Double-Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Muffins - vegan

If you were looking for Valentine inspiration, I'm about a week and half late with these. Bad blogger. If you are looking for easy, chocolate deliciousness, then I'm right on time. Good blogger.

Side note: Are you a blogger who also has a day job? Can you tell me how you do it? How do you keep yourself organized and so on top of things - like holidays - that you can have appropriate posts up just when your readers are looking for ideas? Because I haven't figured it out yet, and I'd really like to. If I was awesome, I would have given these to you more than a week and a half ago, and I would have given you several other delicious desserts, drinks, and main courses to choose from. Really, how do you do it?

Aside from being tardy, these muffins/cupcakes are great. They were originally billed as muffins, but I really can't justify calling them that. There's no hint of hearty or healthy. They're delicate, sweet, and (I can hardly believe I'm saying this) don't need frosting to make them perfect for dessert. The chocolate chips gift your palette concentrated richness, while the raspberries shower your mouth in juicy goodness.

These guys are also really easy, come together quickly, and if you don't count measuring cups and spoons, are a one bowl wonder. I first made these for Valentine's Day, but we ate them so quickly I didn't have time to photograph them, so I just had to make them again. Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

Through the magic of weird scheduling, I have a three day weekend starting today, and I can't wait to catch up on my cooking magazine reading, run the dog, lounge on the couch, clean up the backyard a bit (guys! Spring is springing!), catch up on some correspondence, walk along the water, and read as many books as I can. Perhaps even plan a vacation and limit my cupcake intake to just a couple.

On the other hand, if I call them muffins, then they are breakfast-appropriate.


Double-Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Muffins - vegan
adapted from How About Orange

So, here's the thing. It's February and fresh raspberries are very dear, so I only used frozen when I made these. I deliberately left the bake time loose because I believe that if you use fresh, they'll bake completely in 20-22 minutes, but with the juices released from frozen berries, mine took almost 30 minutes each time. I added the frozen raspberries to the batter still frozen rather than thawing+draining them.

These are great as is. However, if you want to dress them up with frosting, I recommend something like light like coconut whipped cream. In fact, that was my plan, and I even have several cans of coconut milk in the fridge, but I found it was unnecessary.

Makes 18-20 muffins. I successfully halved the recipe. The only weird measure to divide is the flour, and I've included my math below.

2 1/3 C all purpose flour (half is 1 C + 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp) (I used white whole wheat)
1½ C sugar (I used sucanat)
½ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ tsp canola or other neutral flavored vegetable oil
½ tsp distilled white vinegar (I used my raspberry vinegar, but any will do, as will lemon juice)

1½ C water

2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ C dairy free semisweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
1½ C fresh or frozen raspberries (see note)

sparkling sugar (optional) or frosting (see note)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350˚F. Line one (or two if you've got them) 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. If the mixture is very lumpy, you can pass it through a sieve or sifter, but I didn't find I needed to. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Make a well in the flour mixture and gradually pour in the oil mixture, whisking as you go. Fold in the chocolate chips and about two-thirds of the raspberries. Spoon into prepared muffin pans; fill each about 3/4 full. Garnish with the remaining raspberries and sugar if you'd like.

Bake until the tops spring back when pressed lightly in the center with a fingertip, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool or serve warm. These are best when eaten the day within a day or two of being baked. I haven't tried freezing them, but I don't see why you couldn't.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting - vegan

Have you been looking for your go-to, un-fussy, everyday chocolate cake (or cupcake!) recipe? Look no further, folks, because I've got it for you. I first came across this eggless chocolate cake sometime last fall, filed it away pinned it, and rediscovered it recently. The first time I made it was disappointing, not only because I forgot the baking soda, but because it wasn't terribly chocolatey. I did some thinking, some chocolate craving, made some bread, and tried again. The results were fantastic.

