure you place the can on its side, so it can roll around. If you place the can bottom or top-side down, the boiling water can cause it to bounce up and down, which is really annoying…

Cook the can for 3 hours, making sure the can is covered with water at all times. Add more boiling water if necessary.

Using a pair of thongs, a fork or a slotted spoon, take the can out of the pan and place it onto a heatproof surface to cool. Make sure it has cooled to room temperature before you open the can, otherwise the dulce de leche will squirt out like a fountain… Once cooled, stir until smooth.

Cooled dulce de leche can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks

Source: The Tough Cookie

Scones: Avid Bakers Challenge

This months ABC challenge is scones!  
Have I told you that I love love LOVE scones!  The recipe that we were to use is a basic scone recipe and we were to choose how we wanted to flavor them.  I decided to make a Lemon Glazed Strawberry Poppy Seed Scone.  I added strawberries, poppy seeds, lemon zest and glazed them with a bright lemon drizzle.  These scones were easy to make, as most scones are, the flavors I chose were beautiful together.  Especially with the lemon curd I hanging around in my fridge leftover from my lemon macarons.  So yummy!  I halved the recipe and it made 8 nice size scones which will be wrapped up and put in the freezer.  

If you have never tried scones...please do!  They are so easy and make a special breakfast treat.  You will find the recipe on the King Arthur Flour site here.  And if you would like to take a peek at what the other bakers did with this challenge go here.

Next challenge is a strawberry filled angel food cake!  So reminiscent of a cake my mom would make for birthdays!  Can't wait to give that a try!

Until then,

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Today I have for you a gluten free peanut butter cookie. I used gluten free and almond flour and also used Earth Balance creamy peanut butter as well as Enjoy Life chocolate chips. I sweetened them with Truvia baking blend.

    These cookies are delicious!  

But be warned, even though I tried to make these healthier they are not low in calories!  The cookies spread with peanut butter and dipped in 

chocolate are truly a decadent treat!

Peanut Butter Cookies

adapted from Dieters Downfall

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar (7 oz)
• 1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup dry roasted salted peanuts

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350℉.
• Chop the peanuts in a food processor until they are crumbled into little chunks.
• Stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Beat the butter in a mixer until light and smooth. Add in the sugars and blend for 3 minutes until smooth. Add in the peanut butter and blend until fully blended. Add in the eggs and vanilla and then add in the flour mixture and finally the peanut crumbles.
• Measure out two tablespoon sized dough balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicon mat. Using a fork, make the crisscross pattern and bake for 10 - 12 minutes. The edges should start to turn brown, but remove them from the oven before the tops turn.
• Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack.
• Once the cookies are cool, you can spread on some peanut butter and then dip them into chocolate....you know you wanna do it!

Until next time...

Enjoy!

English Digestive Biscuits: ABC

I have missed baking along with the Avid Bakers!  This is my first time this year that I have baked along.  I have been trying to clean up my diet and lose weight since the beginning of the year and I don't bake unless I am baking for someone or I know that all the goods will be out of the house and enjoyed by someone else!  These cookies will go into the freezer and be
 used for a crust for Banoffee Pie at a later time :)

When I saw that Digestive Biscuits were next on the list I almost didn't bake them, but I do love vintage recipes and this is about as vintage as you can get!  These biscuits are actually cookies and they were developed in the 19th century during the Victorian era to aid in digestion. The other bakers have some really good history on their posts.  

Check them out if you would like to know more!  

These were really easy to make.  I modified a little by using Gluten Free four and adding some ground flax seed to the mix.  I also used brown sugar and almond milk.  So I kinda sorta healthified them!  I kept some naked and dipped the bottoms of some in chocolate then decorated the tops with lines (much like a favorite cookie of mine).

It was fun to be back!

For the recipe go to King Arthur Flour

and to see what the other bakers did go to 

Avid Bakers Challenge

Enjoy!

Lemon Macarons Filled With Lemon Buttercream and Lemon Curd

I have a fascination with macarons!  I love them and want to master baking them.  Every time I make them I get better.  These little lemon gems were my best attempt thus far!  My son's birthday is in May and he lives 2000 miles away so I never get to see him on his birthday so I wanted to send a little something to celebrate the day.  I know he loves lemon bars but I didn't want to make those thinking that they would not make the trip. 

I wanted to fill them with lemon buttercream as well as lemon curd, so I got busy and started to create these beautiful little lemony treats.

I got my almond meal and confectioners sugar ground to a powder and sifted.  Then beat my egg whites to stiff, glossy peaks, added in the lemon and vanilla extract then started to add in the almond/sugar mixture a little bit at a time.  Then the fun starts!  This is were you make it or break it!  You start to gently folding it over and over several times, mushing it against the side of the bowl as you go along.  This is called the "Macaronnage".  You have to get it to just the right consistency and you can't go too far or you have a real mess on your hands!  Then the batter is put in a pastry bag and piped onto a prepared cookie sheet and left to dry for about 30 minutes to an hour.  This helps your get the pretty little edge they call the feet. 

I am really happy with the way 
these turned out.  Some of them got a little 
bubble on top...not sure what caused that...will have to do some more research!  But all in all these macarons were very good!  A light crispiness on the outside and a nice chewy inside....just the way I like them! I wanted to fill them with a combo of buttercream and lemon curd so while the macarons were drying and baking I made my lemon curd and I must say....a beautiful lemon curd it was!  This will be my go to recipe from now on!

Beautiful...Yes????

I packed up these little lemon treats in a "Box of Sunshine" along with other yellow sunshiny things.  I hope it makes him smile!  

As always

Enjoy!

Click here for the macaron recipe.

Lemon Curd 

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp grated lemon zest

Method:

In a steel bowl whisk together all the ingredients except the butter.

Bring a pot of water to a slow simmer and put the steel bowl on it whisking continuously (or it may curdle) until the mixture thickens, to coat the back of a spoon.  Take the bowl off the pan and add the butter and whisk until the butter melts and is incorporated.  Let cool and transfer to a clean jar, put plastic wrap on before closing the lid and refrigerate.

Lemon Buttercream

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1/2 stick)

1-2 cups confectioners sugar ( plus more if needed)

2-3 Tbsp of heavy cream

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract

sprinkle of salt

Method

Beat the butter on medium high speed for 2 minutes with an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, until soft and fluffy.  Add the confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until combined and to the consistency that you want. Add lemon juice, zest, vanilla and salt, continue to beat for another 1-2 minutes. (Add up to 1/2 cup more sugar if too thin or a little more cream if too thick).

Assemble the Macarons

Match up your macarons into pairs place one face side up and pipe a circle of buttercream around the edge (leave a little room on the edge) of the macaron and place a dab of the lemon curd in the center.  Sandwich the halves together and gently push the filling to the edges.

Problem with the bubbles was caused from over beating the egg 

whites...will know next time!