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Dessert, Fruit, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars

August 6, 2020

I received a gorgeous, ripe pineapple recently. I thought about making more mango-pineapple jam but our mangos were not quite ready. I found this recipe from Southern Living and thought it would be the perfect way to use up the entire pineapple. The recipe turned out to be a real delight. The pineapple really shines with its fresh sweet and tart flavor.

A crisp crust is layered with fresh chopped pineapple and crumb topping that includes sliced almonds.

A gorgeous pineapple perfectly ripe and ready to eat.

The crust is baked and cooled before the pineapple and crumb topping are added. I used almost the entire pineapple as the recipe calls for 4 cups of chopped fruit.

The pineapple mixture is spooned over the baked crust and the crumb topping sprinkled over it.

Once in the oven, the pineapple crumble will bake for 45-55 minutes. The scent of fresh pineapple fills the air as it bakes.

Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars

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Adapted from Southern Living

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 16

Ingredients

2 cups (254g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1⅓ cups (200g & 66g) sugar, divided
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups (20 ounces or 570g) chopped fresh pineapple
¼ cup (30g) corn starch
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ heaping cup (30g) slivered almonds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray pan with cooking spray.
Beat flour, butter, vanilla, 1 cup of sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture in a small bowl for the topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
Bake crust until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and cool completely, about 45 minutes (preheat oven again to 375 degrees after 30 minutes cooling time)
Meanwhile, gently stir together chopped pineapple, cornstarch, lemon juice, remaining ⅓ cup sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Spread pineapple mixture over cooled crust.
Stir together the almonds and reserved crumb mixture in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture evenly over pineapple mixture on crust. Bake at 375 degrees until the topping is lightly browned, about 45-55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 16 squares. Leftovers may be frozen. Separate layers with waxed paper.

Cookies, Dessert, French, Lactose Free, Recipes

Financiers ~ French Almond-Browned Butter Cakes

July 16, 2020

Cook’s Illustrated recently published this wonderful recipe in their bimonthly magazine. I was not familiar with these petite cakes known in France by the curious name, financiers. John knew exactly what they were and recommended that I make some. I may not have made them if I didn’t already have a mini muffin pan which is required for this recipe. Now that I have made them numerous times, I can say that it is worth buying the pan even if you only use it make these little treats. Fianciers (almond-browned butter cakes) are typically offered to restaurant guests at the end of a meal. These little cakes can be popped in your mouth or daintily eaten in one or two bites.

Cook’s Illustrated goes into detail on why using baking spray with flour is so important for this recipe. As they tested different batches of financiers, the ones made with regular vegetable spray produced domed cakes. For most other pastries made in muffin tins, that is what you would want and expect. However, I learned that authentic financiers should have relatively flat tops and the flour in baking spray provided a bit of insulation so the sides of the cakes could rise more before setting, resulting in sides that were mostly even with the tops of the cakes.

With just 6 ingredients, finaciers are a breeze to make. Almond flour and browned butter are what gives these cakes their distinctive flavor. I was pleased to know that Miyoko’s vegan butter can be browned just like the real thing.

Browning the butter takes just a couple of minutes. Once the butter has browned quickly transfer it to a small bowl so that it doesn’t burn.

The browned butter is mixed in with the other ingredients then divided into the mini muffin tin.

I have tried a few different toppings such as raspberries, strawberries, chocolate and sliced almonds. I like the financiers with strawberries or raspberries, however, my favorite is the financiers with sliced almonds. La présentation est magnifique!

If you use strawberries or raspberries, cut them into small pieces so there is less of a chance they will sink to the bottom of the batter.

Financiers

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Adapted from Cook's Illustrated magazine

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 24

Ingredients

5 tablespoons (2.5 ounces) Miyoko's vegan butter (or unsalted butter)
¾ cup (3 ounces) finely ground almond flour
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (4 ounces) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of table salt or ⅛ teaspoon if using unsalted butter
⅓ cup (3 ounces) egg whites (liquid or fresh)
Sliced almonds (lightly toasted), fresh or frozen raspberries and strawberries (small pieces cut from the top of fruit). If using frozen fruit keep pieces frozen until you are ready to use them.