DIY Homemade Sugar Cubes

It's the middle of our second Indian Summer of the month, and as much as I would like to be sharing a new bread recipe, I just couldn't bring myself to turn on the oven to try it again with another tweak or two. There have been two attempts thus far- one was pretty much a fail, and the second loaf tasted good but was rather more...dense...that I was aiming for.

However, I've had homemade sugar cubes in the back of my mind for a very long while, and it seemed like a good time to get them out in the real world.

Apple Tart - vegan & gluten free

Valentine's Day always shouts raspberries, and I'm really curious why. Maybe, in combination with their color, it's because fresh raspberries in February are such a luxury, such an indulgence, that their cost proves the intensity of your love. (It makes me think of oranges at Christmas in the Little House series. Anyone else?)

To be fair, I am all for raspberries (and love). BUT, and there's always a but, I am not willing to pay, or have someone I love, pay $6 or $7 for a 6 oz clam shell. Nuh-huh, no way, not on my watch. 

For the locavores amongst us, unless they live in the tropics, raspberries are not even an option. So I'm starting a campaign: Apples for Valentine's. You can use red ones if it makes you feel more festive, but, really, apples are a much more reasonable choice today. 

This was my first tart, and I was pretty pleased with the result. Luckily, my cousin and his family thought so too. I always get nervous taking something untried to gatherings, but I hoped that since it looked good and smelled good, it would also taste good (it did).

I hope that you try this, and, more importantly, I hope that you have someone you can shower some affection on today. Because it really is good to give.

Apple Tart - vegan & gluten free

Graham Cracker Crust - vegan & gluten free
2 Tbsp sugar
6 oz broken graham crackers (1 of the the 3 packages inside a box)*
OR
6 oz gluten free broken gingersnaps**
4 Tbsp vegan butter, melted, plus more as necessary

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar and graham crackers/cookies. Pulse until the crackers are crumbs, and slowly add the butter, stirring or pulsing, until well blended. If the crumbs are not all moistened, add a bit more butter. Distribute the mix fairly evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch (ish. there seem to be a lot of sizes out there! this is a pretty flexible crust recipe) pie or tart pan. Press the mix down along the bottom and sides.

If the pie or tart recipe you are using (this one!) calls for prebaking, heat your oven to 350F. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes- just until it starts to brown. Cool on a rack before filling; the crust will harden as it cools.

*I use cinnamon graham crackers because they make the crust that much more awesome
**I have found these at Whole Foods and maybe one or two other local and/or hippie grocery stores. I could not find anything suitable at my neighborhood Safeway, but maybe you are lucky enough to do so. Depending on the sweetness of the cookie, you may be able to reduce the amount of sugar you mix in. I think some sort of almond cookie would also be delicious here

Apple Tart - vegan & gluten free
2-3 lbs tart apples*
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp vegan butter, plus more if necessary

Prebake your crust (see above), and start on your apples while it's in the oven. When the crust is done, set it aside to cool, and turn the oven up to 375F.

Peel and core the apples, and then cut them into thin - like 1/8-inch thick - slices. Here is a great time to use that mandoline your mom got your for Christmas (just watch your fingers!). Toss them well with the lemon juice so they don't turn brown. Arrange the apples in concentric circles in the tart shell, with the circles overlapping. I found it was easier to start from the outside, but you may have better luck starting from the inside.** Sprinkle the top with sugar and cinnamon, and then dot with butter (more or less than the listed amount above will work just fine).

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake about 40 minutes. Apples will be quite soft, but they will still look like apple slices. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes. Serve alone, with ice cream, or some fresh berries.

*I used Granny Smith. McIntosh would also work. In addition, please note that while my uncooked photos look like I used a lot of apples, the baked tart looks almost naked. Silly me didn't think about the apples shrinking during baking. Pack in your apples!
**Perhaps it's a right v. left-handed thing? or clockwise or counter-clockwise? I'm not sure. I also think you may want to do a whole flat bottom layer of apples and then start your circles on top of that.

