Better than Hearts: Sugar Saucers

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

When I first spied these cookies, I knew that I had to make them mine. I mean, look at them!! Festive! Fun!! Romantic!?! (Well, they go with any holiday or special occasion or whenever, really).

It's funny because I'm not a sugar cookie fan nor a huge fan of rainbow sprinkles, but one bite of these cookies and I'm a convert. Completely SOLD. After my second bite, I declared them amazing. After my third cookie, I dreamt that if I ever owned my own bakery, this would become my signature cookie.

But be warned, you have to use rainbow sprinkles here. I tried the chic white ball sprinkles for a monochromatic classy cookie and it wasn't as good. I tried rolling the cookies in purple sanding sugar and they looked really weird and depressing. I even tried sprinkles that were shaped like hearts and that was an utter failure - melted ugly hearts made for a nasty looking and tasting cookie. So much so that I'm pleading with you to not try any other fancy shape other than rainbow jimmies (the other, cooler name for sprinkles). Go rainbow sprinkles or go home. I mean it!

These cookies are buttery with a soft centre and nicely crisp edges. And surprisingly, they're not tooth-achingly sweet. The recipe makes quite a bit, so pack a few of them up in a mason jar and give them to your best friend. Wrap them up in parchment paper and tie them with baking twine for a cute package for your Valentine's Day sweetie. Share the rainbow and make someone's day.

Sugar Saucers (recipe adapted from Lottie & Doof)

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or canola oil)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 large eggs
4 teaspoon vanilla extract
rainbow sprinkles, for decorating (1 or 2 containers)

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

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter on medium speed for about a minute. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the oil, and then add the two sugars, the eggs, and the vanilla. Make sure to beat well after each addition. Slowly add the flour mixture, about a quarter at a time. Mix just until the flour disappears. The dough will be soft. Refrigerate for at least an hour before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Use a tablespoon to grab the dough and use your hands to roll it into a ball. Roll each ball in rainbow sprinkles until thoroughly coated. Place them on baking sheets with enough room for them to spread and flatten each ball slightly.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden. Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Makes a lot of cookies.

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Just the Ticket: Pasta with Lemony Brussels Sprouts

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

I'm always on the hunt for easy dinners. Some might think it odd since I love cooking, but I'm not always wanting to prep and be in the kitchen for hours on end. Especially when I have things to do. I'm hungry and I want to eat. Now. 

Which is why I love dishes like this. The only real work is prepping the B-sprouts. I love this green little cute veg, but truth be told, it takes a bit of work to get them stage ready. First, you have to rinse them well. Then you have to peel off the outer leaves which can be tough or yellow or bug eaten. And then you have to slice them thinly, which is key to having them cook in just a few minutes. But after that, it's smooth sailing. The rest of the recipe is a snap.

Don't like Brussels sprouts? Well, we clearly can't be friends. Or you can venture into new territory - these aren't the stinky, mushy orbs made by your grandma. 

The dish is flavoured with garlic, chili and lemon and the sauce is simply the starchy pasta water enriched with 1/2 a bullion cube. I told you it was easy. The walnuts add a nice nutty dimension which works well with the B-sprouts, but if you're nut-adverse, you can leave them out. Parmesan tops it off with a delicious blanket of cheesy goodness. It's comforting, easy, and even a little bit vibrant. Just the ticket for a January evening.

Pasta with Lemony Brussels Sprouts

1 lb brussels sprouts

250 g dried pasta (I used a wagon wheel shape, but any pasta will do)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon chili flakes

1/2 a veggie or chicken stock cube, crumbled

2 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts or pine nuts

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Parmesan cheese, for serving

Rinse and trim brussels sprouts and slice them thinly. Use a food processor if you want to speed things up, but I used a knife and I live to tell this tale. 

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid for later on. You'll put it to good use.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add in brussels sprouts, along with a pinch of salt, the red chill flakes and sauté until tender and lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the nuts and let those get toasty, about another minute or so. 

Toss in the pasta along with a 1/4-1/2 cup of cooking liquid and the crumbled stock cube, stirring in to create a light sauce. The liquid will reduce slightly to thicken. Squeeze lemon over top, give a quick stir  and serve in bowls sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

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Happy Holiday Baking: Millionaire's Shortbread Bars

By Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

Millionaire's bars. I first heard of these amazing squares online. Someone said they tasted like a homemade Twix bar and I became obsessed with finding out more. Luckily, on a trip to NYC, I walked out to Red Hook in Brooklyn and tried one of these bars from the famous bakery, Baked. They were perfectly buttery, sweet and had a nice caramel layer. They were ideal with coffee. 

I wanted to recreate them at home, but I found the process a bit daunting, so I let the recipe slip me by. Until I decided to bake them up for a friend's birthday. Baking something for someone you really care about makes scary steps seem a whole lot less scarier. 