Preparation

Special equipment: 24-cup mini muffin tin, large wire rack for cooling, baking spray with flour.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray with flour. Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and scraping skillet constantly with a rubber spatula, until milk solids are dark golden brown and butter has a nutty aroma, about 1-3 minutes. Immediately transfer butter to a heatproof bowl.
Whisk almond flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add egg whites. Using a rubber spatula stir until combined. Stir in butter until incorporated. Distribute the batter evenly among muffin cups. Note that the muffin cups should be filled less than halfway otherwise you will run out of batter. Place slivered almonds or small pieces of raspberries or strawberries on top of the batter (don't press into the batter).
Bake until the edges are well browned and the tops are golden, about 14 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking. Remove tin from oven and immediately invert wire rack on top of the tin. Invert rack and tin; carefully remove pan. Turn cakes right side up and let cool for about 20 minutes before serving. They are best eaten the same day they are baked, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or frozen for a few months. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cookies, Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegan

Cranzac Cookies

June 21, 2020

These “biscuits,” popular in Australia and New Zealand, are soft and chewy in the middle with crisp edges. They are packed with oats, coconut and in this case tart dried cherries. Some recipes call for cranberries, hence the name Cranzac biscuits. Others call for sultanas (golden raisins), and many omit dried fruit. The three things they all seem to have in common are oats, coconut, and Golden Syrup. I first learned of these delightful cookies via David Lebovitz’s blog. David’s explanation of how wonderful these cookies are, convinced me to order some Golden Syrup from Amazon so that I could make these as quickly as my order arrived. And I did, two days in a row.

Lyle’s Golden Syrup (also known as “light treacle”) is made from cane sugar and has a wonderful caramel flavor. It is quite thick and sticky. I used sweetened coconut flakes the first time I made the cookies (biscuits) since that was all I had on hand. They tasted great. But I wanted to try the recipe with unsweetened coconut so I bought a small bag at our local health food market. I found that the coconut flavor really shines when using the unsweetened version. So for a more detectable and bright flavor, use unsweetened shredded coconut.

These tasty cherries are good addition to one’s pantry. They are a nice snack served with nuts and cheese or baked in cream cheese scones.

After baking two batches of these cookies I had a lot to share with family and friends. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed them.

Cranzac Cookies

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Adapted from David Lebovitz's recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 14

Ingredients

⅓ cup (35g) old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup packed (100g) dark brown sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (88g) all-purpose flour
⅓ c (30g) unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (55g) tart dried cherries
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons water
2 tablespoons (30g) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks melted (or regular butter)
2 tablespoons (30ml) Lyle's Golden Syrup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven rack positioned in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, flour, coconut, dried cherries, baking soda, and salt. Add the water, melted Buttery Sticks and golden syrup. Stir until everything is well combined.
Shape dough into 14 small balls and place them evenly spaced apart (about 1") on the baking sheet. Use your hand to slightly flatten each ball so they are about half as high as they originally were.
Bake cookies, rotating the baking sheet half way through, until the cookies are lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies, Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes

Rugelach

May 17, 2020

One morning just before the holidays, we were shopping at Whole Foods to pick up a few items. I was not paying attention to anything but what was on my list, however, John (always on the lookout for samples) noticed some cookies. It turns out the cookies were actually a type of rugelach which is a small Jewish rolled cookie that can be eaten in one or two bites. Once I returned home, I quickly looked up rugelach recipes and found many variations. Some have chocolate or nuts and raisins while others are savory. The one thing they had in common was a cream cheese and butter dough. The version at Whole Foods was oddly dairy free (pareve). How do you pronounce rugelach? Some say “roo-ga-la” and others like Ina Garten and Dorie Greenspan say “rug-ah-la” which means it’s still a mystery to me.

I choose to skip the chocolate and stick with walnuts, jam and currants. Because these cookies are very small and are rolled, currants work very well since they are much daintier than raisins. I used our homemade mango-lilikoi jam which turned out to be a winner with its sweet and tart flavor.

The dough is rolled out into circles then brushed with jam and sprinkled with the currant and sugar mixture before being cut and rolled into crescents.