Whoops - Valentine Round Up

Vegan Valentine's Cupcakes - Red Velvet with Raspberry Buttercream

It occurred to me this morning that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Sure, I knew it was February and that Valentine's Day is February 14. But I hadn't quite put together that it's already the 13th. Where has the month gone?

Romesco Sauce - vegan

Mr Official Taster and I don't have any big plans. Perhaps because of years working in restaurants and bars on Valentine's Day, or perhaps just because we're content to be home alone with the puppies, we'll be here at home. He has plans to cook dinner, which is usually my job, and which I will probably help with. I made brownies last night, so there should be a few left for tomorrow. I might also be inspired to concoct something sweet tomorrow afternoon. We'll see.

Dairy Free White Cake, Raspberry Filling, and Vegan Mocha Buttercream

BUT. I thought some of you might still be looking for inspiration. I've been working on a Valentine Fun board on Pinterest - perhaps you'll find some (wait for it) pinsteration? I've included culinary delights as well as cards and crafts. In addition, here are a few more suggestions:

• Vegan Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake - blood oranges are in season, and the pops of red in this easy cake are nice and festive
• Single Serving Sized Vegan & Gluten Free Fruit Crisp - I know raspberries are painfully expensive during the winter, but perhaps you can still impress with a small amount
• Red Wine Pasta with Broccoli - Nothing says "I love you" like broccoli, but the color (and the leftover wine) is perfect for dinner
• Vegan & Gluten Free Peanut Butter Dog Treats - you wouldn't want to forget man's best friend
• Gluten Free & Dairy Free Cupcakes - these vanilla cupcakes come with filling instructions, so you can have a surprise frosting color inside if you're so inspired

Black-Tea Blackberry Sorbet

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Or are you more opposed to it? Whichever it is, I hope you have a happy day!

Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet - vegan & gluten free

Last week, Mr Official Taster and I relaxed in Hawaii, along with some family. We had a lovely time, and, at least for me, one of the best parts of the trip was the literal escape it allowed. As I mentioned, Mr OT got a new job in the Bay Area, and as of Saturday evening, we're here.

Since approximately the week of Christmas, our life has been somewhat hectic, very detail-filled, and constantly in upheaval. Between January 1st and 5th, Mr OT left for SanFran, I got the house ready for movers, supervised the packing of all of our worldly possessions, sent off cars for transport, cleaned so we get our deposit back, took care of a hundred moving-related details, crashed at wonderful and generous friends' house, got the puppies to boarding and myself to the airport.

By the time I landed in Lihue, I was, to put it mildly, exhausted. My week there involved indulgent amounts of sleep, many books, much lounging, and lots of ocean viewing. There was minimal emailing, interneting, and texting. It was lovely and the perfect escape.

In the spirit of escape, I bring you a Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet. If you were to make it in season, it would be warm outside, mosquitos might bother you at dusk, and, if you're lucky, you would see fireflies in the evening. However, if you need an escape from a dark and cold winter, I suggest using frozen berries and giving yourself a taste of the summer to come.

Black Tea-Blackberry Sorbet - vegan & gluten free
adapted from honey & jam
It occurs to me that this would be fun and unexpected for Valentine's Day - the color is great!

2 C water
2 black tea bags
1 C sugar
3 C fresh or frozen blackberries; if frozen, let thaw completely and drain
1 Tbsp vodka
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat, add tea bags and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, add sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool completely.

Puree blackberries in a food processor, then push through mesh sieve to remove seeds. Pour vodka and lemon juice through the sieve to help get the blackberry through. Add the tea, then pour back through sieve.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Happy Valentine's Day! free printables and more

via The Swell Life

I hope you're having a fun day, and if you're still scrambling, here are some free printables to help you out!

via My. Daily. Randomness.