And while there are a lot of steps to this recipe – put aside a whole evening to make these – the ingredients aren't hard to find and it's actually quite easy to follow along with each step. There's a shortbread layer which is pretty easy. The chocolate glaze is a snap, especially if you have experience with using a double boiler or a bain marie (but I'm sure a microwave would make the whole thing even easier!). 

The only tricky bit I found was making the caramel filling. That, was tough going. I first started making the caramel in a double boiler on the stove and it just wouldn't turn thick and caramel coloured. So I gave up and just used the microwave. Hooray for modern conveniences!

The only thing I did differently was add a good sprinkle of sea salt over the top of the bars after I added the chocolate glaze. I knew these were sweet and I felt they needed the salt to balance out the flavours. 

While I made these as a birthday treat, these are perfect for your holiday baking. Impressive to look at and tasty to eat, who ever you give them to will be very, very happy.

Millionaire's Shortbread Bars

(recipe from the cookbook Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

Shortbread 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/4 t salt 

1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten 

Caramel filling

28 ounces sweetened condensed milk (two 14-ounce cans) 

Chocolate glaze 

6 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), coarsely chopped 

1 teaspoon light corn syrup 

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

sea salt, to sprinkle over top

For the shortbread: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. butter the bottom and sides of aa 9-by-13-inch baking pan. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until blended. Add 2 cups of the flour and salt and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat for a few seconds, or until just combined. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently work the dough into a 6-by-6-inch square. You will have to turn the dough and sprinkle the top with flour as you go. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup flour on the surface of the dough. Fold the dough over and knead until incorporated, then flatten the dough into a rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to the prepared pan and press it into the pan. 

Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. 

For the caramel filling: 

Put the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cook on 50 percent power (medium) for 4 minutes, stirring briskly halfway through, until smooth. 

Cook on 30 percent power (medium-low) for 12 to 18 minutes, until very thick and caramel colored, stirring briskly every 2 minutes, until smooth. 

Pour the caramel filling over the cooled shortbread and place the pan in the refrigerator until cool, about two hours. 

For the chocolate glaze: 

In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. 

Pour the mixture over the chilled caramel layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Let the layer set slightly (about 2 minutes or so) and then sprinkle with sea salt. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the glaze hardens. 

Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving so as not to crack the chocolate glaze. Cut into squares and serve. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.

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Maybe Possibly The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie

Contributor post by Lyndsay of Coco Cake

I think I may be on a lifelong search for the most delicious chocolate chip cookies. Any bakery I step into, I examine the chocolate chip cookie. Often I will buy it, and sadly more often than not I am disappointed. But not in a jerky way! But... maybe it's too puffy, too flour-y, too sugary sweet, not enough chocolate... man I have a lot of beefs with chocolate chip cookies.

My ideal choco chip cookies are crisp, with really good melty high quality chocolate, not too sweet with a touch of salt. I think these guys make the cut, and they are so easy to make, you'll be chomping down on a few before you can say "Whut? Vegan? No butter? Cahmannn"... vegan or no vegan, these cookies can be filed under crazy delicious. They spread into crisp, flat-ish "buttery" discs... best served fresh out-tha-oven with a tall glass of ice cold unsweetened almond milk, or whatever milk you fancy!

CONTINUE READING...

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Death by chocolate - Nina's brandy and ginger biscuit chocolate truffles

These are my brandy & ginger biscuit truffles, that have become a bit of a hit with family and friends. I thought I share the recipe with you. I never follow any recipe exactly so I suggest you do the same and adapt amounts and exact ingredients where you feel necessary!

Enjoy - and do let me know how you get on!

For around 25 truffles:

3 x 200g dark chocolate, broken in chunks
50g butter
100g condensed milk
(optional: a few table spoons of double cream)
dash of brandy (armagnac, rum, whisky - anything!)
50g desiccated coconut
4 ginger biscuits - finely crushed into crumbs
chocolate powder to cover the truffles with (I used hot chocolate drink powder). You can also use desiccated coconut or chocolate sprinkles.


1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan on low heat, then add the chocolate bit by bit, stirring until melted and smooth.

2. Add condensed milk and stir. If you are adding cream, add now.

3. Add the coconut and ginger biscuit crumbs and stir it in.

4. Add the brandy, stir until everything is smooth. If the mix is still a bit thick, add a bit of normal milk (or more brandy!), but don't make it too runny.

5. Put in the fridge for around 4 hours or until stiffened up.

6. Once ready, spread chocolate powder on a dinner plate. Take a small amount of chocolate emulsion in your hands and roll into a little ball. Roll into the chocolate powder until fully covered. Truffle done!
Try rolling them into desiccated coconut or chocolate sprinkles to create different versions.

7. Put back in the fridge to let them stiffen up a bit. Done!

8.  Wrap some of them individually and put them in a little box if you are giving them away, like I did (I got the wrappers and box from Hobbycraft).

NB: dip your fingers in a bowl of water every now and then when doing the rolling, to avoid the chocolate sticking too much to your fingers.

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