I am so happy that there are more lactose free dairy products available these days. Green Valley sells lactose free cream cheese in tubs and we always have one on hand. Because their cream cheese is in tubs which makes it more spreadable, it is a bit softer than normal cream cheese bricks. So I worked around this and found that using a bit less than the normal equal parts of butter and cream cheese was the perfect amount. And the cream cheese is always cold, right out of the refrigerator as is the lactose free Earth Balance Buttery Sticks I used.

The dough is satiny and soft so freezing it for 15 minutes or so is essential in order to roll crescents that hold their shape. The rolled cookies are once again placed in the freezer before going into the oven.

The cookies are done when they puff up and are slightly golden in color.

Once I made my own rugelach, I was hooked. These humble looking cookies are so delicious. We love to eat them straight out of the freezer. And though they seem particularly popular during the holiday season, they are welcome anytime of the year.

Rugelach

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 24

Ingredients

Dough:
5 ounces all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 ounces cold Buttery Sticks cut into large cubes
3.5 ounces cold Green Valley lactose free cream cheese (drained if needed) spooned into large pieces
Filling:
¼ c + 2 tablespoons (1.8 ounces) currants
½ cup (1.8 ounces) finely chopped walnuts
⅛ cup (1 ounce) packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon mango jam, pureed if chunky (or apricot jam)
To Finish:
Egg wash - I use powdered egg white mixed with water, however you may use 1 whole egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1½ tablespoons granulated sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

Dough: Combine flour, sugar, Buttery Sticks, Green Valley lactose free cream cheese in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times, then turn the processor on and process until the dough forms a shaggy ball, about 40 seconds or so.
Divide the dough in half. Working quickly as the dough is very soft, shape each piece into a disk and wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until it registers 40 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, at least 2 hours.
Filling: Combine currants, walnuts, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack set in the middle.
Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. Roll out dough into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Spread half of the jam on the dough leaving a half-inch border. Sprinkle half of the filling over the jam. With a piece of waxed paper, gently press the filling into the dough. Place dough round in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up before rolling up cookies. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 wedges. The simplest way to do this is to cut the dough in quarters, then cut each quarter into 3 pieces for a total of 12.
Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on a parchment lined baking sheet making sure the points are tucked under the cookies. Freeze while you prepare the second batch, or refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Just before baking, brush egg wash over each cookie and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake the cookies for 23-25 minutes. The cookies will be puffed and golden. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool (cookies will be too soft to remove right away). Rugelach should be thoroughly cooled before serving. We love eating these right out of the freezer. Store cookies in the refrigerator or freezer.

Cookies, Dessert, French, Lactose Free, Recipes

World Peace Cookies

April 18, 2020

Dorie Greenspan, the James Beard award-winning cookbook author never lets us down. Her pastry recipes are world renown and for good reason. Ms. Greenspan mentions on her web site that she burned her parent’s kitchen down when she was 12 (oops) and didn’t cook again until she got married. By then, she had given up working on her doctorate in gerontology and started baking cookies in a restaurant basement. I suppose that’s where it all started.

The original recipe was given to Dorie by her friend Pierre Hermé who was named the world’s best pastry chef in 2016. At that time, the cookies were known as Sablés Chocolats (chocolate shortbread). But according to Dorie, one day her neighbor gave the cookies the name they truly deserve: World Peace Cookies. Her neighbor was convinced that if everyone in the world could taste these cookies, there would be world peace. Though it may not have brought peace to the world, it has made many of us very happy.

These cookies are very easy to make. Just allow enough time to chill the dough thoroughly before baking the cookies. The dough is divided into two even logs and chilled for 2 hours or so before they are sliced and baked. I made these lactose free using Earth Balance Buttery Sticks but go ahead and use regular unsalted butter as the original recipe calls for.

If you love chocolate, you will find these cookies irresistible.