This year I made a rule for Official Taster and I. Our presents have to be made by us. I was supposed to get a painting (he paints), but that didn't happen, so, instead, I got a super delicious dinner on Sunday night. Spinach salad with walnuts and goat cheese and roasted pears and fig chutney and a balsamic/fig/mustard dressing. Also, pasta with sun dried tomatoes and garlic and basil. AND cupcakes from Whole Foods. Yum :)

via Frog Prince Paperie

I can't tell you (yet) what Official Taster is getting from me, but I'll share later. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise! Also, if you now have a card and still need a present, try one of these goodies!

Chocolate Cake

The original recipe is for Chocolate Pumpkin cake, but if you substitute applesauce or mayonnaise for the pumpkin, you will have plain old delicious chocolate cake. 

Red Wine Pasta with Broccoli 

Don't forget, there were cupcakes a week ago! What do you do for food on Valentine's? Official Taster and I both hate the idea of going out to eat, especially (I think) because we've both worked in restaurants and know how un-fun working that dinner shift is.

Raspberry Pancakes

Vegan Valentine Cupcakes - Red Velvet with Raspberry Buttercream

I had Thursday and Friday off last week. Thursday I ran errands, did laundry, took a nap, you know, the essentials. Friday, however, I found myself with some time on my hands and an urge to bake, since I haven't had a chance in a while. So after bumming around online for a while, I determined that I had a craving for red velvet cupcakes. It sounds like a strange desire, but I think they were just on my mind after seeing these and these. {I also saw these lovelies, but that's a different story.}

I remembered really liking the ones I made last year, so I went back to that recipe. For once, I also wanted to have a holiday treat posted well before the holiday in question so that you guys would have plenty of time to get yourselves together to make it.

So, red velvet cupcakes (which are chocolate, by the way) with....drumroll please.... raspberry buttercream! Yep, a classic combination rendered in vegan form. Chocolate + Raspberry = Delicious

 I used fresh raspberries for my frosting, but I think you could use frozen if you thaw and drain them first. Also, a note on the cupcake recipe: this time I used soy milk rather than almond milk and only vanilla extract (as opposed to part almond extract). They were still yummy, but I missed having the hint of almond I had last time. Also, if you have picky or ambivalent-about-vegan-baking eaters, Official Taster thinks he can taste/feel the graininess sometimes associated with soy milk. I didn't notice, but I wanted to let you know.

This time, I made a combination of heart shaped and mini cupcakes. For the hearts, I used some Reynolds heart baking cups I had on hand. I'm not sure if they still make them, or if they are a seasonal item, but this is what they look like.

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

For cupcake recipe, please reread this post

For the frosting:
1/2 stick vegan butter
1/4 C fresh raspberries
splash of vanilla
2-3 C confectioners' sugar

In a small bowl, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the raspberries and vanilla and blend well. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until the frosting has become stiff enough to spread or pipe. Frost and enjoy!

Notes:
If you add the sugar slowly, the frosting blends beautifully and you avoid the slight graininess that occurs sometimes in quick buttercreams

If you use regular butter, I would also add a dash of salt.

Any other berry should work as well. Blackberries would make a pretty color!

Valentine's Cards - Free Printable

If you head over to One Charming Party's Valentine's cards post, you can download your very own set of these cuties and get them in the snail mail in order for your lucky recipients to get them by the 14th. Or you can give them to classmates, neighbors, roommates, coworkers, the mail main, you know, whoever you like :)

Scrumptious Valentine's Cookies

Today, I want you to go here on HowDoesShe to admire, gaze, and drool over these awesome cookies. There are these sweet hearts I know my sweetheart would eat in an instant, and there are also a few racier cookies on display. Racier being a relative term. They're still cookies, people.

I love that she used a simple heart cookie cutter and then went crazy fun with it! 

There are complete directions and lots of how-to photos to help you create your own fantasy cookies. Read on and get your icing ready!

