Chocolate Chip Cookies/Cookie Sandwiches done the Babycakes way!

I know I've been on kind of a Babycakes kick, but what can I say?  Her recipes are delicious!  I have never been to the actual bakery in NYC, but I plan on it the next time I'm in the city.  Now, I know I've done a recipe before on chocolate chip cookies from the same author, but this is a different recipe from that one.  This is from her first Babycakes book.  It makes a crispier, larger cookie, which you can use as a cookie sandwich with your leftover frosting, like I did.  They were incredible, and a hazard to have in my apartment.  That being said, I am now back on my strict diet.  I have been so bad this summer with my diet, but for me summer is the most difficult time to pass up desserts.  There's desserts at barbeques, there's ice cream everywhere, especially at the shore.  It's difficult to pass up ice cream.  Anyway back to the recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups evaporated cane juice a.k.a. vegan sugar
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla, and evaporated cane juice.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax meal, baking soda, and xanthan gum.  Using a rubber spatula, carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until a grainy dough is formed.

Gently fold in the chocolate chips just until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.  Using a melon baller, scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the portions 1 inch apart.

Gently press each with the heel of your hand to help them spread.  Bake the cookies on the center rack for 15 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees after 9 minutes.  The finished cookies will be crisp on the edges and soft in the center.

Let the cookies stand on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before storing or frosting them.  Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 36 cookies.  Enjoy! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes done the Babycakes way

Okay, now who doesn't love red velvet cupcakes?  Who can pass one up?  They are probably my favorite kind of cupcake vegan or not, gluten free or not, I cannot pass one up.  There's just something about the richness of how they taste.  The frosting always pops out more on red velvet cupcakes, in my opinion.  That being said, I used the Babycakes vanilla frosting recipe for these, and you can find that link here.

For these cupcakes you will need to use spelt flour, now spelt is wheat's cousin, so I don't think these are gluten free.  I have heard that people with Celiac's can digest spelt though, depending on how sensitive they are to gluten.  That being said, let's get to the recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 1/4 cups whole spelt flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/4 cups agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons natural red food coloring, or as needed to achieve your preferred color
• vanilla frosting (see above link)

First, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.  Pour the rice milk and apple cider into a small bowl, but do not stir, set aside to develop into "buttermilk."

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the oil, agave nectar, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  The batter will be thick.  Using a plastic spatula, add the "buttermilk" and mix just until combined.

Slowly add red food coloring by the tablespoon until the batter is the desired color.  Do not exceed 6 tablespoons.

Pour the batter into the prepared tins.  Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for 24 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 14 minutes.  The finished cupcakes will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

I frosted the cupcakes at my bff's home.

Let the cupcakes stand in the tins for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely.  Using a frosting knife, gently spread desired amount of frosting to each cupcake.

You can store these cupcakes in the fridge in an airtight  container for up to 3 days.

Enjoy! 

Mimi's Poppy Seed Cake from Penzeys ( done by me)

This cake was no piece of cake to make.  It was the first time I made a multilayer cake, and with a pudding in the middle instead of the same frosting as I would put on the outside.  I found this cake in the Penzeys catalog a while ago and kept it on my fridge to remind me to make it one day.  Well, since my dad loves it when I bake cakes, I decided to make this for him for Father's Day.  The recipe called for vanilla extract in the cake batter and pudding, but I used Penzeys' lemon extract instead.  When my dad had his deli, he would bake lemon poppy seed muffins, and having been a huge fan of those muffins, I decided to make it into a cake.  Thanks to Mimi's family for providing such a great recipe in the Penzeys catalog.

Here's what you'll need for the cake:

• 1/2 cup whole blue poppy seeds (I used Penzeys')
• 1 cup milk (I used coconut milk to get rid of it.)
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract (I added another 1/4 tsp. because I didn't want the coconut to overwhelm the taste of the cake.)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 egg whites, beaten

Soak the poppy seeds in the milk for 2 hours.

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cream the butter until fluffy.  Add the sugar and lemon extract and mix well.  Add the poppy seed mixture.

Gradually add the dry ingredients.  Fold in the beaten egg whites.  Pour into 2 greased 8-inch layer pans and bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. 

Now onto the filling:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks, beaten until thick, 1-2 minutes
• 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
• pinch of salt

Dissolve the cornstarch in a little of the milk in a medium saucepan.  Add the rest of the milk and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat.  Add the sugar to the beaten egg yolks.  Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the yolks, stirring constantly.  Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick and the mixture starts to bubble, stirring constantly, about 7-8 minutes.

Once the mixture bubbles, cook for an additional minute.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Stir in the lemon extract, cover  by putting plastic wrap right on the surface, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now for the white frosting:

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until peaks form and set aside.  In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cream of tartar and salt.  Place on the stove over medium heat and stir until it starts to boil, 4-8 minutes.

Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  While beating, pour the sugar mixture slowly over the egg whites.  Beat until peaks form and the frosting is thick and glossy and has the consistency to spread.  This should take about 4-7 minutes.  Add the vanilla and beat just to combine.

After the cake is completely cool, cut each layer in half.  This was tricky for me because I cut them on an angle by accident.  Spread some filling between each layer.

I know it looks sloppy, but it turned out better than this.

Now frost with the white frosting.

Place in the fridge to firm up a bit before cutting.  Enjoy!  My family sure did.