World Peace Cookies

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Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's World Peace Cookies Recipe

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 36-40 cookies

Ingredients

1¼ cups (170 grams) all-purpose flour
⅓ cup (28 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 stick + 3 tablepoons (5½ ounces;155 grams) Buttery Sticks, at room temperature (or regular unsalted butter)
⅔ cup (134 grams) packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon fleur de sel (or ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter, or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 ounces (142 grams) mini chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chip-size bits

Preparation

Sift flour, cocoa and baking soda together in a small bowl.
In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the Buttery Sticks on medium speed until soft and creamy. (You may also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or mix by hand using a firm spatula or wooden spoon). Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the sifted dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. The dough may look a bit crumbly but it will be fine. You may also use a firm spatula. Work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface, divide in half and shape each piece into a log that is 1½-inches in diameter and about 9-inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
Center a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Have 2 parchment-lined baking sheets at hand.
Working with a sharp thin-bladed knife, slice rounds that are ½-inch thick. The dough tends to crack as you get down to the bottom of each slice but don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto the cookie. Arrange rounds on baking sheets leaving about 1 inch of space between each cookie. Bake one sheet at a time, for 12 minutes. They may not look done nor will they be firm, but that's just how they should be. Transfer baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until just warm, at which time you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.
Repeat with the second sheet of cookies.
The dough can also be frozen. There is no need to defrost the dough before baking. Let it warm just enough so that you can slice the rounds. Bake the cookies 1 minute longer. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Dessert, Lactose Free, Recipes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

February 8, 2020

Carrot cake could be the ultimate dessert. It is moist with a well balanced sweetness, and of course a delectable cream cheese frosting. Carrot cupcakes on the other hand, are dessert perfection. Everyone gets their own mini cake with lots of cream cheese frosting. They are an irresistible treat.

The grater above is a “family heirloom” once belonging to my mom. It’s looking a bit rustic these days, but it still turns out perfectly grated carrots. If you have a box grater use the finer holes for this recipe.

I added golden raisins and shredded coconut to the batter but left out nuts. Instead, I used toasted pecans to decorate the frosting on some of the cupcakes. Note that when using Green Valley lactose free cream cheese, it is not as firm as normal block cream cheese. Therefore, open the tub of cream cheese and drain it in a sieve if you notice any liquid in the tub. If there is too much liquid, your frosting will turn out runny and you will need to start over. Adding more confectioners sugar will not solve the problem (I have been there!).

I made these with and without cupcake liners. It seems the cupcake liners I bought were a bit small for the pan I have so I now make these without them. Instead, I coat each cavity well with floured cooking spray. However, you may choose to use cupcake liners as they make for easy clean up and a pretty presentation.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

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Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Cupcakes:
2 large eggs
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup Miyoko's vegan butter or Buttery Sticks, melted and cooled (or increase canola oil to ½ cup and omit vegan butter)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed dark or light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice (optional)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1⅛ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups small hole grated carrots (not packed)
½ cup golden raisins (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained)
⅓ cup sweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup chopped and toasted pecans (to top frosting)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cold Green Valley lactose free cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar (more if needed)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-count muffin pan well with cooking spray (floured cooking spray works best) or coat with softened butter. You may also use cupcake liners.
Whisk the eggs, canola oil and melted vegan butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice (if using), and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir until just combined.
Fold in carrots, golden raisins, and coconut.
Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tin.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. If using Green Valley lactose free cream cheese, remove it to a medium bowl. If there is visible liquid in the bowl, drain cream cheese in a sieve for 15 minutes (in the refrigerator). This is an important step to ensure a good frosting consistancy or you risk having runny frosting that won't be spreadable. Whisk cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Place cornstarch in a small plastic or metal strainer or sieve and sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture. Whisk again until ingredients are well combined. Place frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use (helps to firm it up).
I don't have a piping kit so I used a Ziploc gallon freezer bag instead. Place bag in a 2-cup measuring cup with one of the corners centered in the middle of the cup. Fold top edges of the bag over the cup. Transfer frosting to the bag. Twist the bag to ensure the frosting is at the bottom. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag (start small, you can always cut off more). Pipe frosting on the cupcakes and smooth with a small angled icing spatula or short butter knife. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the top.
The cupcakes can be frozen for a few weeks in a single layer in an airtight plastic container.

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Buttery Pineapple Crumble Bars

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Financiers ~ French Almond-Browned Butter Cakes

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Cranzac Cookies

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Rugelach

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World Peace Cookies

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Carrot Cake Cupcakes

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