A Valentine Thank You and Discount!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who ordered Valentine sweets for their sweeties! I went a little crazy baking for a few days, but I really appreciate your support and orders. If you are one of the lucky gift recipients, I hope you liked your goodies! As a thank you to YOU, if you order something from Short and Sweets between now and Feb 28, I will refund you 10% of your order (not shipping) via paypal. I highly recommend the VeganOs and the Fudge. (the Official Taster always recommends those in hope that he gets some leftovers).
**Here's the important part: when you're checking out, in the Message to Seller section, please type in ValentineThankYou so I know to give you your refund.

Please feel free to share this post with friends, family, and countrymen. Word of mouth and a good recommendation from a trusted source are my best tools.

Thanks again! Now, off to bake a cake!

Buttercream + Jam = Delicious

So yesterday I made Jammie Bodgers (I'm taking suggestions on more sellable/searchable names), whose name practically forces me to talk with a British accent and sip tea with my pinkie up. Where's my fine china?
They turned out to be rather tasty and very pretty. I think the ones with the apple cutouts would be great Valentine's (or anything) presents for teachers. I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but I'm hoping to get them onto ShortandSweets when I get back home. For the red ones I used strawberry jam and the orange ones are pumpkin butter. Unfortunately, after reading the label of the jar I had in the fridge, I realized my current pumpkin butter is not vegan since there's honey in it. So I'll have to find a different source than Trader Joe's. I think that means it's time to go to one of the farmers' markets!

New items for Valentine's, Weddings, Anti-Valentines, and Birthday Parties

Well, today I managed to photograph all the cookies and fudge I made yesterday and post 5, count'em five, new items on ShortandSweets. I feel so productive!

I did learn that candy molds don't really work for fudge. I tried to make some rose shaped fudge and it just fell apart/didn't come out of the mold. Fudge doesn't get as hard as candy so it doesn't "pop" nicely. Oh well, it was worth a try. I did make some heart shaped fudge in an ice cube tray. The other lesson from the week is that clean glass in ones kitchen windows make doing the dishes much more pleasant.

Go! Check out all my new stuff! Tell your friends! ;)

Hearts and More

So tonight I am making vegan Valentine, Anti-Valentine, and Alphabet cookies. For the Anti Valentine cookies, I'm going to roll out the dough and cut out circles. After I bake them, I will frost a black heart in the center and then do a red outline and crossout. I like it :) Valentine cookies are much more predictable. I have the whole alphabet of letters, so I want to show people I can bake whatever message they want to spell. Tonight's letters? You'll have to check back to see!

Baking Day

Happy Monday! Today is baking day, and my goal is to try out three new recipes. I'm trying to add more gluten free items to my repertoire since I have more vegan stuff on my Etsy at the moment. So far I have one done and cooling (it's hard to wait to try it!). Not sure what to call it yet, but it's chocolate and gluten free, vegan, and has popcorn and dried cranberries in it. Seems tasty! I'll let you know what the verdict is.
Next I'm going to try and make vegan meringues and a double chocolate brownie mint type thing that's gluten free and vegan.


I'll keep you posted!

Hello!

Hello and Happy New Year!
This past fall I started my store on Etsy and I'm expanding to the blogosphere as part of my New Year New Plan. So, first, check it out: shortandsweets.etsy.com
I've got all sorts of delicious gluten free and vegan desserts, treats, and delights for sale. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my masterpiece up there this year. For a Christmas party I attended I brought this dessert:

Everything (except the tree) is edible on it, which seemed pretty cool. Popcorn, cranberries, cookies, and candy canes dress the tree, while the presents at the bottom are cut up fudge wrapped with ribbon. My other holiday project that didn't make it to my site was delicious smelling Christmas ornaments in various cookie cutter shapes and decorated with glitter:

They made our living room smell yummy!
In the upcoming week, I hope to post new items for sale for Valentine's Day and spring time. If you have any ideas for vegan or gluten free items you'd like to see for sale, please let me know!