Green Tea & Ginger Brownies

So they're not very pretty... sort of like the Incredible Hulk meets Duncan Hines!
It's a basic cream cheese brownie recipe with matcha powder added to the cream cheese swirl mixture. Then, after baking and tasting, I found that the brownies needed something to cut the plant-y flavor of the green tea. So I added a sugary glaze and some candied ginger on top.


Ingredients for brownie base:

1/3 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick of unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Green Tea Swirl:

8 oz Cream cheese
2 + 1/2 tsp green tea matcha powder
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg yolk


Ingredients for the ginger topping:

1/2 c confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Roughly 1/3 c Candied Ginger pieces


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Line an 8 x 8 " baking dish with tin foil so that edges of foil overhang by 2". Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Set a double boiler over low heat and melt chocolate and butter together.
Whisk in sugar.
Set aside and allow it to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, soften the cream cheese in the microwave on low power for about 2 mins. Place in an electric mixer and beat in the sugar and egg yolk. Add matcha powder and vanilla and beat until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time to the chocolate mixture and whisk well. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until well incorporated. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Drop evenly spaced 1 Tbsp dollops of green tea swirl batter on top of the brownie batter. With a table knife, run through each dollop vertically and horizontally a few times to make a swirl pattern.
Bake for 50-60 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Prepare the glaze: put confectioners sugar in a small bowl. Add Cream, 1 Tbsp at at a time. (Depending on the humidity in your kitchen, you may need to add more or less cream to achieve desired consistency). Add vanilla extract.
Spread glaze over brownies when they are cooled and top with candied ginger pieces.

Lemon Pinenut Anisettes

*ATK's recipe for sugar cookies with some additions. Also, these can be made without the anise, as plain lemon pine nut cookies.



Ingredients:

2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar + at least 1/2 c for coating cookies
1 egg
grated zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c pine nuts + 1 T for decorating
1/2 tsp anise extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Toast pine nuts in a small pan on medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, a few minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and 3/4 tsp of lemon zest. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
On low speed, add dry ingredients, mix until well combined and add pine nuts.
Make sugar coating: In a small dish, combine 1/2 tsp of anise extract and 1/2 c sugar. Add more anise if stronger flavor is desired.
With a small ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop small balls of dough and round them with your hands. Roll each dough ball in sugar to coat and place on cookie sheets covered in parchment paper.
Butter the bottom of a drinking glass or 1/4 measuring cup. Press the center of each dough ball to flatten slightly. Press pine nuts into top of cookies.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Apple Candied Ginger Scones

Ingredients:

2 c + 2 tsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
grated zest from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs
1/2 c heavy cream
2 apples, peeled, cored and minced
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger pieces


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel, core and mince apples, add cinnamon, allspice, and brown sugar.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together sugar, 2 cups of the flour (reserve extra 2 tsp), salt, baking powder, and lemon zest.
With a pastry blender (small hand held wire device: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/school/glossary/tools/pastryblend.html)
cut butter into flour mixture. Set aside when it resembles large crumbs.
In an electric mixer, combine eggs and cream at medium speed until creamy and smooth. Do not whip too much!
On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients until dough is shaggy and lumpy and all flour is incorporated.
On a well-floured surface, knead for about a minute and shape dough into a disk 1.5" thick. With a large knife, cut as you would a pie, into eight pieces. Place on baking sheet and press candied ginger pieces into top of each scone. Add more than the 1/4 c if you like.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 mins or until light golden brown.

Ginger Almond Apple Crisp

Looking for something to do with crystallized ginger?


Ingredients:

6-7 medium apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 c brown sugar
1T all purpose flour

for the topping:
1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c brown
1/4 c granulated sugar
5 T butter
3/4 c chopped almonds
1/4 c crystalized ginger


Preheat oven to 375.
mix apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, 1 T flour, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside.
To make topping:
In a food processor, combine flour, crystalized ginger, salt, sugar and spices. Pulse for 4-6 seconds.
Add butter and pulse for 10 seconds more. The mixture should look like wet sand.
Add almonds and pulse for a few seconds more.
Place apples in a 9 inch glass pie dish or 2 quart baking dish.
Bake for 45-50 mins.

Cashew Cookies with Ginger Honey Glaze

I revisited the cashew honey milk chocolate idea. It is based on a peanut butter cookie recipe from the Best Recipes (America's Test Kitchen) and I made a honey ginger glaze, which pairs very well with this cookie.
It also works well with milk chocolate chips... add 1 1/2 - 2 c of milk chocolate chips to the recipe if you want it to be chocolaty!


Ingredients:

2 + 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1 granulated sugar
1 c cashew butter (easy to find in health food aisle of grocery store)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c finely chopped cashews, toasted, cooled to room temp*
1/4 c honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

*to prepare the cashews, spread on baking sheet and toast whole cashews for 4 minutes at 350 degrees, then grind in a nut grinder or food processor

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda and cooled nuts.
In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars together. Add vanilla and eggs. Add cashew butter. Slowly add dry ingredients. Drop onto parchment lined baking sheet with small ice cream scoop. press tops with fork in a criss cross pattern.
Bake for 10 mins, or until golden brown around edges.
Meanwhile, heat honey and ginger together in small saucepan until bubbling.
Dip cookies face first in honey glaze.

I Can't Believe it's Vegan Chocolate Cake-

I found this recipe in The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home cookbook. It is called
"Six Minute Chocolate Cake" and it's vegan.


For the Cake:
1 1/2 c unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee or water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp white vinegar

For the Chocolate Ganache:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
3/4 c hot water or vanilla soymilk (vanilla soymilk lends a better texture)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.
Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
Grease an 8x8 inch pan. In an electric mixer, combine oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients. When blended smoothly together, add vinegar.
The mixture should have pale swirls, indicating the baking soda is reacting with the vinegar.
Pour into baking pan and bake for 25-30 mins, or until set (toothpick should come out clean to very slightly moist on the bottom). Allow to cool.

To make the ganache, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in the warm soy milk and vanilla, stir until smooth. Spread the ganache over the cooled cake.
Top with fresh raspberries or strawberries and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with Vanilla Tofutti.

Cardamom Pistachio Coconut Cookies

Soft aromatic cookies...

Ingredients:

2c + 2Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp cardamom

1 + 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to luke warm
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract


1 c toasted sweetened coconut
1 c toasted chopped pistachio nuts



To toast coconut, spread on baking sheet and bake at 350 for 3-4 mins, or until light brown.
To toast nuts, bake at 350 for 5 mins, or until fragrant. Toast separately.

Directions:

Toast coconut and pistachio nuts. Melt butter. Preheat oven to 325.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cardamom.
In an electric mixer, beat sugars and melted butter together. Add egg, extra yolk, and vanilla.
Slowly incorporate dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
Add coconut and pistachios.

Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.